Page 3 of The Riders’ Reign

Bang. Bang. Bang.

“Oh, my God.” I jump at the pounding on the door, my hand going to my throat.

“Christ, are they trying to break it in?” Ace grumbles. “Wait here.”

He ambles out of the room and toward the front door. “It’s open, assholes,” he shouts.

I grin and shake my head. As he talks in a low voice to whoever is at the door, I smile to myself and take his place on the chair, curling up and soaking up the warm feeling flowing through me.

“Camile.” Just one word from Ace, and all the warmth leaves me. His tone is dark, desolate.

I straighten. “What?”

He’s returned and is standing in the living room doorway, but I can’t read his expression. “Something’s happened.”

My stomach lurches. “What?”

“I don’t know,” he admits. “Rook called ahead to say they’re due back in a few minutes. I’m heading to the gates. Stay here.”

He turns on his heel and vanishes from view.

I jump to my feet. Oh, no. No way am I staying put when something might have happened to any one of them. They only set off a while ago and aren’t due back for ages.

Wait. Why did Rook call? Not Jack?

Oh, shit. Please no, don’t let anything have happened to Jack.

I race after Ace and catch him at the front door, pulling on his boots.

“You promised not to leave me alone,” I throw at him.

“Something’s going down, and I don’t know what. Big Mike is on his way over to sit with you, and there are your guards. I’ll be back as soon as I can, Princess.”

He pulls me in and kisses my mouth, then turns and walks out of the door. I stare after him for one beat before I make up my mind.

I grab my cardigan from the hook by the door, for a chill that has nothing to do with the weather and everything to do with the icy fear washing over me. I slip out of the house, pulling the front door shut behind me.

Ace glances back at me, and he slows his stride, letting me catch up.

“You know that one of these days Jack will for real spank your ass if you keep on disobeying orders.”

I try to muster a smile, but as we walk toward the gates of the compound, I hear the low rumble of bikes in the distance, and my stomach twists.

What the hell has happened?

Two huge bikers are pulling the gates open to let them in, and Big Mike saunters over, along with Saul. Some of the ol’ ladies are gathering, too. Felicia is one of the women, and she’s not her usual glam self. I guess she’s just come from staying over with Tank because she’s in no make-up, her hair is pulled back into a ponytail, and she’s wearing an oversized t-shirt. She looks younger and more vulnerable like this. I smile at her, unsure, and her returning smile is also a little scared.

Surprising me, she comes to stand by me and takes my hand to squeeze it before letting go.

The first bike roars in, and I’m shocked to see it’s not Jack, or even Ghost, but Phoenix, and, next to him, Rook. The others follow, and as Rook dismounts, moving with an unusual stiffness, a strange rushing fills my head.

I can’t stop staring at Rook. He’s covered in blood. Why is he covered in blood?

Has he been shot?

Where’s Jack? Where’s Ghost? But then Rook opens his mouth and the roaring only gets louder at his words.

“We were hit. Cars with blacked-out windows and men in masks. They shot Jack and have taken Ghost.”