I’ve seen many versions of Dean Graham over the years. The troublemaking teenager. The difficult ranch hand. But I’ve never seen this version of him. Collected and confident with bullets flying.
Dean crouches by the window, joining Soul, who is firing the occasional shot out the window between rounds below. Venom ducks down by Dean, and they all pull back as firing starts from the other side again.
“Two guys in a truck rolled up and started shooting the second they spotted me.” Venom glances over his shoulder when the gunshots stop, and Soul uses the opportunity to start firing again.
“We’ve got them pinned down right now, but I can’t see shit from up here.” Dean takes aim but doesn’t pull the trigger yet.
“Want me to go around back? See if we can sneak up on them there?” Venom asks.
Dean is about to answer when the guys in the parking lot start shooting again. This time, they don’t let up. There are so many bullets, holes grow in the walls. Bullets makeSwiss cheese of the curtains. There’s no break and no running.
“Shit.” All three of them duck down as low as they can get.
Dean keeps his gun close to his chest, ready for anything, while I stay curled at the edge of the bed, still lying on the floor.
Maybe this is it.
All it would take is one bullet to put an end to everything.
Maybe that’s my karma.
I’ve spent a decade fighting for the wrong cause. Being on the wrong side. Up until today, I’d all but accepted it and checked out of my life. Maybe the universe decided I’ve had enough chances. That I don’t get any more opportunities to make it right.
Maybe this is how I die.
My gaze fixes on Dean’s, and he shakes his head once, like he senses the storm brewing in my thoughts. He’s always been the pinnacle of strength in the madness. I only wish I could have been strong as well.
At least I got to see Dean one last time. I took the risk and got in my car. I got to see that he’s fine without me—that life didn’t break him. If I make it to tomorrow, I’ll leave knowing he found a way out the other side of the mess I made.
A bullet skims the air, so close I feel the breeze.
It’s worth it to die like this, looking into his eyes. I hope he finds a way to use the information I gave him to fix what I couldn’t.
My eyes close, and I wait for the end. But suddenly, gunfire ceases. Dean shoots to his feet with Soul and Venom right behind him. They barely have two shots off when car doors slam, and tires peel against the pavement.
“Damn it. They’re getting away.” Venom starts to rush for the door, but Soul stops him with an arm across his chest.
“Ghost will track them down. It’s not worth it when we don’t know what we’re dealing with.”
Venom nods, obeying the order, but not looking happy about it as he grips his gun. His gaze moves from Dean to Soul, finally pausing on me as I peel myself off the floor.
Dean offers me a hand, but I don’t take it.
“Hey,” I say to Venom, brushing my hair off my face.
Venom jerks his chin in hello but doesn’t say anything. His eyes don’t linger.
Soul’s phone rings, cutting through the tension.
“Prez,” he answers, and I can vaguely hear an angry voice on the other end of the line. “They just left… One truck, two guys, no bikes, and no cuts…” Soul’s gaze lifts to Dean, and they have a silent conversation that Dean seems to understand because he nods once in response to an unspoken question. “He thinks so… Got it. We’ll be back in thirty.”
Soul tucks his phone into his pocket, and he glances at Venom before eyeing the things in my room. “Prez wants us back at the clubhouse ASAP. I’ll clear the bathroom.”
“I’ll get the rest,” Venom says, reaching for a stack of clothes on the bed and shoving them intomy bag.
“Wait! What are you doing? Why are you touching my things?” I rush forward, but Dean stops me, so I glare up at him. “I’m not going with you.”
“I already told you that you are.”
