“That’s right, Naomi, I was the one who fucked your whore mother and pulled the trigger. I can’t wait to see if your pussy’s as tight as hers,” he taunts, moving closer.
Something inside of me snaps. I forget that Chopper has a gun, that he’s a hundred pounds heavier than I am. Rage clouds my senses, white hot and sharp as it pulses through my veins, and a deep, primal instinct takes over. Before I even realize what I’m doing, and with strength I didn’t know I had, I raise the shovel high above my head and strike it down. It connects—a glancing blow to the right side of his head that embeds into his shoulder, sending the gun flying from his grip.
My actions are so sudden and unexpected that Chopper doesn’t have time to react. I need to use this to my advantage. I raise the shovel again, connecting hard with his face. Something cracks, and Chopper looks dazed, as if he can’t comprehend what’s happening. I lift the shovel for a third time, but he finally comes to his senses enough to protect himself from the blow, grabbing the shovel and easily pulling it from my grip.
“You fucking bitch!” he growls, his words slurred from the blow.
I know better than to try to fight him. This time, I run.
My feet slip on the slick ground, and I pray I won’t fall. I run blindly in the dark, without direction, but away from the entrance where Cherri is parked. I hear Chopper howling out in frustration, calling for Cherri to help, as he pursues me.
I don’t turn to look, just continue trying to put as much space between us as I can. The blinding beams of the truck’s headlights bathe the graveyard in light, revealing my location, and I hear Chopper hurtling after me. He sounds like a wounded bull in a fight, seeing blood and charging despite being badly injured.
I dart out of the light, welcoming the darkness that I had earlier resented. It embraces me like an old friend. My heart hammers in my chest as I race deeper into the graveyard, toward the looming mausoleums that dwarf the gravestones. I keep on running, but suddenly I reach a dead end. I can hear Chopper closing in on me. I’m trapped like a rat in a maze. I search around, desperately seeking a way out, but there isn’t time.
If you can’t run, hide.
I duck behind one of the crypts, willing my breath to slow, to be as silent as I can. My heart is hammering so loudly, I swear Chopper will be able to hear it.
“Where are you, Naomi?” he crows, realizing that I’m hiding somewhere. His voice still has that strange, underwater quality, and I feel a morbid satisfaction that I’ve hurt him. Maybe if I can wait him out, the adrenaline will fade, and he will finally succumb to his head wound.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” Cherri sings.
Their footsteps grow closer with each second. I frantically search my surroundings for a way out, a weapon, anything to save me from my fate, but there’s nothing. I curse myself for not holding onto the shovel. Even if Chopper is hurt, Cherri is fine, and they’re both armed.
This is it. End of the line. No more second chances. No rescue.
I think of the men I love, wishing we’d had more time together, but feeling grateful that I found them. Even though the Rusted Scythes have won, I wouldn’t change a thing. I’d do it all again, just to have that time with my men all over again.
“I love you, Gage. I love you, Ace. I love you, Cash,” I say to myself silently as the tears fall down my face, mixing with the rain. “I’m so sorry this is how it ends. Remember me and live your lives. I want you to be happy. Goodbye.”
Chapter 25
Ace
The rain continues its relentless onslaught as we pull up to the graveyard where Eli said Chopper took Naomi. Eli slumps against me on the back of my bike, barely hanging on. There were a couple of times I thought he was going to fall off as he almost lost consciousness. The journey here has been dangerous enough, the slick roads threatening to send wheels spinning and our bikes sliding out from under us. I think it’s only sheer willpower that’s helped us arrive here unscathed.
We spot the car headlights parked deep in the graveyard, bathing a large tree in light. Its limbs hang skeletal, its leaves like flayed skin in the ominous glow. It’s too far and too dark to see anything else, but Eli confidently says, “That’s them, it’s right by our parents’ grave.”
I try to ride down the dirt path, but my wheels spin out underneath me, tires squealing in protest. The ground is too slick, the mud too slippery for my bike to get a grip. “We’re going to have to get off and walk,” I admit with a defeated set of my jaw as I kill my engine and pull off my helmet. At least this will quiet our approach, I think, straining to catch sight of Naomi in the distance. Cash and Gage park beside us, having come to the same conclusion. We left the others behind to take care of Chopper’s men, and just in case they came back while we were gone. I wish Eli had stayed, too, but he was determined to come with us. Saying that we needed him to help find the place as quickly as possible.
Silently, we pull out our weapons and head in the direction of the car. The rain has soaked through my clothes, and they’re clinging to my skin. It reminds me of the first time me and Naomi gave in to our mutual attraction, and I feel another surge of panic thinking of her and fearing that we’re too late. Something doesn’t feel right. The only sound is the howling of the wind and the occasional clap of thunder. I pray that it’s hiding anything quieter, that soon I’ll hear Naomi’s voice drifting my way.
But as we draw closer to the car, it becomes increasingly clear that no one is here. Nearby, illuminated by the headlamps, is a freshly turned grave, with a clod of earth piled beside it and a discarded shovel nearby. My heart jumps into my throat as I move closer to peer into the grave, fearing the worst, that Naomi is in there. That I’ve failed her.
Relief surges through me when I see it is empty. But then, where are they?
“Do you think they found the information and left?” Gage asks, confused as I am, furrowing his brow.
Eli shakes his head, crouching down beside the gravestone and placing his hand tenderly on top of the marble slab. “I doubt it. If they knew where to look, they wouldn’t have dug it up in the first place.”
We turn to him in confusion. “Isn’t this where you hid the information?” I curl my fists, inadvertently taking a step closer to Eli. If he lied to save his own skin and put Naomi in danger again, if they’ve hurt her, I’ll kill him. I don’t care if he’s her brother.
As if sensing my rage, Eli quickly explains, “It’s here, just not buried. I was hoping it could buy us some time if I didn’t tell them exactly where it was right away.”
“That’s a big fucking gamble, they might have just lashed out and killed Naomi,” Cash snarls, voicing my thoughts.
He has the decency to look embarrassed. “I know, stupid really, but they left before I could explain. I hoped Naomi would figure it out.”
