Relinquish

by Sapphire Knight

  “Okay, I’m ready,” Spin says and pulls his hoodie over his head.

  He’s really good at putting machines and various things together, so he’s going to be the one to actually hook everything up. We all creep to the side of a building next to the club. It looks like it might be an old abandoned garage. Surprisingly there is no one outside, but it sounds like they have a huge party going on inside.

  We watch as Nightmare cuts through the metal fence, bends it back and follows Spin through the gaping hole. No missing that cut job, it’s like five feet tall and two feet wide. The only thing we seem to be missing is a large yellow flag to put next to it. My heart is beating so fast, watching them creep through the Snakes compound yard. God, I hope there aren’t any dogs or anything.

  A sudden “Hey,” gets yelled out and then there’s silence again, besides the music pounding through their walls. This is actually ideal. Spin has to drill a small portion on the roof to get to the AC. All the noise from the music is going to provide adequate cover for the guys to do their job.

  “Crazy fuckers, I hope this works,” Cain whispers and Ares shoots him an irritated glance. Ares’ phone vibrates after a few minutes and he checks the message. A look of relief sweeps his features and he glances at us.

  “Okay, they got the hole drilled in the roof. They were in the wrong spot so they had to drill another hole. They got to the AC air duct line and are about to attach the tube inside it and turn on the gas. Spin said to watch for anyone trying to come outside feelin’ funny and shit.” I glance at the clubhouse, waiting for anything at all to happen. Twist lets out a joyous little giggle. It sounds creepy as fuck. I’m counting my blessings not being his enemy. “Night is gonna text when the gas tanks are completely empty and then we meet them in front and in back of the club. Just like we discussed, we will split up into teams. We bust in the doors and collect our dues.”

  I breathe deeply, shit’s about to get real. There’s a crunching sound behind us and we all turn as one to investigate. I have my hand on one of my pieces ready just in case.

  “What, I get nervous and have to piss,” Cain says with his hands up in a surrendering motion. Then he whips his cock out and starts pissin’ out in the open. Twist starts pulling at his shirt and you can see his chest heave with deep breaths. Guess I’m not the only one feeling antsy.

  “Hurry up for fuck’s sake,” Ares growls and I grin at Cain. He returns it and flips me off. Dumb ass. It’d be pretty funny to see Ares drop kick the shit out of him though. Ares’ phone vibrates again and he quickly checks it. “Alright, brothers, it’s time. Cain, put your cock away. Twist, calm the fuck down and 2, quit your Goddamn pacing. You fucks are getting me wound up and we have to be focused to execute this perfectly.”

  “I’m calm,” Twist mumbles. Cain gets back to the group and gives Ares a big smile just to fuck with him.

  “You all go to the front. I’m meeting Spin and Nightmare out back. We will meet you guys in the middle. Exterminator, back the van up as close as possible to the front door.”

  “Yeah.” Ex nods and heads for the van.

  Ares turns to us, serious now. “If the gas doesn’t work, kill them all.” I nod and pull both of my Glocks out to be ready. Twist unsnaps his blade holder so he can easily whip his knife out if needed and Cain pulls his Glock out. Cain starts to walk to the front door and we follow quietly. Ex passes us in the van driving slowly with all the lights off. The Snakes should all be fucked up from all the toxic fumes, but it’s best to still be careful just in case. As we make our way to the front door the only sounds are from the music inside, no voices of any kind. I look into one of the windows, but you can’t see anything. It must be painted with black paint or something. I feel like we are about to walk into a den full of vampires or some crazy shit like that.

  “Bro, I feel like we’re on the set of a horror movie,” Cain whispers.

  “No shit, man, it’s creepy. Just remember these fuckers will shoot you, it ain’t no fuckin’ movie.”

  “You pussies, man up,” Twist says and I scowl at him.

  “You call me pussy like it’s a bad thing. I fuck ‘em, eat ‘em, and enjoy lookin’ at ‘em. Ain’t a fuckin’ thing wrong with pussy, brother,” I snarl back at him and Cain steps between us.

  “Seriously, you guys are gonna do this shit now? Save it for later. Y’all gonna get us fuckin’ killed.” I roll my eyes and head for the door. I’m sick of fucking around already. I have no patience for Twist’s moody ass. The front door flies open and we all jump back about a foot. We each have our Glocks pointed in front of us, ready to shoot whoever poses a threat. Nightmare pokes his head out and grins menacingly at us. Dude’s scary as fuck with his long dark hair and dark eyes. Cain grabs his chest dramatically.

  “Fuckin’ A, brother, you ‘bout gave me a fuckin’ heart attack an’ shit!” he says and takes a few deep breaths. Exterminator walks past us with an eyebrow raised. He’s probably bored with Nightmare by now, since they’re always around each other. Twist walks past us and shoulder checks me.

  “Come on, bitches,” he says snarkily. That’s it. I’m so tired of this little motherfucker and his mouth. He may be crazy, but I’m no fucking punk. I smash back into him and shoulder check him hard enough he bumps into the doorway.

  “The fuck?” he yells and slams his hands against my chest. Motherfucker wants to do this, we will fuckin’ do it. I’m already on edge looking forward to fuckin’ up Joker. Cain jumps in front of me quickly.

  “Calm down, brother. Not here, it’s the wrong time to do this. Chill, man,” he says and holds my shoulders. No getting past this asshole, he’s strong as fuck always training to fight.

  “I’m sick of his mutha fuckin’ comments. He wants to see bitch, I’ll make him my fuckin’ bitch!” I snarl. Twist sticks his tongue out and licks up his arm sickly.

  “Bitch, huh? You’ve never done any fuckin’ time. What do you know about making a bitch? I can fuckin’ teach you, I’ll teach you just like I did my last little bitch. Bitch,” Twist cackles.

  Nightmare snatches Twist around the arm and drags him into the clubhouse before I can say anything. The stupid fucker, I’ll get his ass later. I thought Capone was a fuckin’ pansy ass, clearly it’s Twist. Cain shakes his head sternly.

  “Dude, calm down, Twist will go fuckin’ manic.”

  “I don’t give a shit if you’re all buddies with his ass because of London. I won’t let him disrespect me.”

  “I know, 2, trust. I don’t blame you, just not here. We are on a mission and could get ourselves fuckin’ killed because you two are acting like dip shits.” I nod. Yeah, yeah, I get it. This is not over though. “How about you go sit in the van and drive that. We will get all these dicks loaded then you can take some anger out on them at the ranch. Ex was supposed to stay out here but he took it upon himself to go inside instead,” Cain says rationally.

  “Alright, guess I’ll go cool off and get my head on straight.” I turn quickly and walk to the van. It’s times like this, that I wouldn’t mind having a smoke.

  Avery

  I wonder what they are doing and why I couldn’t go with them. I know they are up to something and Niko’s ass never showed up. I hope 2 is okay and safe.

  “Hey, girl, would you be a doll and get me a Dr. Pepper from the bar?” London asks sweetly.

  “Yeah of course. I can go back there or do I ask one of the guys?”

  “No, you can go back there and get whatever you want. If there’s a bartender then ask, otherwise help yourself.” I nod and walk behind the bar. I’m filling up London’s soda and my Sprite, when Capone comes sauntering over.

  “Hey, Suga’. Whatcha’ doin’?”

  “Hi. I’m not your sugar, I’m seeing 2 Piece. I’m getting London a drink. Would you like me to get you something while I’m back here?” I try to be polite but I’m not some saucy ass he can call pet names. He gets a disgusted look on his face.

  “I thought you were club ass. I heard Are
s talkin’ to 2 Piece about you. So you will fuck them both, but not me?”

  “Seriously? You really just asked if I would fuck you? No way, I won’t fuck random men! And to set the record straight, I did not fuck Ares.” I’m flustered and that irritates me even more, letting this ass get me wound up.

  “You couldn’t handle my shit anyhow. 2 Piece likes to fuck a lot, so don’t get comfortable,” he says rudely as Prez walks up behind him. He shots Capone an irritated look.

  “‘Pone, go chill with Smiles an’ leave 2’s bitch alone,” he barks out and Capone walks off without a word. “Sorry ‘bout that, doll. He’s a little jealous of 2, I think.”

  I give him a friendly smile. “It’s okay. Would you like me to get you something?”

  “Yep, that’d be good. How ‘bout a Corona and some water.” He takes a seat at the bar and I go to work finding what he wants. “Nice havin’ a makeshift bartender here. Usually I have to see one of these guy’s ugly mugs servin’ me.” He smirks and I let out a small giggle.

  “Well enjoy your drink, I have to drop this off with London. Poor thing is stuck under a heavy, sleeping baby.”

  He nods. “Real fast, ignore Capone, he’s an ass. I wanted to let you know that I’m glad you came for a visit. 2 has been lonely a lot, he’s had a rough life growin’ up. Most probably don’t see it, but I notice more shit. Anyhow, he’s happy ‘round you.” He takes a long pull of his beer and I beam a wide smile at him.

  “Thank you, that means a lot.” He returns my smile and I take the drinks to go sit back by London. She was watching the whole thing, so it doesn’t surprise me when she instantly starts peppering questions.

  “So what was that about? Why did Capone look pissed and why were you smiling at Prez all goofy?” I recount what happened and she shakes her head, rolling her eyes.

  “Capone’s a douche. I’m surprised Cain hasn’t throttled his ass yet. Listen to Prez, he’s a smart guy.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I figured. I’m just happy that someone notices I make 2 happy. He makes me very happy. I’m just a little scared how I’m starting to feel for him, you know?”

  “I get it girl, Cain swept me straight off my feet,” she says wistfully.

  “It’s just all hitting me now. I’ve been thinking about him non-stop when I’m not around him. I feel like he’s becoming more of an obsession each time I visit. I don’t want to get my heart broken. I guess the only reason I’m not too scared to get serious with him, is I know he likes his freedom as much as I do. We both love to just take off and not be tied down or anything. Not to mention, he’s also a little wild which fits me perfectly. We all know I love to party when I’m in the mood.” She starts nodding and laughing.

  “Yes, I specifically remember the first night I met you. We got bum-ass drunk and you puked the next morning,” she says through her giggles. I laugh loudly thinking about us all waking up naked and Emily freaking out.

  “That was such a blast! But God, I thought I was going to die!”

  “Oh my gosh, me too! Emily definitely needed some fun before dealing with all that craziness with her ex,” she says with wide eyes. I get quiet and look away. “You know he will be fine. The guys will make sure he’s safe.”

  “I know, but I just can’t shake this feeling I have for some reason, and then we bring up that situation with Emily.” I hold my stomach and swallow a few times, trying to make it go away. I look around the room at everyone and watch Capone as he walks out of the club and the door slams closed. Good, I won’t have to deal with him for a while.

  2 Piece

  Chapter 10

  I squint at the oncoming headlights and try to make out the vehicle approaching. It looks like a truck. I think it’s probably Niko since he was running a little behind us. The guys are busy zip tying and blindfolding those Twisted Snakes we just gassed. I can’t wait until we get to the ranch and I can teach that fucker a lesson for shooting Avery.

  “Expecting company?” Exterminator asks as he shoulders off one of the Snakes into the back of the van.

  “Yeah, that blue truck is Nikoli, the Russian we were waitin’ on,” I say and nod toward the truck.

  “Ahh, okay,” he says and walks toward the clubhouse again. Nikoli parks his truck and climbs out, shutting the door quietly.

  “Are they ready?” Niko asks, standing outside his truck and checking his gun.

  “Yep, sure are. They are loadin’ the bodies now.” He nods and walks to the entrance. I’m glad to see he decided to change into something more fit for this outing. There will more than likely be a lot of blood, so we all need to wear black.

  “Uufff.” I turn and see Cain stretching out his back.

  “‘Sup, brother?” I cock my head.

  “That’s a fat fucker, he ‘bout killed my back!”

  I chuckle and he takes off walking. Ten minutes later and the brothers have everyone loaded up. We didn’t need Cain’s trunk after all. They threw a couple in the back of Niko’s truck and covered them with a tarp. Worked perfect, we should have just done that with the others too. Exterminator climbs into the passenger seat next to me and Nightmare gets in the back of the van with all the passed out scumbags.

  “Let’s move, 2, before any dumb asses show up being nosey,” Ex turns and grumbles.

  “Alright, cool.”

  I turn the van on and start the long trek to the ranch. The miles pass slowly, watching the speed limit. I normally fly down Texas highways, but I have to practice caution with all these bodies in the back. I have The Eagles playing low and we each seem to be in our own little world. I wonder when we will be done so I can get back to Avery. I hope she’s doing okay. I’m sure she is; she has London. I’m glad she seems to be recovering more from the shot. Her stiches are healing up nicely and she hasn’t complained much about it. Who knew that girl would be such a trooper. I’m driving for about an hour when I hear some moaning and rustling. That can’t be Nightmare, was he shot or sumthin’? Surely Ex would have said something if Night was injured. “You all right back there, Nightmare?” I ask and glance in the rearview mirror.

  “Turn on the back light,” he gripes. I flick on the light and Exterminator turns so he can see in the back. I hear a thud and a grunt. The van rocks with the heavy movement. What the hell?

  “Fuck!” Ex yells out and turns to me. I glance back and see Nightmare’s arm dripping blood and he has someone pinned down. “We have one awake already. You need to find a place to pull the fuck over.”

  “Yeah, bro, I’ll take the closest exit. I think it’s three miles up.” Ex turns back to watch Nightmare.

  “You straight, Night?” he asks while taking out his own blade.

  “He fuckin’ sliced me, why wasn’t he secured? Hurry up,” he snarls angrily.

  “I am, brother, just a sec,” I say loudly so he can hear me. I hear some more rustling and some pissed off murmuring. I hate having to make an unscheduled stop. You never know what could happen. Cops are always hiding where you least need them to be and what if there are more Snakes not secured properly. I’ve never done any time and I’m trying to not have to now, for kidnapping and whatever else they cook up. I take the exit to a little rest area. It’s surrounded by plenty of trees so I drive around toward the back of the building. There’s some worn out covered picnic tables and a few large trash dumpsters. “All right, Ex, you go around and I’ll stay here with my weapon trained on them until you get asshat unloaded.” He nods and jumps out of the dark van.

  The back door flies open. Night holds the scum down and Ex stabs the guy in the ribs then in the opposite leg. “Ain’t gonna get far now, buttercup,” Exterminator snickers and Nightmare rolls the Snake out the back of the van by kicking him repeatedly. Niko and Cain pull up behind the van with the rest of the guys. They all approach the van carefully.

  “It’s all good, brothers. We had one wake and Night got sliced, so we’re dealing with him now.” They nod and Twist gets a pleasantly surprised look on his face. Ex
has his gun trained on the tied up idiots so I make my way to where they are surrounding the douche that woke. “So what are we going to do with this one?” I ask curiously. Nightmare turns to me; he might as well be the grim reaper right now, with that look gracing his features.

  “I take care of the problem,” he says. Nightmare pulls out his gun and shoots the guy in both his legs.

  “Arrrggghhhhhh.” The guy screams in pain and my brothers chortle. I stay silent, watching, taking note of the Nomads’ methods. He grabs the screaming man by his wrists and drags him to the dumpster.

  “Anybody got some gas?” Night says and looks at each of us.

  “Of course,” Nikoli replies and grabs his gas can out of his truck bed. Night nods at Ex. Exterminator grabs the man’s legs and Night holds his wrists as the fling him into the dumpster.

  “Now the fun part,” Night says cryptically.

  He pours gas all over the opening of the dumpster, the man wails inside and I scan the surroundings to make sure no one is near. Night pulls out his zippo and lights a piece of trash, then throws it into the dumpster. The bin erupts into a blue gold blaze burning off the gas. The Twisted Snake screams, bone-chilling screams and I try to hold my breath. The smell of burning flesh is ripe and makes me gag. Twist sees me and grins evilly. I make my way back to the van and most of the guys follow suit. God, if Avery only knew how much of a bad man I was. I don’t deserve someone as kind and good as her. Fuck, it’s going to be hard to sleep tonight.

  Exterminator and Nightmare load up in the van and it’s so silent I could hear crickets. I look back at Night in the mirror. He has his shirt off and wrapped around his arm. The cut’s not deep, just long, so it’s making a mess.