by Tess Oliver
“You’re lucky then. You won’t have to wait long for yours.” He looked at Jericho. “Take her to the dungeon now.”
Jericho walked over and took hold of Angel’s arm. He tucked her behind him. “No fucking way.”
Dreygon’s mouth tightened with rage. “Did you just say no to me? Maybe I’ll beat the shit out of you first.”
“That’s fine, but you’ll have to kill me before you lay a hand on Evie.”
Dreygon was losing control of his crew. His eyes bulged from his red face. He looked at Cash. “What the fuck are you waiting for? Get this asshole out of here and press the gun close. I want his brains to splatter over the whole fucking mountainside.”
Cash took hold of my arm.
“Luke!” Angel tried to follow, but Jericho had hold of her.
“I’m coming back for you, Angel. Do you hear me? You stay alive because I’m coming back for you.” Cash yanked me, and I fell sideways. My hobbled feet dragged lines through the dirt as he pulled me toward the garage. “Do you fucking hear me, Angel? I’m coming back for you!”
Angel fell to her knees. “Luke, don’t leave me here alone!”
Cash yanked me along. Her plea made me fight harder. I wriggled wildly, and for a second, I was free from his grasp. But the ropes made my limbs useless.
The truck was parked in front of the garage. Cash grabbed me from behind. I swung my head back into his face.
He temporarily dropped his arms. “Fucking hell, would you stop squirming like a trussed up pig.”
“You’ve been waiting for this, haven’t you, you mother fucker? All the time, just watching me from beneath those cool dude black shades, and all the time, you were just itching to shoot me in the head.”
“Yeah, that’s it. You figured me out.” He shoved me hard into the truck, and I fell between the seat and the dash.
My bound legs moved as one, and together, I managed to kick him hard enough that he stumbled back. He caught himself and came at me again. My legs shot out but this time he was ready. He grabbed my feet and twisted them painfully before shoving my legs into the truck and slamming the door shut.
He climbed inside. I struggled up onto the seat. My legs were my only weapon, but all my efforts were useless. I knew they would be, but having to leave Angel had ripped me up inside, and I decided I wasn’t going to go easy. I kicked at his hand as he went to put the keys in ignition. The keys dropped to the floor. Cash sighed and stared down at the steering wheel for a second. The last thing I saw was his massive fist.
Chapter 15
Angel
The gates closed behind the jeep, and Jericho finally let me go. My legs felt like rubber. I pressed my arm against my stomach to keep from puking. I flew toward the wrought iron bars. My fingers wrapped tightly around them. The jeep disappeared behind a cloud of dust. Jericho came up behind me, and I spun around and pounded him with my fists. And he let me.
“Why did you stop me?” I cried.
He finally tired of my assault and took hold of my wrists. “What were you going to do, Evie, tackle Cash to the ground? There was nothing you could do. Did you know he was a DEA agent?”
“No.” When I’d discovered who Luke was it had felt as if all the oxygen had been sucked from my head. “He tried to tell me, but I didn’t want to listen.” At first my anguish came from the betrayal. But it was nothing compared to the pain of knowing that I was going to lose him forever. “I won’t stay another day in this place.” I turned around and grabbed the gate again. I put my boot in between two of the bars and tried to hoist myself up.
Jericho put his hand on my arm. “Come on, Evie, a monkey couldn’t climb this gate. I’ll walk you to your cabin. Do you want me to bring you something? Whiskey or a beer?”
“You men are unfuckingbelievable. Do you really think a shot of whiskey is going to help this? Cash just drove off with the man I love and because, like all of you, Cash is a fucking barbarian, he’s going to kill him as easily as if he was putting on shoes.”
Jericho flinched at my harsh words, but there was no way I could stop the rage that flowed through me. “I’m sorry, Richo. I love you, but I can’t stay in here. I will find a way out if I have to dig a fucking tunnel. I want away from this place and from that old man forever.”
I stumbled toward my cabin and pushed inside. The dogs jumped up and followed behind me. The depression of Luke’s long, hard body still remained on my quilt. I ran my hand over it. “Luke.” I dropped to my knees. My head spun and my limbs felt as heavy as stone. There was no word black enough to describe it. Despair was too light and feathery. I saw no way of ever dealing with this. This was anguish that even time could not erase. I curled up in a ball on the floor. The dogs laid down next to me. I wasn’t certain that I would ever move from the spot again.
Chapter 16
Luke
My head smacked sharply against glass, but the real pain was in my face. My hands were shoved uncomfortably behind my back, and I couldn’t move them. I opened my eyes and reality came back to me in one sickening thud. I attempted to sit up, but the ropes biting into my wrists and the pain in my head made it tough. I wedged my shoulder against the door to prop myself upright and looked over at the driver.
Cash had dried blood smeared across his face. I’d done it to him with the back of my head. He glanced over at me but then returned his eyes to the rough terrain. The truck climbed a sharp hill of dirt. We hit a soft spot and for a long minute the tires spun.
I glanced over at him. “That would be pretty fucking funny if this thing pitched backward and you died with me.”
He didn’t answer. I stared out the window. The landscape was just as harsh as the desert below only with steeper climbs and more rocks. Nothing friendly about it except shade . . . and water. Dreygon had mentioned the river, and we were driving toward it. It was where Cash would toss my dead body. I saw no way out of this, and all I could think about was Dex. Now I knew how those last hours must have felt. It was a mixture of terror and a strange feeling of resignation. You knew the end was coming and death was always a damn scary notion, but when there was no way to avoid it, it was best to embrace it.
I shook my head. “I promised to help her.” The anger I felt at myself for letting Angel down was almost more overwhelming than the prospect of a violent death. I kicked the floorboards but Cash barely flinched. “I fucking promised her, and now she’s stuck in that goddamned fortress.” I turned to him. “Fuck all of you assholes. When I meet you in hell, I’m kicking everyone of your asses.”
He seemed to consider my threat. “I believe it.”
“I’d always thought Gunner was the biggest prick at the compound, but you look completely at ease in the role of executioner.”
“Gunner likes to think he’s the biggest prick, but he’s a clown.” He pulled the jeep up onto a solid, flat piece of ground.
I couldn’t see the river, but I could hear it. He got out, came around to my side and opened the door. He was definitely on the defense this time.
I looked at him. “Sorry, you’re going to have to carry me like a newly wed bride. I’m not getting out.”
He shrugged. “If you hadn’t been such a cocky sonavabitch then we might have been friends, Reno.”
I looked at him. “It’s Barringer. Special Agent Luke Barringer. And we would never have been friends.”
He reached in and grabbed hold of my arm. I fell out of the jeep, but it didn’t stop him. He dragged me over the rocks and pine needles to the bank of the river. He yanked me to my knees. “Stay still.”
I stared down at the water. It wasn’t a roaring rapid, but it wasn’t a tranquil stream either. I wondered how far I could stay afloat with my arms and legs tied. Cash pulled off his shirt and threw it into the water. Then he peeled off his pants.
I glanced at him over my shoulder. “What the fuck?”
“Don’t flatter yourself.” He stuck his gun in the band on his boxers and pulled out a switchblade. He sawed through th
e rope on my hands. I moved my arms in a circle to get the circulation back in my hands. “I’m going to let you cut the rope on your feet, but if you try and use it on me, I will go back to the original plan and shoot you in the head.”
A hundred questions flew through my mind, but I didn’t open my mouth. I sat down and cut through the rope around my ankles.
Cash threw his jeans into the river. “Dreygon is going to expect to see blood splattered on my clothes. I’ll tell him that I ditched them to hide evidence.”
I was free of my bindings. I pushed to my feet.
“You’re not out of the woods yet. Literally. Follow this river for as long as you can. It’s a good twenty-five miles until the road.”
“Don’t know how to thank you,” I said completely stunned.
“I do. When you get to Reno, you find Detective Scoffield and tell him I’m ready to get out. I’ll tell him everything he needs to know, but he needs to get me out cleanly.”
“So you’re turning on Dreygon?”
“It’s not about him. Dreygon used to be a different man. He pulled me off the streets. Basically saved my life. But I’m ready to get out. A few years back I witnessed two club members beat a bar owner to death. Detective Scoffield needs my testimony to get the guys. I’m done being loyal to these murderers. I’m just done with all of it. So talk to Scoffield for me.”
“You’ve got it. Will you be all right in the mean time?”
He lifted his gun in the air and fired. Birds were shocked out of their perches and several squirrels ran from their holes. “I’ll be fine. I just killed a DEA agent for Dreygon. Don’t think he’ll question my loyalty. Just don’t get caught, or we’ll both be floating face down in that river.”
“Can you—”
I didn’t need to finish my question. “She hates me now, which is the worst part of all this, but I’ll keep an eye on her. You need to get her out of there and soon. Dreygon is getting crazier each day. Don’t know if it’s the drugs or what, but he’s going out of his fucking mind. And as he loses control and the club falls apart, he gets more dangerous.” He glanced up to the sky. “You’ve only got a few hours of daylight left, so you’d better move it.”
“I’ll talk to Scoffield the minute I get back. Will you let Angel know I’m coming back for her?”
He shook his head. “That’s too dangerous. This is just between you and me.”
“Hey, man, thanks. I won’t forget this.” I headed along the river. If I moved fast enough I could cover a lot of ground before nightfall.
Chapter 17
Luke
Twenty-five flat miles could have been covered in four or five hours. I could have run at least half of it, but the same distance with rocks, tree roots and chunks of earth that had been worn away by rain made the trek much slower. And given that I’d already hiked for several hours up the ridge earlier in the day and had only eaten a slice of apple pie for sustenance, my strength was not at its peak. But the adrenaline of being free, the mind blowing rush of having resigned myself to a bloody death and then finding that I would live, gave me enough energy to surge on.
Cash had been holding as many lies as me, it seemed. I wondered how long he’d been wanting out. Angel had told me that he’d been taken in by Dreygon at seventeen. Cash had basically been homeless, and his courage had impressed her grandfather. But now the man who had given him a home had gone mad. The club had saved his life, but he wanted out. And from what I knew about outlaw MC’s, getting out was harder than getting in. Cash would most likely have to go into hiding once he was free of the club. Especially if he was turning in evidence against Bedlam members.
I’d traveled in the shadow of the mountain for several hours. But enough sunlight had trickled through the heavy pine canopy to allow me to see my way without falling into any deep crevices. The river smoothed out in some areas, and I’d considered jumping in and floating downstream to give my feet a break. But the sun would sink behind the mountaintops soon, and the temperature would sink with it. It had already cooled significantly since I’d started.
Unlike when I’d been dropped in the desert, this time I had plenty of the one essential for survival. Water. I’d come to an area where the bank dropped low enough to make access to the water easy. I slid down a mushy slope, crouched next to the river, and scooped up some of the icy water. It was crystal clear, but there was a slight algae taste to it. I lapped it up like a thirsty dog and then splashed some on my face. Somewhere in the chaos of the last few hours, my jaw had been cracked or badly bruised. I wasn’t sure which, but it hurt like hell.
I sat down to rest, and my mind went straight to Angel. We’d spent all our waking hours together for these past weeks, and now, being without her felt completely wrong. Even after she’d been the one to save me, and more than once, she was convinced that she’d stumbled upon me because was I meant to save her. And that hadn’t happened . . . yet. But once I got the hell out of the wilderness, I’d be heading straight back to the compound. I wasn’t sure how any of this would unfold yet, but I was coming back just as soon as I could. Not being there now, when Dreygon was obviously growing more insane each day, made me nuts with frustration. I had to trust that Jericho and Cash would keep her safe until my return. Cash’s dire warning had replayed more than once in my head. I needed to get her out of there soon.
I pushed to my feet and hiked along the river until the path was cut off. I pulled myself up the embankment and found solid ground. My stomach churned with hunger, and my ill-fitting shoes had already ground blisters into my heels. The sun was dropping, and I had less than an hour of light. Travel in this unpredictable terrain would be impossible at night. I would need to find a place to stay for the night soon.
With the insomnia that had plagued me these past weeks, my body had somehow grown used to going without much sleep. It was a newfound skill that would come in handy in the dark. Most of the day critters had stayed out of my way. But the night prowlers were considerably more dangerous and predatory.
As I walked along, I kept an eye out for a good place to wait out the night. Cold air crept down the mountainside, and the thin shirt on my back provided little protection. Each step was taking more and more effort. The rough terrain made it hard to gauge how far I’d traveled. There was still no sign of a road or any civilization. I was completely alone. . . but I was alive.
The forest floor grew soft and loamy as I traveled into an area where I was sure few people had been. The musty smell of tree moss overwhelmed even the pungent smell of pine. Only a few strands of weak sunlight were brave enough to push through the shield of branches overhead.
One wrong step took me careening down a small slope. I lost my balance and fell head over heels until my back smacked against a rock, stopping my progress. I laid there for a long minute catching my breath and letting the pain in my back subside. The shards of blue sky above slowly turned to the pink slabs of dusk.
Moisture from the soil soaked through my shirt. Hunger was definitely taking its toll, and it burned a hole in my stomach. I sat up and peered at the slippery slope I’d just rolled down. Coming down had been painful but fast. Going back up would be a different story.
I pushed to my sore feet. Using exposed tree roots and the occasional solid section of footing, I climbed back up and away from the glacial spray of the river.
I came upon a massive tree with a large chunk missing from its trunk, most likely the result of a lightning strike. I piled up some forest debris inside the crevice and sat down in it. Bark poked my back, and I was sure I wasn’t completely alone in my pine nook, but it seemed the best place around for now. It would definitely be a long night.
Chapter 18
Angel
I uncurled from my fetal position. My back and neck were stiff from sleeping on the floor. The dogs had moved onto the comfort of the bed, but I hadn’t had the energy or will to pull myself onto the mattress. I sat up and yanked the quilt around my shoulders. It was still early, but the su
n had come up. Then yesterday’s horrid events crept back into my head, and I sank down again.
My eyes ached from crying. I pulled the quilt over my head and buried myself in its soft warmth. I breathed in deeply. Luke’s scent was still fresh. I’d lost him. That reality was so devastating, I wanted to die with the thought of it. There was no one else out there for me except him. Now he was gone, and I was alone in my grandfather’s asylum.
A knock startled me. “Evie, it’s me.”
“Go away, Richo.”
The door opened, and he stepped inside carrying something wrapped in a paper towel. He lowered his hand to me. “I made it myself.”
I looked at the bread smeared thinly with jam. “I couldn’t keep anything down, Richo. You eat it since you had to work hard to make it.”
He sat down on the floor next to me. “I’m really sorry everything turned out this way, Evie.”
“Are you?” He tensed. My coldness hurt him, but I was in too much pain to stop. “It’s just you didn’t seem to like him.”
He grew quiet and stared down at the bread in his hand. Then he shook his head. “All you chicks think you know everything a guy is thinking, but most of the time you’re clueless.”
“I really don’t need this right now, Ri—”
“I was fucking jealous, Evie. How could you not see it? Even he saw it. You think of me as a brother, but I sure as hell don’t think of you as a sister.”
I looked at the side of his face. Sometimes he was too perfectly sculpted to seem real. “I guess I was clueless, Richo. I don’t know what to say.”
“Nothing to say.” A shot rang out. Jericho tossed the bread and pulled me down against the floor. Another shot was fired, followed by my grandfather’s sinister laugh.
“Stay down,” Jericho said sharply. He stooped low and went over to the window. He flinched as another gunshot broke the silence. He lifted the curtains and peered out. “Holy shit, he’s staggering drunk or high or knowing him, both.” Jericho dropped the curtain and crawled back to where he’d left me stretched out on the floor. He dropped down next to me and stared up at the ceiling. “Gunner took off this morning. Packed up his stuff and left. His refusal to kill the fed yesterday put him at odds with Dreygon. He knew he was no longer welcome. Max said Gunner was leaving to go meet up with some of the members. He wants to drum up support for his presidency. He seems to think that this is the time for an overthrow.”
