Empty Secrets (Back Down Devil MC #5.5)(20)

eight.



Lena dried her hair and pulled her hair to one side of her head. She wiped the mirror with her hand and looked at herself. Her body was still tingling because of Jett. Her toes were slightly curled, thinking about stuff that didn’t matter. Stuff like being able to f*ck Jett all the time. Stuff like him and her going out, and her climbing on the back of his motorcycle, and going for a ride together. Maybe to the beach. Maybe for something to eat. Maybe to find a ridge somewhere and just sit and waste time.

But their lives would never allow it.

It was obvious the entire club was on some kind of edge. Lena had picked that up several times so far since her arrival. The guys were in constant movement, sometimes talking, sometimes yelling. They were drinking, forceful partying, f*cking anything with a *, and always coming and going. They were preparing for something big and something dangerous. All of it made Lena feel more uneasy than she normally did. Because she didn’t belong here.

Jett told her he had convinced the President - Miller - and the rest of the guys that she couldn’t remember anything. It made the whole Blaine looking up her shirt thing worth while because he was able to vouch for it.

The one thing about lying that Lena learned was that as fun as it seemed, it was a terrible burden. It was too much memorizing. Too much to think about and too much to carry all the damn time. Plus, what did it matter if she was here? When Victor wanted her, he’d get her. If Victor was already dead and the family blamed Lena, an army would be sent out to find her. Ultimately, she was putting everyone in Back Down Devil MC in danger.

Which left one choice.

Run.

Fucking run like hell.

Sneak out the way Jett had showed her and then make a run for it. She knew how to steal a car, thanks to Victor. She could even steal a motorcycle, but she didn’t want to do that to the MC.

Lena dressed in the same jeans and dug through Jett’s bag for a fresh shirt. All of his shirts were huge on her. The closet in the room had something a little more comfortable and it made Lena wonder just how in the hell clothes ended up in a random room in a MC clubhouse. Either way it was better than wearing a bloody shirt.

She dug in Jett’s bag again and was able to find an empty envelope and a pencil. She quickly scribbled a note to Jett. Maybe she shouldn’t have even bothered with this much, but she f*cking hated this. In her heart, she really wondered if she and Jett could have… been something.



Jett -



I can’t hurt you the way they all want to hurt me. Thank you for saving me. Thank you for reminding me what it feels like to be alive. To be looked at. To feel like I matter. But your life matters more than anything with me. Please be safe. Don’t look for me. I’ll be fine. And if I’m not fine, pretend I am.



Lena



Frowning, Lena put the note on the bed and hurried to the door. Any thoughts of regret or second chances were pushed aside. This was simply the right thing to do. The thing that needed to be done. For everyone. Hell, if Lena could get out of Frelen with her life, then she would even go as far to making a couple phone calls. Find out if Victor was dead and let the family know that she was gone. To take eyes off Frelen and make sure eyes were off Back Down Devil MC.

Lena snuck down the hallway. She heard a few booming voices and looked over her shoulder. She took notice of Blaine and Gaige. They were in a heated conversation. Lena darted to the right and then found a door. She bit her lip and turned the knob. The door was unlocked. She opened it and found it was some kind of closet. And it stunk like dirt, sweat and body odor.

When the voices went away, Lena opened the door and continued her journey to escape. It was such a weird feeling right now. Escaping somewhere safe. With someone who would help her. Someone who listened to her, touched her, made her feel really good.

By the time Lena found the door and started down the steps, her heart was pounding in her chest. When she got outside and felt the sunlight hit her in the face, her heart started to ache. Of course it had to be a beautiful day, right? It couldn’t be dark and dreary, the kind of sad day that would make all of this somehow romantic and poetic.

Romantic? What the f*ck is romantic about my life?

Lena chased away the questions and ran to the railing on the side of the building. She eased her way along, always looking around, fearing that there had to be more than just the MC guys around here. The place was just far too big. She considered running through the junk parts and cars, but she had no idea where that would end up taking her. Plus, what if they had junkyard dogs or something? That would be a horrible fate… trying to get away and then getting mauled by dogs.

Near the front of the building Lena saw that there were a handful of motorcycles missing. A lot of the guys were out on a ride. That was good. Lena took a few more steps and then peeked back to the clubhouse. There wasn’t a soul around. The remaining guys - including Jett - were inside. A moment of hesitation attacked Lena and she caught herself just standing there, staring.

What if…

“No,” she whispered.

There were no what ifs? in this.

She turned and crouched a little, running behind all the motorcycles. Trying to stay low and out of sight. And by some damn chance of a miracle - or maybe it was simply fate - she made it to the front of the lot without being spotted. She tugged on a door at the gate and it swung open. Again, another sign of fate. That this was the right thing to do, even if it left her heartbroken, empty, and completely terrified.