Page 22 of Desert Sky (RB MC #4)

JD

T he wind bit through my jacket as we roared down the backroads of New Mexico, engines snarling like wolves hunting their prey. Edge was beside me, face grim beneath his sunglasses. Tarak rode behind, brooding harder than I’d ever seen him, and River led the charge.

We weren’t just out for blood.

We were out for answers.

“She left without a trace,” I muttered, jaw tight. “And now she’s crawling back into this town without telling a damn soul.”

“You think she had a choice?” Tarak snapped from behind. “You of all people should know what families like yours do to girls like her.”

He wasn’t wrong. And the burn in my chest was part guilt, part fury.

River slowed his bike just enough to look back. “I’ve got a lead. A nurse who’s been talking too much.”

We waited under the cover of pine trees, engines off, the night still. The nurse sat on a wooden bench we’d hauled from the clubhouse and placed in a clearing lit by torches. She was pretty, maybe mid-twenties, brunette, trembling but not in fear. More like she was turned on.

Edge leaned against a tree, arms crossed. River stood before her, tattoos peeking out from under his rolled sleeves. Tarak flanked her side, stoic and lethal.

I watched her eyes bounce from one of us to the next—her cheeks flushed pink.

“You scared?” I asked quietly.

She bit her lip. “Should I be?”

River’s smirk was all teeth. “Only if you lie.”

Tarak leaned closer. “You overheard something at the hospital. Talk.”

Her voice wavered. “They were whispering. A guy with muscles and attitude. A friend of hers. They wiped security footage. Said they’d exit through the back loading dock.”

“Car?” Edge asked, arms still crossed.

She nodded quickly. “An old Impala. Beat-up. Loud engine. No plates. They changed cars after. I only caught that ‘cause one of them said it was the safest route out.”

JD stepped forward, eyes burning into hers. “And you’re sure?”

She nodded again, cheeks still hot. “Yes. I—I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I just—I’m so flustered.” she waved a hand in front of her flushed cheeks.

“Are fantasized about us threatening you?” River asked suddenly.

The nurse’s mouth dropped open.

Tarak chuckled darkly. “Crazy nurse.”

JD rolled his eyes. “Let’s get this to Hacker. ”

Hacker worked fast. Fingers flying over the keys, his screens lit up in rapid-fire motion.

“I found the Impala,” he said. “Small diner. Hole-in-the-wall place on the outskirts of Albuquerque.”

JD’s pulse kicked.

“She’s there?”

Hacker shook his head. “The car is. That’s it.”

River clapped JD on the back. “Edge’ll tail ‘em. Keep your head down for now.”

JD nodded. He wasn’t ready to face her. Not yet.

But soon.

Very soon.

First I had a coffee date with Evie to explain hell maybe to beg forgiveness. She could be the start of the next chapter but what if the previous book never had an ending?