Page 65 of Victorious: Part 3

“Andthisis why I get you to go into the gold mines, Koa,” I grumble, lying back, looking up at the stars.

A slow chuckle erupts from all my brothers, which then turns into full laughter as Koa rolls over beside me and slaps my chest. “Face it, Pres… you gotta leave the hard work for the big boys.”

Smirking, I sit up, reach across, and punch the big Hawaiian asshole in his arm. “Fuck you! Go help the workers, they look like deer caught in the headlights right now.”

Koa grins at me. “You got it, Pres.”

Groaning as I stand, along with the rest of my boys, I signal to our vehicles. “Get Flint to medical. Anyone else injured?”

Hash and Nitro load Flint into the med transport. Axel shoves the evidence bag in after him. I turn to the others. Liam’s suit is torn, burns creeping along his arms, but he’s still standing.

“We’ve got wounded,” Hash states. “Liam’s burned, three scientists have poisoning. But I think we can get them fixed at the hospital.”

Nodding, I signal for him to take them off to medical. Turning, I look back one last time at the facility, smoke plumes into the sky, the last of its secrets buried beneath rock and ruin.

Not all of us made it out unscathed.

Some may never fully recover.

But we did what we came to do.

We brought the truth into the light.

And we brought our people home.

“Deek, how many bad jokes you got left in you?” I ask as we begin the long ride back to Vegas.

“Depends. How long until Hash stops looking like he’s gonna murder someone?”

“Could be a while,” Hash groans.

“Then I better pace myself. Don’t want to blow my load too soon. Where’s the fun in that?”

Everyone except Hash chuckles as we continue to drive home, and despite everything, the violence, the casualties, the knowledge that the Cartel made a base inmytown without my knowledge, I find myself smiling.

This is what family means in our world.

Standing together when the devil comes calling, cracking jokes in the face of death, and never leaving anyone behind.

Even when the cost threatens to break us all.

I don’t know how the other operations are going tonight, but I think we can chalk Vegas up as a success.

Grabbing the radio, blood seeps through my fingers onto the radio before I clear my throat from the dust and speak into the comms, “L6… this is V5. Package delivered. Got us some injuries, me included, but we’re headed home.”

Static blasts back down the line, then I hear her. “V5, this is L6. Great job. Take the time to rest and recover. Over.”

Smirking, I glance out at my brothers all leaning back against the walls of the vehicle, their eyes closed, covered in dust, debris, and blood, and I can’t help but be proud of the monumental effort they put in today. Of what Defiance is achieving, right now, nationwide.

It was a shit fight.

We certainly didn’t come out unscathed.

But no war is ever won without battle scars.

I key the radio one more time before allowing myself a moment to rest. “Tell Alpha when you see him, that he owes me afucking new leather cut. Mine’s got a bullet hole in the shoulder.”

The girl on the comms comes back almost immediately. “Bullet holes build character. But I’ll tell him. You take care of your men… and yourself.” Her tone is definitely teasing, and I can’t help but let out a boisterous laugh, which only serves to make my damn shoulder ache even more.