FIRE & RUIN
CHAPTER 3
SHEDDING SKIN
The smell of smoked brisket and beer followed them upstairs.
One by one they left the dining room and climbed the narrow staircase to the chapel. Beer in hand. Glasses of whiskey. Boots heavy on the steel steps.
By the time Don walked in, everyone was already there.
The long wooden table was surrounded. Beer bottles knocked softly against the tabletop.
Kait sat at the table.
First time since the Bite.
Across the room, inside the glass enclosure against the wall, the Judge lay coiled beneath the heat lamp.
Its scales looked dull, cloudy.
Thin strands of old skin were already peeling near its jaw.
Shedding.
It was the first time Kait had seen the snake since that night.
She held its gaze for a moment.
Then looked up to the rules Lane had taped on the wall.
He had modified it and added her name.
It now read:
Unless you’re Kowman, Kount or Kait
DO NOT OPEN THE TANK
DO NOT REACH IN
DO NOT FEED HIM
DO NOT TAKE HIM OUT
KOUNT.
As she glanced around the table and gave Kriket and Buster a welcoming smile, something struck her—
She wasn’t the newest member anymore.
Don squeezed her shoulder as he stepped to the head of the table.
The room settled without him saying a word.
He looked once around the table.
Then his eyes landed on Kait.
A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“Good to see you back with us, kid.”
A few bottles lifted.
“About damn time,” Blaze muttered.
Klaus gave a small approving nod.
“Welcome back.”
Kolton one arm around her and squeezed her.
Kait only nodded once.
“The Living Dead Girl,” said Kode.
Diablo laughed.
“Don’t start that shit,” Lane said and they stopped immediately.
Don tapped the table with two fingers.
“Alright.”
The room quieted again.
“Let’s get to business.”
He leaned forward slightly.
“This run coming up. Gonna be a little different,” said Don and nodded at Kode.
A few heads turned to him.
“On the last run they were getting ready to tear up a stretch of the 281. We talked to some of the workers at the gas station. All the equipment was already there, which means our route’s closed by now.” Kode continued.
Ram scratched his mustache.
“Where at exactly?”
“South of George West,” said Buster, who has been on the last run.
Blaze frowned slightly.
“Shit.”
“We’ll need to go through ‘furrias,” said Lane not beating around the bush.
The room considered that for a moment.
Klaus nodded slowly.
“Yeah,” said Don lighting up a smoke.
He glanced across the room.
Kode chuckled. “Furry ass.”
Diablo laughed.
Kolton and Diablo laughed.
Don shook his head.
“I already talked to Mondragón and explained, so he’ll pay extra. We’ll be running a sixpack on this one. VP on lead.”
Don leaned back slightly.
“Who you want?”
Klaus didn’t hesitate.
“Kount, Blaze, Ram, Diablo and—”
“I’ll ride,” said Kait.
The words landed clean in the middle of the room.
Several heads turned.
Kolton looked at her.
Blaze raised an eyebrow.
Lane leaned forward on the table
“Absolutely not.”
His voice was calm. Flat.
Kait didn’t look at him, but she heard him and her eyes narrowed.
Klaus frowned slightly.
“She’s in no condition to ride,” said Lane looking at Don and Klaus.
The room went still.
Kait finally turned her head.
“I’m fine.”
Lane shook his head once. His voice still calm.
“Not on a four-and-a-half-hour run with Reyes in the wind.”
Kolton shifted in his chair.
“She looks fine to me.”
Lane didn’t even look at him.
The room watched the exchange carefully now.
Randy cleared his throat softly.
“I’m gonna second Lane on that, Toast.”
He looked at Kait.
Mack lifted his glass. “Hell, I ain’t even ridin’”
A small sympathetic smile crossed his face.
“That venom hits the nervous system. Messes with your reaction time. Balance. Coordination.”
He shrugged.
“You go down at eighty miles an hour… you ain’t coming back up.”
“Let’s wait one more week. Why don’t you do some short rides first and see how you feel?” said Don
The room stayed quiet.
Every eye slowly drifted back to Kait.
Lane watched her carefully. Waiting for the fight.
“All right, prez,” she said with no fuss.
Lane raised a quick eyebrow.
“Okay,” said Don. “Besides, if Ram goes to the Alley one more night those girls are gonna go on strike.”
They all laughed.
“What? Why?” said Ram appalled.
Klaus nodded once.
“Alright then. Cricket.”
“Fuck yeah,” he said.
Kait stepped through the Dirty Alley door and the familiar mix of perfume, booze, and cigarette smoke rolled over her.
The stage lights washed the room in red and purple as Worlock blasted through the sound system.
She felt she needed to get used to the lights and the noise all over again.
Ernesto stood behind the bar counting bills. He glanced up, saw her, and gave a short nod.
Behind the stage curtain the girls were already moving around.
Sunshine was fixing her perfect blonde waterfall curls in the mirror.
Dulce sat nearby pulling on her heels.
Jojo was flipping through a magazine.
Peaches was lighting a cigarette by the back door.
Then Kait walked in.
For half a second the room froze.
Sunshine was the first to react.
“Oh my God!”
She spun around so fast she almost knocked over a chair.
“Kait’s back!”
Jojo dropped the magazine.
Dulce jumped to her feet.
Peaches pushed the back door shut with her foot and walked straight toward her.
The room exploded.
All four of them talking at once, laughing, grabbing her arms, hugging her like she’d just come back from the dead.
Sunshine squeezed her tight.
“Thank God.”
Jojo shook her head.
“Girl, we thought you died.”
Peaches pointed toward the bar.
“And we been stuck with Ram all week.”
The girls groaned immediately.
Dulce rolled her eyes.
She grabbed Kait’s shoulders and looked her over.
“You look good though.”
Jojo nodded.
“Yeah. So glad you’re back.”
Dulce smiled softly, still watching Kait like she was making sure she was really there.
This is the first time she felt as if things were back to normal.
Kait had been riding with Kolton since early morning. Long stretches of empty highway, pushing
the bike harder every few miles.
Testing herself.
Testing the machine.
Now she worked quietly under the fluorescent lights of the garage.
Chain cleaned. Oil checked. Bolts tightened. Routine.
Outside the Nest the afternoon was slow. A few guys moved through the courtyard cleaning the pool and rearranging chairs and grills after Loraine yelled at everyone for moving stuff around after Buster and Cricket’s patch in party.
Kolton’s voice drifted from the lot.
“I’m headin’ out. Gonna grab Kyle before kickoff.”
Kait didn’t look up from the bike.
“Cowboys playin’ who?”
“Arizona,” Kolton said, already halfway to the truck.
She nodded absently and kept working.
A little while later the distant sound of engines rolled across the desert road.
Kait paused.
She wiped her hands on a rag and stepped out of the garage just as six bikes turned through the gate of the Nest.
Dust trailed behind them.
Klaus rode in first.
Blaze behind him.
Lane riding point.
They spread into the courtyard and cut their engines one by one.
Kait leaned lightly against the garage door frame, watching.
They had actually gone through Falfurrias and were all in one piece.
Her eyes settled on Lane.
Kait had been riding with Kolton since early morning. Long stretches of empty highway, pushing
the bike harder every few miles.
Testing herself.
Testing the machine.
Now she worked quietly under the fluorescent lights of the garage.
Chain cleaned. Oil checked. Bolts tightened. Routine.
Outside the Nest the afternoon was slow. A few guys moved through the courtyard cleaning the pool and rearranging chairs and grills after Loraine yelled at everyone for moving stuff around after Buster and Cricket’s patch in party.
Kolton’s voice drifted from the lot.
“I’m headin’ out. Gonna grab Kyle before kickoff.”
Kait didn’t look up from the bike.
“Cowboys playin’ who?”
“Arizona,” Kolton said, already halfway to the truck.
She nodded absently and kept working.
A little while later the distant sound of engines rolled across the desert road.
Kait paused.
She wiped her hands on a rag and stepped out of the garage just as six bikes turned through the gate of the Nest.
Dust trailed behind them.
Klaus rode in first.
Blaze behind him.
Lane riding point.
They spread into the courtyard and cut their engines one by one.
Kait leaned lightly against the garage door frame, watching.
They had actually gone through Falfurrias and were all in one piece.
Her eyes settled on Lane.
He swung off the Hardline and rolled his shoulders once.
For a second he looked up and he found her across the courtyard.
Then movement crossed the space between them.
Melanie hurried out of the clubhouse and went straight to Lane.
She looked relieved, almost breathless, talking fast as she reached him. Kait couldn’t hear what she was saying from the garage, but the gestures were obvious enough.
Melanie touched his arm. Asked something.
Lane answered briefly.
She nodded quickly and disappeared back inside. Lane and the rest followed.
Kait watched for another moment.
Then she went back into the garage and picked up the wrench.
Kait kept working.
A few minutes later the bar door pushed open.
Lane stepped out.
Dust still clung to his boots from the ride. His hair messy.
He headed for the staircase that led to the rooms upstairs, and for a moment his head turned slightly in her direction.
She dropped her gaze immediately and leaned closer over the Kriger, tightening a bolt like she had never looked up at all.
Lane didn’t slow.
He started up the stairs.
The bar door opened again.
Melanie hurried out.
She caught up with him at the bottom of the staircase and followed him halfway up, talking softly, one hand brushing his arm as she walked beside him.
From the garage Kait couldn’t hear what she was saying.
Lane stopped a few steps up and turned toward her.
The exchange was brief.
He said something.
Melanie nodded quickly.
Then Lane continued up the stairs toward the rooms.
Alone.
Melanie stayed there for a moment.
Then she slowly walked back down the steps alone.
By the time she reached the bottom the excitement from earlier was gone.
She reached the bottom of the stairs quietly and disappeared back into the bar.
Kait watched the doors close.
Then she wiped her hands on the rag and went back to the chain.
“Dødsstraf,” said Klaus a couple minutes later.
Kait glanced up.
“Hey.”
Klaus stepped into the garage. His ride back from the earlier run still clung to him—dust on the boots, road in the shoulders.
He studied her for a moment.
“You look much better,” he said.
Kait wiped her hands on the rag.
“I feel better.”
Klaus chuckled quietly.
“You’re already up and about, riding and stuff.” He shook his head. “Damn, kid. Slow down.”
She leaned back against the workbench.
“Yep. I feel brand new.”
Klaus considered that.
Then he nodded once.
“Like shedding skin.”
Kait smirked.
“That’s right.”
Klaus gestured toward the courtyard.
“We’re snakes after all.”
“That’s what we do.”
Kait nodded once.
“Yes, sir.”
Once she was done, Kait crossed the courtyard with the rag still in her hand.
Grease streaked her fingers and a small dark smudge marked her forehead where she had wiped sweat without noticing.
Kait stepped onto the first steps just as Lane started down.
For a second they both slowed.
Then they stopped halfway.
Too close to pretend the other wasn’t there.
“Hey,” Lane said.
“Hey.”
His eyes moved briefly over her face.
They lingered for a moment on the smudge of grease above her brow before returning to her silver eyes.
Lane nodded toward the garage.
“Everything alright with the Kriger?”
Hearing him call her bike by its proper name caught her off guard for half a second.
“Yeah,” she said. “Just maintenance stuff.”
“Everything alright… with you?”
She nodded and stepped up one more stair, passing close enough to catch the clean scent of soap and aftershave.
Lane always smelled like that.
Fresh. Clean. Delicious.
The Marine in him wouldn’t allow anything less.
Kait paused one step above him.
“How was the run?”
Lane held her eyes for a moment.
“Uneventful.”
She nodded.
“I guess that’s good.”
Lane stepped aside and Kait continued up the stairs.
“Hey, um—”
She stopped and turned.
“You got…” he said, pointing to his forehead.
Kait lifted the rag, wiping across her forehead.
Making it worse.
“Yeah, it’s everywhere. Thanks.”
Then she turned and hurried up the rest of the stairs.
Lane smiled to himself.
The night air hit Kait as she stepped outside.
She had barely cleared the door when she heard Julia’s voice.
Sharp. Tired. Angry.
They were near the parking lot, just behind the Krait mural.
Blaze stood by the wall.
Julia stood in front of him with the baby carrier still hanging from her hand.
“You were gone all night, Blaze. You’re gone longer and longer now. Days at a time.”
“I told you we had a run.”
“But you’re here, as usual,” she snapped. “You told me you’d be back.”
Blaze rubbed the back of his neck.
“It was a difficult run.”
“Yeah, I’m sure” Julia said.
Kait slowed her steps.
She wasn’t trying to listen, but it was very hard not to.
Julia shifted the baby carrier higher on her arm.
“I sat there all night with Kelly screaming, wondering if you were dead.”
Blaze’s voice stayed calm.
“Come on, Julia. You’re always so dramatic.”
“What do you want me to think, huh?”
Julia laughed, but there was nothing funny about it.
“You disappear. You come back whenever you want. You act like I’m supposed to just… deal with it.”
Blaze glanced toward the Nest for a second.
“Jules…”
“No,” she said. “Don’t.”
The baby stirred in the carrier.
Julia looked exhausted.
Her voice cracked slightly.
“I can’t do this anymore.”
Blaze’s head lifted.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m done.”
She wiped at her face with the back of her hand.
“I’m going to Florida and taking Kelly with me. My parents already said we can stay there.”
Blaze stared at her.
“You serious? I just got back from a run. I just wanted to have a beer, watch a little bit of the game, and I was going to head home.”
Julia rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything.
“I made like six grand within a week,” he said reaching into his pocket. “Here’s three grand cash, from today’s run.”
“I don’t want your dirty gang money.”
Kait raised an eyebrow.
She didn’t like that at all.
Blaze sighed. He was even more tired now.
“This ain’t no gang, Julia. And you ain’t taking Kelly to Florida.”
Julia shook her head.
“Watch me. Fuck you and fuck that snake,” she said pointing at the mural and the building.
“Hey,” Kode whispered behind Kait.
She glanced back.
“Hey.”
“I’ll ride with you. Gonna watch the game at the Alley.”
“Okay,” she said with a quiet sigh.
“Remind me not to get married.”
“She better step on that gas, though… if she saig gang one more time…”
They waited by the office until Julia’s car pulled out of the lot and disappeared down the road.
Blaze walked toward them from the parking area.
“Hey, Kowboy,” Kait said. “You okay?”
He shrugged.
“Pretty sure y’all heard everything.”
“You gonna go after her?” Kait asked.
Blaze curved his lips in a tired half-smile and shook his head.
“You guys heading to the Alley?”
“Yeah,” Kode said. Kait nodded.
“Cool. I’ll ride with.”
“You sure?” Kait asked.
“Oh, yeah.”
Llantera Rangel sat dark along the edge of town.
The shop lights were off. The metal garage doors pulled halfway down.
Only the back room was alive.
A single bulb hung over the table where the men sat.
Beer bottles. Ashtrays. Un Puño de Tierra whining low on the radio.
Alacrán leaned back in his chair.
Tired. Calm. Patient.
Across from him Severino tapped his fingers slowly against the wood.
Too slowly.
Too deliberately.
“They passed through Falfurrias again,” Severino said.
No one answered.
Murrieta picked his teeth with his pocket knife.
Chido leaned back in his chair.
Roque watched quietly.
Santos took a drag from his cigarette.
Alacrán exhaled smoke toward the ceiling.
“I know.”
Severino’s jaw tightened.
“And we’re still waiting.”
Alacrán looked at him.
“We’re waiting for the right moment.”
Severino leaned forward.
“That’s what you said last week… and the week before.”
Silence settled over the table.
Severino’s voice stayed calm, but the impatience underneath it was obvious.
“They are testing us.”
Chido nodded slowly.
“They shouldn’t be coming through Falfurrias.”
Murrieta shrugged.
“First time was a mistake.”
Roque looked at Severino.
“Second time wasn’t.”
Severino spread his hands slightly.
“They ain’t got a choice, there’s construction. Ain’t on purpose,” said Alacrán.
A small smile crossed Severino’s face.
“Still looking like we’re letting them.”
Santos flicked ash into the tray. Raised his eyebrows.
No one spoke for a moment.
Then Murrieta nodded.
“He’s right.”
Chido followed.
“They were warned.”
Roque leaned forward.
“Now they’re gonna keep riding through Falfurrias like it belongs to them.”
Severino looked back at Alacrán.
“Not like King culebra reached out to you to asked permission to use our road, ¿o sí?”
Another pause.
Alacrán studied each man at the table.
One by one they nodded.
The room had shifted.
The vote was already decided.
Finally Alacrán sighed and crushed his cigarette into the ashtray.
“Fine.”
The room went still.
“We take action.”
Severino’s smile returned.
Slow.
Satisfied.
A WEEK LATER
The chapel quieted when Don stood.
Boots shifted. Chairs creaked. The low murmur of conversation faded.
Don rested both hands on the table and looked around the room.
“Alright,” he said. “The lineup for today…”
His eyes moved across the table, landing briefly on each Krait.
“Kount.”
Lane didn’t react.
“Kode.”
Kode lifted his chin once.
“Diablo.”
Diablo leaned back in his chair, calm as ever.
“Kriket.”
Kriket nodded once.
“Buster.”
“YES,” Buster muttered with a fist pump.
Don’s eyes finally landed on Kait.
“And Toast.”
No one argued it.
The room had already accepted it.
Don leaned back slightly.
He looked at Lane.
“You’re lead.”
Lane gave a single nod.
“Alright then,” Don said. “Roll out.”
Chairs pushed back. Boots moved.
The riders headed for the door.
Kait stepped out onto the walkway, but Kolton pulled her to the side. He waited for everyone to go down before he spoke.
“You sure you’re up for it, babe?”
“Yes. I’m good. We talked about this. I’ve been getting ready for it.”
“I just wish I could go. I don’t want anything bad to—”
“You need to take care of your kid. You’ve been on every run lately.”
“But not with you,” he said and placed his hand behind her neck trying to go for a kiss.
Kait glanced downstairs and noticed some of the guys staring, including Lane.
“I gotta go,” she said and put his hand down.
“Hey, maybe when you get back, we can talk about moving into the house?”
“Sure,” she said reaching back and tapping on his hand.
He let go.
“Okay. I’ll see you,” she said after a quick kiss and started down the stairs.
Halfway down she saw the pool.
It was already halfway empty.
Two hangarounds stood inside the concrete basin dragging out the old boards stacked along the edge. A hose snaked across the courtyard while the last of the water gurgled toward the drain.
Pit Mode engaged.
The empty bowl echoed with the sound of tools and voices bouncing off the concrete.
Kait paused on the last step for a moment, watching them work.
Then she crossed the courtyard.
Halloween had taken over the Nest.
Orange lights stretched across the railings. Fake cobwebs hung from the second-floor walkway. A stack of carved pumpkins sat near the bar door waiting for nightfall.
Loraine stood near the bar directing two hangarounds like a general.
“No, no! Up and over the railing! Wrap it around, yeah.”
Kait kept walking.
The parking lot was already alive with engines.
Lane had the Hardline running.
Kode and Diablo were pulling on gloves. Kriket and Buster were mounting up.
Kait swung onto the Kriger and pulled on her gloves.
Lane rolled his bike forward slightly, then glanced over his shoulder at her.
He waited until the others were busy before speaking.
Quiet.
Just for her.
“Stay on my right.”
Kait only looked at him.
“Keep it under eighty.”
Lane studied her for a moment.
“Don’t push it.”
Kait smirked.
“My… how things have changed.”
Lane didn’t argue.
He turned back toward the road.
One by one the engines rose.
The gate opened.
The highway stretched out ahead of them in a long ribbon of gray.
Six bikes moved through the Texas sunset in tight formation.
Lane rode point.
Kait stayed on his right, exactly where he told her.
The Hardline cut through the air ahead of her, steady and controlled. No sudden shifts. No games.
The first time she’d ridden behind him it had been a different story.
Lane had pushed her the entire way.
Closing distance without warning. Cutting across lanes. Forcing her to correct, adjust, react.
Testing her.
Hard.
More than once she thought he was trying to throw her off the road.
They’d screamed at each other when the ride ended.
Now the road felt different. Lane’s riding was smooth, professional.
Perfect.
He kept the speed steady, the formation tight, the lane changes clean and deliberate.
No tricks. No tests. Just the run.
The wind roared around her helmet while the Kriger hummed beneath her.
Kait kept her eyes moving.
Mirrors.
Road.
Lane.
Back to the mirrors.
They passed open ranch land, long fences, scrub brush, and the occasional pickup kicking dust down side roads.
Everything looked calm.
But she knew where they were heading.
Falfurrias.
Reyes territory.
The first sign for the town appeared along the highway.
Lane raised his left hand.
Two fingers up.
The signal moved down the line.
One by one the riders acknowledged.
The formation slowed.
Lane eased the Hardline toward a small gas station just off the highway.
The bikes rolled in together and shut down.
The sudden silence rang in Kait’s ears as she pulled off her helmet.
They had reached the last stop before Falfurrias.
The bikes rolled to a stop beside the small gas station.
No one reached for the pumps.
Lane killed the Hardline and swung off first.
One by one the others followed.
Face masks and bandanas came off. Helmets tugged loose.
The road hummed quietly a few yards away.
Lane didn’t waste time.
“Alright.”
The men gathered loosely around the bikes.
Lane’s eyes moved across each of them.
Kode. Diablo. Kriket. Buster.
Then Kait.
“This is the last stop before Falfurrias.”
Everyone already knew that.
Lane pulled his kutte aside slightly and checked the weight of the pistol at his hip. The others followed suit without needing to be told.
Quick magazine and holster checks. Nothing dramatic. Just routine.
Lane looked back up.
“If Reyes shows up, we split.”
Kode nodded once.
“Diablo, you take Kode and Kriket.”
Diablo adjusted his gloves.
“Got it.”
Lane continued.
“Buster stays with me.”
His eyes flicked to Kait.
“And you.”
Kait didn’t react.
“One group keeps the route. Other group pulls them off.”
Buster frowned slightly.
“Who’s the bait?”
Lane shrugged.
“Whoever they follow first.”
A few quiet chuckles moved through the group.
Lane didn’t smile.
“No cowboy shit. No bullets unless you have to.”
His eyes settled on Kait again.
“Understood?”
Kait rolled her eyes slightly but nodded.
“If we split, we regroup at the quarry.”
They all knew the place.
A dead stretch of land twenty miles outside Falfurrias where the road forked back toward Dryden.
Lane looked around the group one more time.
“The objective is simple.”
He let the words settle.
“Truck makes it to the Nest and we stay in one piece.”
Bandanas and goggles went back on.
Engines started and they rode through Falfurrias without incident.
The truck stop in Roma sat quiet. It must be a slow night.
Only a few pickups idled near the pumps. A row of semis rested along the far edge of the lot.
Krait bikes were parked off to the side.
Nothing unusual.
Nothing threatening.
Exactly how they liked it.
Lane and Diablo stood shoulder to shoulder at the pumps topping off their tanks. Gas splashed into the Hardline while the smell of fuel hung thick in the air.
Across the lot, Kait sat on one of the weathered picnic tables near the tire air pumps.
A bottle of water in her hand.
Kode stood across from her while they talked quietly.
The evening had cooled.
The brutal summer heat had finally broken, leaving behind a crisp breeze that moved easily across the truck stop lot.
Kait sat on top of the picnic table with one boot resting on the bench, the bottle of water loose in her hand.
The sky was turning that deep Texas blue that comes just before night.
A semi rumbled somewhere on the highway and Estranged drifted softly across the lot.
Kode spotted Lane.
“Hey, Sarge… this is taking longer than usual.”
Lane glanced toward the road.
“Yeah. I know.”
Kode looked past him toward the pumps.
Diablo was leaning against his bike, Slayer. He gave him the smallest motion of his head.
Kode understood immediately.
“Alright,” he said, pushing off the table. “Gonna take a leak.”
He walked off toward the bikes.
Lane stayed and looked at the road for a second.
“How you holding up?” he asked.
Kait shrugged lightly.
“Fine.”
Lane studied her for a moment.
The breeze lifted a strand of her hair.
“How’s the grip on that bike? Not feeling shaky?”
“Nope. I just said I’m fine.”
Lane nodded once.
For a second neither of them said anything.
Kait looked at him, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth.
“You don’t have to pretend you give a shit anymore, you know.”
Lane frowned. “What?”
“The whole Bite shit is over,” she said. “You can drop the act now.”
Lane blinked, caught off guard. “It’s not an act. I’m just making sure that—”
“What,” Kait cut in, tilting her head slightly. “That I don’t fall apart on your watch.”
He frowned. Looked to the side.
“Don’t worry. I won’t.”
Before he could say anything, Kait’s eyes drifted toward the highway.
She stepped up onto the picnic table and scanned the road.
There it was.
A white semi rolling in from the distance, the needle-and-thread logo clear across the trailer.
TEXTILES DEL NORTE S.A. DE C.V.
“Time to go.”
She jumped down from the table and started walking toward the bikes.
Lane stayed where he was for a second, watching her go, still a little dumbfounded.
Then he exhaled and followed.
Night had settled over the highway by the time the white semi merged ahead of them.
The convoy stretched out naturally as they picked up speed.
Lane rode point.
Kait held position just off his right like he’d told her earlier, the Kriger steady beneath her.
Behind them Buster kept the rear while the truck ran tucked between Diablo, Kode, and Kriket farther back.
For a few minutes the road was quiet.
Engines.
Wind.
The long ribbon of headlights stretching across the dark asphalt.
Then Lane saw them.
Two sets of headlights cresting the hill behind them.
Then two more.
Coming fast.
Lane didn’t even turn his head.
“Split!” he shouted over the roar of the engines.
Gunfire cracked across the highway.
The formation broke instantly.
Diablo leaned toward the truck, waving the semi driver forward while Kode and Kriket dropped back to flank it.
The truck pushed ahead.
Kait rolled the Kriger harder.
Lane slid in right behind her.
Behind them the Reyes bikes surged forward.
Roque.
Chido.
Santos.
And Severino.
Another shot rang out.
The bullet sparked against the pavement beside Lane’s front tire.
Lane didn’t slow.
Instead he rolled off the throttle sharply.
The Hardline’s brake light flashed.
Roque nearly slammed into him.
Lane twisted the throttle again and surged forward.
Kait was already moving.
She slipped through a narrow opening between a pickup and a cattle trailer.
Lane followed her through a heartbeat later.
Behind them the Reyes riders were forced to brake hard, trapped behind the slower traffic for a few seconds.
Lane glanced ahead.
The Kriger stayed steady in front of him.
Perfect line.
Perfect speed.
Another shot cracked through the air.
The round slammed into Lane’s saddlebag.
Leather burst apart but the bike stayed steady.
Lane shifted across the lane behind her, cutting off Severino’s angle.
Kait didn’t hesitate.
She adjusted instantly, taking the space he opened.
Lane saw it.
And realized something that made the chase even more dangerous.
She wasn’t reacting to him.
She was reading him.
And riding the road exactly the way he did.
Behind them Severino pushed harder.
His bike closing the gap.
Closer.
Closer.
Lane shifted again, placing the Hardline directly between Severino and Kait.
Engines screamed across the dark highway.
Then distant red and blue lights appeared in the mirrors behind the Reyes riders.
Border Patrol.
Santos saw them first.
He panicked.
His bike swerved violently as he tried to cut across the highway.
The Border Patrol SUV didn’t have time to react.
Metal exploded across the road.
Santos’s bike slammed into the front of the vehicle and cartwheeled across the asphalt.
The highway erupted into chaos.
Roque and Chido scattered instantly.
Severino stayed on them one second longer.
His bike surged forward until he was dangerously close behind Kait.
Close enough that she could hear his engine.
Close enough that she knew he was there.
Then the flashing lights grew brighter behind him.
Severino laughed once and peeled off into the darkness.
Lane eased off the throttle and pulled up beside Kait.
They checked on each other with a quick nod and together, they turned toward the quarry road.
The quarry road appeared a few miles ahead.
Lane eased the Hardline off the highway and onto the dirt access road.
Kait followed steady.
Gravel crunched beneath their tires as the bikes climbed the winding path toward the old quarry.
The place was dark and empty.
Huge silhouettes of abandoned machinery sat scattered across the pit floor like sleeping giants.
Buster was already there.
He stood beside his bike near the edge of the quarry, helmet still on, pacing in tight circles.
The moment he saw their headlights his shoulders dropped.
“Holy shit,” he muttered when they rolled in.
Lane and Kait killed their engines.
The sudden quiet rang in their ears.
Buster ripped his helmet off.
“You guys alright?” he asked quickly, his voice tight with adrenaline.
Lane stepped off the Hardline.
Lane nodded once.
Good.
Buster ran a hand through his hair and looked back toward the highway.
“Man… I thought I was gonna get smoked back there.”
His voice came out half laugh, half disbelief.
“Those guys were shooting for real.”
Lane glanced at Kait.
Then at the torn leather hanging off his saddlebag.
“Yeah,” he said calmly.
“They were.”
Buster followed his gaze and finally noticed the damage.
“Fuck.”
Kait leaned back against the Kriger, still breathing steadily, the adrenaline settling into something quieter now.
Buster looked between the two of them.
“You guys were riding like…” he shook his head.
“…the fucking devil.”
“You made it here first,” Lane said swinging back onto the Hardline.
Kait winked at Buster who was just stunned at Lane’s compliment.
“Okay. Ready? Let’s go home,” Lane said.
“Oh, fuck yeah.”
Buster nodded quickly and grabbed his helmet again.
Moments later the three bikes roared back to life.
They rolled out of the quarry and headed toward Dryden.
The road into Dryden was quiet.
The Nest came into view with its courtyard lights blazing.
Every bike in the club lot was already there.
The chapel lights were on upstairs.
Lane noticed that immediately.
So did Kait.
They rolled into the lot and killed their engines.
The courtyard was full.
Every patched member in the charter stood waiting.
Kolton was pacing near the stairs like a caged animal.
The moment he saw Kait he ran straight to her.
“You okay, baby?” he demanded.
Kait pulled off her helmet and nodded once.
“I’m fine.”
Kolton looked her over quickly anyway, hands hovering like he expected to find blood somewhere.
“You sure?”
“I’m fine. Let me just—”
Kolton moved out of her way and she swung off the Kriger.
Lane and Buster were already walking toward the stairs.
No one said anything else.
They all headed upstairs.
“They hit us just outside Falfurrias,” Lane said.
Silence fell over the room.
Lane spoke calmly, like he was giving a weather report.
“It was Roque. Chido. Santos. Severino.”
Several faces hardened.
“The truck split like planned. Diablo kept it moving.”
Diablo nodded once.
“Reyes followed us.”
“Severino was there?” Klaus asked still processing that information.
“Yeah.”
Lane glanced briefly toward Kait.
Kait shifted slightly in her seat.
“Then BP showed up,” Lane continued.
“Santos wrecked trying to break away.”
That caused a ripple through the room.
“Is he dead?” Mack asked.
Lane shook his head.
“Don’t know. Didn’t stay to check.”
Don leaned back slowly in his chair.
“They didn’t go for the truck.”
It wasn’t a question.
Lane didn’t answer right away.
“Nope,” he said finally.
That hung in the room.
Don frowned slightly.
“That’s fucking weird,” said Ram.
Everyone knew it.
The truck was the reason for the run.
Don tapped his fingers on the table once, then looked around the room.
“Alright.”
His voice was calm but firm.
“From now on we assume Falfurrias is hot.”
No one argued.
Don continued.
“I’ll set up a meet with Alacrán.”
Several heads nodded.
That was the only move that made sense.
Talk before things got worse.
Church ended a moment later.
But the room stayed heavy with the same thought.
The war with Reyes del Camino had just changed.
As they exited the chapel, Kait stayed on the upstairs walkway instead of heading down to the courtyard with the others.
She paused by the railing.
The Nest looked completely different now.
Jack-o’-lanterns flickered along the walkway, their carved faces throwing uneven light across the walls. Orange strands of lights hung along the railings and rooflines, and the fake cobwebs from earlier were now catching the glow.
Below, the courtyard looked almost like a Halloween carnival.
The pool had already been emptied, a string of lights circling its edges.
Pit Mode was officially on and she couldn’t wait.
For a second Kait just stood there, looking down.
The place felt alive.
But in a strange, haunted way.
“Babe?”
Kait blinked and turned.
Kolton had followed her out of the chapel.
“Huh?” she said. “Sorry.”
“I asked if maybe you wanted to spend the night at the house.”
Kait looked at him.
“No.”
Kolton frowned slightly.
“Why not?”
“I’m exhausted,” she said. “I’m gonna shower and go to bed.”
Kolton opened his mouth like he was about to argue, then thought better of it.
“Alright,” he said finally.
Kait gave a small nod and continued down the walkway toward her room.
Kolton stood there for a moment, watching the door close behind her.
Then he exhaled sharply and headed down the stairs.
The bar lights were still on.
Lane, Blaze, Kode, and Ram were already there, beers open, the quiet hum of the Nest settling back in after the chaos of the night.
Kolton grabbed a bottle and took a long pull.
No one said much at first.
They drank.
The courtyard outside flickered with jack-o’-lantern light while the hours slipped by.
A couple of beers turned into more.
Kolton switched to whiskey.
By the time the bottle was halfway gone he was pounding shots instead of sipping.
“I just don’t get it,” he muttered for what felt like the tenth time.
Ram leaned back in his chair, arms folded.
“Get what?”
Kolton slammed the glass down.
“Why she won’t just come to the house.”
No one answered.
Kode took a slow drink.
Kolton shook his head, frustrated.
“We’re together again, right? That’s what she said.”
He poured another shot.
“But she stays here.”
“I told you, man. She ain’t ready for that shit. You better quit it before she takes off to Florida like Julia,” said Blaze.
Also very drunk.
“She fucking left you man?” said Ram.
“Yeah. I can’t wait for the San Antonio Rodeo.”
“She fucking left Kowboy?” said Ram still not over it.
Lane put his hand on Blaze’s shoulder.
“Yep. Right out of a George Strait song, man.”
“Fuck, man. I know,” Blaze.
“Maybe you can still make Cheyenne,” said Lane.
“Julia is in Florida,” Kode corrected.
Lane flicked Kode’s forehead startling him.
“Shut the fuck up. Listen to some country, you’re from Texas.”
“No, thanks,” Said Kode scratching his forehead.
Blaze just grumbled.
“I swear to God,” Kolton muttered. “I’m gonna go up there right now and she’s gonna tell me once and for all why she doesn’t wanna move in with me.”
Lane’s eyes lifted slowly.
Kolton pushed away from the table and stood up.
“Hey, man,” said Kode trying to grab Kolton but he was farther than he thought so he was just grabbing air.
“I’m serious,” he said. “I’m gonna get an explanation out of her tonight.”
Lane stood.
The stool scraped across the floor.
The movement stopped Kolton before he reached the double doors.
Lane stepped directly in front of him.
His voice was calm.
Low.
But there was nothing friendly in it.
“Leave her alone.”
Kolton frowned.
“What?”
“Let her sleep,” Lane said. “It was a rough night.”
Kolton laughed once, bitter.
“I gotta talk to her.”
Lane didn’t move.
“Tomorrow.”
His eyes stayed locked on Kolton.
“I need to know right now,” he said poking his finger on Lane’s chest.
“Why don’t you go on the couch and think about it first.”
“Hey, she’s my woman.”
“Then treat her like it and be considerate.”
The room went quiet.
Kolton stared at him for a moment, the alcohol burning behind his eyes.
Lane didn’t blink.
Finally Kolton scoffed and grabbed the whiskey bottle.
“Whatever,” he muttered.
He dropped his entire weight into the couch.
Lane watched him for another second.
Kolton muttered more stuff then began to .
No one said anything after that.
Outside, the Nest glowed under strings of orange lights.
Jack-o’-lanterns flickered along the railings while shadows moved through the courtyard below. The empty pool was already transformed, the first signs of the winter pit taking shape.
Things looked different now.
Things felt different.
New.
Like a snake shedding its skin.
