out,” she said, holding my gaze. “Thank you, Gage.”
“You’d have made it out without me,” I told her. She shrugged.
“I’d like to think so,” she said, and she sounded exhausted. “But the fact is, when I needed you, you were there.”
“That’s what we do,” I said simply.
“We?”
“The Reapers,” I answered. “When we need each other, we’re there. And you’re with me, now. Tinker. You never need to be alone again.”
Carrie loosened her grip, pulling away. “I think you’re hugging the wrong woman.”
Tinker smiled, then stepped toward me as I pulled her into my arms. For what might’ve been the first time in her life, Carrie showed some discretion and walked about around the truck to give us some privacy. I leaned down, smelling her hair.
Smoke this time. No peaches.
“Did all that really happen?” Tinker asked against my chest. “It’s like something out of a movie.”
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure it happened,” I said, although I knew what she meant. The day felt like some strange nightmare, unconnected from reality.
“Now what do we do?” she asked, looking up at me. “Carrie and Darren are heading to stay with relatives in Spokane. If you’re driving back to Coeur d’Alene, would you be willing to drop us off there? She doesn’t have much room in the car. It’s full of stuff from her aunt’s place.”
“Hell, no,” I told her, narrowing my eyes. “You’re coming home with me. I already messaged the club—they’ll pull together everything you need. You’ll stay in Coeur d’Alene at my place until it’s safe to go home.”
“Are you sure?” she asked. “I mean, I know we’ve slept together a few times, but—”
Leaning down, I caught her lips in a hard kiss, driving my tongue deep because the woman obviously shouldn’t be allowed to talk any more, not if she planned on staying crazy shit like that. The kiss wasn’t long enough, not even close, but by the time I pulled back her eyes were dazed and her lips were swollen.
“We’re going to Coeur d’Alene,” I told her. “And then we’ll figure shit out. Got it?”
Tinker nodded, then gave me a slow smile.
“Got it,” she whispered, and I kissed her again.
• • •
It took an hour to get everyone transferred and settled. Tom and Mary Webbly were both exhausted, so we pulled out the bunk and let them sleep while we went shopping for some food for the road. The store was full of refugees, and everywhere I looked I saw the exhausted faces of people I’d met over the past few weeks. Then we climbed back into the truck and pulled out, Tinker collapsing on the seat next to me, her face drawn and tight even in sleep.
Fuck, I thought, watching as the yellow stripes of the highway disappeared behind us. Driving this thing was like driving a tank.
I was really gonna miss my bike.
Of course, I’d have missed Tinker a hell of a lot more, and there was a Harley dealership in Spokane full of bikes just like mine, and some a whole lot nicer. Reaching over, I touched her hair, running my fingers through it. God, she was beautiful.
Yeah, fuck the bike. All I needed was right here.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
ONE WEEK LATER
TINKER
I sat outside on Gage’s deck, watching as a flock of wild turkeys wandered below me on the hillside. I’d been enchanted the first time I saw them, until I smelled their shit. It was rotten, like something dead. Not only that, cleaning it up was a real bitch. The stuff was so sludgy that you couldn’t scoop it, but way too solid to spray off with the hose.
That was one part of north Idaho that I didn’t like.
So far it was the only part.
We’d had some incredible things happen over the past week, that was for sure. For one, the Reaper women were really nice. I don’t know what I’d expected—probably older versions of Talia or Sadie. But these women formed a strong sisterhood that’d wrapped around me like a welcoming blanket. They’d pounced as soon as we’d pulled in, handing over bags of clean clothing, toiletries, and gift cards to buy anything else we might need. Yes, they were tough and some of them looked a little dangerous. But they were also sweet and smart and funny, and so welcoming it made my heart hurt.
And they loved Gage.
When he’d called the club his family, I hadn’t quite understood what he meant. I’d grown up with my mom and dad, and some distant cousins who lived down