Chapter 35
Kat
The familiar sounds and smells of the bar washed over me as I wiped down the counter for what felt like the hundredth time that night. The scent of stale beer and whiskey hung in the air, mingling with the faint aroma of fried food from the kitchen. Country music played softly from the jukebox in the corner, a tune that had me instantly thinking of Rory, even more than I already was.
It had been a month since I’d left the estate, a month since I’d walked away from him and the life we could have had. And not a day had gone by that I didn’t regret my decision.
I missed him with an ache that seemed to penetrate every fiber of my being. I missed his laugh, the way his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled, the feeling of safety I had when I was in his arms. Even now, surrounded by the familiar trappings of my old life, I felt adrift, as if a vital part of me had been left behind with him.
The bar was nearly empty tonight, just a couple of regulars nursing their beers in the corner. I was grateful for the quiet, as it gave me more time to think, to remember.
The bell over the door jingled, pulling me from my thoughts. Two men walked in, their leather jackets and weathered faces marking them as bikers. They settled onto stools at the bar, eyeing me appreciatively.
“What can I get you boys?” I asked, plastering on my best bartender smile.
“Two beers, darlin’,” the older of the two said, his voice gravelly, probably from years of smoking.
I nodded, grabbing two bottles from the cooler and popping the caps off. As I set them down in front of them, I couldn’t help but overhear their conversation.
“Hey, look at this,” the younger one said, sliding his phone to his friend.
The older man picked it up then nodded grimly. “Yeah, the MacGallan Clan. Nasty business, that.”
My heart skipped a beat as panic surged in my chest.
“What happened?” I asked before I could stop myself .
The bikers looked at me, surprise evident on their faces. “You know about the MacGallan’s, sweetheart?” the older one asked.
I shrugged, wiping at a spot on the counter with my rag, trying to appear indifferent. “I’ve heard the name before. What happened to them?”
“On here it says there was an explosion at one of their gatherings.” The younger biker leaned in, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Word is they were ambushed. Lost most of their men in a single night.”
The blood drained from my face as his words sank in. Rory. Declan. Wren. Connor.
“When?” I managed to choke out.
“Couple days ago,” the older biker replied, eyeing me curiously. “You alright, darlin’? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I nodded mechanically, my mind racing. A couple of days ago. That was around the time I’d last spoken to Wren. She’d called me, to see how things were going.
“Excuse me,” I muttered, stepping away from the bar. My hands were shaking as I pulled out my phone, scrolling through my contacts until I found Rory’s number. I hit the call button, holding my breath as it rang.
Once. Twice. Three times .
“Come on, Rory,” I whispered, gripping the phone tightly. “Pick up. Please pick up.”
The call went to his voicemail. I ended it and immediately dialed again, panic rising in my chest. This time, it didn’t even ring before the call was disconnected.
“Shit,” I hissed, fighting back tears. I tried Declan next, then Wren, then Connor. None of them answered.
I stumbled back to the bar, my mind reeling. The bikers were watching me, concern etched on their weathered faces.
“You know them, don’t you?” the older one asked gently.
I nodded, unable to speak past the lump in my throat.
“Listen, sweetheart,” he said, leaning in. “If you’re mixed up with the MacGallan’s, you need to be careful. Whatever happened in Toronto, it wasn’t random. Someone’s gunning for them, and they could come for you next.”
I didn’t care about that, all I cared about was my family. Then it hit me. They were my family; my only family, and I now knew why Rory couldn’t leave them.
I grabbed my phone and called Derek and asked him to come immediately .
I paced anxiously behind the bar, my mind racing as I waited for him to arrive. The two bikers had long since left, leaving me alone with my chaotic thoughts and the soft country music still playing in the background. Every few minutes, I’d check my phone, hoping for a message, a missed call, anything to indicate that Rory and the others were okay. But each time, I was met with the same empty screen, my heart sinking a little further.
The familiar rumble of Derek’s pickup truck pulling into the parking lot snapped me out of my downward spiral. I watched through the window as he climbed out, his concern etched on his brow. The bell above the door jingled as he entered, his eyes immediately finding mine.
“Kat? What’s going on?” he asked, with worry evident in his voice. “You sounded pretty shaken up on the phone.”
I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what I was about to do. “Derek, I need you to listen carefully,” I began, my voice steadier than I felt. “Something’s happened in Toronto. Something bad. And I... I have to go back.”
Derek’s eyes widened in surprise. “Toronto? But I thought you were done with all that?”
I shook my head, feeling tears prick at the corners of my eyes. “I thought I was too. But I need to get back to Rory and my family, Derek. I can’t just abandon them when they might be in danger.”
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the keys to the bar, the metal warm from being clutched in my hand for the past hour. With a deep breath, I held them out to Derek.
“The bar is yours,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
Derek stared at the keys, then back at me, confusion etched across his face. “Kat, what are you talking about? This bar is your life. Your mother’s legacy.”
I smiled sadly, remembering all the times I’d thought the same thing. “It was my life, Derek. But now... not anymore. It deserves someone who can give it their all, and right now, that’s not me.”
“Maybe not now, but in a month or two when you get everything sorted out?”
I pressed the keys into his hand, curling his fingers around them. “You’ve been here since the beginning. You know this place inside and out, hell, you worked for my mother! There’s no one I trust more to take care of it.”
Derek looked down at the keys in his hand, then back up at me, his eyes shining with unshed tears. “Kat, I... I don’t know what to say.”
I pulled him into a tight hug, inhaling the familiar scent of his aftershave that always clung to him. “Just say you’ll take care of it,” I whispered. “And that you’ll forgive me for leaving like this.”
He hugged me back fiercely, his voice gruff with emotion when he spoke. “Of course I forgive you.”
I pulled away from him, wiping at my eyes. “Thank you,” I said softly. “For everything.”
Derek nodded, still looking shell-shocked. “What are you going to do now?”
I took a deep breath, squaring my shoulders. “I’m going to book the first flight I can to Toronto. I need to find out what happened and make sure everyone’s okay.”
“And if they’re not?” he asked gently.
I met his gaze, feeling more determined than ever. “Then I’ll do whatever it takes to help them... no matter what.”
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Just... be careful, okay? I don’t know what you got mixed up in over there, but it sounds dangerous.”
I managed a small smile. “I will be. And Derek? If anyone comes looking for me...”
“I’ll tell them I haven’t seen you in weeks,” he finished. “Don’t worry, I’ve got your back.”
With one last hug, I grabbed my bag from behind the bar and headed for the door. As I reached for the handle, I paused, looking back at the place that had been my home for so long. The worn wooden floors, the neon beer signs, the old jukebox in the corner - it all felt like a different life now.
“Goodbye,” I whispered, to the bar.
Then I stepped out into the cool night air, letting the door swing shut behind me. As I walked to my car, I pulled out my phone and booked the first available flight to Toronto. In less than 12 hours, I’d be back in the city where everything had changed.
Back to Rory, if he was still alive. Back to a world of danger and secrets that I thought I’d escaped.
But this time, I was going to choose this life with my eyes wide open. And whatever happened next, I knew I was done running.
As the plane took off, carrying me back to Toronto and whatever awaited me there, I closed my eyes and sent up a silent prayer.
“Please let them be okay,” I whispered. “Please let me not be too late.”
∞∞∞
Back at the Bar
The two bikers sauntered in and exchanged knowing looks with Derek. The older one’s weathered face broke into a wide grin, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
“Well, would you look at that,” he chuckled, slapping his knee. “Our little plan worked like a charm!”
Derek couldn’t help but laugh along, the tension of the past hour melting away. “I can’t believe she fell for it! Did you see the look on her face when you mentioned the explosion?”
“Yeah, you should have been standing here instead of watching the live feed on your phone!” The younger biker cackled, barely containing his excitement. “Man, we are gonna be owed big time for this one. Did you call it in yet?”
The older biker pulled out his phone, his fingers flying over the keys. “Just sent a text to our contact that the cat is on her way back to her tomcat.”
The three men burst into laughter, clinking their beer bottles together in celebration. The bar, which had seemed so somber just moments ago, was now filled with a jovial atmosphere.
“You know,” Derek mused, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes, “I almost feel bad for tricking her like that. Almost. ”
The older biker clapped him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. Sometimes people need a little push in the right direction. And trust me, those two lovebirds belong together.”
“Besides,” the younger one added with a wink, “imagine the look on her face when she gets there and finds out it was all a setup for the most romantic surprise of her life!”
“Well, gentlemen and lady,” Derek said, raising his bottle for another toast. “Here’s to love, to family, and to the craziest matchmaking scheme south of the border!”
As they clinked bottles once more, the jukebox in the corner suddenly sprang to life, playing an upbeat love song. It was as if the universe itself was celebrating their successful plan.
The older biker chuckled, his gravelly voice softening as he reached up to his face. With practiced ease, he peeled away the weathered skin, revealing it to be an expertly crafted silicone mask. As he removed it fully, Declan’s familiar features emerged, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
“Bloody hell, I thought she’d never leave,” he said, stretching his jaw after hours of pretending to be an old biker. “These masks are brilliant, but they’re not exactly comfortable for long periods of wear. ”
Beside him, the younger biker was going through a similar transformation. Wren’s delicate features emerged as she pulled off her own mask, shaking out her long hair from beneath the short wig she’d been wearing.
“You’re telling me,” she grumbled, in her natural lilting Canadian accent, the complete opposite of the gruff biker voice she’d been speaking with. “I thought my vocal cords were going to snap from talking that low for so long. And don’t even get me started on this itchy beard.”
She scratched at the fake facial hair still clinging to her chin, wincing as she pulled it off. “Remind me again why I had to be the one with the full beard?”
Declan laughed, the sound rich and warm without the affected rasp. “Because, my dear, you lost the coin toss. Besides, you pull off the rugged look quite well.”
Wren rolled her eyes. “Next time, you can stuff yourself into a corset and heels.”
“Deal,” Declan agreed with a wink, before turning his attention back to Derek. “You played your part perfectly, my friend. I wasn’t sure you’d be able to keep a straight face when she handed over the keys.”
Derek shook his head, still marveling at the transformation he’d just witnessed. “I still can’t believe you went to all this trouble just to get her to go back to Toronto. Couldn’t you have just, I don’t know, called her?”
Wren snorted, pulling off her leather jacket and hung it on the chair behind her. “Please. You know Kat. She’s as stubborn as they come. If we’d just called and asked her to come back, she’d have dug her heels in even deeper.”
“Precisely,” Declan nodded, his expression growing more serious. “She needed to believe she was making the choice on her own. That she was needed.”
“But the explosion, the ambush... none of that was real, right?” Derek asked, a note of concern creeping into his voice.
Declan’s eyes twinkled. “Oh, it was real enough. Just... carefully organized. We needed something big enough to draw her back but controlled enough that no one actually got hurt.”