I'd gone to church since I was a toddler, Astrid and I holding Dad's hands as he led us down the pews. Even now, when Astrid stayed home to sleep in after an exhausting week at the bank, I got up early on Sunday mornings and went with Dad to church.
Had God heard my prayers, recognised me as a loyal follower, and intervened today? I trailed my eyes down the back of Priest's jacket as if I could see his collar. God had sent a holy man to my rescue.
"Ready to go, Luna?" he asked, turning to look at me.
I swallowed, my heart skipping for reasons I couldn’t quantify. "More than ready."
Priest nodded, holding my gaze. "You're safe now, Luna. I promise."
"I know," I murmured, tasting clear, open water with every breath.
With Priest, a literal gift from god? I knew I was safe.
It was everyone else I couldn't trust.
5
Priest
Luna had stopped shaking by the time we rode through the compound gates and parked in my usual spot. I wished I'd thought to bring a helmet so she didn't have to ride without one. Her safety had gone from a distant concern when I left the compound to so important that my instincts were fucking haywire.
"What is this place?" she asked, releasing my waist and climbing off the bike. "It's massive."
I turned off the engine and grabbed the key, watching her to make sure she was okay as I swung my leg over and stood.
"This is our compound. This building here is the clubhouse; all our bedrooms are in here, as well as the kitchen, dining room, bar, and some offices. That over there is the garage where a few of the guys fix up cars and bikes, and the tiny building next door is my chapel.
"I know your name's Priest and all," she replied, looking at the small, grey-brick building and lingering on its steeple, "but I didn't expect a biker gang to have a literal church."
"Club, not gang," I corrected.
Luna frowned, giving me a look like I was mad. "So no illegal stuff, then? How do you guys even make money? I'm guessing the church doesn't pay you a salary to tend to your biker flock."
I laughed, beyond pleased at her sense of humour, but I was distracted when the clubhouse doors flew open the second the gates locked shut. Everyone had received alengthylecture from Prodigy about that particular timing. With Hunters circling, and a traitor found among our own brothers, security had tightened immensely.No onegot past those gates without clearance or a good reason, and none of us were allowed out unless the fence was locked and electrified.
"No wage, but we trade in legal shipments—and we own more businesses and bars than you'd expect. The revenue from that gets split between running costs of the club and an allowance for each of us. And whatever you guys need, too."
"Huh," Luna murmured, watching Vienna come down the stairs, her blonde hair slapping her shoulders. Beside us, Guardian climbed off his bike to embrace her, and a seed of envy throbbed in my chest.
"Come on," I murmured to Luna. "I'll show you the sanctuary. You've seen the gates; those will stay shut until one of us needs to leave, and then they'll only open for half a minute."
Luna nodded, her dark eyes flickering as she watched my brothers climb off their bikes, others aiming for the garage to stow them inside.
"At least the Hunters will never get past all of you," she said, and followed me up the stairs to the squat, grey clubhouse.
She snorted inexplicably when we reached the open doors, and I spotted her sister Astrid, so similar looking that she couldhave been Luna's twin except for the difference in hairstyle and clothing. And the fact she was clinging to Giant.
"I bet you they disappear to a bedroom within the minute," Luna said, throwing a smile that tried its best to cover up her trauma.
"I'm not taking that bet," I huffed. I'd lose.
"Oh—Mercedes," I called, spotting the middle-aged black woman crossing the corridor. Her green dress swished around her knees as she spun to give me an expectant smile. "This is Luna; she's here to stay for a while. Do you know if there are any rooms ready in the sanctuary?"
"Of course. The red room just got cleaned out yesterday. It was getting stale, and we could smell the mustiness in the nests down the hall."
"The red room," Luna echoed quietly but with dry amusement. "Tell me I won’t go through some horror film shit in there."
Mercedes laughed, her kind eyes crinkling. "The creepiest thing in there is a giraffe lamp base."