The diner door slammed shut behind us and locked. None of us moved for a second. We just stared at the groupd of people looking at us through the glass. WE could hve pulled our gun. ALl of us are always packing, but this was just a surprise that none of us could react to.
I could still hear Eden screaming in my head. She has been gone for three years. Three fucking years. And the first thing she did when she saw us was try to run.
Kong rubbed the back of his neck. "Well… that went great."
Shakespeare looked completely lost. "What the hell just happened?"
Cash wasn't listening. He was staring at the diner door like if he stared long enough it might open again. Fury poured through me. I needed to think. I didn't look for her, I was in the hospita for six months with PT on my arm and
"Get on the bikes," I said.
Cash didn't move.
"Cash."
Nothing.
My patience snapped.
"Get on the fucking bike."
He blinked like he'd just come back to earth. We rode in silence for ten minutes before I finally pulled off the highway into a truck stop rest area. Gravel crunched under the tires as we parked. The moment the engines died, the silence felt heavy. Cash pulled off his helmet.
"What the hell was that?" he demanded.
Something inside me snapped. Before I even realized what I was doing, my fist connected with his jaw. Cash staggered back.
Kong shouted, "Whoa!"
Shakespeare grabbed my arm before I could swing again.
"You son of a bitch!" I yelled.
Cash wiped blood from his lip, staring at me in shock.
"What the hell is your problem?" Cash screamed at me.
"My problem?" I barked. "She was terrified of us!"
Cash shook his head. "I noticed."
"She said it was us, Cash!"
"She said 'them,'" he shot back.
"Don't play dumb!"
I tried to shove past Shakespeare, but Kong stepped between us.
"Enough!" Kong growled. His massive frame blocked both of us. "Both of you shut the hell up."
My chest was heaving. Cash's jaw was clenched so tight I thought his teeth might crack.
"Why would she think we sent men after her?" I demanded. Cash stared at the ground for a moment.
Then he looked up. "I don't know."
"And you expect me to believe that?" I roll my eyes.
"Yes," he snapped. "Because I didn't!"
The anger drained out of me just enough for doubt to creep in. Cash had plenty of flaws. But lying about something like that? That wasn't him. Shakespeare looked between us nervously.
"Uh… what men?"
Cash ran a hand through his hair.
"That guy in the diner said we sent bikers after her."
"To beat, rape, and kill her," Kong added quietly.
The words hung in the air.
My stomach dropped.
"That's impossible," I said.
Cash nodded grimly.
"Yeah."
"But she believes it," Shakespeare said.
None of us argued with that. I leaned against my bike, trying to think. We need to talk to the Prez and get a handle on this. The dinner was a perfect half way point. Not to mention my sister works there. We may not be related by blood, but she is still my family. If you have been through what we have together, you would understand.
"She thought I betrayed her too," I muttered.
Cash looked up sharply.
"What?"
"The guy said we sent men," Kong reminded him. "That means the attackers claimed to be a club."
A cold realization settled over us. Someone had used our cuts or pretended to. Cash's eyes darkened.
"Someone set us up." I point out.
"Or someone inside the club did," Kong said quietly.
That possibility hung between us like a loaded gun. Finally Cash shoved his helmet back on. I have never seen him this angery before.
"We're going back."
"Where?" Shakespeare asked.
"The clubhouse." Cash's voice was ice.
"We're talking to Prez."
Because one way or another…Someone was about to answer for what happened to Eden.