You need, Dusty.
I snarled like a wounded animal, my head lifted to the sky. The motherfucking voice was right as always. I did need Dusty. I needed to tell him it was not his fault. It was mine all along.
I’m the only one to be blamed for everything that happened.
And what shall happen.
CHAPTER 32
Cameron
I settled for a ride on the back of Owl’s dirt bike. The cast truly hindered my steering. I was surprised Dusty gave Owl permission to let me share the same ride. Ol’ladies weren’t allowed on any bike but their ol’men’s. Owl saidourchapter was more lenient than others when it came to the club queen, courtesy of Roar and Beth. He’d always bent the rules for her, and it was ordinary for Dusty to do the same.
I’d also learned that Beth technically ran the club with Roar even when she didn’t exactly patch in. She was the Treasurer of the club even without the colors.
The bitch might have granted me a favor without knowing.
After a short coastal drive, Owl moved smoothly around the bends of the motorcycle trail near Shoreline Park. The crispy air filled my lungs as I soaked up the calm scenery of the bay and the woods. It felt good to just be out there.
The drive up to the trail had taken over a couple of hours. I knew I’d be sore once I got off the bike, especially since a lot of the trail was bumpy and unpaved. Owl pulled the bike over in a little turnout that was marked with a picnic area sign. He turned off the bike and said, “I thought you could use a break.”
I slipped off the bike and used his shoulder to steady myself. “Yeah, I think my legs need a stretch.”
He nodded and stood up as I took off my helmet. “Mine too. You want to take a walk?”
Beyond the picnic tables there was a hiking trail that led up into the woods. The tree groves looked beautiful from here. “Yeah. I’d love that.”
He secured the bike and started ahead of me. Once we were on the trail, he walked by my side. It was wide. There were garbage cans along the way and wood chips had been laid over the loamy earth.
A few minutes later, the path got narrower, winding, and full of twisted tree branches. They seemed untouched by man, and that appealed to me. I did love the smells of the earth. The way the new ones of the blooming foliage mixed with the old.
We followed the trail quietly. One thing I liked about Owl was that he wasn’t full of shit and only spoke with measured words. He seemed to know I needed the quiet. He might have needed it, too.
As we gained elevation each step became spongier with the mud and dirt hugging our boots. The air got cooler, thanks to the thickness of the trees and foliage, the sun yet to be seen. Even the grey sky was disappearing above the umbrella of leaves and branches overhead. The only sounds were the occasional rustle of leaves as small woodland animals scurried through and the chirping of birds in the trees overhead.
Lost in the scenery, I didn’t notice when Owl had veered off the trail and led me deeper into the thicket of trees. Any girl in my position should be afraid about being up here all alone with him. He could do anything to me, and without any sort of a weapon on me, I’d be powerless to stop him. But I didn’t have an ounce of fear in my body.
Good. The numbness was back. At least, if I died here, it would be peaceful, and I wouldn’t feel anything.
“That’s enough. We should get back,” I said. My feelings were numb, but my mind was alert.
“There’s a hidden meadow off the trail only a few of us know about. You should see it. It’s not far from here.”
“Dusty knows about it?”
He shook his head. “Don’t think he does.”
Shit.
Fuck me both ways and piss on my grave if that man with those kind blue eyes and fatherly figure aura turned out to be another dick Beth sucked and made into one of her pawns.
Had I turned too dumb overnight not to see that one coming? After all that had happened to me? Even my gut instinct that alarmed me about Rush when he tried to kidnap in the middle of the day didn’t work?
Hell, it still wasn’t working now, as if nothing in me accepted to believe Owl wasthat kindof a bad guy.
I slowed down, calculating whether my next step should be back or forth. When he realized I trailed behind him, he stopped and spun toward me. “You’re okay there?”
“If you killed me here, it would probably take months for anyone to find my body.”