Page 162 of Double Bucked

56

RANSOM

It’s chaos out here.

Women in beautiful dresses and men in pristine suits tripping over each other to get to their cars. Honking, scattering as they flee the estate.

I spot Arris’s car immediately. But there’s no one inside of it.

If he isn’t in his car…

There’s a loud roar coming from the side of the house. A man stumbles and trips, barely making it out of the way as a dirt bike zips around the corner.

Not just any dirt bike.

Loren’s dumbass dirt bike. With Arris gunning the gas.

I leap into action. Even with everything going on, Chaucer just hangs out by the side of the house, comfortably chewing his dandelions and watching everything rush around him.

I grab the saddle and hoist myself into it. Immediately, he goes alert.

“C’mon!” I tell him. “Time to cowboy up.”

Chaucer gets it. He lifts his head, gives a sharp snort, and takes off.

He’s been pampered over the years. But that doesn’t change the fact that, once upon a time, this was Kentucky’s fastest racehorse on the track.

I’ve got a thousand pounds of muscle and strength between my thighs. I lock into the saddle and encourage him. His hooves thud on the dirt road, and I follow the high-pitch whine of Arris’s bike.

He sees us coming. He zips off the road, trying to tangle us in the woods.

Big mistake.

Chaucer knows these woods. Even in the dark, it’s all I can do to hold tight as Chaucer winds expertly through the trees.

We’re gaining on the headlights, bouncing up ahead.

“Ha!”

The motorbike rips through the terrain. Kicks up dirt and sprays it out. Destroys everything it runs over.

Chaucer and I weave together, a wild shadow whipping through the trees. My heart pounds in time with his hooves, a low, steady clu-clump.

We’re close now. I grip the saddle in one hand and, with the other, unspool the rope on my side.

One clear shot. That’s all I need.

There’s a clap, like thunder. The air sings, and a bullet cracks into the tree beside me.

Fuck.

I’m not the only one with a plan. Arris fumbles his gun, shooting at us as he rides.

He misses, but barely. I can’t risk him hitting Chaucer.

Now or never.

I can barely see in the dark. Adrenaline rushes through me, making my heart beat out of my chest. Chaucer huffs and pants, his body straining to keep up with the roaring bike.

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