Frank and Jake were out the door moments after Gen and Lacy. Richard and I weren’t far behind.

“Which car?” Richard asked, grabbing his sidearm from his desk drawer.

“Bronco. Gonna need the space.”

Jake’s old truck roared to life like a bear claiming our parking lot as its territory, and tore off as Richard and I ran through the receptionist hall and hit the front door.

A subtle, thunderous rumble began in the north just as we set foot on the front deck. It slowly picked up in volume as it drew closer and closer with each passing moment.

We both stopped and exchanged looks. “What the hell’s that?” Richard asked. “Sounds like Frank is coming back.”

I shook my head. “Know what it sounds like? Bikes. Motorcycles.”

“Hell of a time for a biker rally.”

A sense of dread began to form in my stomach like a cold shot of iron, weighing down my insides. I swallowed hard as the sound of the road hogs grew louder and louder. There was no room for coincidences today. “We need to go,” I said. “Right now.”

We jumped from the front porch, clearing the four steps, and were at a run as we landed. My old Bronco wasn’t much to look at, but it was right there, and would be more than a match for a bunch of bikes.

I had the engine cranked by the time Richard could buckle his seat belt, and we pulled out of the lot, the tires spinning until they gained purchase on the asphalt.

Behind us, the echoing rumble of the arriving storm of bikers continued to grow until, finally, they appeared in the rearview mirror like the riders of the apocalypse. Ponytails were streaming in the wind, vests and jackets flapped around them as they bore down on us on their choppers and road bikes.

“Skull and Bones?” I asked.

“Skull and Bones,” Richard confirmed. He would know, too. He’d had more than his fair share of dealings with them a little over a year back. They’d tried to buy his wife’s interest in the Curious Turtle, and Richard had mistaken one of their club presidents for being a stalker who’d been making threats against her. The whole ordeal ended up with Frost Security bringing the real culprit in, but not before several of the Bonesmen lay dead in the dirt surrounding our safe house cabin. At the end of the night, though, we’d banned the Skull and Bones from using Enchanted Rock as a drug thoroughfare, or from selling here. And, as far as I could tell, they’d taken our warning seriously.

I didn’t know how Jaeger-Tech had managed to get them involved or what kind of deal they’d made, but this seriously complicated things. Now, not only did we have a bunch of corporate shifter hunters on our tails, we also had a reckless group of outlaws who would probably somehow care even less about the loss of innocent life.

“Think they’re here for us?” I asked as I stomped a heavy boot onto the gas, sending us roaring into town. Really, I was just looking for confirmation of my gut feeling. Deep down, I knew they were here for my pack. Why else would they have risked our wrath by venturing into our territory?

“Can almost guarantee it,” he replied as they revved their engines louder and came racing up behind us, closing the short lead I had on them in no time. “Wyatt Axelrod’s up front, riding herd.”

“Shit. Don’t make a move unless they do, though. I don’t want to be accused of firing the first shot.”

Ahead of us, coming down the opposite side of traffic, was an old pickup. It flashed its high beams, maybe trying to warn us, and swerved a little as it pulled off onto the side of the road.

“We going to head for the Turtle?” Richard asked. “Or lead them out of town?”

I gritted my teeth, considering my options.

“Come on, Pete,” Richard swore, glancing back over his shoulder. “Turnoff’s just ahead, man. We gotta decide here.”

“I’m thinking, Murdoch. Gimme a second.”

“Bonesmen don’t believe in seconds, man.”

On the one hand, if there was a fire fight that opened up on Main Street, we might get some innocent folks caught in the crossfire.

On the other, though, my mate and the rest of the pack’s mates were inside the Curious Turtle. Maybe they were blissfully unaware of what was going on outside their four walls. Maybe they were under siege right now. Hell, maybe they’d even been taken…

No, I couldn’t think like that. I had to believe Vanessa and the rest of the women were okay. That we’d realized what was happening before Jaeger-Tech could put their plan into motion. I had to believe they were safe and sound, and would be surprised and shocked to see us.

“We’re going into town,” I said, cutting the wheel hard and turning toward Enchanted Rock.

The driver’s side wheels lifted a little as, tires squealing, the old Bronco lurched hard to the left, the whole bulk of the top-heavy car shifting right.

And that was when the Bonesmen opened fire.