Page 124 of The Deals We Make

He nods. “Then, let’s go get her.”

“Stay behind me,” I say to Switch. The respect I have for my brother grows. He’s going to be the slowest if we have to run. In the event that happens, I’m gonna fall in behind him and cover his back.

He shakes his head. “I know what you’re thinking. That you’re gonna cover me or some shit. Well, like Spark said, if I start hiding now, I might as well quit the Outlaws. Side by side, brother. It’s how we’ve always done it.”

I hug him hard and fast before King leads us out on foot.

We creep towards the farm buildings. There are three possible buildings that could all fall into the description of a barn, but only one has the thinnest slivers of light emitting from around doorframes.

But between us is an entire paddock. Bringing the bikes any closer would have immediately notified them that we were close. There’s already a high probability that the sound of our bikes has carried through the night air.

I scan the roof of the buildings, looking for anything that might give us a clue to if we are being watched, but I see nothing but an ink-blue sky and a plethora of stars.

King puts four fingers in the air, meaning there are four vehicles in his line of sight. That could be one vehicle each for the perpetrators, but the reality is, probably, that more people have arrived.

None of us are wearing any protective clothing, and I hate that I’m dragging my friends into this situation. But as I look across the line we hold as we spread out, walking towards the buildings, I know they’d follow me all the way into the depths of hell if I needed them to.

Old snow, compacted over time, crunches beneath my feet, but there is no way to avoid it. The frigid wind gnaws at my fingers as they hold my weapon, pointed to the ground.

King lifts the collar of his leather jacket up around his ears and neck.

Halo walks confidently, like it’s just another summer’s day in the park.

Even though all these men have families they love, at its very core, the Outlaws brotherhood is the foundation on which we all live.

The high-pitched whirr of a bullet confirms all my fears were true. There are more men, and they’ve had time to secure their position.

“Fuck,” I curse as I try to bite down panic, worry about Calista, check on Switch, and figure out where the fuck that bullet just came from.

I scan everywhere, trying to absorb every micro detail, but it’s too dark.

I don’t know who fires the first bullet from our side, because when this is over, it won’t matter. But we run for cover.

“This side,” Halo yells, running to the right.

The white snow offers little in the way of camouflage. With our black leather jackets, we’re easy targets.

“Your only job is to get Calista,” King shouts as we follow Halo and rush to an outbuilding, slamming our backs up against the wall to peer around the corner.

While I’m glad my president agrees, it was always my intention to do exactly that.

A steady stream of gunfire starts to rain down from the upper level of the barn.

Halo gestures to me to give him cover, and I do, as he runs for a better spot to take out the shooter. I keep firing as Halo sets up the shot.

For all the bullets the assailant has used, it takes Halo just one bullet to take the man out. He falls forward to crash out of the opening in the barn roof.

Switch winces as he runs. I know the man is hurting, but he moves faster than I’ve seen him run in a while. And his shot is no less precise and deadly as he takes out an assailant who runs at us from a doorway to our left.

Bates uses the break in gunfire Halo provides to run toward the stable entrance. The two men who turn the corner and face him are caught unawares by his arrival, and the fast slash of the two knives he holds. One in each hand.

King and Switch follow behind him and check the stables are clear.

An explosion inside flashes the window out, and I cover my head and ears to avoid getting cut up. The blast knocks King to the floor, and he shakes his head in confusion.

But Niro appears at the opening as the smoke clears.

“Yippie Ki Yay, Motherfuckers,” he yells with a grin, then disappears back inside.