Axle split the group into two, taking Red Raven, Pink Raven, and two other bikers with him. We took Father Marcellus—just as we had on the raid that told us Cole was still alive—Butch, and the last club member, Tomahawk. I waved everyone forward, and we moved around the left side of the house.
Sure enough, as soon as we turned the corner, I saw what the Fallen Saints had done. They had lined their bikes up against the back of the house, making it invisible to anyone driving by on the street. Anyone who moved up and down this part of Springsville without looking closely would have just assumed this was a semi-quiet neighborhood, maybe not the nicest place in the city, but a decent one all the same.
And even though nothing had happened in the battle to rescue Kaitlyn yet, I already felt a small measure of redemption.
You haven’t done shit, though. Don’t let this go to your head. That’s the fastest way to ensure that everyone you care about dies.
I shook the pride from my mind and came to the back door. I tried peering through a window, but I could only see...
I could only see Devon writhing on the ground. She was unguarded. But I did not see Kaitlyn.
I looked at Lane. He nodded, ready to go. He looked a little nervous, but nothing like before.
I looked at Father Marcellus. Was I staring at the club rat? Now wasn’t the time to ask. We had eyes on him.
I looked to Butch, and then at Tomahawk. I knew both were ready. I held up three fingers and began counting down.
And then, as if in perfect sync with the rest of the Black Reapers, even the ones on the other side of the house, as we stormed in from the back, they stormed in from the side.
“Fucking Reapers!”
The attack was swift and quick. There were only about two in the main lobby, one of whom looked like he was wounded. I hurried over to Devon, who was holding her shoulder, a knife wound still trickling blood.
“You okay?” I asked.
“I’ll live,” she said. “Kaitlyn... she’s—”
I looked over my shoulder, following the gaze of her eyes. There was a closed door. I stood up, went right to the door, and kicked the damn thing down. I swung my gun around just in time to see a man jumping out of a window.
“Oh, no, you don’t!” I yelled.
I sprinted around back to see a Fallen Saint carrying Kaitlyn away. She looked like she was conscious but wounded and dazed. The very sight was sickening, and I was not going to let the Fallen Saint escape alive.
He was too far away for that accurate a shot, but his bikes weren’t.
Lining up my gun carefully, making sure not to aim at the mass of bodies and hit the woman I loved—yes, I could say that—I fired. Not every bullet hit perfectly, but I caused enough damage and enough chaos that the Fallen Saint had to weave to the side. He stumbled under Kaitlyn’s weight, and the two of them fell to the ground.
My gun ran out of bullets, so I discarded the weapon and sprinted over, in an absolute mad rage, craving the blood of this very Saint on my hands. I kicked him hard in the ribs and then tried to stomp him, but he slid out of the way just in time. He cut out my legs from underneath me, and before I could react, he had mounted me.
I’d trained for this many times in boot camp and bucked him off, but the Fallen Saint across from me knew what he was doing. As he fell forward, he placed his hand hard against my face, nearly gouging an eye out. I bucked again, but this time, he had stabilized himself, and he placed his hand on my throat.
“So you must be the pussy that this girl went for,” he said. “It’s going to give me so much joy to kill you like the bitch you are.”
I fought like hell to shake his grip, but the man was just too big and too strong. There was no escaping his grip. I kicked, I thrusted my hips up, I tried to hit him with my hands—nothing worked. The resistance, in fact, seemed to make the man laugh.
“Pathetic,” he said. “I always knew that Black Reapers were a bunch of pussies. But now you’re going to die like the bitch you are.”
He pushed his hand harder against my throat, and my vision started to blur, and my hearing started to fade.
“I am going to enjoy fucking your woman before I kill her,” he whispered into my ear. “Just as I fucked and killed her sister. Can you imagine?”
He burst into laughter.I’m sorry... Kaitlyn...
I felt rain fall onto my face. It was a hard rain, but it felt...
His grip loosened.
Something smelled funny.
