The thing shooting at us.
The thing burning buildings and throwing bricks and making city permits disappear.
Goldie knew something big.
She dragged her fingers through her messy blonde hair.Thinking.Arguing with herself.Trying to decide whether she trusted us.Finally, she exhaled.“Fine.”
I smiled.“Knew you’d come around.”
She pointed at me.“Don’t get excited.”
Too late.
“I’m only agreeing because I think I have maybe a one percent better chance of staying alive with you than by myself.”
I chuckled.“That’s one percent I’ll take.”
She rolled her eyes, then turned toward her car.A minute later, she came back carrying a black backpack.
She stopped beside us.Looked at me.Looked at Nugget.Looked back at me.
Before she could ask, I pointed toward my bike.“You’re with me.”
Nugget immediately threw both hands up.“Works for me.”
Goldie looked relieved.
Interesting.
Nugget climbed onto his bike, and I grabbed the spare helmet out of my saddlebags and held it out.
Goldie took it with no hesitation, argument, or asking for help.She slipped it over her head and secured the strap herself.
I raised an eyebrow.“You ridden before?”
She looked at me and shrugged.“A time or two.”
I grinned.“Right on.”Then I swung onto my bike, and she was right behind me.She was tentative at first, then closer, and her hands settled against my sides.
I looked over my shoulder.“Hold on.”
Her fingers tightened immediately.
I cranked the throttle, and the engine roared to life.
We were heading back to Madison, and The Ledger should be the ones scared now.We were done fucking around.
Chapter Two
Goldie
The vibration from Wheels’ motorcycle had settled into my bones somewhere around the first hour.By the second hour, I wasn’t sure if I could feel anything else.
The steady rumble of the engine, the wind pushing against me, and the exhaustion dragging at every part of my body had blended together into one long blur of highway, headlights, and darkness.
We’d stopped once for maybe five minutes, but it could have been less.
Long enough for Wheels and Nugget to fill up and for me to buy a bottle of water that I barely remembered drinking.
