by L. Wilder
It was after eleven when I got back to the clubhouse, so I was surprised to find Hyde standing by the back door smoking a cigarette. I would’ve thought he’d be inside with Landry, so once I was parked, I walked over to him and asked, “Everything okay?”
“I was about to ask you the same thing.” He took a drag off his cigarette, then tossed it to the ground, snubbing it out with his boot. “I went over to Alyssa’s place tonight. I was gonna talk to her again about coming here for the lockdown, but to my surprise, I found you there, and I gotta tell ya, you both seemed right cozy standing up there on her porch. So, I’m wondering ... were you ever planning on telling me about what’s going on between you two?”
“Yeah, actually, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that for a while now, but with everything that’s been going on with Gus, I haven’t had the chance.”
“Oh, is that right?” He shook his head with a huff. “Well, I’m here now. Let’s talk about it.”
“I should’ve come to you sooner. I get that, but honestly, even I wasn’t sure what was going on with us.” I shrugged. “I went over there a couple of times to check on her after she’d seen that Brant asshole, and it just kind of slipped up on me. I figured it was just me who was getting caught up in it, but I guess a part of her did too.”
“So, this has been going on since the night she saw Lucas in her work parking lot.”
“Pretty much, but like I said, it started off with just me checking in on her.”
“And what made you feel the need to do that?”
“Got no idea. I guess I had feelings for her even then.”
“You’re telling me you love her?”
“I do. Not that it matters now. She pretty much squelched it all tonight.”
“She ended things?”
“Yeah.” I chuckled under my breath as I continued, “Pretty much kicked me to the curb.”
“She give a reason why?”
I shook my head. “Something about needing time to figure out things on her own.”
“Fuck, I don’t know what to say, brother.” Clay ran his hand through the thick of his hair and sighed. “I should be pissed about all this, but if anybody was gonna get tangled up with my sister, I’d want it to be a man like you—someone who’d be good to her and treat her the way she deserves to be treated—but at the same time, I don’t like the fact you two hid all this from me.”
“I understand and I’m sorry for keeping you in the dark, but I felt like I needed to be sure before I came to you.”
“You think it’s really done?”
“She gave me no reason to believe otherwise.” My stomach twisted in a knot at the thought of never being with her again. “Probably for the best though. Alyssa deserves someone better than the likes of me.”
“Nah, man. You’re wrong about that.” A smile crept across his face as he ribbed me. “Even if you’re old and tired and set in your ways, I still think she’d be lucky to have you.”
“I don’t know if I should thank you or show you how this old man can throw a punch.”
“You know I was just fucking with ya, Bone.”
“Mm-hmm. Whatever you say there, brother.” I gave him a pat on the shoulder. “We got a long one tomorrow. Best be getting some shut eye while we can.”
“You’re right about that. Hey, you happen to see Skillet over at Alyssa’s place?”
“Yeah, he was there.” Moose had agreed that even though she’d refused to come for the lockdown that we still needed to have one of the prospects keep an eye on her place. Through a lot of long nights and busting his ass around the clubhouse, Skillet was quickly proving himself to be a real asset to the club. “I talked to him, and he’s planning to stay until Widow comes to relieve him in the morning.”
“Good deal.” Hyde gave me a nod, then turned and started inside. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
I stood there for a moment, going over everything we had said, and I had to admit, my conversation with Hyde had gone better than I’d expected. He was a man with a short temper, and I knew he had every reason to be pissed, but thankfully, he seemed to understand where I was coming from. That was the good thing about the brotherhood. We accepted each other’s faults and wrong doings without holding it against one another. I was lucky to have that, and I would protect it, no matter what the cost. It was a thought that stuck with me the following morning when we all gathered in the conference room for church.
As soon as we arrived, Riggs informed us all that our plan was working just as we’d hoped it would. The cops thought all the hits were gang related and hadn’t suspected that we were involved. Murphy and I had gone over to the Genocide’s warehouse earlier that day, and after working his magic, Riggs was finally able to get us eyes inside the warehouse. Now that we were in, it was time to move forward with the rest of our plan.
“We’re gonna need a couple of you to be inside the warehouse when they come,” Riggs explained. “It’ll be dangerous. These guys will be coming in on you, ready to attack, so you’ll be in a compromised position.”
“I’ll do it,” I volunteered. “Just let me know what you need me to do.”
“You know I’m in,” Murphy announced.
Shadow nodded. “Me too.”
“I’ll be there too,” Rider volunteered.
“The four of you should be plenty.” Moose looked over to us as he said, “We’ll be counting on you boys to draw them into the warehouse. The rest of us will be waiting outside when they arrive.”
“And what’s the plan when they get there?”
“One of you will need to get your hands on Booker. Detain him and take him outside before we blow the place,” Moose answered. “The rest of you just need to cover one another and make sure you get out of there alive.”
“Understood.”
“When are we heading over there?” Gunner asked.
“I was thinking tonight around nine ... hit them while the gang turmoil is still in full effect.”
“We’ll need to get busy gathering our ammo and—”
Before Murphy could finish, there was a knock at the conference room door. It was rare for anyone to interrupt when we were in church, so I knew it had to be something important. Rider was the closest, so he got up and opened it. To our surprise, August was standing in the doorway with an excited look on her face. “I’m sorry to intrude like this, but I thought you’d all want to know that Mom just called. Gus is awake. He’s officially out of the coma, and he actually spoke to her.”
The room immediately exploded with cheers of gratitude. It was the news we’d all been praying for, and I hoped beyond all hope that it wouldn’t be long before he was up and out of there. I looked over to August as I said, “That’s really great to hear, August. Thanks for letting us know.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll let you know if she calls with any other news.”
“Please do,” Moose replied. “Be sure to tell Samantha that we’ll be by there as soon as we can.”
“Sure thing.”
When she turned to leave, Rider closed the door and joined us back at the table. He looked over at Riggs as he said, “Let’s finish this thing for Gus and give him the peace of mind knowing that it’s been handled so that he won’t have to worry about it while he’s trying to recover.”
“Agreed.” Riggs opened his laptop, and seconds later, the feed from the Genocide’s warehouse showed up on the monitor mounted on the wall. “As you all can see, it’s a pretty standard setup. There’s a small office upstairs, and other than a few stolen cars they’re working to overhaul, the place is pretty barren. That can work as both an advantage and a hindrance. Depends on how this thing plays out.”
“We’ll make it work to our advantage,” I assured him. “Just need you to keep an eye out for us, and let us know who’s coming and from which direction. We’ll handle the rest.”
“No problem there, and if things get out of control, we’ll be right outside to help take them down.”
The image on the monitor changed to the exterior of the building. “We’ll be positioned in the woods behind the warehouse and next door at one of the abandoned industrial buildings.”
“Sounds good.”
Moose stood as he said, “I trust you know what needs to be done in order to prepare for tonight. Get it done and be ready to roll out of here by eight thirty.”
“You got it, Moose.”
We all dispersed, and while he and Shadow went to the hospital to check in on Gus, the rest of us got busy getting everything we needed loaded into the SUVs. Normally, we wouldn’t fuck with bulletproof vests, but considering the fact that Shadow, Murphy, Rider, and I were going to be in such a precarious situation, I grabbed one for each of us and put them in the SUV. Once we’d gotten everything we needed, we all headed back inside. Some of the guys went to the bar for a drink, but I wasn’t in the mood. I just wanted to be alone, so I went back to my room and turned on the TV. I flipped through the channels until I came across an old John Wayne movie and sat down on the bed. I tried to concentrate on the screen, but my mind was all over the place. One minute I was thinking about Alyssa, the next I was thinking about that warehouse. I couldn’t seem to focus on anything, and then it hit me.
Things might not have gone the way I’d hoped with Alyssa, but I still had my brothers and the club. It was time to focus on the good I still had in my life and to do everything in my power to make sure I didn’t lose that too. As I sat there thinking about our plan of attack, there was something about it that just didn’t set well with me. I knew breaking into the warehouse would bring some of the Genocide there, but there were no guarantees that they all would come. That was a problem. Suddenly an idea came to mind—one that just might make all the difference. I turned off the TV and headed down to Riggs’s room. As expected, I found him sitting at his laptop working. I sat down in the chair next to him as I asked, “Hey, man. You mind pulling up that footage of the warehouse again?”
“Sure.” After a few strokes of the keys, the warehouse appeared on his screen. “You got something on your mind?”
“Yeah, actually I do.”
I took a minute to tell him what I was thinking, and as I hoped, he agreed that it was a good idea. “Can you track his phone and find his location?”
“It’ll take me a minute, but yeah, I can do it.”
“Good deal.” I stood up and told him, “I’ll get in touch with Shadow and Moose. Make sure they’re both good with the change. If they are, Moose can let the others know when he gets back from the hospital.”
“Sounds good.”
I left his room, and in less than an hour, Shadow, Riggs, and I were in the SUV and heading downtown. Riggs had managed to get Booker’s exact location, and since he was holed up at one of the local strip clubs, it wouldn’t be hard to get our hands on him. As soon as we pulled up to Satin and Lace, Riggs and I got out and walked inside. We slipped over to a dark corner and started searching for Booker. It didn’t take long for Riggs to nod his head towards the stage. “That’s him. He’s sitting up front ... the one in the maroon shirt.”
It took me a second to figure out who he was talking about, but then I saw him. He had a dark complexion and dark hair with a slim, lanky build—nothing like I’d imagined. Riggs and I had thought that he would be there alone, but as luck would have it, he was sitting with three other guys—two who were known to be Genocide members. “I see him.”
Knowing we’d need to get him away from them, I called one of the strippers over to us. She was a cute blonde with long, straight hair, pretty blue eyes, and a set of fake tits that would tempt any man. When she approached, I reached for my wallet and pulled out four one-hundred-dollar bills. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”
“Chelsey. What can I do for you, handsome?”
As I pointed over at Booker, I asked, “You see that guy, the one with dark hair and maroon polo?”
“The one next to that big guy with curly hair?”
“That’s the one.” I held out the cash as I told her, “You get him in one of the back rooms alone, and this is yours.”
“I just have to get him into a room? Nothing else?”
“That’s it. Just be sure to leave the door open when you take him back there.”
A smile swept over her face as she said, “You got it, baby.”
Riggs and I watched as she sauntered over to him. With a sexy look in her eyes, she leaned forward with her boobs just inches from his face as she whispered something in his ear. Booker nodded, then took her hand and stood. His buddies cheered him on as she led him towards the back of the club. We wasted no time following them to one of the private rooms, and just as she was told, Chelsey had left the door open for us. I took my gun out of its holster, and when I pushed the door open, I found Chelsey sitting across Booker’s lap, grinding up against him. Clearly startled by our intrusion, Booker knocked Chelsey off of him and tried to scramble to his feet. “Hold it right there, asshole.”
Booker glanced at my cut, and panic filled his eyes, making it clear he recognized who we were. Playing dumb, he shouted, “Who the fuck are you?”
Without answering, I reached into my pocket with my free hand and took the cash from my pocket. As I offered it to Chelsey, I said, “You did good, doll.”
“Glad to be of service.”
She gave me a quick wink, then started towards the door. “Hey, doll ...You got a back door to this place?”
“Sure do. It’s right around the corner. You can’t miss it.”
With that, she slipped out of the room, leaving Riggs and me alone with Booker. His hands were up as he nervously asked, “What do you want?”
“Enough of the fucking questions.” I reached for him, tugging him towards the door. “You’re coming with us.”
When he started to resist, I reared back my fist and slammed it into his stomach, causing him to crouch over and groan. “Motherfucker.”
Ignoring him, I jabbed the barrel of my gun into his side and started pulling him towards the door again. When we reached the SUV, Shadow got out and zip-tied Booker’s hands behind his back. I shoved him in the back seat and got in next to him, and with Riggs driving, we started towards the Genocide’s warehouse. As soon as Booker realized where we were headed, he asked, “What the fuck is going on? What you want, man?”
I was already sick of hearing this dude’s mouth, so I reached over and sucker punched him, knocking the motherfucker out. Shadow glanced over his shoulder to the back seat and snickered. “You do realize that’s my job, right?”
“Just helping a brother out.”
“That you are.”
I leaned forward as I asked Riggs, “Did you message Moose?”
“Yeah, he and the others are on their way now.”
“Good.” I leaned back in my seat. “I’m ready to get this shit done.”
“Won’t be long now.”
Booker was still out cold when we drove around back of the abandoned building next door to his warehouse, making sure the SUV was out of sight. Once we were parked, everyone waited as Riggs used his laptop to disarm the security system at Booker’s warehouse. When he was confident that he’d disabled it, we got out of the truck and headed inside. Booker was still pretty dazed when I pulled him out of the truck, so I tossed him over my shoulder and carried him to the front door. Shadow shook his head and said, “Damn, Bone, you got him good.”
“He had it coming.”
“Yeah, and he’s got a lot more coming his way.”
Riggs picked the lock on the front door, and I carried Booker upstairs to the office. I dropped him down into one of the chairs and Shadow secured his hands and feet, making sure he couldn’t move. I gave him a firm slap on the cheek and said, “Wake up, asshole. It’s time to talk.”
After he blinked a few times, Booker finally came around. As soon as he realized that he couldn’t move, he immediately started tugging against his restraints. No matter how hard he tried, his puny, little ass couldn�
�t begin to break free. “What the fuck?”
“Welcome back.” Shadow pulled up a chair and sat down in front of Booker, facing him with a menacing glare. “Word on the street is you and your Genocide boys have taken it upon yourselves to go after Satan’s Fury.”
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about!”
“Don’t waste my time lying, Booker. I’m not in a fucking around mood.” Shadow reached into his back pocket and pulled out his knife, using it to trim his cuticles as he spoke, “We did our research. We know about your plan to seek revenge for Lewis’s death.”
“You’re wrong. I got no plans to do nothing.”
Shadow clicked his tongue against his teeth before saying, “Strike one.”
“I’m serious, man. I—”
Before he could finish his sentence, Shadow took the knife and rammed it into his thigh, causing Booker to bellow out in pain. “We know Lewis was your cousin. We know you were pissed that we took him and the Disciples down. We know that you started the Genocide in hopes of taking us down. We also know it was you who shot our president.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” With that, Shadow took ahold of the knife and gave it a hard turn, and Booker nearly lost his fucking mind. He reared his head back as he hollered out in anguish, and all I could do was smile. That motherfucker had nearly killed Gus, so whatever Shadow had in store for Booker was much deserved. “Fuck! Just fucking stop.”
“I’ll stop when you start talking.”
When Shadow went to turn the knife again, Booker shouted, “You’re right! You’re right about all of it. It was me. I’m the one who was behind it all, so just kill me and get it over with!”
Shadow yanked the knife from his thigh, then slammed it into the other. With Booker screaming curses, Shadow leaned forward, just inches from his face, and said, “You’re not getting off that easy.”
