Page 56 of Beautiful Unity

“What?” I asked, chuckling. Damn, between my bike and her words, I already felt calmer.

“After a week of living in crappy motels, I’m dreaming about a big fluffy bed with room service and jets in the shower.”

I could practically hear the drool in her voice as she spoke. “That sounds like heaven, Princess. We’ll make it happen. That’s my promise.”

It went quiet for the rest of the drive, and I knew Darcie was preparing herself for whatever we’d enter when we got to the Dizzy Arrow. We’d divided into three groups to conquer as much territory at once.

Darcie and I had taken Agonizer, hoping he didn’t know about the other Royals. Leaving Brooks, Grayson, and Bubba’s team to cover the bar while Kiki’s team led those not built for fighting to the Sweetbutt’s house to offer them an escape. We knew not everyone would want it, but Darcie wanted everyone to have the chance.

It would take a while to comb through all the members and identify those who were true Mavericks and who weren’t. I didn’t have much hope that the Mavericks could survive this, but maybe that was a good thing. Too much had happened here. The scars were deep, and those wounds would take a long time to heal. They’d need to go through their own metamorphosis much like Darcie had.

The Dizzy Arrow was eerily quiet as we pulled in. The lights were still on, but there wasn’t a single soul outside. Rows of bikes glistened under the neon light, but it did nothing to tell us the state of affairs inside. I spotted Brooks and Grayson’s bikes, and Tank’s—the one Bubba had borrowed. They were at least inside.

Darcie frowned as she stepped off her bike, securing her helmet to her motorcycle. I took her hand, neither of us speaking as we headed inside. I debated if we should head around back first, but Darcie was already opening the door before I could stop her.

The main area was empty, completely devoid of customers. The jukebox played music, pitchers of beer sat full on tables, their pint glasses discarded, and a haze of smoke still hung in the air. It was like there was life one minute and gone the next.

“If this was the rapture, surely a bar full of patched men wouldn’t be a hot spot. Right?”

Darcie snorted and shrugged. “Beats me. Let’s check out the fighting ring.”

I followed her blindly in a daze, confused about what the hell was going on. Darcie pushed open a discreet door, and sound immediately permeated our ears. It was wall-to-wall bodies, cheering and urging on whoever was below. Darcie’s brow furrowed, and a pit opened in my belly.

Fuck. Had Bones lied to us?

Darcie ducked and weaved her way through the crowd, leaving me to barrel through them. The hard glint on my face kept anyone from saying much, or they were too eager to return to the scene below. Once I cleared the crowd and met Darcie at the railing, I understood why.

“What? Is that…?” I stuttered.

Darcie beamed. “Brooks? Yeah.” She sighed wistfully, leaning against the bar with hearts in her eyes. Hell. I was even a little impressed.

Brooks wasn’t fighting. No, the shy cowboy had enraptured a gang of motorcycle thugs with rodeo tricks. He had a rope over his head, spinning it around before tossing it quickly around a calf and wrestling it to the ground. Once he had it secure, he jumped up, mounted a horse, and went through a series of obstacles as he roped barrels. Witnessing it in a bar setting was utterly ridiculous, but it was impressive.

At the end of the run, he hopped off and bowed to the crowd. They roared with applause, shaking the floor and walls with their rowdy praise. Grayson sauntered out into the middle of the floor with a big smile on his face, waving to the crowd.

“What did I tell you? Amazing, amirite?”

The crowd responded with foot stomps, and I didn’t completely cross out the possibility of rapture. This. Was. Weird.

“Our lovely Queen has arrived. Come on down and greet your people, darlin’.” Grayson pointed at Darcie, and heads turned, the noise stopping as they gawked. A passageway opened, allowing Darcie and me to make our way to our group.

“What’s going on?” Darcie whispered.

“Just follow my lead,” Grayson said, wrapping his arm around her. “Our beautiful Queen!” The crowd roared again, and wolf whistles echoed around the enclosed space. Darcie waved, smiling as she soaked in the applause. “And on that note, we got some celebrating to do. We’ll be back tomorrow to make things official. Have a good night, folks!” Grayson tipped an imaginary hat and escorted us to a tunnel toward Bubba.

He motioned for us to follow him, and the sound evaporated the further we went, but no one said anything; we just kept walking. A door loomed ahead, and I said a quiet prayer that Bubba would take it. I didn’t like being underground with no escape. It felt too much like prison.

Once we exited the underground, I took a deep breath of the hot and sticky air. I didn’t care that it was humid; it was just a relief to be free.

“What the fuck was that?”

“Not yet,” Bubba mumbled, heading toward his bike.

We followed and climbed on ours. He didn’t waste any time starting it and peeling out of the parking lot. A few people had made their way outside but ignored us as they lit their cigarettes. The five of us were on the road and away from the bar within minutes, and I sighed a breath of relief. Everyone was quiet as we followed Bubba, somehow understanding this wasn’t a conversation to have while riding.

He pulled into an empty parking lot a few miles away, and the four of us followed suit, making a circle. The instant Darcie had her helmet off, the three scanned her from head to toe. She’d changed her shirt, but there were still spots of blood splatter in her hair and skin. She painted a terrifying picture.

“What happened?” Bubba barked. “Why are you covered in blood?”

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