by Brook Wilder
His mouth twisted in a grim smile. “We weren’t exactly planning on storming the cabin, but I saw Marco through the window and what he was doing to you, and well, it pissed me off.”
I touched his cheek. “You came.”
He pressed his lips hard against my forehead. “Of course, I did. Nothing could keep me away.”
Even through the exhaustion, I shuddered at his touch. “Can we go now?” I whispered.
He nodded and helped me to my feet, pulling me against him. “Don’t look.”
I did anyway, gasping when I saw Marco splayed out against the counter, oozing bullet holes in his chest and blood trailing out of his mouth.
“Where’s Misty?”
“She’s over here,” someone else said in the room. I turned and saw her lying on the floor, her blonde hair spread out like a halo under her head. One of the Legion members knelt beside her, and I pushed away from Gary’s hand, moving over to her side.
Kneeling down, I swallowed as her eyes focused on mine.
“Beck,” she whispered, attempting to move her arm. Blood flowed from a hole in her chest and another in her stomach. No one moved to stop it.
Misty had only minutes to live.
She swallowed, coughing a little. “All I ever wanted was for you to love me.”
I leaned down, laying a hand on her cool cheek. “I love you,” I whispered. “You’re like a sister to me.”
She closed her eyes, tears sparkling on her lashes. “I’m sorry.”
“Me, too,” I admitted. I was sorry this had happened, that she was the way she was and had gotten herself killed because of it. She could have been so much more.
Her eyes snapped open as she let out a harsh breath and then there was nothing. The light drained from her face. I shook my head, overcome with emotion and reached out to close her eyes. It was over.
There was no threat.
“Come on,” Gary said tugging at my arm. “The night isn’t over, unfortunately.”
I rose, concerned. “What’s going on?”
“The Cazadores, the Legion, we’re all under attack,” he said nudged me out of the cabin. Sure enough, we were in the middle of nowhere, the sound of crickets the only one for miles. “We have to go. Are you good to ride?”
I slipped my hand in his, giving it a squeeze. “I’m fine.”
He leaned down and brushed his lips over mine. “Thank God you’re okay. If something had happened...”
I touched his cheek, not wanting him to go on. If something truly was happening with the Legion, he needed to focus on that and not what could have been, here at this cabin tonight. “I’m good. Let’s go. They need you.”
He nodded. “Load up! We’ve got to go.”
I followed him down the long, wooded driveway, staying close to his side just to savor his touch. I didn’t know what we were about to go into, but having Gary here, right now, was all I needed.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Gary
I reveled in Becky’s arms around my waist as we tore down the highway, toward whatever shit everyone else was in. As much as I wanted to put Becky somewhere safe, I didn’t have time. My club, my brothers, my family, needed me and I would be there for them.
Still, I was glad Becky was safe. When I’d seen the situation playing out through the window, I couldn’t wait any longer. There was no telling what Marco would have done to Becky, but the look on his face had scared me enough to react, and react I had.
Three bullets in his chest had taken care of Marco, with Misty caught in the crossfire. As much as I fucking hated what Misty had done to set up Becky, I didn’t want to see her die because of it.
Now Marco, he deserved each one of those bullets and then some. What he’d done to Jared alone deserved a seat in hell, and that was where I’d put him. I felt no remorse, no sorrow for what I’d done, nor did I imagine I would in days to come.
Pointing the bike toward the Diablo clubhouse, the unmistakable sound of gunfire rang out in the distance. I slowed, seeing a roadblock up ahead. Luckily it wasn’t the enemy, but a few Cazadores who were monitoring the passage. They gave me a nod. I pulled the bike off the side of the road, and cut the engine before helping Becky off.
“You need to stay here,” I said, grabbing my weapons from the saddlebag.
“Gary, no,” she said, grabbing at my arm to stop me. “I want to go with you.”
I turned back to her, taking a moment to cup her cheek with my hand. “Please,” I begged, seeing the fear in her eyes. “Don’t make me worry about you out there. I need to help, and I need for you to be safe.”
She bit her lip and nodded, looking resigned. “Alright, but please come back to me.”
I crushed my mouth against hers, tasting the desperation in her kiss. She was my everything, but I owed the Legion so much. And if this was my chance to get revenge for Jack’s death, then I had to take it. Besides, if the Legion fell, this place wouldn’t be safe for us anymore.
Tearing away from her, I pressed my forehead to hers. “I love you.”
She let out a sob, but I was already running down the road, clenching my jaw as I thought about the task ahead. When I reached the clubhouse, I slowed, taking in the carnage around me. Bodies lay everywhere, and there was a fucking hole in the clubhouse as big as a truck. Half of the damn building was on fire and men were spread out everywhere, pinned behind bikes, boulders, and trucks.
I ran across the field to where Fox and Derrek had taken shelter behind an overturned truck so they could shoot over the metal frame.
“Shit man!” Fox said as I slid in next to them. “Where the hell did you come from?”
“How’s Beck?” Derrek asked without waiting for my answer, wiping a bloodied hand across his forehead.
“She’s fine,” I answered, reaching for my guns. “Marco is dead and so is Misty.”
“Shit,” Fox breathed, shaking his head. “That sucks.”
“Yeah. It’s too bad about Misty.” I nodded to the clubhouse. “What’s the plan?”
Fox chuckled. “Man, the plan went out of the window when those crazy ass Cazadores destroyed their own place. Took out a shit load of Rebels in the process.”
I shook my head, peering over the truck at the mess before us. “Where’s Twitch?”
Derrek nodded toward an outbuilding near us, surrounded by what looked like armored vehicles. “He’s holed up in there. We have the runner on the way, but we’re gonna run out of bullets before it gets here.”
The runner was a battering ram of sorts, mounted on a steel bed, one that would easily penetrate through those vehicles. But it was back at Legion’s quarters, which meant we’d be twiddling our thumbs for at least thirty minutes before it got here.
“Then we need a new plan.”
Derrek leaned his head against the truck. “Well now that you’re here, we can take all sides.”
I nodded. “Make the call.”
Derrek reached for his cell as Fox eyed me, no doubt looking for a chink in my armor. “Beck?”
“I left her at the roadblock,” I said, checking my weapons.
He arched a brow. “You think she’s gonna stay there?”
I grinned, sliding the chamber back. “This time, yes.”
Fox chuckled. “Well I hope for your sake she will.”
The humor drained from my face. I hoped she did too. I wasn’t lying to her. I couldn’t concentrate whenever she was in the middle of chaos. Knowing she was away from it allowed me to do what I’d been trained to do.
“Alright,” Derrek announced. “We’re ready to go.”
I drew in a breath and moved away from the truck, staying low as I approached the outbuilding. We moved silently along the vehicles, hearing the men move on the other side as they looked out for any trouble.
“Do you see them? They’re out there, and I want their heads on a platter!”
Twitch’s voice came from inside the building. He was pissed off it hadn’t been so easy to get what he
wanted. I imagined it was Fox and Emilio’s heads.
Fox motioned for me to get ready and I said a quick prayer to Jack upstairs, asking him to watch over all of us as we avenged his death.
And then we attacked.
It didn’t take long for us to broach the small army of men surrounding the shack. Something bit me in the shoulder as I powered through the men, taking them out.
We found Twitch in the back of the building, his arms up as if he surrendered. “Hey now, fellas. I’m not armed.”
Fox stepped forward, his gun trained on the man who had made everyone’s life chaos for the last three months. “You think that matters to us?”
He grinned. “Nah but it sounds good anyway. You think you’re invincible don’t you, Lawrence? Well, everyone has a weak spot. Everyone bleeds. Look at the Kid over there, he’s bleeding right now.”
Oh, I could feel it, the burn in my shoulder, but I still held my gun steady. It would take more than a hole to stop me in this moment. “Don’t you worry about me, you asshole.”
“Big words from you, Kid,” Twitch laughed, not caring his minutes were numbered. “Go on, shoot me. It won’t bring him back, you know.”
“We don’t want to bring him back,” Derrek said, his gun also trained on him. “We want to avenge him.”
Twitch shook his head, a grin still playing on his lips. “I’ll burn in hell right alongside of ole’ Jack Carry. We aren’t shit when it comes to the afterlife. My mom, she tried to save my soul long ago, but I couldn’t give up this life, just like you can’t give up yours. We’re all doomed to burn in hell, no matter what we do.”
“Then I will see you there one day,” Fox said before firing. The bullet struck Twitch in the leg and he went down with a yelp, grabbing at his thigh.
I walked over and fired the next bullet, catching him in the other leg, shattering his knee. I wanted him to feel the pain we’d felt over the last three months. I wanted him to suffer like we had, like I had with Jack’s death, with Becky’s kidnapping.
Derrek stepped up and shot him in the stomach. “That’s for taking him away from us.”
I shot him again, the second one not as satisfying as the first. “That’s for Becky.”
Twitch gurgled, trying to form words, but blood pooled out of his mouth instead. It wouldn’t be long now.
Fox crouched down, his gun dangling between his fingers. “Die, you bastard. Go on, meet your maker and leave us the hell alone.”
Twitch’s lips curled into a cruel smile and then he was gone, the last bit of life draining out of his body.
I let out a breath, feeling oddly tired now that it was all over.
It was all over.
Relief flooded into me, making me feel like I could breathe again for the first time in a long while.
Fox spat on Twitch’s dead body before standing, tucking his gun in his waistband. “Let the guys know it’s over. Round up the Rebels and let’s get the hell out of here.”
Derrek nodded and stepped away to spread the message as Fox’s eyes landed on me. “You’re hit, Kid.”
I looked down at the steady stream of blood coming out of my shoulder. It dripped down onto the concrete floor below. “Well it seems I am.”
He chuckled as he tore off his bandana, binding it around my shoulder so tight it made me wince.
“We need to get that taken care of. You aren’t gonna pass out on me, are you?”
I shook my head, the pain throbbing as I came down from my adrenaline high. “No, I’m good.”
Fox shook his head, grabbing my good arm. “No, you aren’t. Come on, let’s get out of here.”
I allowed him to lead me out of the outbuilding when the wooziness hit me. Hell. Maybe I was about to pass out.
We got as far as the middle of the field before my knees buckled and I fell to the ground hard.
“Shit,” Fox swore as he dropped down beside me, trying to get me steadied and on my feet again. “I thought you said you were good.”
But my legs wouldn’t work right. “I thought I was,” I slurred. His worried eyes were the last thing I saw as my vision dimmed. “Tell Beck not to worry.”
“Shit,” Fox said, his voice sounding far away as the world went black.
**
I floated somewhere between the clouds and space, my body feeling weightless, no pain in my shoulder.
I didn’t know where I was, but I sure as hell hoped I wasn’t dying. I wasn’t ready to die. There was so much I wanted to do with my life, so much I wanted to do with Becky.
“You did good, boy.”
I turned, seeing Jack in the distance, that cocky ass grin on his face. “Am I dead?”
He shook his head. “Nah, boy, you’re not dead. You’ve got a lifetime ahead of you.”
“Then why am I here?” I asked, flexing my fingers. They tingled.
“You’re just taking a little break,” he responded. “Don’t worry. You’ll come out fine and be back with Becky soon.”
I grinned. “You’ve been spying on us, old man?”
He chuckled, the light growing brighter behind him. “I check in from time to time. You take care of my girl, you hear?”
“I will,” I answered, feeling a swell of emotion in my throat. “You alright, Jack?”
He held out his arms wide. “As good as I can be, boy. Don’t you worry about me, now. I’m watching out for you, for all of you, and I like what I see. Take Becky, go make some babies, and make me proud, alright? Of all the people she could have chosen, I was glad she chose you.”
“Jack,” I started as the light grew brighter. “I don’t deserve all of this.”
“Yes, you do,” he said, a frown on his face. “Go on, go back now and remember what I said, alright?”
I shook my head, my eyes suddenly heavy, and he disappeared into the light behind him.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Becky
I waited with bated breath as the men came down the road. Some hobbled along with the help of others, and some walked under their own power. True to my promise to Gary, I had stayed.
Oh, but I hadn’t liked it. The Cazadores had watched me with some amusement as I’d paced the road, feeling both helpless and worried at the same time. I hated the fact that I couldn’t help, that I couldn’t be right there with them, doing whatever it took to avenge Jack’s death and end this thing.
Most of all, I couldn’t be there for Gary, watching out for him and ensuring he wouldn’t get killed. That was my number one concern right now and I couldn’t wait until I laid eyes on him. I needed to see he was okay.
Man after man walked past me, some I knew, some I didn’t, and I held my breath, scanning the crowd for the face I needed.
When I saw Fox, I took off at a dead run, meeting him halfway. “Twitch is dead,” he said, his mouth set in a hard line.
I swallowed, feeling no satisfaction over the man’s death. Killing Twitch wouldn’t bring Jack back, but it would end this war and maybe we could all have some peace.
He took my arm and I froze, seeing the look on his face.
“What happened?” I asked instantly, cold dread settling in my chest.
Fox drew in a breath. “Gary was shot.”
All the feeling drained from my body. “Shot? Where is he? What’s going on?”
“Becky,” he said, keeping the grip on my arm. “They’re bringing him out. He’s lost a lot of blood, but he’s okay, alright? He’ll be okay.”
I didn’t know if his declaration was for me, or for himself, but I was glad he had a strong grip on my arm. My knees weakened, and I couldn’t think straight.
All I could think about was losing Gary.
“Here they come,” he said in a low voice, turning me toward the truck rumbling down the road. I watched helplessly as he stepped out in front of it, halting them before holding open the door to the cab. “Get in. You can go with him.”
I bit back a sob as I looked over in the bed of the truck, seeing his pale form
in the morning sunrise. He looked so, so pale, his shirt and jeans soaked with blood. Derrek was there, holding pressure to Gary’s shoulder, a grim look on his face. I nearly lost it right then and there.
I couldn’t lose him.
Hopping in the cab, I barely shut the door before they took off, praying to the almighty as hard as I could. I needed Gary. Our baby needed him. We needed each other.
