19. Dangers Never Sleep

NINETEEN

Dangers Never Sleep

HAWK

S ince the night in the shop with Etain, things have been fantastic. So good that the idea of being with Etain is frightening. Her spunkiness is contagious. The Riders love her, and she makes an effort to fit in. She comes out and joins the rest of us for lunch, jokes around with them, and just plain cares about us.

We wake up together and go home together. You’d think that after two days, I’d want some time alone, but I don’t. She makes me happy, and judging by her expression as she sits across from me at the table, I can see I make her happy too.

“The club is not going to be working at the shop today. We’ve got a date with the Jackals. This is it, babe. Moving forward, we’ll have nothing to do with them,” I say, leaving out the part that there won’t be any of them left to cause us problems.

“It’s dangerous,” she says, concerned.

“No more dangerous than running through enemy territory to capture a rebel leader bent on destroying a village filled with women and children,” I tell her. During our many talks, I gave her some insight into army life and some of the situations our unit was involved in. I kept out the horrifying parts about the dead bodies burnt to a crisp, the children crying for their mothers, and a slew of other ugly details.

“You’re trying to make me stop worrying, but I won’t, you know.” She leaves her chair and settles onto my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck and pressing her forehead to mine. “I’ve fallen in love with you. You’re my dream man. You’re smart, funny, sexy, and you have a family who would die for you. You always know what to say to me. When I’m sad, you make it better by just being there. I always thought loving someone takes work, but it doesn’t, because with the right person, it comes easy.”

“Baby, you’re killing me,” I tell her, kissing her softly. “If there was any way I could stay with you today, I would. But I need to take care of us, and that means the Redemption Riders and you and me. You’re one of us now. I’m waiting until this day is over, then announcing you as my old lady.” I cup her cheek. “Do you know what that means to me and the club?”

“It means I belong to you,” she murmurs.

“Yes, but more than that. It tells not only our club, but any other MC what you mean to me. You don’t mess with the women in our circle. Being an old lady comes with its own responsibilities.”

“Like what?”

“You’re the woman who leads the other old ladies, for one.”

“Are there others?”

“Not yet, but I see the door about to swing open. It’ll be your job to see them through the tough times, like this one. You’ll have to keep your head and lead them into what it means to be part of the club,” I explain. “Can you do that for me?”

“For you, I’d walk through fire,” she answers.

I close my eyes and thank God above for sending Etain my way.

Etain

I t’s been a couple of hours since Hawk left. He didn’t want me to be alone all day and asked me to call Sasha and see if she’d hang out for the day. Hawk also left Declan behind to keep an eye on things.

Normally, it’s Lee and Declan, but this time, only one is with me. This tells me that whatever’s going down today needs all the men they can get.

“Sasha and I will be fine if?—”

“Not happening, Etain. Hawk says I stay, then I stay,” Declan insists.

“But he needs you more.”

He shakes his head. “Hawk knows what he’s doing, and he’s not alone in this. I can’t say much more because Hawk will lose his mind, but he has all the help he needs. He told me that the best thing I could do was to make sure you were safe. It would be a load off his mind. I’m doing that so he can focus on the business at hand,” he explains.

Sasha’s been quietly listening to us, then she gets up, takes my hand, and drags me to my feet. “You need to do yoga and meditate. It does wonders for you.”

“Sasha—”

“You can either sit there and worry or give Hawk the peace of mind he needs to get the job done. Your choice,” she says with her hands on her hips.

“Let’s do yoga.”

Declan helps us move the coffee table and roll out the mats. He keeps himself busy checking around the house, while Sasha introduces me to the land of peace and meditation. I haven’t forgotten about Hawk or the dangers that he’s facing, but I do feel more in control of my emotions.

Hawk

S hooter and Decker are driving the truck with the product while the rest of us are in our set positions or traveling close by to keep an eye on the truck. We’ve seen several Jackal members throughout the ride. That’s Gunner’s way of making sure we don’t screw him.

He was waiting for us at the warehouse and took great pains to explain the route over and over. Of course he did; the fucker is setting us up for a fall and doesn’t want us to deviate from the plan. That’s the last time I’ll see him, until he falls into our trap.

We’re five miles out from where the cops are supposed to be waiting for us to search the truck when we see the truck turned over on the road, blocking our path. Right on cue! Damn, Guard’s good!

I make the call to Gunner. “Hey, man, we got a problem,” I say, and go on to tell him what’s going down. “You better make the call to your end guy, ’cause we’re not going to get there today at this rate.” I exaggerate to get him riled.

“It’s got to be there tonight,” Gunner insists.

“Then make the call.”

“Hold up. I’ll get a new drop point,” he relents, knowing the Benitos, a.k.a. Nostra Casa , will not be happy with the delay. So far, all is going according to plan, but we can’t let our guard down. The Jackals are unpredictable, and Gunner is the sleaziest of them all.

I wave Shooter over to the side of the road and pull up next to the driver’s window. Decker leans in to listen along with Shooter. “Looking good, Riders, but stay sharp. With these assholes, we can’t put anything past them.”

Shooter nods, while Decker does a scan of the streets, then says, “The Jackals have men scattered all over the route. I’m on it.” He pats his piece strapped into the holster under his vest.

Just then, Gunner’s call comes through.

“Yeah,” I answer. I don’t even bother trying to be nice.

“Sending you the new location via text. Benito’s pissed because of the change. I’ll meet you there,” Gunner says, sounding annoyed.

“Nothing I can do about an overturned truck,” I respond.

“Right. Just get there,” he replies curtly.

I hang up without saying goodbye. I check my text to make sure the location Gunner’s sent matches. It does, and I send a text to Guard to let him know we’re on our way. I turn to Shooter. “Drifter and I will lead the way.”

He gives me a two-finger salute, Drifter does a chin lift, and we set off on the last leg of the journey. As we near the end of our trek, I notice some of our Satan Pride brothers. They’re not visible unless you’re looking for them, and since this was part of our plan, I see them. I have to say it gives me some degree of comfort. One meeting with Reno and Sebastian Viale tells me that these are men you don’t want to mess with, and Risk is their connection. Having the Pride with us adds a level of security into the mix.

When we turn onto the long drive that ends in front of the warehouse, I see that outside stand three of Reno’s soldiers. I recognize them from our first visit. Reno stands with a man I don’t know who is visibly shaking. I’d bet my last dollar that’s Cicco Benito. His hair and clothes are disheveled, and he keeps glancing pleadingly in Reno’s direction.

Shooter parks the truck, and both he and Decker get out of the truck and walk toward Reno. Drifter and I dismount our bikes and head to our positions around the side of the warehouse to wait for Gunner to make his appearance. It’s not long before the sound of bikes approaching is heard, and through the dust, they come into view.

Unbeknownst to Gunner, the second they drove through the gates, Reno’s men closed them in, cutting off their escape route. Gunner senses something’s off and grinds his bike to a halt. He takes one look at Cicco and understands his situation is dire.

Immediately, he reaches for his gun, and his Jackal brothers do the same. I watch as the bullets fly through the air from both sides. This is Reno’s fight; he made that clear. I’m content to witness Gunner’s demise from where I stand. Gunner swerves his bike and races in the direction he came from, only for a bullet to hit him in the shoulder. He tumbles from his moving bike. Gunner’s shaken but looks around to see his brothers all lying on the ground around him. Some are moaning in pain; others are dead. I step out from behind the warehouse. He sees me and clearly knows that the tables have turned.

“Bring him to me,” Reno orders. Gunner looks at Reno, then at me. As Reno’s men approach, Gunner lifts his gun to warn them off. He then does something I’d never expect. He puts the gun under his chin and pulls the trigger.

“Holy fuck!” Drifter exclaims. “What the hell!”

Gunner knew what he would be subjected to if Reno got his hands on him. The torture would have been excruciating and long. The Mafia men are as demented as we can be and could have Gunner hanging in the balance between life and death for days before finishing him off. He chose a quick death for himself instead.

Ghost emerges from behind the trees, along with Demon and Saint. They begin to walk toward Reno. I do the same, with Drifter, Shooter, and Decker following close behind.

“Well, he took the fun out of it,” Reno grumbles.

“I was looking forward to seeing the life drain out of him,” Sebastian complains.

“You’re welcome to join us at the Jackals’ clubhouse,” I offer with a laugh. Reno grins, then laughs along with me.

“A deal is a deal. Although, Sebastian wants his collection of motorcycles,” Reno adds. “Let’s unload the truck, then we can all be on our way.” He looks at Cicco. “I have other matters to attend to.”

“Please, Reno, I can make this up to you, I swear,” he begs. Reno grabs him by the throat, cutting off his air supply. Cicco is gasping for breath, turning purple, his hands clawing at Reno’s grip and getting nowhere. When Reno finally lets go, Cicco drops to the ground, coughing and gasping.

“I trusted you once. Never again,” Reno replies menacingly. “Take him inside,” he tells one of his men.

We all pitch in to unload the truck. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we get to the Jackals’ club. We still have the element of surprise. They won’t be expecting Gunner back anytime soon, and the senior members are dead.

Once we’re done, I call the rest of the brothers and tell them where to meet us. The Redemption Riders will ride together to finish the job.

I watch the Jackals’ clubhouse burn to the ground. Guard is beside me to my right, and Drifter’s on my left. The flames are high, and the black smoke drifts with the wind. Sebastian, driving the truck loaded with Gunner’s motorcycle collection, gives a wave as he takes off. We have to leave soon; the cops have been held off with a call from Sebastian, but the fire department has been alerted by the locals.

The clubhouse is a bloody mess. The Jackals are no more. The only ones who escaped with their lives were the young prospects. And I do mean young. Gunner had the audacity to recruit kids as young as fourteen. It’s not to say they got off scot-free. We roughed them up to teach them a lesson. Ghost and Steady took the lead on the young recruits. Most are just street kids, and Gunner was molding them into Jackals by showering them with praise first, then he’d make them really work for it. To become a full member of the Jackals, they would have to go a round with each of the other members in a ring. I’ve heard horrific stories about some of the outcomes.

“We’ve got to go,” Guard says, interrupting my thoughts.

“Yeah,” I sigh.

“Fucking glad to be rid of them,” Drifter mumbles.

“There’s always another monster that pops up,” Guard says. “Can’t get too comfortable, brother.”

“Christ! Let me enjoy the moment,” I counter.

Guard chuckles. “I get it. This”—he waves his hand out at the flames—“is over. But Etain”—he shakes his head—“has a cloud hanging over her. Eyes wide open, Hawk.”

I’ll never doubt Guard’s instincts. I’ve seen the results personally. I raise my hand and call out to my brothers for us to be on our way. I call Declan to check in, and he assures me that everything is good. Etain is asleep in her bed. I order him to stay inside the house until I get there. Guard reminds me that danger never sleeps.