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One of the Greek Lords grunted behind his skull half mask. He had long hair that he’d tied up into a bun on the back of his head. “We’ve had this discussion. Each of our clubs will set up a sanctuary for you. We have funds. You’ll get a new identity if you feel safer that way, and you’ll finish school if you need to do that. You’ll have the right to live free of judgment. Love whoever you want. No one will stop you.”
“You can choose where you want to go.” King raised his hand. “New Gothenburg is in New York, where you’ll be protected by the Kings and the Harlots. St. Loren is in Louisiana, where you’ll be with the Greek Lords. Las Vegas is obviously in Nevada, with the Bones. There’s another club called the Norse Lords in Pleasant Beach over in California. They will set up a home for you, too. The choice will be yours, because while we’ll help you, we’re not here to tell you how to live your fucking life.”
Chatter began immediately. The camp survivors turned to each other and began to talk about where they could possibly want to go. Anson had his head down and his arms wrapped around himself, his entire body trembling.
“Will you go with us in the bus?” Jonas whispered from beside me.
I turned and wrapped my arms around him, bringing him against my chest. He’d been quiet for the last hour. Too quiet. I wanted to ask him what was going through his head, but I didn’t knowhow. I’d never known how to communicate with people very well, but I wanted to with Jonas.
“No. I don’t have a passport. I never needed one, so I came over the border in a tunnel with most of the other bikers.” I sighed and shrugged. “I can’t go with you on the bus, but I’ll meet you on the other side. They’re stopping somewhere over in Texas. There’s some Irish mob boss over there who owes the Harlots and Kings a favor for something. I’m not sure what. But he’s setting up a camp there for us. That’s where everyone will have to make their decision.”
“Will you be staying in New Gothenburg?” He hid his face against my neck, and I heard him inhale, then his lips touched my skin.
I smiled. “Yeah. I’m a prospect with the Kings now.”
“If we stay in the trailer park, Dad could find me again.” His voice wobbled, and I held him tighter.
I inhaled through my nose and closed my eyes. Would he think I was a monster if I told him the truth? “You don’t have to worry about him.”
“Why?” He leaned away from his safe spot against my neck.
When I glanced at him, I immediately saw the suspicion.
“What did you do?” he asked quietly.
I swallowed around the lump in my throat. I couldn’t tell him the truth, because while he saw me kill strangers, this was different. This was his father. I smiled. “I told him to stay away, and he got the message. Trust me.”
He gave me a shaky smile. “I do trust you.”
And it was a mistake. I tugged him back into a hug, wishing I hadn’t lied to him. He couldn’t hate me; I wouldn’t allow it. What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.
14
JONAS
My eyes stungfrom all the exposure to smoke as I blinked them against the glare of headlights approaching from the opposite direction. I sat nervously as a Customs Officer stood at the front of the bus staring along at us. He swiped his fingers across the lapel of his navy blue short-sleeved button-down.
What if they send us back into Mexico?
He shifted, and his head nearly bumped the roof of the repurposed school bus we were all trapped in. A different officer was leafing through our passports in a cardboard box, occasionally holding one up and staring back at us. Her brown eyes were wide as they darted around. Her lips pursed as she glanced back at the bus driver.
“Where were all these kids staying?” she asked.
I flinched. She had gray hair peeking out from underneath her blue hat, so I supposed to her we were all pretty young—kids.
“They were at a volunteer activity for church.”
Myles snorted at my side, and I elbowed him. He batted at my elbow.
The officers glanced at each other, then the lady handed the box back to the bus driver. With a wave, she got off the bus. The other officer glared around at us, as if he thought we were lying but couldn’t quite figure out how, before he clomped down the steps.
Exhausted, I slumped against the window and took a bite out of the Snickers bar one of the Harlots had given me as soon as we got onto the bus. The sugar and chocolate went a long way toward making me feel human again. I’d already chugged two bottles of water, and I hummed as Myles passed me another one. I couldn’t even begin to guess how dehydrated I’d been. He leaned lightly against my side as a shiver ran through him, and I didn’t think he was doing it on purpose, but I fully understood why he wanted some human contact.
One of the Harlots got up from where she’d been sitting in the seat behind the driver and came back to plop in the empty one in front of us. She smiled at me when I caught her eye and smoothed her short blonde hair back behind one ear, which made it easier to see the tattoo of an olive branch that ran from above her ear along her hairline to the center of her forehead. She pushed up the glasses on her nose and smiled at me.
“I’m Charity.” She held out her hand, and I shook it, staring at her black fingernail polish. I was dazed by the tattoos on her neck. I didn’t think I’d ever been near a woman with so much ink. I couldn’t imagine what Mom would think about her, or rather I could, and those thoughts made me feel awful. God, I missed Ethan. I wished with all my heart he’d been able to ride on the bus with us, but he couldn’t.
“Jonas,” I said, forcing my attention back to her. “That’s Myles.”
