Chapter 50

I sat, clutching the phone in my hand, feeling more alone than I had ever before. I couldn’t just sit, waiting to hear something, for something to happen; I would drive myself insane if I even tried. Instead, I decided to go for a walk to clear my head. The night air felt good against my skin, and it helped to calm my racing thoughts.

As I wandered the streets, in the distance I began to hear the rumble of motorcycles, and I felt my heart skip a beat at the sound. Chances of it being Rook and the other members of the Raven’s was slim, but there was always a possibility. As I quickened my pace, the sound grew closer, and I ducked into an alley, my heart pounding in my chest. If it wasn’t the Raven’s, I didn’t want to be caught on the street alone.

The bikes began roaring by, and as they did, I caught the Raven’s emblem on the back of their kuttes. Stepping out of the shadows and onto the street, I watched as several passed, before one of them peeled off from the pack, slowing down and coming to a stop before me. 

Cutting the engine and dismounting, Rook pinned me beneath his gaze, growling, "What the hell are you doing out here alone?"

I lifted a shoulder in a half-hazard shrug. “Restless,” I replied.

With a shake of his head and a sigh, Rook stepped forward, then, wrapping his arms around me, he pulled me into a hug, before releasing me, he stepped back. In the dim lighting of the streetlight, I could see the worry etched on his face. "It’s bad, right?” I asked.

Rook nodded. “Yeah. It’s bad. The club's in some deep shit"

"What kind?" I breathed.

"The kind that could get me jail time, or killed" he said, his eyes boring into mine.

I felt a surge of emotions—fear for him, anger at the situation, and a fierce determination to help. "If there’s any way I can help, just tell me,” I stated firmly.

Rook's expression softened, and he took my hand. "You're a stubborn one, aren't you?" He said with a sad smile.

"Always have been," I said, squeezing his hand back. “You know that.”

He nodded. "Okay, but you have to be careful. If anything happens, I need to know you'll look out for yourself first."

"I will," I promised, though I wasn’t sure I could keep it.

Rook looked over his shoulder at the vanishing taillights of his brothers. "I have to go," he said. "But I'll be in touch."

He gave my hand a final squeeze before swinging his leg over his bike and kicking it back to life. The engine roared to life, and with a nod, he disappeared into the night.

I stood there for a long time, listening to the fading rumble. The compound and its secrets were beckoning me back, and the pull was strong.

Walking back to my apartment, I felt a strange mix of excitement and dread. My life was unraveling before my eyes, and I knew if I let it unravel completely, there was no coming back from where it took me. As I climbed the stairs, the gravity of the situation settled heavily on my shoulders. But one thing was clear: no matter what happened, I would stand by Rook. He was family, and family sticks together through the storms.

Once inside, I grabbed a notebook and pen, determined to make sense of the puzzle pieces scattered around me. I wrote down every detail I could remember, from the tension in Rook’s voice to the way his hand felt in mine. Each stroke of the pen brought clarity, turning the abstract into something tangible.

Hours passed as I sat in my dimly lit living room, my thoughts racing. The clock on the wall ticked away, each second feeling like an eternity. Suddenly, the phone in my pocket buzzed, snapping me out of my trance. It was a text from another unknown number. "Meet me at The Hideout at midnight. -R"

The Hideout was a secluded bar, a known rendezvous spot for the Raven’s. It was where they went when they didn’t want to be found. I had been there a few times with Rook or Torin, but never on my own, and never for something like this. Glancing at the clock, I saw that it was already eleven fifty-five. Time had flown, and now I had to decide if I was ready to dive into whatever mess he was in.

Taking a deep breath, I grabbed my jacket and headed out the door. The night air was cooler than before, sending a shiver down my spine. The streets were eerily quiet, the only sounds the distant echo of the city's heartbeat and the occasional car passing by. The Hideout was a twenty-minute walk away, and as I approached, I saw a lone figure leaning against the building. Even from a distance, I knew it was Rook.

When I arrived, he looked up, his eyes searching the shadows before landing on me. He pushed off the wall and strode over, pulling me into a tight embrace. "You came," he murmured into my hair.

"Of course," I said, my voice stronger than I felt. "What’s going on?"

He stepped back, his gaze serious. "We’ve been set up," he said. "Someone’s been feeding information to the cops, and it’s gotta be someone on the inside."

"What kind of information?" I asked.

"Enough to get us raided, enough to send a few of the guys away for a very long time,” he responded.

I felt a cold knot form in my stomach. "What do we do?"

Rook took my hand again, leading me into the bar. "First thing, we find out who it is," he said, his voice low and firm. "Then, we make it right."