Chapter 1: The Name on the Bracelet
The road looked empty, but the little girl kept staring behind her like something terrible was still coming.
She stood in the cold gray light in a simple blue dress, cheeks soaked with tears, hands trembling so badly she could barely point.
"He's following me."
The biker dropped to one knee in front of her instantly.
He was rough-looking, all black leather and hard lines, but his voice was quiet when he spoke to her.
"Hey…
breathe."
She tried.
She really tried.
But her breath kept breaking in little panicked sobs.
Her lips trembled.
Her small chest rose too fast.
She looked like she had been running for a long time, and like she still didn't believe she had gotten far enough.
"Please…" she whispered.
"Stay."
The biker steadied her gently by the arms, careful not to frighten her.
"I'm here."
She looked into his face as if she was trying to decide whether the world still had one safe person left in it.
Behind them, a row of bikers stood beside their parked motorcycles, silent and watchful.
No one spoke.
But every one of them had already gone still.
The little girl clutched the front of his vest with both hands.
"He knows my name," she whispered.
That changed something.
The biker's face tightened.
He looked at her harder now.
"What name?"
Her eyes flooded again.
She swallowed, then said it in the tiniest voice.
"Lila."
For one second, he stopped moving.
Not outwardly.
But something inside him froze.
He looked down at her wrist.
There was a tiny silver bracelet there, half-hidden under her shaking hand.
He pulled it gently into view.
The metal caught the gray light.
And engraved on it was a name he knew too well.
Lila.
His hand started to shake.
The little girl saw his face change and stepped even closer, frightened all over again.
"What is it?" she asked.
But he didn't answer.
Not right away.
He stared at the bracelet like it had reached into his chest and torn open something he had buried years ago.
Then, slowly, he stood up.
His eyes lifted to the road.
Cold now.
Deadly serious.
Behind him, the other bikers straightened in silence.
The engine sound in the distance was getting louder.
The little girl's fingers tightened around the back of his vest.
He didn't look down at her.
He kept his eyes on the road and spoke low enough that only his men needed to hear.
"Get ready."
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Who is Lila to him — and who is coming down that road?
Comment **"NEXT"** if you want Part 2 in the comments.
