by Kara Hart
Rust leaned against the table, fists clenched and jaw tense. “You watch your fuckin’ mouth, Liam. You’re lucky you’re even here. You’re just a hitman we hire. Nothing more. Remember that.”
The two men stared each other down like a pack of wild dogs, but Bruce quickly waved the tension away. “Settle down, settle down. Enough of the bullshit. I’m tired of it. Now, I called you here because I wanted to go over some important things. Now, Liam. Sit down. I want my captains to tell me what they saw out there on the streets tonight.” Bruce gave the Captains their platform as Liam angrily sat down.
A man named Avery, who bore a scar across his face, stood up. “Good evenin’, everyone. As you know, the Darkhorse gang has been gaining considerable ground. Word broke out that they have some kind of super-pure drug. Well, I'm happy to say, there are some very unhappy customers. Shit was weak as fuck!”
“That's what I like to hear!” Bruce yelled.
“It's a catch 22, boss. They're out for blood. We embarrassed them, once again, and now they want their revenge. There's not much time left before we find ourselves in another god damn fire fight. I hope you have a plan because if you don’t, lives will be lost.” Avery sat down and crossed his arms in despair. Hopeless. It was all hopeless.
“Well, I'm out of ideas.” Bruce said. “I say we firebomb the sons of bitches. Shit, let's gun down the whole town for all I care. I give up, boys. Time to defend what we hold dear.”
As much as I loved violence, I couldn't let it happen. It was the principle of the thing. And what would Jackie think of me if I was just some trigger happy asshole? No. It was time for a new message, a new era. And that meant thinking things through before we acted.
“Wait.” I stood up. “I have a plan.”
“Another plan?” Liam seemed skeptical. “You always have a plan, Rust. When will you realize that your plans don't work? When will you realize that war is, sometimes, the only answer?”
“Just give me a day. One fucking day. And I'll prove it to you, we can win this.” I said.
Bruce was shaking his head. “Come on, boy. Give it up. It's time to face the facts. It's time to fight.”
But then, Jackie stood up and wowed me like she did at the night in my club. “Stop, everyone just stop. Look, I know how it looks. They're arming up. They gave the first strike, killing both our men. It makes us look weak. It makes us angry. It feels like we are waiting on the sidelines while we lose everything we had fought so hard to get. But listen for a second. I lost my father. I lost my whole fucking gang! And you know what? I'm still here. And I believe in Rust’s leadership, regardless of the odds. That's why I married him. Because deep down, underneath all the tattoos, scars, and all the rage, there's a man who loves all of us. There's a man who will die for us. So let's hear him out. Alright?” She sat back down, satisfied with herself. I grabbed her beautiful face and kissed her passionately.
“One day, guys. Just one day.” I said.
Bruce sat back in his chair, looking smug as hell. “Aha! Well, well, well. We have a natural born leader, don't we? It's a beautiful thing. Really, it is.” he laughed. “Alright. We'll do it your way. But if the Darkhorse gang ain't finished by the time this is all over, it's on you.”
Liam stood up once again. “Bruce, come on! You serious? He's going to kill us all!”
“Sit the fuck down, Liam. I'm serious. Let him do what he needs to do. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually trust the guy. Shit, I trust her more than him. So let's let them see this through.”
Jackie ran up and hugged Bruce. “Thank you! We won't let you down. Okay, Rust. Let's do this.” she said. I couldn't help but laugh. She surprised me everyday.
“Alright, baby. Time to end the Darkhorse reign.”
Jackie
“I can't believe you.” he said to me. “Fuck. You're incredible. You just bought us some time.”
“Incredible? Me?” I shrugged, feeling embarrassed. “Well, I guess I kinda am.” I smiled, blushing red.
“Look, I gotta tell you somethin’, but don't go getting all weird on me, alright?” He suddenly said, wrapping his strong hands around my waist.
“…what?” It seemed a little random. I hoped whatever he was about to tell me wasn't something terrible. I was done with all the doom and gloom news. I needed some sunlight for once.
He looked in my eyes and pulled me in close. “Ever since I met you, my life has changed. For the better and for the worse.”
“Okay.” I muttered.
“Just let me talk, will ya?” he said, looking a bit annoyed with my interruptions.
“After all this, I'm tryin’ to lay low for a while. I mean, I'll still be involved. But I want a real life, a real purpose. None of this blood for blood bullshit. I want, ah shit. I want you!” He declared to the world. “I want you.”
My heart was racing, my body was shaking with energy, excitement, and love. Was he being for real? Did he actually want me? I couldn't speak. I didn't say anything. I just stood there, completely and totally in shock.
And then he did just what I needed him to do. He leaned forward and kissed me, saying, “I love you, baby. I love you! I love everything you are. I love the leader you're destined to become. I love your beautiful face, your laughter, your toughness and strength. Fuck, I want to be with you forever, Jackie. You make me a better man.” Silence. “Please. Say something, dammit!”
I snapped out of it. “Yes! I mean, me too. Uh, just kiss me again, God dammit. I love you!” He pulled me in as I dropped to the floor. My God, I was head over heals. And with a member of Courage. It all seemed surreal.
When he let me go, I smiled. “I believe in you.” he said. “We’re going to have to figure this out though. What's our next plan of action?”
I pushed the hair out of my eyes and sighed. “I have a duty to Glen, the manufacturer. If what I think happened is true, some of Darkhorse will be at his shack. They'll want answers. They'll demand a better product. Worse than that, they might just kill him.”
He walked toward his bike, holding his gun. “You’re right. You know all that stuff about violence I said earlier? Well, throw it out the window. If there are any enemies at Glen’s, we’re going to have to shoot them dead.”
“We’re on the same page, babe.” We both got on the bike and headed toward the mountains, once again. This time, we moved with extreme haste and confidence. Whatever we would find, we would destroy.
When we rolled past those rocky hills, we started to slow down. Eventually, we just ditched the bike behind a set of large boulders. Our feet worked better for stealth.
“There they are.” Rust whispered, as we gently walked against the rocks. “See ‘em?”
“I seem them alright.” I said, nodding my head. There were four bikes in the distance, all parked in front of the shack. I was right. They clearly weren’t happy with the product they got. Well, they wouldn’t be happy with what they ended up with today either.
We got closer and closer as the sun started to set. “We got the darkness on our side tonight.” Rust chuckled. And soon enough, we were next to the shack.
“Shh.” Rust put his index finger to his lip and took out his gun. I followed suit, taking as big of a breath as I could. This was it. It was time to take these mother fuckers down. Rust motioned for me to take the left side, while he took the right. We aimed our guns at the door and Rust gave them the ultimate sign of disrespect: he knocked their motorcycles down, one by one.
The sound of the bikes hitting the rocky earth resonated throughout the canyon. And then we heard it. It was the familiar stomp of black boots and the jingle of spurs against the wood floor. I always thought it was stupid they decorated their boots like that. Not only did it make them look over-dressed, it wasn’t very smart in times like these.
The door came crashing open and we took aim. “What the fuck?!” One of them cried, but it was too late.
“Fire!” Rust screamed. We unloaded our chamber right into their h
earts and minds. They wouldn’t see the light of tomorrow. They wouldn’t take down any more Courage. And they sure as hell wouldn’t get any new product from Glen.
“You alright?” Rust yelled at me. “Can’t see a thing, dammit!” Smoke and dust filled the area. Once it dissipated, I counted the bodies. One, two, three, and four. Yep. Got ‘em.
“I’m good! You?” I yelled.
“Feelin’ peachy!” he said.
We crept up to the doorway and Rust ran right in, taking aim just in case. There was no one in sight. I aimed my gun at the hidden stairway that had been opened up and went down as careful as I could. That’s when I saw him.
“Glen!” I cried. He was chained to the ceiling, arms and legs spread out. In front of him was some kind of metal contraption. I wasn’t sure what it was, but it didn’t look friendly.
“Wait!” he screamed. “Don’t move God dammit! Tears were pouring from his swollen eyes. He had been beat pretty damn good. His face looked about as swollen as a watermelon.
“What’s goin’ on? What is that thing?” Rust asked, running up behind me.
He looked frantic. “It’s a bomb, you idiots! You gotta disable it. Fast!” In the center was a timer and it read 2:00. There was only two minutes left before it went off. This wasn’t good.
“Glen, how do we disable it?” I asked, looking around for something, anything, to help. There was, of course, nothing of use.
“Ah, shit! They told me they got it from my book of chemical recipes! That’s all I know. It’s in that drawer over there. Just be careful, will ya?”
Rust ran over and grabbed the book. It was huge. “This ain’t good, Glen.”
“You’re telling me that? Of course it isn’t good! It’s a six-number combination. That’s what they said at least. You gotta help me, guys. I’m freaking out over here! I don’t wanna die. Oh, God, I don’t wanna die.”
Rust frantically flipped through the pages of the large book, sweating profusely. “Shit! Uh. Found something!” He typed in the code. Nothing. 1:30 seconds were left.
“That wasn’t it! Keep looking. Hurry!” he screamed, closing his eyes.
Rust tried another code. Nothing. “God dammit!” And another. Nothing.
“Give me that thing!” I grabbed the book out of his hands and looked through the pages. This was going to be difficult, but we could solve this.
Think, Jackie, think! What drug would the Darkhorse gang be looking up besides the one we gave them? The answer hit me right in the face. It was obvious. “I think I got it!” I yelled, flipping to the right section.
“30 seconds.” Rust muttered. “Jackie we gotta get out of here!”
“Adrenaline. It’s the drug they operate on. From what I’ve heard, they inject the stuff. Right into their heart. Sure enough, on the page were six numbers, scribbled into the corner. Part of the chemical coding, I guess. Either way, I had found it. “Aha!”
“10 seconds, Jackie! I hope you know what you’re doing.” Rust said, ready to run up the stairs.
I ran over and typed in the code. Nothing. “What the—” 5 seconds left. I tried another variation of the code. Nothing! 3 seconds left. One more chance and—
“It worked!” Glen screamed. “Oh God, it worked! Now get me down from here. Now!” We quickly shot off his chains and he fell to the floor with a loud thud. He grabbed at his wrists and ankles and wiped his tears from his face.
“Jesus fucking Christ!” Rust muttered. “I thought that was the end for us. I really did.”
“Yeah, well. Now you know to never doubt a woman.” I said, relieved. In all actuality, I thought it was the end as well. There was still a lot of work to be done, truth be told. Despite securing the recipe for the drug, as well as the chemist, I couldn't help but feel like the war was far from being won.
Rust
“Here it is, boss. The key to it all, as well as the man behind it all.” I slammed the book down onto the table, standing triumphantly above it. Glen stood, shivering and distraught.
“What the hell is this?” Bruce asked, admittedly confused. It was a small victory, but a fuckin’ important victory nonetheless.
“It's every single recipe for every type of drug. All contain a 99 percent purity rate.” I said, glancing at Glen for support. He just stood there, shakin’ like a baby.
“What the hell does that mean to me. Is Darkhorse finished or not?” he asked me.
“Glen, will you explain what this book means?”
Glen bashfully stepped forward. “Um. Well, a 99 percent purity rate is virtually unheard of for drugs on the street. Most manufacturers would charge double for that kind of a production. As for me, I'm a little different. I care more about the chemistry side to things. I do it for the love of science.” He looked like a dork standing up there in front of Bruce and the captains, though I couldn't help but respect the guy. He had his principles and he stuck to them. It was admirable.
“And?” Liam interjected. “Who cares? We sell enough drugs as it is.”
I sighed. It was impossible talking to these morons. “Look, you idiot. This gives us all the credibility in the world. Don't you get it? When we do win this, we’ll come out on the top 100 percent. We’ll be the winners. And we’ll be all the more richer for it too.”
Jackie smiled. “He's right. It may not seem like it yet, but we’re winning this fight, and we’re winning by a long-shot.”
“Did you say more money?” Bruce’s eyes lit up. “We do need more money…” He contemplated this for a second.
“More money for everyone, Bruce. It'll bring in a new era of wealth for Courage. We can expand our businesses, bring in new recruits. Shit, we could all use a little more in our lives, right? This is a good thing. There's no doubt about that.”
“That's all fine and dandy,” Liam began, “but what about the Darkhorse gang? What about the rest of the Hell’s Wheels that decided to fight back? What do we do about them?”
I grabbed my gun and cocked it back. “I'm ready to compromise on that. But not at the expense of our men. I don't want hundreds dead. It'll put too much of a strain on our crew. Too many eyes will be watching us. Sure, we've got some police on our side, but once the media gets word of all this, they'll crucify us. They'll make an example out of the leaders.”
“You're right on that.” Bruce said. “But we do need to fight. You're ready to arm up?”
I laughed. “I'm ready. I need a small team. That's it. Me, Jackie, maybe one more. How about you, Liam?”
He shook his head. “I'm gonna have to sit this one out, boys. Got a job offer to take care of. I'm offing some politician.”
“Say no more. I don't want details. Bruce? How about it?”
He lit up a cigarette and weighed the pros and cons in his head. “One final blow to the Darkhorse gang? Shit. It's tempting.” He looked over at Avery, who looked skeptical.
“Don't look at me. I don't want any part of this. If you want men to fight, I've got some guys I can give you, but I ain't givin’ my life for this bullshit. I got a wife and kids to think about.”
I put my hand against Bruce’s shoulders. “Come on, boss. Let's do this. It's for the future of our crew. Fuck, it's for the future of all the good crews. Let's take the Darkhorse down once and for all!”
“Fuck it. I'm old. I don't have too much to lose, right? You can count me in, I guess.” He got up from his chair and hugged me, slapping my back. “Let's show these turds whose boss.” he said.
I raised my glass of whisky into the air. “To Courage and the Hell’s Wheels!” I shouted. Everyone raised their glasses and slammed it back, cheering.
“War is hell. But it's a way up to heaven.” Bruce said. “So. What's our first target?” he asked me.
“What happened to that kid? You know, the one who tried to take a swing at Rust in the hospital? I think our best bet is to lay low and watch him. There's something not right about him.” Jackie said.
“The boy? Shit, I think you're all paranoid.
That kid couldn't hurt a fly. He's a baby!” Bruce laughed to himself.
“Nah, she may be right, Bruce. Has he been at his corner lately?” I asked him. It was a serious allegation, but anything was possible at this point. There was too much tension in the air and I did sock the mother fucker for questionin’ my intentions.
Bruce paced the room. “Come to think of it, I haven't heard from him in a while. Alright, fine. We’ll monitor him. As for the rest of you, I suggest you lay low for a while. They're out to kill right now. It's not safe to go about business as usual.”
The men all agreed. We'd just have to wait and see where this all took us. In the meantime, we grabbed our guns and headed out into the morning light. Shit was about to get real fucked up. It was time for heads to roll.
“Where’s he at Bruce? How can we find this kid?” I asked him.
“It’s like I always say. If you want to find a biker, go to his favorite bar. He’ll be there, waitin’ for death to take him away.” Bruce said calmly and poetically.
I couldn’t contain my laughter. Bruce was a tough son of a bitch, but sometimes he would get in these “deep thoughts.” I always found it funny. “Oh yeah? When have you ever said that?”
He looked embarrassed and angry that I called him out. “Shut the hell up, will ya? I’ve said it.”
Jackie got on my bike. She was clearly ready to take off. But where? “Magic 8.” she said.
“’Scuse me?” Bruce asked, fumbling at a cigarette.
“No time to smoke.” she said. “He’ll be at the Magic 8 bar. It’s where all the Hell’s Wheels hang out. If I know Don, he’ll be using it as a rendezvous point. Come on, get on. Let’s go.”
“Right. It’s our best guess.” I hopped on the bike and revved the engine loudly. “You comin’ Bruce?”
He was slowly walking toward his bike. “Yeah, I’m comin’. Hold your damn horses.” He finally got on his huge Harley and got it going. I loved the feeling of plans coming together. Finally, it felt like we were gettin’ somewhere with all of this. Only time would tell us if we were.
