Page 17 of Eagle

“No, you’re not.”

“Try and stop me.”

“Jesus Christ, you’re a pain in my ass!” Eagle snapped, stopping at the door, looking down at the floor and shaking his head. “Fuck it!” He opened the door without looking back at me. “Fine. Come. You can drive your brother there.” He didn’t stop until he’d reached my car and opened the passenger side door. Once Ron was inside he slammed the door and looked over the roof of the car at me. “Follow me. And, Leo, don’t make me regret this.”

I wasn’t sure what Eagle meant by that. Did he think I’d try to make a run for it? A full minute passed as we stood there glaring at one another. I wondered what he was thinking. He was still angry, that was clear, but there was something else in his eyes. I got the feeling that Eagle didn’t quite know what to do with me.

“So why didn’t you tell the cops what was going on last night?”

“I didn’t want to get anyone in trouble. And I knew if I’d told the police that I was there against my will that I’d have to explain what Ron had done.” I hesitated briefly before adding, “And besides, I like the people I met.”

“That include me?”

“No.” The lie came easily.

“Least you’re honest,” he smirked.

“Is he going to be okay?” I was certain that Eagle knew what I was asking.

He remained quiet for a minute. “Depends. He did a shit thing, Leo. Don’t you think he should pay for that?”

I knew he wasn’t talking about money. I’d tried to get Ron to stay at the scene of the accident, but I didn’t think Eagle would care about that. “Of course,” I finally said.

“Then what’s the issue?”

What was the issue? “I guess it’s the not knowing. He’s only eighteen, Eagle. I don’t want to see him hurt, and he doesn’t have fifty-thousand dollars.”

“And you do.”

I didn’t respond.

“It was just a number I threw out there, darlin’. Don’t know what Wolfe will want to make things right. But make no mistake, he will pay, one way or another. We don’t let shit against the club slide, even accidents.”

I supposed they had a reputation to uphold. Eagle began to walk around my car, and I sensed that our conversation was over. I opened my door to slide in behind the wheel, casting Ron a quick glance. He was sitting there like a stone statue, staring straight ahead, and I didn’t have to wonder what was going through his head. His expression said it all—he knew that he’d fucked up.

“I’m sorry for what I said.” He looked at me. “About you being the driver.”

“Why are you so scared of these people?” I asked, starting the ignition. “From what I’ve heard, the Soldiers of Retribution aren’t like other motorcycle clubs. They actually do good. If you hadn’t run away the whole incident would have probably been over already.”

I saw him nod out of the corner of my eye. “Yeah.”

He sounded so defeated. And I was confused. “Then why, Ron? Help me understand.”

He released a heavy sigh. “I can’t.”

That didn’t sound good, and his resigned tone worried me. Was he involved in something? After he’d moved away it had been hard to keep tabs on him, other than through the occasional text here or there. It occurred to me that the only thing I was sure of when it came to him was that he worked at Bath Iron Works and where he lived.

I drove in silence for a while. Eagle was on his bike in front of us, and I smiled, thinking about how slow he had to go so I could keep up. Bikers tended to ignore the speed limits. Every once in a while I saw him check his review mirror. Was he afraid I’d veer off onto a side road and try to lose him? Considering that we were on a two-lane road heading out of town, my options were limited.

The salvage yard came into view long before we reached it, and like the night before, we passed the front office building and continued all the way to the back of the property. I parked and turned off the ignition, watching Eagle get off his bike.

I turned to Ron, prepared to give him a little pep talk, but he was already opening the door and climbing out. I winced when he slammed the door shut.

I was more than just a little nervous when I got out to follow them inside.

Chapter 8

Leona

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