Page 68 of His Road Dog

Chapter 28

Priest

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THE CLEARING, TWO MILESdown a dirt road, showed no other access. Priest pivoted in a circle, scanning across two hundred feet. The directions he'd received in town had told him to follow the gravel road and continue on the dirt road.

The guy at the supermarket hadn't mentioned a dead end.

"Did we miss a turnoff?" he said.

Roddy leaned over his Harley, studying the map spread over his bike. "This doesn't help a fucking bit. There's a line for the gravel road, and then nothing."

"Maybe we have to hike in." Chrischris unzipped his jeans and pissed in the dirt. "That would fucking suck."

"I'm not leaving my bike out here without anyone watching over it. You guys stay here." Rio walked toward the woods. "I'll take a deeper look in the forest and see if I can find a fucking road."

"I'll go with you." Shifter jogged to catch up.

Priest gritted his teeth. The old gentleman at the store had chuckled when he'd mentioned the commune. But when he asked for directions, the man had narrowed his eyes and clammed up. It'd taken a hundred-dollar bill slipped into the man's chest pocket of his flannel shirt for him to divulge the information.

The dirt road was supposed to take them straight to the commune. From the old guy's claim, eighteen or so cabins littered the woods.

Priest looked up, trying to see any smoke coming from a campfire or chimney. The large canopy of Douglas Fir trees blocked the sky.

He slapped his arm. The damn mosquitos were thick.

North lit a cigarette and passed the pack to him. Priest took a smoke and lit the end, shaking his hand, he tossed the extinguish match to the ground.

The more time passed, the more frustrated he grew. He had a motorcycle club to run and couldn't spend any more time searching for Nicole, not knowing if she wanted to be found.

He'd reached the point yesterday that Nicole's options, when he found her, were off the table. Now all he wanted to do was haul her ass back to Montana and the hell with giving her a choice to come with him.

"Hey!"

Priest turned in the direction of the yell.

"Prez?"

He walked forward, unable to see Rio through the underbrush. "Yeah?"

"You're not going to believe this shit." Rio burst through the bushes. "I found the road."

"Where?"

Rio grinned, turned, and dragged a bush out of the way. Shifter broke through the limbs, dragging a fallen tree as if it was made of air.

"What the hell?" mumbled Priest, walking forward.

There's a hidden road, about twenty feet back, camouflaged by moveable undergrowth. It's fake fucking trees.

"We didn't walk more than a hundred feet on the dirt road to see if it would peter out, and it keeps going." Rio brushed his hand off on the thigh of his jeans. "Never would've spotted it, but I pushed a branch away from slapping my face, and the whole damn bush moved."

Shifter stepped out of the way. "We don't have to clear the whole area. The bikes will make it through. The dirt road is dry and wide enough for a nice size truck."

The fact that the commune was on state land, far removed from the government's radar while taking up space in the Pacific Coastal Mountain Range, made him think Nicole's community had something to hide, beyond seeking privacy.

"Let's ride." He removed his pistol from his pocket. "Keep your weapons out and available. Be aware of your duffle in case we need to leave the motorcycles."

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