Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
As it turned out, she and Dave the Dancer had their numbers now programmed into each other’s cell phones.
Avery had been more than helpful by snagging Lyric’s phone from her fingers, plugging in the guy’s digits, and shooting him a quick text so he had hers.
Dave had to be his real name because it certainly wasn’t a good stage name for someone making a living by taking off his clothes, rolling his oiled six-pack abs, and humping the air in his stuffed banana hammock.
It didn’t matter what his real name was, she wouldn’t be calling him since she had no interest in catching the guy’s balls in her catcher’s mitt.
It was late, Lyric was tired, as well as relieved they were finally heading north back to Shadow Valley.
She was tempted to take a nap in the back seat since Bri was driving and Avery was her co-pilot, but it would be hard to nap with their incessant chatter and the endless rotation of Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and Taylor Swift blasting from the car speakers.
Not to mention their off-pitch voices belting out the lyrics along with the artists.
Avery suddenly stopped singing and yelled, “Wait. Is that…”
Lyric sat up straighter and glanced out of the windshield. How fast was Bri driving to suddenly be behind four bikers riding in formation?
“Shit! That’s them!” Bri said, backing off.
They were on a tree-lined back road with no street lights, but the headlights had no problem picking up the set of patches on the back of their cuts.
The Twisted Souls MC.
Dread filled her stomach. Especially after those assholes ran her and her club sisters off the road, causing them to crash.
“We need to let Vi know. The Shadows are tracking the runs,” Bri told them.
Lyric leaned forward between the two front seats, keeping her eyes on the bikers ahead of them. “How do you know that?”
“I heard Chill talking to Gage. He’s helping out at the pawn shop until the dispensary is opened. They didn’t realize I could hear them.”
“Or you were eavesdropping,” Lyric hinted.
“Well, of course. Because,” Bri dropped her voice to low and grumbly, “club business ain’t women’s business.”
That made both Lyric and Avery laugh, despite their current situation.
“It’s much easier to get them to spill their business when they’re getting head,” Avery said.
Bri’s head spun toward her. “Wait. Who are you giving head to?”
Avery’s face went blank. “Nobody.”
“Bullshit,” Bri said.
“I’m just saying. If you want to know something, that’s all it takes.”
That’s all it takes? Even with her limited experience, giving head wasn’t the same as handing someone a stick of gum.
“Well, if you’re hooking up with one of the brothers, we can narrow it down. Since you’re related to both the Doughertys and the Jamisons, that leaves a limited pool for us to guess from.”
“Don’t bother because you’ll be wrong.”
Funny how Avery didn’t like it when the shoe was on the other damn foot!
“Why are we even discussing this right now when there are more important matters to deal with? Like getting away from these psychos,” Lyric scolded them. “Turn off at the next road.”
“No, we need to call Vi and give her the details,” Bri insisted.
“We can do that without pursuing.”
“We’re just observing.”
“All we need to do is tell her where, when, and how many. The Shadows can handle the rest,” Lyric reiterated.
“Ree, get your cousin on the phone,” Bri instructed Avery. “Put her on speaker.”
Avery scrambled to get her phone out, quickly snapping photos of the four-man formation in front of them. “Get closer. I want to get some video proof first.”
“Avery!” Lyric yelled, her heart leaping in her throat.
“Shh. I’m recording!”
This was not a good idea. All the Souls had to do was believe they were being followed and it could turn into a disaster.
“Bri, don’t get too close,” Lyric warned. “We don’t want to catch their attention.”
“They’re on two wheels. We’re on four this time.”
She asked Bri, “What does that mean?”
“It means if they try anything stupid, we’ll run them off the road.”
“Oh my God,” Lyric whispered.
“Okay, stay with them while I text the video and pics to Vi,” Avery told Bri.
The memory of how Piper looked after those assholes ran them off the road flashed before her eyes. Lyric and Bri were also injured and their sleds damaged, too. Bri should know better.
But then, Bri had never backed down from a fight. In fact, in the past, she’d never hesitated to start some shit of her own.
Lyric was actually surprised Bri hadn’t hunted down the Souls who took her out. The truth was, with the right training, she’d have made a great Shadow.
But she wasn’t. And they shouldn’t be doing this.
“Yo, cuz, got some news. Hang on, let me put you on speaker. I’m in the car with Lyric and Bri.”
“Doing what?” Vi asked.
“We’re on the way home. We went to The Pink—”
“Avery!” Bri barked at her.
“Holy shit,” Lyric whispered.
“Anyway, we’re heading north on…what road is this?”
“See that big screen attached to my dashboard? On it is a map. It magically tracks where we are. Read the damn road name off that.”
Normally, Lyric would’ve laughed at Bri’s smart-ass response, but she wasn’t amused by the current situation. She’d breathe easier once they were far, far away from these outlaw bikers.
“Fisher Road.”
“Look how much that high school education came in handy,” Bri told Avery.
Avery flipped her the bird.
“How many are there and are they wearing cuts?
“Four and yes,” Avery answered.
“Do they have any sidecars?” Vi asked Avery next.
“No. But three out of the four have those large, hard saddlebags. The secure ones that lock.”
“Okay. Anything else stand out?”
“No.”
“Okay, I have it documented. So, what were you girls up to?”
“That’s it?” Lyric yelled loud enough for Vi to hear.
“Yes, that’s all we need. We’re documenting routes, times, and numbers. I’m surprised the guys shared that info with you. I figured they’d keep that shit close to their chest.”
Lyric’s eyes sliced between Bri and Avery when those two shared a look and a grimace.
“Wouldn’t it be smart for all of us to be on the lookout?” Lyric asked no one in particular.
Damn pig-headed men!
“Of course, but you know who we’re dealing with here. Remember, they think we’re the weaker sex and it’s up to them to protect us.” A small laugh burst from Vi.
“None of this is funny, Vi. Bri, now that we’ve reported what we’ve seen, let’s head in a different direction,” Lyric suggested.
Vi’s voice came through Avery’s cell phone speaker. “That would be smart.”
“See? The expert agrees.”
“Oh shit. I think we’ve been made,” Bri whispered.
Suddenly Vi was all business. “What’s your current twenty?”
“Our twenty?” Bri asked.
“Location.”
“How does twenty mean the same as location?” Avery asked.
Vi sighed. “Where are you currently? And what are they doing?”
“Uh, we’re heading up Fisher Road about a mile north of Baldwin Road. And they’re slowing down, like big time. And they keep looking back at us.”
Shit. Lyric didn’t want them to become a target.
“Turn off,” Vi ordered Bri.
“There isn’t a turn off for a while according to the GPS. We passed the last crossroad about a mile back.”
“Are you in a remote area?”
Lyric quickly glanced around and all she could see were trees and darkness. “Yes!”
“Shit. I just pulled up a map. Don’t be surprised if you lose cell phone coverage in that area.”
Great. Just what they needed. “We should just do a U-turn,” Lyric suggested.
“Do whatever you feel is safest, Bri, but fall back. Don’t let them get suspicious. Since you’re in a car, they can’t identify you as DAMC, but they could get paranoid if they think they’re being followed.”
“AFMC,” Avery corrected Vi.
“Which is tied ultimately to the DAMC,” Vi returned matter-of-factly. “There is more DAMC blood in the Angels of Fury than Blood Fury or Dark Knights members.”
“Now is not the time!” Lyric told her club sisters.
“Lyric’s right. If you’ve been spotted, then—” Vi stopped talking.
“Vi?” Bri called out.
Nothing.
“She either hung up or…shit. I have no bars,” Bri announced, holding her cell phone up and moving it around to check for a signal.
Meanwhile, Lyric’s heart was pounding as fast as a rabbit being chased by a fox.
“Maybe it’s from being in that dip. Hopefully we’ll have coverage again soon.” Bri’s grip on the wheel tightened as she spoke.
Lyric sure hoped so. This wasn’t good. Not at all. They were not only vulnerable out in the middle of nowhere, they were now out of service.
She quickly checked her phone.
No coverage.
“Check Bri’s phone.”
“The GPS map isn’t updating, that means I don’t have coverage, either,” Bri announced. “I know how to get back home on this route. If we deviate, I won’t and we might get lost without GPS.”
“Lost is better than dead,” Lyric muttered. “And we can find our way home once service is back.”
The Souls braked abruptly until they were almost at a complete stop. Bri slammed on her brakes, too, to avoid crashing into them.
“Turn around, Bri!” Lyric yelled from the back seat, cursing herself for not driving tonight.
But before Bri could get them out of there, they were completely surrounded.
Rage’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He dug it free from the inside pocket of his cut and saw Vi was calling.
What the fuck?
He answered it, “Hang on. Gotta get somewhere not so fuckin’ noisy.” He strode out the front door and out into the dark parking lot at Heaven’s Angels. “What’s up?”
“Bri, Avery, and Lyric were tailing some Souls and I lost contact with them.”
“They were doing fuckin’ what?” he shouted.
Was the top of his head still attached? Because he swore it blew it right off.
Vi ignored his outburst. “I’m currently working on pinging their cell phones to get their location once they’re back in tower range. As soon as I have that, I’ll pass it on. How do you want to handle this?”
She sounded way too fucking calm for this situation. But then again, the last time the ladies went missing they were pampering themselves at a fucking spa.