Runaway ✔

120 • Dana

It was really going to happen. She was going to Mexico. She still had a hard time believing it. At 4 AM they'd taken Juice and her to a safe house in the mountains. Saying their goodbyes at the club house hadn't been easy. Cherry's face had shown her how difficult she found it to let her friend go, but she understood it was better for everyone. 

"I wish I could go with you, Dane," she'd said. "Chillin' a bit on a tropical beach, that doesn't sound bad at all."

Dana had smiled sadly and hugged her tightly. "The next time Kip and you will join us."

Deep down she wished they could have joined them already, but the club needed its members. She had to admit she was also nervous to leave with Juice. They would be totally dependent on each other. Finally they would be the normal couple she'd fantasized about when she was a teenager. Still she knew it was inevitable they would discover sides of each other they hadn't seen before. Hopefully they would deal with it well. She had been wrong about a relationship before, and the fear that would happen again had never completely left her. 

A squeeze in her hand pulled her out of her thoughts. "You okay?"

She turned her head to Juice and smiled as confident as she could. "Yeah. Absolutely."

The grasp around her fingers became a little tighter. She felt he was nervous too. That wasn't strange at all; a few weeks ago he never could have imagined he would hide himself in Mexico with a girl he didn't even know by then.

A dark SUV stopped a few steps away from them. A man with a tan skin and bright eyes stepped out of it, shook first hands with Kozik and Jax, then with Juice and finally with her. A bit insecure she smiled at the man. They were about to put their lives in his hands and even though his face looked friendly, it didn't take away all her suspicion. 

"Dana," she told him before she let go of his hand. To the others the man had introduced himself as Jose.

Juice let go of her hand to lift the two suitcases in the trunk. Dana turned to Jax to say goodbye. 

"Take care, sweetie." He kissed her cheek. "We'll see you soon."

Dana nodded. With difficulty she blinked the tears away. She searched for words to express her gratefulness and guilt, but a shaking "thank you" was all that came over her lips. Then she took two steps to the side and embraced Kozik. She took a deep breath, absorbing the mix of his aftershave, leather and smoke. 

"I'm sorry," she whispered, something she still hadn't told him. Since he went after her, together with Juice, they hadn't had a decent conversation. "I'm gonna miss you, Koz."

He bent his head and pressed his forehead against hers. "Nah, you won't, girl. You'll be just fine." He smiled, but the look in his eyes was sad. "Be kind to him. I think he'll have a heart attack if you run off again."

"I won't." After these words she bowed her head. "This time I mean it."

She couldn't resist the temptation to pull him close one more time. "Take care of yourself, Koz. If we get a call you're gone... I... I don't know if I will be able to keep my promise."

He kissed her forehead. "That won't happen."

She didn't know what he meant: that he wouldn't die or that she would never get that call. She swallowed the lump in her throat, wiped her eyes and sat down in the back of the car. Not much later the other door opened and Juice shoved next to her on the seat. He laid his hand on her thigh and squeezed.

Dana's fingers were shaking as she put them over his hand. 

The engine started to roar and the car moved forward. And with that, they were also leaving the last two Sons behind.