There was a difference between being on a power trip and being a leader, and the two extremes were right here in front of me. Drew wanted to win, there was no doubt in my mind about that, but he wasn’t willing to sacrifice the menhe loved for that victory. Whereas Travis wanted to win at all costs, no matter what. Drew operated on loyalty. Travis on control. It was amazing seeing the contrast first hand, and the recklessness of the Navs terrified me.
“All I need is a confession, Tucker,” Travis said to Drew like there were only two of them in this entire situation.
“I confess that I’m going to tear you apart if you don’t let our lady go and get the fuck out of Babylon.”
Travis smiled wider. “Try again.”
“I confess that I’m not going to let this go once you’ve ridden away. You should watch your back.”
“Strike two.”
Drew stepped closer as he stared down on Travis. “Let. Her. Go.”
Travis glared at Drew as he clicked his fingers behind him, and right on cue Autumn let out another cry as the man on her left struck her with his fist, this time making her whole body fall forward so she bent over on her knees, her arms tied behind her back and her ass in the air.
I took a step forward, only to be stopped with Slater’s arm around my waist, ready to haul me back and off my feet. Deeks shouted and growled like a caged tiger ready to tear out the throat of anyone stupid to come close enough, but he too was still restrained. I was so torn between doing what I needed to and my natural need to protect Autumn, and it took everything in me to bite my tongue and follow Drew’s silent orders.
It was the misplaced sound of female laughter that had us all looking at each other to find out where the noise was coming from. There was only a single second of confusion before our gazes followed Drew’s and we realized it wasAutumn who was laughing maniacally. Her face was inches from the ground, and blood was pooling beneath her mouth. In a flash, she raised her head like a feral animal, spun on her knees and sunk her bared teeth into the leg of the man who’d just struck her.
His cries of agony were instant, and as soon as she’d bitten him wildly, she tore her face away, lifted it up in our direction and showcased a face soaked in her attacker’s blood.
Deeks inhaled sharply, realizing she wasn’t going down without a fight, but the man who she’d bitten was falling backward, trying to clutch his leg where she’d ripped the material, and his skin, clear away.
“Bitch!” he shouted through gritted teeth. “She fucking bit me!”
“Jesus Christ,” Travis muttered, half amused, half irritated. “She’s giving me no choice, Tucker. Neither are you. Lies are punishable by death.” His hands moved quickly—quicker than seemed humanly possible—pulling out a gun from the inside of his cut, spinning it around and aiming it directly at Autumn’s head. “You should have confessed.”
I watched with dismay as his finger curled around the trigger. Travis, being the sick dramatic fuck he was, glanced at Drew in challenge, his fingers squeezing slowly. I wanted to scream. I wanted to do something, but Slater pulled me back, my legs kicking in the air as he twisted me away. Before I had so much as registered what I was seeing, three bodies circled the corner, the smallest of the three skidding to a halt and lifting a gun that looked out of place in his hands. He took the shot without hesitation, only a millisecond before I heard Travis’ gun going off.
I twisted in Slater’s grip, even as he started to throw meonto the ground to cover my body with his. My eyes were on Autumn as the man she hadn’t bitten cried out in pain and went down. He, in turn, brought his gun up to shoot, while Travis turned his gun on the man who’d clipped his hand at the exact second he’d tried to shoot Autumn. The second Drew saw the opportunity to catch Travis off guard, he launched himself at the Nav, knocking the two of them to the ground as the grunts of their struggle filled the air through the echoes of the shots that still rang in our ears.
I was under Slater before I could see what happened next, but my brain processed the faces now that I was out of the line of fire. The three men who’d saved Autumn’s life had been Kenny, Tate, and Rubin. It had been Rubin who’d fired off the shot at Travis, sending Autumn’s intended bullet astray.
I struggled under Slater’s weight and tapped his arm, forcing him to lift his body from mine so he could see me. “Protect Drew.”
“But–”
“He’s your president!”
“Ayda–”
“Slater.”
He growled and lifted his head, scanning the area briefly. He wouldn’t abandon me because Drew would have told him not to, which meant I would have to take a risk and remove myself from the equation. Drew needed all hands on deck, even my kid brother, who was, apparently, holding a gun, too.
I would kill Kenny later.
I’d planned on getting myself out of the area so I was one less thing for them to worry about. I was planning on trying to keep the people of Babylon away from the area until this dangerous dispute was settled, but as I ran in a crouch towardthe corner that would take me to the front of the building, I saw something that needed my attention more desperately.
Jacob.
With a gun.
Jacob with a gun pointed in the general direction of Autumn and Deeks.
Oh, hell no.
I didn’t really make the decision to move. My actions were more instinct driven. I raised my leg and kicked with as much force as I could muster, satisfied only when his shot went into the dumpster with a loud ding, and the gun fell from his grip landing less than four-feet away. Before Jacob could decide to go after his weapon, I raised mine and aimed it directly at his head.
