Page 52 of Finish Line
“Not at all.” I climb off my bike and turn to face my brothers. “I know how this looks. I won’t ask any of y’all to come in with me if you aren’t comfortable with it.”
“Well, we ain’t leavin’ you to fend for yourself,” Buster says to me. He’s leaning against the hood of his car, Shade by his side. “What kind of brothers would we be if we did that?”
A round of yeahs ring out in agreement with Buster.
“Alright, I’ll take two guys in with me. If this is some kind of trap, we don’t all need to be walkin’ into it,” I announce. “Ranger and Raze, I need y’all to stay out here.”
Ratchet walks up to me. “I ain’t lettin’ you go in there without me.”
“I got your back, Prez,” Diesel calls out, walkin’ toward me from his car.
“Let’s do this then.” I turn toward the building, pulling my gun out of my cut. I turn the safety off and cock it in case anyone is hiding inside. And if so, I’ll be ready for them.
Diesel kicks the door open and slowly walks inside, gun raised, ready to shoot if needed. He goes left while Ratchet walks in to the right.
“Clear!” They both shout.
I walk in, going straight for the next room. “This place is fuckin’ dead.”
Click.
I look down and see a wire snagged on the front of my jeans, about two inches off the floor. If I had to guess, I think I just triggered an IED. Fuck.
“Shit,” I mutter. “Get out! Get out now!”
I turn, running out of the building right behind Ratchet and Diesel. We barely make it out when the explosion sends us flying forward. I land on my back with a thud.
“Oh, fuck. Ratchet? Diesel?” I groan, trying to sit up.
“Yup, right here,” Diesel says, still laying on the ground. “Just tryin’ to catch my breath.”
Ratchet groans out in pain, rolling over onto his back. “I’m alive. Hurtin’, but alive.”
“I’m gettin’ too old for this shit,” I mutter to myself.
“Shit! What the hell happened in there?” Ranger asks as he runs over to us.
“The place was rigged. They must have known we would show up. There was a trip wire,” I tell him. I stand up and face my brothers. “We need to go about the next two locations more carefully.”
“What do you have in mind?” Raze asks.
“We need to regroup back at the clubhouse,” I announce. “Everyone load up.”
I stretch out my arms and twist to the side to pop my back before climbing back on my bike. I start her up and let her idle while I wait for everyone else to be ready to ride. A couple minutes later, we roll out.
On the ride back to the clubhouse, I consider all our options for how to move forward. If they knew we were coming here, then they know we’ll show up at the other two locations as well. We can’t all show up at once. All our bikes together are too loud, and they’d hear us comin’ from blocks away. The Riders’ cars are too recognizable and are just as loud as the bikes.
Once we get back to the clubhouse, I’ll let the guys in on what I’m thinkin’ and we’ll throw some ideas around. With us all workin’ together, we’ll figure out the best plan of attack.
Chapter Thirty
Athena
My eyes flutter against some type of dark fabric that’s wrapped around my head. It’s loose enough that I can open my eyes, but tight enough and dark enough that I can’t see anything around me. My hands are still bound together, but this time they’re sitting in my lap instead of behind my back. The seat I’m in is comfier than the one before and it feels as if I’m moving. If I had to guess, I’d say I’m in a vehicle of some sort.The smell of something rotting hits my nose and my stomach turns.
“Oh no,” I say just before I lean forward and throw up.
“Son of a bitch!” A man’s voice shouts. “She just puked everywhere!”
