She didn’t go very far. The good thing about a motorcycle club’s headquarters was that it was filled with just that: motorcycles. The bad thing was that it was also filled with bikers who were far more efficient riders.
It was Alec who caught up with her. He emerged from a side alley and cut her off. She almost lost control of the bike she had stolen, but managed not to crash. They stood still for a few moments, staring at each other—Alec fierce and confident on his ride, and Eve a little bit shakier.
“That’s enough, sweetheart,” he said. “Get off the bike.”
Reluctantly, she did. What other choice did she have? She threw a few darting looks around, looking for escapes. Perhaps she could outrun him.
“Don’t even think about it,” he said, reading her intentions. “Now hop on.” He nodded to the back of his bike.
Eve dug her heels into the asphalt as if that move alone could anchor her to her spot. “I’m not going back there,” she said. “I’m going home.”
“Don’t be stupid,” Alec said. “Merchant will find you in a heartbeat.”
“I don’t care,” Eve insisted, even if she actually did care.
“Look,” Alec began after a moment. He was visibly choosing his words. Clearly, he was out of his element. “I realize things may be a bit tense—”
Eve laughed bitterly. “Now there’s an understatement.”
“Nevertheless,” Alec said through gritted teeth, “it beats some guy putting a bullet in your brain.”
“You don’t get it, do you?” Eve said. “He doesn’t want me there. I don’t want me there, either. I’ll take care of myself.”
Alec shook his head. “It’s your funeral.”
As if on cue, there was a single explosion of sound. Eve watched incredulous as Alec toppled over, his bike crashing to the ground. She knew what she was seeing, and yet her brain refused to register it for the longest time. Something finally snapped within her and she sprung to action. She left her bike and rushed over to Alec, kneeling down next to him. A red stain was blossoming on his right side, blood pooling on the ground. Eve fumbled for the bandana she had tied her hair with and pressed down on the wound.
He grunted and opened his eyes to stare at her. “Fuck,” he hissed through the pain.
“You’d best not talk,” she said, pressing down harder. “I’ll call 911.”
“You’ll do no such thing.”
Eve looked up. From an alley to Alec’s left, five figures emerged. Eve recognized them instantly; Gary’s men. She had seen them time and time again at the nightclub, back when she danced the nights away. It felt like a lifetime ago, and perhaps it was, in a way.
“You didn’t have to shoot him, Vincent,” she accused, glaring at the leader.
He was a bulky man, distant and ruthless. He shrugged. “I’m taking it as an added bonus.”
Eve’s eyes flashed in anger. “Let me call an ambulance, then I’ll go with you.”
Alec moaned in protest, but he couldn’t form any words. Eve could feel him getting weaker underneath her hands.
Vincent looked at her in surprise. “I didn’t think it would be this easy. I’ve got to say, I’m almost disappointed.”
“Then again, Gary wants her alive and unharmed,” one of the other men spoke up.
Vincent thought about it for a moment, and then he finally nodded. “OK then,” he said. “Call 911.”
Eve took out her phone and did just that. Before she could speak to the operator, however, Vincent kicked the phone out of her hand. She cried out in pain and surprise.
“Don’t worry, sweetie,” he said, grabbing her and hauling her to her feet. “They’ll trace the call.”
All of her instincts told her to struggle, but Eve didn’t dare to. She didn’t dare to breathe, let alone move. She was terrified that if she made the wrong movement, Vincent would finish the job and kill Alec on the spot. So, she let herself be dragged away. She kept her eyes trained on Alec all the way, and she didn’t like what she saw; his eyes were already dulled, his skin white.
They shoved her unceremoniously in the trunk of Vincent’s car. It was dark in there, and stuffy. She had to think of something else in order not to panic. They said Gary wanted her alive, so she could only hope they wouldn’t let her suffocate in there. Despite all that happened between them, Eve found herself thinking of Lind. She almost didn’t dare to picture his reaction if Alec were to die; she had the feeling it could be even uglier than the state Lind was in now.
She wondered if Lind would come for her, like he had in the past. As much as she hated to admit it, she wasn’t too hopeful. The Lind she had seen back at the Diamondbacks’ headquarters had nothing in common with the Lind she had fallen in love with. She wasn’t sure this Lind would come for anyone, especially her.