Page 24

Jax

W hen we arrive at the deal's location, J-Bird and a dozen or so of our guys are waiting for us. It’s an abandoned warehouse miles away from civilization, so we had to slowly drive the last leg of the journey without our lights on to avoid being seen or heard and arousing suspicion. We pulled over when we spotted the guys, parked about a half mile or so from the warehouse.

When he sees us pull up J-Bird stops looking through his binoculars and shakes both of our hands. “You made it just in time,” he says. “There’s no sign of anyone there yet but we can’t be too sure. We’re going to head down on foot in stages and find hiding spots around the site.”

“And then what’s the plan? How exactly are we meant to disrupt the deal without turning this into a suicide mission?” Mason asks, voicing my thoughts.

J-Bird raises an eyebrow at Mason’s tone but doesn’t chastise him. “We expect that there will be a drop of some kind, a no-contact exchange. We plan to intercept and take the drop. Whatever we end up getting, the money, or whatever the Hell Riders are buying, it will cause a war between the two. Either side will think they’ve been screwed by the other.”

“Or we get caught and we add another unknown enemy against us into the war,” I reply agitatedly.

“Jax is right, J-Bird, this plan feels half-cocked and reckless. We don’t even know who the Hell Riders are dealing with,” Mason adds.

“We can’t let them keep attacking us without retaliation. Three of their guys raped Chopper’s wife tonight on her way home from work. He’s in the hospital with her now,” J-Bird says barely able to control his anger.

“What the fuck?” Mason and I echo in unison.

“Is Jen alright?” I add.

“A little beat up, but she’ll heal, at least physically. You know Jen, she fought back, didn’t let those fucks take her without a fight. Chopper’s torn up about it and blames himself for not being there to protect her. That’s why we have to do this. No matter the risks,” J-Bird explains.

We both nod, completely understanding why J-Bird has decided to take such drastic measures.

“Alright, we’re in, let’s take these fuckers down,” Mason says with a determined expression.

“Agreed,” I add with a nod, looking at J-Bird for instruction.

“Good. Right, let’s head on in. We’ll split into pairs. You two work together. Keep the line open but don’t use it unless you need to,” he says handing a walkie to us while the rest are passed out among the group.

J-Bird then proceeds to instruct us on where we should each go. We don’t know exactly where the drop is going to take place so we need to cover as much ground as we can. We move out, moving quickly and quietly in stages toward the warehouse. Mason and I head inside the abandoned warehouse upstairs where we have a view of the dimly lit lot and the majority of the buildings. The place is eerily quiet, the only sound is the crunching of broken glass underfoot and the rats in the building running to hide as they hear us approach.

Once we’re in position, the only thing we can do is wait.

“I sure as shit hope that J-Bird’s intel is good and this isn’t a trap,” I whisper.

Mason grunts in response, checking his phone to see if Bess has replied.

“Maybe call her?” I suggest.

Mason nods and dials his phone, holding it to his ear and pacing as it rings. “No answer,” he says grimacing before putting his phone back in his pocket.

We’re both on edge and coiled tight with tension so we don’t talk much, both just staring out the window looking for any sign of movement. The time passes agonizingly slowly, and I begin to wonder if our intel was bad, that nothing is going to happen after all, but then two figures appear from the shadows, Breaker and Venom.

Mason’s phone begins to vibrate in his pocket and his eyes go wide with panic, he hurriedly declines the call and our gazes dart back out the window, praying we haven’t given ourselves away. Breaker and Venom are both looking up toward the window and they gesture to the shadows, pointing up to where we are. A man appears, coming into the building.

“Shit,” Mason hisses.

If this guy finds us it could blow the whole thing. We need to hide or take him out without arousing further suspicion. The room is empty, there’s nowhere we could feasibly hide. I pull the switchblade I’m carrying out from my pocket, popping the blade out. It glistens in the light of the streetlamp outside. Mason nods at me. I may have to take this guy out quickly and quietly. Otherwise, we jeopardize the mission and risk all of our men’s lives.

As quietly as we can, Mason and I move to stand on either side of the doorway, preparing to do what needs to be done if the guy comes in here. We hold our breath as we hear his careful footsteps coming up the stairs. I tighten my grip on the knife in my hand, I’ll need to move quickly and without hesitation, aiming for the carotid artery to take him out silently. I’ve never killed a man, and I don’t relish the thought of doing so now, but if it means saving all of my brothers, I’ll do it.

Mason gestures that he intends to choke the guy out. I hope that he’s able to do so but I don’t change my stance, just in case.

The man is almost upon us. A bead of nervous sweat forms on my brow as I ready myself for what comes next.

Then, as if by divine intervention, a trio of rats comes scuttling out from behind us, noisily rushing from the room and right into the man’s path. He jumps in surprise before sagging with relief when he realizes he’s not in danger.

“It’s just some rats,” he says into the walkie.

“Roger that, get back down here, Kane’s men will be here soon,” the voice on the other end responds.

My eyes dart over to Mason whose expression confirms I heard that correctly. We might have avoided being caught by the Hell Riders, but we’ve got another, far more dangerous enemy on the way.

Unable to use the walkie without giving our location away, Mason pulls out his phone. He looks at it for a moment before turning the screen to me, his expression grim.

Beth: Get the fuck out of there!! The Hell Riders are making a deal with Kane and the Feds are coming to bust them all!

Shit. Things are going sideways fast.

Mason relays the information to J-Bird warning him that we need to get the hell out of dodge. I’m not surprised when his response pings back almost immediately and Mason shows it to me.

J-Bird: Fuck that. This is good news, now we get to take out both our enemies in one go.

I shake my head at Mason, what the fuck is J-Bird thinking? Surely Venom wouldn’t be here if Kane himself was going to show up? Kane would immediately recognize him and the whole sting would be over. It’s more likely that we’ll end up getting arrested as well and then Kane will know we’re onto him. Of course, we can’t relay this without breaking our promise to Bess that we wouldn’t reveal Venom’s identity.

So, in essence, we’re fucked.

We both know better than to try to reason with J-Bird once he’s made up his mind. Nothing is going to stop him from going ahead with his plan and trying to kill Kane and take out the Hell Riders, all while attempting to avoid being arrested. It’s fucking insane.

But it’s ride or die. We don’t give up on our brothers. It’s our job to try to stop things from getting royally screwed up and to keep our men alive.

In the past, I’ve thrown myself into these situations with gusto, ready to fight and hurt anyone who stands in my way not caring for my own safety. But as I prepare for what’s about to come, I find myself feeling an uncommon amount of trepidation and I realize why. It’s because I finally have someone I care about waiting at home for me.

My thoughts wander to Emma, sleeping soundly, unaware of the danger we’re in and I wonder how she would feel if she knew. Knowing Emma she’d probably be royally pissed at us. She’d also likely want to come here and confront Kane herself about Max. For a reasonably reserved and timid person, she’s a lioness when it comes to her son. The thought makes me smile. It’s one of the things I love the most about her, how good of a mom she is.

I try to shake the thoughts of Emma from my mind. I can’t afford to be distracted tonight.

Distractions can be deadly.

I drag my attention back to the present, following Mason to look out the window again. Venom and Breaker move out of our view.

“They’re heading over to a dumpster. They’ve tossed a bag into it. Mace, Jax, they’re coming back your way,” the whispered voice comes over the walkie.

They walk back into our eyeline, striding with purpose, presumably to go and collect the goods waiting for them at a designated spot. While the bag being remotely dropped is good news for us in some ways it also means that the Feds can’t yet move in on Breaker since the deal hasn’t gone down yet. It could be that we get nabbed for grabbing the bag.

J-Bird evidently doesn’t seem to share our trepidation. “Team A, move now. Retrieve the package.”

“Got it!” the triumphant voice of one of our men comes over the line.

“Oh shit. We got company!” another voice follows.

“Get out of there!” J-Bird orders.

“They’re clear. Kane’s men are looking for the money now. They’re reporting it missing,” another of our guys informs us.

“We’ve got eyes on three unknowns coming toward Venom and Breaker too,” Mason relays over the walkie as we try to ascertain who the shadowy figures are.

“Who is it? Is it Kane?” J-Bird asks eagerly.

“I think we should get out of here, Boss,” I reply.

“Is it Kane?” he asks again firmly.

“I don’t know. We can’t see. Breaker and Venom are reaching for their weapons though, so whoever it is, they weren’t expecting to see them,” Mason replies this time.

“It might be the Feds,” I whisper to Mason who nods, his nervous eyes dancing toward me before back to the action.

“Mason’s right, we should go. We got what we came for. Right now the best course of action is to let things take their course,” I speak quietly over the comms.

“Plans change. If it’s Kane, I want to take him down,” J-Bird growls. “I’m going in.”

Any further discussion is abruptly cut off by the deafening sound of a gunshot.

One of the three men stands there, the gun still pointed at Venom’s head. Venom drops to the floor dead. Then all hell breaks loose.