The road behind her continued to fade away as Tess Crenshaw drove her bike down the highway. It was an image of the life she was leaving behind, she thought to herself as her long, black hair whipped around her neck. She was pressing on, though the winds were picking up. A storm was approaching off in the distance and she knew she'd have to stop before it became too dark, but she had wanted to put as much distance between herself and the past that she could in that first day.
Up ahead, Tess saw a building loom over the road. As she got closer, she saw that it was a motorcycle club, surrounded by homes and other small buildings in a gated area. Tess pulled her bike up to the gate where a guard met her.
"Evening, miss. Rough night for a ride," the man commented as he turned his green hues towards the impending clouds. His head was shaved and he wore a vest that revealed several patches, most of which Tess had seen before. The rank he wore was "Enforcer".
"Yeah, sure is," Tess answered, telling herself not to stare. "Not a motel in sight either. To be honest, I have no idea where I am."
"Well, you're in Harlem, honey. This here is the home of Paradise MC. You seem to know your way on that bike."
Tess blushed and looked down at her purple crotch-rocket. It was nothing fancy, but her father had given it to her when she got her license two weeks ago. Before her world collapsed around her. "Harlem, huh? Great. I leave Philly and barely get far before I have to stop."
"Philadelphia, huh?" The enforcer looked her over and nodded. "You know of the Rebels MC?"
"Yeah," Tess said with a sigh. She hadn't worn her cut, but it didn't seem to matter. "My father is the president."
"No shit! Well, come on in then. I knew your brother Andrew way back in the day. They call me Butch. I'll hook you up with one of the ol' ladies and you'll stay for the night."
It felt more like an order than an offer, and Tess hated using her family to get ahead, but at this point she had no better option. She followed Butch into the compound and heard the gate clang shut behind her as the rain began to pour.