Page 111 of Rest In Pieces

When the light turns green, I go, picking up speed. Something to my right catches my eye. But it’s already too late. It slams into us, knocking us across the road. I try to right the bike, but the truck clips the back tire, throwing me off balance again.

I fight the bike, knowing it’s a lost cause. I try to lay her down as gently as I can, but then everything flips and all I see is black.

28

AMITY

Blind instinct and muscle memory kick in as I throw myself off the bike just before we go down. The moment I feel the ground, I fall into a roll, my shoulder and upper arm taking most of the impact. I roll a few times, trying to keep my body loose, before I come to a stop on my side instead of my back.

The air is knocked out of me, and for a moment, all I can do is lie there and try to remember how to breathe. The noise around me is drowned out by the pounding of my heart and the rush of air filling my lungs in deep gulps.

After I don’t know how long, I finally get my breathing under control. Taking a deep breath, I roll onto my hands and knees and look around for G. I find him in the ditch across the road, with his bike close by, and a wave of fear crashes over me.

Pushing myself to my feet, I hurry over to him; my balance is a little wobbly, and I almost fall before catching myself. He’s lying on his back, unconscious, with blood trickling from hisnose and a gash on his forehead. I yank my helmet off and toss it aside as I drop to my knees beside him. Lifting my hand, I press my shaking fingers to his neck as I lean in close.

It takes a moment, but when I finally feel the steady thump of his pulse underneath my fingertips and his warm breath against my cheek, I let out a sob of relief.

“G, baby, can you hear me?” I cup his face, needing him to open his eyes and tell me he’s okay.

He doesn’t answer, and I have to fight back another sob to keep from panicking. I need to think. I need to get help. I look around for the truck that hit us, but it’s long gone.

I slip my bag from my shoulders and fumble inside it for my phone, cursing when I pull it out and remember the only Ravens’ number I have is G’s. I hover my thumb over the nine. I should call for an ambulance at least, but then the cops will come too. A part of me knows that’s not a good idea. After getting the rundown on MC’s from both Nevaeh and G, I know that they play by their own rules, and bringing in the cops is a huge no-no. I don’t have to like it, but I knew what I was signing up for when I agreed to give this relationship with G a go. I can’t bail on that now just because I’m scared.

Careful not to hurt him, I ease my hand into his cut and pull his phone out. There’s a crack in the screen, but it seems fine otherwise.

I type the password, so grateful that my phone died the other day, and he let me borrow his to text Nevaeh, not hesitating to give me his password. I never thought I’d need it for something like this, though.

Opening his contacts, I go straight to Blade’s name and hit call. It rings and rings, but he doesn’t answer. I hang up and try again, but still nothing.

“God damn you, Blade,” I curse, a tear slipping down my cheek. It’s so fucking hard to hold it together when Idon’t know if I’m doing the right thing. Maybe I should just call an ambulance—consequences be damned. Nothing’s more important than making sure he’s okay.

He wouldn’t be lying here like this if I hadn’t made such a fuss about Monica riding on his bike. G wouldn’t have insisted I wear his helmet, and he would’ve been protected, and the only thing hurt would’ve been my pride, not his skull.

I curse again and scroll until I find Havoc’s name, remembering that G had a cell phone and plan ready for him when he got to the clubhouse. I hit call and hold my breath, praying he picks up. As the phone rings, I place my fingers back against G’s neck to check his pulse. I have to make sure he’s okay. I can’t let him slip away and not notice because I was too busy freaking out.

“G?”

“Havoc!” I blurt when he answers.

“Who is this?”

“It’s Amity. I need help.”

“What happened?” I can hear him moving as I suck in a deep breath. “A truck hit us. We both got thrown off G’s bike, but G wasn’t wearing his helmet, Havoc. And now he’s bleeding and won’t wake up,” I say, letting my fear bleed into my words as flashes from my past blur with reality.

For a moment, it’s not G lying on the ground. It’s my mom, and the heavy burden of failing threatens to choke me.

“Where are you?”

I look around, but I can’t see any street signs. “I don’t know. We’re in the middle of fucking nowhere,” I curse, seeing nothing but trees and fields on either side of us. I tell that to Havoc, trying not to laugh at the thought that he might actually recognize a goddamn field.

“Where were you heading? What did you pass? Think, Amity. I’m on my way, but I need an idea of the direction.”

I take a deep breath and close my eyes, trying to focus. “We came from the movie set. We were heading to the Harley shop to get a new helmet. He made me wear his, Havoc. He’s hurt because he’s so fucking stubborn,” I cry, opening my eyes.

“If you had been hurt instead of him, it would’ve been worse. Trust me. He knew the risks, and he’d do it again, even knowing what would happen. I don’t know you, but I don’t need to. The way he looks at you says it all. I doubt there’s much he wouldn’t do for you, and that means risking his life to keep you safe.”

“Okay,” I whisper, struggling to process all of this. G wasn’t supposed to be forever. He was supposed to be a wild and exciting memory, one I could pull out when I’m sitting on my porch in fifty years, looking back at my life.

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