Page 21 of Rebel
The second he was done packing his things, he slipped out of the hotel room. Every step, every breath, was calculated. Hecould already imagine the calls, the rumors spreading through the Dead Rabbits’ ranks, the eyes of his enemies following his every move.
It was risky. God, was it risky. But he didn’t care about the risk—not for himself. He only cared that Rebel, Bolt, and the Bastards had breathing room. That they could move, plan, and survive, without the Rabbits nipping at their heels.
He paused at the door, taking one last look over his shoulder at the sexy woman biker who had shared his bed for the night. Winter had been willing, more than willing, but Jace had no illusions about what this meant. He was a distraction for her, as she was for him, and he had to keep his focus sharp, and keep his mind clear.
As he slipped out into the night, his heart thudded—not from guilt, though there was some, but from the adrenaline. The fire and the recklessness that always ran in his blood were alive and kicking that night. He knew the Rabbits would take the bait—namely him. They’d follow him out of town, and that was exactly what he wanted. They’d hunt him, leaving the people he loved free to live their lives. And Jace? He was willing to burn himself alive if it meant everyone else walked out unscathed—and now, that list included Winter.
Tonight, he’d play the game and be the bait. But tomorrow—tomorrow, the Dead Rabbits would learn what happened and how they underestimated him. Then, there would be war. Jace moved through the night like a shadow, adrenaline still thrumming through his veins. The Dead Rabbits were on the hunt now, their focus completely drawn to him. Every decision, every reckless move had been calculated to pull them away from Rebel, Bolt, and the Bastards. He’d painted himself as the prize, the one they wanted to catch—and it was working. He could feel it. His body ached, bruises from previous fights flaring withevery step, but he didn’t care. Pain was a small price to pay for their safety. He’d do it all again to keep Rebel safe.
He drove most of the night, through the next day, and when he reached the state line, he breathed a sigh of relief. The roads to Minnesota stretched ahead, long and dark, but Jace barely noticed the miles slipping by. His mind was racing, checking every possible angle, every possible threat, ensuring that no one had followed him too close. The Dead Rabbits were too clever to ignore, but he had the edge now. He’d been their shadow long enough to predict their moves.
When he finally crested the last hill and saw the cabin’s warm glow through the trees, relief flooded him. He was safe for now. Warmth, safety, and a moment to breathe—and to reassess. He had lived another day, but tomorrow, he’d be ready to fight again.
The night air was heavy around the cabin as he carried his bags in. For now, the threat had shifted. The Dead Rabbits had their bait, and his people were safe. But Jace’s mind didn’t stop racing. He knew this was temporary. The real fight was coming—and when it did, he needed them all ready. He was safe for now, yes—but the war wasn’t over. Not by a long shot. And Jace? He’d be ready for whatever came next.
Jace had spent the last year in hell, hiding away from the Dead Rabbits and the men who wanted to kill him. He should be used to crap like that, since he was an undercover detective, but he didn’t think he’d ever be able to get used to living under a constant threat. He put his family in danger—his sister was all he had left, yet the Dead Rabbits went after her. If it wasn’t for hisbest friend, Bolt, she’d be dead—as dead as he was supposed to be.
The only two people to know that he was still alive were Bolt and Rebel, and he needed to keep it that way if he wanted to keep breathing. He still missed his MC, and God, he’d give his left arm to be able to hang out with his Royal Bastard brothers, but that would put them all in danger. He couldn’t risk any of them for one night of fun, so he lay low and hoped like hell that the Dead Rabbits bought the story of his untimely demise.
Every time he left the fucking safehouse, he had to text Bolt to let him know about it, and when he got back to the house, he had to send him another update. It felt as though he was being babysat. Hell, maybe having a babysitter would be better than being completely alone. He wondered if he’d remember how to have a conversation with someone—anyone, but his social skills were lacking since his “death”. Dead men weren’t supposed to interact with people. They weren’t supposed to carry on conversations or even smile at strangers. Dead men were invisible, and that was who he was now—the invisible man.
It usually didn’t bother him too much that no one saw him. He thought that he’d be able to get by with his sister and Bolt checking in with him once a week, but as soon as he hung up the phone, the loneliness set back in. And tonight, when Rebel reminded him that there were only weeks left until Christmas, he let that sadness and loneliness consume him. It was going to be the very first Christmas that he and Rebel spent apart. When their mother passed, Rebel raised him. She gave up her whole life, at just eighteen, to take care of him, and he’d be forever grateful. They were all the other had for so long; the thought of missing even one holiday with her hurt his heart.
This year, there would be no Christmas tree, no presents, no decorations, and no family, and that just plain sucked. The only thing that he would have was snow, and that wasn’t somethingthat they got a lot of in Huntsville, Alabama. But the safehouse that Bastards had found for him was in Northern Minnesota, and that meant snow for Christmas. Actually, it had been snowing since the beginning of October, and while he found it ridiculously romantic at first, a part of him now longed for the warmer temperatures of Alabama.
Jace had kept himself busy, chopping enough wood to get him through two winters in the little cabin he now called home. A snowmobile was his way of transportation if he wanted to get anything from the small town where he now lived. They had one grocery store, one gas station, and one stop sign in the tiny town. He liked that it was such a small community, but the low population also meant that he didn’t have many chances to make friends—if dead men could make friends.
Honestly, more than his sister and new brother-in-law, he missed the little goth girl who followed him around Savage Hell. She was hot as fuck, and she had ended up in his bed, over half a year ago when he was in Huntsville for his sister’s wedding to his best friend, Bolt. He was hoping that she’d be more of a permanent fixture in his life. She was even a part of the Royal Bastard’s sister club, the Royal Harlots, but he had to go underground before he could get to know her better. Well, better than spending one night naked in bed together. She was the last woman he was with, and Winter played through his dreams nightly as he relived their night together.
Jace knew better than to ask Rebel about the goth girl because they had become friends, and the last thing he wanted to admit to his older sister was that he had spent the night with her and then disappeared. He wanted to tell Winter why he didn’t stick around, but that would have only put her in danger, and with no ties to him, he knew that she’d be safe from the Dead Rabbits. They wouldn’t track down his one-night stand, no matter how desperately they wanted to find him.
Rebel had brought Winter’s name up a few times over the last couple of months when they talked. She’d ask him questions about him knowing her, and of course, he told her that he really didn’t. That wasn’t a lie. He didn’t know Winter, even if he wanted to. Women with a dark edge to them turned him on, and God, he loved her black lipstick and the way that it looked on her with her lips wrapped around his cock. Yeah, just the memory of their night made him hard, and his hand wasn’t going to be a replacement for Winter.
He checked out the cabin window to see if it was time to shovel again and sighed when he realized that it was. He had spent more time shoveling the snow than he had cutting grass back in Alabama. Jace wondered if he’d ever get back to Alabama and to his family and club, but every time a month passed, he had less hope of that happening.
Jace pulled on his coat and snow boots, looking around the small cabin for his gloves and hat. He spotted them by the fireplace, where he had left them to dry, and walked across the room to grab them. When he made sure that he was covered from head to toe, he grabbed the snow shovel that he had left by the door and pulled the front door open, letting the person standing on his porch practically fall into his cabin.
“Shit,” he grumbled to himself as he grabbed the person before he or she hit the hardwood floor. “You okay?” he asked.
“So cold,” a woman said. It sounded as though her teeth were literally chattering, and he cursed softly to himself again.
“Let’s get you in by the fire. You’ll warm up in no time,” he assured. He helped the woman across the room to his couch, and she sat down, pulling off her snow-covered scarf and hat.
“Winter,” he whispered. He had so many questions running through his mind, but he knew that they’d have to wait. Still, he needed to ask the most important one. “Why are you here?” heasked. She looked like she was soaked through, and he wondered how long she had been in the snow.
“I’m here to talk to you,” she stuttered, her teeth still chattering.
“We need to get you warm, and to do that, you’re going to have to get out of those wet clothes.” She smirked at him, and he rolled his eyes. “Not what I mean,” he said. “Well, not until you answer a few questions.”
“I’ll gladly answer them all once I’m warm,” she promised. “But first, we need to talk.” They had spent one night together, and she traveled across the country to have a conversation with him? Red flags were flying around him, but he knew that they’d also have to wait until he got Winter in some dry clothes.
“Come with me,” he ordered, holding his hand out to her. She took it and stood from the sofa, following him into the cabin’s only bedroom. “You can borrow some of my sweats. I know that they’ll be big on you, and they’re not your favorite color, but they will have to do.”
He handed her gray sweats, and she made a face. “Yeah, I don’t do sweats, and I hate gray,” she said.
“Well, that’s all I have. You can decide if you want to get out of those wet clothes or not while I make you some hot tea.” He left the room, knowing that leaving her with no choice wasn’t a nice thing to do, but she needed to get out of her clothes, and Winter was a smart girl, and she’d make the right decision. Then, he’d get some answers and let her say what she had travelled across the country to tell him. He had a feeling that they’d have plenty of time to do both because the storm wasn’t letting up any time soon, and there was no way that he’d let Winter go back out in that mess.
Winter
