Page 24

Unwanted Bastards MC.

Unwanted Bastards = Inglorious, Psych, Bomber, Trip, Mouse, Poison, Razor, Snake, Satan, Darkness, Cutthroat, Heat, Yeti, Casanova, Plug, Chill, Slim, Chap, and Art.

Inglorious

T hey’d been riding free. Shoring up a few weak spots when they were called. Once their people had got control again, they moved off to the next group. They were currently heading towards the RCPD, who were pinned down with a heavy force on them. Despite having lost half their numbers, RCPD was fighting strong and unwilling to give way.

From all accounts, the fight was bloody and deadly. The RCPD had racked up the biggest number of deaths so far and needed desperate help.

As they rode, Inglorious heard the furious battle ahead of them. Explosions and constant gunfire told the story of a vicious war happening.

They rounded the corner and saw the final stand the RCPD had made. They’d bottle necked the way in and were trading fire with the Venomous Fangs. Only a narrow gap, left open by RCPD, provided passage. Anyone going for it would be killed.

“Let’s go,” Inglorious ordered, and they climbed off their bikes. “Psych, take team one.”

“On it, Prez,” Psych replied and headed out with half of their men. They approached the police behind the cars and called out, alerting them they were there.

Inglorious sent half his men to hit the buildings as snipers, and the others followed him as he spotted Ramirez.

“Where do you need us?” Inglorious asked. “I’ve put snipers up there and there and sent half the MC to help the front line.”

“Can you shore up the left-hand side, they’re taking heavy fire,” Ramirez suggested.

Inglorious nodded. He reached out and squeezed Ramirez’s shoulder. “We’ll stand with you, brother, come hell or high water,” Inglorious promised .

Ramirez looked tired and worried. Inglorious recognised a guy who’d seen friends and colleagues fall today. It was made worse because Inglorious noticed that Ramirez was in command and, being the man he was, Ramirez would challenge every decision. It was what a good leader did.

“For some reason, we’re being hit harder here than anywhere else. Howser is trying to direct troops to us, but everywhere is fighting,” Ramirez said, wiping his brow.

“Don’t apologise. We made a pact, Ramirez, to be allies, and the Unwanted Bastards will stand by you. Rapid City ain’t our hometown, but if this falls, the nearby towns will as well. That’s why the allies are here, dude, and you know it. Get yourself a drink and put negative thoughts out of your head. This isn’t something we started, but we’ll fuckin’ end it,” Inglorious said.

“Don’t think this gets you out of a speeding ticket,” Ramirez teased weakly.

Inglorious grinned. “Well, fuck me, brother, shit sucks!”

Ramirez smiled. “Watch Ben. He’s channelling his inner Magic or Terminator, ain’t sure which.”

“Will do, take five minutes, we brought water with us,” Inglorious said, pointing to where his brothers had dumped the bottles in their saddle bags. Snake was passing them out to the thirsty cops still holding strong, despite only being half their number.

Inglorious had to admire them. Half of the RCPD were either dead or injured, yet those remaining held the front line. They could have run, but didn’t. Serve and protect meant something to these guys.

As Inglorious squinted, he saw more bikers in the distance.

Why was it so important to take this route? He wondered as he opened fire.

Fangs were falling, their bodies piling up on each other, in some places four deep. The dead were being used as shields or imitation sandbags as those alive crouched behind them and fired.

“Flash bang!” Nando yelled. Everyone ducked, closed their eyes, and held their ears. A loud bang erupted. A flash bang was designed to emit a light and a noise to disorientate a person. Having his eyes closed and ears covered slightly helped, but even so, for a few seconds, Inglorious was disorientated.

Aware Fangs would try to take advantage, he shook it off and started firing.

“Breech!” Psych boomed, and Inglorious saw a few men rush forward.

The snipers who’d been protected began shooting and taking them down even as Ben and Bomber laid down a blanket of bullets. Fangs fell with screams and bellows, but they didn’t stop until the attacking force retreated.

“Art’s down!” Plug yelled, and Inglorious looked over. Art wasn’t down; he was dead. Several bullets in him. Inglorious gritted his teeth. If they did not hold firm, that would be his entire MC lying there and the RCPD.

“Move him to the medical pickup point,” Ramirez ordered as he crouched beside Inglorious.

He raised his gun and fired.

“Fire in the hole,” Ben yelled as he leapt up and shot a rocket launcher towards the Fangs and ducked back down. The rocket hit a container the Fangs were hiding behind and blew it sky high.

“Where the fuck did you get that?” Ramirez demanded as Ben fitted another rocket in place.

“Off someone who doesn’t need it,” Ben replied and repeated his actions.

Inglorious snorted, amused. “How come he gets the good shit?” he asked.

“You want it?” Ben inquired. “Have it. I found this as well.”

Ramirez and Inglorious’s eyes opened wide.

“Where the ever-living fuck did you get that?” Inglorious breathed.

“A Fang had it. I appropriated it from him,” Ben replied with a sickening grin. “He had this too,” Ben said, patting a holdall with several missiles in.

“How the hell did he get the best toys?” Mouse demanded.

“No fuckin’ idea, but let them get close, Ben, before firing one of those bad boys. That will take out a number at once and might help us turn this fight in our favour,” Ramirez ordered, thinking strategically.

“Fine by me,” Ben said, putting the launcher down and pulling out a submachine gun.

Inglorious chuckled as Ramirez shook his head.

“That’s not police issue,” Nando stated from where he knelt .

“Nope. Grabbed it off a Fang. They have more fun stuff than us!” Ben declared and began spraying the bottle neck where some Fangs were moving about.

Ramirez whispered, “The pressure’s gotten to him.”

“About time he let his hair down. That stick up his ass needed removing years ago,” Inglorious replied with a laugh.

Ben ducked down, avoiding return fire, and grinned.

Damn, the strait-laced cop had finally found his bad side, Inglorious thought, amused.

The battle raged back and forth; Fangs dropped like flies but kept coming. Two new groups of bikers had arrived, and Inglorious thought he’d figured shit out. If the Venomous Fangs decimated the RCPD, they’d be able to waltz in with no opposition—or so they believed.

Rapid City would be wide open, with no law enforcement to protect its citizens. The Venomous Fangs would be able to do anything they wished. That was the only reason Inglorious could conjure for the overwhelming force they faced.

In between emptying his clip and inserting another, Inglorious told Ramirez of his theory, and he agreed. There was no other explanation possible.

Howser also concurred and was sending troops their way to help. RCPD and Unwanted Bastards had to hold firm. If they lost this fight, then the battle they were winning might turn on its ear.

“Ben, I think it’s time for your new toy. Clear the shit they’re hiding behind. Nando, use the grenade launcher too. Bobby, you’ve got two rockets left, use them wisely. Everyone else lay down heavy fire so they can launch,” Ramirez ordered.

He counted down to three, and a barrage of bullets flew towards the Fangs. Nando began firing grenades as Ben launched his anti-tank-missile. He popped down, reloaded, and fired again. Meanwhile, Bobby aimed at a coach the Fangs were using and blew it sky high.

For a moment, only explosions were heard, and the Fangs came under heavy fire. Dozens died, felled by the explosions or bullets. Many began running in the chaos, only to be taken down by those high up in buildings. Black clouds of smoke spiralled upwards, alerting the city to a full-scale attack. Once Nando had fired the final grenade and Ben his last missile, silence fell.

Would the Fangs regroup, or would this have broken them? He swapped a glance with Ramirez even as he shucked his empty clip and put a new one in. His shoulders tense, Inglorious waited.

A minute ticked by, and then another. They could hear groans and moans. Every so often, there was a random shot as a sniper saw someone move.

“What do you think?” Ramirez asked after five minutes.

“Wait another ten, at least. Mouse, get those water bottles handed out,” Inglorious replied.

They waited in relative silence, the roar of the flames and hot metal popping and warping punctured it, though. No more sounds escaped the wounded Fangs.

Inglorious didn’t believe they’d taken all of them down, but they’d just dealt a death blow to those remaining.

“We give up,” someone yelled.

“That’s a shock,” Satan shouted back sarcastically. Inglorious snorted.

“We mean it,” the guy called again.

“Of course you do! You ain’t ready to die, are ya? But who said we want your surrender? Maybe we just want you to fuckin’ lie down and die like the diseased animals you are. You’ve caused the deaths of good men and women today. Why the fuck should you live while they died?” Ben demanded loudly.

Inglorious twisted his neck and stared at the irate detective. Mr By The Book was throwing the book out with a bomb attached to it.

Nando turned and gazed at Ben, surprised, as some of us grinned.

“What? They arrived intending harm and death. They’d have raided shops, stolen cars, and other stuff. Raped women and children, even shot innocent men. You think we should fuckin’ let them surrender?” Ben demanded.

“He’s got a point. Phoe flew out Goldberg’s son and parents, but that kid could have been facing these murderous bastards knowing they killed his dad,” Bobby Lucas agreed.

“I can’t believe I’m the one saying this, but we’re cops!” Ramirez hissed .

“And? Those are animals, and putting them down would be a kindness,” Ben snapped.

Inglorious snorted as Ramirez turned to him. “Don’t look at me, brother. I’m with Ben. But you call the shots here. I’m quite happy to blow their fuckin’ brains out or arrest them. Just tell us what to do.” Inglorious witnessed Ramirez wrestle with his conscience. Hell, Inglorious would tell the Fangs to come out and have his guys open fire on them. Ben was right, they were lower than scum and didn’t deserve to draw breath when so many had died.

Inglorious watched Ramirez struggle. He could see the vengeance warring with the cop side and waited patiently. Ramirez would have to live with his choice.

“We haven’t got enough cuffs,” Ramirez replied finally.

“Great, let’s kill these motherfuckers!” Ben exclaimed happily and sat up.

“No! Anyone got zip ties?”

Inglorious and Psych swapped glances, and Psych pursed his lips. This would be Inglorious’s decision.

“If you ain’t, we can kill them,” Ben added.

Ramirez sent his partner a dark look. “No more big weapons for you. They’ve turned you into a monster!”

“Fuck that,” Ben snapped and hugged his semi-automatic.

“Unwanted Bastards came loaded with zip-ties,” Inglorious finally said. “I’ll call my brothers, and you cover our backs, okay? ”

“Sure.”

Five minutes later, the Fangs were huddled together in a group. There were about forty of them left. The RCPD all trained on one Fang each as Inglorious led the Unwanted Bastards out. They held their own guns on the Fangs as they spread out in a circle.

Inglorious watched a man slightly ahead of the others.

“Hands up, asshole,” Inglorious ordered, keeping his gun focused on him.

“Yeah,” the guy replied with a grin.

“What ya smiling at?” Inglorious demanded with a sudden sinking feeling. “Move! Now!” he yelled.

Inglorious was retreating when a Fang appeared from the centre.

The fucker held Inglorious’s horrified gaze and grinned.

A bullet took him straight through the head, but it didn’t matter. His hand spasmed on the dead man’s switch he gripped, and the world lit up.

Inglorious was thrown backwards as he went momentarily blind. He landed heavily on something, and debris rained down on him.

Bomb. A fuckin’ bomb.

These Venomous Fangs had been so damn loyal to Fury they’d been willing to blow themselves up rather than be taken prisoner. An object struck Inglorious’s head hard, and he blinked before closing his eyes. There was a roar of flames, and heat washed over him, and Inglorious couldn’t find it in himself to care.

He knew, fuckin’ knew , his brothers hadn’t made it clear. Inglorious had led his MC to their deaths. He lay there as someone slapped his face, and finally, he opened his eyes and stared at Bobby Lucas. Bobby’s mouth was moving, but Inglorious didn’t understand. A shadowy body landed on its knees next to him, and Inglorious stared up at Razor.

His brother was blackened from smoke, and blood welled in a million cuts, but Razor was breathing. Inglorious surged upwards, ignoring the pain in his body as he clasped Razor, dragged him in, and held him tight.

Razor lived! One was alive!

Hands grabbed him and turned him and Razor, and he saw another body being laid next to them. Chill. His brother wasn’t moving, but his eyes were open and there was a shocked look on his face. Like Razor, Chill was a mess, but just as Inglorious began to think he was dead, Chill blinked. He sat there, gripping Razor tight around the neck, keeping him close and holding Chill’s hand, which clenched his tightly.

Inglorious watched as RCPD shot any Fang still alive, while they checked his brothers for life. Inglorious clung to hope briefly. Then, like all things fleeting, it faded when, one after another, his brothers were declared dead. The RCPD covered their bodies with whatever they could find, not wanting the last three living Unwanted Bastards to see their brothers blown apart.

But Inglorious saw. Saw everything, and there’d be no scrubbing those images from his memory, ever.

His gaze landed on Psych. They’d grown up together. Psych stared at him, eyes dead, with an arm and leg missing. Ben covered him up and moved onto the next body. Seeing it was a Fang, Ben kicked it and shot it twice. But Inglorious kept staring at Psych.

Inglorious had lost all but two brothers. There was nothing left, nothing at all.