The wind howled, a mournful cry that seemed to echo the unease coiling in my gut. Marshall’s words, cryptic as always, hung in the air, a challenge I couldn’t ignore. East. Why east? My instincts screamed west, towards the clubhouse, towards the semblance of safety I’d left behind. But Marshall, with his unnerving ability to see through my bravado, had planted a seed of doubt, a whisper of something I wasn’t seeing. Black Odessa, the Death Dogs, bullets and betrayal—it was all a tangled mess, and the path to Karlyn felt like a labyrinth with hidden turns.
I swung my leg over the bike, the cold metal a stark contrast to the heat of my throbbing side. My eyes, drawn west by an invisible tether, met Marshall’s gaze. He offered no further explanation, just a silent nod that spoke volumes. The world, it seemed, was rarely as simple as black and white, and my current predicament was a testament to that. There were shadows within shadows, betrayals hidden within loyalties, and Karlyn, my Karlyn, was caught in the middle of it all. I needed to get to her, to pull her out of the fire, but the first step, the one that felt most wrong, was to head east.
With a roar of the engine, I pulled away; the sound swallowed by the vastness of the landscape. Marshall’s words, a nagging echo in my mind, propelled me forward. East. The unknown. A gamble perhaps, but one I had to take. The forest had taught me to trust my instincts, but it had also taught me that sometimes, the path less traveled, the one that defied logic, was the only one that led to salvation. Karlyn was waiting. And I would find her, no matter which direction the wind blew.
Heading east, we stopped only to piss and fill up our gas tanks.
The miles melted away, a blur of asphalt and the lonely howl of the wind. Marshall’s cryptic advice gnawed at me, a persistent irritant in the back of my mind.
East.
It defied every instinct, every learned response that screamed for me to head west, back towards the only semblance of a home I’d known since the forest. But Marshall had always been a creature of riddles, a seasoned hunter who saw the unseen currents that pulled the world along. And right now, those currents were telling me east. I gripped the handlebars tighter, the vibration of the engine a steady counterpoint to the storm of questions brewing within me. Was Karlyn somewhere in that direction? Had Black Odessa and the Death Dogs’ reach extended further than I’d anticipated?
The landscape shifted subtly as we rode, the familiar pines giving way to scrubbier brush and a more arid terrain. It was a stark, unforgiving beauty, a place that felt as untamed and unpredictable as the situations I found myself in. Marshall rode ahead, his silhouette a familiar, comforting presence against the vast expanse, yet his presence also served as a constant reminder of the unseen forces at play. He had a way of knowing things, of being in the right place at the right time, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that this detour east was leading me not just awayfrom trouble, but toward something—or someone—I desperately needed to find.
As the sun began its slow descent, painting the sky in hues of fiery orange and bruised purple, Marshall pulled over, gesturing for me to do the same. He pointed towards a barely discernible track leading off the main road, disappearing into a thicket of mesquite. A green sign clearly stated Rapid City to the north, and Lincoln, Nebraska, due east.
“This is as far as I go, boy,” he rasped, his voice carrying the weight of years and unspoken truths. “Head to Diamond Creek. What you are looking for will be arriving shortly. Remember what I told you. Trust your gut. And for the love of God, try not to get yourself killed.”
With a final, knowing look, he turned his bike north, a lone figure fading into the twilight, leaving me with the unsettling quiet of the encroaching night and the echo of his words ringing in my ears as I realized he brought me back right to where it all started.
Pulling into the Silver Shadows’ compound, I knew something was wrong. Brothers patrolled the area, armed, ready for anything. Slowing my bike, I pulled up to the gate when Zero, not a prospect, stepped out of the guard shack.
“Not a good time,” the brother gruffly said as his hand went to his piece. “Club’s on lockdown.”
“What happened?”
“Death Dogs attacked.”
“Dead?” I asked as Zero slowly nodded his head.
Taking a deep breath, I muttered, “Sorry to hear that. My condolences. Is King around? I need to speak to him.”
“Hang on,” Zero ordered, taking a step back, reaching into his cut for his cellphone. As Zero made the call, I looked around the compound and sighed. I was just here weeks ago, and in that time, so much had changed. And with the Death Dogs declaring war, I knew nothing would ever be the same again.
“They are in church. Go park at the front. Cash will come out and get you.”
“Thanks, man.”
Zero nodded as he stepped to the side, letting me pass.
Cash was waiting by the front door as I parked my bike and got off. He stood there rooted to his spot, saying nothing as I approached. Looking me up and down, he nodded before letting me pass. Following him into church, I noticed the women sitting around holding babies as club brothers watched me intently when I distinctly heard one woman gasp. Turning my head, brothers I’d never seen before rushed over to a woman, blocking her from my view. Thinking nothing of it, I continued on, following Cash as we both entered church.
“WHAT THE FUCK?!” A massive behemoth of a man jumped to his feet, snarling as he glared at me.
King moved quickly as Cash shoved me behind him, and King rushed to stand in front of Cash. “Kronos. He’s not who you think!”
“The fuck he isn’t!”
“Everyone out!” King roared. “Kronos and Zeus, stay. The rest of you, get the fuck out now.”
“Not leaving,” Cash growled, standing firm in front of me.
“Me either,” Nav firmly stated, as he remained seated. Smirking, I winked at Nav, who just rolled his eyes as the brothers quickly left church. When the door closed, King turned, pushed Cash out of the way, and slammed me up against the wall. “Reaper is looking for you! Do you know the shitstorm you created? Where the fuck have you been?”
Narrowing my eyes at the president of the Silver Shadows, I grinned. “Reaper can get fucked.”
“Big words from a brother who wears the same fucking patch.”
