Page 21 of Claymore
“Like us?” I asked.
Ella pressed her lips together, nodding.
“Think Ray’s been in touch?”
“It’s possible. He’s always had a soft spot for her.”
I threw my arm around Ella’s shoulder, pointing at the street.
“Looks like we’re gonna have to do a little investigating, huh?”
“I think so. This isn’t like Gina. Whatever she’s got herself mixed up in, it can’t be good.”
“That sigil on the back of the bike. The lion. You know anything about it?”
“Nope. Never seen it before in my life. Why?”
“Could mean we’ve got more company in town than we initially thought. Maybe those Freeway Fucks aren’t the only ones we need to worry about.”
Ella sighed, shifting around nervously, but I tapped her shoulder.
“Don’t worry, Ella. We’ll figure this out.”
She smiled warmly at me, nodding.
***
Archer gave me a loaner bike to take Ella back to my house. The thing felt rickety while riding and the engine sputtered much more than mine did. I pulled up in the driveway, reaching into the pocket of my jacket for my keys. Ella stared up at my small semi-detached home in awe. Her eyes averted to my neatly trimmed lawn and the Christmas wreath hanging on my front door I forgot to get rid of last year.
I turned the key in the lock, heading inside with Ella close behind me. I dropped her duffle bag near the living room, turning to face her.
“This place is a one-bedroom, but I’ll be happy to take the couch. You think you’ll be okay until I get back? I’ll ask Tank to have someone stick around to look out for you while I handle business,” I told her.
“No need for that, really. I’m all the way in Mascid now. I’m in Blazing Rebel territory. Thank you for letting me stay with you, Claymore. Thank you for everything,” she murmured softly.
“Don’t thank me yet, darlin’. I probably don’t have any food in the fridge, and the place is in a little bit of a mess, but feel free to order in.”
“It’s perfect,” she said, smiling.
She curled up on the couch, taking her phone out of her pocket, probably getting ready to tell everyone she had to leave town for a bit. I saw the sadness in her eyes, the longing to return to a Sedona that felt safe, and all I wanted was to give that to her.
“I’ll be back in a few hours. If you need anything, call me. Here, I’ll give you a few numbers for the rest of the guys in case it’s urgent,” I said, grabbing the pen and paper pad that was stuck to the fridge.
I wrote down all of the numbers I could remember off the top of my head, handed the piece of paper to her, and she nodded.
“Thanks, Claymore.”
“Anytime.”
Leaving her behind felt strange. We’d spent so much time together over the past few days that I started to miss feeling her arms around me on the back of my bike. I missed the feeling of her nails digging into my jacket whenever I took a sharp turn, or the way she’d rest her head on me when she got tired. I tried to focus, shaking off whatever confusing emotions were flitting around inside my mind.
I arrived at the clubhouse to find a few of the guys giving their bikes a good tune while the others were packing some old crates into the back of a truck.Tank’s got everyone working overtime, huh?I entered through the garage, feeling the heat on my back and I listened to the sound of tools clanking and everyone chattering. It went silent the moment I approached.
“Claymore!”
“Arch. Thanks for the rescue, man. Guess I should’ve checked on my bike before I made it back out to Sedona, but I was hoping it’d hold up a little longer.”
“No worries. I hate to break it to you, but that thing was a goner. I’m surprised it didn’t run you off the road itself,” he chuckled.
