Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75406 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75406 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 377(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 251(@300wpm)
We blow past the rear police guard and Deuce weaves. I correct for it, but then his front wheel bounces like he just hit one hell of a pothole. Fuck! Is he gonna—
He manages to get his bike back under control, but not before veering in front of Shrapnel and Mad Dog, nearly sideswiping Tank. Tank dodges, but the two prospects don’t have a fucking chance. They touch wheels while trying to avoid Deuce and go down, hard. Beast slams into the other two and flips over the front of his bike. He slides across the asphalt.
Everything happens in what feels like slow motion but is over in the blink of an eye. The front riders, including Eagle-eye, Alpha and King, fall back to protect the rear and buy us time. Finally getting their thumbs out of their asses, the cops are closing in fast.
Wraith and Tank lead Deuce and Reaper clear as Shrapnel and Mad Dog get back on their bikes, scraped and bloody but moving. Beast is still on the ground, clutching his shoulder.
“Prez! Go!” I yell, swinging into a stop and abandoning my bike to help Beast.
“Get the fuck on your bike!” Eagle-eye fires right back.
“Screw your hero complex, old man,” Alpha snarls. “Get the fuck out of here. Let us take care of it.”
The cops are on us, sirens blaring, and this time there’s no cocky detective wanting to give us his fucking villan speech first. They hit the streets hot, guns out.
Fuck!
Eagle-eye and Alpha face the cops. “Go! Get that fucking witness! They don’t have shit on us and they know it. King’s in charge.”
I fucking can’t…
Fuck!
I throw myself on my bike before they can surround me too. I know it’s what I was ordered to do, but I feel like a coward running while the cops round up Beast, Alpha… and fucking Eagle-eye.
8
KAYLEE
“Rise and shine!” Officer Anderson comes into my room without warning and turns on the fluorescent overhead light.
I wince and sit up, still in the sweats I was wearing when they picked me up. “I want to go home. Can I at least talk to someone? Tell them where I am?”
Has it been one day? Two? I’m pretty sure it hasn’t been any longer than that, but the apartment they brought me to for ‘protection’ has the windows blacked out and my internal clock is totally screwed up. With no way to check, it could easily be more or less time than they tell me. The only thing they’ve fed me are the disgusting, unsalted scrambled eggs Anderson keeps making. It could be breakfast, lunch or dinner for all I know.
“We told you last night, Ms. Thompson. Don’t you remember? Your parents have been informed that you are in protective custody. I’m afraid anything else could jeopardize your safety and you wouldn’t want that, would you?”
“You did? I… I don’t remember that, and I already told you everything I know. I don’t understand why I’m even here! Am I under arrest? Shouldn’t I have to sign something to agree to this? I think maybe I should talk to a lawyer. That’s what people always do on TV. I mean, I don’t know much about police procedure, but this seems—”
“Don’t be ridiculous. You can’t believe everything you see on TV. It’s true that normally you would have more time to prepare, but sometimes it’s important for us to move quickly when it’s for the public good. The Screaming Eagles are a dangerous criminal organization, and you witnessed them brutally murdering several men. It’s a miracle you’re still alive. If they were to find out you’re working with us and get their hands on you, you’d be dead.”
I’m all too aware that everything I say or do is on camera. They’re mounted in all the rooms, and I feel like a bug in a jar. Watched, and in the very real danger of never seeing freedom again.
“But I didn’t! I don’t know…” No matter how many times I tell Harris and Anderson that I didn’t see what they say I must have seen, they don’t seem to believe me. It’s getting hard not to second guess my own memory.
“Well I do. Mayor Hawthorne’s tactics might have crossed some lines, but ever since he was arrested, those animals have been free to terrorize this city. But no longer, thanks to you, we may finally be able to start dismantling their organization.”
“But, it wasn’t—”
“Ms. Thompson, Kaylee, I can see you still have concerns. Are you hungry?”
I nod cautiously, already dreading more of the eggs. When I first got here, nobody remembered to feed me at all but I was too exhausted to care by the time they took off my handcuffs and showed me my bed. I drank water straight from the tap using my hands and slept. It wasn’t until later that I noticed there are no doors, only curtains in the doorways, and cameras can follow what I’m doing no matter where I go.