GAUGE
The midday sun'sheat poured down on me. It was hard to believe it was the same day that it had started out as. I’dwoken with Jolie in my arms, her hair draped across my chest, and Iwas ending it riddled with bloody cuts and aheadache loud enough to make me want to blow my own brains out. Ihad blown ahole the size of ahorse in the wine cellar door, killing most of the men on the other side of it, and then the ceiling had come down on me.
My brothers had arrived, and ashort but sweet gun war had taken place at the front of the property. It had been brief and bloody—just how we all liked it. Battle and Fighter had found me beneath the rubble of the wine cellar and had dragged me out of it. They’dbrought me outside to suck in some clean air while they went back inside to unnecessarily interrogate the remainder of Christian’smen before killing them.
“There he is. You crazy motherfucker!” Casa laughed as he stalked toward me, his gaze going to one of the men on the ground who was still moving. He fired ashot into the man’sback and smiled at me.
“Glad it wasn’twhiskey down there, or I’dhave had to put abullet in you myself,” he laughed. His gaze moved to the man on the ground again, who was still moving despite his new bullet wound. Casa fired another shot into his back. “Stay the fuck down.” Casa looked back to me and rolled his eyes like it was all fun and games.
My gaze moved to the man who, unbelievably, was still twitching, his hands reaching to pull himself away. Casa stopped walking and turned back to the man.
“Are you fuckin’ kiddin’ me, motherfucker?” He looked over at me and laughed. “Can you believe this guy?”
Iwas sitting with my back against the side of the house, blood pooling around me from my various cuts, though most of it seemed to be coming from the large gash on my chest where alarge fragment of the door had hit me. Ipulled out acigarette with bloody hands, and lit it before speaking around amouthful of smoke. “Idon’tthink we need to worry ‘bout him, brother,” Iwheezed.
Casa pursed his lips and cocked his head, disbelieving. He aimed his gun at the man on the ground, who was barely moving now, only moments away from death, and he fired bullet after bullet into his back. “Isaid stay the fuck down!” Casa yelled.
“Casa, what the fuck?” Shooter said as he stormed out of the house.
“Just finishing this one off,” Casa replied with an almost cheery wave.
“You’re insane, you know that?” Shooter grumbled with ashake of his head.
“Insanity is just another state of mind, Prez,” Casa replied.
“Idon’teven know what to say to that,” Shooter said. He came toward me as Casa fired another bullet into the dead man'sback, and when Shooter turned and glared, he grinned.
“Thought Isaw him move again,” he said with ashrug, before finally leaving the corpse alone. “No worries, he’sdone now.”
Icouldn’thelp but wheeze out alaugh.
Shooter crouched in front of me, his expression serious. “We can’tget her to open up. We think the cameras are off.” He shrugged, frustration in his expression.
Iheld out my hand. “Help me up, I’ve got this.”
Shooter helped me back up to my feet and Ihobbled back inside the house, my cigarette perched between my lips. The bullets had missed me, barring acouple that had grazed the top of my shoulder and one near the side of my leg. Thankfully Christian had been like ahuman shield as I’drun, dragging him behind me.
Bodies littered the entranceway and surrounding areas, blood smears covered the walls and stairs, and bullet holes peppered the expensive paintings. It was agood thing that no one was coming back to that house anytime soon. Ilooked around in appreciation before flicking the cigarette out and stomping on it.
“We’re going to need to redecorate,” Isaid, and Shooter let out adry laugh.
“No shit.” He patted my shoulder. “Laney will handle it.”
Iglanced sideways at him. “How many did we lose?”
The relief at hearing Laney had been at the baby doctor when the bomb had gone off at the clubhouse almost knocked me sideways. Thankfully, the silent alarm being triggered had meant most everyone had been on their way up to the safe house. Only ahandful of people remained, and most of those had been far enough away from the blast area to not be seriously injured. The clubhouse though, Shooter assured me, would need to be rebuilt from the ground up. The explosion had taken out the entire church and had made the rest completely unstable.
We approached the panic room and my brothers separated to allow me access to the door. Dom’sface was filled with anxiety. Blood was smeared across his cheek, and his red hair was flecked with blood.
“She won’topen up,” he said, his voice choked.
“She don’tknow it’ssafe, brother,” Ireplied. “But I’ve got this.”
Iknocked three times on the door, followed by two short knocks and then three more knocks. Only asecond passed before the door swung open and Jolie flew out and into my arms. She crushed her body against mine, my blood smearing onto her. And it was only then that Irelaxed. Laney and the baby were safe, my brothers were okay, Jolie was back in my arms where she belonged, and the Vipers had gone to ground. All was good again.
“Take me home,” she mumbled against my neck, and Ireached down, scooped her up, and swung her into my arms. She glanced briefly at Dom as we passed him, but neither of them said anything.
Ihad known she would be watching me while Itortured Christian, and I’dbriefly worried that she would be so horrified by my actions that she would be scared of me—of the monster that lived inside me. But right now, with her in my arms, Iknew nothing Icould do would ever make her fear me. That was both ablessing and acurse.
