The 911 operator’s voice was serious as she asked, “Do you know where you are?”
Luckily, I did. “I’m two exits before the hospital.”
“Eastbound or Westbound?”
“East,” I replied, lifting my phone to show the biker near me the screen. I’d hoped if he saw who I was speaking to, he’d leave.He only grinned at me, lifting his jacket enough to show me a gun in a holster on his hip. My blood ran cold. “Ma’am… they’re armed.”
“Okay, stay calm,” the operator instructed. “There are two units headed your way. One is only two minutes out. Just keep going and don’t stop your car.”
“They keep slowing down!” I argued, feeling my stomach tighten as the red brake lights appeared again in front of me. If I kept my speed, I’d end up hitting them.
“Trust me, they’ll move or they’ll face the consequences. Do not stop. Can you tell me what you see? How many are there? Are there any distinguishing features?”
“At least two on each side, but I can’t really tell. They’re swerving a lot. They’ve all got leather jackets on. The patches on their vests say Hellfire Riders with a burning skull with a scythe below it.” Not Elias’s crew. I’d seen his vest before. The skull with the helmet was odd, but nothing like what this crew was wearing.
To my great relief, the sound of sirens cut through the air just as one of the bikers braked again and I nearly hit him before he swerved and moved out of the way. My foot twitched to slam on my brakes, but the operator’s warnings still rang in my head. I couldn’t stop. If it came down to my life or theirs, I couldn’t hand myself over. I wouldn’t.
Flashing lights behind us stole the laughter from the bikers and the one next to me reached for his holster with a glower. In response, I slammed my brakes, causing the bikers behind me to jerk wildly to avoid me and one of them lost his balance and crashed, his bike skidding past me as he rolled out of the way. The bikers couldn’t slow down to go after me without risking the cops catching up to them, so with one final glare, the biker who had been next to my door raced off with the others following after him. The only one left was the one who had crashed.
“Someone just crashed,” I reported to the operator, almost shouting at the poor woman.
“Ambulance is on its way,” she replied. “Are they moving at all?”
“I don’t know. I don’t want to get out to check,” I answered honestly. I was a little afraid he’d pop up and attack me if I did.
“No, don’t get out of your car. The officers should be there momentarily. Do you see them?”
The cruiser that had shown up sped past me, chasing the bikers, while a second one came the wrong way down the nearby ramp and parked right in front of me. They had their gun out and pointed at the biker on the ground, while their partner spoke into their radio and headed my way.
“Yes, they’re here,” I answered, my voice trembling.
My heartbeat was thundering in my ears and when I unrolled the windows I almost didn’t hear the officer speaking when she asked, “Are you okay?”
I nodded quickly. “Yes.”
She couldn’t stick around for an interrogation. The biker who had crashed got up and was trying to limp away. She ran off, helping her partner tackle him and cuff him. I watched it all happen with wide eyes, almost missing the operator when she spoke again.
“Ma’am. Are the officers with you? Are you safe?”
“Uh, I think so, yes. The officers apprehended one of the bikers. The rest drove off and another cruiser chased them.”
“Okay, that’s good. The ambulance is two minutes out. I’m going to hang up now. Don’t go anywhere until the officers speak to you to get a report, okay?”
Well… there went all my effort to not speed to get to the hospital quickly. I had to wonder, was that crew targeting me specifically, or was I just the unlucky one on the road when theydecided to cause mischief. And what would Elias do when he found out?
Since they had to follow the ambulance anyway to keep an eye on the biker they’d taken into custody, when I explained to the officer that I was headed for the hospital to help a friend, she let me go after ensuring I was safe to drive. I understood the need for caution, my hands were shaking after that experience, but I felt well enough to drive, and it wasn’t far. I managed to get to the hospital only a little after when I’d intended. I’d need to check in with the officer at one point and give my statement, but I figured she understood I needed to check in with Elias first.
I rushed into the emergency room, looking around wildly, but Elias must’ve told them I was coming because the charge nurse sitting at the desk asked, “Are you here for Isla Reed?”
“Yes,” I agreed quickly. “Is she okay?”
The nurse nodded, coming around the desk to lead me to one of the closed off rooms. “She’s right through here.”
Knocking on the glass door that separated the space, she poked her head in to ask if it was okay for us to come in. There was a curtain in front of the door, so I couldn’t see what was happening, but I could hear Isla fussing and Elias’s gentle shushing as he tried to soothe her.
“Come in,” he called, his voice weighed heavily with exhaustion. When I stepped past the curtain, he looked relieved to see me, giving me a pained smile. “Hey. Thanks for coming.”
“Of course.” I set my purse down on an empty chair, pushing aside the run-in from earlier for now. I needed to focus on what was happening here. “Is she okay?”
