Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
He tugged her around the side of the building and through the darkened alleyway. They had to reach his bike, and then they had to bust out of the compound before the rest of the Brothers could organize themselves and figure out what was going on.
When Jake and Eva reached his Harley, parked behind one of the buildings and out of sight, he climbed on and urged her up behind him. Then he walked the motorcycle toward the fence.
He didn’t plan to start it until the last second. He’d been intending to cut through the wire at a different location, but he’d tested the wood and found it weak in spots. No time to cut the wire, so they were going through.
It wouldn’t be long before the Brothers discovered Brandon knocked out cold and bleeding from a wound to the arm. They were roaring in confusion now, but all hell would break loose when they found their leader.
“Hang on,” he muttered to Eva.
She clung to him, her scent a lovely cloud of sweetness surrounding him.
With a twist of the key, he started the bike.
Harleys weren’t quiet, but the Brothers were too busy shouting at each other in the front yard.
He hoped that meant they wouldn’t hear the bike until he revved it and shot for the fence.
“Hey!” someone called. “Who is that? Where are you going?”
Jake didn’t bother to look back. Instead, he twisted the throttle and the motorcycle raced toward the fence like it had been launched from a slingshot.
Eva screamed as they hit. The fence splintered with a thundering crack and then they were through, racing across a narrow field between trees, aiming for the road about a half mile away. He prayed there was nothing to stop their progress. If they got stuck in the field, they were sitting ducks.
Dead ducks.
Behind them, dozens of motorcycles revved to life.
The Brothers were going out the front gate, but it wouldn’t take them long to reach the road running parallel to the compound.
Jake couldn’t risk running without lights, not yet anyway, so everyone could see where he was headed.
Once out of the field, he’d take countermeasures.
The Harley bounced over a small hillock and went airborne.
Eva’s grip on him tightened, her body plastering against his as they sailed through the air and hit the ground hard.
When they got to the road, he turned hard right, the gravel on the roadside spraying the field and pavement as he hit the throttle.
Once on the blacktop, the ride smoothed out. He cut the lights and Eva cried out. But he had no choice. He knew this road like the back of his hand because he’d ridden it a lot as an angry teenager. He knew it hadn’t changed because he’d been down it a couple times over the past few days.
He just hoped they didn’t hit a fucking deer. That would be bad.
It was impossible to hear any sounds over the rush of the wind and the rumble of the pipes, but he had to act like the Brothers were right behind him. Drive like hell, evade capture, and get Eva to safety.
He’d memorized the coordinates for the safe house, but he couldn’t go straight there. First, he had to confuse the enemy. It would take time, but it had to be done.
“Turn the lights on,” Eva shouted in his ear. “Are you crazy?”
“No chance,” he yelled back.
Her grip on him tightened as they raced through the night, but she didn’t say anything more. When he hit the town limits, he turned the lights on again. He had no doubt they were still being pursued, but the Brothers were a few miles behind.
Over the next couple of hours he took them down endless side roads, tracking toward the safe house in a roundabout way. Eventually, they reached a small single-story house tucked into the woods and hidden from view.
He’d ridden past it once and doubled back by a different route, which had added onto their time. Eva sagged against his back, and he knew she was tired.
Once during the ride, they’d come close to the Brothers. He’d pulled into a driveway and shut off the engine when a group of motorcycles roared by. After they’d disappeared, Jake had carefully eased onto the road and headed down a different street.
There was an outbuilding where he parked the motorcycle. Once he shut it off and everything was quiet, he could hear Eva breathing.
“You okay?”
She snorted. “No. Hell, no. Did I kill him?”
“I’m afraid not.”
She cried out and then her forehead thumped against his back. “Fucking hell,” she moaned. “I know it wasn’t a kill shot, but I was hoping you’d tell me I’d hit an artery and he’d bled out by now. All of this trouble and he still isn’t dead?”
“No. But it’s not over, Eva. There’s still Judge Mason and his wife, and you’re the key to taking him down over that one. We will get him. I promise you that.”
“I hope you’re right Because someone has to. He’s gotten away with too much for too long.”
He held his hand over his shoulder so she could take it and dismount first. “Let’s get inside.”
She climbed down. When her feet hit the ground, he swung a leg over and joined her, his entire body still vibrating from the feel of the bike between his legs.
“I’m hungry,” she said. “I hope there’s food.”
“There will be.” Jake found the key where Ian told him it would be and opened the door. He made Eva stand back as he drew his weapon and cleared house. There was no one inside, so he motioned her in. Then he bolted the door behind them and took out his phone so he could report to BDI.
Ian answered on the first ring. When Jake told him everything that’d happened in the past few hours, the other man blew out a breath.
“Glad you got her out of there. I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but Judge Mason died about two hours ago. We need Eva’s testimony more than ever.”
Jake looked at the woman pulling open cabinet doors in the kitchen. If he hadn’t gone looking for Brandon, hadn’t tracked him to Eva’s door, what would have happened tonight?
He couldn’t think about it without his belly twisting and anger rumbling deep inside. She was tough, but how much of it was real toughness and how much was a brave front because she wanted justice for her sister?
He didn’t know, but Eva was going to need all her toughness to face Brandon Cox in a courtroom. And he’d be beside her when she did.