Page 17 of August's Ride with Arrow

“Yeah, it'll be fun to get out of here for a bit,” Emerson says and everyone nods, so I agree.

“Okay, Lightning, you go with them. Take Shooter and Six with you,” Atlas orders.

Since it's been a couple hours now and we’ve heard nothing from the guys, I ask, “Have you heard anything from the men?” Though I’m not sure if he can even tell me anything or if I’m completely out of line. But I have to know if the Arrow is okay.

“Yeah, they're going to be a few more hours, but they are fine and they're going through the cabin to see what they can find,” Atlas says.

Even though I’m pretty sure he's leaving something out, I don't press my luck now that I know Arrow is fine. Anyway, that's all I needed to know.

“I want you all to get going, as Ruby seemed to be in a panic when I talked to her. In the meantime, I’ll have someone come in and clean up the kitchen,” Atlas says.

With Lightning driving and Piper in the front, Emerson and I relax in the back seat of the truck.

“Is this the first time you'll get to see the town?” Piper asks, turning in her seat so she can look at me.

“Yes, it is. We didn't come through town on my way here, and I've never been here before,” I tell her.

As we head into town, she points out things like the park that has all the events, City Hall, some of the shops, and the café. Finally, we turn down a side street and park behind a building, which I assume is the Mercantile. We walk around to the front door and enter what looks like a general store. Looking around, I can see that it has a bit of everything from groceries to household supplies and even some crafting items.

“Good, Atlas sent some of the strong ones. All right, you girls help me finish up some of the decorations that are going to go up, and I need to have some of you pull down... “ The older woman with red hair looks at me and rushes over to wrap me up in a hug. “Well, aren't you the cutest thing? We haven't met, but my name is Ruby.”

“This is Katherine. She's with Arrow,” Lightning says.

“I don't like all this stuff with the Savage Bones. You guys are hiding too much information from me, and I’m frustrated that I’m missing everything. After they ran my truck off the road, I ought to hunt them down and give them a piece of my mind myself,” Ruby says, ranting as she goes towards the back room. We all follow her.

“Ruby is like the town grandma. She knows everything that's going on and takes pride in it. Her husband is the town mayor, and Ruby has grown up here her whole life. In fact, Jensen and his brother, Jonas, are both her nephews, and she helped raise them,” Piper says as we follow the rest back and help Ruby with whatever she needs.

The guys are moving boxes around and loading stuff into the truck that we saw outside. Ruby has us women help paint some of the decorations that she's going to use. She wants to make sure they have time to dry.

“So, you aren't from around here, are you?” Ruby stands next to me and helps paint one of the decorations.

“No, I actually just graduated from college and got a job in Denver. My friends and I were in Sturgis and that’s where I met Arrow.”

I wait for her to put the pieces together that we haven't known each other long. Then I prepare myself for the moving too quick speech. But I don't get it. I was prepared for it by my friends, and I didn't get it from them either, and no one at the clubhouse has said anything.

“Arrow is such a sweet boy. But he has been through a lot and has really not come out of his shell, so if he let you in, I am happy,” Ruby says, smiling.

“These men do so much good. They’ve been working tirelessly this year to protect our town. Do you know they work with the local womens’ shelter too? They get women and children out of bad situations and even help them stand up to their abusers in court. I can’t forget to mention the work they do with local charities, as well,” Ruby says, singing the Mustang Mountain Riders’ praises.

I had a feeling they were some of the good guys, but it's always nice to have it verified by someone else. Especially someone that knows them so well.

Once we're done painting the decorations, Ruby breaks out a hair dryer to speed up the drying process. When everything's dry, we help her pack them in boxes and the guys load them into the truck. As I take out one of the boxes, I see the guys talking off to the side in whispers. I figure it’s club business and don't think anything about it.

As we get ready to head out, I volunteer to take one of the last bags of trash to the dumpster out back. It's a really light bag, mostly paper and plastic from some of the packing materials. Once I toss it in the dumpster and turn around, I see Shooter off to the side on his phone, pacing. Something about the way he’s acting grabs my attention.

Spying some trash on the ground by the truck, I carefully walk over there to pick it up. Since he still hasn't seen me, I quietly take my time, while I eavesdrop on his conversation.

“Listen, I don't have time to get someone out there to warn Fright that the Mustang Riders are coming for him. For all I know, they're already there. I just found out.” He pauses, kicking a stone, listening to whoever is on the other side of the phone. “They found out about the money, and they tied him right to the money. No, I don't think they know about me yet, but it's probably about time I got out of here. I'm not sure how I’m going to do it, but I'll figure it out.”

At this point, I've heard enough, so I put the trash in the dumpster and make my way back inside. All without Shooter even knowing I was there.

My stomach turns as I think about how everyone has trusted him while he's been feeding information to the enemy.

“Hey, are you okay? You’re as pale as a sheet of paper,” Piper says as I walk back in.

Even though I know I need to tell someone, I can't do it here, not with Shooter around. I’m pretty sure the only person I should tell is Arrow, or maybe Atlas.

I turn to Piper. “I'm just not feeling so great all of a sudden. Do you think it's okay if we go back to the clubhouse right now? I need to lie down for a bit.”

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