But I don’t answer. I’m too busy staring out the windshield, watching Tom’s bike as he coasts farther ahead of us and Logan.
The back of my neck prickles as my senses remain on alert and my gaze scans the trees flanking both sides of the road.
I’m braced for it seconds before it happens. Exactly what I anticipated going down.
There’s a flash of movement in the tree line. A projectile object arcs through the air—small, dark, spinning end over end.
“WATCH UP AHEAD!”
The grenade hits the road directly in front of Tom’s bike, immediately setting it aflame.
31
SOLANA
“Everything’s going to be fine.”
Korine reaches over and squeezes my hand, her dark eyes warm with reassurance. “The men handle these kinds of situations all the time. It’s practically Tuesday for them.”
I sigh, staring down at the untouched cup of coffee in front of me. “I know. But... It’s different this time.”
“Trust me, we get it,” Sydney says, leaning forward with her elbows on the table. “How do you think we feel? In just two years, we’ve been through some real tough shit.”
Korine nods, ticking off on her fingers. “The Hellrazors. The Road Rebels. The Chosen Saints.”
“One word: Boone.” Zoe doesn’t even look up from her phone, her thumb scrolling lazily across the screen.
“AndBoone,” Korine agrees.
“Unfortunately, being a Steel Queen means occasionally having a mini heart attack when our Kings go handle business. It comes with the territory,” says Sydney.
Korine nods. “You get used to it. Well, kind of. You learn to cope, at least.”
“Wine helps,” Zoe mutters.
“Zoe,” Sydney chides.
“What? It does… and she’s of age now. She can have all the wine she likes.”
I try to smile, but I can’t bring myself to, all things considered. My mood is too anxious and the air feels just as bleak.
The conversation changes after that, drifting into lighter topics—Korine’s wedding planning, Zoe’s latest argument with Ozzie about whose turn it was to do dishes, Sydney and Mason’s house hunting as they finally move out of the one behind the Steel Saloon.
The ladies chat among themselves, their voices a comfortable hum in the background of the barroom.
But I still can’t focus.
Deep down, I know they’re right. These women have been through hell and back with their men and this club. They’ve survived wars and betrayals and god knows what else. If anyone understands what it’s like to sit and wait while the men you love ride into danger, it’s them.
But they don’t know everything.
They don’t know Tom’s been working with Wheels. That the former president of the Steel Kings—Mace’s own father—has been actively trying to destroy the club from the inside.
That this isn’t just a negotiation or a territory dispute. This is a powder keg waiting for a spark.
…and Silver’s right in the middle of it.
I can’t shake the feeling that something’s wrong; something’s about to go terribly, horribly wrong.
