Our fear, that was what.
And I refused to be governed by my fear any longer.
TWENTY-FIVE
BENDER
As I stuffed my face for dinner, I tried my best to shelve the argument I’d had with Aria. I was hurt, annoyed, but also confused. This was why I had always stayed away from relationships. They were distracting, confusing, and they sure as hell didn’t lend a hand when it came to my concentration.
But as much as I tried to push it out of my mind, I simply couldn’t.
“All right,” Fangs said as he clapped his hands. “Everyone ready? We’re about thirty minutes out from our departure time.”
Reaper rushed down the hallway. “Got all of our gear shored up. We’re rolling with our bulletproof vests this time around.”
“Good, good,” Fangs said. “Viper?”
A gun cocked. “Got our guns reloaded and stacked with extra rounds.”
“Perfect,” Fangs said. “Bender?”
I swallowed the piece of steak I had been chewing on. “We got our three plans in place. We start with Plan A, pivot to plan C if we get nabbed in the main tunnel, and then our last-ditch effort is Plan B if they are lying in wait for us.”
I didn’t pay attention to anything else they tossed around. I simply finished my dinner and pieced myself together. I shed my cut and shirt before sliding a bullet proof vest against my skin, then I redressed myself before I placed weapons in every pocket and every empty space on my body that I could. I had guns beneath either armpit and on each hip. I had knives attached to my ankles beneath the cuff of my jeans. I had grenades that filled the pockets of my leather cut and strong-ass pepper spray that Goose passed out to everyone.
I stuck that in my back pocket for safe keeping.
“Okay, men,” Fangs said as he turned toward the door, “let’s roll.”
Darkness cloaked our movements as we abandoned our bikes for something a bit quieter. If we rolled up with our engines revving, it would surely give us away. So, Goose had gone and driven each of our vans into the parking lot. We had random storage containers strewn around the entire perimeter of our town. They housed everything from bulletproof vans with unbreakable glass to heavier ammunition, like rocket launchers and battering rams. We usually didn’t need that kind of shit, but it was good to have on hand just in case.
And after the twenty-one of us piled into the three vans, we took off for our club.
I knew the guys were tense. I saw it in their faces. They were ready for war and craved the spilling of more blood, but I was simply ready to get it over with. Righting my wrong meant redemption in the eyes of my brothers. And if I could come back from literally trading our club for a woman’s life, then I had a real shot at getting Aria back.
But I had to put one foot in front of the other before I ran back toward her.
From the second we parked our vans in the shadows about two blocks away from the club, we went silent. This was the part that would be hard to coordinate because we didn’t have our helmets or even our earpieces. Reaper thought it would be too risky, having something that connected us digitally. So, until we all met up in that main tunnel that ran into the storage room of Heist, we were on our own as three seven-man teams.
“Let’s go,” I whispered.
Me and my six other men slid through the manhole and had to crouch down in order to get to the main tunnel. Then, we waited. Things were quiet on the western front, with the bass of the club bumping so fucking loud that I knew no one would hear us coming. Seeing Fangs’s head pop from around the corner with six of our guys in tow settled my gut a bit, but it took Goose a bit longer than normal to get to us.
But finally, all of us were reunited in that tunnel.
“Let’s go,” I whispered.
I led the charge up into the storage room and the music was so fucking loud I almost couldn’t hear myself think. One by one, we piled up the stairs until we all stood in the dark, cramped space. I drew in a deep breath to try and settle myself. Fangs gave silent directions, pointing at men before pointing them where to go.
Then, he turned to face me. “You stay here and keep watch. We need this exit guarded because it’s our only one without spooking everyone in the club.”
I nodded. “I got it. You guys go. Remember: A, C, then B.”
“Got it,” he whispered.
I watched my men leave and I steeled my gut. I buried Aria’s voice in my head while I kept watch with nothing but the flashing lights of the club behind the door to illuminate the space. I shuffled on my feet, trying to rid myself of the nervous energy coursing its way through my veins.
However, the music ended up being used against me.
