I clap him on the shoulder and give him a look that says everything I can’t say out loud. “You got this.”
He nods once, takes a steady breath, and heads out into the fading light, ready to face whatever comes.
Just before dark, Whale comes back from a loop around town with news. “A couple of locals say Rodriguez has been seen at Lucky’s Bar more than once. He parks in the back lot, keeps to himself. If we’re going to catch him off guard, that’s the place.”
We move fast. Nico zips up his jacket while Jace tests the recorder, the little red light blinking in his palm. We strap it under Nico’s shirt, checking the mic twice, making sure the battery’s full. The whole thing feels familiar—too familiar. I remember the night the ATF swooped in on us, that same taste of risk and desperation. Feels like we’ve been here before, circling back to the start.
Nico rolls his shoulders, trying to act relaxed. “Guess it’s my turn to walk into the fire.”
Carrie stands by the door, wringing her hands. Her eyes are worried, voice soft but trembling. “Are you sure this is the only way? There has to be another option. What if something goes wrong?”
Nico tries to give her a smile, but it’s strained. “There isn’t another way. If we don’t try this, we’re finished. We can’t run forever, Carrie.”
Jace puts a hand on her shoulder. “We’ll be close. If anything happens, we get him out. But we need this—just one slip from Rodriguez, that’s all it takes.”
I look at Carrie, trying to reassure her even if I’m not convinced myself. “It’ll be quick. We’ll be back before you know it.”
Carrie hugs Marcy to her side, biting her lip. She wants to argue, but she sees the resolve in our faces. In the end, she just nods, her eyes shining with fear.
The sky is darkening as we step outside, headlights casting long shadows across the lot. The bikes are lined up, their chrome catching the last of the light. The air is heavy with pine and earth, a shortcut winding through the woods toward Lucky’s Bar.
Before we climb on, Carrie steps in front of us. She stands there for a second, searching each of our faces. Then she wraps her arms around my neck, pressing a kiss to my mouth that sends a jolt right through me. She moves to Nico next, cradling his jaw to give him a kiss, then Jace. She kisses him softly, lingering just a heartbeat longer than I expect.
Whale stands off to the side, arms crossed, eyebrow raised. He mutters under his breath, “When did that happen?” The question is half amusement, half genuine curiosity.
A slow smile spreads on Carrie’s lips, but she says nothing. The truth is out in the open now, with no one bothering to hide or explain. For a moment, everything is honest—nothing left unspoken between us.
The tension I’ve carried for months dissolves into the night air. I look at Carrie, wanting to say more, to tell her how I really feel. “Carrie, I?—”
But she shakes her head, her eyes shining. “We’ll talk when you come back,” she says, her voice gentle but firm.
I watch her for a moment, committing every detail to memory. When I turn, Nico and Jace are watching me. There’s no resentment in their faces—just understanding, and something like peace. Whatever we are now, it’s not broken.
It’s as if, ever since that night we all escaped together, and that tangled night in the dark, something inside us has settled. Since learning about the baby, we’ve stopped fighting for pieces of her and just chosen to share the weight.
We head outside, the bikes lined up under the old oak, their chrome cold in the moonlight. There’s a shortcut through the woods behind the property, just wide enough for us to ride side by side and keep out of sight from the main road. We roll the bikes onto the path, the leaves crunching under our tires, engines turned low so we don’t give ourselves away.
As we ride, my stomach knots with guilt. I keep glancing at Nico, watching the set of his jaw, the way his hands grip the bars. I’m sending my twin into danger and it gnaws at me. I should have insisted on going in his place. But I know Nico—he’d never let me.
The woods close in around us, the world quiet except for the thrum of engines and the steady beat of my own heart. I ride close, making silent promises.Just one more time, let us all make it out. Let me come back to her. Let us find some peace.
We’re halfway down the wooded shortcut when Jace suddenly cuts his engine, coasting to a stop on the gravel. The silence is loud in the darkness, only the chirr of insects filling the air.
I glance back, confused. “What’s up?”
Jace pushes his visor up, his face tight. “I just remembered—I left something behind.”
I stare at him. “You’re joking, right? What did you leave?”
He shakes his head. “You guys go ahead. I’ll join you shortly.” He swings the bike around and disappears back up the trail, leaving me and Nico blinking in the half-light.
“What the fuck?” Nico mutters, irritation and nerves mixing in his voice.
There’s no time to puzzle over it. The rumble of another engine cuts through the air. At the edge of the lot, Rodriguez’s dark sedan swings in, headlights flashing through the trees as he parks under a broken streetlight.
Nico’s hand goes to the recorder at his chest, steady now, all hesitation gone. I watch him square his shoulders. He nods once at me, and I can see he’s already slipped into the role, ready to bluff for all our lives.
I slide back behind a thick pine, barely breathing as Rodriguez steps out of the car, scanning the shadows. Nico waits until the timing is right, then steps into the glow of the headlights.
