I was vaguely aware I was dreaming.

Cool air was blowing on my skin, making a strand of my dark hair flutter back and forth in the breeze. The tickling sensation on my neck roused me further, though I fought it with all I had. Waking wasn’t something I wanted to do right now. Out there, beyond my closed eyelids, was reality. Reality sucked.

Despite my struggle, my eyes cracked open, and I swatted at the stray hair, tucking it behind my ear. Raising my head, I glanced around the unfamiliar room. Was I dreaming? Because this place looked a hell of a lot like one of those nondescript motel rooms Chaser and I had stayed in on our road trip. I was still fully clothed, so maybe not.

The ceiling was slathered in that awful popcorn plaster I’d become so familiar with, and the closed curtains had a putrid floral pattern all over. The laminate floor was bubbling where it met the white walls, and there was a mildew stink that seemed to cling to everything—even the scratchy sheets on the bed were rank with it.

Hell, this was one of those awful ‘and then she woke up and found out it was all a dream’ plot devices movies used. I didn’t want to one-star review my life, but it was better than acknowledging the last two months were real.

I pushed up, my head feeling like it was stuffed with cotton wool. Picking at my hair, I sniffed it. Smoke.

“Chaser?”

Movement from across the room startled me. A chair scraped back, and he was there.

The way his face was mottled black and blue made him look as if he’d been pulverized by a mallet. Cuts and scrapes littered one side of his face while one eye was beginning to darken and swell. As he stepped toward me, he was favoring his right leg, and I began to fret over the stab wound he’d gotten on the train.

“Sloane.” He sat beside me, his hand combing through my tangled hair.

“It wasn’t a dream, was it?” I whispered, my eyes gritty and dry.

He shook his head. “No. It was very real.”

“Where are we? For a moment, I thought…”

“We’re at a Best Western motel outside of Las Vegas.”

“Las Vegas?” I jerked away from his touch and scooped the musty sheets around me. “But…”

But that’s where they were going to take me… The Hollow Men operated out of Las Vegas… The King and his depraved dungeon lingered among the glitz and the glamour of The Strip. Was it safe to hide out right under his nose like this?

“We weren’t followed,” Chaser said, his forehead creasing. “No one knows we’re here.”

“You’re doing it again,” I exclaimed. “You’re…”

“Shh,” he murmured. “Listen to me. I won’t let anything happen to you, you hear?”

He reached for me, and I let him pull me into his arms. Nestling into his neck, I clutched onto his T-shirt, feeling the hard plane of his chest. His heart was thrumming wildly underneath my palm. Ba-boom, ba-boom…

“I killed him, Chaser,” I murmured. “I…”

“I know.” His hand soothed my back.

One half of our revenge plan had come to fruition—albeit not as planned—but at what cost? Had I shaved a piece of my soul off the moment I pulled the trigger? He was a monster, but he was my father. He was my father.

“What happened?” I asked with a shake of my head.

“The renegades retreated,” Chaser explained, giving me a rundown. “We had the upper hand, but when you came out of the desert looking like… They knew Marini was gone and ran. It was over. Gasket and the others went after them, and I brought you here.”

“It’s his now,” I whispered. “Fortitude will be reborn under Gasket.”

“Yes, it will.”

Liberated from Marini’s psychotic rule, those who were left would flourish with Gasket at the helm. It would take a long time to build the club back up, but maybe… maybe… Maybe they would become something better than they’d been. I wanted to say legitimate, but who knew. Fortitude Customs would make a comeback, and perhaps this time, it wouldn’t be laundering any money.

“What if they don’t find the other renegades?” I asked. “They’ll come back for us, won’t they?”

“They’ll always have it in for you,” Chaser replied. “You, me, Gasket, and the others.”

“Good. If they come calling, I’ll be ready for them.”

“You and me both.”

Lifting my head, I rubbed my eyes. “I need to shower, then…” I glanced at Chaser, uneasiness making my stomach roll with nausea. “What now?”

“We rest, regroup, and plan,” he replied. “Nothing has to happen today.”

“You still want to go after them? After all we’ve been through?”

“Sloane…” Chaser sighed and lowered his gaze as if he were suddenly shy.

“Don’t do that.” Cupping his cheek, I gently lifted his chin. “You being vulnerable is too weird to handle.”

He snorted, his lips quirking. “What have you done to me?”

“I didn’t do anything,” I whispered, my heart swelling. “It was the stars, remember?”

His lips met mine, and my arms snaked around his neck. Warmth spread through me as his tongue swept over mine, his touch electrifying my skin everywhere his fingers went. Up and down my spine, along the curve of my neck, sparking on my cheek. Finally, he pulled back, lingering as if he didn’t want to be parted from me.

“Do you realize we don’t have to pretend anymore?” I asked, my lips brushing against his.

“Yeah.” His admission was a sigh so heavy it rooted itself in my soul.

We’d had a long ride to get here, but now… We had one last hurdle before forever. The Hollow Men.

He and I both knew it without having to utter the words. We’d talked about it at the compound and out in the desert under the stars where Chaser had shown me part of his soul. We’d talked about our future, and neither of us saw one unless our last enemy was put down and our demons put to rest.

Chaser and I… We couldn’t love until both our pasts were buried.

“Want a shower?” I asked, combing my hands through his messy hair. “We have today…then tomorrow, we begin.”

“Tomorrow,” Chaser echoed.

Tomorrow…

* * *