Page 124 of Bleed Me

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

That big ol’ baboon came running out through the garage, jumped in his truck, hit a button on his visor to close the garage door, then backed up, completely unaware of his life being in danger.

“The dumbass ain’t even buckling up.”

Justice snarked, “Says the one who tossed away his helmet?”

Watching him drive by us, I was still hoping that the waiting motorcycles were a mirage both Justice and I happened to see.

No such luck.

Soon after Maverick pulled out onto the next road, three bikes began to tail him.

Damnit. I’m supposed to stay out of this. I started running. “Babe, call our boys.”

Running behind me, she spoke into her cell, “Hey, they’re after Boxer Boy.” After snatching up my helmet, I hopped onto my bike and started the engine as Justice jumped on behind me. “Yeah,” she confirmed, “three of ‘em.” She tapped my shoulder. “We’re to follow but not engage. They’re coming.”

Keeping my headlight off, I pulled out of the trees and added to the growing chain of vehicles but kept some distance. We needed to keep tabs until someone—who wasn’t supposed to be dead—could arrive and intervene. I told Justice what road we were on, but Stallions weren’t from this town and weren’t as familiar with the area as I was. The back roads were ones they wouldn’t recognize, so I started telling her of bigger ones that were close by to where we were. If the boys were in the vicinity, at least we had a chance of them eventually reaching us. Hopefully, in time.

Ryders were busy watching over families, other friends, and the rest were guarding the compound. Even though there were three bikes on Boxer Boy’s ass, we had no idea where the other bikes were. It was safe to say Diesel had made the right choice to not chance the bluff.

On the road, the rain wasn’t helping, but I quickly realized I had been spotted when two bikes carried on, following Maverick, while one decelerated considerably.

Without slowing down myself, I said, “You seein’ this?”

She put her phone away and fisted guns. “Yep. Sorry, Diesel. I must disobey your orders. It’s time to party.”

“Alright, beautiful, he’s all yours.”

As soon as the biker came to a stop and twisted his upper body to face us, his arm followed suit with a gun. Giving my bike some nectar, we surged forward in a rush. I flicked on my light, initially stunning and then blinding the man for just long enough. One of Justice’s arms held my ribs as she lifted, aimed, and pulled the trigger.

The man was already falling back, his bike with him before we even passed him.

Justice held on to me while yelling over my engine, “You know how to count, baby?”

I smirked, “Hell yeah. Two-ta-go.”

Giver and Justice—twisted fucks—just like Bonnie and Clyde.

As I raced around a curve to catch up to Maverick and his uninvited road companions, Justice texted brothers that one bike was down, and we would need cages for recovery. “Holy shit!” screamed my wife. “I think a bullet just grazed my helmet!”

“Fuck! We must have ridden right past one!”

I picked up speed, but within seconds heard, “Yep! He’s coming up behind us! Giver, he’s shooting!”

“Shit!” I took a hard right, fighting the momentum of my bike, but as soon as I could, raced down another dirt road. “There’s a barn down here!”

“You sure? He’s coming!”

“Oh yeah. Art and I played ‘nice’ there once!”

There are monumental moments in your life when things click into place—start making sense. As I raced down another haunted road, knowing I was revisiting the past, I realized these ghosts were actually saviors of a sort. Had Art not strung me up that godawful night, I would have never tried to escape and create a certain hole that would now save our lives.

Sure enough, just like the night I woke hanging in the doorway, the moon was shining down on the wooden sliding doors. Just like they were that night I thought my life was ending, those doors were wide open, inviting me in.

With such divine intervention, I didn’t fear the mud on the field that I had to ride a motorcycle through. I had a mystical force on my side.

I was confident the biker behind me didn’t feel the same. Therefore, I had a hunch he wouldn’t follow me into the barn.