Rain Shadow(46)

“So Luke,” Carson glanced up in his rearview mirror, “I have to ask the obvious question. Where the hell have you been since the failed sting operation?”

“You’ll probably find this hard to believe, but I’ve been in Dreygon Sharpe’s compound.”

He processed that for a second. “How the hell?”

Seth looked over at me. “Who is Dreygon Sharpe?”

“He’s the president of the Bedlam motorcycle club,” Carson answered for me. “I don’t understand the connection. I thought Bent for Hell was a rival club. You were with Dex. How did you end up there?”

I looked out the window. The highway had stretched to four lanes and we were heading back to Reno. Dex had been staying with me in my father’s house, and his absence was going to be the worst part about going home. “You know, Carson, I’m not ready to talk about Dex. You’re going to have to give me some time.” The reality of how Dex died burned like an everlasting flame. Occasionally it could be doused. Angel could douse it. But then it would flame up again as if someone had poured gasoline on it.

Carson fell silent, but he deserved some explanation.

“The guys from Bent for Hell left me to die in the desert. And they thought it would be a great practical joke to leave a dead DEA agent outside of Dreygon’s compound. Only the joke was on them because I didn’t die.”

“You always were as tough as fucking rawhide,” Seth said.

“No, I would have died, but a girl found me.” I swallowed hard thinking how badly I wanted Angel to be with me right now. “Dreygon Sharpe’s granddaughter, Angel, was out with her horse, and she found me. She took me into the compound and nursed me back to health.”

“Do you mean to tell me that Sharpe was keeping a DEA agent prisoner in his fortress? That old bastard has even bigger balls than I thought,” Carson said.

“In his defense, he didn’t know I was an agent. Neither did I, at first.”

Carson’s brow wrinkled in the mirror.

“I was in bad shape when Angel found me. After what happened, I’d blocked everything out.” I thought about how hard it had been when it had all come back to me. “Couldn’t even remember my own fucking name for awhile. Dreygon discovered my true identity yesterday, and I’d be dead right now but one of the men closest to him is looking to get out of the club.”

Gage glanced back at me. He obviously sensed the change in my mood. “So this girl, Angel, is she still there?”

“Yeah, she’s there.” I gazed out the window and watched as a more familiar world rolled by, a world that existed outside of Dreygon’s compound, a world that Angel belonged in. “And I’m going back for her.”





Chapter 21

Angel

My plan had been ridiculously simple. Candy and I had been put in charge of the kitchen, but I’d refused to go near it. My assistant, Candy, had bowed out of the job offer immediately. But for my last night at the compound, I’d decided that it was time to cook up some stew. I’d used Gracie’s recipe but added a special ingredient— ground up sleeping pills. Enough to knock everyone on their asses at least for one night. I’d picked stew because it was Max’s favorite. He ate three bowls of it.

It had only been four days since the horrid day when they’d taken Luke away from me. Jericho was the only person I was still talking to and even those conversations were short and meaningless. I could not even look at my grandfather, and madman that he was, he’d just laughed it off as if I was going to get over my anger eventually. But I didn’t need to get over my anger because the man no longer existed for me. I still had a hard time swallowing that I was in any way related to him. Deep down, I hoped that Gunner would come in and take over the club. My grandfather deserved it.

A shiver ran through me as my feet hit the cold floor. It was still too early for the dogs. They barely lifted their heads from my mattress. I regretted leaving them behind, but since I had no idea where I was going I couldn’t take them along. I’d left Jericho a note, which he would see once he woke, telling him that I would always care deeply for him and to please feed and water the chickens.

I pulled my sweatshirt up over my head and swung my backpack over my shoulder. An eerie quiet covered the compound as I stepped onto my porch. I wouldn’t miss its utilitarian buildings or run down cabins or moldy bathrooms. Even though I had no clue where I was heading, I was glad to be leaving this place for good. If the worst happened and I was kidnapped by a rival club, I would still be away from this place and that’s all that mattered. Some of my last weeks at the compound had been the best weeks of my life. I’d fallen madly in love, to the point where I hadn’t even been able to think straight when Luke was near. Now this place was a painful almost paralyzing reminder that my one true soulmate had left this earth without me. There had been a reason that Luke and I had been thrown together. After just one day with him it felt as if we’d been meant for each other, somewhere, somehow, destiny had brought us together. It wasn’t supposed to end like this. There were times in the past few days when something inside told me he wasn’t dead, that he was still out there waiting for me. But that was just me wishing so hard for him to be alive that I was almost convinced of it. My heart had been shattered beyond repair, but I’d always been a survivor.