Chapter 32
Lucy
From the bar I’d watched them, shoulders bent under the weight of hammers and grief.
Boxer should’ve been there, cursing louder than anyone as he swung a hammer.
Instead, the space he left felt louder than the noise of drills and nails.
They didn’t talk about Boxer, didn’t curse the Fangs, didn’t even look at me.
They rebuilt, fast and furious, like every nail driven into the wood was a promise that the Dead Knights would not fall.
In that moment, I understood that the place wasn’t simply walls and locks. It was blood, bone, and loyalty stitched together. If it burned, they’d burn with it.
Jay had stormed into church, leaving me outside.
Even from the bar, I could hear the chants, louder than the jukebox, echoing through the walls like thunder.
The clubhouse buzzed behind me with low voices, the weight of decisions still hanging heavy in the air.
In the bathroom, I splashed cold water on my face, but it did nothing to ease the heat inside.
Out on the porch, the night swallowed the noise. Cold seeped through my jacket, sharp and steady. Jay was already there, sitting on the creaky wooden bench like he carried the whole goddamn world on his shoulders. I hesitated before stepping closer, fingers curling around the edge of the bench.
He looked up as I settled beside him, eyes dark and tired.
“I guess the club made its choice,” Jay finally said.
“For Boxer, for Diesel, for Caleb,” I whispered. “For you.”
Jay exhaled slowly. “Doesn’t make it easier.”
I shifted closer, letting the chill fall away where we met.
“It never does,” I said.
The quiet between us was strange, a calm after chaos that felt almost sacred. I reached out, letting my hand find his.
“Do you ever wonder what Caleb would say if he were still here?” I asked, barely more than a breath.
Jay squeezed my hand. “He’d tell us to stop carrying him like a weight that’ll break us. To fight smart, to keep the family alive.”
I swallowed hard. “And if we don’t?”
Jay’s eyes found mine, raw and real. “Then we lose more than just this club.”
Fear settled between us, thick and undeniable. But there was something else, too, fierce and unspoken.
He tilted his head towards mine. A thousand thoughts raced through my head, but the moment his lips brushed mine, every one of them vanished.
Jay’s tongue traced the seam of my lips, and when I parted them, he deepened the kiss, never breaking contact as he hauled me into his lap.
He kissed me until I was breathless, until I had to pull back just to remember how to breathe.
Our foreheads met in a quiet touch, a shared promise against the dark.
“No matter what’s coming,” he said, “we face it together.”
A small smile tugged at my lips, tired but true. “We’re not done yet.”
Beneath the bruised sky, I believed we might make it through.
Jay’s body was warm against mine, a tether in the dark that kept me grounded. The stars above felt cold and distant, but right there, on the porch, I felt something fragile, hope.
“What’s next?” I asked quietly, afraid to break the silence but needing to know.
Jay’s jaw tightened. “We finish what Caleb started. Find out who else is dirty, who else betrayed us. Then we hit back, hard.”
I nodded, trying to steady my breath. “And Gage?”
“He’s running scared, but he won’t stay hidden long. Not with what he knows,” Jay said, low but fierce. “We draw him out. Protect what’s ours.”
A heavy weight settled on my chest, but I pushed it down. “And the Fangs? The real war?”
Jay looked up at the sky, searching for answers in the stars. “We prepare. We stay sharp, because when they come, it won’t be a warning shot. It’ll be a full assault.”
“I want him dead, Jay.” My hand tightened around his.
“He’ll get what’s coming, princess.”
The night fell silent again. Too silent. Then my phone rang with an unknown number and an unfamiliar voice.
“You like bombs, sweetheart?”
I froze, ice flowing through my veins instead of fire.
“You just lit one.” The line went dead.
“What is it?” Jay asked, grip tightening on my waist.
Before I could answer, a sound tore through the quiet night.
Boom!
It came from the direction of my motel.
The roar of engines filled the night as the club scrambled onto their bikes, tires kicking up dirt and gravel, heading towards my motel room. My heart hammered so hard I thought it might burst through my ribs, adrenaline mixed with fear and guilt.
When we pulled up, the motel was a hellscape. Flickering flames licked the night sky, smoke thick and black, curling into the crisp air. Shadows of bikers circled the perimeter, engines idling, eyes sharp. They weren’t just watching the fire, they were protecting me.
But all I could do was stare.
“No,” I whispered, backing towards the smoke. “No, no . . .” My throat closed up and my eyes stung.
Jay caught me, pulling me in, holding me tight as I shook.
“They know where I sleep,” I said.
“They’ve known for a while,” Jay whispered. “They want you scared.”
I looked up, eyes wet, furious. “Well, they picked the wrong girl.”
Jay’s grip tightened. “They picked the only girl I give a damn about.” His voice was tight and his eyes pure fury.
My heart thumped at his words, but there wasn’t time to unpack them.
Sirens wailed in the distance.
Jay let me go gently. “This is the part where we vanish. You understand?”
“Vanishing’s not my strong suit.”
“But surviving is.”
My fists clenched. This was my fault. If I hadn’t pushed so hard, if I hadn’t gone looking for answers, none of this would be happening. People could be hurt.
I wanted to stay, to watch it burn, to see if anyone needed help, to make sure no one was left behind.
“Go. I need to check on people, see if anyone needs help.”
Riot pulled up beside us. “Pres, we need to go now. Cops are on their way.”
Jay revved his engine low beside me. “You don’t have to stay,” he said quietly, eyes scanning the perimeter. I knew he couldn’t stay but didn’t want to leave me.
“I need to,” I whispered. “What if someone’s trapped? What if they’re hurt because of me?” I turned to him, begging him with my eyes to understand. “Go, Jay. I’ll be okay. I’ll call you if I need you.”
Jay’s gaze softened, but his voice was firm. “I’ll be close. I’ll keep watch. When you’re ready, call me. The club can’t be seen here. Not tonight.”
I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat.
He didn’t wait. Engines revved again, brothers peeling away into darkness until they were nothing but shadows.
I stayed rooted, eyes locked on the burning motel, every flicker of flame a reminder of the chaos I helped unleash and the fight I wasn’t ready to walk away from.
The smoke stung my eyes as I edged closer, boots crunching on shattered glass and twisted metal. Instinct screamed at me to stay back, to run, but guilt pressed heavy on my chest. I had to make sure no one was left behind.
“Anyone here?” I called, my throat raw from holding back the tears.
Flames cast flickering shadows against the walls. No answers, just the crackle of fire and distant sirens.
At the back of the building, where the fire was thinner, a faint sound caught my attention, a muffled groan.
Heart pounding, I followed it to a half-collapsed doorway. Smoke was thick, burning my lungs, but I forced myself forward.
“Hey! You okay?” I asked, reaching out.
A figure shifted in the shadows. Relief surged through me when I thought someone was safe, there was someone I could help. Until more shadows shifted behind them.
There was movement too fast to see clearly, but I knew before I could react.
Fangs. Their kuttes came into view as my heart lodged in my throat.
They emerged like ghosts from the smoke, silent and lethal, surrounding me like a noose tightening.
I reached for my phone, fingers fumbling, panic rising. Jay... I needed to call Jay, but my hand froze. Too slow.
A heavy hand clamped over my mouth, and another yanked me backwards. I struggled, heartbeat slamming in my ears.
“Quiet, little rat,” a voice hissed in my ear. “You’re coming with us.”
I tried to scream, but nothing came out. Why had I left my gun in the motel room? I’d become soft, relying on Jay for backup instead of remembering what Caleb had told me: always be prepared.
The smoke burned my throat and stung my eyes. Hands pinned my arms like vices, dragging me backwards through the dark. I thrashed, bit, and clawed at anyone and anything I could reach, but it was useless. There were too many.
The voice in my ear was cold and cruel. “Stop fighting, sweetheart. You’ll like what comes next a hell of a lot less if you make us work for it.” A rough rope was tied around my wrists too tightly, the fibres biting into my skin.
I tried to scream again, but a hand over my mouth smothered it. Panic flared, mixing with the sting of smoke in my lungs. I could see the flames behind me, the motel collapsing in on itself, and all I could think was, Jay will come. He has to.
They hauled me around the corner, away from the firelight. A black van idled with its headlights off, and one door slid open with a metallic clang.
“Get her in.”
I kicked back hard, my boot connecting with someone’s shin. He swore and slammed me against the side of the van. Pain rattled through my ribs, but I still fought.
“She’s fire,” one of them sneered. “Wonder how long before it burns out.”
The world tilted as they shoved me inside.
My head cracked against metal, stars bursting in my vision.
The door slammed shut, and the engine roared to life.
My heart thundered. Every instinct screamed at me to get out.
But tied hands and smoke-filled lungs left me with only my thoughts and Jay’s voice in my memory. “Surviving is your strong suit.”
I forced myself to breathe, even as fear clawed up my throat. I’d admitted it to him, said it out loud. “I’m scared.”
Now, locked in a van with the Fangs and the world outside burning, I realised how right I’d been.
But in my life, fear didn’t mean giving up—fear meant fighting.