Page 3 of Cage's Ruin

“Cage stop,” I said. He was panicking I could see it on his face. “Cage, look at me,” I said, gripping his shoulder, and I saw the pain and grief but mainly panic in his eyes. “It’s okay.”

“Like hell it is! They aren’t taking you. You hear me,” He cupped my face. “We’ll head for the border.”

“Cage, I’m not running...”

“Yes you are.”

“Cage,” My eyes locked with his and he would have to see the certainty in my eyes. I was not letting him ruin his life for me. Living on the run. I didn’t want that. “Sometimes you’ve just got to face it.”

He frowned.

“The consequences.” I explained.

I saw the panic rise in his eyes. “I can’t fucking live without you Autumn. I can’t fucking face a day without you.”

“You’ll be okay.” My heart was breaking as I watched the man of strength crumble in front of me because I was going to be…I swallowed. Fuck was this really happening?

Just as I thought that the police rounded the corner, shouting for us to put our hands up and step away from the bike.

There was no point praying and asking why this was happening. There was no point wishing for something different. There was no point in wondering the what ifs. I was a girl with flaws and now, as the police handcuffed me- my halo from the girl I used to be had slipped from my head to around my neck and was choking me because of what I had done.

I knew as I was dragged from the lot that my freedom was gone. You’d think after a month of punishing myself for the crime that I would be thankful to be charged. But that guilt from killing my mother was still there but when they forced me into the back of the cop car. I watched the police hold Cage back. Saw him as he started swinging punches.

Hawk was causing just as much of a scene.

So as the cop car pulled away from the lot. I left behind the girl I had been and the life I had once had.

3

Jacob

Autumn had always been brave. Getting her the best lawyer was the first priority. But as I sat in the pew, we didn’t know how this was going to go down. She was looking at trafficking steroids.

The lawyer had prepared us for the worst case. Four years. He said with her lack of convictions. He could get it lowered to a year.

My eyes were on the back of her head. She’d be terrified. She had to be. Cage and Hawk were banned from the court. After their reaction to her arrest. They couldn’t be here. But I was front pew. Watching and waiting.

Finally the jury came back in, stating the one word we didn’t want to hear. Guilty. My stomach rumbled with nerves as I hear the Judge sentence Autumn to Three Years with parole in one.

Don’t remember much after that point. My rage hit the roof. I lost my shit. Being dragged from the courtroom. Screaming at Autumn I’d make this right. But her eyes locked with mine, she had accepted it

The calmness in her eyes scared me because I knew that when I looked back into those eyes again— she wouldn’t be my little sister.

Being pushed out of the courtroom. I headed for my bike. What the fuck was I going to do? This was all my fault. I was the one that introduced her back to mom. The detectives had threatened her with those chargers wanting Hawk to get the injection.

She said in one of our visits that she knew what she was doing— that she was going to be okay.

As I mounted my bike. I knew that Autumn wanted to stick to the code of no visitors while she was inside. I had to respect that.

But I knew I couldn’t walk through those club doors again.

So, I pulled away from the curb, not heading for the clubhouse- but for the highway.

4

Autumn

One Year Later

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