She spent the next few days in depression mode.

Sarah lounged around the house in her sweats, she ate ice cream straight from the tub, she didn’t wash her hair, and she didn’t answer the phone when Nicole called.

She didn’t know why, but she just couldn’t face it.

There was part of her that wanted to answer and see if Nicole had heard from Ranger, but then there was also a part of her that wanted Snake to get in touch with her and tell her everything she may need to know himself.

She didn’t know a whole lot of what was happening with these so called Russians… but she could tell it was bad.

For a gang outside of Slate Springs to come into town and start picking off the bikers’ businesses, there was only one way it could possibly go… And Sarah was sure it wasn’t going to end well.

She lay on her bed looking up at the ceiling and remembering her night with Snake. Everything had been so incredible and so perfect. From their secret kiss in the old storage room to them making love out in her parents’ back yard in an old toolshed.

Coming home had exceeded her expectations, and now she was having trouble wanting to say goodbye.

It had been a full week by the time she finally heard from Snake, and it came in the form of a text message deep in the middle of the night while she slept.

S: Things have been bad babe. I’ve had to keep my head down. I miss you, and I can’t wait to see you again. Have faith in me xx

When she read it the next morning, she had held the phone to her chest and smiled before she re-read it, over and over again.

“Oh Snake,” she had whispered. “Hurry up and come home.”

 

***

 

“I haven’t heard a damned thing,” Nicole pouted as she grabbed the two takeout coffees from the barista and thrust one of them into Sarah’s hand. “At least you’ve had some contact.”

The girls were walking down Main Street and heading toward the park. It was another beautiful day, and they had spent it looking around the stores in the morning and trying to distract themselves from the raging war within Slate Springs, and also the fact that both of their men had been missing in action for the best part of four weeks.

“We were just getting started,” Sarah said with disappointment. “And I still can’t believe what a jackass Ranger was about everything. I really hope he hasn’t been trying to change Snake’s mind while they’ve been away at wherever the hell they are…”

Nicole shrugged.

“I love Ranger, but he’s a big baby,” she said sympathetically. “But he’ll come around, I’m sure he will…”

Sarah was proud of Nicole’s optimism, but she wasn’t so sure she was right.

“I just wish they would come back,” she said as she took a sip of her coffee. “One text isn’t exactly the stuff dreams are made of. He said to have faith in him, and yet how am I supposed to?”

Nicole laughed and looked across at her.

“I’m engaged to be married to Ranger, Sarah, and I haven’t heard a damned word from him. This is just what these bikers are like. I think it’s admirable and totally gorgeous that Snake sent you that message in the first place. He’s telling you how he feels, he’s saying he needs to be careful and keep his head down, but that he wants to see you, that he can’t wait to see you, and he wants you to have faith in him, and no doubt in the two of you together.”

Sarah nodded her head and let Nicole’s words sink it.

She had to believe she was right.

“Also, you’ve got to look at it from their perspective,” Nicole continued under a hushed voice. “Girls like me and you, once we get involved with a biker, we’re a target, Sarah…”

“What do you mean?” she asked nervously.

“They’re in the middle of a gang land war,” Nicole whispered as she linked her arm with Sarah’s. “The reason they can’t contact us is because their lines may be tapped.”

Sarah’s heart started to pound.

“I don’t know a whole lot about it, but I know they keep distance from loved ones when something bad is happening. It’s just to ensure everyone is kept safe. They wouldn’t want a Russian turning up on your doorstop and kidnapping you for ransom, would they?”

Sarah gritted her teeth.

“Jeez,” she said. “I hadn’t thought about that.”

“Well, yeah,” Nicole said sympathetically. “And think about it, not only are you now romantically linked to one of The Forsaken Riders, you’re also one of their sisters too…”

“True,” Sarah said as she sipped her coffee and nodded her head. “Maybe I should just wait it out and stop driving myself nuts about it all. He’ll get in touch.”

“Of course he will,” Nicole reassured her. “There isn’t a single doubt in my mind. He’s just being careful and keeping you safe.”

The girls continued walking through the park and out the other side, sipping their coffees and chatting about the life they were both now leading in Slate Springs.

“When are you going to head back to the city?” Nicole asked.

“I don’t know,” Sarah shrugged.

She hadn’t fully admitted it to herself, but she had been hanging around to see if Snake returned quickly. But four weeks had now passed since she had seen him, the wedding had been put on hold and was going to be rearranged, and Sarah still hadn’t decided what the hell she was going to do with her life next.

“I think I’ll chill here for a little while longer,” she said. “It’s been nice spending time with you and my parents, it’s been such a long time since I’ve spent a significant duration back here. I have to admit, I’m kind of liking it.”

“Good,” Nicole beamed. “Because I love having you here too! In fact, if you left again, I can’t imagine what it would be like. It would be weird not having you around.”

Sarah smiled and pulled Nicole into a hug.

“I better get home,” she said. “I should really be job hunting, or at least doing something constructive.”

“You deserve the rest,” Nicole told her. “Go home and take a bath. You’ve got the rest of your life to worry about applying for jobs.”

Sarah nodded her head in agreement and waved goodbye to her over her shoulder as she turned the corner onto her street.

Her parent’s house stood tall and proud at the end, and she was secretly glad to see that their cars were both missing.

“So I’ve got the house to myself,” she smiled smugly. “Maybe I will take that bath…”

 

She closed the bathroom door and ran the water hot and heavy until it steamed up the entire room and thick clouds of fog were all around her. She smiled as she recalled her night at the club, and remembered how much fun it had been to be with Snake, running through the crowds and hiding.

It had been the only thing keeping her going while he had been gone. The memory was so strong and powerful in her mind, she knew it was too good to go to waste.

He was going to come back to her. She just had to do what he asked of her and have faith.

She slipped out of her clothes and let them fall into a pile on the floor, before she looked at herself in the mirror over the sink. The summer sun had done her good, and her skin was a rich brown. She looked healthy and radiant, and she was sure her skin was flushed and glowing in the most delicate of ways.

She reached up and opened the cupboard, and stared up at all the cosmetics in front of her. She reached for her eye make-up remover before she tipped some onto a cotton pad and swept it over her eyelids, to remove the mascara she had slicked on earlier in the day.

When she looked back up to get another, something caught her eye… And for some reason, her heart suddenly began to race.

A box of tampons.

She reached up and took hold of it, then she put it back down.

She had always suffered from a terrible memory, but she was pretty sure she hadn’t had a period for the entire time she had been back in town.

Her heart hammered on in her chest.

She put the box back in the cupboard and she shook her head.

“No,” she told herself angrily. “Your memory must be playing tricks on you…”

And she turned off the taps before she let herself slip into the hot water and she began to wash away her dread and the rest of the day.

But her mind wouldn’t let up. Something was niggling at the back of it, and now she couldn’t let it go…

Snake had been gone four weeks.

She had been back in town at least five and a half.

She swallowed and rubbed her forehead. Something was definitely afoot… And she had a terrible feeling she knew exactly what it was.