Page 69 of Chill

“You’re all demented,” Twitch stated.

“What does that make you? You applied to join us!” Inglorious shot back.

Twitch’s lips… twitched, and he began laughing. “Never claimed I was fuckin’ sane.”

“Amen, brother!” Inglorious laughed as Chill hauled me in and kissed me.

“Let’s check these blueprints.”

Chapter Fourteen.

Meadow

Beyond terrified, I stared at the deranged expression of Gerard as he screamed at a man in a suit and pointed at me. Gerard gazed at me with pure hate, and I flinched as the other guy backhanded him.

In terror, I watched as a gun was pulled out and aimed. With a loud bang, he fired, and I shut my eyes.

Two hours earlier

When my phone rang with an unknown number, I answered cautiously. I was relieved when the realtor identified herself and told me I needed to fill out paperwork for the sale of the house. Agreeing, I looked around for a club member and, spotting Twitch, I rushed over.

“Twitch, can you take me to Rapid City, please? I need to sign something to sell that house.”

“Let me send Prez a message, and then sure,” Twitch said.

Chill would be mad if I took nobody with me, so I was grateful Twitch was being kind. Moments later, I was in my Lexus, driving toward Rapid City. Twitch rode in front on his hog, scanning the road.

As we headed down route three-eight-five, a black SUV appeared out of nowhere. The driver came right up behind.

I glanced in my mirror. The idiot was tailgating me, coming up close and then backing off. Several times I tapped the brake to make him slow down; however, he just revved his engine and sped back up.

After a few minutes, the asshole pulled out and roared past. He had tinted windows, so I couldn’t see who was driving, not that it mattered. Twitch tried to stop him from separating us, but the driver forced Twitch to speed up and slotted into the open space. Before my horrified eyes, the SUV accelerated. I hit my horn, realising Twitch was in danger. The SUV didn’t quit. Twitch weaved side to side to avoid being clipped.

Even as I continued honking, the driver bumped Twitch’s rear tyre. Twitch wobbled, and by some miracle, kept his balance. The bike straightened out, and Twitch shot ahead, throwing backward glances over his shoulder. I didn’t know what was going through the driver’s mind, but he moved to attack Twitch again. This time, the Harley slid, with Twitch pinned under the heavy motorbike.

I slammed on the brakes and screamed Twitch’s name. The SUV skidded to a halt, too. I was crying as I climbed out of the car and ran toward Twitch.

“Meadow! Get your fat ass over here!”

I stopped and turned in disbelief. Gerard had been the one driving. Halfway to hysteria, I screeched at Gerard. “Do you have any idea what you’ve just done?”

“I said I needed money. The damn bitch you are, Meadow, wouldn’t give it to me. The guys after me, Meadow, don’t take prisoners. They’ll put me six feet under.”

Incredulously, I gaped. “Are you insane, Gerard? Do you realise that you’ve injured a member of the Unwanted Bastards MC? They’ll skin you alive for this; you’ve made a huge mistake.”

“Oh no, honey, this is on you. You had that bearded thug beat me and steal my fortune. You’re to blame, babe. There won’t be any repercussions for me, but for you? Bitch, you’re toast. I asked you for my shit back, and you laughed in my face. Now you’re going to pay my debts for me, like it or not.”

I stiffened. What exactly did Gerard mean? I didn’t like the gleam in his eyes. There was genuine fear there. I guessed if Gerard had a debt, it wasn’t legal, and whoever he owed money to would torture and kill him. However, the expression on Gerard’s face spoke volumes about his intentions. Gerard had devised a backup plan, which I assumed involved me.

“Get in the car, Meadow,” Gerard ordered.

“Not happening, Gerard. Whatever you’ve done is on you. Why the hell should I take responsibility for your actions, especially when we’re divorced? Clean your own damn mess.” I fumbled for my cell.

Crouching down beside Twitch, I checked for a pulse and was relieved to find a steady one. I punched in nine-one-one, and there was a loud crack.

Gerard knocked the phone out of my hand, stomped on it, and shattered it. In sheer disbelief, I gaped at Gerard.

“What the hell are you doing? You are freaking insane.”