Page 102 of Kings Against the World

“That’s exactly who it was. The Road Rebels busting their prez, Rollins, out before he could go back—and Boone too by association.”

“Do the police know where they’ve gone?”

“There’s a manhunt underway. But you know what that means.”

“Yeah,” I answer, tearing my gaze away from Zoe. “A storm’s coming.”

“Wherever you are, we need you back. Silver wants you at the saloon. You need to be briefed on everything else.”

“Alright, give me some time. I’ll be there by tomorrow. I’ll drive through the night.”

Zoe’s padded over by the time we hang up. She’s eyeing me like she already knows what could be wrong. Her natural instincts tell her who exactly is involved.

“It’s him, isn’t it?” she asks.

My jaw clenches and I give a nod. “He’s escaped. And he’s probably coming for payback.”

27

ZOE

“Hold on tight.”

They’re the final words Ozzie utters before we take off on the long journey to Pulsboro, Texas. We leave shortly after his phone call with his friend Cash and hit the roads that take us out of Pomona, crossing into neighboring states.

I sit on the back of his bike, braced up against him, ready for what may come.

The wind roars past me, warm and dry even for the time of year, whipping against us the faster we go. The desert stretches for what feels like forever in every direction, an expanse of gold– and rust–colored earth broken only by jagged canyons.

It’s an eye-opening experience unlike anything I’ve ever expected. On the open road it’s nothing but yourself and the bike cruising for miles, wandering the vivid landscape with exhilaration rushing your blood flow. An adventure in and of itself; it’s like coming alive in a whole new way.

Let alone embarking on what could be the greatest mission of my life.

Ozzie didn’t want me to come. After he hung up with Cash, he rushed to put on his jeans and snatch his keys. I was by his side in an instant, doing the same. He didn’t want me to get caught up in something that could jeopardize my FBI career even more than it already has.

What he doesn’t realize is that I need this.

I thought my investigation into Boone was what I needed. Finally taking him down and throwing him behind bars. But it’s more complex than simply slapping cuffs on him and hauling him to prison to rot away—it wasn’t just the revenge itself I needed, but the cathartic release of knowing it was on my own terms.

Not the FBI’s. Not Duchovny’s. Not with a long laundry list of rules and protocols that I had to follow.

But my own rules. My own vendetta that I’m squaring alongside a man I never imagined would come into my life.

And yet I trust Ozzie implicitly. I feel a kinship I had tried so damn hard to run from when all I needed to do was open my arms and embrace it.

This time, Boone is mine. He’s ours to take out with no one else giving the marching orders but us.

The road ahead winds and dips, and I tighten my grip around Ozzie’s waist as he leans into the curves, his body relaxed and mine too. I’m completely at home on the back of this machine. What should terrify me—riding hundreds of miles on the back of Oswald Gallagher’s motorcycle—simply feels like the start of another adventure together.

Hours pass, and before I know it, we’re more than halfway there. Ozzie pulls into a gas station off the highway to reup on fuel. While he stands by the tank and pumps gas, I head inside the small convenience store to grab a snack.

My phone rings on my way out. I check the caller ID only to see Mom’s name on the screen.

Hesitating a second, I answer the call with stony silence.

“Zozo baby?” she sniffles. She’s been crying. “Are you there?”

“I can’t talk right now. What do you want?”

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