Chapter 17

Kendric

17

We got lucky.

Stupid lucky, I might add. Had Sky not heard the subtle commotion outside, had he not thought to look out the window just in time to see Ariana climbing down that ivy lattice, we wouldn't have known she was gone until morning, and then it would've been too late. She'd already be dead.

I'm furious with her, and so are Raylan and Sky. But we also understand why she did it. We cannot fault her for it, and we cannot punish her.

If we're to be the men who claim her, we need to prove that we're capable of understanding her and empathizing with her emotions—of which she has plenty, and for good reason. We got off on the wrong foot. There's no denying or changing that. We can't go back in time and start over. But we also cannot reject what has happened between us. There's a shift of energy that has taken hold and refuses to let go.

The more we fight it, the worse it will be for each of us.

"What's the status of the clubhouse?" Sky asks as we leave through the clinic's back door and head over to our bikes. It'll be dawn soon, and the city will awaken to startling news on every single screen in sight. "Have the Feds raided it yet?"

"Our guys are out. Harry and Trojan stayed behind," Raylan says, having just gotten off the phone with Spike and Shiloh. "They will get arrested. The Black Hand will want Masterson to do things by the book."

"Of course," Sky scoffs. He's the first to get on his bike, securing his helmet and offering a spare to Ariana. She does look better, but she is awfully quiet. I'm tempted to blame it on the events of tonight, but I've got a feeling it's something else she doesn't want to talk about. And given how our last conversation ended prior to her escape, I decide not to poke her further. Not now. "They'll have our faces plastered everywhere," Sky adds. "We won't be able to move around like before."

"We're going to have to ditch the bikes," I say. "Time to call in our favor with Tiny."

"Tiny?" Ariana asks, then puts her helmet on.

"Tiny has a chop shop on the north side of the city," I tell her. "He owes us."

"A lot of people in Everton seem to owe you."

I nod once. "And the Black Hand would immediately come gunning for them if they knew."

"It's sad," she mutters and gets in the saddle behind Sky.

"But useful at this point," Raylan interjects with a wry smile. "Nobody knows we're friends with these people, so we're able to move around with greater ease than others whose faces grace a Most Wanted poster."

We get rolling and ride off into what's left of the night. Leaving the dim city lights behind, I welcome the sinuous open road that leads us into the western side of the valley. The stony mountain ridges rise from the thickening woods just as the sun slowly rises somewhere behind us, painting the sky in cold shades of pink and blue.

I can almost hear the sirens wailing in the distance. I imagine SWAT vans, news vans, FBI sedans, and the sheriff's office descending upon our clubhouse. I'm going to miss that place. It was home to us, our safe haven. We knew we'd have to sacrifice it eventually. I only hope we'll find our way back to it someday.

Maybe we'll be able to vanquish this terrible dragon, cut the head off the beast, ending it once and for all. And possibly, we'll get to ride off into the sunset with Ariana. That is if we survive.

That was always the deciding factor—our survival.

The road takes us away from the interstate and straight into the wilderness. A few turns here and there, and our bikes begin to struggle with pebbles and dried mud as we make our way up the mountain. It's not the steepest slope, but it isn't easy on my suspension, either. By the time I get off the bike, my ass hurts like a thousand boots kicked it on the way up.

But we're safe, at least for now.

"Is the cabin yours?" Ariana asks, taking her helmet off.

I nod and smile. "Yeah. I bought it for a pretty penny from a retired hunter. It's not in my name, however. They'll never find it. It's in the middle of nowhere."

"I can see that."

The woodland birds are already singing their morning trills, sweet sounds echoing through the ancient oaks that proudly rise around us. The cabin itself is pretty small, with a river rock foundation and wood siding, and its roof shingles are still holding their own against the changing seasons.

"What about the others?" Ariana asks. "Shiloh, Spike, your friends."

"They're each on their own, and they know what they have to do," Sky assures her. "We all knew what we were getting ourselves into. The club members will get their fair share of police grilling, but we have good lawyers on our payroll. They'll be out after arraignment and placed under surveillance. The cops will probably keep Spike and Shiloh locked up."

"Why?" she sounds downright terrified of the prospect.

"To get to us," Raylan says. "But Shiloh and Spike will never talk. They will buy us some time. We have plenty of red herrings spread across the city."

"Why would you let them take the fall, though?" Ariana asks.

"Because somebody has to, and both Shiloh and Spike have clean records, which gives them a good chance against the DA if he considers pressing charges against them," Sky says. "My sister knows what she's doing, besides, she's the one who insisted on being a part of this. I trust her judgment as much as she trusts mine. Once we're done with our mission, she and Spike will waltz out of jail with their reputations and records untarnished."

Ariana doesn't seem confident about all of this, but given how little she actually knows, I'm not surprised. She is, however, exhausted, her beautiful blue eyes drooping slightly as we escort her into the cabin. I haven't been here in a while, but I had one of the prospects restock the place before we took Ariana from her home. It was only a matter of time before we'd be here; that much I knew from the very beginning.

"It's kind of quaint and homey," she smiles as she looks around.

The living room area is paneled with walnut and stone, and the hardwood floors are covered with thick woolen rugs. Raylan gets a fire burning in the fireplace while Sky puts a tea kettle on the stove. The cabin draws power from a series of solar panels mounted on the other side of the mountain ridge. It took me about a year to pull the cables across and make sure this place had electricity twenty-four-seven. The heating is still dependent on the fireplace for the most part, but it's a small house, and the walls are fully insulated. It gets warm quickly, and it stays warm all through the night.

"Thanks," I tell Ariana as she sinks into the sofa, wrapping herself in one of the plush blankets. "The guys helped me make this into a second home of sorts. Whenever I want to get away from the club, the city, and people in general, I just ride up here and find peace."

"You said everything is electric?"

"There's not much here that needs electricity, though," I reply. "Just the lighting and the kitchen appliances."

"What about TV or the internet?"

"We don't use much of that here. Sky got us a great data deal on our phones and I keep a wireless router upstairs, so if we ever need to work on a laptop or something, we just use cellular data."

"Here's something warm and sweet, like you," Sky says as he brings over a mug for Ariana. She takes it with both hands and gives him a soft smile. I'm glad to see the tremors are gone from her delicate fingers. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thank you," she says, then sighs deeply. It seems as though the weight of a thousand lifetimes was just shed from her shoulders as she finally gathers the nerve to look up at us. "I'm sorry for my reaction to what you proposed before I ran off like the ultimate idiot."

Sky is the first to sit down next to her while Raylan and I cautiously move closer, exchanging brief glances. My stomach is already getting tighter. I wish it didn't take a near-death experience to bring Ariana back to us, but I can't let this opportunity slip by, not when she is what we've come to truly want in the short time that she's been with us.

"Ariana, I'll admit we were hoping for a different reaction, but we do understand," Sky gently says. "It's not exactly something guys tell their girls regularly."

"No, but I should've known; I should've been more composed," she replies. "Besides, you and me. Sky and me …" She pauses and nods at Raylan with an embarrassed chuckle. "Lord knows, we almost became a thing. I already knew from Spike that you'd much rather build something together with one woman. The three of you, I mean. If it works, why not?"

"Do you think it would work between us?" Raylan asks her.

To my astonishment and relief, she nods slowly. "I have thought about it. More than once."

"You are safe with us," I declare. "Ariana, if you want to leave right now, if you want to walk out that door tonight, I'm not going to stop you."

Sky gives me a troubled look, but he knows and understands where I'm going with this. Exhaling sharply, he, too, concedes. "If we're to be with you, the three of us, Kendric makes a good point. You need to be able to trust us, and that means we have to set you free. Ariana, do you want to leave? Because you can. I promise there will be no repercussions. You can go."

"No. I'm safer with the three of you right now," she blurts out. "The Black Hand and Masterson know that I know about them now. At least here, I'm hidden. And if this leads back to my dad, I need to know how and why. No, I trust you."

"Then be ours tonight."