Page 1 of Nitro

Chapter 1: Nitro

Maybe I’ve got a death wish. Maybe I don’t. It doesn’t matter anymore. I’m standing at the top of a mountain, and I’m going to jump. Nothing can stop me. Not my brothers in the club. Not the nightmares haunting my dreams. Not even the one woman I can’t stop thinking about. The only thing I care about is the rush, that feeling of falling through the air toward my inevitable demise. I fucking live for this shit. I might die for it too.

As I peer over the cliff, pure adrenaline courses through my veins. A sheer wall of granite hangs below me. Beneath that, a pristine waterfall splashes mist into the air. A river snakes through the valley below, past farms and through small towns. I’m thirty-six hundred feet above the ground. The perspective from up here is unnerving. Huge semi-trucks crawl like ants across the distant highway. No one can see me from down there. I’m a speck of dust, smaller than the smashed bugs on their windshields. Invisible. But, then again, even standing right in front of me, has anyone ever really seen me?

I step closer to the precipice, steeling my nerves. Pebbles cascade over the edge, crashing into the jagged stones below. My belly clenches. My heart thunders. I’ve done a lot of crazy shit in my life, but this is easily the most insane experience I’ve ever had. If I’m going to do this, then I’d better get to it. With a final, deep breath, I clench my thighs and squat into position.

“Fuck it!”

My muscles spring into action, propelling me up and over the edge. Wind whips against my face, burning my cheeks. I embrace the rush of falling at over a hundred miles per hour. My arms spread wide. Laughter bubbles up from some dark, demented corner of my soul, but I don’t dare open my mouth. I revel in the absolute freedom of being completely out of control. It’s the only time I feel alive.

Slowly twisting in a controlled spiral, I almost wish I didn’t have a wingsuit. It’s slowing my descent, making it less likely I’ll end up splattered against the mountainside. However, it’s not strong enough to stop me from plunging to my death, so I also have a parachute. The temptation not to deploy it is a seduction almost too hard to resist. I’m approaching the point of no return. If I don’t pull it in time, I’m a dead man, but I can’t make myself tug on the cord.

Time morphs into a series of progressively deadly snapshots. The sheer cliff anticipates the smack of my body against it. The waterfall waits to drown me. The river is ready to carry the weight of my broken bones downstream. The trees in the forest look up in glee, desperate to impale me. Any one of those horrors could be my fate if I don’t pull the fucking cord right now.

Still, I hesitate. If I keep falling, it will all be over in an instant. If I do nothing, then every dark secret clawing at my soul will die with me. The torment, the suffering, the agony, it will be over. I’ll finally be free. I’ll finally have peace.

I’m paralyzed by indecision until four tiny dots at the base of the mountain capture my attention. I can’t see them from way up here, but I know it’s my brothers from Underground Vengeance MC. They’re all waiting for me. If I don’t make it, they’ll be the ones tasked with scraping up what’s left of my body. They’ll have to dispose of my mangled corpse and plan my funeral because no one else gives a shit about me.

Guilt slams into my chest. They’ve been by my side through the worst moments of my life, dragging me out of drug-fueled rages and hauling me out of filthy gutters. They’ve been there for me when everyone else thought I was a lost cause. They’re the only real family I’ve ever had. They’re the only reason I’m still alive. I can’t leave them. Not like this.

I yank the nylon cord too late. The parachute snaps into place, jerking me like a puppet on a marionette’s strings. I’m falling too fast. The ground rushes up at an alarming rate. A sudden gust of wind whips the parachute into a ball, killing the drag and sending me into a deadly tumble. I can’t believe this is how I’m going to die. After all the shit I’ve survived, I expected to go out in a blaze of glory, not in a stupid BASE-jumping accident.

Unable to slow my descent, I cross my arms over my chest and point my feet as much as I can in my motorcycle boots. I twist to one side, aiming for the waterfall. At this point, I don’t know if it will do any good, but maybe if I hit the water, I’ll have a shot at living.

A random tree growing out of the side of the mountain snags my chute. The sharp jerk decelerates me enough that I might have a chance to survive. The roar of the waterfall cuts through the howling wind. I disappear into the mist before splashing down into the river. Gravity sucks me deeper and deeper until I slam into the muddy bottom.

The breath I’ve been holding explodes from my chest. Pain surges up through my feet into my ankles, up my calves, and through my knees, before flaring into my pelvis. Momentarily stunned, I gasp for breath, sucking in a mouthful of icy mountain spring water.

Buoyancy lifts me to the surface. I fight a tangle of ripped parachute material and nylon rope. Coughing and sputtering, I manage to free myself then kick toward the riverbank. As I crawl onto it, the utter euphoria of being alive washes through me.Face down, I clutch at the muddy earth and laugh. Rotting leaves scent the air with death and decay, but I’m alive. I’m fucking alive. In fact, I’m more alive now than I was ten minutes ago.

I roll onto my back, laughing until my ribs hurt. Tears stream down my cheeks because everything about this moment is so fucking beautiful, I can hardly stand it. I want to run and jump and scream with joy, but my body refuses to cooperate. I hate it when it does this shit. Sometimes it just can’t handle the paces I put it through.

The roar of Harleys fills the air. I crawl toward the parking lot next to the waterfall. It’s early spring, so the place hasn’t been overrun with tourists yet. I’m about halfway there when a group of guys wearing matching cuts run toward me.

“Fucking hell, are you okay?” Matrix asks.

“I want to do it again,” I say, still flat on my belly, yet grinning like a fool.

“That’s the dumbest shit I’ve ever seen.” Scar shakes his head before crouching beside me. “Tell me what hurts. Do you need an ambulance?”

“Fuck no. I need a ride back to the top.” I try to sit, but my body won’t cooperate. Maybe I’m more fucked up than I thought. I should do a full body scan, but I’m too overcome with joy to care.

“Wiggle your toes. Do you feel anything?” Talon asks.

“I feel everything.” Euphoria seeps through me like a drug. This is better than any of the narcotics I’ve ever tried, and believe me, I’ve tried them all.

“Hit his head too hard,” Reaper grumbles, crossing his arms over his huge chest.

“Probably,” Scar says. “I’ll get Julia to bring a cage. We’ll take him back to the clubhouse.”

“I’m not riding in a cage. Bring me my bike.” I make a concerted effort to stand, but my legs are wobbly, and my knees won’t stop shaking. I might be fucked up after all.

“Babe?” Scar’s talking into his phone. “Yeah, it’s over … No, he’s not dead. He lived—mostly … Calm down, babe. He’s fine. Can you bring the cage to the Yellowstone waterfall? Okay, how long? No, he doesn’t need an ambulance. Yes, I’m sure … Okay, love you, babe.” He ends the call and looks at me. “She’ll be here in twenty minutes. Are you sure you didn’t break anything?”

“I’m just really tired all of a sudden.” A wave of dizziness washes over me.

“Lay him down,” Talon says. “He’s probably going into shock.”

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