Broken roads, second chances

Chapter 11

Broken Roads, Second Chances

Chapter Eleven — Blood Runs Deep

The first call came just after midnight.

Ryder was asleep on the worn leather couch in the clubhouse office when his phone vibrated across the coffee table.

He glanced at the screen.

Cole.

His younger brother never called this late.

A knot formed in Ryder’s stomach before he even answered.

“Cole?”

For a moment, there was only static.

Then a shaky voice.

“Ry…”

“Cole, where are you?”

“I… I messed up.”

Ryder sat upright.

“What happened?”

“I didn’t know who else to call.”

The line crackled again.

“They found me.”

Ryder’s expression hardened.

“Who found you?”

Cole didn’t answer.

He didn’t have to.

Ryder already knew.

“The Vipers?”

A long silence.

Then…

“Yeah.”

⸻

Twenty minutes later, Ryder, Jax, and Ghost were riding down an abandoned logging road outside Black Hollow.

Moonlight filtered through the pines as their motorcycles roared through the darkness.

No one spoke over the radios.

They all understood what this meant.

Cole had spent years trying to escape the mistakes of his youth.

If the Black Vipers had found him…

Nothing good could come from it.

⸻

Meanwhile, Lena couldn’t sleep.

She found herself sitting on the porch swing again, listening to the sounds of crickets and distant thunder.

Ever since Ryder had told her the truth, her mind refused to settle.

She replayed every memory.

Every argument.

Every goodbye.

Had he handled everything the wrong way?

Absolutely.

But had he stopped loving her?

No.

She knew that now.

The realization hurt almost as much as the original heartbreak.

Because if he had never stopped loving her…

Then they had both lost seven years they could never get back.

Her phone buzzed.

It was Maddie.

Something’s going on at the clubhouse. Half the town just heard motorcycles leave.

Lena’s stomach tightened.

Without thinking, she grabbed her keys.

⸻

The abandoned sawmill looked like a ghost town.

Broken windows.

Rusted equipment.

Weeds growing through cracked concrete.

Ryder spotted Cole immediately.

His younger brother was sitting against a wall, bruised and bleeding.

“Cole!”

Ryder rushed to him.

“You okay?”

Cole nodded weakly.

“I’ve been better.”

Jax scanned the surrounding buildings.

“This feels wrong.”

Ghost rested a hand on his holster.

“Too quiet.”

Ryder looked at Cole.

“What happened?”

Cole lowered his head.

“I made a mistake.”

“What mistake?”

“I thought if I met with them…”

“…I could convince them to leave you alone.”

Ryder closed his eyes.

“Cole…”

“I’m sorry.”

“You idiot.”

The words came out rough.

But they weren’t spoken with anger.

They were spoken with fear.

“You don’t negotiate with men like Victor.”

“I know that now.”

Before Ryder could answer—

A loud whistle echoed through the mill.

Every Iron Wolf froze.

Ghost whispered one word.

“Ambush.”

⸻

Headlights burst through the darkness.

Half a dozen motorcycles surrounded the old mill.

More trucks blocked the only road out.

Men stepped from the shadows.

Most wore black leather cuts with a silver snake stitched across the back.

The Black Vipers.

At their center stood Victor Kane.

Older than Ryder remembered.

Gray streaked through his dark beard.

The scar across his cheek was new.

But his smile…

It was exactly the same.

Cruel.

Satisfied.

“Evening, boys.”

Ryder slowly stood.

“You should’ve stayed gone.”

Victor laughed.

“You missed me.”

“I buried you.”

“You tried.”

Victor’s smile widened.

“Clearly, you should’ve checked my pulse.”

⸻

Back in town, Lena pulled into the empty clubhouse parking lot.

Only one motorcycle remained.

She recognized it immediately.

Ghost’s old spare bike.

Inside, the clubhouse was nearly empty.

Only one member remained.

A young prospect named Eli.

He looked relieved to see her.

“Lena.”

“Where’s Ryder?”

His face fell.

“He got a call.”

“What kind of call?”

“About Cole.”

She felt her stomach drop.

“Where did they go?”

“I don’t know.”

He hesitated.

“But…”

“But what?”

“I’ve got a bad feeling.”

⸻

Victor slowly walked toward Ryder.

“You’ve gotten soft.”

Ryder didn’t move.

“I’ve gotten smarter.”

“No.”

Victor glanced around.

“You’ve gotten attached.”

His eyes drifted to Cole.

Then back to Ryder.

“First your brother.”

A pause.

“Now the girl.”

Ryder’s jaw tightened.

“You stay away from Lena.”

Victor chuckled.

“There it is.”

“What?”

“The look.”

“The one that tells me exactly how to hurt you.”

Before Ryder could react, Victor reached into his pocket and tossed something onto the ground.

A folded photograph.

Ryder picked it up.

His blood ran cold.

It was a recent picture.

Lena leaving the repair shop.

Someone had been watching her.

For days.

Maybe weeks.

Victor smiled.

“Pretty, isn’t she?”

Ryder lunged.

Jax grabbed his arm.

“No!”

Victor wanted exactly that.

He wanted Ryder angry.

Reckless.

Thinking with his heart instead of his head.

Victor tipped his head slightly.

“I’m giving you one chance.”

Ryder stared at him.

“Walk away from Black Hollow.”

“Turn over your clubhouse.”

“And maybe…”

He shrugged.

“…I’ll let everyone you love live.”

Silence filled the old mill.

Ryder looked around at his brothers.

Then at Cole.

Then at Victor.

His answer was calm.

Steady.

Certain.

“No.”

Victor sighed dramatically.

“I was afraid you’d say that.”

He climbed back onto his motorcycle.

As the engines roared to life, he called over his shoulder—

“The game’s begun, Ryder.”

“Let’s see how many people you can save this time.”

The Vipers disappeared into the night as quickly as they had arrived.

Leaving the Iron Wolves standing in silence.

Jax looked toward Ryder.

“What now?”

Ryder looked down at the photograph of Lena.

His hands trembled.

Not with fear.

With determination.

“They’re not coming after the club anymore.”

He folded the picture carefully.

“They’re coming after my family.”

Miles away, Lena sat alone on the clubhouse steps, staring into the darkness.

She didn’t know where Ryder was.

She didn’t know what was happening.

But for the first time…

She understood something that terrified her.

If Victor Kane wanted to hurt Ryder…

Then loving Ryder might make her the most dangerous target in Black Hollow.

And deep in her heart…

She realized she wasn’t afraid for herself.

She was afraid of losing Ryder all over again.