AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I grab the door handle and twist it, yanking the door open. It takes a second before the alarms starts blaring. Before it does, Lucy is out the door and running. I pull the door closed behind me as I run behind her. We stick to the trees and shadows in case our parents look out any of the windows that’s facing out the front of the house.
We don’t stop running until we get to the bus stop. I knew which direction the bus stop was from our house. I would keep track of the street names when we would go out with our parents. Luckily, the bus comes right when we get there.
“Does this bus go to the main station?” I ask the driver.
“The main station is my last stop. It’ll take about fifteen minutes,” the bus driver answers me.
I thank the driver and pay for Lucy and me. We grab a seat and huddle close.
“We’re going to be okay,” I whisper to Lucy, she’s shaking as I hold her.
“I know, I’ll always be okay as long as I’m with you.” She sniffles.
The fifteen minutes it takes to get to the main bus station seems to go by really slow. I keep wishing it would hurry up. As we get off the bus, I thank the driver again. She smiles at us, butshe has a sad look in her eyes. It’s like she knows we’re running away from something. I just hope she doesn’t call the police or tell anyone about us.
Romano
Lake Renegade Township was founded by Pietro Bastianini and Liam Kearney. They came from Italy and Ireland to give their children a better life. When Giacomo was voted in as president, both Pietro and Liam went back to their home countries and started chapters there. They’ve since stepped down from those MC’s, but they are still an important part of our clubs.
Lake Renegade is very different than Rome. But I’ve come to love the small town and the slower lifestyle. Every morning, I get on my bike and ride from one end of our township to the other. It’s soothing to my soul to ride. Amara loved to ride on my bike with me. No one’s ever been on the back of my bike except her. And I don’t think anyone else ever will be again.
I now spend my days making sure Maeve is safe when she’s out. On my days off, I explore the campgrounds. It borders all three properties, owned by the Bastianini, Mancini, Athanasiou and Nikolaidis families. The Athanasiou and Nikolaidis families are new, they moved here from Greece about six months ago. And recently, we found out that they are shifters. Yes, real shifters. The Athanasiou clan are polar bear shifters and the Nikolaidis clan are white tigers. Before meeting them, shifters were part of fantasies and made-up stories. Knowing they’re real is still such a crazy concept.
In the campgrounds, there are two mountains and an assortment of lakes and rivers. It’s a beautiful place and I wishAmara and the kids could’ve seen it. There are also otters on the Bastianini property. That started at the Cimaruta chapter club in Galway, Ireland. When Francesco brought his woman and their daughter to Chicago, he wanted to give Saoirse the otters. So we all took classes to learn about otters and what they eat and how to take care of them. And every six months, we have a veterinarian come out and make sure they’re thriving. We have seven of them now. We’re also registered as an otter sanctuary.
Chapter Three
Simone
We did it. We got away and we’re on the bus to a town called Lake Renegade. Lucy thought it sounded like a town that would protect us. Who am I to disagree? The bus ride is going to take about four hours so I told Lucy to get some rest. I know I won’t be sleeping till we get off the bus. I’m still a little scared that our parents are following us.
It’s hard to see out the windows of the bus because it’s dark out. But they’ve dimmed the lights so people can sleep. From what I can see, it’s all farmland. I wonder if it would’ve been a better idea to be in one of these smaller towns? But we’re still too close to where we were, and I want to put more distance between us.
Four hours later, we’re getting off the bus. My first impression of Lake Renegade Township is that it feels right. I don’t know how to really explain it. But I feel like we’re home.
“It feels good here,” Lucy whispers to me.
I put my arm around her. “I think we found our home. Let’s find a motel so we can get a room.”
We walk about five minutes from the bus station and see a motel called Lakeside Hideaway. It doesn’t look too scary so we head inside. There’s an older lady with a kind smile at the counter.
“Morning, girls. How can I help you?’ she asks.
“We need a room, is it possible to get one with two beds, please?”
“Of course. How long will you be staying with us?”
“Um, well I don’t know yet, do we have to have a check out date?” I ask. That makes me a little nervous.
“Oh no, you can stay as long as you need. I have the perfect room for you. It’s right by the elevator and the ice machine. It also has a kitchenette, so you can make your own food if you want.”
“Thank you so much, we really appreciate that.”
“If you have any problems, or need anything, you call the front desk and we’ll be happy to help. There’s someone here twenty-four hours a day,” she says to us as she hands me two little envelopes. “One key card for each of you.”
I take them from her and give one to Lucy.
“Take the elevator on the left and you’re on the sixth floor. Room six-oh-one.”
