My heart was hammering and I was wide awake as the chilly night air settled into my bones. There was something about the fog that made the cold bite more, and I wished I’d thought to bring my gloves, but I hadn’t.
It took us about an hour to take a winding long way around into New Gothenburg, then get our asses to the clubhouse, and I was the last one to pull in when we arrived. King and the others were already inside.
Loud music wafted out into the night but immediately stopped, so I figured King had already started story time. He would be a legend once again.
He deserved it, though. This was all his idea.
“You okay?” Rogue asked as he took the water canister off my bike. He had a wheelbarrow full of our equipment, which was destined to be dumped somewhere.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” I winked at him and walked into the clubhouse. My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I groaned, refusing to check and see if I was being cursed out more. Maybe this time it was all my ancestors who were getting chewed out.
Straightening my spine, I traveled through the short entrance hallway. Laughter greeted me as a roomful of people stood around drinking. It didn’t take me long to notice that the only guests in attendance tonight were some Harlots and club members and their significant others. No stragglers.
I stomped up to King. Will sat on a barstool nearby, pointedly ignoring me as he sipped on a beer.
“Do you think they’re corpses?” I asked loudly, not sure if I wanted to piss Will off or not, but he had to realize I couldn’t fucking take him out there with us in the dead of night, in thefog, when sometimes he could barely walk.
King shrugged, and Josh passed him a glass of amber alcohol. He lit up the cigarette he must’ve saved all the way here, and Dallas sat nearby not saying a word. A victorious King was a sight, and Dallas seemed mesmerized, too far gone on ogling his man to yell at him for his vices.
“If we’re lucky, they’re impaled on some fucking tree branches.” He saluted me with his glass, then slammed it, and the room erupted in cheers. “Fucking pricks. Come into our house and fuck with us? You’re gonna fucking regret it.”
There was more happy yelling and scattered applause that eventually broke down into laughter.
King told the whole story of the way he’d tricked the cops into driving off the edge of a cliff to their doom, and this time there was an absolute uproar when he finished. I even clapped myself.
When I glanced back at Will’s barstool, it was empty, and my gut began to churn. Where had he gone?
Josh grabbed my elbow. “You looking for Rook?”
“Yeah. How’d you know?”
He rolled his eyes. “He’s outside somewhere. He took a lantern and a gun with him. I don’t know what he’s doing. Said he was burning off steam.”
“For fuck’s sake,” I muttered and scooted toward the door. I burst out into the dark, foggy night, but here in the city it wasn’t quite as bad.
The gunshots were loud, and I rushed through the junkyard toward the ravine in the back because I could see the bright glow and it guided me directly to Will. He was sitting on a bucket, popping off shots at beer bottles that were lined up along the ledge. The LED lamp he had was the type of bright that made my eyes hurt.
I was surprised when a small blonde in a short pink dress waved at me. She wore a Harlots jacket and bounced on her toes, trying to keep warm.
“You want me to run out there again?” she asked. Her voice was breathy and reminded me of an old-timey actress. I wasn’t sure why, but I thought she must be borrowing that jacket.
“If you would,” he said, grumpy and perfect, just the way I loved him.
She grinned and hustled out to the edge of the ravine. Another bucket sat there, and she dragged bottles out, setting them up near the edge.
“Scar’s not going to like it if he gets glass in his ass the next time he comes out here to look at the sunset.” I walked over to stand next to Will, who didn’t glance up at me once.
“Fuck Scar. I don’t care.”
The woman ran back and stood near us. “All yours!”
He fired the gun. The excitement from earlier was back because he took all the bottles down. Maybe he couldn’t go out and raise hell the way he used to, but he was still deadly. I licked my lips and took a step closer to him so I could smell the gunpowder—and him.
“Good job.” The girl leaned down and gave him a hug, and I wanted to shove her on her ass, but I restrained myself. He caught me glaring and smirked as he patted her back.
“Who are you?” I asked as she straightened.
“Rode in with Red.”
