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The cop nods, taking notes. He’s a young, serious man who’s had dealings with Titans before. He knows we could make this charge go away if needed… if thereisa charge. Then one of his colleagues emerges from the back and gives a subtle nod. Every non-biker looks at me as if I might spring into action again.
It was a quick draw, pulling my second pistol, aiming, firing, and not letting my feelings get in the way. I had to become like that kid in the forest, not thinking, not allowing myself to imagine everything going wrong. I couldn’t think about the idea that, possibly, I’d miss and hit my woman.
They’re taking her to the same hospital as Ryan so that she can process the shock. It cut my heart deeply when I heard her scream and the blood shower her face. There was no way I would have let these fuckers take my woman or do what they said they would do.
“Is there audio on the tape?” I ask the cop.
“Yes.”
“Did you hear what Randall and his friend said?”
The man swallows. “They bragged about assaulting several women.”
“I believed they were telling the truth.”
We speak in the corner of the gas station, mess everywhere. It shocks most people when they realize how much blood and guts a person has.
“The club will pay for the cleanup, of course,” Jimmy says.
He’s around fifty, a friend of Ryan and Kayla’s father. He’s always felt like something of an uncle to me. He’s got a shaved head and a giant gray goatee, bushy and wild, giving him a savage Viking look.
I wish I could be with Kayla, holding her close to me, whispering any reassuring words I could think of. However, there’s no place for me there, not now that we’re back with the club. Our relationship has already split into two parts: the road trip era, where we could pretend the club and nothing else existed, and now, back into our regular world, with Titans watching us. We have to be far, far more careful.
“This war better be over soon,” the cop grunts, closing his notebook.
“What war?” Jimmy says sarcastically.
The cop rolls his eyes. “If this shit carries on, they’ll send the Feds. You’ll never see my face again, andtheywon’t be so damn friendly with you.”
“Don’t forget everything we do for the county,” Jimmy says good-naturedly, as though two men aren’t dead mere feet away.
* * *
“How bad are things?” I ask Jimmy before we climb onto our bikes.
The sun has set now. My soul feels numb from what I’ve done. It was necessary. I’d kill a thousand men if they threatened my woman, but it doesn’t make me feel good.
Jimmy sighs, stroking his goatee. “They’re pushing us hard, kid. I told Ryan we needed you here. I think this proves it. Fucking monsters, shooting him on Main Street. Could’ve hit a civilian.”
“Ryan wanted me to protect his sister. That was his choice, and I would’ve continued doing it until this war was over if that’s what I had to do.”
“She’s going to be safe with the club surrounded by men. That’s the best place for her, leaving you free to help us. We need the help, kid. I wouldn’t speak so frankly with anybody else, but we need that dog in you.”
I clench my teeth and grip my hands around the handles of my bike. It’s still got mud flecked on it from when I took us into the forest. So many memories of the trip return to me, strangely shimmering, as if they’re from a long time ago. It’s as if years have passed, not days. The eras feel separate.
“We’re going to push these bastards from our town,” I tell him. “We’re going to travel to every location we’ve got and clear them the fuck out. We’ll burn all their shit to the ground. We’ll kill people if we have to. We’ll do whatever it takes. You don’t get to hospitalize a Titan and get away with it.”
“A-fucking-men,” Jimmy says, clapping me on the shoulder.
CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE
Kayla
I sit at Ryan’s bedside, holding his hand as gently as possible, waiting for him to wake up. He’s been in and out of sleep for the past two days, never able to say more than a few words, just telling me he’s happy I’m here. He tells me he loves me and looks at me through bleary, terrified eyes, looking much younger than he is.
It’s been two days since Kai shot those men in the gas station. I had my eyes closed, but I know he must’ve moved lightning-fast to do that. He must’ve pulled his second gun free so quickly, with far more vicious intent than anybody would guess for a man his size. Other than when he visits Ryan, I haven’t seen Kai, but we’re never alone. Other Titans are there. We can only steal glances at each other.
The late afternoon sun bleeds through the curtains behind Ryan. The machines beep quietly. I sometimes wish they were louder so I could hold on to thebeep beep beepnoise and tell myself his body is strong. He’ll make it. Then slowly, he peels his eyes open. Even slower, a smile spreads across his lips. He looks so young as his eyes go wide.
