Page 58 of Crow's Haven
I pull her towards the door. We move fast. Out of the hallway, into the summer heat. I stop for a moment and listen, but there’s no sound of sirens. Just a dog barking somewhere.
“Go,” I hiss.
She darts ahead and I’m right behind her. My brothers are still fanned out around us, engines idling low. Their shoutsremind me how imperative it is to get the fuck out of here immediately.
“Move your ass,” Rigs snarls.
Siege follows with, “Follow me. Zen mapped out an escape route for us just in case there’s roadblocks.”
As we bolt across the cracked asphalt to my bike, I scoop her up in one smooth motion and hold her tight to my side as I run full speed. Setting her down I jump on and wait for her to get in position behind me.
I fire up the engine and shift into gear. “Hold on, darlin’,” I growl over the roar. She tightens her arms around me, and we peel away from the pavement.
Once we’re back on the interstate, I feel a small measure of safety. If we’re lucky, we’ll clear the area before they set up roadblocks. I take back roads and ride like the devil’s breathing down my neck, my club brothers running tight behind me. We nearly run outta gas before stopping to top off our tanks—and we’re gone before anyone notices. My panic only fades once we’re back in Las Salinas. Instead of going home, I head straight for the clubhouse. Ain’t no safer place on this earth for her than surrounded by my brothers.
Chapter 18
Sharon
Ican’t believe Cassie turned me in, or that Crow came for me. Neither of those things reconcile with the world as I know it. But here I am, on the back of Crow’s bike as he pulls into the Savage Legion clubhouse. I can’t help but wonder why he didn’t turn me over to the police for that outstanding warrant that he was so upset about. It’s too much to hope that he’s had a change of heart.
I hold onto Crow as he rides into the front parking lot. Memories of our last conversation race through my mind. I can still recall his furious eyes and the coldness in his voice when he discovered the truth I’d been hiding.
He was as harsh as anyone might expect when betrayed by their old lady. In the biker world, old ladies are supposed to be the smartest, most loyal women in the club. It’s clear I didn’t measure up to that standard. That’s why I ran in the first place—I was terrified of being caught, but more than that, I was ashamed for lying to the man I loved. I also thought running would protect him and his boys.
Crow slows the bike and kills the engine. He glances over his shoulder without a word, dismounts, and offers me his hand. I can’t tell from his blank expression whether he’s still mad, but I’ll be surprised if he isn’t.
For a moment, I hesitate, then place my trembling hand in his and let him help me down.
Behind us, his club brothers dismount, their eyes flickering towards us with wary interest. Some nod, others watch in silence, weighing the danger of harboring a fugitive no doubt. I can feel their unspoken questions and silent judgments bearing down on me.
Crow guides me to the clubhouse door, his grip firm but gentle. Each step brings me closer to the moment when I’ll be asked to explain how I became a fugitive. I’m both relieved to set the record straight and terrified he won’t believe me.
Crow leads me through the main room, ignoring the curious stares. The club brother’s eyes track us, but the club girls almost smirk as we pass. Me? I feel vulnerable—any one of these men or women could turn me in. I keep my head down, body stiff with anxiety, uncertain what to say or feel.
When we reach the small room he’s claimed upstairs, he opens the door for me to enter first. Of course he wouldn’t want to take me home. I lied to him and have a warrant for a heinous crime. If it were up to him, I’d never see his boys again. I can’t blame him. What I can’t understand is why he came for me at all.
Crow closes the door softly behind us, shutting out the noise, the dead-eyed stares, and unspoken questions. His expression is scrupulously blank.
I stand frozen for a second, then step back to create some distance between us. Anxiety surges in my chest. Just when I want to speak most, words fail me.
Crow finally breaks the silence. “Do you want something to drink?” His voice is low and not as harsh as I expect, but I’m too tense to trust that he won’t start yelling at me again. He moves to a small table, picks up a bottle of water, and offers it to me without a word.
When I reach out and take it, he gestures towards the sofa, “Have a seat. I’m not going to get angry and yell at you this time. I’ve had plenty of time to think.”
I’m not sure I believe him, so I cautiously sit on the edge of the sofa, ready to bolt if he gets out of control again.
He drops down into a squat several feet away and just stares at me for a few seconds. When he speaks, his voice isn’t angry. “I want to start off by apologizing for the way I reacted back at the house that day. It was a shock to find out that not only had you been lying to me about who you were but that you were wanted for murder. I’m ashamed to say that I didn’t handle that very well.”
I just stare at him because it’s inconceivable to me that he’s apologizing to me when I’m the one who lied and betrayed him.
“I don’t think I would have been such an asshole if you had just told me what was going on. You let me hire you to work with my boys while being accused of killing a little boy. I fucking broke my brain there for a minute.”
I nod, slowly understanding that he’s probably still going to turn me in, only he needs some kind of closure first. “I should have told you. I wanted to and was trying to find the right words and the right moment. I kept chickening out at the last minute.”
“I’ve been thinking about the little you did tell me, and it sounds like there were extenuating circumstances. If you wanna explain a little more about it, I’d like to hear what you have to say.”
I suck in a deep breath. This is a second chance to tell my side of the story. “That little boy’s name was Joshua,” I whisper,my voice trembling. “He was only five years old and very sick. I was his nurse in the pediatric ward. He had a congenital heart defect and was recovering from surgery. Everything seemed to be going fine. But one night, when I came back from my break, his monitors just started going crazy. He crashed before we even understood why.”
