Chapter 10 - Old Friends
1046 Words
Ahead, the gates of Shadow Road came into view.
Sierra sat a little straighter.
It had been two years since she last saw those gates, long enough for familiar places to gather distance without completely losing their hold on her memories.
The prospect standing guard recognized Tessa's car immediately. He pushed away from the fence and swung the gates open without question.
The vehicle rolled forward.
Shadow Road stretched before them. Motorcycles stood parked beside weathered buildings while members moved between workshops and storage sheds carrying tools, parts, and crates. Music drifted across the compound, blending with the rumble of an engine somewhere beyond the garages.
A dull ache spread through Sierra's chest.
For two years she had convinced herself she was too busy to return, too busy for Grayshollow and the people of Shadow Road, too busy for the friends who had once felt like family.
Looking at the territory now, those excuses seemed hollow.
Tessa parked near the clubhouse and switched off the engine. The soft ticking of cooling metal filled the silence before she turned toward Sierra.
“You ready?”
Sierra stared through the windshield at the building ahead.
“No,” she admitted quietly.
A small smile touched Tessa's mouth.
“Well, no turning back now. We're here anyway.”
A breath escaped Sierra that almost resembled a laugh.
“Yeah.”
Tessa squeezed her hand before climbing out.
Warm air settled over Sierra the moment she stepped outside. Fuel, smoke, leather, beer, and motor oil hung in the afternoon heat. The scent transported her backward without permission.
The clubhouse looked older than she remembered. Years of sun and rain had darkened the wood. Repairs stood out along sections of the porch, and fresh tire tracks cut through the gravel.
Life had continued here.
For a brief second, she pictured herself and Tessa racing across the compound after smacking Ardon in the face with a handful of flour stolen from the kitchen. White dust had exploded across his beard and shirt. He had stared at them in stunned disbelief for all of two seconds before charging after them. The three of them had torn through the compound while a trail of flour followed behind him, and she and Tessa had laughed so hard they could barely stay on their feet. They had all been old enough to know better, yet somehow common sense disappeared whenever the three of them were together.
The memory faded, leaving a faint smile behind.
Tessa headed toward the clubhouse and Sierra followed.
The door opened before they reached it.
One of the members stepped aside, greeting Tessa with a nod.
Noise washed over Sierra as she crossed the threshold. Conversations overlapped from every direction while a game played quietly on one of the televisions. Glass tapped against wood near the bar, and laughter drifted from a group gathered in the corner.
Heads turned as recognition spread through the room. A few surprised expressions appeared, several members nodded, and someone quietly spoke her name.
In that moment, Sierra understood exactly how long two years could be.
Tessa continued forward and people naturally made room for her.
Then Sierra saw him.
Ardon sat near the back of the room with several club members gathered around him.
Time had carved its mark into him. The easy confidence of his younger years had hardened into something steadier and more formidable. Broad shoulders stretched beneath a black shirt, and old scars crossed his forearms. He looked older than she remembered, but the stubborn streak that used to get all three of them into trouble still lingered beneath the surface.
Yet beneath everything life had added to him, he was still Ardon.
He looked up.
His eyes found Tessa first before shifting to Sierra.
The moment he really looked at her, they widened.
Whatever conversation had held his attention vanished instantly. The members seated beside him faded into the background as his focus locked entirely onto her.
He rose to his feet without hesitation.
Something twisted painfully inside Sierra's chest as he crossed the room.
When he stopped in front of her, neither of them spoke.
His gaze moved slowly across her face, taking in the dark circles beneath her eyes, the weight she had lost, and the exhaustion she could no longer hide. The silence stretched while he absorbed every detail.
His jaw tightened.
“Jesus Christ, Sierra.”
The words came out rough.
“What happened to you?”
The concern in his voice landed harder than the question itself. There was no suspicion, frustration, or disappointment. Only genuine concern from someone who had spent most of her life looking out for her.
Sierra hadn't realized how badly she needed that until now.
Emotion tightened her throat.
She opened her mouth, but no words emerged.
The clubhouse suddenly felt too warm. Voices blurred together around her while the smell of smoke and alcohol grew stronger. A wave of dizziness rolled through her stomach and left her struggling to stay upright.
Ardon's expression changed immediately.
“Sierra?”
She tried to answer.
The floor seemed to shift beneath her feet.
Her stomach clenched harder.
Heat rushed through her body before draining away just as quickly.
The exhaustion she had been carrying surged to the surface. Too little sleep, too little food, too much grief, and too many hours spent forcing herself to keep moving collided all at once. Seeing Ardon again had cracked open the final barrier she had been holding in place, and for the first time since leaving Dead Mile, she felt safe enough to stop pretending she was okay.
The pressure she had been carrying finally gave way.
The edges of the room blurred.
Tessa moved closer.
“Sierra?”
Someone caught her elbow.
Ardon.
The world tilted as conversations dissolved into distant noise. A chair scraped across the floor and boots moved quickly somewhere nearby.
Then Ardon's voice cut through everything.
“Hey.”
His grip tightened around her arm.
“Stay with me.”
She wanted to tell him she was fine.
The words never reached her lips.
Darkness swallowed her vision.
The last thing she saw was the worn Shadow Road patch stitched onto Ardon's cut as she collapsed against his chest.
Then everything disappeared.
- Writer
