I can’t believe he is alive. And that it’s all finally over.
“Didn’t think the asshole had it in him,” he admits. “I could tell by the way he was aiming, though, that any shot was either going to miss or catch my shoulder. Still, it hurt like a bitch. Knew if I didn’t get the fuck down, I’d be catching one of my brother’s slugs in my back, since there was no way they were gonna take that shit lying down. I’m sorry about your father, but he had it coming.”
“I’m not,” I say without hesitation. “He spent his entire life hurting innocent people. Today was the day he paid for everything he’s done. He didn’t have to do any of this. He brought it all upon himself.”
“Hate to break up the party,” Edge mumbles as he puts a hand on Steel’s shoulder, “but we better get you both out of here. You need to get checked out, and this is no place for your woman.”
“What are they going to do?” I turn towards Steel, frantic.
Edge just shot my father. He did what he had to do to keep us from being killed, but he still killed him.
“Torch the place,” Steel replies, and I can tell that he didn’t want me to hear those words. “It’s gonna look like one hell of a deal gone wrong. Like a rival club hit up the place and things got ugly. It happens more than you think. Torch their supply too. That’s what most of the other clubs would do. This is an ugly life. Things like this, bloodshed, war, happen.”
“The cops—”
“Won’t get involved. They’ll come sniffing around asking questions, but as far as they’re concerned, we’re a peaceful club and that’s what I’ll tell them. That we never left Helena. Harris likely left a paper trail, evidence all over the place, money withdrawn, transfers, communication between the two. Something they can track. If they can’t, I’ll make sure one of my men makes it easy for them to find whatever shit they need to make this go away. They’ll look into him and what he was doing here before they ever think to come after us.”
“So… so it won’t get tracked back to us?”
I know what I am asking, and I hate myself for it, but I don’t want Steel to end up in jail for trying to save me. Or Edge, for doing what he had to do. They gave my father a chance to live, but he wasn’t going to take it, and the Black County Sinners made their own choice. They were motivated only by their greed, and it was their destruction.
“We have most of the cops on our payroll,” Steel admits, and it still shocks me, even though I already knew it. “A few people are all it takes to cover it up.”
“Let’s just concentrate on getting the hell out of here,” Edge urges. “She’s still tied to a damn chair, and you’re just, well, bloody, dripping that shit all over the place. Let’s go. The guys will stay behind and take care of the rest. We’ll get your bike back home, you take one of the vans.”
“No fucking way.” Steel growls. “No way someone else is getting on my bike. I’m taking my woman, and we’re riding out of here. Together. That’s the only way this was ever going to end. Me and my old lady, riding off into the goddamn sunset. Fucking literally.”
I am so relieved when Edge produces a knife from his boots and cuts the rope binding my chest and legs.
“What do you want me to do with him, Prez?”
I don’t know who called out, but when Steel turns, his gaze lands immediately on a man with a shaved head and a snake winding from his scalp down his neck. I have bets on him being called Snake, but maybe I’m completely wrong.
“Who?” Steel shouts without turning further. He keeps his eye on me.
“Fucking Wraith of all fucking people. He took two bullets to the leg, one to the shoulder, and there’s a graze on his face. Fucker’s luckier than all of us put together.” The brother nudges the prone form on the ground, and when my eyes sweep down, I recognize the figure immediately. “You want me to end him?” Snake Tattoo asks.
I wait, tense, and stand slowly, rubbing my arms where the ropes bit in and left burns and bruises. My throat hurts too, where the prick who nearly strangled me brutalized it, but I swallow hard anyway and push my fear and revulsion down. I walk carefully to Steel’s side and wrap my arm around his waist.
“I think my father blackmailed his club into getting involved,” I say quietly. Wraith watches me, his eyes dark and piercing.
“That true?” Steel asks.
Wraith doesn’t reply. There’s something almost noble about the way he stands defiantly awaiting his fate.
“You hear me, Wraith?”
Snake Tattoo gives him a nudge and there’s a groan in response.
“You’re not begging for mercy or throwing blame on Harris. You’re a contrary motherfucker and I like that. I’ll let you live if you agree to swear loyalty to me. Patch in with us and become one of the brothers. You’re damn good at being a real bad shit. Could use those skills in our club.”
The brother with the snake tattoo curses when Wraith doesn’t immediately answer. He nudges him with his boot, though he could have been much less gentle.
“Make a choice, Wraith. You patch in with us, swear loyalty to me and mean that shit, and we’ll let you live. Get you some fucking help too, since you’re obviously strung out on your own shit. What do you say? We could all use some family, even the worst of us.”
Silence fills the warehouse, then there is a shuffling of boots on rough wood. Someone clears their throat. There’s what sounds like the whisper of a knife being holstered and the click of safeties being put back on the men’s guns.
“Fuck you!” Wraith spits out. “Didn’t know she was your woman until it was too late. I fucking swear. She was promised to me as part of the payment by that fucking asshole.” Another groan interrupts his foul string of words. “I won’t join your fucking band of cunts. So just put a damn bullet in my head.”
