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Chapter1
Chase
Ishouldn’t be here, I’m gonna get myself killed…
My Harley Davidson skids underneath me, a sound like cracking glass ricocheting around me as the black ice over the road shatters. I’ve fucked up big time not checking the weather app, but a blizzard has never hit these mountains so hard and fast in as long as I can remember.
Still, I hunch my head down and tighten my grip on the steering as I struggle to gain control of my motorcycle. The tires slipping independently is terrifying, but nothing compared to the nightmare I’ve found myself in.
After being forced off the highway by a skidding semi, I’m now riding through enemy territory. If they find me here I’m dead. Hell, I might be dead if they don't find me. Trespassing on their land is a declaration of war, and with everything going on, we can’t afford even a skirmish.
But there’s too much at stake, I have to find the kid.
I can’t stop, no matter the weather.
I have no idea why Brody would run away. His mom’s at home with his siblings, worried out of her mind. What’s worse, in a storm like this the only way he has any chances of surviving is if he shifts and rides it out in a cave.
I lean carefully into the next corner, sleet stinging my eyes when my back tire skids out of control, fishtailing me across lanes. Snow flies in every direction as I struggle to regain control of the beast I’m riding, but the laws of physics are refusing to be denied. The road is like glass as I careen straight into a snowbank. I fly off my Harley, landing with a grunt on white that’s always more unforgiving than it looks.
Breathing hard, I yank my helmet off. I can't see with it on, my visor is collecting snow and freezing over faster than I can wipe it away. All around me is a sheet of white and I can barely make out the pine trees lining the road. I shiver, relief running through my veins more than the cold is affecting me. That was a close one.
With numb fingers I reach into my leather jacket and pull my phone out to check for a signal. There’s nothing, the notification bar reading SOS. No signal means no maps, it won’t even load my location from before I lost connection. Scowling, I shove it back in my pocket. Ryder always says we shouldn’t rely on technology, but do I ever listen? Fuck, no. I’m the Tracker, I can find my way anywhere. Who needs a map when my nose never fails me?
That is, until today.
I wrap my jacket around my torso and try to ignore the teeth chattering shivers racking my body. Leather and jeans are not what you want to be wearing in a storm like this, but at least I have my boots. I have a perfectly good set of winter wear back home. I just didn't think it was cold enough for that. That’s a mistake I’ll never make again.
I flex my fingers, trying to get some feeling back in them before I grab the handlebars and pull my bike out of the snow berm. Turning around, I squint towards the town below, trying to see the lights. Just a glimpse of Bob’s place would be all the comfort I need, but I see nothing but fat flakes of snow. I sigh, with steep winding roads below and Silver Dawn territory above neither direction is a safe one. I’ll take my chances with the ice on the roads then face my enemy.
I know I have to get out of Silver Dawn territory and fast, but the blizzard is relentless. I need to turn around now or I’ll be freezing to death in their backyard. If I can just coast down the hill, I might find a break in the storm and get back on the highway.
Revving my engine and trying to psych myself up, I ignore the knowledge that if I’m not careful I’ll be dead in the next few minutes. I take a deep breath and roll my shoulders before I put my helmet back on.
One inch at a time.
The moment I pick up any semblance of speed, the wind changes direction, thrashing my body as if the storm has a will of its own. Slowing, I crawl along on the road, fighting the power of the wind and sleet as it tries to push me up the mountain. My visor is freezing over, blinding me, so I lift it and wince as snow hits my eyes like a thousand tiny needles.
One inch at a time.
Another powerful gust of wind hits me like a wall, making both the bike and me shudder. It’s as if Mother Nature just said, “Challenge accepted.”
“You have a truck, idiot!” I shout at myself, slamming my hands on the handlebars in frustration. I can’t stop thinking of what Ryder will say when he hears about this. “You lost your cool because Grace begged for your help and look what you did, Chase. Real smart.”
I let out a humorless chuckle. I’m clearly spending too much time with Ryder, I’m even scolding myself on his behalf now. My fists tighten on the handlebars, my brows drawing together as my frustration with myself grows.
This has got to be the most reckless thing I’ve ever done.
I hunker down at the sight of the bend ahead. I’ll have to take it carefully, balance my weight—
A screech of tires pierces the air as a yellow jeep comes out of nowhere. The twilight lights up with the glow of the headlights as the vehicle swerves one way, then the other as the driver overcorrects. It spins out of control, coming at me faster than my brain can process. The impact is fast. One minute I’m on my bike and the next my bike is under the jeep and I’m flying over the hood.
I lock eyes with the driver for a split second, blue eyes so full of terror, but the impact of the road erases all I know next. I hit the frozen concrete, bouncing like rubber and rolling down into the ditch below before my body hits a tree like a bulldozer. My vision goes black when my head bounces off a rock. Spots dance in front of my eyes as the devastating sound of crunching metal ricochets off the surrounding mountains.
Followed by the terrified shout of a woman.
For a moment, I lay there motionless, cradled by freezing snow. My mind is racing, my vision swimming, my whole body wailing with pain. I force myself to my hands and knees, shouting in agony when my left arm buckles and I collapse face first in the snow.
I’m struggling to take a full breath as I force myself to sit up against the tree that almost claimed my life. I cradle my arm to my chest and remove my helmet with my good hand, staring in shock at the huge dent and cracking all along the back of it. My vision begins to clear the longer I stare at it, the reality sinking in. That could have been my head.
