Chapter 65
HARLAN - THAT'S ALL WE HAD
“Four,” a soft voice cut through the rising storm.
The fist paused mid-air.
Remi.
She stepped into the space between them without fear, like she’d done it before. Her hand landed gently on his forearm, solid muscle, knotted and twitching beneath the skin. Her voice was calm, but it carried through the room... easing some of the tension.
“Think about what we talked about,” she said.
Four didn’t move for a long second. Then he looked down at her, not like a man about to crush someone, more like a soldier being asked to lay down a weapon.
The silence stretched.
I didn’t know what the hell was about to happen. Neither did Jack, who hadn’t even breathed.
Remi looked into his eyes and said, "Trust me when I say that sometimes violence is the answer..." The weight of her words felt like gravity. "But now is not the time. Not if you actually want to change the narrative. The perception. The very thing you are angry about. Hurt about."
He stared at her, a silent conversation being passed through their eyes.
Finally, Four exhaled. Slowly. Like deflating.
His hand unclenched.
He looked back at Jack, jaw tight. “You judged a book by its cover, and you judged it wrong. That hurt more than the accusation itself. But I’m still standing, and I’ve got more important shit to care about than holding onto old grudges.”
Jack opened his mouth, probably to put his foot in his mouth, but Remi held up a hand to stop him. “Not now,” she said quietly.
Four gave her a small, almost sad smile. “Still think you’d make a terrifying ol’ lady.”
Remi snorted. “You’re not the first person to say that.”
Someone from the back called, “And you won’t be the last!”
Laughter rippled. The room eased. Tension bled out of the walls like pressure from a tire.
Remi turned to us, arms crossing loosely over her chest. “You two want to tell me why you just stormed a biker clubhouse like you were auditioning for a soap opera?”
“You weren’t answering; you didn't check in... For five days, Remi.” I said, my voice still low with leftover adrenaline. “And there was chatter... enough to make it sound like trouble might’ve found you.”
From behind her, Clutch’s voice chimed in. “I took a corner too sharp. Spooked her. She lost her phone.”
Remi smacked his shoulder lightly. “Spooked me? I damn near strangled you right there on your bike.”
He grinned. “I like it when you unravel a little. You sure you don't want to stay a while longer... we can share a room...”
She rolled her eyes, then turned to face him more squarely. “You need to tell her why, Clutch. Tell her your heart. Stop hiding behind bravado, ego and all that macho MC bullshit. If you love her, say it. Stop pretending you’re not breakable.”
He looked down. “You think it would even matter?”
She hesitated. “I don’t know. But if you don’t say it, you’ll always wonder. She deserves to know... even if she chooses to stay away.”
The vulnerability hit him hard. You could see it, his breath caught, his throat worked. He nodded once and stepped back, disappearing into the quiet murmurs of the room.
Remi looked between me and Jack again, her eyes sharper this time. “Where’s Ava?”
“At my cabin,” I said. “With Gray. Locked down. We didn’t want her involved in case it was as bad as it sounded.”
Something flickered behind her eyes. Worry. Or maybe guilt.
She opened her mouth to respond...
And then it happened.
A low buzz from my pocket.
Perimeter breach.
Not just any perimeter... the cabin.
Gray’s homemade grid sensors weren’t digital. He'd repurposed dad's old hunting tech, pressure and wire, analog and crude. Which meant if they were going off... someone was physically there.
I answered the call. Static. Then a second buzz from another line, Kane.
I picked it up immediately. “Tell me you’ve got eyes.”
“Negative. The satellite passed ten minutes ago. I'll get back to you.”
He hung up, and my chest tightened.
Remi was already grabbing her jacket from a chair near the wall. “I’m going.”
“You sure?” one of the guys asked her.
She turned, expression unreadable. “I’m not hiding. Not anymore. If they were wrong and they are actually after Ava, they will have to go through me.”
Four stepped forward again, pulling her in for a tight hug. “If you need us... You know how to find us. Doors are always open to you.”
A few other men nodded. One called, “Especially if you’re ever interested in being someone’s ol’ lady.”
She stepped out of Four's arms with a half-smile. “That’ll be the day.” Then softer, as she looked around at them all. “Thank you. For showing me something, I needed to see with my own eyes... That some of the good guys are still out here.”
We walked out together, urgency quickening every step.
The tires screeched against loose gravel as I tore out of the clubhouse lot, Jack beside me, Remi in the back. None of us spoke.
We didn’t have time to.
My phone buzzed in my lap, motion alert, trail cam trigger. Then another. And another. The whole west perimeter was lighting up like a fucking Christmas tree.
“Gray, come on,” I muttered, hitting the redial button. “Pick up. Pick up... damn it.”
Still no answer.
I tossed the phone onto the dashboard and hit the secure line for Kane.
He answered on the third ring, voice clipped and already in motion. “Talk to me.”
“We’ve got hits on the hunting cams, west side,” I said. “But we can’t get a visual. Gray’s not responding.”
“Hold.” I heard typing. Keys clacking. A muffled curse. Then: “Just scraped two public traffic cams ten miles out, trucks, three of them. Ones got a custom plate flagged in our system: VOSS01.”
Remi sucked in a breath beside me. Jack swore.
Kane continued, “One box truck. Two dark pickups. Too many bodies to ID in the back, but they’re armed. And headed directly for the cabin.”
“How far out?” I demanded.
“Ten minutes if they’re hauling ass. Less if they’ve already peeled off the main road.”
My knuckles went white on the wheel. “Can you redirect?”
“I’m trying. Already pinged Gray’s back channels. Nothing yet. You’re closest we've got.”
“I know,” I said. “We’re on route. If we don’t make it in time...”
“You will,” Kane said firmly. “But Harlan... don’t hesitate.”
The call cut.
Remi’s voice was quiet but steady. “If she touches Ava...”
“She won’t,” I said.
But I didn’t believe it.
I floored the gas, heart hammering as we tore around a bend. Trees blurred past. The sky bled orange and purple through the windshield, like the world itself knew we were racing the sun to stop something we might already be too late to stop.
Ten minutes.
That’s all we had.
And maybe not even that.