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I nodded against his chest. “OK.”
“Good. Now let’s get the fuck out of here.” He grabbed my hand and led me back to the garage, loading his duffel into the back of the truck. “You need to drive your car and follow me until we can ditch it. Can you do that?”
“Yes,” I automatically agreed, tamping down the panic I felt at getting separated from him. It was ridiculous. I hadn’t even seen him for six months. Now I didn’t want to leave his side for a second.
“Not for long.” He looked all around as he walked me to my car.
“Where are we going?” I asked as I climbed into the driver’s seat.
“Somewhere safe. Stay right behind me.”
He didn’t peal out of the driveway, rubber shrieking to alarm the neighborhood. But he didn’t crawl out at a leisurely pace, either. I pulled out after his truck, sticking close at every light as we made our way to the freeway.
We were on the run, racing against time. Who knew where Mike was right then? In my heart, I knew he was up, alert, on the hunt. He might even be tailing us at that moment, following our every move, waiting for a vulnerable moment when he could strike.
My phone buzzed with a text.
Mike: GONNA KILL YOU BITCH
I threw my phone down to the floor, shaking violently. We had to get away, far away, somewhere we’d leave no trace. I had no idea where that place could be. But I prayed Jax might.
12
Jax
After about fifteen minutes, we pulled off the freeway. Next to a gas station, I drove around in back of an office building. She could leave her car there. With any luck, it wouldn’t attract any attention for a couple days. That would buy us some time.
I bet the car was under Griller’s name, and he’d get the call when it was reported as abandoned. I didn’t bring it up with Sky, though. She didn’t need any more reminders of the dangers surrounding her.
I got out and walked around, opening the passenger door to my truck for her to climb in. “You got anything in the trunk? Anything you might need?”
“I have some cash in here.” She patted a black backpack as she climbed into the passenger seat. “I’ve been saving for the past year. But I don’t have anything else. I just ran.”
“That’s OK.” Everything in me wanted to reassure her, make her feel protected and safe. I’d never let Griller hurt her again. “We’re going to have to get rid of your phone. Any numbers on there you’ll need in the next few days?”
“Yeah.” She spoke slowly, seeming like she was still in shock as she took her phone out of her bag.
“Take a second and write them down. We’re going to have to smash and throw it out.” Griller almost definitely had GPS tracking on that thing. I handed her a sheet of paper from the glove compartment. With a shaky hand, she wrote down a couple numbers while I waited, keeping an eye out, wondering if at any minute I’d hear the roar of a motorcycle engine.
She finally folded the paper and handed me the phone. But as she did, it buzzed with a text. She gasped, her hand up to her throat as she dropped the phone.
“Sorry,” she panted, looking terrified. “He’s been texting me.”
“Easy.” I put a hand on her knee, feeling her trembling. Eyes big, she took a deep breath. “I’m going to keep you safe.”
Over by a dumpster, I took pleasure in smashing the phone with a rock and throwing it away. Griller couldn’t get to her anymore. I fucking hated that he’d attacked her over having found our texts. It made me feel responsible.
Back into the truck, I got us out onto the freeway fast. It was better with her in there with me, but it was smart that we’d left separately, taking the step to hide her car. If she’d left it parked in front of my house, they would instantly have known we were together. Griller didn’t need any more help finding her than he already had.
I knew the power of an MC. I’d been surrounded by gangs and criminals my whole life. A motorcycle club was a brotherhood, with bonds thicker than blood. They made their own rules, beholden to no one but themselves. The guys would do anything for each other.
Even if one of them was a psychopath. All the Skulls knew Griller was crazy, but he was still a Skull. If he wanted revenge on his wife for cheating on him, it wouldn’t just be him trying to make that happen. He’d have an army of well-armed, ruthless killers flanking him, helping him achieve that goal. Sky was in a hell of a mess.
Which was why I’d called Zeke first thing. Leaving Sky on the couch in my house, I’d thrown a few things into a bag and given him a call. It had gone to his voicemail, but he’d get back to me soon. Until then, we’d head toward his house near Riverside, about two hours away.
The police wouldn’t be able to keep Sky safe. They couldn’t put her somewhere under 24/7 surveillance. Hell, I wasn’t even sure I could keep her safe. At least not right then, not until we could figure out a plan. But I knew who could. It meant going from the frying pan into the fire, but who knew a motorcycle club better than another motorcycle club? The Iron Reapers, sworn enemies of the Sacrificial Skulls, would be able to anticipate their every move, and, even better, counter them all. It was our best shot.
“How you feeling?” I turned to Sky. She’d been awfully silent since she’d climbed into the truck, lost in her thoughts. I was, too, as we traveled down the freeway at night. The drive shouldn’t take too long, but you never knew with traffic. Getting over near Riverside meant driving right through L.A. and the number of accidents, alone, could grind things to countless halts.
“I’m OK.” She sounded as if she were trying to convince herself as much as me. “I’ll be OK,” she added, as if she hadn’t done such a good job. She brought a shaking hand up to her hair, then dropped it again to her lap.
“It’s going to be all right.” I wanted to take her hand in mine, bring her onto my lap. Fear radiated off of her in a nearly palpable panic. I wanted to wrap my arms around her and drain it out, replace it with peace, comfort, security. But first of all I had to drive. Second, she hadn’t come to me because she wanted to be my girlfriend. She’d come because she needed help and wanted to warn me that I was in danger. I had to keep focused, stay fixed on the goal at hand.
My phone buzzed. I pulled over at the next exit to take Zeke’s call. I wanted a private minute to explain things, away from Sky. Parked by the side of the road, I climbed out and stood at the back of the truck a
s I called him back.
“What’s up?” He sounded tense. My news wasn’t going to change that.
“I’ve got a woman with me, beat up by a Skull.”
“Motherfuckers.”
“She got away, but the guy’s still after her.” I paused, knowing I was burying the lead. If I mentioned it was Griller, Zeke would be all over it. But I had to talk to Sky before I did that. That information would set all kinds of wheels in motion, and she was the one who should make that decision.
For now, I just told Zeke what he needed to know. “The Skull’s her husband. And he’s after me, too.”
He groaned. “This is not good.”
“It’s not good,” I agreed. “I need your help. But there may be something in it for you, too.”
“S’all right. Don’t worry about it.” He dismissed my suggestion of reward, as if he found it insulting. Of course he’d help me out without getting something in return. But I knew there might very well be something to this situation that would interest Zeke quite a bit.
“I’ll put you up for the night,” Zeke assured me.
“Thanks, man.”
“When’ll you get here?”
“Little over an hour.” I ended the call, grateful for his allegiance. Zeke was a criminal. I had no illusions about that. But he was a criminal in my court, and right now that was what we needed.
Back in the car, I pulled us back out onto the road. I couldn’t see anything suspicious in the mirrors, but I also knew the Skulls had eyes and ears all over. It wasn’t Griller following us we had to worry about. It was some other guy in the club already out near where we were getting word. They knew the truck I drove. If they spotted us, it would not be good.
