Through the Storm(61)

“Where were you when the solar storm hit?” Conner asked.

“Near Grants Pass, Oregon.” He shook his head. “I’m glad you were here.”

Conner frowned.

Neal stared at Conner for a moment and then at the woman beside him.

She looked away.

“Conner … Where have you been?”

Torrents of guilt and anxiety flooded back upon Conner. “Remember our fight the night before you left?”

His father nodded.

In the distance, the rumble of motorcycle and truck engines disturbed the quiet.

A woman in a dark leather jacket pushing a Harley trudged from of the shadows. She glanced at the street sign and her eyes widened.

“You told me not to go hunting.” Conner pursed his lips. “Well, I did.”

“When did you get back?”

The Harley woman pushed her bike closer. “Ah … lovely family reunion and all, but figure it out later. You hear those vehicles? If the people driving them are who I think they are, we don’t want them seeing us.”

Conner nodded in agreement. “Let’s get back to the farm. We can sort things out there.”

The rumble of engines and vehicles grew.

“Okay.” Neal waved at the others. “Let’s head toward my farm.” As they walked, he turned to Dani. “Who are these people following you?”

Conner gazed at the red Harley the woman pushed across the road. Then he spotted the satchel and goggles. “Your name is Dani?”

“Yeah.” She smiled. “It’s short for Danielle.”

Madison stared at her. “The gang. They’re looking for you.”

The smile disappeared into an angry frown.

“And that’s not your bike.” Conner pointed. “Did you kill the man riding it?”

“What?” Neal looked from Conner to Dani.

“Let’s explore my personal history later.” With a grunt, Dani struggled to push her motorcycle off the road toward the woods. “We really need to get away from here.”

Two motorcycles roared around the corner. One rider pointed toward the group and together they took cover in the trees just off the road.

“Dani, you can’t get away,” a man called.

“Go to the farm,” Neal shouted at Conner and then darted into the bushes.

*

Only as Neal rushed behind bushes and bramble did he realize Claire had followed him. He gritted his teeth in frustration but remained otherwise silent for fear of revealing their position.

Dani lagged behind, pushing the Harley. As the others disappeared into the dark woods, Dani dropped the bike and darted after them.

Within seconds, a third bike and two pickups loaded with men arrived. The glare of headlights both hid and revealed. Neal struggled to count as armed men passed back and forth through light and into darkness, but felt certain more than ten had arrived and would soon be searching for Dani and anyone with her.

Two men walked in Neal’s direction. He tensed, ready to shoot, but they collected Dani’s bike and lugged it back to the trucks.

Neal allowed himself to breathe. He could have shot them, but what had they done to deserve it? Conner thought Dani had stolen the bike and perhaps killed the owner. Were these men just collecting what they owned? Probably not, but what did he know for sure? Perhaps these were thugs and she had fled from them. He needed answers.

Claire pointed to the nearby tree line. “Let’s go,” she mouthed.

Neal grunted agreement. Together they retreated into the forest and looked for the others. Neal led the way through the woods and then back to where the road wound up the hill. A ditch ran along one side, but the other shoulder made a gravel path with quick access to the forest if needed. Neal figured Conner might have the same idea or would at least follow the road.

Soon Neal heard twigs snap and hushed voices.

“The only thing I believe is that your name is Dani,” Conner growled. “Why are they looking for you and how do we stop them?”

“Keep your voice down and keep moving,” Dani whispered and turned away.

Conner grabbed her arm.

She spun around and pressed a pistol to his face. “Don’t touch me.”

Neal stepped into the grove with his shotgun pointed at Dani. “Put the gun down and start explaining.”

“We need to hurry,” Dani insisted but lowered her gun hand. “They won’t stop looking for us.”

Neal motioned for everyone to keep moving. “They seem to be after you. What would happen if they caught you?”

“Don’t give me up to them.” Dani shook her head. “That’s not the solution.”

“Why not?” Conner asked with an angry growl.

Dani opened the satchel and pulled out a large, neatly folded sheet of paper. “This is a map of Riverbank and the surrounding area. The Wolf Pack—”

“What?” Neal asked.

Dani shook her head. “They’re the biggest gang south of Olympia, and besides killing and looting, they’ve been scouting the area.”

Neal stared at the page but couldn’t read it in the darkness. “Why would they be interested in Riverbank?”

“This town is the only one between Olympia and Longview that still has a working police force. The Wolf Pack doesn’t like police and Roark, the alpha boss, wants to control the town.”