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Mason rolled his eyes, but Gabriel just grinned like the absolute menace he was.
“But hey,” he continued, waving a lazy hand between me and the trailer. “I’ll be the first to admit I’m willing to give Princess a shot at not being the worst person we’ve ever met. Pardon me for being the only optimistic one. Really enjoying the tension here, boys, but Knox isn’t the only one who knows some people deserve a second chance.”
Relief flooded through my veins. “I could hug your guts out right now, Gabriel.”
Gabriel just grinned crookedly, playful as ever. “Not when you got blood splattered all over you. Raincheck.” Catching Mason’s unwavering, doubtful glance, he said, “Look, I’m not saying I’m all-in on this love story you’re pitching, Knox. But…” He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, voice dropping just a little softer suddenly. “I saw you two at Grant’s shop. Both of you looked like you hit rock bottom. She hated you. And now she’s playing nurse, making sure you don’t have a broken nose. That counts for something. I trust you, Knox. If you really think she wants her dad dead as much as we do, then I’ll believe you.”
“Thanks,” I said.
“Besides,” he went on more cheerily, leaning back again. “At least the chick’s got guts. How badass do you have to be to know your dad’s better off dead? She’s got brains. She’s dangerous, yeah—but you don’t survive a dad like Bates without being dangerous.”
Mason still didn’t look convinced, though I could tell he was mulling it all over. That was progress.
But now Gabriel was on a roll. “We’ve taken in a lot of women in the past year, all smart, all survivors. Sam, Elle, Carrie, Andy… Badass bitches. Someone like Caroline? She could be good for the Devils once Bates is dead. Come on, Mase. Give an inch.”
I’d never been more grateful for this loyal bastard. “Joker” wasn’t just a card or a nickname. Gabriel was the jokester that we didn’t realize was the glue that kept the Devils together sometimes. We didn’t have to be doom and gloom all the time.
Mason groaned, scrubbing at his face. “Fuck, Gabe, you’re the worst.”
Gabriel grinned again and nudged his VP with an elbow. “Nah, you don’t really think that. Come on, you old bastard, just?—”
Suddenly, Mason straightened. “Shut up.”
“You shut up,” Gabriel said indignantly.
“No, shut up. Listen.”
I heard it, too. Motorcycles crashing through the forest, scattering wildlife. Jackson and the others?
No, that was a hell of a lot more than five of them.
“Fuck,” I hissed, already moving. I banged on the trailer door. “Caroline! We gotta get the hell outta here! Now!”
The bikes came raging out of the greenery. Tires sent up sprays of dirt. The sound of roaring engines replaced all thoughts in my head. There was just instinct left.
The whole damn Wolverine MC was here. And I knew with a ringing moment of clarity that this was going to end in blood.
“Jackson led them right to us!” Mason shouted as he and Gabriel drew guns from their belts.
My gut dropped. Did Jackson and the others meet these Wolverine bastards on the road? Were they okay?
I couldn’t worry about that. Right now, we just had to survive. How the hell the four of us were going up against at least a dozen Wolverines and coming out unscathed? Well, I didn’t want to dwell on that, either.
I bolted for the truck to swipe the gun I’d left on the floor. By that time, the first shot rang out.
It was aimed at me.
I lunged to hide behind the trailer. Mason and Gabriel joined me a second later, diving out of range as the Wolverines all shouted orders.
“We need a plan, too,” Gabriel panted. “We’re outnumbered.”
A round of shots barraged the trailer’s front.
Inside, Caroline screamed and shouted a string of curses. “Knox! Get me the fuck out of here!”
I lurched for the back window and glimpsed her ducked down with a knife clutched in her hand. “Care,” I said sharply, crouching just below the window. “You can climb out here.”
Bullets shattered the front window. Caroline yelped as glass rained down on her.