Page 71 of Red Queen (Red Thorns Crew 3)

“I know, gorgeous. But, more than that, it has to work. Our futures depend on it.”

She patted my knee. “Try not to put that kind of pressure on yourself just yet.”

Easier said than done.

I looked each and every one of my guys in the eyes as we idled in the middle of the road. I chose to ignore the way Dani’s hand trembled against my knee with nerves and the soft break in her voice as she swallowed hard. I already felt it in my chest. The tension of this moment. The desperation in the eyes of my men as they looked to our truck as a source of their own hope. We were playing with fire. All of us were. I looked over at Dani, and the confidence in her posture washed over me.

I’ll do anything to keep you safe.

I wanted this to be behind us once and for all. I wanted my father and Benji out of the fucking picture so we could all get on with our lives. I was tired of the torture. Tired of being bossed around. Tired of eating ramen and scrounging for change in the couches because someone else was in charge of the jobs we took. The money we made. I wanted better for my men. I wanted better for myself.

And damn it, ‘better’ felt too close not to reach for it.

With my father out of the picture, I could love Dani without fear of losing her. I could hold her at night without fear of someone attacking us in the middle of it. I could go to campus to visit her without fear that someone had gotten to her. Like Benji at the pool. Or my father, creeping in the shadows next to her dorm. With this behind us, Dani and I had a future we could strive for. A future where our love wasn’t overshadowed by my father’s insanity and lust for blood.

That alone was a future worth putting everything on the line.

“Ready?” Dani asked.

I raised my head high before I nodded.

“Let’s go, gorgeous. We’ve got a future to preserve.”

Then I sped off down the road, listening as motorcycle engines revved and sputtered, as if the guys were clapping for us, cheering us on. Sending us off into a better world fit for the two of us.

Soon.

Soon, my life could be everything I dreamt of and everything I felt was impossible for my world.

Once my father and Benji were gone for good.

24

Dani

“Which ones have our stuff in it again?” I asked.

Max pulled the truck up to our motel room. “The ones in the back seat. The ones in the bed of the truck are filled with random things. You know, to make it look like we’re hauling more stuff than we are.”

I nodded. “Just making sure we didn’t have to dig for them or something. I’m exhausted.”

“Me, too.”

I stared at the door to our room. “You think four hours out of town is enough?”

He opened his door. “We’re about to find out, I guess.”

“Doesn’t give me much hope, handsome.”

He snickered. “Well, if you’re looking for hope, you shacked up with the wrong guy. Because I don’t deal in hope.”

I looked over at him. “Oh, really? And what is it you deal in?”

He grinned. “Certainties.”

I rolled my eyes at his pompous attitude, but I was a bit jealous as well. He seemed so calm. So cool. So collected, despite everything going on around us. I wished I felt that way, too. On the outside was a curt frown and unfocused eyes, which matched my mood on the inside. I was worried. Fearful of the future. Concerned that this would all blow up in our faces.

Or that Max would actually wind up dead.

---