“That’s my girl,” he murmurs. “Are you going to show them how it’s done?”
I smile at the teasing note in his voice. I don’t know how long he’s been teaching Dahlia how to ride, but she’s still a new rider. She’ll make rookie mistakes and will need to take it easy—especially on a powerful bike like Jaxon’s.
“Hey!” Aiden says, acting offended. “I know how to ride better than all of you combined.”
“Sure you do,” Hawk says, and straddles his bike. “That’s why you always end up wobbling when you redline it.”
I won’t lie. Every time I see Aiden’s motorcycle close to losing control from the speed, my stomach drops and I stop breathing. We all ride one-thousand cc bikes—the highest-powered motorcycles you can get on the market. They’re called Death Bikes for a reason. I don’t care if it happens to me. It’s not like I’ll be around to feel the pain or miss anything. But I can’t lose my friends.
Or Madison.
I care about her so fucking much that it’s hard to breathe. If something happened to her while she was my backpack, I would lose it. No one would be safe. Not even myself.
I mount my motorcycle and stick the key into the ignition. Everyone follows suit, revving engines and glancing at each other to see if we’re ready to ride. Adrenaline rushes through myveins as I prepare to ride like a bat out of hell before I go back to Jerry’s to see Madison.
I’m the first out of the parking lot, but the others aren’t far behind. My mind clears and focuses on the powerful machine beneath me. Hawk and I fuck around by doing wheelies at a more reasonable speed. Aiden eventually joins in, while Jaxon takes it easy since he has Dahlia.
We ride closer to the abandoned neighborhood, and for once, I don’t long to go home. All I want to do is go to Madison, even if it’s only to sneak into her bedroom and curl against her while she sleeps.
The tiny hairs on the back of my neck stand, prickling with awareness. I glance over my shoulder, spotting Jaxon behind, while Aiden and Hawk ride ahead, still popping wheelies and having fun. I face front and check the road once more before I peek over my shoulder again, this time catching different pairs of headlights rushing toward us.
Jaxon looks back, then lowers himself over the bike as he speeds up. I catch Aiden’s and Hawk’s attention, signing with one hand to look behind us.
Whoever’s behind us, they’re coming up quick.
As a group, we speed up and zip through the streets, racing closer to the abandoned neighborhood. If the newcomers are following us, then they’ll be in our territory and we’ll have the advantage.
Woods line both sides of the road, bathing us in darkness. Our headlights provide the only light. My heart pounds against my chest, a flood of adrenaline rushing through my veins as my body prepares for a fight. It’s been a minute since I’ve let off some steam and beaten the fuck out of someone. Justin doesn’t count. The pussy buckled beneath me while screaming for help.
I peer over my shoulder, checking for the unfamiliar headlights. They’re closer, so I can see that the headlights are spread apart.
They’re riders too.
I turn around and suck in a sharp breath as someone steps out of the shadows, directly into my path.
“Shit!”
I swerve out of the way and hit the brakes. My front tire jerks, and I lose balance, tumbling to the ground while the bike drags me several feet. I jerk my hand off the handlebars, and the bike slides across the pavement, leaving behind a trail of red sparks as it grates against the asphalt. I grunt as I roll and slide against the pavement, knocking my helmet several times against the ground.
One second, I’m sliding on the road, and the next, I’m sitting up and swaying from the force of the crash. Shouts filter through the ringing in my ears, and my vision is spotty. Everything is numb, and I blame it on the adrenaline and shock.
“Grab Ryder!” Hawk yells.
Two pairs of legs appear, and I tip back my head.
Aiden grabs me by the forearms and drags me to my feet while Dahlia takes my other side to help him.
“You okay?” he asks.
I manage a nod.
Aiden wraps an arm around my shoulders, holding me steady as I regain my balance. I suck in a breath, then another, working through my body’s reaction to the accident.
“Who the fuck are you?” Hawk stalks toward the group of bikers parked ten feet away from us.
Jaxon follows him, both of my friends acting as shields while I gather myself.
The three newcomers dismount their bikes and take two steps toward Hawk and Jaxon, who stop, leaving some spacebetween them. Their visors remain lowered, meaning we can’t see any of their faces.
