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Cali glanced at her. “Do you know if you or Izzy were the target?”
“No.” Hawk took her bag from Cali. “I’ll tie this to the back of my bike. Another prospect has already retrieved your bike from behind the bakery.”
“Okay.” Cali gave her a huge smile which she hoped was sincere. “I’m not too proud to admit I had no idea how to get out of that situation. I’d love to know how you figured it out.”
She shrugged.
Hawk’s gaze narrowed on her before he said, “Let’s go.” Then he took her arm in a surprisingly firm grip.
She left, not thrilled with the way Hawk kept issuing orders. Yet, she also had to acknowledge the fact she was way out of her depth. Maybe going to the clubhouse was a good idea. It would get her off the streets and give her a chance to figure out her next moves. The clubhouse might even have a bus schedule.
Once outside, she found his bike hidden between a black dumpster and a large, metal storage container. He handed her his helmet and began to tie her duffel bag to the back of his bike. There was a strange awkwardness between them now, and she wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was because everything that had happened this morning had been strange and awkward. She’d survived a shootout, an escape across the rundown roofs of Main Street, and was about to go to an outlaw MC clubhouse. She also had to wear a helmet that hurt her head and her chin.
Hawk finished tying her bag, turned around to face her, and laughed loudly.
“What’s wrong?” She pulled on the strap that scraped her skin.
“You have the helmet on backwards.” He unsnapped the strap and pulled off the helmet. Then he placed it correctly on her head and connected the straps. “Better?”
She touched her chin and nodded. Her face had a horrible tendency to turn red and hot when she was embarrassed and right now her cheeks burned. “Yes. Thanks.”
He mounted his bike. “Get on and wrap your arms around my waist. We’re not too far from the clubhouse, but I’m going to drive as fast as I can without getting stopped.”
She got on the bike behind him and clasped his waist. She pressed her cheek against his leather cut just as he turned on the bike. The engine’s vibrations along her inner things made her stomach clench and her arms tighten even more.
He drove out of the parking lot and turned into a narrow alley. If her clinging hurt him, he didn’t mention it. He just stepped on the gas and pushed the bike even faster. She enjoyed the wind scraping her face and blowing strands of hair around her face. He drove through more alleys and down back roads, twisting and turning, while she followed his lead about which way to lean. Soon, she felt relaxed enough to loosen her grasp on his body and watch the sky fly by above them. For the first time in forever, she wasn’t worried about her father, the phone in her back pocket, or that stupid ring.
For the first time in forever, she felt free.
A few minutes later, once they were on a lonely country road and away from all of the town’s homes and businesses, Hawk paused the bike in front of an enormous rolling gate. It was embedded between ten-foot-tall concrete walls topped with razor wire. Since her car had been towed to the garage, she’d never been inside. But the one time Tish had driven her by, the gate had been open enough to see the busy mechanics and machines that made tons of noise. It seemed like any other automotive business. Now, as they drove forward, the sounds of the motorized gate and metal wheels filled the empty courtyard. Today, the place felt like a fortress. She glanced back to see the gate lock shut. Or maybe a prison.
Hawk parked the bike in front of a brick building with the wordsPowder Housecarved over the front door. On the left, she saw the large garages with their doors pulled down. On the right, there was a long, three-story building that resembled a roadside motel. She got off the bike and handed him the helmet. The brick building reminded her of the old houses she’d once seen in Williamsburg, Virginia. The kind of houses that had once witnessed tricorn hats, horse-drawn carriages, and probably hosted George Washington.
Hawk placed the helmet on the handlebars and sent her a firm glare. Not at all like the way he’d looked at her when he’d been helping her with the helmet a few minutes ago. His moods were almost as mercurial as hers. And that was not a good thing.
“Wait here,” he ordered.
She nodded, but he didn’t notice. He just hurried up the stairs and entered the brick building, leaving her alone in the courtyard.
Maybe this was a mistake.
She walked around the courtyard, trying to figure out another escape plan, when the phone in her back pocket buzzed. She glanced around to make sure she was alone before pulling it out and answering, “Yes?”
“Are you ready to make a deal?” As usual, the female voice sounded officious and curt.
She tucked stray hairs behind her ear. “I’m ready to hear your offer.”
“Only in person. Where can we meet you?”
“So, there’s a problem with that plan.” Izzy lowered her voice. “I’m kind of stuck with an outlaw motorcycle club. I’m not sure how to get away.”
The woman inhaled sharply. “You let the Black Jacks take you?”
“No. I’m with the Devil’s Renegades in Ravensburg, Virginia.”
“Isolde? Are you fucking a biker?”
“Not right now.” Which, technically, was the truth.
