Page 41 of Ride Forever
Chapter 15
Chaser
Leaning against the side of the shitty motel, I stared out across the lot to the desert beyond. Once you’d seen one shithole, you’d seen them all.
The sun was roasting my shoulders, the black T-shirt I was wearing absorbing the heat. I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my arm and pushed my sunglasses up.
Sloane and Gasket were talking in the room behind me, but I knew better than to listen at the door like a little fucking girl.
I’d told her to use me as bait, but what if she was going to use me anyway? The deal King offered her was unsurpassed. I couldn’t give her a pardon for murder or even get her the revenge she so desperately wanted. I couldn’t even get it for myself.
I won’t love a dead man. Her admission meant more than she realized. I loved a dead woman for years. I would always love Madison in some way, but Sloane was here. She waslivingflesh and blood.
The stress of this fucked-up revenge plot was getting to everyone. The dry heat of the desert wasn’t helping, either.
The door opened behind me, and Gasket appeared.
“Do I want to go back in there?” I asked, pushing off the wall.
“Don’t be too hard on her,” he replied. “I know you’re in a bad spot…”
“Bad spot? That’s what you call it?” I snorted and looked away. I couldn’t deal with his fatherly shit today.
“If you think getting yourself killed without even fighting is the answer, then you’re more fucked up than I ever believed possible.”
“Careful, old man,” I drawled.
“Listen, I’ve got to get back.” He fished his keys out of his pocket and spun them around his finger.
“Fortitude?” I prodded.
“I’ll do what I can to track the renegades. They won’t get away with what they’ve done to harm her, Chaser. If we have to kill every last one of them, then that’s what we’ll do. No mercy.”
“Good. I’ve got enough names on my list already.”
“Chaser… This war isn’t just about you,” he said. “I told her that, too. It’s bigger than just your beef with King.”
I glared at him, not trusting myself to speak.
“The club doesn’t turn it’s back on family.” He clapped me on the shoulder and grinned. “Brother.”
“Fuck me,” I drawled, rolling my eyes.
“Just get your shit together, eh?” He nodded toward the motel room. “Remember what you’re fighting for, Chaser. Remember it and don’t forget again.”
“Or what?”
“You don’t want to know.” Gasket flung his leg over his motorcycle, then put his helmet on. Turning the key in the ignition, the beast roared into life. He threw me one last look, then tore out of the lot and onto the road.
I waited, listening to the sound of his motorcycle fade into the distance, thinking about what he’d just said.Remember what you’re fighting for.
Love. I supposed that was what he was hinting at. Love, family, and a future without fear.
Jesus. Motherfucking love. Whatever that was.
I turned back to the motel room and grasped the door handle. Love, family, and a future. I’d been alone for so long, lost in misery. When had all those things found their way to me?
I didn’t know, but Gasket was right. I’d forgotten what I was fighting for.
Finally, I opened the door.
