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Over the sound of the cartoon characters bonking each other over the heads with frying pans, I hear the throaty roar of a bike coming this way. I cast a glance around the room but nobody else seems to be hearing it, so I step back and do my best to act casual. The sound of the bike is growing louder and only when it turns into the clubhouse parking lot do any of them take notice. A moment later, the crackle of an automatic rifle sounds.
Everybody dives for cover—as do I—hitting the ground and turning over tables they shelter behind. The guys are all wide awake now. It’s amazing how a little gunfire can sober somebody right up.
As chaos ensues in the clubhouse with everybody screaming over each other, trying to shout orders and establish some sort of control, I’m doing my best to stay out of the way and be as unobtrusive as I can.
After what seems like hours but is really only a few minutes, the automatic rifle falls silent. The bike revs its engine, almost challenging the Howlers to come out. Jammer, showing a lot more courage than I thought he had in him, jumps to his feet and dashes out the door. Of course, as he’s yanking his pistol out of the waistband of his jeans, he stumbles over his own feet and goes down hard on the stairs. I can hear the shooter outside laughing over the rumble of his engine.
A moment later, the bike gives a throaty growl and races off. Jammer is back on his feet and fires a couple of futile shots anyway. But then he runs back in, his eyes wild, his face twisted in a mask of rage.
“Let’s go!” he shouts. “Nobody shoots up our clubhouse and gets away with it. We need to run this prick down now!”
That seems to rally the troops a bit. No one is quite as enthusiastic as he is, but they all run out the door. I follow them and see the front wall of the clubhouse is pocked by bullets and some of the bikes have been hit. Nothing is too damaged to ride though, and the Howlers jump on and fire up their bikes. They’re peeling out of the lot in a matter of seconds, chasing the shooter, determined to put an end to him.
When they’re gone, I finally let out the laugh that has been building up inside of me. Knowing time is of the essence, I walk briskly back through the clubhouse, guffawing to myself.
CHAPTERTWENTY
When the sound of gunfire erupted, it scared the crap out of me. I dove behind the wall in the kitchen, remembering Hawk’s warning to stay low. Now I understand why. It would have been nice if he’d told me somebody would be shooting up the clubhouse though.
Out in the main room, all I can hear are the guys shouting over each other, all of them freaked out and on the verge of panic. A smile creeps across my face and I don’t bother stopping it. The sound of the chaos is amusing to me.
A couple of moments later, I hear the stampede of booted feet heading for the door and a moment after that, the growl of their engines firing up as they ride out. I jump to my feet and run to my room, grabbing a bag to throw what few things I have into it. Hawk’s laughter echoes through the clubhouse though and when he steps into my room, even though I know it’s him, it startles me anyway.
“We have to go,” he says.
“Who was shooting? What’s happening?”
“I’ll answer your questions later,” he says. “Right now, we just need to go. It won’t be long before they’re back and I want to be long gone by then.”
“Where are we going? What’s the plan? How will we get out without them noticing?”
He stops, and though I can see he’s frustrated by me peppering him with questions, he’s doing his best to be patient with me.
“I’m sorry. I just… when I get nervous, I ask a lot of questions,” I tell him.
“That’s all right. But this distraction won’t hold them forever, so we really need to go,” he says. “This is our window to get you out of here. Let’s not let it close on us.”
I nod and reach for some things to throw into my bag to take with me, but Hawk stops me and shakes his head.
“No, leave everything. We can pick up new things as we go,” he says.
“But why?”
“Because it’s all part of the plan.”
I chew on my bottom lip nervously. This is a day I have waited for longer than I can even say. The day that I am given my freedom. All I need to do is walk out that door with Hawk and I can begin my life again. It’s so close I can taste it.
I can do all the things I’ve dreamed of and be the person I’ve always thought I’d become. I’m still young and life is still fully ahead of me. It’s an exhilarating thought that fills me with a fire of excitement.
At the same time though, I’m terrified. I know how ridiculous it seems, but I’m scared to walk out that door. As terrible as this place is, at least here I know what to expect. I know the rules. I know what I can and can’t do. Out there in the world though, I’m going to have to learn an entirely new set of rules. I’m going to have to learn what I can and can’t do all over again. Out there, beyond that door, I have no idea what to expect. And it scares me.
Hawk takes my hand and looks me in the eye. “I know you’re afraid. Starting over is always scary,” he says. “But you deserve to have your life back. You deserve to get away from this misery. You deserve to be who you want to be—not who Hammerhead tells you that you are. And you most definitely deserve to live a life where you don’t have to fear getting smacked around for the smallest thing.”
A tear spills from the corner of my eye and my lips are trembling. I have no idea why this is so hard for me. I hate it here. I hate the people here. I live in fear twenty-four hours a day. I wake up miserable and go to bed the exact same way. There is absolutely nothing but pain and anguish for me here. And yet even knowing that, I’m afraid.
“The balls are in motion, Molly. If we don’t go right now, they are going to figure out what happened and rain shit down on us when they get back,” he says. “I don’t want anybody hurting you ever again. You deserve better than that.”
I nod but feel my stomach churning, a sick, queasy feeling spreading through my body. My fear of leaving, though, is as great as my fear of staying. But I know Hawk is right. They’ll eventually figure out what happened and there will be a reckoning.
