The silence in the car thickens as we approach the city limits. My heart races, and I feel a growing unease settle in my gut like a storm cloud ready to burst. We’ve been driving for twenty minutes now and whenever I asked Cherri where she was taking us to, she just changed the subject.
I glance at my brother. He’s in the passenger seat beside her, gazing at her face, clearly entranced by her beauty. She’s lulled him into a false sense of security. I’m getting a really bad feeling about all this. I glance around. There are a few warehouses here, but no signs of human habitation.
“So where are we going?” Eli asks hesitantly, his voice cutting through the oppressive quiet. There’s a slight quiver in his tone, a flicker of doubt I can sense. Perhaps I underestimated my brother’s instincts.
“Don’t worry about that, all you need to know is it’s safe, trust me,” she replies with a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes, her voice dripping with false assurance. “We’ll be safe soon, I promise,” she says, her repetition only serving to make me feel even more uneasy. Her words feel weighted, laden with hidden intentions I can’t decipher. I wish I had my phone so I could call the guys for reassurance, to know that they’re safe.
Minutes pass, stretching into what feels like an eternity, anxiety clawing at me. The winding roads become increasingly unfamiliar. Dark shadows from the trees that crowd the roadside swallow the landscape. My heart pounds in my chest.
“Where are we going?” I press, a sense of foreboding flooding my senses as I lean forward, trying to catch her eye.
She sharpens the curve of her lips into a smirk, her gaze fixed ahead. “You’ll see.”
We finally pull up to a run-down warehouse, its exterior cloaked in shadows, the sun behind it making it look like it’s on fire. My stomach drops like a stone. “Cherri, where are we?” I demand, panic rising in my throat, every instinct screaming to escape. I can’t imagine this abandoned building being a place of refuge. The brickwork and the boarded façade, the color of dried blood, scream, ‘Keep out’. There’s something foreboding about this place.
At that moment, Chopper ambles out of the building. He’s flanked on either side by two armed henchmen, though their massive bulk is weapons enough against Eli and me. I realize with sickening clarity that Cherri has sold us out. She’s working for the enemy, a spy. I wonder how long she’s been on their side.
“I believe you already know Chopper. He’ll be pleased to have you back,” she announces gleefully, her eyes glinting with a manic edge. She gestures toward the looming building where the ominous figures loom in the shadows. Their presence sends shivers down my spine. She looks at our aghast expressions. “For fuck’s sake, you didn’t really think I was going to help you, did you? God, I knew you were naive, but I didn’t think you were so stupid,” she mutters.
“You betrayed us,” I whisper, the betrayal cutting deeper than any physical wound. I didn’t like Cherri, and I know she hates me, but I trusted her loyalty to the Road Renegades. “How could you do this to us? I thought you cared about the club?”
“Betrayal is such a strong word,” she replies, feigning innocence, her voice laced with amusement. “I prefer to think of it as a smart investment. The Rusted Scythes were willing to pay a generous price to get you both back.” She picks at her nails. “As for Ace and the Road Renegades, they’re the ones who betrayed me first. Ace is mine, and he chose you,” she looks atme in disgust. “No one wants me there. Chopper wants me, he appreciates my value. I’ll be his old lady.”
Eli seems frozen beside me, shock clear on his face. “Cherri, you can’t do this!” he pleads, desperation spilling from his voice. “You’re making a huge mistake.”
“No, sweetheart, you’re the ones who made the mistake by trusting me,” she says, patting his hand condescendingly.
“You don’t have to do this! We can get out of this together! Just turn the car around and drive away, it’s not too late,” I try to plead with her, praying that deep down, her resolve might not be as unyielding as it seems. “You’re not this person,” I add, hoping it might resonate with her.
“What’s the point of staying where I’m not wanted when there’s profit on the line?” she retorts, her dispassionate tone chilling me to my core.
We’re a means to an end for Cherri. She doesn’t care what happens to us as long as she gets her money and status. But as the Scythes move closer, I recognize the truth—there’s no reasoning with someone driven by betrayal and greed. Time slows as I weigh our options, my pulse racing in the rising tension, daring to hope for a chance to turn the tide before it’s too late.
Cherri’s smile widens unsettlingly, and she gestures for us to get out. “Now come on! The Rusted Scythes are waiting, and you don’t want to keep them.”
Instinct kicks in, and as she unlocks the car doors, I lunge forward, praying Eli will try to escape too. “Run!” I shout. But before we can make a move, Chopper’s goons block our escape.They grab us, roughly pulling us from the car and holding us firm with meaty palms that dig into my flesh.
I look at Eli, and without needing words, we share a silent understanding. We’re done for. Our only hope now is that the guys will come to our rescue. A seeming impossibility considering they have no way of knowing where we went. “The Road Renegades will kill you for this. They’ll come for us,” I snarl, glaring at Chopper and Cherri as she sidles up to him and he pulls her into his embrace.
Chopper kisses Cherri and tells her, “Good job, darlin’.” Patting her like she’s his pet. He turns to me with a reptilian smile. “That’s what we’re counting on. You two are gonna be bait.”
Chapter 21
Ace
By the time we make it home, the sun is starting to sink in the sky. The clouds are on fire, painted in shades of orange. We’re exhausted, covered in grime and ash, and the smell of sweat and smoke clings to our bodies like a second skin. I feel bone weary, and I can’t wait to see Naomi, to pull her close and allow myself to sink into the comfort her presence brings me, like a warm bath. I’d tried calling Naomi before I left the clubhouse, but her phone just rang out until the answering service kicked in. Maybe she’s worn out after last night? I guess things did get a bit crazy.
My lips curve into a smile as I think back to what happened. Despite the shitshow of a day, that’s one bright spot on the horizon.
Thankfully, the clubhouse had been relatively empty when the Rusted Scythes attacked. I dread to think how much worse it might have been if the Rusted Scythes had targeted the club last night, when it was packed to the rafters with club brothers and their old ladies. I can’t figure out why the Rusted Scythes chose to attack when the place was mostly empty. Was this simply a warning, proof of what they can do?
This time it was Molotov cocktails, but next time it could be worse.
Maybe they don’t want to destroy us? Maybe this was their way of starting negotiations?
The house is still and quiet when we enter. The air is heavy with absence, the kind of pregnant silence that immediately alerts me that something is wrong. I already know that the house is empty before I call out for Naomi and Eli, I can feel it in my bones. Nevertheless, we shout out their names and hunt the house in a fruitless search for them, growing more frantic with each empty room.
“They’re not here,” Gage says, pointing out the obvious.
