Chapter 2 Rebel
Oh, God. I nearly told Heron the truth.
After all this time, almost a year of keeping my secrets and living with a nightmare, keeping it hidden from everyone at The Roost, I nearly spilled it all to a tall, tattooed, muscled hunk of a man who would probably run when he learned how broken I was.
No one else tempted me to reveal those dark secrets except him. Not Bella, who had become my closest friend. Not Crow, the president of the club, who promised to provide sanctuary for as long as I needed it, never knowing how he exposed The Roost and everyone in it to danger. Hell, I didn’t even talk about it with the other women who had been kept prisoner on Undertaker’s lands and subjected to his cruel torments.
I stayed here long after I should have gone, unable to leave because I’d run for the last eighteen months and didn’t want to keep doing it anymore. For the first time, I found a place where I fit in. I didn’t have to look over my shoulder in fear. Behind these gates, I was safe.
If I wanted to stay that way, I had to keep my mouth shut and keep a low profile.
My ex could never find me.
I’d run to one of the most populated cities in the U.S. to avoid detection, coming to Las Vegas so that I would blend in and be hidden among all the people. I never anticipated the wolves. Undertaker’s pack found me during a full moon and brought me to Lake Alpine in California, where I met the ruthless Alpha of their pack.
My breath caught in my throat as I thought of the months I spent there. It wasn’t the worst I endured. No, Paul, my former fiancé, was capable of much worse.
Right when I had given up hope of ever escaping, Crow’s club showed up at Lake Alpine. They rescued all the women from Undertaker’s land and set us free. I met Bella on the ride back to The Roost since I had nowhere else to go. She was the first person to believe my story about the wolves. How did I run from an abusive relationship and end up kidnapped by shifters? It shouldn’t have been possible.
If I had never seen those men change in front of me, I would have doubted what they were, but I witnessed it numerous times. Hell, I was hunted more than once. Undertaker liked to use us as bait. I sighed as I shook my head, still trying to come to terms with the fact that Undertaker was gone. Crow and his club defeated the vargulf. They separated that evil part of him and destroyed it. Only Alpha Caden remained, no longer the bloodthirsty beast he’d once been.
It was a complicated mess—another reason to avoid Heron. The guy wasn’t around when all this shit went down. He probably didn’t believe it. I didn’t have the energy to convince him.
“You’re deep in thought.”
I blinked, watching as Bella joined me at an empty table in the bar. “Yeah.”
“I’m a good listener, you know.”
I didn’t doubt it. “I’m sure that’s true.”
“Then unburden yourself, Rebel. You’ve been holding back since the day you arrived. It’s been a year, babe. Talk to me. If not me, then Bree. She’d understand if no one else did.”
Bree, Bella’s sister, had been through shit I couldn’t fathom. She’d been hurt in the worst way possible. Kidnapped. Beaten. Tortured. Raped.
God. My heart ached for her. “I know,” I admitted.
“Okay. I won’t push.”
I gave her a look.
She laughed. “Fine. I won’t push anymore tonight.”
I snorted. “At least you’re honest.”
Bella picked up her longneck bottle and tapped her beer against mine. “To honesty and friendship. Cheers!”
I couldn’t help smiling. “Cheers.”
We clinked, each took a sip, and settled back in our seats.
“I love it here, Bella. You know that. It’s the only place I’ve felt safe for a long time.”
“I wish I knew why.” She set her empty bottle down and pushed it away. “I don’t want you to feel like you have to keep secrets or hide. You’re holding back so much. It’s your choice to do that,” she added, “but I worry about you, Rebel. Holding everything in isn’t good. I watched Bree go through the same thing. It’ll rip you apart from the inside out.”
She was right, but I couldn’t disclose that. “Give me some time. I process things slowly,” I teased.
“I’m here for you no matter how long it takes.”
“That’s why you’re my ride-or-die bitch.”
“Damn fucking straight.” She tossed her long dark hair over her shoulder and winked. “We should go for a ride.”
“Right now?” I asked. It was already after one in the morning.
“Right now. You comin’?”
Hell yeah. I needed to be a little wild and throw caution to the wind. Besides, who would see me in the desert at night on the back of a motorcycle? Certainly not Paul.
“Do you think we can sneak out of here alone?”
She smirked. “Nope.”
“Then we do this Thelma and Louise style.”
Bella’s grin widened. “I like the way you think.”
We both stood at the same time, linking arms as we headed toward the exit. No one bothered us as we walked outdoors. Loud music boomed from the speakers inside the bar. Cigarette smoke and weed blew by my face in a gust of wind. I had a decent buzz going from the three beers I had. This would be fun.
“The sand car?”
“The sand car,” I agreed.
We headed toward the largest building on the lot, where the auto shop connected to a garage. Slipping inside, we didn’t waste time locating the biggest and fastest of the sand cars the club owned. I grew up calling them dune buggies, but Crow and some of the other guys referred to them as sand rails. Bella always called these big caged off-road machines sand cars. The name didn’t matter much. The engine and the tires, the lacing of the bars, the bouncy coils, and the suspension made all the difference.
There wasn’t much that could make me squeal with excitement half as much as hopping dunes and racing over the sand. I hadn’t gone much at night, so this would be a whole new experience.
Bella climbed inside and plopped down in the driver’s seat. I took shotgun. With a two-seater, I didn’t have any place else to sit. But I preferred being up close and in front of the action. We strapped ourselves in with the five-point harnesses and bumped fists.
“How far do you think we’ll get before they chase us down on their bikes?”
Bella scrunched her nose. “I’ve got a lead foot. I’m hoping it’s miles.”
Giggling, I nodded. “Yes!”
“Ready? As soon as I start this engine, bikers are gonna come running. I can’t wait to see their expressions when we blow through the gate!”
Wait. She didn’t mean that literally. Right?
Bella turned the key and fired up our death cage, wasting no time putting it into gear and racing from the garage. Lucky for us, the crowd hanging around stayed closer to the buildings, so when we raced by them, no one stood in the way.
I gripped the sissy bar with my right hand, lifting my left to pump my fist in the air. “Wooo!”
“Let’s roll out!” She cried enthusiastically, copying the phrase we heard Crow use on numerous occasions.
Two prospects stood by the gate, and they rushed to open it when they saw the sand car barreling toward them. I didn’t know Goose or Robin well, but I couldn’t help but laugh at their shocked faces. Robin dove out of the way as we approached. Goose managed to open the gate in time, shouting at us to slow down.
Bella grinned as we jolted, riding over the bumpy terrain outside the compound. Our destination loomed ahead as we entered the desert. Joshua trees, tumbleweeds, and cacti streaked by in a blur. She wasn’t lying. Bella drove like a speed demon headed straight for hell.
The first dune approached, and she pressed down on the gas as we began our climb. We had to have hit top speed as we reached the peak. The floodlights illuminated a wide area around us, lighting up the sand and cacti nearby as momentum lifted us off the ground. We glided across the sky for about three seconds, nothing but air beneath the tires. Sailing like this was an instant high.
“Ahhhhhh!”
We landed hard and skidded, fishtailing before Bella straightened out. Her foot pressed down on the gas again. The next dune grew bigger as we approached.
“This one is huge!”
“That’s what she said!” Bella laughed.
Oh, God. She had jokes now. And bad ones. “Babe, that’s awful.”
“No one ever wants to hear that,” she guffawed, switching gears.
I almost closed my eyes as we hit the top of the dune. My gaze swept over the ground beneath us as we hit air. Something dark, resembling a pit, caught my attention in the sand car’s lights.
“Bella! Do you see that?”
“Oh, shit! It’s a sinkhole!”
A sinkhole? I didn’t have time to ask her what that meant. Did she mean quicksand? Because I wasn’t planning to die or drown in the desert!
Bella turned the steering wheel hard as we lowered back to the ground, pitching us to the right. To our left, the sinkhole seemed to grow in size. “Why does everything always look bigger when it’s trying to kill you?” she asked, giving me a smirk.
Again, with the bad jokes. “You’re killing me, Smalls!”
Her laughter followed as we swerved, nearly slamming into a massive cactus.
“Bella!”
The sand car tipped on the edge of a hill, and the cage rattled as we began to roll.
“Shit!”
I tried to remember to keep all body parts inside the metal frame as we began rolling, toppling down a steep incline. I lost count of how many times we flipped over, finally landing on the roof as we stopped. The tires continued to spin as we sat there, stunned, trying to catch our breath.
“I think we’re in trouble,” she panted, staring to our left.
Upside down, it took a second to orient myself. I found two men in black leather running toward us. Crow. And Heron.
“Hang on!” Crow ordered as he dropped beside Bella, carefully unbuckling her.
Heron reached me at the same time. “Rebel! You okay, Love?”
“I think so,” I mumbled, wincing as I felt my right knee throb. I must have smacked it during our little tumble.
Heron checked me over with a shake of his head. “You’re not bleeding. Can I get you out of there?”
“Please do.”
He somehow managed to squeeze his beefy body into the space, releasing all the straps and buckles until I slipped free. I dropped onto him, and he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me out as carefully as possible. When I stood on my feet, I wobbled.
Heron slid an arm around my waist, keeping me upright and steady. “What the hell were you two thinking? It’s nearly black out here. You can’t see shit.”
Crow had Bella in his arms. He glared at her, leaned down, and captured her lips in a kiss I almost envied, not because of him but because I wanted that kind of passion.
“Bella, that was reckless.”
She shrugged. “I know.”
He sighed. Heron sighed louder.
“Let’s get you both home.” Crow turned, heading away from us.
Heron didn’t move other than to reach out and grasp my chin. He tilted it until I stared into his dark eyes. “You ever do something that stupid again, and I’ll spank your ass.”
I nearly asked if that was a promise or a threat but decided against it. “You don’t own me, you know. There’s no property patch on my back.”
“That’s how it’s gonna be, huh?” His gaze darkened.
“We’re enemies, remember? You’re a foreign country trying to invade me, and I’m setting up battle lines. It’s war.”
He snorted. “I think you like this game.”
I blinked and pretended I didn’t have a clue what he meant.
“Let’s go, Spark. You’re a bit too shaken up for this tonight.”
I let him lead me away from the sand car and didn’t object when he held my hand the whole way.