Hope Survives Even After Maps Are Burned by Niro Mason 63

18:55 Fri, Jan 2 D 

Chapter 63 

Chapter 63 

-Logan- 

I was on autopilot. 

Numb. 

55 vouchers 

The wind whipped at my face as I roared down the highway, but didn’t feel it. I didn’t know how long I’d been riding. Hours, maybe. But I finally hit the outskirts of Riverstone. 

I pulled into the clubhouse lot and killed the engine. The silence was screaming at me. 

I sat there for a minute, staring at the building, trying to muster the balls to go inside. But I couldn’t. 

I headed for the back alley instead. Pulled down the ladder and climbed the fire escape, in through my window. Slammed it shut behind me. 

The place was cold, dark, and empty. Just like me. 

I went straight for the cabinet, grabbing a bottle of whiskey and ripping the cap off with my teeth. I took a long pull, the burn barely registering. I didn’t bother with a glass – what was the point? 

I wasn’t drinking for the taste. I was drinking to forget. 

I collapsed onto the couch with the bottle still clutched in my hand. Stared at the stupid fucking bird on the wall. 

My mind kept replaying her last words. ‘If that’s what you want. 

Of course it wasn’t what I fucking wanted. I wanted her. 

I kept seeing her face. The way she looked at me when I walked out the door. 

Broken. 

I swallowed another mouthful of whiskey, but it didn’t dull the ache in my chest. Nothing would. I walked away from her because I was too much of a coward to stay. 

Too afraid of dragging her down with me. 

Too fucking toxic to deserve her. 

The hours blurred together. I lost track of how much I drank, how many times I tried and failed to sleep. 

I just sat there, numb and hollow, until the bottle was empty. Then I reached for another one. 

At some point, there was a knock on the door. I ignored it. 

“Logan?” It was Scarlett. I could hear the concern in her voice. 

The door creaked open, and she stepped inside. 

Shit. I forgot she had a key. 

“Christ, Logan,” she muttered. She took in the scene. Empty bottles, ashtray overflowing, me slumped on the couch like a corpse. “What the fuck happened?” 

“Nothin,” I muttered, staring at the floor. 

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18:55 Fri, Jan 2 

Chapter 63 

“We saw your bike downstairs, but we didn’t see you come in.” 

I shrugged. “Leave me alone, Scar.” 

She crossed her arms, glaring at me. “Where’s Hailey?” 

The sound of her name was like a hollow–point ripping through my chest. I flinched, but I didn’t answer. 

Scarlett sighed, crouching in front of me. Softer now. “What happened, Logan?” 

“She told me she loved me,” I said. “I left. She’s better off without me.” 

She stared at me for ages. Then she stood up, shaking her head. You’re a fucking idiot, you know that?” 

I didn’t argue. She wasn’t wrong. 

She left after that, slamming the door behind her. I didn’t move. 

The sun went down. Came up. Went down again, maybe. I didn’t fuckin know. 

I didn’t eat. Didn’t sleep. I just drank and smoked and stared at that goddamn raven. 

The club tried to check on me my old man, Jake, Monty, even Viktor stopped by once time. I didn’t want their concern. I didn’t deserve it. 

I was a fucking wreck, and I didn’t care. 

There was another knock on the door. I ignored it, like all the others. 

When it opened, River stepped through. 

熱.24% 

55 vouchers. 

but I brushed them off every 

“Alright, man, I gave you your space to crawl out of it.” He crossed the room, 

wered 

over 

“You’re clearly not gonna do 

it on your own. So I’m givin‘ you a shove. Get your ass up.” 

I exhaled through my nose. My eyes landed on his. “I ain’t doin‘ shit.” 

He stared at me for a second. Then he walked around behind the couch and picked it up. 

Dumped me on the floor. Spilled my last bottle of whiskey. 

The audacity. 

“Don’t make me drag you into the shower,” he muttered. “We’re goin‘ out.” 

I glared up at him from the floor with whiskey soaking into my jeans. “Fuck off,” I growled. He just crossed his arms, unimpressed. 

“You’re gonna sit here and rot, huh?” he said. “Pathetic.” 

“You don’t know shit,” I muttered, pushing myself up. My head spun, and I stumbled, catching myself on the edge of the couch. “Leave me the hell alone.” 

He didn’t budge. “You think you’re the only one who ever fucked up?” 

I didn’t answer. 

He stepped closer. “You don’t get to give up, asshole. You know we got Russians ready to knock down our door. The club needs And she-” 

you. 

18:55 Fri, Jan 2 D 

Chapter 63 

“Don’t,” I snapped, cutting him off. My chest ripped in half at the thought of her. “Just don’t.” 

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35 vouchers 

River sighed. “Fine. But you’re comin‘ with me. Get your ass cleaned up, you smell like a distillery.” 

I wanted to tell him to go to hell, but I was getting real tired of this argument. I dragged myself to the shower, stripping off my clothes and stepping in. 

The water was scalding, but I barely felt it. 

When I came back out, River tossed me clean clothes. “Let’s go!” 

I didn’t argue. What was the point? I grabbed my cut off the couch and followed him downstairs. 

He didn’t say a word as he climbed into his pickup. I slid into the passenger seat. The engine roared to life, and we pulled out of the lot. 

When we pulled up to an old dive bar we hadn’t been to in years, River finally broke the silence. “You need a real drink, man. Somethin‘ stronger than that cheap shit you been drowning in.” 

I didn’t argue. We stepped inside and River led the way to the bar, nodding at the bartender who recognized us. Lined up two shots of moonshine. 

We clinked glasses, and I tossed mine back. River ordered us another round, and we started talking. Just bullshit, really. Club stuff, the Russians, the drama. 

It was easy. Familiar. For the first time in days, I felt something other than numb. 

By the third shot, I was laughing at River’s dumb jokes. 

I scanned the room, my eyes landing on a brunette at the pool table. She was leaning over the table, her jeans hugging her hips just right, and I felt a flare of something I hadn’t felt in a while. 

“I’ll be back,” I muttered to River, sliding off my stool before he could say anything. 

I made my way over to her. She looked up, smirking at me. 

“Hey,” I said, leaning against the table. “You play?” 

She raised an eyebrow, tilting her head. “Depends. You any good” 

I chuckled, grabbing a cue from the wall. “Why don’t you find out?” 

We played a few rounds, and I flirted hard. She laughed at my jokes. Her eyes stayed on me in a way that made heat up. 

By the end of round three, I was feeling reckless. Manic almost. Like I needed to prove to myself I was still alive. 

“Wanna get outta here?” I asked. 

She hesitated for a second, then nodded. “Your place or mine?” 

I smirked. “Mine.” 

We left the bar together. River watched us go with a raised eyebrow. 

my 

blood 

I climbed into her car, letting her drive us back to the clubhouse The ride was quiet, but the tension between us was electric. 

When we walked into the clubhouse, the guys were scattered around, drinking and talking. They glanced at us as we passed. I saw them whispering to each other, but I didn’t give a fuck. 

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18:55 Fri, Jan 2 D 

Chapter 63 

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I grabbed her waist and took her upstairs, ignoring the looks. Ignoring everything but the heat of her skin against mine. 

We stumbled into my room, and I kicked the door shut behind us. Her mouth was on my neck, her hands tugging at my clothes. I pushed her back onto the bed. 

I was a little rough. Desperate. 

She took her shirt off. Unhooked her bra and tossed it aside. 

She pushed my shirt up and I stripped it off, tossing it to the floor. My skin felt hot, but the heat wasn’t hers. It was the moonshine, the whiskey, the shame. The fucking storm inside me. 

I laid down beside her. Stared at the ceiling while her hands wandered all over me. Her breath was warm against my neck. 

She leaned in, and her lips landed on mine. For a second, I let her kiss me. 

But then her tongue slid against mine, and it was wrong. 

It wasn’t Hailey. It wasn’t her soft skin, her laughter. This was just skin. Just noise. Just emptiness. 

My stomach churned. I shoved her back, harder than I meant to. She gasped. 

The second she hit the mattress, my stomach twisted. Not at her at myself. 

“Get out,” I growled. 

She stared at me, 

hurt flashing across her face. “What the hell?” 

“I said get out,” I snapped, sitting up and running a hand through my hair. My chest was heaving. 

She hesitated. “You’re a real piece of shit, you know that?” 

“Yeah,” I muttered, grabbing my shirt off the floor and pulling it back on. “Now get the fuck out.” She pulled her shirt over her head, stuffed her bra into her purse and stormed out of the room. 

“Asshole,” she yelled from the living room. Slammed the apartment door behind her. 

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