Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 61723 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61723 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 309(@200wpm)___ 247(@250wpm)___ 206(@300wpm)
Tucker is already moving. Out of bed. Pulling on jeans. Every movement controlled, efficient.
“Call again,” he orders.
I do. Voicemail. My chest tightens.
“She always answers,” I state, the words coming faster now. “She knows I’d be checking in. She always answers. Quinn knew to call me when she woke up no matter how early. I should have heard from them.”
Tucker grabs his phone.
“Saged,” he says, already dialing.
I stare at him. “What?” I ask because everything is a wild blur in my head.
“Marlaina’s his sister.”
Right. Of course. The call connects.
“Saged,” Tucker states, voice sharp. “You heard from Marlene this morning?”
A pause. I can’t hear Saged’s side, but I can see Tucker’s jaw tighten.
“No? Call her. Now.”
Another pause. Tucker’s eyes flick to me. Something shifts in them. Not panic. Something worse.
Calculation.
“Call me back,” he states, and hangs up.
My hands are shaking now. “This is stupid,” I mutter, pacing the small hotel room. “It’s probably nothing. She probably took Quinn to the park or—”
His phone rings.
Saged.
I answer before the first ring finishes. “Hello?”
“Lucy,” Saged says, and there’s something in his voice that makes my knees go weak. “She’s not answering me either.”
The room tilts.
“What do you mean she’s not answering?” I demand. “She always answers you.”
“I know.”
My heart is pounding so hard I can hear it.
“Maybe her phone died,” I say, grasping at straws. “Maybe—”
“We made the ride back last night, I’m heading over to her place now,” Saged cuts in. “You stay where you are.”
“No.”
The word rips out of me. “I’m coming home now.”
“Lucy—”
“I’m coming,” I repeat, already grabbing my clothes.
Tucker steps in front of me, hands coming to my shoulders. “Hey.”
I can barely see him through the panic rising up in my chest. “I need to get to Quinn.”
“And you will,” he states, firm but steady. “But not like this.”
“Like what?”
“Spinning out.”
“I am not—”
He shakes his head. “You are.”
His grip tightens just enough to ground me. “Breathe.”
I suck in a breath that doesn’t feel like enough. “Again.” I do as instructed.
“Again.” The third one steadies me just enough to think.
“We’re going,” he shares. “Right now.”
He doesn’t ask. He doesn’t hesitate. He just moves. And somehow, that’s exactly what I need.
The ride back to Freedom Falls is a blur. This time, there is no slow curves. No scenic route. No laughter. Just speed.
Wind.
And the sick, growing dread clawing its way up my throat.
I cling to Tucker tighter than I ever have, my face pressed into his back, my mind running through every possible explanation and rejecting all of them because none of them feel right.
Marlaina would answer. She always answers.
Something is wrong. I know it. I feel it. By the time we hit the edge of town, my chest feels like it’s going to explode. Tucker doesn’t stop at my house. Doesn’t even slow. We go straight to the clubhouse.
And that’s when I know. This isn’t just concern. This is something bigger.
The lot is already filling.
Bikes.
Men.
Movement.
Chux is there. Riot. Gainz. Stunt. Looney. Dodge. Dice. Fresh. All these men I just met all coming together.
Faces I’m studying to recognize, all sharp and focused and already in motion. Tucker kills the engine and I’m off the bike before it fully stops.
“What’s happening?” I demand rushing over to Chux knowing he’s the club President.
Saged pulls in from the opposite side, his bike skidding slightly as he cuts it too fast. “She’s not answering,” he shares, already moving. “Doors locked. Curtains drawn.”
My stomach drops. “No.”
Chux steps forward. “Mount up.”
That’s all he says. No questions. No hesitation. And suddenly the entire Freedom Falls chapter is moving. Engines roar to life. Men swing onto bikes.
And I am right there in the middle of it, heart in my throat, hands shaking as Tucker pulls me back onto his bike.
“I need to see her,” I state, my voice breaking. “I need to see Quinn.”
“You will,” he says, and I can hear the steel in his voice now. “I’ve got you.”
The ride to Marlaina’s house is fast.
Too fast. Not fast enough. Every second stretches. Every turn feels wrong. Until—We pull up.
And everything stops.
Because the front door is open. Not wide. Just enough to be wrong.
So wrong. Saged is off his bike practically before it fully stops, barely dropping his kickstand running for the house.
Tucker grabs me before I can follow.
“Wait—”
“I’m not waiting!”
“Lucy,” I tear out of his grip and run. Up the steps. Through the door.
And then—I stop.
Because the house, it’s a mess and everything about it is wrong.
Chairs knocked over. A lamp shattered on the floor. A picture frame cracked against the wall. There are marks. Scuffs. Signs of a struggle.
My vision tunnels. “No,” I whisper. “No, no, no—”
“Lucy.”
I don’t know who says it. I don’t care. I stumble further into the living room, my breath coming too fast, too sharp.
“Marlaina?” No answer.
“Quinn?” My voice breaks.
Nothing.
Saged moves past me, checking rooms, calling his sister’s name. Men fill the house behind us, spreading out, searching, voices low and urgent.