Outlaw's Promise(73)

Mac was shaking his head. “You were like a brother,” he spat. “I never figured you for a rat.”

I snarled and threw him off me. He went crashing into the trophy cabinet, shattering several of the panes. The framed copy of the original set of club rules fell off the wall and smashed on the floor.

I jumped to my feet and pushed my way through the doors before Mac could stop me, grabbing Annabelle by the hand. But Hunter and Viking were waiting outside, standing in front of my bike.

I only hesitated for a second. They were my brothers. This was my club. But I had to end this thing.

I grabbed Caorthannach from its holster on my bike and pointed the shotgun right at them.

Annabelle grabbed my arm. “Are you crazy?! Think about what you’re doing! Carrick, just think!”

“Get the fuck out of my way,” I told them.

They slowly backed away, their faces like thunder.

I climbed onto my bike and felt Annabelle climb on behind me. Then we were roaring off and out of the compound, feeling their eyes on us the whole way. I blasted out of town and down to the lake, taking the back roads until I was sure they weren’t following us. I finally slowed to a stop near a muddy trail that led right down to the lakeside.

I almost didn’t want to turn around. I didn’t want to face her. But I had to. She was crying, her eyes red, her cheeks shining. “What’s going on?” she sobbed. “Just tell me!”

“We’re going to meet an FBI agent,” I told her. “We’re doing a deal, so you can be safe.” I climbed off the bike and led her by the hand.

She shook her head, hanging back. “No. No! I know what the club means to you. They’re your family, you can’t rat them out! I don’t want to be safe, not if it means that!”

But I kept walking, towing her along. If I didn’t hurry and get it over with, I might break down myself. Because this was going to be the hardest thing I’d ever done.

Agent Trent’s SUV was parked in a clearing halfway down the slope. I could just see the lake sparkling in the distance. Trent was in the back seat and I could see a driver up front. Two serious-looking guys in suits—more agents, I guessed—were standing guard by the front of the car.

“You ready to do this?” said one of the guys as we approached. “We can take you to a safe location right now. The two of you can be in witness protection by the end of the night. All you gotta do is give Agent Trent what he needs to put the club away.”#p#分页标题#e#

Annabelle spun to face me. “You can’t! Carrick, this isn’t right and you know it!”

I looked her in the eye and nodded. “You’re right,” I said softly. “It isn’t right.” I looked at the two guys. “That’s why I’m changing the deal.”

Immediately, they shook their heads. “No changes. You give us the club or no deal.”

But the electric window of the SUV whined down and Agent Trent looked at me curiously.

I took a deep breath. “I can give you something even better.” It took me another few seconds before I could bring myself to say it. I’d been keeping the secret for so long, until Annabelle helped me let it out. “I’ll confess to the murder of FBI Agent Walker eleven years ago.” I looked at Annabelle. “Annabelle goes into witness protection...and I go to jail.”





46





Annabelle





“What?!” I could feel my face going white. Carrick ratting out the club would have been unthinkable but this?! Oh God, in his mind it made perfect sense: he’d save me, save the club...the only person who’d suffer would be him. “You can’t!” I flung myself against him. “I won’t let you!”

But Carrick was looking over my head, towards Agent Trent. I followed his gaze. Trent was trying hard to keep a poker face but I could see him weakening. He’d bring in the killer of a federal agent and solve a years-old case at the same time. He’d probably get a freakin’ commendation. He nodded.

“No!” I almost screamed it. “Carrick, no!”

He looked down at me and shook his head. “It’s the only way. You’ll be safe. You’ll get a new name. You can start again.”

“I don’t want to start again. I want—”—my voice caught—”I want you and this, I want Haywood Falls and the club—”

“Volos is never going to stop coming. Not until he realizes you’re gone. This is the only way to keep everyone safe.”

I clung onto him. I pressed my face between the cool leather sides of his cut and into the warm valley between his pecs. I could feel myself pressing the heels of my sneakers into the dirt, as if I could anchor him there if I only hung on hard enough. “No!” I said stubbornly. “There has to be another way!”