Rage replies instantly: COPY. ENJOY. Explosions occur right after the text. The warehouse goes up in flames immediately.
“Oh, my God! What happened?”
“Tying up loose ends, that’s all. Let’s get the fuck out of here. Someone will report this soon enough.” We hit the road fast, put some distance between us and the shit show back there, and leave the Devil’s Head corpses to burn in Tartarus.
You’re probably thinking what happened back there looks like a plan or a military operation that went as expected and planned. But we really didn’t plan it like that at all. To be honest, it was more like, “I’ll be in there playing bait, you get to be the hunter.” We knew from intel gathered that there’d be around six to eight men. One at the door, probably a high-ranked member, a Sergeant at arms or similar, plus two low-ranked ones patrolling the front. Two extra low-ranked ones patrolling the back and one guarding Carter. That’s six, plus maybe two more inside the warehouse for shift covering or whatever. When we arrived, and I saw eight choppers, I knew our calculations were not mistaken, and I knew then that Rage would be able to handle them. Picking them up, one by one. That’s one of Rage’s many specialties— one shot one kill. He never misses. He probably only brought eight bullets, the cocky asshole. You might also think, “Wait, if Rage is so good at being stealthy, what’s the deal with the bombs?” Well, you see, Rage loves bullets, blood, and bombs. As soon as I heard the first bomb going off, I knew it wouldn’t be long before Rage got to Carter. The rest was in my hands. But there’s something we didn’t plan or expect— Asad and Bad Blood getting away.
Fuck.
While I let my One-77 take me to the rendezvous point, I spy on Sarah out of the corner of my eye. She’s looking all around, frantically scanning everything that moves, waiting for Asad to jump in front of us.
“Babe, easy. You’re safe, and Carter is safe. Trust me.” She takes a deep breath.
“How can you be so sure, Bruno? How do you know he’s not following us?”
“Who, Asad? How could he? They ran out back in the opposite direction, scared.” I put my hand on her thigh, squeeze it a little and say, “They gave it their best shot and failed. I’d be shitting my pants if I were them. Plus, with the bashing I gave him, it’s going to take him at least a few days to open his eyes and actually see.” That does it. She looks reassured now.
We finally get there and I can see Rage’s Jeep Sahara —black as a shadow, tinted bullet-proof windows— parked in the alleyway waiting for us, just like we agreed. I park my car behind it and step out. “Stay here,” I tell Sarah before closing the door.
“Okay.”
Rage steps out of his vehicle and we meet halfway.
“Thanks, brother.” I thank Rage and we give each other a handshake. He nods. “The motherfucker ran off at the last minute, thanks to Bad Blood. That means the hunt is not over for me yet.”
“I can track him down,” Rage points out.
“I know. How long until you locate him?” I ask
“A couple of hours; three, tops.”
“That’s good. How’s my cousin?”
“Look for yourself.”
I peek through the backseat window and see Carter, beat, but breathing. I open the door and behind the swollen face, I can still see his dandy smile.
“How are you feeling?”
“Peachy, cuz.”
“Okay. You don’t look so good, though.”
“You are one to talk. Have you looked into a mirror lately?”
“Uh-huh,” I turn around and signal Sarah to come over. She approaches the Sahara from the opposite side, opens the door and sees Carter.
“Oh, my God! You look like shit!”
“I know! I thought that was a spa. They ripped me off, but to be honest I still look more handsome than Bruno,” he says as she helps him get into my car.
Sarah’s laugh echoes through the alley. Rage observes them with a curious look on his face.
“I should get going. This shoulder of mine needs stitches,” I say to Rage.
He scoffs, gets into his Jeep and drives away. I watch him disappear as he turns left, still in disbelief that we’re safe and whole. I managed to get them back to safety thanks to the nightmare driving that Jeep.
Sarah’s voice brings me back to reality. I turn around and see her signaling me to hurry up. Carter looks at her and tries to laugh, but his laughter is interrupted by pain, his face shows it. I walk towards the car and get in.
