I try to run, but he captures me and slams me into the wall, his large hands locking around my neck. I lash out, scratching at his face and arms, but he holds firm. My arms fall limply at my sides, my vision darkening. I feel myself fading away.
Something splashes onto my face, then his hands are gone.
I crash to my hands and knees, sucking big gulps of air into my burning lungs. A gurgling sound reaches my ears, and I scurry backward, afraid of what it is. I can’t see clearly. Panicked, I rub my fists against my eyelids, trying to clear my vision. I blink my eyes open, and a small cry slips past my lips at the sight that greets me.
It’s like a horror movie. Blood is everywhere—on the counters, oven, refrigerator, walls, and even the ceiling.
Sandman is on top of the man, plunging his knife into his lifeless body over and over again. He’s soaked in blood; his once blond hair is completely red and covered in chunks of human flesh.
The man’s face is unrecognizable, reminding me of hamburger meat.
Bile rises in my throat, and I spill the meager contents of my stomach all over the floor.
“Please… stop,” I croak. “For God’s sake… please stop.”
I don’t think he can even hear me. It’s as if he’s possessed.
Zeus rushes into the kitchen—Cricket, Smokey, and Jigsaw follow close on his heels. They all take in the bloody scene, their faces frozen in shock.
“He’s dead, goddamn it!” Zeus bellows, attempting to pull his son off the lifeless man.
In the end, it takes all four of them to drag Sandman away from his latest victim.
A sudden rush of dizziness sweeps over me, then everything goes black.
“How the fuck did this happen?” Zeus growls, pacing back and forth among the blood and carnage.
We’re on high alert after the shit that just went down. Brothers are already scouring the streets and surrounding counties for any signs of Disciples.
Jigsaw leans against the wall, his lip split and knuckles bloodied. “They caught us sleeping,” he says, his voice hard. “That can’t happen again.”
After taking a piss, I went out back for a smoke break and to get away from the noise. I needed to get away from Zilphia too, before I snatched her little ass up for being disobedient. I was heading back inside when I heard the explosion. Those fuckers hit us when they knew our guard would be down.
The blame is on us, though. We got too cocky… thought we were untouchable. This is the price. We suffered heavy losses—brothers and civilians. Naomi and Hawk, who’s an ex-military medic, are in the basement, patching up the wounded.
The Disciples took heavy losses too, but that means nothing.They still got in. They breached our sanctuary. That shouldn’t have happened.
Once word gets out, it’s highly probable every criminal syndicate in the surrounding area will try their hand. We have to save face and quick. The only way to do that is to kill every last Disciple.
I coil one of Zilphia’s long braids around my index finger. She’s still unconscious, head resting on my lap. I’ve showered and dressed in clean clothes, though five minutes under the water didn’t remove all the blood from my hair and body.
I almost lost her and our baby today. My heart is still racing. When that fucker had the gun on her… The image materializes in my mind, twisting my stomach into knots. I had never been so scared in my life. If anything ever happens to them, I’ll make this world bleed.
“No, it can’t.” Zeus stops in his tracks and aims his gaze at Butch. “Contact all the chapters. Tell them what happened here and to send any available brothers our way.”
He nods, cell phone already at his ear.
“Where the fuck are Draco and Snake?” Zeus barks. “I want them here now.”
He’s trying not to show it, but he’s worried. I am too. They could be dead or being held hostage. Draco and me, we have our differences, but he’s still blood.
“Neither answered when I called,” Smokey says, digging his phone out of his back pocket. “I’ll try them again.”
“We can’t sit on this.” I push to my feet and gently place Zilphia’s head on the sofa. “We need to go after them now before they run.”
Zeus shakes his head. “They’re not going to run. Spider won this battle, so now he’ll figure he can win the war.”
“Those bastard Disciples might not run, but they’ll go underground,” Tank adds, a scowl on his dark-brown face. “They won’t be easy to find.”
