Chapter 2
Valentine
My feet throb with pain, and it feels like a hammer is banging on the inside of my skull. I don’t know when the last time I ate or drank was, and my mouth’s so dry I can barely swallow.
I don’t know what came before. All I know is walking. I’ve been walking on the side of the road for I don’t know how long.
I don’t know where I’m going, and I don’t know where I came from. I just had an instinct inside me that I should keep going, like there’s something I need to get away from. But I have no idea what.
My eyelids are heavy with dust, and I close them for a moment. My senses fill with the smell of leather. It’s calming. With the vibrations of the bike, I could almost fall asleep.
I cling to the back of the man’s bike. Lyle, he called himself. As I cling onto the back of Lyle, I feel like this will be my first new memory, riding down the highway pressed against Lyle’s solid back.
It’s not long before we’re pulling into a compound by the ocean.
I stare at the logo emblazoned on the side of the building—"Underground Crows MC” with a winged skull. I concentrate hard, searching my mind for any recognition, but it comes up blank.
There’s a strip club next to the main building with “Girls, Girls, Girls” in neon flashing lights, but we drive past it and park next to a row of motorcycles.
I slide off the bike and wince when my feet hit the concrete. When did my toes get so bloody and raw?
“Let me help you.”
Before I can answer, Lyle scoops me up and slides an arm under my legs. My body stiffens, and every instinct is to scream and thrash.
“It’s okay.” Lyle’s reassuring voice cuts through the chaos, calming me down. I’m breathing hard as my eyes meet his.
“Someone really hurt you, huh?”
His look is all concern with anger simmering underneath.
“You’re safe here with me.”
My ragged breathing slows down, but I still feel uneasy. I’m not sure why my body reacted so violently to his touch.
Lyle carries me through a door that leads to the clubhouse. There’s music playing, and red heart balloons decorate the bar. Men in Underground Crows jackets stand around drinking while a group of women sways on the dance floor.
“You found a Valentine!” a big man with a scraggly beard calls out as Lyle brings me through the door. The man’s face falls when he gets a good look at me, and I duck my head into Lyle’s shoulder, wanting to crawl away and die of embarrassment.
“I need water and some bandages,” Lyle calls to his buddies, and there’s the setting down of beer bottles and movement as they jump into action.
A woman bustles over, concern written over her features. She peers at me, and her cool hand brushes the hair off my face. Her fingers press gently at my temple, and a pain shoots through me. I can’t hide the wince, but I don’t miss the look that the woman and Lyle share.
“I’ll get the med kit.”
“Thanks, Gina.”
“What’s your name, sweetheart?”
The woman looks kind, and I want to answer her, but I search my brain again and come up blank.
“I don’t know.” The corner of my eyes sting as I whisper it because I can’t even remember the most basic things like what my name is. And things without names are just things. But there’s no water left in me to cry.
“Everyone’s gotta have a name.” I don’t like the pity in the woman’s look, but she brushes my hair back kindly.
“Valentine,” Lyle says decisively. “It’s Valentine’s Day today. We’ll call you Valentine.”
For the first time in my new memories, a smile curls my lips upward.
I’m Valentine, and I’m at the Underground Crows MC clubhouse. For the first time in my new memories, I feel safe.