Page 5 of Spinner's Luck

I SAT THERElistening to the hushed stillness thatsettles after last call, when the regulars stagger out, leaving behind the musk of sweat, smoke, and the weight of bad decisions. I stayed longer than I should have, leaning against my bike in the parking lot, scanning the shadows for her.

Lucy.

Tonight, I waited, hoping I would see her again, but no luck. Why I couldn’t let it go was a fucking mystery. There was just something special about Lucy. I couldn’t get her out of my damn head.

I jammed my helmet on, muttering a curse under my breath as I kicked the bike to life. The engine roared, shattering the stillness, but it didn’t do shit to quiet the knot in my gut.

I shouldn’t have been out here alone. Devil’s warning rang in my head like a broken record:Don’t ride solo. Not with Dragon Fire sniffing around.But I’d convinced myself I was fine. I’d keep my head low, take the back roads. No one would know.

That’s why I wore the road captain patch, because when it came to these roads, no one knew them better than me.

The night whipped against my skin as I rode out of the lot, taking the long way back to the clubhouse. The back roads were dark, winding through thick trees that swallowed the moonlight. It was quiet out here, too quiet, but that’s how I liked it. Just me, my bike, and the road.

I leaned into a curve, the engine purring beneath me, but then I heard it, the low, steady growl of engines behind me.

My gut tightened, and I glanced in my mirrors. Headlights flickered in the distance, growing brighter, closer. My jaw clenched as the growl turned into a roar, and I knew damn well it wasn’t friendly.

Dragon Fire.

The bastards had been circling for weeks, and now they’d caught me slipping.

I twisted the throttle, the bike surging forward, but their engines were louder, closing in fast. My pulse hammered in my ears, smothering the steady growl of my tires rolling over the road.

The first shot cracked through the air, crisp and deadly.

Too close.

I leaned low, hugging the bike as I pushed it harder, faster. The road twisted ahead, narrow and uneven, but I didn’t have a choice. Another shot rang out, and this one hit its mark.

The back tire exploded.

The bike jerked hard, fighting against me as I tried to keep control. The handlebars twisted in my grip, the ground rushing up too fast.

I went down.

The impact knocked the breath clean out of me. My shoulder hit the ground first, the sudden jolt sending pain screaming through my ribs. Gravel tore at my skin as I slid, and when I finally stopped, the world spun.

Through the haze of pain, I smelled it—the harsh, chemical stink of gasoline spilling onto the road.

Then I saw the spark.

The flames roared to life, climbing up the side of my bike like they’d been waiting for this moment. Heat rolled over me, too close, too fast.

Laughter echoed above the crackle of the fire, and I forced my eyes open, squinting against the light. Shadows moved against the flames, the outlines of Dragon Fire’s riders circling like vultures.

“Stay out of our business, Devil’s House,” one of them snarled, his voice thick with menace, dripping with a dare. “Unless you’re lookin’ to get buried.”

I tried to push myself up, but my arms shook, and my ribs screamed in protest. I could only watch as they fired another shot into the air and peeled off, their engines roaring into the night.

The fire raged on, the heat licking at my clothes as I lay there, helpless. My bike—a piece of me—was gone, reduced to a burning wreck.

Pain radiated through every inch of my body, but it wasn’t the worst of it. The worst was the silence that followed. The distant rumble of their bikes faded, leaving me alone with the sound of crackling flames and my own ragged breathing.

I clenched my fists, the gravel biting into my palms as I forced myself to stay awake. Someone would come. They had to. The club always watched out for its own, and they’d notice when I didn’t check in.

But as the firelight flickered, throwing shadows across the trees, I couldn’t shake the thought that I’d fucked up.

I’d ridden alone.