Page 58 of What They Say

Chase met his eyes without hesitation. “I’m Mason’s son. I know my way around a gun.”

Bear’s expression didn’t change. “That doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence.” He reached behind his back and pulled out a compact nine-millimeter, offering it grip-first. “This is my backup. You hurt her because you’re reckless, and I’ll put you on the ground myself.”

Chase took the gun, immediately checked the safety, verified the chambered round, and tucked it securely into the back of his waistband.

“Can we go in now?” he asked, voice tight with barely leashed urgency.

Bear studied him for one more beat, then nodded.

“Yeah, brother. We’re rolling.” He pointed towards a cluster of riders. “You, Slate, and two more will take the back door. It opens right into the area near the back bedroom. Your only job is to get her out. You hear anything from the front, you ignore it. Get Kath on the back of your bike and ride like hell. Got it?”

Chase pulled in a deep breath and nodded. “Got it.”

The formation tightened. Engines roared back to life. Chase dropped his visor, heart thundering, every nerve in his body screaming to move.

They were going in.

And no matter what waited inside that trailer, he was bringing Kath home tonight.

***

Kath

Kath worked frantically at the zip ties around her wrists, twisting and pulling until her skin was raw. The plastic dug in deeper with every movement, but she didn’t stop. She couldn’t. Her feet were free—she’d had to lose her boots to get the zip ties off—but that was something. She’d been pacing the small room as quietly as possible, rising onto her toes to peer out the grimy windows, trying to figure out where she was and if there was any way out.

The low voices from the other room kept drifting in—angry mutters about old grudges, Diamante, and Mason. None of it made sense. All of it terrified her.

Then she heard it.

The sudden, thunderous roar of multiple motorcycle engines growing louder, closer. Her stomach dropped. Panic flooded her chest like ice water.

More of them.

She backed away from the door, heart hammering, pressing herself against the far wall. If they were bringing in more men, she was done. She wouldn’t be able to fight them all.

The door to her room slammed open.

Chase stood there.

Helmet off, hair wild, eyes wide and blazing with something fierce and desperate. The sight of his face nearly took her knees out from under her. For a second, she couldn’t breathe, her relief so sharp it hurt.

He was here.

For her.

She turned quickly, giving him her back, and wiggled her fingers so he could see the zip ties. A second later, she felt the cold edge of a knife against her skin. One clean snick, and the plastic fell away. Her wrists burned, but she barely noticed.

Chase grabbed her hand and tugged. She went with him without hesitation, bare feet silent on the floor as they moved down the narrow hallway. He pushed open a side door she hadn’t even known existed, and cool night air rushed over her.

Outside, six bikes waited in a tight formation, engines rumbling. Chase steered her towards one, grabbed a helmet from the handlebars, and slipped it gently over her head. His fingers were careful as he tightened the strap under her chin.

She hadn’t ridden second seat in years,not since one of her mom’s exs gave her a first taste of being in the wind, but it came back instantly. She swung on behind him, feet finding the passenger pegs, arms wrapping tight around his waist. She pressed her cheek against his strong back and held on as the trembling started—deep, uncontrollable shakes now that safety was finally within reach.

Gunfire cracked from inside the trailer house behind them.

Chase didn’t wait. He twisted the throttle hard, kicked the bike into gear, and shot forwards. She felt the power surge beneath them as he took point in the small pack of six bikes. The wind whipped past, and she clung to him like he was the only solid thing left in the world.

Thirty minutes later, they pulled into a large, well-lit parking lot in front of a building she’d only ever heard stories about—the Rebel Wayfarers MC mother chapter clubhouse.