“Pull over!” I shouted over the roar of the engine.
Archer didn’t glance back at me. Instead, he found a turnaround in a thicket of trees. When he stopped, I didn’t immediately get off. “You need the bathroom?”
“Turn off the engine.” When he obeyed me, I drew in a deep breath. “Archer, if I were to ask you for your help, would you give it without question?”
Slowly, he turned around to look at me. “I don’t think I like where this is going.”
I licked my dry lips. “If I were to ask your help to do something that would protect Willow and the club, would you do it?”
“It depends.” He scratched the stubble on his chin. “What do you want?”
“First you have to swear that even if you don’t agree to do it, you won’t tell any of the Raiders.”
Archer’s eyes widened, and he hopped off the bike. He stalked around a moment before he began pacing. “You’re putting me between a rock and a fucking hard place.”
“I wouldn’t dream of asking you this unless it was a matter of life and death.”
My words only seemed to agitate him more, and he continued to pace. He’d almost worn a hole in the gravel when he finally stopped. He sighed so hard his body shuddered. Then he turned to me. “You have my word. Now, what is it?”
As best I could, I tried relating to him what had come to me while on our drive. He listened raptly without interrupting to question me. When I was done, he stared at me almost incredulously. “You’re serious.”
“I am.”
“That’s fucking bat-shit crazy.”
“Yeah, well, that’s where I am.”
I expected him to resume his pacing. Instead, he walked back over to me. His blue eyes burned into mine as he stared me down. “I’m in.”
I couldn’t help my gasp of surprise. “You are?”
“Even though I should tell you to go fuck yourself for putting me in this situation, I get it. I really do.”
“Thank you.”
Shaking his head, he slung his leg over the bike. “Save the gratitude until we both come out of this alive.”
I laughed nervously. “It’s a deal.”
I don’t know how Archer managed to alert them, but when we arrived at the compound, Raiders came spilling out of the clubhouse to meet us. Rev and Bishop magically appeared. They escorted me inside. Instead of taking me to Deacon’s room, they ushered me into the boardroom. Rev pulled a chair out for me and motioned for me to have a seat. “Talk to us, Alex,” he urged.
Holding up my hand, I said, “I’m a little shaken up, but for the most part, I’m fine.”
Bishop surveyed my face. “He didn’t try anything physical with you, did he?”
“My virtue is safe,” I replied with a humorless smile.
“It damn well better be. If he dared to lay one finger on you, we’d bring a fucking firestorm down on him,” Bishop growled.
I drew in a deep breath and prepared to broach the subject I was wary of. “I need you to teach me how to use a knife.”
Rev and Bishop exchanged a glance. “Alex, I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Rev said.
“Would you prefer I be defenseless the next time I have a run-in with Sigel or one of his thugs?”
“We’ll always protect you,” Rev argued.
Cocking my brows, I said, “Like today?”
“I suppose you have a point.”
“Do you realize that if I had been armed with a knife or a gun, I could have taken Sigel out? Just like that.” I snapped my fingers for emphasis.
Crossing his tattooed arms over his chest, Bishop replied, “Well, that’s nice to think, but you’re not really the knife-toting kind.”
“Basically, I’m a weak, helpless female?” I countered.
He grimaced. “I didn’t say that.”
“No, you alluded to it, and that’s just as bad.”
When I turned my gaze on Rev, he gave me a look of appraisal before nodding his head. “You need to learn how to defend yourself.”
“Seriously?” Bishop questioned, his blue eyes widening.
“Alex is right. We can’t ensure that we’ll always be able to protect her. Even with Deacon gone, she’s obviously still a target for Sigel. That’s all the more reason for her to know how to defend herself.”
Realizing he had lost, Bishop exhaled sharply. “If you say so.”
Rev nodded. “Go to the shop and get her something she can use.”
With one last disapproving look in our direction, Bishop headed out the door. Turning his attention to me, Rev asked, “Where’s the first place you would think to go for if you were going to stab someone?”
Furrowing my brows, I replied, “The heart?”
Rev shook his head. “While ultimately lethal, you gotta get through a hard-as-hell breastbone to get to it. You want something that will immediately incapacitate your enemy.”
Reaching out, he brought his hands to my neck. His fingers worked down the side. “You want to try to sever one of the carotid arteries here on the neck. They pump blood to the brain. Since it controls every organ function, you want to take out the main nervous system. Fifteen to twenty seconds after a hit, your enemy will be beyond help and likely unconscious. Then you’re good to go.”
“Isn’t there a way to kill them instantly?”
“No, but without help, taking out a carotid will ensure they die. Plus, with them incapacitated, it gives you the time you need to get away.”