“Count me in.” I glanced at Hunter and he frowned.
“Not your fight.”
I reached out and gripped his hand in mine. “Any fight you’re in is my fight.” I was shocked at how much I meant it.
“Shit, move it or lose it, boys,” Sapphira said, and ran off in front of us. Hunter and I bolted after her.
We all left the warehouse in a big hurry, and I wanted more than anything to wrap my arm around Hunter, but he wouldn’t let me. Corbin flashed the lights of my Shelby GT from where he was parked nearby, and I sighed with relief, dragging Hunter toward it. He fought me, but King waved him off and he finally leaned against my side.
“We’ll meet ya there, King,” I yelled, but he didn’t slow down or acknowledge me. He already had his phone to his ear again as he barked orders to someone on the other end while he swung into the passenger seat of the van.
“Hurry,” Hunter said, and he sounded scared. “Josh is almost always at the clubhouse, and I’ve never even seen him shoot a gun.” He glanced at me, eyes too wide, and the air rushed out of me. “Rogue’s probably not there. He’s been helping where Scar works.”
“He mean a lot to ya, this Josh?”
Hunter nodded and drew in a shuddering breath. “He’s my… fuck, he’s family. All these guys are my family.” His words were stuffy like his nose was clogged and he might be holding back his emotions. We were running so fast that we slammed into the side of the car before I clawed open the back door, and he dove inside. I hopped into the passenger seat next to Corbin.
“Drive! Follow that van. Are there guns in the trunk?”
Corbin gave me a long look as he followed the white van out of the parking lot, spraying gravel behind us to keep up with King and his man.
“James Michael Shannon, how feckin’ long have ya known me? Don’t be insulting.”
Hunter snorted, and I met his stunning eyes in the rearview mirror, and then I couldn’t help it. I started to laugh and he did, too, until he reached up and gripped my shoulder so hard, I could barely stand it.
“We’ll go. We’ll help. If the tide needs turning, we’ll be those men. Ya went to war for me, and I’ll do the same for ya and yours.” I was surprised by how fierce I felt as I made what felt like the deepest promise of my life. I didn’t look away from his gaze in the mirror.
Hunter nodded and glanced out the window, and as I pulled my seat belt on, I could only hope I hadn’t just lied to my wee devil. With gunfire already under way, chances were we’d be walking into a bloodbath.
14
Hunter
Corbin had trouble keeping up with Undertaker driving the van, and more than anything I wished I was at the wheel since I already knew exactly where we were headed.
“How do ya want to play this, Boss?” Corbin asked. He hadn’t even sounded that serious when we were surrounded by men who wanted to kill us.
My stomach twisted in on itself. “We have to do whatever we need to do,” I murmured.
“We will,” Jamie said. “Turn round in your seat. There’s a section in the middle in the back that pulls out. Ya can get into the trunk. There’s a bag in there. Get it. Let’s at least ya and me be armed when we arrive.”
“I have a gun,” Corbin said.
Frowning, I leaned forward to stare at him for a second because I didn’t see a bulge under his jacket, but Jamie only pecked a kiss on my cheek.
“Come on. Get them out.” I did what he said and was thrilled when I dragged a black leather backpack through the hidden opening in the seats. Inside were several gun cases. One looked like it might hold a rifle that needed to be assembled before use, but I had no idea how to do that, so I opened the cases for the handguns.
“What’s this weird-looking pistol?” I asked and lifted out a gun that had a stock attached, which I’d never seen, and a strange long clip rubber-banded to it.
“That’s my Russian Stechkin. A wee beauty. Machine pistol,” Corbin said.
“Oh really? Pass it up!” Jamie grinned as he turned in his seat and held out his hand. “Corbin, what precisely did ya think we were gonna be doing in New Gothenburg?”
“Ya want that Stechkin now, don’t ya?” he snarked.
Jamie winked at me and then turned around and quickly began putting the gun together. I reached up and brushed a hand through his curls, just to touch him. The softness of his hair under my fingers was calming. In the end, I passed the entire bag forward and kept two easy-to-use Glocks because I was familiar with them.
The entrance to the clubhouse was blocked when we arrived, and that was our first clue that something horrible was happening. Someone had shoved a junker car across the gate in the fence, and after a second of hesitation, Undertaker floored it and used the old van to push the car out of the way.
