Page 59 of Caution to the Wind

“What the fuck,” he bellowed, struggling against his bindings so hard that the rotted wood post swayed dangerously.

When he caught eyes with Rooster, he stilled, eyes blown wide with shock as he took in the situation.

“You betrayin’ one’ve your own?” he questioned, a soft burr of a growl.

Rooster scoffed. “Like you weren’t workin’ to take my place as prez. I see you, Axe, always tryin’ to undermine my fuckin’ authority.”

“’Cause I didn’t want shit to lead to this,” he shouted, twisting his arms until blood started to coat the ropes.

“Oh,” Rooster drawled as the women ran to the men behind him. He paused to pat a teenage girl on the shoulder as she went by and then grinned a manic grin at Henning. “This was inevitable. The fuckin’ triad pricks think they can take our shit? They’ll find they’re mistakin’.”

“Rooster,” Henning tried to cajole, but it was too late.

Rooster had come with his own agenda. A stupid, violent, and bloody one, but an agenda all the same.

He pulled a gun smoothly from his shoulder holster and shot Kasper Kuan in the gut.

Instantly, everything dissolved into chaos.

This was gang warfare, and I was a seventeen-year-old girl hiding in the cornstalks. Henning’s voice rebounded in my head, telling me I was a stupid girl throwing my safety to the wind just for a chance at retribution. For a moment, as gunfire peppered throughout the clearing, I squeezed my eyes shut and wished for it all to be over.

And then I remembered that Henning was still tied to a fucking pole in the middle of the two factions and thatneitherwould protect him now.

I was on my feet before I realized I’d moved, my hand curling around the short tactical blade I had stowed in my boot.

Two soldiers were helping Kasper Kuan out of the field back toward Turner Farm and their vehicles. In the distance, where the grad party still droned on, I could hear the beginning of female screams as the sound of bullets echoed through the lot. Jiang was engaged with Hazard, fighting hand to hand, while a few more skirmishes took place. Rooster was shielded by the propped-up body of one of his dead brothers, shooting at Kasper’s retreating body and yelling promises of retribution.

And amidst it all, Henning, strapped to that wet wood, the pole frayed from the strain of holding him.

I sucked in a deep breath, trying to find bravery and then, failing that, trying to remember Kate’s voice in my head and the promise I’d made to protect her family.

I darted forward, ducked around Jiang as he took Hazard to the ground, and then sprinted toward Henning. He was bleeding from a bullet wound to his left thigh, but otherwise, he seemed unharmed. When he saw me running toward him, something in his face gave, collapsing into grief and horror.

Rocky, he mouthed.

I slammed into the pole, unable to curb my speed thanks to the adrenaline electrifying my blood. The chopper blade shook in my hand as I raised and lowered it against the ropes binding Henning’s feet. They gave way after another hit, and I went to work on his hand, on my tiptoes, sawing at the plastic because I didn’t have a good angle or enough leverage to cut through them without hurting Hen.

“What the fuck?” he whispered. “Get out of here, Mei Zhen.Now.”

“Not without you.” I didn’t even recognize my voice, it was so shrill and weak with terror. My heart beat louder than the increasingly infrequent gunshots in my eyes.

The ropes finally gave way, releasing one of Henning’s hands. I rocked back to my heels and watched as he flexed and twisted his wrist to resume the blood flow. I was about to work on his other hand when he shouted my name and pushed mehardto the dirt.

I twisted onto my back instantly, in time to watch Kang flying at Henning with hisdaosword raised. Only, he wouldn’t have been flying at Henning, but atmeif I still stood where I’d been two seconds ago.

Kang had been going for me, no doubt after seeing me let Henning loose.

I swallowed the surge of bile in my throat as Kang missed his swipe, just a foot too far away to connect with the biker. Henning kicked the blade with the thick sole of his boot, but Kang had a good grip on it. Changing tactics, Hen stepped closer, too close for a proper strike with the chopper blade by Kang, but close enough for him to land a heavy fist against the Asian man’s jaw. Kang’s head snapped back audibly.

Behind Henning, Rooster had given up shooting after Kasper, who’d fled, and turned his attention to Kang and Henning, the only remaining fight other than Jiang and Hazard who were locked together rolling on the ground.

“I told you I’d get you a face-to-face with Kate’s killer,” Rooster crowed as he dropped the body of his Fallen brother and started his own retreat, flanked by two brothers with guns raised. “I always follow through with my promises, Axe.”

Henning didn’t respond, but I could see the coiling of tension in his core as he digested this information.

Kang had been one of the triad soldiers to kill Kate.

The revelation hit me between the eyes. I’d known he’d given me the creeps, but it was more than that. I’d heard that hissing whisper of his before, at the top of the stairs in the House of Horrors. He’d been the one to push me down the treads.