Chapter Twenty-Six
Thorn
The rumble of two Harleys echoed through the quiet streets as Fox and I pulled into the Social Club parking lot before nine. I killed my engine and swung my leg over my bike.
The place sat exactly like it always did before opening. Dark. Locked. Quiet.
Fox shut off his bike beside mine and pulled off his helmet. “You want me to come in?” he asked.
I shook my head. “Nah. Wrecker just didn’t want me here alone.”
Fox nodded toward the front of the building. “I’ll hang out out here.”
“Keep yourself entertained.”
He snorted. “That’ll be the day.”
I laughed, tucked my keys into my hand, and headed for the front door.
The deadbolt unlocked with a click, and I stepped inside, punching in the alarm code before it started screaming through the empty building.
Silence settled around me.
The Social Club always felt strange without people in it. The pool tables sat untouched. Chairs were tucked beneath the tables. The giant beer pong setup waited for the night’s first game.
I flipped on the lights over the bar, and the room brightened.
A small brown cardboard box sat dead center on the polished bar.
I frowned and took a cautious step closer.
There wasn’t a shipping label. No postage. No return address. Just a single strip of masking tape stretched across the top. Written in thick black marker across the tape was one word.
THORN
A knot settled low in my stomach.
The front door had still been locked when I’d walked in. The alarm had been armed. Whoever left the box hadn’t forced their way inside.
So how the hell had it gotten there?
Slowly, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my knife. The blade snapped open with a quiet click before I carefully sliced through the tape and folded back the flaps.
Inside sat a cheap black burner phone.
Nothing else.
No note.
No instructions.
Just the phone.
“What the fuck?”
I picked it up and turned it over in my hand. The screen stayed dark.
Holding my breath, I pressed the power button.
The phone vibrated, the screen flickered to life, and a single unread text message appeared.
We’ll see you soon.