18
Chance
Sanctuary and the surrounding grounds are teeming with life, the excitement of a job well done making the air crackle. Everyone’s talking in loud, fast voices, and they somehow brought the smell of fire and smoke with them. It hangs on the air too, mixing with the exciting energy.
Cross, Tank and the rest of the execs are back too. They congratulated us on a job well done then went inside and haven’t been back out yet.
Several brothers are still not back, but more keep arriving, their bikes thundering up the long driveway towards the house every so often. Once they arrive, their excitement gets added to the mix, swelling it.
It’s almost eleven and I’m debating whether to call Veronica and check in with her, or if I should leave it until the morning. She hates me less now, even seems to trust me, but I’m afraid if I talk too much that’ll change.
I’m leaning on the wall beside the open doors leading into the house, staring at my phone, about to dial her number, because fuck it, I want to know how she’s doing, when Tank appears in the doorway.
“Ace says you did good on your first serious job, son,” he says as he comes up to me and pats me on the shoulder for good measure.
“I told you I’m ready,” I say and grin at him. “But thanks.”
“We have more work to do,” he says. “About twenty of them got away, including Gazz, and at least ten never showed up to the meeting. You’ll have plenty of chances to prove yourself some more in the coming days. So get some rest now, get drunk if you have to. And I’m here if you need to talk to me.”
I might never stop being a child in my father’s eyes, but right now, it doesn’t bother me as much as it normally does. So I don’t say anything, just nod and give him a pat on the shoulder in return.
Two more brothers are speeding up the driveway towards us, followed by a white van going at breakneck speed.
They all stop with the screeching of brakes right in front of the door.
“What is it? Was someone shot,” Tank asks as Edge stumbles out of the passenger side, his black shirt stiff as a board across his stomach, covered in what can only be dried blood. Ruin gets out from behind the wheel and his white t-shirt is definitely covered with splotches of blood.
“No, we’re not shot,” Edge says in answer to Tank’s question, while staring at me. Both he and Ruin are.
“But that woman’s family,” Edge continues and the crackling, happy adrenaline that was still flowing through my veins starts turning to lead. “The mother and father were shot. The two women were taken. By the Riders.”
“What the fuck?” I say rounding on them. “How did you miss them coming?”
Edge and Ruin exchange a loaded glance. “Sorry, Chance,” Ruin says. “They just rolled up in this huge van, pushed us back into our van as we tried to get out and locked us in. They shot at the van, probably to make it catch fire or to prevent us from getting out.”
“It all took less than five minutes,” Edge takes up the telling after Ruin paused. “They went in, shot the parents, and took the two women. By the time we managed to break out of the back, they were long gone.”
“We went into the house after that, found the two parents bleeding,” Ruin adds and falls silent again. I guess this is bringing up some bad memories of the time his own parents were killed much like this when he was fifteen, but this is no time for that.
“The parents are at the hospital,” Edge says. “We did what we could for them.”
“Alive?” I ask.
They shrug.
Shit.
I stuff my phone back into my pocket and head for my bike.
“Where are you going, Chance?” Tank asks, jogging to catch up to me.
“I’m going to find Veronica and her sister,” I say.
Tank grabs my arm to halt me. “We’ll find them when we take out the rest of the Riders. It’s too dangerous for you to go back out tonight.”
I shake my head. “I have to do this, Dad.”
“And we’re coming with you,” Edge and Ruin say as they run up to us.