Brass gave me a look on his way out like he wanted so bad to stay, to help me up. But he was right – viciously right. I couldn't hold him back. Every second he spent dealing with me was one more second of this poor woman's life melting away, bringing her closer to the gruesome end. Everything the demented bastard promised.
I listened to my man's boots thud down the stairs, and then he was out the door. His truck started a second later, and he gunned it, pulling out of the rocky driveway.
It was like taking a huge splash of glacial water in the face. Or maybe it was pure acid.
I barely knew Christa, but she was innocent. Irony surfaced, raking her cruel nails across my face.
Jesus, dad's desperate mistakes had gotten us dragged into all this, and I'd dragged Jackie in because I'd been too stupid to throw the cash away and run for the hills.
Now, my blackness had spread, eating someone else alive. If it wasn't for dad's sins, we'd have never gotten ourselves captured. I'd never have dragged in Brass and sunken deeper than anything I imagined. My sister wouldn't have needed a tutor, and the girl wouldn't have wound up stuck in this insane biker war.
My temples throbbed. It was hard to stand up, but I managed. I dressed quickly, listening as a vehicle growled into the driveway.
I tensed up, thinking maybe it was Brass. But Jackie and Saffron's laughter at some joke as they came through the door told me otherwise. They'd gotten home just in time. I washed my face in the bathroom across the hall. Must've waited in the darkness for a good half hour before anyone came up to check on me.
“Missy? I've got some chili going downstairs if you're ready to eat.” Saffron paused. “Where the hell's my brother?”
I got up and walked toward her, refusing to turn on the light. I couldn't let her see the crazy turmoil scrawled on my face.
“I need to borrow your car.”
“Huh? We just got back. But I guess if there's something you need in town, I'd be happy to drive you –“
“No!” It came out like a bullet. Sharp. Forceful. “I need to borrow it. There's shit going on with the club...with Brass...I promise I'll get it back to you in one piece. Help me.”
I sounded like a lunatic. Damn, what was one more lie on top of everything else I'd told myself to stay sane during all this?
“Lady, you'd better take a big deep breath and tell me what the fuck is going on before I call up Blaze and find out.” It was the first time I'd heard her angry, and she definitely had the fire in her voice that told me she'd been through some crap.
Still, it didn't soften me one bit. “If I say anything else, you won't even think about handing me the keys. Look, I'm going to find myself a ride one way or another...but I'd prefer to have something reliable to get me where I'm going. Preferably a loaner from somebody I can trust to keep their mouth shut.”
Saffron reached for my hand and I spun her around. We were both about the same size, but I was way more worked up. She hit the bed with a muffed yelp. Annoyance foamed in her throat as she struggled up on her knees and looked at me.
“This is insane. I'm calling –“
“Don't.” We locked eyes in the darkness, and I refused to let go, no matter what she did next. “If you call him, all hell's going to break loose, and I'll never save her in time. Brass can't do it. Neither can the Devils. They talk too much. They're too slow.”
Saffron shook her head, frustrated. “Save who?”
“Is Jackie taking a shower?” I asked.
Saffron nodded, just as confused as I expected.
Good. You don't have to make a scene and upset Jackie. You've got to go. Now.
“Take care of her for me,” I said. “I know I can count on you to do that. One day, I'll find some way to repay it.”
I couldn't ignore the shrill voice in my head. I took off and slammed the bedroom door shut behind me, flying down the stairs, leveraging surprise as much as I could.
It worked. Saffron was only halfway down the staircase, screaming after me, when I pulled her purse off the kitchen table. Crap spilled out all over on my way out to her SUV, and I had the keys in my hand just in time.
I popped the door and slid in. There was no time for my seat belt. The vehicle started quick, smooth, and I was backing out as she ran after me. I felt bad watching her pound the hood. She got off one beat, and I kept going. I didn't stop, tearing toward the road through the mountains, leading to the main highway.
My hands went numb gripping the wheel. I didn't relax until I was all the way through town, constantly checking my mirrors for trucks and motorcycles behind me, trying to close in and stop what I had to do.
When Brass and the Devils found out, they'd be furious. Just one more consequence I had to face. Nobody ever said doing the right thing was easy.
This time, it was going to be an absolute bitch.
I drove all night, heading toward Redding, following the dark cold highways as best as I could. I'd never driven this kind of distance. Adrenaline, anxiety, and guilt rode with me.