CHAPTER SIXTEEN

I sank into my seat, regret flooding my chest as the reality of my actions hit me.  Reid reached over, his hands covering mine where it rested on my lap.

“Hey, it's going to be okay. I promise, I won't let anything happen to you,” he said softly.

I shook my head, tears stinging my eyes. “This is all my fault. I should've thought it through before challenging someone like Klaus.”

“No,” he said firmly. “It's not your fault. My dad can be…provoking. I'm sure whatever he did must've really pushed you to react that way and I get it.” He brushed away a tear slipping down my cheek, his thumb warm and steady, before resting his hand over mine again. “But now we've got to figure out a way forward. What I'm about to suggest might sound crazy, but it's our best option.”

I turned to him, dread already curling in my stomach. I could guess what he was about to say.

“No. Reid, there are about a hundred of them, and only two of us.”

“It's thirty-five bikers,” he corrected. “and we're not taking all of them on. Knowing my dad's security team, they will split to cover more grounds. All we need to do is deal with the first few groups before they can call for backup.”

His plan was reckless, borderline insane. But the determination in his eyes made me pause. Against my better judgement, I nodded, wiping my face as a fragile hope took root.

“Okay. But if we sit here, we'll be sitting ducks. They could easily surround us—”

“Exactly,”

“So, why aren't we moving?” I asked, anxiety creeping into my voice.

Reid smiled, faintly amused by his own confidence.

“Just trust me,” he said, pulling out his phone to check something. “They're tracking my phone, which means they've probably all gone to double back toward the highway instead of jumping uphill like we did. That shortcut bought us some time.”

I nodded, still trying to follow his logic. “Okay, so?”

“So,” he continued, “we wait here. They'll split up when they hit the highway. Hopefully, only one group will find us first, and we'll take them out before they alert the others. Pretty simple right?” He smirked, though the way his grip tightened on the wheel betrayed his nerves.

I frowned, rolling my index finger. “Hold on, let's back up a little. If they're tracking your phone, why aren't they stopping? You're Klaus's son.”

“Because they think you're holding me hostage,” Reid explained. “I told Miss Cherry to tell them to follow my lead. Now they probably think I'm playing along with you until the right moment to strike.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. I'm going to use it to our advantage. I'll give them a false signal, baiting them in, and in that moment you strike.” I nodded, then he continued. “Do not hesitate to attack once they get close. A little bit of hesitation will get you a bullet in the head before you can do anything.”

My chest tightened, the air in the car suddenly stifling.

“Bullet? They have guns?”

Reid gave me a pointed look. “It's security. Of course they have guns.”

I tried to steady my breathing as panic threatened to take hold. My fingers curled into fists in my lap and Reid noticed, his gaze softening.

“Are you okay?”

I opened my mouth, but bit back my words. Did it even make sense to hide anything from him now? After all, I was trusting him not to turn me in, so why not trust him with this too?

“Reid—”

“Hold that thought,” he interrupted. His voice sharpened. “They're here.”

“What?” My head whipped to the rearview mirror, but all I saw were cars speeding past. Before I could argue, the rear of a motorcycle cut through the air. A biker appeared around the corner, quickly followed by more. My stomach dropped. “Reid, I thought you said they'd split up!”

“Fuck!” he hissed, slamming a fist against the wheel. “Fuck! I thought they would, just in case my location was a decoy. But they trusted it.” His jaw clenched as he shifted gears. “Hold tight. I'm going to reverse, but they'll follow us. Anyone who gets close to your window—knock them out.”

“What about the guns?” I asked, my voice trembling despite my efforts to stay calm.

Reid didn't miss a beat. “Don't they teach you how to fight at gunpoint in martial arts?”

I didn't answer, biting back a sarcastic comment as he reversed onto the highway, narrowly avoiding a truck. In a sharp, calculated move, he turned the car, slotting it into a lane and picking up speed.

“Don't worry,” he added, his eyes glued to the mirror. “They won't shoot into a crowd. As long as we keep weaving through traffic, they'll wait until they're close enough to be sure.”

Relief warred with fear inside me and I exhaled shakily, trying to focus on what was ahead instead of what might happen if this plan went south.

“You might want to find something in the car to use as a weapon, just in case,” Reid said, risking a glance at me.

I nodded, quickly scanning the interior of the car for anything that could help. My hand brushed over the floor beneath my seat, where I found a wrench. Gripping it tightly with both hands, I kept my eyes on the side mirror, searching for any sign of the bikers who were hot on our tail. 

It was almost too late before I saw them. They were coming up fast on the driver's side, clearly thinking I was the one behind the wheel, not Reid. I spotted the gun first, the biker's grimace barely visible as he leaned out, his aim fixed.

 

But just as the biker's smirk shifted into a flicker of surprise on seeing Reid, a black ford, which had switched lanes ahead of us from a nearby U-turn, slammed into him. The collision was brutal, the biker crashing into the road divider with a sickening thud while the Ford immediately swerved into the lane, blocking any further pursuit.

“Holy shit!” Reid cursed as the sound of the crash filled the air. At the same moment, I screamed, instinctively turning my head away from the carnage.

The Ford reversed quickly, rolling up beside us. The tinted windows rolled down with a mechanical whir, and a familiar, gruff voice called out from within.

“Did someone call for backup?” 

I turned toward the sound of the voice, my heart leaping as recognition hit me.

“Where the hell have you been, Marcus?!”