Chapter 19
The hum of the tires carried them north. Annie sat squeezed between Hunter and Leigh, her shoulder pressed against his arm, her sister's warmth on the other side.
If Jason were following, he wouldn't know which trail to pick in his quest to find Hunter. He could also return to the clubhouse if he managed to get a search warrant, but he wouldn't find Leigh there. Hopefully, they had a head start, and he would give up or be called away on an emergency.
Still, the absence of the club's protection gnawed at her.
Hunter's hand settled on her thigh. Annie glanced at her sister, catching Leigh's raised brows.
Her sister didn't say anything, but the look was enough.
Annie's stomach twisted. Now wasn't the time to explain what was happening between her and Hunter.
Not while they were still running. Not while danger closed in on them.
When they were safe, she would tell her sister.
She would explain how it had begun, how Hunter had held her, and how she'd never felt drawn to anyone like him.
He was different from any boyfriend she'd ever had, and it wasn't because of his age or lifestyle.
There was a connection with him that came from something beyond her control.
Her stomach ached at the thought of him leaving once they found somewhere to live in Seattle.
She'd tried to hide her feelings out of consideration for her sister. Leigh's safety was the most important thing on her mind. There was nothing she wouldn't do for Leigh. She had no idea how her feelings for Hunter crept in and began to manipulate her time.
Deep down, she understood that this drive was the last one they'd have together. Once she and Leigh found a place to rent in Seattle and started a new life and forgot everything in the past, Hunter would go on his way and be lost to her.
Annie placed her hand on top of his, linking their fingers together. His thumb brushed against her knuckles, a small movement that sent warmth rushing through her chest.
After a while, Leigh's head tipped against the window, her breathing evened out as sleep claimed her.
Annie leaned the opposite way into Hunter, her temple resting against his shoulder. She stared ahead at the beam of the headlights cutting through the night.
She fought sleep, refusing to waste a minute with him.
Even in silence, she was comforted. His presence was enough. His touches, his looks—they told her she was heard, even without words.
And for the first time in a long while, Annie felt like there was something just for her out in the world.
She had spent so much time caring for her mom before she passed, and now, knowing Leigh would need support for years until she recovered from the trauma she endured, Hunter gave her a glimpse of what she wanted but knew she couldn't have.
He squeezed her hand. She looked up and followed his gaze to the dashboard.
The truck needed gas. Kodiak had warned them they'd need to stop, but at least they had been driving on I-5 for a couple of hours.
Olympia was ahead at the next exit. She was only forty minutes away from her apartment.
She longed to go home but knew that would be impossible.
She still had to figure out how to get all her things, her mom's things, her childhood things, out of the apartment before the lease was over. No doubt Jason had the Seattle police checking up on her apartment and notifying him if anyone showed up.
Hunter turned on the signal and exited the interstate. There was a Chevron gas station sign. She looked at Leigh to see if she noticed the change in speed, but her sister continued to sleep. It was almost three o'clock. The sun wouldn't even rise for a few more hours.
He pulled into the station, rolling to a stop beside the pump, and removed the pistol underneath his belt, placing it on the seat beside her. "I need to pay with cash inside." He kissed her quickly. "Lock the door."
Hunter opened the door. She sat up straighter, leaned over, and pushed the lock button.
"Where are we?" whispered Leigh.
"Olympia." She watched Hunter jog into the building. "We need to get gas."
"Where are we going to go?
"I don't know. I don't even think Hunter knows. We'll figure that out when daylight comes, and we stop." She sighed. "Hunter promised to help us get settled in Seattle. That's all that matters."
A white car pulled into the side of the gas station. Annie gasped, seeing the Washington State badge on the driver's door panel. Grabbing Leigh's hand, she tugged her sister down below the dash, hidden from view. The vehicle looked exactly like the one Jason drove for work.
The moment the patrol car parked, Annie's stomach dropped. She grabbed Leigh's arm and pulled her down in the seat. Her sister's eyes widened in shock, and she froze, her body trembling.
She squeezed her sister's arm, unable to reassure her that it wasn't Jason. It was another law enforcement officer. All they had to do was hide out of sight.
Leigh was petrified, but Annie's fear wasn't for herself — it was for Hunter. Jason was chasing Hunter to catch up with them.
He was inside paying for gas. If he came out the door, he'd walk straight into the officer without realizing it. She had to warn him.
Annie peeked out the back window. Baddy was off his motorcycle crossing the lot, his stride quick, his eyes locked on the truck. Relief flickered through her chest. She squeezed Leigh's hand. "Baddy will help us," she whispered, unlocking the door.
Hunter's MC brother slid into the driver's seat, his presence filling the cab. "Everything's gonna be okay," he said, voice low but steady.
Annie leaned forward. "Go warn Hunter."
Baddy shook his head. "Can't. He made me swear on the patch. No matter what happens, I'll stay with you."
But she saw the flicker of pain in his eyes when Hunter stepped out of the store. She looked at the patrol car. The officer was twenty feet away.
Annie's breath caught.
"Run," she whispered, though she knew Hunter couldn't hear her. He couldn't hear anything. Screaming his name would do no good except bring attention to Leigh. And she couldn't risk her sister.
The policeman shouted, ordering Hunter to stop, his voice sharp and commanding enough to be heard inside the truck with the windows closed. Hunter kept walking. Oh, God, he couldn't hear him. He wasn't aware that the officer was coming for him.
Panic filled her, and she sat up higher, trying to warn him. Annie's chest tightened, her nails digging into her palms.
Baddy started the truck, the engine rumbling to life. "Motherfucker."
Annie leaned forward, eyes locked on Hunter. She couldn't look away.
The moment the truck rolled forward, Hunter stopped, frowning through the window at her. She motioned widely. He turned, saw the cop, and raised his hands.
Annie's heart slammed against her ribs. "What is he going to do with Hunter?"
Baddy drove on, pulling them away. "God damnit."
"We can't leave him there." She scrambled in her seat, twisting to look out the back window. "He doesn't understand. This is our fault, not his. All he was doing was trying to help us."
Her breath froze in her throat as the officer lifted his pistol out of its holder and aimed at Hunter as the truck turned the corner, and she lost sight of him.
Annie pressed her hand to her mouth, her chest aching. She couldn't breathe. It wasn't right that they were leaving him.
Hunter was alone.
"Stop." She scrambled all the way onto the seat. "Let me out."
"No." Baddy turned left and kept going. "I need to find a place to pull over where we can't be found and call Prez. He'll know what to do to help Hunter."
Annie looked left and right, anticipating that at any moment Jason would show up out of nowhere and stop them. Her sister remained huddled on the floor of the truck, well below the windows.
"It'll be okay, sis," she mumbled, automatically.
"This is all my fault." Leigh rolled tighter into a ball. "He'll kill him."
"Nobody is killing anyone." Baddy pulled over and slammed on the brakes.
"His gun." She felt along the seat and touched the cold metal. "He left it here."
"Good. It's one less thing they can pin on him." Baddy took out his phone and tapped the screen.
"They can't pin anything on him. He didn't do anything wrong. It's not illegal to buy gas." She shifted on the seat, not able to stay still.
At this moment, the cop could shoot Hunter or arrest him, not understanding that he was deaf. If she could go back and explain to the policeman that Hunter hadn't done anything wrong, she could help. She wouldn't even bring up Jason's name.
And if Jason issued a warrant for Hunter's arrest, she could explain how Hunter helped her. All they had to do was get Leigh somewhere safe, and then she could help.
It no longer mattered if it put her in danger of Jason finding her. All she cared about was getting Leigh to safety and helping Hunter.
"Yeah, Prez, this is Baddy. The state patrol got Hunter.
" Baddy looked out the window. "No, I've got the women.
But I need someone to come and take them somewhere, so I can go to the police station and see what I can do to bail Hunter out.
" He ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know.
Probably a trumped-up charge. If Stevens is behind this, he probably wants them to hold Hunter until he can get here. "
Annie swallowed over the lump choking her. This was her worst nightmare.
"Sis?" Leigh held up her hand. "Help me up."
She pulled Leigh up to the seat beside her and fell into her arms. "Hunter..." The word broke in her throat. She couldn't say more.
Her heart pounded, every beat screaming at her to go back, to fight, to do something. But she couldn't. She couldn't put Leigh at risk.
Beside them, Baddy's jaw was tight, his knuckles white on the wheel.
He listened to the other end of the phone call.
Another pain of guilt hit her. She had the cell in her pocket that Hunter gave her and Leigh.
Had she had time to text and warn him when the police arrived?
Would he have felt the vibration in his pocket and read a text before it was too late?
Everything happened so fast, it wouldn't have made any difference, but knowing she hadn't even tried to help him sat heavily on her shoulders. She let her panic win.
Annie leaned forward, her eyes burning. "He didn't hear," she whispered, more to herself than anyone else. "He couldn't hear him."
Leigh squeezed her hand, tears spilling down her cheeks. "He'll be okay. He's tough and smart."
Annie pressed her forehead against the dashboard, fighting the sob that threatened to break free. She couldn't lose him. Not now. Not when she hadn't even had a chance to tell him how she was falling in love with him.