Page 24 of Link (Dragon Riders MC 1)
She nodded. “Yes. So, we can organize the meeting this Lock.”
“Link.”
“Whatever.”
I snickered. “Got any ideas of where you might want to go?”
“I actually thought about going and staying at one of the old clubhouse places the Jags used to keep. They torched the place, but it had an underground basement that I’m pretty sure was preserved in the process.”
“Anywhere else, if that doesn’t work?”
She paused. “The sewers?”
I giggled bitterly. “Yeah. We’ll try your first idea and go from there. How’s that sound?”
The afternoon grew long as I packed up a few things for Hope. She didn’t have anything that belonged to her. So, I gave her all of the clothes and toiletries I could spare for the moment. Then, we got back into my still-running car and she guided me to this place out in the middle of nowhere. Surrounded by trees and meadows that sat along a paved road that was practically deserted.
“I don’t like you not having anyone around,” I said.
Hope pointed. “That black blob. Go around back.”
I grimaced. “Are you sure about this?”
“Positive. The metal cellar doors were behind the house.”
“Will you have a way to shower or do anything like that while you’re here?”
“You let me figure that out.”
I pulled around back. “I don’t like this.”
“Neither do I. But if I remember it correctly, it’ll have a bed, a fridge, and a gas generator. That’s all I’m going to need.”
I came to a stop. “How will you get the gas?”
She sighed. “Please, just leave that stuff to me. Okay?”
“How will I contact you?”
“Joanna—”
“Hope, you have to give me something.”
“I’ve survived with these guys for an entire year, okay!?”
I put my car in park as Hope wrapped her arms around her chest.
“Look, I—it’s all so much to explain and we don’t have time. Just trust me, okay? Trust that I’ve got ways of getting what I need.”
I didn’t understand, but I let her be. “Will you get in touch with me once you’re all settled?”
“Yes. I promise.”
Everything moved in sort of a blur. I watched Hope fiddle with a metal shard in order to unlatch the metal doors from the outside. And when she pulled them open, the musty stench filled my nostrils within seconds. It didn’t seem to bother my sister, though, and I didn’t know whether to be angry about it or sad. I stood outside, keeping watch as she stumbled around. With her bag of clothes and toiletries tumbling down the stairs leading into the cellar, I heard her cursing and tripping. Scoffing and grunting.
“Hope, do you need any help?” I asked.
Then, the roaring of an engine brought the entire place to life.
“Nope. I’ve got it. Thanks,” she said.
The small glimpse I got of the place made me vibrate with fury. The bed was obviously musty and molded. I knew that fridge would have moldy, rotten food in just by the looks of it. But I also watched her dig through what looked like a small desk. She bashed the locks open on the drawers and pulled out all sorts of things. A gun. Ammo. Magazines. Two handheld radios. Even a cell phone that was still in its packaging.
“How do you know so much about this place?” I asked.
Hope paused. “This used to be my bedroom, Jo. When I first got here with Skeleton.”
I swallowed down the bile that threatened to fill my mouth. Hope looked up at me before she tore into the phone, activating it while I stood there.
“You have my number memorized?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yep. Just shot you a text. That’s how we can communicate.”
“What about money for food? Or more gas for that generator?”
She shot me a look. “Remember what I asked you to do?”
“Yeah, yeah. I know. Just—I can’t help but ask.”
“You should get out of here. Before someone finds us.”
“What if someone finds you?”
She held up the gun. “Good thing you taught me how to use one of these.”
“Was that yours at one point, too?”
She licked her lips. “Uh, no. It was—”
She didn’t have to say anything else.
“He’s going to pay for what he’s done to you,” I said.
“I certainly hope you’re right about all this.”
I nodded. “I am. No one else will you put in this kind of danger as long as I’m living. Got it?”
She wiped at her eyes. “Got it.”
It killed me to leave her there, but I had to. After a quick hug and one last glimpse of that disgusting room she actually wanted to stay in, I hopped back into my car. But not before marking this exact spot in my GPS so I could get back to her quickly. I drove home in a daze. The sun began to set over the horizon, signaling the passing of another day. And as I navigated my way through my neighborhood, all I wanted was to eat and go to bed.
