The ride back to the property felt longer than the drive out there had and exhaustion settled heavier into my body with every mile while the cold night air cut against the blood drying on my skin. The bikes stayed packed close together the darkness and nobody talked too much because everybody looked too wrecked to pretend they were fine.
I sat behind Drake while my arms stayed wrapped around his waist. I could feel every bruise in his body through the tension locked into his muscles. He kept one hand steady on the handlebars while the other flexed occasionally like he was still fighting somebody in his head.
Neither of us really needed to speak.
By the time we reached the compound the entire yard already looked alive with movement and tension. Men rushed toward the gates before the e
