34. Chapter Thirty-Two

The Gianelli family owned several boat slips along the lake. At one point, the head of the mob family, Vince Spinelli, had owned a mansion along the beach. When he died, his wife made sure the house stayed in the crime family. After sixty years, they still owned it.

The locals didn’t seem to mind being neighbors with the mob. Out of sight, out of mind? As long as they kept the worst their crimes in the city, no one seemed to care.

But they cared about so many bikers roaring through their rich lake town. A few people came out of their beachside mansions and watched as though they were a parade. Izzy was used to the stares.

After it was all over and he had a chance to talk with Daruss, they’d talk about not leaving their targets alive. They needed to save the victims and eliminate the problem. Follow through to the point no one was left alive to get revenge. They’d made a mistake by leaving them alive.

The yacht club was one of the only actual businesses around, minus a gas station on the corner. The club was just a building with public bathrooms and a couple of vending machines.

Unlike the residential part of town, the area around the club had been abandoned. Given the cooler temperatures and the fall weather setting in, it was no wonder. Very few boats were still housed in the slips. Somewhere above water. Winterization had already begun.

Dusk was setting in.

They parked in the lot.

“We should hide our bikes. If we need to shift and someone sees us they might put two and two together.” Nash was the most sensible out of all of them.

“I don’t give a fuck who sees my dragon.” Izzy was the only one who knew Ulises and Todd were on a boat. But everyone else would figure it out soon enough.

He walked over to Gavin’s truck and undressed, throwing his clothing into the bed of his truck.

Daruss didn’t question him, but did the same.

Gavin was the one who asked the obvious. “What do you know, Iz?”

“Ulises is coherent. He and Todd are on a boat on the lake. Along with six others.” Izzy was halfway through stripping as he spoke.

I think I can get the door unlocked. Hearing Ulises brought tears to his eyes.

And then Todd spoke and Izzy’s dragon went crazy. He wanted to shift but needed to talk to the guys. They needed a game plan.

I got his back, Daddy.

I’m coming, boys. We’re at the marina.

Is Seryn there? Tell him my magic is strong but it’s because I want to protect Todd.

I’ll protect you too, Ully. Todd seemed cool under pressure. They might need that if they had to fight.

“Landry. As soon as we get the victims off the boat, I want you to light it up,” Daruss said and then searched the group before meeting Izzy’s gaze. “The rest of us will focus on getting the victims to safety.”

“You’re worried about me doing what? Killing those fuckers before I get my boys out of there.” Izzy growled. “Fuck you, Daruss. My boys are everything. Fuck everyone else.”

Daruss nodded. “Good. Let’s go.”

Oh no! Someone is coming into the room! Todd was the one who said that.

Izzy ran for the water, shifting halfway there and then taking off.

“Shit! Izzy.” Daruss yelled.

Izzy didn’t care about anything but getting to Ulises and Todd.

Shots were fired. Izzy wasn’t sure where they came from but they didn’t come from a boat so far out on the water.

Izzy turned and saw Nash on the ground clutching his leg. He looked pissed but otherwise would be fine. He would needed to shift.

Several of the crew had shifted.

Three expensive-looking black sedans waited on the other side of the parking lot. The barrel of a gun glinted out of a rolled-down window.

Izzy wondered if the human gangsters inside were shocked to see dragons coming at them.

Izzy had a choice. He could go after his boys or help his family

It was an easy decision to make. I’m coming, babies.

Ulises put up a dome. They can’t get at us. But we can’t get out. Should I fight them off.

No. Wait for me. I’ll be there in minutes. Less if Izzy could fly fast enough.

The boat was a speck on the horizon, but the closer Izzy got the more he understood how big the thing was. It was a yacht, not that Izzy had seen one before. Not up close anyway.

When he landed on the bow in his dragon form, the boat swayed under his weight. He shifted.

Izzy sniffed the air, trying to catch Todd and Ulises’ scents. Once he had them, he hurried down steps that led below deck.

A guard stood at the bottom.

He turned but he wasn’t fast enough. Izzy rushed him. He kept his hands shifted and used his claws, raking them across the guard’s throat. The guard had his finger on the trigger, and it went off during his descent into death.

Izzy tore along the narrow corridor, half-shifted and ready to take out anyone who got between him and finding his boys.

Two men in suits came at him. Only one had a gun. He got a shot off, but Izzy didn’t even feel it. The impact knocked him back a step.

They didn’t know about shifters. Izzy could tell based on the fear in their expressions.

Izzy had the element of shock on his side. He was also faster than a human and he was way more pissed off. He roared as he knocked the guy with the gun to the dock, grabbing it when he lost his balance. Since he had one of the guys under control, he shifted one hand and killed them in quick succession.

He kept the gun.

His boys were close. He could smell them. He could sense Ulises’ magic. The scent of it was unique, as if he were something else other than a warlock. He smelled like rain, sunshine, vanilla and lemon, all mixed into one person.

Izzy growled when someone yelled. It sounded like Todd, but the yell didn’t contain pain. No, it sounded more like a war cry. And then Todd yelled, “You are dead men walking. Every last one of you.”

Amen to that.

When shots were fired, Izzy ran. He’d kept his cool up to that point. Well, mostly. He’d never once shown how much he panicked until the moment when he pictured his boys in a bloody heap dying from gunshot wounds.

That couldn’t be what had happened. Please. I can’t lose them.