It took a few days, but the judge finally set a date for their bail hearing. Steel didn’t like the idea of me and Willa leaving the compound with everything going on, but Tempe convinced him that if he were the one in jail, no one could stop her from attending. He finally caved after that.
Tanner sits in the front seat while a member of the club drives us. Tanner is scrolling on his phone, reading the files he brought with him. A few moments ago, Steel called to go over the plan again.
At least they’re thorough.
“What are the chances they’ll set bail?” I ask Tanner.
He frowns, setting down his phone. “The district attorney is pushing to hold them for their club affiliations, and this judge in particular is pretty harsh. But we’re going to do everything we can.”
At least he doesn’t sugarcoat it for me.
“And what happens if they don’t set bail? They stay in there?”
Tanner’s single nod makes my stomach turn.
“We’ll figure this out.” Willa reaches across the seat and takes my hand.
She forces a smile, but her pinched eyebrows make it clear she didn’t find Tanner’s words any more comforting than I did. If anything, she’s probably more terrified than I am. Officially speaking, Hayes doesn’t have a record,but Chaos has spent time behind bars. This isn’t his first strike, and they’ll use that against him.
When we finally reach the city, my heart is racing.
Every turn adds to the weight on my shoulders. Three days have been a lifetime without him. What would a month feel like? A year?
“Almost there.” Tanner tucks his papers away. “Remember that they probably won’t let you near them. Let me do the talking. I’m going to do everything I can to get them out today, but regardless, this will go to trial.”
I glance at Willa, whose smile tightens.
“If we—” Tanner is cut off by the car jerking to the right.
The sharp turn jolts me in my seat, and my hands search for something—anything—to hold onto. For a second, I’m not here. I’m back to being six years old, in the back of my parents’ car, the world moving upside down through the windows.
Except this time, it’s not a car that hits us. It’s an oversized green truck.
Metal crunches beneath the weight of the vehicle. For a second, we’re spinning, and then the car begins to roll. Glass shatters. And when I reach for Willa’s hand, I can’t find her.
I brace my palms on the roof overhead as we start to roll again. My neck jerks, and my vision darkens.
When the car finally comes to a stop, we’re upside down, and my seatbelt is all that holds me in place. Blood drips down my neck, but nothing in particular hurts as I ache all over.
I look to my left, finding Willa dangling unconscious.
“Willa?” Her name comes out in a cough. “Willa, are you okay?”
She doesn’t answer, but there’s a rise and fall to her chest, so she’s alive.
In the front seat, blood stains the broken windshield, and the man who was driving is no longer in the car. Tanner hangs suspended upside down, moving enough for me to know he’s still alive.
I’m groggy as I reach from my seatbelt, bracing one hand on the roof overhead as I undo it. My body slumps down, tweaking my neck as I fall onto the glass-covered roof.
“Willa.” I inch for her, slicing my knee on the glass, but I don’t get anywhere as a hand snags my ankle.
Someone reaches into the car, gripping me tightly and pulling me across the shattered glass through the window. I kick and scratch and try to wrestle myself free, but with my head throbbing and my vision blurred, it’s no use.
My body slams onto the pavement as a man dressed in all black towers over me. There’s no mercy in his blue eyes, which are barely visible through the slit in his mask. He flips me around, shoving my chest into the pavement to secure a zip tie around my wrists. Then, he’s tugging me to standing, pulling me with him.
“No!” I try to kick, but there’s no strength in my legs.
“Shut the fuck up.” The man tugs my shoulder, and it burns from how it’s bound behind my back.
