Page 82 of Memphis

I just kept running until I reached the door. I turned the knob, and to my surprise, I was able to open it. I stepped out onto the front porch and was immediately enveloped in the cool night air. I knew the guards were close, so I didn’t stop. I didn’t look back. I just kept running.

My lungs felt like they were on fire as I raced towards the front entrance. I’d almost made it to the road when I plowed right into the center of a man’s chest. Panicked, I took a stepback, and my breath caught when I saw that he wasn’t alone. There were three of them. I was about to start running again when I noticed that they were all wearing leather jackets—much like the one that Memphis always wore.

They even had similar embroidery on them.

The taller of the three, and the one I’d plowed into, seemed truly concerned when he said, “Easy there, little lady. You okay?”

“I ah...”

“You Antonia?”

I didn’t answer.

I couldn’t.

I was in a state of shock and shaking with adrenaline. I could hardly think, much less speak. It made me wish that it was actually Wes who’d come for me. I needed to see him, feel him, and hear him tell me that everything was going to be okay. And then the man said the words I so desperately needed to hear, “Memphis sent us.”

“Wes sent you?”

“Yeah, that’s right. I’m Shadow.” He looked to the men next to him as he added, “And this is Blaze, and the guy behind him is Murphy.”

My teeth chattered like I was freezing cold as I asked, “You’re his brothers, too?”

“We are. Same club, different chapter.”

“Oh, thank goodness.” I was beyond relieved. “But how did you know where to find me?”

“We have our ways.” He motioned his hand toward my chest as he asked, “Are you hurt?”

I looked down and saw that I was covered in blood—his blood. Seeing it made me shake even more. I was a wreck. I’d never imagined that I could take a life, and not only had I done it, but I’d done it with a shard of a broken mirror. The thought brought bile to the back of my throat. “I didn’t want to do it. Inever wanted to hurt anyone, but he was going to sell me and kill my father. I couldn’t let...”

“Hey, now. You don’t have to explain anything to us,” the man interrupted. “We get it. That asshole had it coming.”

“But I killed him.”

“You did what you had to do to survive. No one would ever blame you for that.”

“He was a really bad guy.”

“Yeah, he was.” He stepped closer, his large body towering over me, and rested his hand on my shoulder. It was a small gesture, but his touch instantly calmed me. When I looked up at him, his fierce blue eyes were filled with concern. “You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

His face was hidden behind a long, thick beard, making me wonder what was hidden beneath it. His eyes never left mine as he said, “I’m gonna need you to go wait out in the truck. We’ve got to take care of a few things inside.”

“Oh, okay.”

He handed me a set of keys and pointed to a dark gray SUV parked across the street. “Just lock yourself inside and wait there until we get back.”

I didn’t ask questions.

I simply nodded and walked over to the truck. By the time I’d locked myself inside, the three men were out of sight, and I was completely alone. I glanced down at my blood-stained hands, and I still couldn’t believe what I’d done.

I replayed the moments leading up to that moment and wondered if I’d done the right thing. I was starting down a dark path and began to shake when there was a huge explosion. I looked over, and Vittorio’s home had erupted into flames, lighting up the night sky. Seconds later, Shadow and the others were rushing towards the truck.

I unlocked the doors, and as soon as they’d jumped inside, Shadow started the truck and drove away. As soon as we were in the clear, Blaze turned to me and said, “You might want this.”

I turned and was shocked to find that he’d not only gotten my shoes, but he’d also gotten my phone, which I hadn’t realized I’d lost. “Oh, wow. Thank you.”

---