“It’s time to ride,”—words that usually spell trouble in the biker world. The gang jumps to their feet, and Mr. Cook ensures that I don’t ride with him again. I don’t understand how he manages to stay so distant from me all the time, especially since I stay at his house every night.

As we approach our destination, I can see the enemy bikes in a line outside of a building. We park behind them and kill our engines, waiting for their riders to come outside. My stomach drops out as I quickly realize that things are about to get ugly.

The encounter forces Mr. Cook and I to go into hiding until things blow over. Now that we’re alone, will he finally tell me what’s going on and why he’s avoiding me?