Page 13 of Ruined

It would bring shit on the Sons of Hell, but I had no other choice. Vin would fucking slit my throat if he got his hands on me, and I knew Joey would protect me if I could just get to him.

I refused to let that asshole get his grimy fucking hands on me again. I would fucking kill myself before I allowed that shit to happen again.

I almost missed the next road since it was a bit hidden inside a curve, and I cursed, hitting the brake as I whipped my wheel, my back end sliding as I made the sharp turn onto the road at the very last second. I saw Vin fly past me, but as he was passing me, his brake lights lit up, and I knew he still wouldn’t be far behind me.

I floored it again, looking for the next side road that would lead me to the clubhouse. I knew this road. Joey liked to use it when he was bringing in guns and drugs to the clubhouse. The next road that led to the clubhouse was hidden well, only used by the club since it ended at the back of the Sons of Hell’s property.

A couple of minutes later, I swung my car onto the next road that led to the back gate of Joey’s crew. My heart pounded hard, adrenaline pumping through my veins when I saw the gates up ahead. They were locked tight, and thankfully, there wasn’t anyone standing guard.

“Here goes nothing,” I whispered.

My phone switched to a song with more base as I laid on my horn, warning whoever might be on the other side of the gate that I was about to crash through the fucking thing and to get the fuck out of my way.

I jutted forward in my seat as I slammed through the gate, the seatbelt locking around me, stealing the air from my lungs as I slammed my forehead onto the steering wheel. My airbags burst out, filling the air around me with white powder. I coughed as I pushed it out of my face. I had so much adrenaline running through my body that I didn’t even feel the pain that Iknewshould be thrumming through my skull.

My door was ripped open, and I blinked up at Tristan, slightly dazed as the white powder floated out of the car. “Are you out of your damn mind?” he barked at me as he reached over me to unsnap my seatbelt.

I slowly turned to get out of the car, and Tristan gripped my upper arms to help me out. I stumbled slightly, my vision blurring as I stood on my feet.

“You’re bleeding,” he muttered, reaching up to wipe a little bit of blood from my forehead.

“Vin,” I muttered. “He—” I was panting. “Vin was following me.”

“Here. Sit down, Addy,” Tristan gently said, easing me onto the ground so that I could lean back against my car. “You’re in shock.”

“Guard that fucking gate!” I heard Joey bark at someone as he stormed over to us. He leaned into my car and turned it off, shutting off my music. Then, he kneeled in front of me, his darkeyes running over my face, taking in the blood trickling from my forehead and down my cheek. “What happened, pretty girl?” he asked, forcing his tone to soften.

“Vin was following her,” Tristan informed him as I leaned my head back against my car, finally registering the pain in my head from where I had hit my steering wheel.

“What in thefuckwere you doing off of the clubhouse grounds to begin with, Adelaide?” Joey demanded. I slowly rolled my head around to look at him. “You were supposed to be resting after that fight.”

“I had to get away,” I told him quietly, knowing he would understand. Joey sighed, a frown tugging at his lips.

“Getting away almost got you killed, Addy,” Tristan spoke up. I looked up at him. His arms were crossed over his broad chest, making the muscles in them bulge a bit. Joey rested a hand on my knee and gave it a gentle squeeze, a silent reminder that Tristan wouldn’t understand.

He didn’t know the woman I was now.

“You told me you were going to sleep after you got a shower,” Tristan accused. He wasn’t wrong though. Ihadsaid that.

It had also been a lie.

I shrugged carelessly. “You should learn that what comes out of my mouth usually can’t be trusted,” I snarked, unable to help but piss him off further.

“I should have fucking known you wouldn’t have rested after blacking out like that,” Joey grumbled. I slowly looked over at him. His eyes were tender and understanding as he met mine, but there was slight anger in their depths as well. “But Adelaide,you can’t just run off like that withoutat leastletting someone know. What if Vin had been able to catch you? We might not have been able to save you in time.”

I sighed. “I got it,” I grumbled. “I fucking got it.”

Before Joey could respond, gun shots rang out around us. Tristan cursed as he dropped down to the ground beside me, he and Joey pulling guns out of their cuts at the same time. Tristan wrapped an arm around my waist, tugging me close to him. “Can you use a gun?” he asked me.

I nodded at him. He thrust a pistol into my hand and pressed his lips to my forehead—the part that wasn’t bleeding. Despite the dangerous situation we were in, my heart fluttered in my chest. “If someone that’s not one of my men or Joey’s men comes near you, fucking shoot them,” he harshly ordered.

I watched as Tristan inched around the car, crouching at the hood. He started firing back, Joey right beside him. I kept my eyes trained on the area surrounding me. Soon, the gun shots died down, and I heard cars tear off of the lot, giving up for now. Tristan stood and came over to me. “You alright?”

I nodded, pushing myself up off of the ground. “Vin?” I guessed.

Tristan nodded in answer to my question. Joey strode over to me. “You need to get in that clubhouse,” he instructed, his eyes hard, still in protection mode. I clenched my jaw. “I’ll get one of the men to get your car over to the garage to get fixed.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “You know no one works on my car besides me, Joey.”