Page 23 of Double the Dilemma

She walked over to the window and carefully eased out, holding onto the window sill to keep from falling. She very carefully inched her foot to the edge of the clubhouse and around the drain pipe before reaching her hand out to do the same. Once she had a good hold, she let go of the window sill and grabbed the drain pipe. She glanced down and it seemed even higher of a drop from this angle, but she could make it.

She made her way down, her stomach in knots at the sound of the drain pipe straining and clanging loud in the air. When she reached the bottom she crouched and waited, listening. After a few moment she didn’t hear anything, so she took off running for the trees. She was near the tree line when a figure stepped into sight and crossed their arms over their chest.

She took in the Prospect and thought he could give Rogue a run for his money with the glare he shot her way. She pulled herself up to her full height and said, “I don’t want to have to hurt you kid, so get the hell out of the way.”

His expression didn’t change. “And your man is going to be pissed you’re trying to leave,” he returned evenly. “He also knew you were going to try, and gave me permission to stop you and take you back to his room if you did.”

“First off, Razor isn’t my man. And second… wait, what’s your name again?” He just stared at her. She rolled her eyes. “Well, I don’t really want to call you ‘kid’ when I’m about to kick your ass. Not as personal, you know?”

“Tom,” he finally said. “I think you’re the one mistaken if you think you’re not his. Anyone with a brain can see that the two of you are together, no matter how much you fight it.”

“Well, aren’t we philosophical,” Karissa said sarcastically. “Look, I’m leaving. You can try and stop me, but you’re going to end up looking like an idiot. If it makes you feel better, I’ll let you get a couple hits in to save your cred with the club so they won’t kick your ass out, but you won’t be keeping me here. Got it?”

Again, no change in his expression. Hmm, he would have made an excellent soldier, she thought to herself. And when he exploded into action with no warning, she had to admire him. He at least tried. He got his hand on her arm and spun her around so that her back was to his front. She let a smile cover her face. The kid knew some moves, and she was going to hate showing him up, but how else would he learn?

His mistake was letting go of her arm to wrap his own around her neck, thinking that would stop her. It wasn’t tight enough to hurt or even bruise, so she figured that even though he wanted to stop her, he wouldn’t risk Razor’s wrath if she came back roughed up. “Let’s go,” he said sternly, moving them forward.

“Good try, but your technique needs some work,” she said calmly as they walked a few more steps. “I’m sure the guys could teach you to be a bit more effective. Now, as much fun as this has been, I really need to go.” Then she stopped, kicked her foot back to trip him, and used her strength to bring him up and over her head to land on his back in the dirt. He grunted and groaned, and she felt a moment of guilt before she turned and ran into the woods.

He’d be fine, she reminded herself as she worked through the trees. Besides, she didn’t have time to worry about him if she wanted to get out of here and call Glitch to send reinforcements. She wouldn’t be able to go back to her apartment since that was the first place Razor would look, but Glitch would make sure she had somewhere to go.

It helped to have a team, and she realized how much she missed it. Having someone at her back, though not physically, when she needed them.

She made her way through the thick woods until she came to the fence the club had erected around the property. She glanced around and saw a camera up in the trees and wondered if Code was watching her. Oh well, if he was, she didn’t care. By the time the guys showed up, she would be long gone.

The sound of someone crashing through the brush made her move faster. Looked like Tom wasn’t about to give up easily. She scaled the fence quickly, cursing under her breath when her pant leg snagged on the top, but she yanked and felt it let go before she dropped to the other side, just as Tom came running through the trees. He didn’t even pause when he saw her, just ran for the fence. She rolled her eyes. Save her from over eager Prospects, she thought as she turned and ran. She was getting close to the road, and then she would be home free.

Well, as long as she could get rid of her tail.

She vaguely heard the roar of motorcycles, a lot of them, a few seconds later and cursed. Looked like Tom called for backup, which meant Razor was on his way. Fucking hell, she thought with annoyance. Why couldn’t they leave her the hell alone? She was leaving and Razor needed to deal with it. She was sorry this was how she was going to have to leave Esme, but she would text her later once she was out of town and well away from a bunch of overbearing bikers.

As she reached the edge of the trees, she felt a burst of triumph in her gut.

She pulled out her burner phone. She sent a quick text to Glitch.

Karissa: Gonna need that ride a little sooner than expected.

Her reply was almost immediate.

Glitch: Trouble?

Karissa: Men being chauvinistic assholes.

Glitch: Say no more. I’ll send them your way. But they’re at least a day out. You’ll be alright until then?

Karissa: I’m good. Let me know the meet up details once you have them.

Glitch: You got it. I’ve got your location, so if shit goes sideways, and I don’t hear from you within a couple of hours, I’ll call in some emergency favors to get you out of there.

Karissa: Thanks.

She put the phone away and listened carefully. She didn’t hear Tom stomping around, so he either gave up or was listening for her. She kept her breathing steady, waiting. She was a master at waiting, having learned from some of the best. Tom was going to be searching for her for a while, and that would give her a chance to figure out her next move.

The clubhouse compound was outside of town, and she would have a fair distance to walk, but she’d be fine. Her next pressing issue was going to be food and shelter until she could meet up with her rescue squad. But there were a few barns and places along the way, so she had options.

The sound of movement through the trees brought her out of her thoughts. Tom was closer, but still a ways away. Seemed that he was making his way down the road, thinking she might have gone that way. Smart. The kid had skills, and it made her wonder where he had learned them. Especially since he couldn’t be more than twenty-one.

Then she heard more footsteps making their way towards her from the opposite side, and she bit back a curse. Looked like the cavalry arrived. She glanced at the tree above her, assessing it. It had a nice amount of foliage and it would give her some cover, at least enough until they moved along. So she reached up, grabbed a branch, hauled herself up and started to climb, trying not to shake the branches or leaves and give away her position.

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