Gangs.
Crime lords.
Psychopaths.
Murderers.
Am I even going to make it out of this alive? Are any of us? We’re four people against armies. The odds seem so slim.
The thunderous sound of motorcycles echo through the trees that surround our lake house, sending thick tendrils of dread burrowing through my chest.
The Twisted Sons are here.
Behind me, heavy boots thump through the house, getting closer and closer, until Huss, Ted, Joel, and Jai are all standing on the porch behind me. I dump my glass of juice in the wilting bush beside the step and jump to my feet as shiny hunks of metal and plastic spill out of the gap in the trees and filter onto our lawn. At least fifty of them, followed by eight vehicles that range in size, but are all black and bear the same raging bull logo.
I grab the hem of my black, long sleeved shirt and pull it lower around my plain belt buckle. My knees tremble as the men before us line their bikes up neatly and shut off their engines. They look so scary from here...all of their black fabric, leather and exposed ink. I rake them with my eyes and in the second row, third from the left, I see a hand wave at me. Pops, a.k.a. Crow. The fucker who wouldn’t help when Joker had his gun pressed to Joel’s head. I nod at him and quickly divert my eyes to the man on the most expensive looking motorcycle. He relaxes on his handle bars and tilts his head at us. He has a black bandana tied around his face with the bottom half of a skull printed on it and covering his eyes is a pair of reflective sunglasses.
Joker.
He’s tall, broad shouldered, inked up, and fucking terrifying.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Ted whispers to Joel.
I glance over my shoulder at Joel who swallows hard. “Well...it’s too late now, isn’t it?”
Jai growls, his jaw clenching tightly, as Joel steps off the porch and onto the first step, shaking it underneath my feet.
“Afternoon.” He greets them with faux cheerfulness. “What will it be...shotguns or rifles?”
****
My nerves are fried. My heart is choking. Sickness churns in my stomach over and over, causing a clammy sweat to bloom all over my body. It’s all happening. It’s moving too fast.
“Two miles out.” Huss announces, allowing the car to roll to a stop.
It’s dark, so dark I can’t see what’s outside my window and the only light inside the car is provided by the accessory lights in front of the driver. I clench Jai’s hand, thankful he took his glove off for me to feel his skin. The whole trip he’s soothed me by kissing my face and caressing my hand, but it’s not enough. His comfort falls on numb skin. A bright light twenty yards to our left flickers and disappears and Joel turns in his seat.
“Joker and his men are ready.” He states, looking to Jai.
“All right.” Jai reaches for his small torch at the back of his belt. With a click, it comes free, and stretches down by his black boots for the map. I swallow as he stuffs the mini torch under his shirt and uses the fabric to block the harsh light as he turns it on. The map he lights up is covered in ticks and crosses—markings that confuse the hell out of me, but offer a lot of insight into the plan for them.
“In twenty seconds we’ll have exactly seven minutes before we have to set off on foot to Skull’s compound. To recap, it will take us precisely thirty minutes to make it to the back gate from here at a casual pace, but we need to make it in thirteen so we’ll have to run.”
Jai squeezes my hand. I’m thankful he didn’t let it go as he re-briefed them with his map.
“We don’t know these woods.” Ted points out, resting too casually on the barrel of his rifle. “Can we make it in thirteen? What if there’s a lake or a gorge we don’t see?”
Joel shakes his head. “We have to make it in thirteen minutes—we don’t have a choice—and there aren’t any lakes or gorges. That I know for a fact.”
Ted shakes his head. He’s had issues from the moment Joker and Joel started changing up the plan. “So we’re just going to run blindly through the damn woods?”
Reaching down, Joel retrieves his cap from the floor and slips it onto his head. “You have a better idea?” He asks.
Shifting on his seat, Ted pulls a hunk of fabric from the pocket on the side of his thigh. “Yes. Your first plan. It worked.”
Ted hands Jai his gun and Jai holds it as Ted unrolls the bundled fabric and pulls it on over his head. A balaclava. It’s a clever idea—especially when they’re going to be running through the woods. He’s going to receive a lot less cuts to the face because of it.
“Seven minutes has started.” Jai cuts in, hitting a button on the cool new watch Joel gave him as a ‘sorry’ for last night.
No one knows where he got it.
Jai hands Ted back his gun and turns to me. “Open the door.”
Doing as I’m told, I open the door. Jai hits the light in the center of the roof, preventing it from lighting up the woods. Cold air blasts the exposed skin on my hands and face, forcing me to retreat into my clothes.
“Our numbers have grown. It doesn’t work anymore. How many times do I have to explain that to you? Sending Joker and his men in through the front instead of us ensures you get to go home to your mama tonight.”
Jai nudges my thigh and flicks his head outside. Reluctantly, I slip from the car, clenching my chattering bones to prevent them from splintering. Sticks and leaves crunch under Jai’s heavy boots as he exits the car. After he closes the door, he rests his heavy gun against the back wheel and leans against the car.
“Come here.”
I shuffle toward him and he takes me in his arms when I’m close enough to grab. I press the side of my face into his chest to hear his heart. It beats faster than I expected it to.
Being in love sucks.
“I’ll be back in a little under two hours, okay? No more, no less.”
“Two hours.” I repeat, inhaling. “Only two hours.”
I exhale. I can do that.
“Promise me you’ll be here waiting for me when I get back.” Jai says, kissing my head.
I roll my eyes. “Where am I going to go?”
He laughs, his whole body vibrating against mine, as he smooths the palm of his hand down my hair.
“If this goes well, we’ll be in Italy before you know it.”
“You’d really take me to Italy?”
“I didn’t send Jess there by coincidence. You love Italy and I want to live there with you.”
“I love you more than I love Italy.’ I mutter, heat pooling in my cheeks. “I don’t care where we are as long as I have you.”
Our gazes lock together, the moment as beautiful and as special as any time we’ve locked our bodies. Cupping my face, he brushes his thumb along my jaw and my tummy flutters.
“I’m glad I broke your tablet.” He murmurs, his lips twitching at the corner.
I smile, despite the somber feel of the atmosphere. “You’re glad?”
He nods, his lip twitch turning into a small, bashful smile. “Yeah. It might have been the worst thing to happen to you, but it was the best thing to happen to me. I’d have died without you. We both know it.”
I push onto the tips of my toes, closing the distance between our lips, sealing it with a kiss. Jai grabs my face, holding me against him. If I had the ability to freeze time only once in my entire life I would choose this moment and I would hold it for as long as I could because in this exact moment there is no greater happiness...no greater loss. To feel your heart swell and deflate at the same time is a phenomenon I can’t explain. To feel your heart bleed at the same time it proudly sings is the saddest, most painful experience I’ve ever had.
I don’t want to lose him.
Not when I’ve finally learned how to let someone in—someone who genuinely cares about me.
“Two hours.” I repeat, an attempt at convincing myself it’s a small time to wait. “That’s all.”