SEVENTEEN
WES
“I have the doctor,but how the fuck are we supposed to get out of here?” Giles asked through the speaker on my phone.
We were tucked inside a building, lying low after riding for our lives to get here. Two of Giles’ men were shot, and possibly more of the Death Raiders. I hadn’t even seen how many Stone Riders had pulled in after us.
The second we got on the road, we were surrounded. The Destroyers were waiting for us, and we barely got away with our lives just getting here.
Killian was staring at the phone in my hand, and I was staring back at him, but my mind was on a pair of hazel eyes that I’d known since childhood. Callie’s smile and the way the sun always cut through her hair when we sat outside, watching our kids play. How she’d pull Ellie’s hair back and they’d both look in the mirror and giggle because of how similar they looked.
How she’d worry about Ford, but never show him.
She was the best thing that ever happened to me and we’d cheated death so many times in our lives, perhaps this was it. The final time, and maybe Death was being merciful by not taking her or my kids, and instead was only coming for me.
Giles coughed, then replied to our silence, “Do either of you have any ideas? The Destroyers have us surrounded.”
I had nothing. I knew Killian didn’t either, but he was likely going to tell us to just ride as far as we could.
“Giles, get the doc in their own car. Make sure you’re not seen when you get in with them. Have them drive through the woods to get to the entrance C on the property. Get the doctor to the club, no matter what. Your club will divert them by joining with us as we group together and ride back. No one will be with us, but they’ll assume there is based off our formation.”
Thank fuck for our president being able to think in shitty situations like this. My gut was flipped, my nerves shot, and all I wanted to do was crawl into bed with my wife.
Giles came back on before he hung up. “They’ve got the numbers, Kil.”
Killian refused to acknowledge that, and instead hung up the phone.
It was time to move.
Giles got out using Killian’s tactics.
We made sure he wasn’t followed, then started our own journey back.
Darkness covered us as we rode like hell down the highway. The blizzard that had hit our town the night prior still lingered, making the road conditions abysmal. By all rights, we were fucking crazy for riding, but there was an odd safety we felt being on two wheels and being able to stay together. Our bikes were so close that one wrong move, and we’d wreck, but the boys all knew the drill. It needed to look like we were hiding someone. So we rode.
I removed my leather cut because if I was found dead, I’d want Callie to know that I died a free man. Her man. My wedding ring would be the only brand I had that tied us together. I wanted her to know that in death, I’d still choose her over the club. Any day, any time. If we could go back in time, I’d refuse the patch, but maybe that wouldn’t have mattered. Maybe Callie and I were destined to live those seven years apart, and my heart was meant to go through the loss.
Regardless, if this ride were to be my last, then it would be in honor of her.
The echo of engines roared around me as we traveled under moonlight. Snow swirled above us, and the eerie glow of outdoor Christmas lights illuminated the incoming fog as we passed home after home. I refused to hope that we’d make it out alive.
Not when I knew the Destroyers were watching, and likely just waiting for us to get close to the club.
We were a mile out, and that’s when we saw them.
An entire line of headlights flicked on, blocking the road, making it impossible to pass. Giles’s crew was in front, and their headlights shone, revealing the row of men in front of the bikes, all leveling shotguns at us.
The Chaos Kings were going to die first.
We would need to stop if we had a fighting chance. Our bikes would get shot to hell, but we’d be able to pull out our own guns and fire back.
I started slowing, which made the group behind me slow, and that’s when I saw Killian swing his gaze toward me, as if he wasn’t sure what I was doing.
He started slowing as well, but we were too late. Gunfire rang out, which made the front of the line lie down their bikes, sliding along the pavement. Everyone else veered off course to avoid the wreck, and the gunfire, but it wasn’t our guys getting shot.
My leg came out to help keep my bike up as I moved to the side with the group, but I was watching the Destroyers, as each and every one of them went down. Someone was shooting them.
I searched the area, but couldn’t see anyone…until a fleet of headlights came into view, approaching from behind the Destroyers.
Killian was next to me, his gun drawn. “Who the fuck is that?”