there and if you didn’t, the cover won’t be blown.”
I thought it over. Marsh was like a stick of lit dynamite, and at this point anything could push him over the edge. God help us all if he picked up a nail in his tire. Even if Painter showed, there were no guarantees. The key was surviving on the ride down—once I got there the club could step in if they had to.
“He doesn’t need to come,” I told him. “They want to put a bullet in my brain, that’s gonna happen on the way down. For all I know, Marsh is lying about Hands and this is just an ambush. He’s made it clear he doesn’t trust me for shit. Doesn’t trust any of us—man is paranoid and losing it.”
“How serious a risk do you think it is?” Pic asked. “More intel won’t help anyone if you’re riding to your execution. We can end this thing now.”
I considered the point, trying to stay detached. Not the easiest thing to do when you’re talking about your own death.
“Marsh is scattered,” I told him. “Twitching, can’t hold his thoughts together very well. I think he’s running on pure instinct right now—not calculating. I’m not his primary target.”
“Okay then, here’s a plan,” Pic said. “First up, this is your ass on the line, so you pull the plug if things change. Second, I’ll gather the brothers and figure out a plan. If I have to call you, I’ll pretend to be Levi until you give me an all clear.”
“Thanks. Come in soft . . . Maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll back down.”
“Yeah, and maybe you’ll get a magical kiss from a fairy princess, wake up, and discover this was all a dream.”
“I’m flipping you off right now,” I said, biting back a smile.
“This is not a surprise. Take care, brother. Remember—we’re your family. We’ll do whatever it takes, got me?”
“Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that.”
• • •
The next four hours were the longest in my life.
I saw the way Marsh watched when I came back in. Speculative. Calculating. Did he have some bigger plan I didn’t know about? As for Talia, she was almost giddy with excitement about the trip, although she didn’t like that we’d be traveling separately.
“I don’t understand why I can’t ride with you,” she whined. I shrugged.
“Ask your brother. I’m just followin’ orders.”
“You guys bring in the traitor, he’ll give you a patch,” she said, changing subjects abruptly. “Especially if your cousin comes as backup. Did you get hold of him?”
Her casual question startled me, and I stopped so suddenly that she bumped into me. Would’ve been funny if there weren’t a slow burn building in my stomach.
“Marsh told you about that?”
Talia smirked, reaching up with one finger to touch my lips, shushing me. “I know everything, baby. Including the fact that you called me a bitch. But don’t worry—he thought it was funny. I think it’s funny, too. Thing is, I like fucking you and you’re pretty to look at, but don’t let it go to your head. If my brother has to choose between us, it’s not gonna end well for you.”
Then she popped up on her toes, offering me a long, slow kiss.
“Ride safe.”
I watched her swagger off toward a Dodge Ram quad cab, where the girls had already gathered in a giggling cluster, a now-calm Sadie among them. Couldn’t see any bruises from here, but maybe she’d put on a fuckload of makeup or something. Hard to believe she was the same pitiful creature I’d found crying back behind the building earlier that morning. Weird, fucked-up girl. Of course, you’d have to be to stay friends with Talia.
Minutes later, engines roared to life as Marsh and the others pulled out in formation, leaving me, Rome, and the other hangarounds to suck their fumes. There were many, many things I missed about riding with my club, not the least of which was a decent position in the pack.
Exhaust wasn’t the only thing we had to suck down along the way. Half an hour into the trip, a thick cloud of smoke rolled down across the highway, tiny specks of white ash raining down on us. Wildfire in the distance. Then we passed a series of blackened patches of ground along the pavement.
Flames had been through here, and recently.
Creepy as hell.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
I managed to coordinate with Pic along the way, sending him quick text messages when we stopped for gas. Marsh let me