“Will you be there?” I whispered.
“I will be soon. Just wait inside.”
I saw the gates and headed straight for them, sliding my car in between, and driving as fast as I could down the paved road toward the cabin. I watched the gates close behind me and slowed as I drew closer to my saviors, stopping right outside the cabin, and dropping my forehead to my steering wheel.
My heart raced and my stomach roiled. I couldn’t catch my breath as the panic overtook me. A knock at my window elicited a scream and I turned to see Aero motioning for me to open my door. I’d met him a few times and I liked him. He was young and eager, and very sweet.
“You’re safe. Open the door,” he said.
I turned off the ignition and pushed open my door. He settled his hands on my shoulders. “Stoney wants you inside until he gets back. You want a beer?”
“It’s not even nine a.m.,” I countered.
He shrugged. “You’ve had a shit mornin’, thought you might want something a little stronger than coffee.”
I shook my head, rubbing my arms. “I don’t think I can even handle coffee right now.”
“Well, come inside and get warm,” he suggested. “I’m around if you need me.”
“Where’s Stoney?”
“He’ll be back soon.”
“That didn’t really answer my question.”
He smiled. “I know,” he said, and walked away.
* * *
Stoney
Ipeeled off the instantSabrina was through the gate and headed for the main access road. As I reached the end of the road, I spotted five riders rapidly turning their bikes around. They’d obviously seen Sabrina make it into the compound and must have known that their plan, whatever the fuck it was, had failed. I pulled back on the throttle, flying straight at the cluster of riders. There was no way in hell these pricks were gonna outride me, and I was determined to stop them, even if it meant laying my bike down in the road in front of them. I pulled up just behind the pack and my suspicion was confirmed by their patches. These guys were all Los Psychos.
Just as we approached the T junction at the end of the road, the lead rider signaled, and the group split up. Three riders headed east, while the leader and one other rider went west. I decided to stay on the leader and banked right to continue my pursuit. Violent thoughts flooded my mind as I imagined what I was gonna do once I got my hands on these bastards.
I caught up to the two, who were now riding parallel to one another, and came up alongside the leader. He greeted me by pulling a gun from his cut and leveling at me. However, before he could get a shot off, I pulled into his lane, causing him to swerve to the right. He slammed his bike into the other rider, who somehow managed to stay upright and on the road. The leader, on the other hand, hit the ground hard. His helmet slamming into the pavement, and his bike shooting off sparks as it skid, without its rider, down the road. The leader himself came to a rolling stop on the side of the road as I stopped my bike. Several passing motorists had seen the accident and had also now stopped, either to help or snap selfies.
Shit. The last thing I need right now is bunch of nosey do-gooders getting in the way of me beating this scumbag to death.
Fortunately for my intended victim, Sundance arrived in one of the club vans and stopped in the right lane, keeping me from beating the shit out of him on the side of the road. The van obstructed the view, and incoming traffic, of the brigade of surely well-meaning citizens. The van door slid open and Moses and Wrath hopped out.
“Grab him!” Wrath shouted, and the three of us picked up the crashed rider and dragged him into the van.
“Follow me and stay close,” Sundance ordered from behind the wheel.
I quickly got back on my bike and Sundance peeled off continuing west. I kept expecting him to turn and head toward the compound, but I stayed on him as he pressed on towards the outskirts of Monument. We drove quickly but cautiously for another twenty minutes until Sundance signaled for me to turn down a narrow forestry road, which led to a small outbuilding tucked into the woods.
I parked my bike as Sundance, Wrath and Moses carried the limp and moaning biker to the building’s entrance.
“Get the door, will ya?” Sundance grunted, motioning to a keypad next to the door. “The code is 53217.”
I punched in the code and opened the door to what looked like a disused forestry service station. “What is this place?” I asked, immediately regretting inhaling.
“This is Ranger Rick’s place,” Wrath replied, as the rider’s moans got louder.
“Jesus,” Moses said, almost letting go of the rider’s feet. “Did Ranger Rick die in here?”
“Let’s set him over there,” Sundance said, motioning to spot on the floor, next to a rack stocked full of brochures and pamphlets on Colorado State parks and forests. “And close that door.”
