The motorcycle revs of doom grew louder.

"We're screwed," I said to Gina.

She had her entire body twisted around to watch out the back window.

My odds of keeping this from Broadrick grew slimmer by the second. Ridge would probably send him video footage.

Sirens blared in the distance, and blue lights flashed across the road. I hit the steering wheel. "You've got to be kidding me."

The possibility of hiding this from Broadrick exploded, turned to dust, and blew away in the breeze. Anderson would definitely book me for kidnapping and send Broadrick my mug shot.

"He's so annoying," Gina said. "This is just like something Dominick would do when he doesn't get his way."

Yeah, I was sure The Impaler was prone to temper tantrums.

Actually. It made sense.

"He's so abrasive and overbearing," she said, turning around in the seat with a huff. She stuffed both hands in the hoodie pocket.

"He brought out the whole military," I said, slowing the vehicle.

We had two options. I either slowed the car and stopped or tried to outrun them. It didn't feel like a car chase kind of night, so I went with option one. Fewer things Broadrick might yell at me about later. I had NB to think about now and needed to make responsible choices.

"Are you sure he doesn't have feelings for you?" They didn't bring out the cavalry for someone Dom didn't care about.

Gina's sniffles started again. She'd apparently lost the anger that she got in the car with. "He said he didn't want this life for me and he'd never bring a child into it."

I bit my teeth so my entire face didn't show my feelings. They weren't good.

"That's harsh," I said and took my foot off the gas, letting the car slow quickly.

Gina glanced at me in panic. "What are you doing?"

"Stopping." No sense in lying.

Gina grabbed on to my upper arm. "Why? We're going to Portland. Don't forget the plan now."

"Babe, we aren't making it to Portland." I pressed on the gas a little and moved on to the side of the road. "This way we can get out and yell at Dom."

"What? No!" Gina yelled.

I pulled over and stopped the car. Motorcycle sounds come in fast and the SUV pulled over on the same side. "Sorry, sister. I can't outrun Pelican Bay."

At least not without Broadrick finding out and being infuriated.

"Does it smell dusty?" I asked as we came to a stop and I braced.

A ridiculously big white truck with its driver who has something to prove barreled past us. Tony twisted the wheel and spun to a stop in front of us, blocking an exit. "Show off."

Bits of gravel pinged off the bottom of my car. I bet Broadrick wouldn't yell at him about his bad driving, but it was way riskier than anything I did. Sexism at its finest.

"These men are so dramatic," I said to Gina and then opened my car door but waited for her.

Tony hopped out of his truck and stormed toward us.

"He looks mad," Gina said.

A big black motorcycle that sounded like a jet engine skidded to a stop by my car. Thankfully, the driver stayed on the road, so we didn't get sprayed with gravel again.

"Gina," I said and looked back at her.

She sighed. "I guess it's time to face it." Her eyes were heavy, and she didn't look scared but anxious.

"The trick to handling these guys is to be on the offense. Be scary." I stuck my foot out of the car. "Or crazy. Whichever works best for you."

I normally went with crazy for faster results.

Using as much force as possible, I pushed open the car door the rest of the way and started my dramatic exit.

"What do you think you're doing?" Tony yelled as he approached.

I faced off against him first. "Don't you yell at me."

He stopped beside me, and three SUVs parked on the side of the road behind me, but no one got out of their vehicles. The motorcycles crowded in around them, but only Dominick jumped off his bike.

"So this is how it ends?" Dominick yelled at Gina as he came to a halt by her car door. He stood in front of it, but she hit him with it as she pushed it open. Yeah, she definitely fit in around here.

"Don't yell at me either!" she said.

Dominick thumped his chest, and one of his rings caught on the leather pocket. "After everything we've been through, you're going to run back to them?"

Gina pushed at him on the chest, and he stepped backward. "Never."

"So what? I'm just not good enough for you?" he yelled back.

Things were definitely getting interesting.

Tony and I both turned to watch the fireworks.

A white four-door car approached from the other way and slowed as they got to our group. Dominick's men got off their bikes and stood on the yellow line. They stared at the vehicle as it drove past us at a crawl. I squinted at the car. Who was this random driver?

Oh shit. It was my old neighbor.

I waved. "Hello, Mrs. Sanches. I love the new car," I shouted as she stared at me and shook her head in that disapproving way. I'd gotten it a lot in my teenage years.

She and her mother drove past and then sped up as they left our group. My mother was so going to hear about this. Ugh, then she'd call Broadrick. He really would make Tony babysit me.

The doors of the SUVs opened, and the men came out as one unit. It was weird. Too much military training. They hovered around their vehicles without approaching, just waiting to see what happened.

"You can't keep me here," Gina said to Dominick with another push against his chest.

A new car approached, this one from Pelican Bay. We were going to have a crowd. So far, the two police cars were staying at the back with their lights on, keeping things calm, but it wouldn't last forever. Anderson liked drama too much to hang back.

"I thought you wanted to stay," Dominick yelled with his arms out. "I can keep you safe."

The red car, which I recognized, sped forward and then stopped on the other side of the police cars. They obviously recognized it as well since no one tried to stop them. It only seemed fair. If we had to be surrounded by testosterone, we should get to even out the numbers.

The car shut off and Anessa, still wearing her pink bakery apron, Tabitha in a graphic T-shirt and jeans, and Katy wearing a black skirt and blouse from the bed-and-breakfast stepped out. They walked right past the security guys in black and didn't blink as they bypassed the motorcycle dudes.

My friends were so bad ass.

"I did!" Gina yelled, and I jerked my attention back to their ongoing argument. "But you said you didn't want me."

Dominick grabbed her hand as she pointed at her chest with it.

I rubbed at my leather jacket, closing it tighter around me as the air cooled with the dropping sun.

"Who called the Bakery Bandits?" Tony asked with a head jerk toward the approaching women.

I shrugged. "Word gets around."

Anessa hit our group first, and all three created a half-circle with Tony and me to watch the action.

"We figured you needed backup," Tabitha said as she kicked a rock off the road with her shoe.

I tugged on Anessa's apron. "Who's in charge?" All the key bakery employees were standing on the roadside.

Anessa shrugged. "Pearl."

Wow, things were bad when they left Pearl to man the fort. What did the town think was happening out here? Probably murder. Dom impaling something...or someone.

Dom tried to take another step toward Gina, but she pushed him away again. The five of us all shook our heads as we watched.

"I want better things for you, baby," Dominick said and reached for Gina.

She pulled away.

Anessa leaned closer to whisper at our group. "It's like watching a live-action soap opera."

"I wish I had popcorn," Tabitha said, pushing herself between Anessa and me for a better view.

The smell of dirt hung heavily in the air. A farmer must have been out tilling the fields earlier in the day. At least they hadn't laid any fertilizer.

Katy inched closer with her phone out, facing the two arguing lovers. "I'm recording."

"Katy," Anessa chastised her.

"What?" she answered without jiggling the phone. "I promised Pearl I'd give her a play-by-play. This is easier."

Pearl was going to get all the drama she wanted. "Keep recording because it's going to get better." Dom hadn't heard the big news.

Gina wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye and shooed Dominick away. "I can't stay here if you don't want me."

He laughed but not in a funny way. More of a big-bad motorcycle guy is about to lose his shit way. "Babe, I want you."

"Not as sweet as I'd like to see, but something coming from him," Anessa said.

Katy nodded.

Gina lifted her head. "You do?" It sounded as if she couldn't believe it.

Tabitha sniffled. "That poor girl. She has no idea. Does she?"