Rebel Rider, page 17
“I’ll call you later tonight after I get back to the motel.”
With a huff of frustration, I start the engine and turn on the lights. I can’t just leave him to go out there on his own and risk hurting himself, or worse. Nobody apart from me even knows that he’s here.
Just as I’m about to peel out of the parking lot in anger, he appears at my window and leans in, his warm breath tickling my neck. I try and squirm away from him, still irked.
“No, Aiden, I’m—”
But he shuts me up by pressing his lips against mine in a slow, deep, passionate kiss, and I can’t help but forget my anger and melt into him, even if just for a moment. And then he’s gone.
“I’ll see you later!” he calls after me, as I drive away.
Yeah, it’s going to be sooner than that.
I drive down the road until I’m certain he can’t see me any longer, and then pull onto a little side-street out of view. I pull out my phone and bring up the photo I snuck of his printout, telling me exactly where he’s planning on going.
Danger or not, I’ve always had trouble listening to people telling me what to do, and Aiden isn’t any different. I can’t risk him going out there alone, with nobody knowing where he is and what he’s doing. Last time they beat the shit out of him. This time, if he’s caught it’ll be much, much worse than that.
I need to be there for him, and I don’t care if it puts me in danger. Two heads are better than one, and besides, machoness aside, he’s going to need all the support he can get out there in the dark. I sit for a few minutes, tapping my fingers on the steering wheel, buzzing with nervous energy. I packed some walking boots, so I reach into the backseat and grab them, putting them on. I’m not really much of an outdoorsy type, so these haven’t been worn in years. Luckily, they still fit.
I check my watch—he must have left by now. It’s fully dark at this point, and all I have is the flashlight on my phone. I just hope the map is accurate, and that the forest isn’t too overgrown. The last thing I need is to get myself lost before I even find him.
I take a deep breath and start the engine again.
Do I really want to do this?
If those bikers are doing some big time deal out there, then they are not going to want any witnesses. If this all goes wrong…
I shudder, trying not to think about exactly how dangerous and stupid this is. But the thought of simply going home and watching TV while Aiden is out there in the dark, risking his life, is something that I know I can’t do. I have to be there for him, just in case.
So, I pull out onto the road, look at the map, and drive towards the outskirts of town.
* * *
Half an hour later, and all my bravado has damn near vanished. I managed to find the little access road where Aiden parked his bike ahead of time, and I leave my car right there next to it. Behind me are endless dark corn fields, and in front is the edge of the forest. It’s a dark, cloudy night, and I can’t see a damn thing once that wall of trees begins. I swallow, feeling fear and panic sitting like a stone in my belly.
Every instinct is yelling at me to just get in the car and drive back home, and I almost do. But then I think of Aiden, hurt or worse, nobody there to help him, and I straighten my shoulders, flick on my phone’s flashlight, and start walking into the trees.
It’s fucking terrifying. I’d always figured a forest like this at night would be scary because it was so quiet, but it’s the little noises all around me that have me jumping out of my skin. Rustles and snaps and God knows what else. My flashlight manages to illuminate a tiny area in front of me, but beyond that there is just a massive, imposing wall of darkness. Something could be standing right next to me, and I wouldn’t even know it.
I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared, but I push it down and somehow keep on putting one foot in front of the other. There seems to be a path here—it’s old, and overgrown, but at least I don’t need a machete or something to hack my way through. More than once I hit my shin on a fallen log, or trip over an unseen root, and bite my lip, desperate not to make any unnecessary sound.
I have no idea how far into this forest I need to go, and while I occasionally shine the light on my map, I soon realize that I’m hopelessly lost. But the map says that the planned meeting place is pretty much directly north from where I entered from the road, so I just need to trust my instincts and keep following the path.
Easier said than done, though.
I always wondered how people could get lost in a forest. I mean, just keep going in the same direction, right? You’ll get out eventually. But now I understand. I’m completely turned around—I have pretty much no idea which way it is back to the road and my means of escape.
I feel that panic start to rise within me, but I know there’s nothing to do but keep walking, and trust that I got it right when I came in. Keep on going, and I should get there eventually. I just have to hope that I’m not too late, that Aiden has managed to keep hidden. The alternative is too horrible to even contemplate.
I walk for a little while longer, somehow managing to ignore the horrible panic bubbling away inside me, until suddenly I freeze. I can hear something—and it’s not just another forest noise. It sounds like shouting. Or music, maybe.
I take a few more tentative steps forward, wondering if I’m just hearing things. But no, it’s real. There’s also a slight orange glow now, still quite distant, and I can make out the outline of tall trees.
My mouth is dry as I press on forward, aware of every single sound I make now. One wrong step could literally mean my life. As I get closer to the origin of the light and sound, it gets brighter and louder, and I quickly turn my flashlight off and shove my phone into the pocket of my jeans.
There’s loud rock music playing from some booming speakers, and I can hear raucous laughter and shouting; men’s voices. I crouch low and continue creeping forward towards a clearing in the trees, desperately looking around in the dim light, trying to find Aiden somewhere in the dancing shadows.
I can’t see him though.
So I keep on moving forward, trying to find a good spot where I can lay low and see what’s happening in that clearing. Fear grips me tight as I inch my way forwards, until finally I crest a little ridge and catch my first glimpse of what’s going on down there.
There are around twenty men, sitting and standing around a big, roaring bonfire drinking and laughing. My chest tightens as I see that all of them are armed with handguns and rifles.
There seem to be two distinct groups of men. Half are clearly the bikers, and I can see Mike there, cradling a bottle of beer and machine gun. Across from the bikers are some other, unfamiliar looking faces. They look hard-faced, and wary—the type who’d sell their own grandmother for a profit. I don’t know who these guys are, but whatever they’re here for, it can’t be good.
I sweep my gaze around the edges of the clearing, trying to spot where Aiden might have set up. Maybe he came around a different way from me, maybe—
A cold hand clamps down over my mouth, and the heavy weight of a body presses down on me, pinning me to the ground. Adrenaline and fear explode through me, and I scream a muffled scream into the hand before a voice hisses in my ear.
“Hailey! Quiet!”
It’s Aiden. I tremble, physically uncoiling as the shock of being pinned fades.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” he growls in a harsh whisper, close to my ear so that the sound doesn’t travel.
“I told you to go home, Hailey.” He swears under his breath. “Fuck, Hailey, these guys are for real. They see us here, we’re dead.”
I pry his hand off my mouth and managed to roll onto my back underneath him. The flickering light of the fire just about allows me to make out the frowning features of his face.
“How about you be quiet, ass,” I mutter. “You’re the one making all the damn noise. I was laying here, nice and quiet, until you showed up.”
He opens his mouth, probably to berate me again, but I hold up a finger and wave it at him in warning.
“Uh-uh. Enough. I’m here now, you’re just gonna have to deal. We can talk about it later.”
His lips tighten as his jaw clenches, and I can see him trying to be mad, but also trying to hold back a grin.
“You’re a pain in the ass when you want to be, you know that?”
I grin. “I try.”
Aiden slowly climbs off me, which, even given our present circumstances, makes me frown at the loss of his body against mine. He rolls over to lay down next to me in the dirt.
“You actually found a pretty good spot,” he concedes, grudgingly. “I can get some good shots from here. Show the cops what these assholes are up to.”
He brings his binoculars up to his eyes and sweeps them over the gathering in front of us.
“Look,” he breathes. “Wooden crate, just there. Guarded by the same goons Mike brought to the shop with him.”
I didn’t spot it at first, but I see it now. The men standing in front of it are the only ones present who don’t have a drink in their hand, and they’re clutching their rifles and look alert, suspicious eyes sweeping over the clearing. Those are the guys we need to be concerned about.
“I’m going to guess it’s full of illegal weapons,” Aiden murmurs, nodding his chin at the crate. “And I’m also guessing they’re selling them to those assholes over there.”
He points at the second crew as he snaps a couple of photos with the long lens attached to his camera.
“Cops can’t turn a blind eye to stuff like this,” he whispers. “Petty crime and extortion, sure. But selling cratefuls of machine guns or whatever else they’ve got in there? No way. They’ll have to step in and stop this shit.”
He snaps a few more photos, glancing down at the little screen on the digital camera to make sure they’re as telling as they need to be. He shows it to me.
“What do you think?”
I flick through a few of the photos—they’re all crisp and clear, and it’s easy to identify who’s who.
“They’re good,” I whisper. “That should be more than enough. Now, can we get out of here before someone spots us? Do you know the way back?”
Aiden arches one brow at me. “Don’t you?”
My lips twist along with my hands as I glance down.
No.
“I, uh…”
He sighs, that smug half-smile spreading over his perfect lips. “And this is why I wanted you home. This isn’t a game.”
I glare at him. “You know what the downside is to being smug?”
Aiden shrugs.
“It doesn’t get you laid.”
He smiles, shaking his head at me. “Heard loud and clear.”
“Oh good.” I arch my brow at him. “Now, assuming we have everything we came here for, let’s get the hell out of here.”
“No argument from me,” Aiden says. “Lets’ get the fuck out of here.”
He pulls himself up onto his knees and offers me a hand. I take it, and he pulls me up to my feet. I’m careful to keep crouched down low—it’s dark up here, and the fire is probably ruining the night vision of those people standing around it, but I know that we can’t be too careful.
“This way,” Aiden murmurs. “Just stick near me. Where’d you leave your car?”
“Next to your bike.”
He nods. “No speaking until we get there. I don’t know if they have scouts or lookouts out here somewhere. If I was them I would, but these guys are dumb as hell so who knows?”
I nod as I stand, leaning in close to whisper my reply—but as I do so, my foot catches on a root buried under some dead leaves, tearing it from the ground with my momentum. The sound is horribly loud as I stumble, although I manage to mostly suppress my cry of surprise. However, I turn in horror as I feel the ground shift under my feet. There’s nothing I can do to stop it—a chunk of dirt and stone has been dislodged by the movement, and I can do nothing but watch as it tumbles down the incline, loudly coming to rest just at the edge of the clearing.
Oh shit.
The men guarding the crate swivel their heads towards the sound instantly.
“Who’s there?!” one shouts, and my blood turns to ice in my veins. There’s more shouting and the sound of guns being cocked.
I hear Aiden curse under his breath, and then his arms grab me and pull me stumbling through the darkness.
“We need to get the fuck out of here, right now,” he says. “Move!”
I can’t see a damn thing but allow myself to be led as Aiden charges away into the pitch-blackness ahead of us. My heart is pounding in terror as I listen to the clearing behind us erupt into shouts.
They know someone was watching them, and now they’re coming for us.
“I’m sorry!” I wail between heaving breaths. “I didn’t see the root, I didn’t—”
“Quiet!” Aiden says. “That doesn’t matter right now! What matters is us getting out of here alive. We can’t use any light, or they’ll see us from a mile away. Just keep hold of my hand and I’ll get us out of here.”
We’re running together now, the blackness of the forest engulfing us. Aiden somehow seems to know the way, and his hand has a vice-grip on mine. I stumble, terror engulfing me, but he never lets go. Branches and twigs tear at my hair and whip across my face, but I barely even feel it. All I know is that I have to run, or I’m dead.
I can hear the shouts of men following us, but I have no idea how close they are. I don’t even dare spare a moment to glance behind us, for fear of seeing something I don’t want to see.
My lungs are burning, and my eyes are streaming, but I press on anyway. It seems endless—no light, no sound but the ragged intake of my breath and the snapping, rustling sound of my feet as they drag along the forest floor.
“Almost there,” Aiden hisses. “When we get there, I want you to get on the back of my bike and hold on to me for dear life. Understand?”
I just squeeze his hand to show I’ve heard his words, because I can’t spare the breath.
Then there’s an almighty crack from behind us, like the loudest thunder I’ve ever heard, and a pinging sound as something hits a tree nearby.
“Fuck!” Aiden shouts as I scream.
They’re shooting at us
“Keep going!” He yells into my ear. “We’re not far now!”
I don’t even have time to be scared about the bullets now thudding into the ground and the trees behind us, so focused am I on putting one foot in front of the other, and somehow drawing in enough breath to then do it again.
And then we suddenly break free from the tree line, and we’re racing out onto the road where my car and Aiden’s bike are, thank God, still waiting for us. I remember his instructions and use the last of my energy to vault on the back of his bike, wrapping my arms around his waist as he guns the engine and roars onto the road.
I squeeze my eyes shut and make myself as small as possible as bullets continue to ping and whizz all around me. I’m certain that we’re going to die, but somehow nothing hits us. As we tear off along the road, I risk a glance behind. There are men at the edge of the forest, I can just about make them out, but they’re turning and racing back into the trees.
Aiden races away for a few miles, then pulls over at the side of the road. He hops off the bike and immediately pulls me into his arms. I can’t do anything but sag into his embrace—the adrenaline is wearing off and I realize that I’m utterly spent.
“Are you hurt?” he asks, holding me by the shoulders and looking me up and down as I stand there trembling and numb. “Hailey!” He says louder. “Are you hurt?!”
“No,” I manage to croak out, shaking my head. “I’m okay…”
He hugs my trembling body tight, rubbing my back until the adrenaline shakes wear off. His hand suddenly moves to start patting his pockets, and he swears.
“Fuck. My phone must have fallen while we were running. Do you have yours?”
I’m about to search for it when Aiden curses and drags me into the brush at the side of the road. In the distance, roaring towards us is a ton of police cars, ambulances, and dark-windowed vans.
“Someone must’ve heard those gunshots,” Aiden says. “At least it saves me a call.”
The vehicles thunder past us in a blur of wailing sirens and roaring engines.
“Luckily they’re all focused on that,” he murmurs. “Hopefully they won’t notice the bike here.”
We crouch in the dark for a minute or two in silence, just listening. Aiden hugs me close to him, and I feel safer, protected in his arms.
“We should make a move,” he says. “Gotta get out of here before we’re noticed.”
“No arguments here,” I say, voice still shaky with adrenaline. “Take me—”
There’s the crack of a gunshot in the distance, coming from the direction we’ve just left. Then more, and more—the staccato sound of fully automatic weapons being fired, and lots of them.
“Jesus,” Aiden says. “Sounds like a goddamn warzone. Let’s go, before we get caught up in it.”
He lifts me onto the back of the bike, and I wrap my arms around his waist and rest my head on his back as he starts the engine and races away. I’m utterly spent, and exhausted, and I don’t even wanna think about how close I came to dying tonight. But I’ve got him. And we got out alive. And if all goes well, our problems should fix themselves.
At least, I hope they do…
19
Aiden
I’m taking the backroads way faster than I should be. But whatever is happening out there in those woods right now sounds dangerous, and I’ve already had enough life-threatening experiences for one night. For myself, let alone Hailey.
There’s a part of me that’s goddamn furious with her. I mean what in the fuck did she think she was doing, coming out into those woods tonight? I should have dropped her off at home myself and told Matt to keep an eye on her.
And yet, despite my anger, I can’t help but feel a little spark of pride. It took some balls to do what she did tonight. Hell, I was scared half to death out there, but she held it together. That, and I know she came for me.
