005 Ride Through Fire

The desert night had a cruel way of hiding danger. One moment, the highway stretched empty under a smear of stars; the next, the world lit up with fire.

Ashley had barely adjusted to the rhythm of riding in the Vipers convoy—four bikes cutting clean lines through the darkness—when the first shot cracked the air. Sparks spat off the asphalt beside them.

“Down!” Ace barked over the roar of engines.

Nolan swerved his bike hard, and Ashley’s borrowed helmet slammed into her shoulder as she ducked on instinct. Headlights bloomed in the distance—a cluster of them, closing fast.

“The Fangs,” Jax hissed over communications. His voice was calm, almost bored, but Ashley could hear the sharp edge beneath.

She whipped her head around just as two SUVs came barreling up from a side road, their beams cutting through the night like twin blades. Shadows moved inside—men leaning out windows, rifles glinting. The Iron Fangs weren’t waiting for introductions.

The next gunshot shattered Nolan’s side mirror.

Panic burned her throat. She’d seen fights before—bar scuffles, shouting matches—but this wasn’t a scuffle. This was war.

Cole’s voice came steady over the wind. “They’re trying to box us in.”

“Not tonight,” Nolan growled. He twisted the throttle, the bike screaming forward. “Ashley—hold on.”

She didn’t need telling twice. Her arms wrapped tight around his torso, fingers clutching the worn leather of his cut. The heat of him bled through her gloves. Her heart thundered against his back.

The convoy broke formation. Ace peeled left, Jax swung wide to the right, and Cole dropped back, his twin pistols flashing in the darkness. Muzzle flare stuttered like lightning.

Ashley caught glimpses through the chaos—Ace’s bike slicing between SUVs, the Fangs patched shoulders leaning out windows, muzzle smoke swirling in the headlights.

Another shot pinged off Nolan’s exhaust pipe. Sparks rained behind them.

“Shortcut!” Ace shouted. He pointed toward a dirt trail veering off the highway, barely visible between two sagging fence posts.

“Too narrow,” Jax barked.

“It’s either that or get cut in half,” Ace fired back.

Nolan didn’t hesitate. He banked hard toward the trail, and Ashley’s stomach lurched as the bike dropped off the asphalt and hit dirt. The tires fishtailed before gripping. The desert closed in.

The SUVs followed, engines howling.

Ashley risked a glance back. Their headlights bobbed wildly over the uneven ground. Cole’s bike kicked up a wall of dust as he fired a shot that blew out a pursuer’s tire. The SUV skidded sideways, rolling in a burst of sparks. One down—but two more stayed on their tail.

The trail narrowed to a dry riverbed. Nolan ducked low under a branch, and Ashley mirrored him, their helmets nearly touching.

“Doing okay back there?” His voice reached her over the wind, rough but steady.

“I’m—” She choked on adrenaline and dust. “I’m not built for this!”

He laughed—an infuriating, warm sound even in chaos. “You’re doing better than half my prospects.”

A bullet whined past her ear. She yelped and tightened her grip until her knuckles hurt.

“Closer,” Nolan said.

“What?”

“Hold tighter. Trust me.”

She slid her hands lower around his waist, chest pressing to his back. She could feel every breath he took, the flex of muscle beneath leather as he maneuvered. Despite the danger, a strange heat unfurled in her chest—a rush that wasn’t just fear.

The riverbed split ahead, one path climbing toward a rocky ridge, the other diving deeper into shadow. Nolan took the climb. The bike shuddered over stones, bouncing hard enough to knock her teeth together. She gasped, burying her face against his shoulder. His scent cut through the grit in her mouth.

Behind them, Jax and Ace fired back at the Fangs, covering Cole as he gunned his engine. The night exploded in noise—shouts, engines, gunfire, and the relentless hammer of her pulse.

“Almost clear!” Ace shouted.

Nolan leaned the bike into a sharp turn around a boulder. For a breathless second, they were weightless, then the tires caught.

One of the Fangs SUVs tried to follow but clipped the rock. Metal screeched. Sparks showered. It spun out, blocking the second SUV. The sound of the crash echoed through the canyon.

Suddenly, they were free—racing into open desert under the wide, star-streaked sky.

Nolan slowed, just a little, enough for her to breathe again. His voice came over the wind, quieter now. “You all right?”

Ashley didn’t answer right away. Her heart was still in her throat. She loosened her death grip on him but didn’t let go. “That… was insane.”

“That was Tuesday,” he said dryly. But there was a hint of a smile in his tone.

She rested her helmet lightly against his back. “You could’ve let me stay behind.”

“And what? Let them take you?” His voice dropped lower, serious now. “Not a chance.”

Something in his words made her chest tighten. Gratitude mixed with something hotter. She felt the steady rise and fall of his breathing and the sure way he handled the bike beneath them—like nothing could shake him. Like maybe, for the first time since this nightmare began, she wasn’t completely doomed.

The rest of the Vipers regrouped ahead, their taillights glowing like red stars against the horizon.

Cole’s voice came through the communication, wry as ever. “Well, that was fun. Who’s buying the first round when we hit camp?”

“Not me,” Jax said. “I just saved your ass.”

“Saved my ass?” Ace laughed. “Pretty sure Nolan’s the one who threaded a needle with a passenger.”

Ashley could feel Nolan’s grin even without seeing it. “She’s not just a passenger,” he said quietly—soft enough that only she could hear it over the engine.

She swallowed hard, unsure what to say.

The convoy roared on, leaving the smoking wreckage behind. Ashley kept her arms wrapped tight around Nolan’s waist, even after the danger had faded. This time, she wasn’t thinking about Marco’s warnings or Alvarez’s threats.

She was thinking about the way Nolan had laughed in the middle of a firefight. About the way he hadn’t hesitated to risk himself for her. About the heat of his back against her chest.

The desert stretched endless ahead of them. Ashley didn’t know where this road would end—but for now, she wasn’t sure she wanted to turn back.

Eventually, the convoy slowed, dust trailing behind like fading ghosts. The Vipers hideout emerged from the darkness—a half-forgotten shack flanked by rusted trailers. Bikes were parked in neat chaos, engines cooling, while the crew dismounted, rubbing sore shoulders and checking weapons.

Nolan stopped at the edge of the lot. Ashley lifted her helmet, breathing hard, sweat sticking her hair to her forehead. Her hands shook slightly from adrenaline

Ace clapped Nolan on the back. “Nice threading-the-needle work back there. Thought you’d had us in the drink for a second.”

“Thanks,” Nolan said, brushing dust off his jacket, eyes flicking toward Ashley. He offered a hand to help her off the bike. When their fingers brushed, a current ran straight through her. She looked away, embarrassed.

Jax approached, calm as ever. “Everyone’s accounted for. Fangs will regroup by sunrise. We’ve got maybe a few hours before they sniff out anything else.”

Ashley exhaled, leaning against Nolan’s bike. She realized how close she’d been to real danger, and how lucky she’d been..

Cole sidled up, concern written across his face. “You okay?”

“I… I think so,” she said, still holding Nolan’s arm a little longer than necessary.

Nolan cleared his throat, finally looking her square in the eyes. “Tonight wasn’t just luck. You’ve got to trust us if you’re going to make it through what’s coming.”

Ashley nodded slowly, sensing that the road ahead would demand more from her than she’d ever known.