I turn to look over my shoulder at Dani and slam into something hard. I trip backward, nearly falling on my ass. Looking at what I ran into, I find a man. He’s hard to make out with the shadows of the night smothering his features. An evil laugh sounds from behind the figure, and I look toward it, noticing a bunch of motorcycles and other dark shadows.
“Cherry, is it?” The voice is eerie and raw. I don’t respond, trying to crawl backward. The figure steps forward, grasping my forearm harshly. I twist and pull from his grip, but he’s too strong. “She’s right, you know; there are bad guys lurking around at night.” He chuckles, the sound menacing.
He snaps his fingers and two guys step forward, grabbing me by the arms and lifting me from the ground.
“Dani!” I scream frantically, fear constricting through my chest.
“Kane! Get out here!” Dani screams.
“Put her down now, fucker!” Kane hollers. A nervous sweat builds along my spine as I look over my shoulder, finding Kane pointing a gun at the guy I ran into.
“You shoot me and my men will kill you, take your women, and burn your club to the ground,” the guy threatens, his tone cool. His silhouette outlines his muscled body, and the fear I felt before turns into terror. Who is this guy?
“What do you want?” Kane questions, lowering his gun when he sees he’s outnumbered. My heart sinks that he’s giving in and my hands tremble, terrified.
“You tell your president that the Sin City Outlaws want to do business and, when he agrees, Lip will get his bitch back.” My eyes go wide. How does he know Lip? “Lip knows my number when he’s ready to talk.”
The guy holding me turns, and two guys standing by an unfamiliar van open the back doors.
“No! No!” I scream, trying to get free.
“Stop fighting, bitch,” the guy growls, practically throwing me into the back of the van. I land with a hard thud; the wind knocked out of me, I gasp and wheeze. Before I can sit up, my hands are pulled behind my back and zip-tied. I try to protest but seeking oxygen is more important. A man with a thick beard and defined cheek bones grins wildly, placing a bag that feels like wool over my head, sealing my vision into nothing but complete darkness.
LIP
My hands strangle the handlebars of my bike, anger fueling my reason. Someone will pay for the hurt Cherry’s lived with the last six years. I can feel the demise of someone’s soul heavy on my shoulders as I ride into the night. I will become the reaper tonight, taking what I want, what I crave: blood.
We pull into a closed gas station and back our bikes into the shadows of the building.
“There, that’s the trailer park.” Shadow points across the way. Jesus, it looks like a dump. A piece of me saddens knowing this is where Cherry grew up, that this is where her little girl is growing up. Guilt shifts through me. I wonder if she would have told me she had a little girl if I had never said I didn’t want kids.
“Where does Eric live?” I question, pushing my shame to the side.
“The nice house at the end of the circle drive,” Shadow informs. I nod, surveying the house. It’s nicer than the trailers, but not by much. The roof has shingles missing and black tires anchoring tarps to the roof. The door is hanging off its hinges, and there’s trash littered all over the porch. It’s a dump.
“Right, so let’s go around the side and enter the house from the back. Surprise this fucker,” Bull instructs.
“You got it,” I mutter, adrenaline rushing through my veins.
We head across the street, sticking to the tree line skirting around the trailer park. Dogs bark and cats hiss as we pass, but nobody even glances our way. Finally making our way to the back of Eric’s house, I spot a little girl sitting on the back steps, sniffling into her hands. I stop in my tracks and put my hand up, stopping the boys.
“What the fuck?” Bobby whispers, eyeing the little girl.
“That’s Piper. Cherry’s daughter,” Shadow tells us over my shoulder. My eyes widen, and my heartbeat stutters. As if the little girl could hear my heart stopping, she looks up, and I’m pinned by this little girl who looks identical to Cherry. I never thought I wanted kids, but to see someone so small, so innocent, and holding a piece of Cherry in her, I rethink that. I feel the need to protect the little girl, to harm whoever caused her tears to spill.
I step forward, my hands up in the air to show I mean no harm.
“You okay?” I ask. She wipes her tears and nods.
“Who are you?” she whimpers.
“I’m Lip,” I introduce. I look over my shoulder at the guys, and they’re all watching the interaction with wide eyes. Glancing back at the girl, she cocks her head to the side, looking me up and down. I look down at myself, curious at what she’s looking at.
“You’re wearing one of those jackets like Cherry wears.” Her eyes perk up. “Is Cherry with you?”
I smile at her excitement that I may have Cherry with me. “She’s at our club. I’m her friend,” I inform.
Her excitement fades. “Oh, well, I’m Piper.” She smiles shyly.