26. Dragon

Chapter 26

Dragon

"I have to ride back to my woman and tell her that her son is dead, Dragon. My hijo precioso is gone. This will kill my woman. I am not going back until these fuckers are dead. I don't care if you ride with us. All I know is that this is going to end today. I want their heads. I want their blood on my hands and I'm not waiting."

"I'm with you. Our club is with you. Bull wants the same revenge that you're seeking, Skull. He and our clubs are out there trying to find his son's body as we speak. I'm just asking you to wait until I speak to him. He has a right to ride with us if that is what he chooses."

"We're an hour and a half from Rutledge. A couple of my men, along with the Saint's Outlaws, are already in position. I'll wait a few hours, but I want to attack them under the cover of night. We'll blast those motherfuckers while they're sleeping. We've been too easy on them. That will not happen any longer. I will personally lead the charge and fill the night with their screams of mercy, and I won't be soft. I will end them."

"We haven't been soft. We had to get the women back. We couldn't just storm in with guns blazing. It would have gotten them killed, Skull."

"Instead, it is my son who is dead. My. Son! "

"If we hadn't moved the way we did, it would have been your daughter! It was an impossible situation. I've lost one of my own, too. Breaker was a son to me, Skull?—"

"Except he wasn't He wasn't your blood. My son is gone. He's in a damn body bag awaiting transport back to Kentucky. It's not the same. Your sons are still there standing behind you—even the one you do not want!"

I don't think. I know he's hurting, and I should take that into consideration, but my emotions are too close to the surface, too. I stand up to face him so quickly that there's no way he can be prepared. My fist plows into his face with a sickening crunch. Skull holds his face and then he launches at me.

I take several hits before I land another to his gut. The anger I see in Skull's face is unlike anything I've seen from him before. I know he's unleashing his anger at Diego's senseless death. I decide to let him have it, and pull my punches. I just hit him enough to make it look convincing. Even though I may be getting older, I know I can take Skull any day of the week. I always could. He's strong, but he hasn't lived his whole life to survive the way I have. I deflect as many of the hits as I can, allowing him to pummel me as he screams out in anger and grief. The fight continues, time no longer matters. I take each hit, giving some of my own. They may not be with my full strength, but I know they land well enough to inflict pain, and I want to give him that. I know the pain will help him, too. He wants the hurt. He wants to concentrate on something besides the anguish of losing his son. So, I give that to him, partially because I do feel guilt. I couldn't have changed what happened, but if there was a way to go back in time, I would have gone on patrol and not sent Breaker. I know Skull is blaming himself, too. He volunteered Diego. That bitter fact is tearing him in two right now.

We exchange blows until we're both swaying on our feet. I know I need to end this. It falls on me. Skull will keep going until his body gives out. I wrap my arms around him, locking them on his back as he keeps trying to hit me in the gut. The punches are connecting, but there's not much juice behind them because I don't give him room to drawback to hit me. Finally, with frustration and sorrow, he screams, crumbling to the floor in agony. The room empties. My three sons are the last to leave. Three. That's going to take some time to get used to. Once they leave, Skull pulls away from me, letting the tears fall. I feel them stinging my eyes, too. I lean against the wall, bringing my knees up, bowing my head as the man loses himself to grief.

"I can't rest until I kill them, Dragon. I have to do this."

"I know. Nicole left this morning with Sabre, Shaft, and Dancer. She wanted to be with Beth until you got there."

"Mi Cielo. I don't know how she will survive this. I was supposed to protect her from pain. I vowed that I'd never let it touch her again after everything we went through. I failed her. I failed my son …"

"If there's one thing I've learned over the years, Skull, is that we can't stop the bad shit. It comes along with the good."

"What are you truly waiting for?" Skull asks, surprising me.

"I told you. Bull is out with others trying to find any trace of Breaker."

"Si, but I know you. There is more. I've been watching as you've been taking meeting after meeting with Hangman. What don't I know?"

"You've gotten sharper over the years, Skull." I scrub my face, erasing the evidence of my own tears.

"No," he denies. "You were just too engreído to see that others could be as cunning as you."

"Whatever," I scoff, and he gives a disgusted laugh, making me smile.

I don't understand the friendship that Skull and I share, but there's no denying it. For whatever reason, it's there. Somewhere along the line, I began to think of him as a brother, and despite our issues, I know he feels the same. Maybe it is because when it counted the most, he had my back. Steel is forged by the hottest of fires and the same can be said about friendships. When you go through hell together, the bond formed is unbreakable.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"I am. I just need a little more time to make sure what we've discovered is true."

He sighs. I expect him to question me further, but he surprises me by not pushing it. Instead, he changes the subject. "Did Gabriella go with Nicole?"

"No …"

"What? Did she cause trouble when you told her what had happened?"

"Uh, Skull, I don't think any of us told her. I assumed you did. We haven't really seen her this morning. I figure she is still sleeping. By the time we called it a night looking for Breaker, it was nearing four in the morning."

"She'll hear them talking when she finally decides to get out of bed," he says bitterly.

"Skull, she's your daughter. She just lost her brother. You need to?—"

"I can't deal with her right now. Beth was right. I spoiled her. I'm the reason that she has turned out the way she has."

"Skull, she's young?—"

"She was older than Diego. My son will never get to see her age and yet, he was more adult than her. The things she did to try to trap your son … It blows my fucking mind. That is not the daughter I raised, Dragon. That is not the Gabriella that I carry in my heart."

"Kids make mistakes, Skull."

"This mistake cost my son his life. If Gabby had left Dom alone, she wouldn't have been here. My son wouldn't have been here, helping me seek revenge in her name. She caused all of this."

"Papi."

Skull and I look up at the door to see a shattered Gabby. There's no doubt that she heard what her father just said.

"Gabriella—" Skull calls, but she interrupts him with her soft voice, devoid of any emotion.

"I'm going to have one of men take me into town so I can get a change of clothes. I don't have anything to wear home. Well, except for the outfit Ayita gave me when I got here. I won't be long. I would like to travel back for Diego …" Her body trembles as she tries to contain her pain. Sympathy for her fills me. I wait for Skull to go to her, but he doesn't move. "Diego's funeral," she continues. "BB has offered to take me back in the morning, if that's okay."

"Si," Skull answers, "that's fine."

She nods. "Thank you, Papi," she adds, not looking at him. In fact, she's looking anywhere but at him. She backs up, hastily shutting the door that neither Skull nor I heard open in the first place.

"Skull, you need to go talk with her."

"I will later. My mind is a mess, I am afraid of what I would say to her right now. I need to make sure I get vengeance for my son. Then, I will see to my daughter."

"Skull, she's not to blame for what happened to Diego. If you're going to blame someone, blame Eyeball and his crew. They're behind this. We did nothing to provoke this. Gabby got caught in the crossfire and sadly, I think she paid for it in ways a woman should never be subjected to."

"Si," he says. "I know this logically, but my brain is not logical at the moment. Anything I say to my daughter may hurt her more. I must see to everything else first. I will talk to her after that."

I don't truly agree, but I let it drop when my phone vibrates. Reaching down to the case that is clipped on my belt, I grab it. I grimace as I read the message. "Well, we can begin that vengeance a little early. I didn't want to tell you until Hangman had located the man and had him contained."

"What do you mean?" Skull asks as we stand.

"We've been trying to figure out how the Feral Kings found out what roads our boys were going to travel. We knew that they had already passed through that area. We couldn't figure out what made them turn around and ambush Breaker and Diego. There were only a handful of people who knew our plan. The rest were told we'd be attacking them in Rutledge. I carefully eliminated any of our guys that knew. No one we trusted would betray Breaker or Diego. That left the Outlaws."

"I assume you asked Hangman who knew from his club?"

"Yes, there were three people. Hangman and Viper are two that I trust. Dom has been close to Viper for a while. The same can be said about Breaker too."

"Who does that leave?"

I stare at Skull. "Their Sergeant of Arms, Ranger."

"Do we know where he is?"

"We do. They have him chained up and waiting for you. It seems your revenge will begin now, brother."

"Let's go," he growls, as I nod my agreement.

I'm hoping this will get him under control enough that he won't be a loose cannon when we attack the Feral Kings MC tonight. Knowing there won't be any containing Bull, I need at least one of them to listen to common sense. Releasing a pent-up breath, I hope all of this doesn't blow up in our faces.

We've lost too much as it is.