I went after the blond biker next, whirling the chain in circles around my head. He scowled at me and pulled out around the van. I pulled out to follow him—
And saw the truck thundering towards me in the oncoming lane. I swayed right and it flashed past me, so close that the slipstream sucked the air from my lungs.
I pulled out again and bore down on the blond biker. He tried to avoid me by pulling in ahead of the van but the chain whipped out and I caught him on the hand. He cried out and slewed off the road and into a ditch, alive but with a handful of busted fingers.
As we hit the highway, I looked back at the van, eyes wild with fury. There was one Blood Spider driving and another in the passenger seat. Behind them, I could see shapes moving in the rear: two more bikers, maybe three? And all probably armed. Even if I could get the van to stop, I was going to be seriously outnumbered.
That’s when I heard the end-of-the-world rumble behind me, a bass throb that grew to a roar. First one bike then more and more shot past the van and formed up alongside me. Mac. Ox. Hunter Viking. More and more members joined the group, until we were five thick and three deep, blocking the road.
“They’ve got Annabelle!” I yelled to Mac over the deafening roar.
Mac nodded and then looked across at Hunter. He pulled a hunting knife from beneath his cut and throttled back.
The guys in the van had been forced to slow, the driver wide-eyed and pale. As Hunter dropped back alongside him, he swung sideways, trying to run him off the road. But Hunter effortlessly swayed out of the way and, as he passed close to their front wheel, the knife flashed in the sun. The tire exploded, pieces of scorching rubber arced through the air, and the van driver had to slam on the brakes as he started to skid. Three tons of metal slewed across the highway towards us, but everyone managed to dodge out of the way. The van spun a full one-eighty and finally came to a stop facing the wrong way in the center of the highway.
I got to the driver’s door just as he opened it and drove my fist into his face as hard as I could. On the other side, Ox was hauling out the guy in the passenger seat and hurling him to the ground.
The rear doors flew open and three Blood Spiders jumped out, pulling guns. But they were swarmed by members before they could get a shot off, punches raining down on them. I pushed my way past the fight and jumped into the rear of the van….
And there, lying on her side on the floor, was Annabelle. The bastards had put duct tape over her mouth and tied her wrists behind her back but she didn’t look hurt. I freed her hands, then carefully peeled off the tape, wincing along with her as it caught on her skin. “You okay?” I asked, as soon as it was off.
In answer, she threw herself into my arms, burying her head in my chest. I held her there, my hand on the back of her head. I didn’t want her to ever move. “I’m sorry I sent you away,” I told her, my voice tight.#p#分页标题#e#
She clutched me even harder. “Don’t do it again,” she managed.
I viciously shook my head. I wasn’t losing her again. Not this girl. Even if keeping her safe meant being around her—but not having her—twenty-four seven. Even if it drove me crazy.
I knew what I had to do. If the Blood Spiders were after her, she needed more than me. She needed the whole club. The last thing I wanted to do was draw them into this but I didn’t have a choice.
I looked up to see Mac standing with his arms folded, waiting for an explanation. And I could hear the wailing of sirens in the distance: some terrified driver must have called the cops.
“We’re going back to the clubhouse,” I told Annabelle. “You’re under our protection, now.”
19
Annabelle
The next few minutes were a blur. The Blood Spiders were left by the side of the highway, bloodied and bruised: hopefully the cops would pick up at least some of them. The Hell’s Princes and I continued on down the highway, staying just out of sight of the cops, then turned off down a country road and circled back to Haywood Falls.
It was the first time I’d ridden in a pack and it was terrifying...and wonderful. The bikes roared along well above the speed limit, but so close I could have reached out and touched them. We were all one slip away from a horrific pile up but they were all so practiced, so confident, that we swung around each bend in perfect unison, leaning in so far that I thought my long hair would brush the pavement.
Carrick and I were at the very center of the pack. The engine noise was deafening but I’d never felt more protected, a princess surrounded by her knights. The air around me was warm, heated by fifteen blistering-hot exhausts and scented with leather and smoke.