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The cruel glint in Maxwell’s eyes proved one thing only. Today I was going to die.
R.J.
VALAN, GHOST, AND GQ parked their bikes next to my own as I glanced down at the text on my phone. I wasn’t sure how Maxwell Forman found my cell number, but the point was that he had it. I reread the information he sent, suppressing the urge to crush the device in my hand.
Max: Meet me at Industrial Park. The old Gristle Mill. 3 pm. I’ll be waiting.
Me: Done.
There was a hell of a lot more I wanted to reply but arguing over text was a waste of my time. Max sent the message over two hours ago and I was still fuming. The guy had a set of brass balls and didn’t give a shit about how he ordered everyone to do his bidding. That fucker didn’t know it yet, but I was gonna make sure he didn’t show his face around Providence again.
I sat on my Harley, debating my next move. Ghost and GQ were in a heated debate about some club whore and I didn’t focus on the details. Valan was typing away on his phone, his brow furrowed. I didn’t ask about his personal business, but I could tell it was serious. I let them have a few minutes before we finished our ride to the Mill. We stopped about ten minutes away to figure out our strategy. I wasn’t just waltzing in there without a plan.
Before I could say a word to the others, an odd but familiar green mist began to appear, floating along the surface of the ground and lifting higher into the air until I was completed surrounded. I blinked as I stood, concerned as the mist grew so thick that I couldn’t see more than a few inches in front of my face. As far as I could tell in every direction, there was only the greenish fog that clung to every surface.
The night I was stabbed suddenly broke through my thoughts and I gasped as a pair of eyes glowed green within a shadowy figure only a few yards away. Was my attacker here to finish the job? I stood my ground and reached into my pocket, relieved to find my fingers curl around my knife.
“R.J.”
A feminine voice filled the silence. There was something oddly familiar about her as she materialized, forming right before my eyes. I couldn’t explain how it happened. Didn’t make any sense. Jaw dropping, I couldn’t believe the person that stood just a foot away. A woman I knew well.
Patty Harding.
“Shit,” I whispered. “You’re dead.”
What the fuck was happening?
She smiled sadly. “Yes. What you see is an echo. A part of my consciousness that I was able to save and project into the future.”
The future? What in the actual fuck?
“You need to understand why I’m here.”
Why was she appearing to me and not her husband or children? Mack, Edge, and Bryce needed to see her more than I did. “I don’t understand.”
“I know.” She sighed softly. “I don’t have enough time to explain. I’m here to offer you a choice. One chance to access the timeline. It’s the only way.”
“What’s the only way?” She was only confusing me more with every word she spoke.
The mist began to dissipate, and its place was the most glorious sight I’d ever seen. Brilliant colors mixed with glistening layers of light. Dumbfounded, I wasn’t sure any of what I was seeing was real. Had I crashed my bike? Was I injured? Dead?
“You have just one chance, R.J.” She smiled and gestured to the rainbow-like stream of conscious thought that was moving and twisting, flowing like a sideways waterfall between us. “One chance to fix it all and make everything right.”
“How do I do that?”
“You’ll know. In your heart, you’ve always known.”
“Because of our ability,” I guessed.
“Yes. You’re a Rider. You have the blood of our race. Do you remember what Mack told you?”
“Yeah,” I gasped, briefly distracted by all the shimmering colors. “We’re like time travelers.”
“In a way,” Patty agreed. “We can bend time. Ravage it and use it to obey our will. All Riders have the same unique ability. It’s how you’ll recognize one another. The green mist only accompanies one of our kind.”
Frowning, I didn’t understand why she wasn’t joining us if it was that simple. Didn’t she want to be with Mack, Edge, and Bryce? “Don’t you want to be with you family?”
“Oh, yes, but that isn’t my path.”
