“You should come. Get some time on the road. The whole trip will take a few days, and after a couple hours on the road, you’ll sleep like a baby at the end of the night.” He wasn’t wrong.
Maybe a trip out of town would be good for me. Some space from everything.Charlie would be fine for one weekend with my parents and the other Brothers around. I could give her the info on Fiona when I got back and be done with it.
“Yeah, that’s not a bad idea. Let me run it by Prez, and I’ll get back to you.” Bull grunted, dismissing me as I stood up from the table. I knew Prez was already home, so I sent him a text as I got ready to head out myself.
Just as I was about to leave, I heard yells from behind me. I rolled my eyes and turned around, instinctively heading toward the pool table. Two of the club girls were in a catfight, clawing at each other and screeching. Meanwhile, the guys sat around, shouting and egging them on.
The girl who had been getting railed earlier by Crow was getting her hair yanked by Dolly, one of the older girls who thought she ran the place. Dolly and Crow had a thing going, and he knew it would start shit when he banged the new girl in front of everyone. I pointed to Crow, who was leaning back, watching everything go down.
“You. Get your women in line, or they’re both gone. And you two—you know what you’re here for?” The women had pulled away from each other at the sound of my yell, and they stood still, a large gap between them. At my question, they nodded and looked down at the floor, avoiding eye contact.
I continued, “If you have a problem and want to leave, that’s fine. You make it our problem, and I’ll make you leave. Now clean this shit up.”
I stalked away and added it to the list of reasons I should go on the run the following day. Checking my phone, I saw Prez had given me the okay to join. I got the details from Bull and headed to my house.
Once home, I quickly packed a bag. We were leaving around lunchtime, and I needed to get some solid hours of sleep in if Iwanted to make it through the trip. With Fiona’s file locked far, far away from me, and my mind distracted by the upcoming run, I finally managed to drift off.
I slept in, enjoying the excitement running through me at the prospect of getting out of town for a bit. I sent texts to Charlie and my parents, letting them know I was joining the Brothers on a run and that my phone would be off for most of the trip. I met up with the other Brothers, and we got on the road.Bull was right. This was exactly what I needed.
The weather was perfect. Now that it was nearing April, the bite of winter was ending, but it wasn’t warm enough yet to make the ride uncomfortable. I made sure to turn my phone off completely, enjoying the ability to disconnect for the day. We stopped a few times to take a piss or grab snacks, but we made good time for our first day on the road.
There was something freeing about riding a bike, moving as fast as cars without any of the protection. It could feel like flying at times. It was a long ride. My muscles were tight, and I was starting to feel achy, but I also felt refreshed.
We reached our final mile marker for the day, and the group pulled into the motel we were staying at for the night. I got off my bike and stretched, watching as the other guys did the same.
“Bash! Check your fucking phone, Brother,” Bull’s deep voice rang out. I looked up in surprise and fumbled around in my jacket until I was able to dig my phone out of my pocket. I turned it on and was horrified to see the number of missed calls and messages from my family.
Guilt raced through me at the thought of something happening with my dad. I tried to scroll through them all, eventually giving up and calling my mother, who I knew would give me the clearest answer right away. She answered on the third ring, and I couldn’t hide the panic in my voice.
“Mom! What’s going on? Is Dad okay?” I asked, the group turning to look at me. I heard my mom whisper and some sounds of movement before a door closed.
“Your father’s fine. I’m with Charlie at her friend Fiona’s house. You know, the one Charlie talks about all the time?” My mother paused, and I could hear her struggling to keep tears out of her voice.
She finally continued. “When she left work today, she was attacked.”
My mother continued speaking, but I couldn’t hear her over the sudden pounding in my ears. Images of Fiona hurt swam in front of me.I should never have left.Rage like I had never felt before ran through me.
“What happened?” I managed to croak out.
“She was jumped in the parking lot outside her office. I just finished examining her, but she wasn’t the easiest patient. I had to clean up the wounds on her face and head, and there’s bruising around her throat.”
I wanted to tear something apart. I wanted to see my hands coated in blood while whoever did that whimpered at my feet. I pictured how small Fiona was. The idea of anyone putting their hands on her had me seeing red. Clarity hit me with a blinding force. I had to get back there—now.
“Stay with her. Send me updates. I’m turning around now. I want every detail on who did this and why it happened as soon as I get in,” I said as I got back on my bike.
“Young man, I am your mother, not one of your prospects. I understand you’re upset, so I’ll let this slide, but you’re gonna have to bark that order somewhere else. Now, let me go take care of Fee.” She hung up, and I shut my eyes, squeezing the bridge of my nose in frustration. When I finally looked up, I realized Bull was standing next to me.
“Go ahead. I heard the conversation. I’ll call Prez and make sure you get any updates. Ride safe, Brother.”
I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. As I sped away, all I could do was imagine Fiona, no longer an angelic face haunting my dreams, but now a bloodied body I was too late to save.
Chapter 5
Fiona
I had taken a few different self-defense classes over the years, and unfortunately, with my past, had to get out of some sticky situations. In college, I worked several jobs, including as a waitress, bartender, and delivery driver. All of the roles came with unruly customers and potential drama.
Walking into a frat house with a couple of pizzas wasn’t as easy as it may have seemed. One of the first things I figured out was that my best option in confrontations was not to fight, but to run. Given my size, I would easily get overpowered in most situations. So, instead, I made it a point to study my surroundings and find a good exit route.
