Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 72617 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72617 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 363(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
I could feel the demons within stirring.
I didn’t try and fight them.
Instead, I invited them to wreak havoc. It was something Stitch was teaching me to do, and for the first time, I finally understood what I needed to do. I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths, and it wasn’t long before the memories came rushing in. I didn’t fight the anger and the hurt that came with them. Instead, I let them envelop me, and it wasn’t long before my anxiety subsided and was replaced with a sense of eagerness.
I tightened my hold on the shotgun and waited with anticipation.
I could almost taste the bitter tang of revenge in the air.
The asshole had it coming—not just for killing Bruton’s men, but for all the innocents he’d murdered at that gas station. He was reckless and cold hearted, and he would soon pay for all of his transgressions. I was relishing in the thought when I heard it—a faint echo of footsteps reverberating through the warehouse.
My senses sharpened, and my heart started pounding louder than ever before. I gripped my weapon tightly, ready to confront the darkness that lurked in the corners. With each approaching step, the tension mounted. I could hear him, but I couldn’t see him. He was well hidden in the shadows. I scanned the darkness, searching for any sign of movement, but there was none.
It was like the guy was a fucking ghost.
I broke the silence by calling out to him, “There’s no sense hiding. I know you’re...”
Gunfire erupted, cutting me off before I could finish my thought. Bullets whipped through the air, tearing into crates and walls, leaving behind trails of splintered wood and shredded cardboard. But none were in my direction. He still had no clue where I was.
I used the flash of the gunfire as my guide as I returned fire, hoping that I might actually hit him. I didn’t, and the motherfucker retreated into the shadows once again. He moved silently, his steps masked by the sounds of the ocean or random barges passing by.
He shot again, and I immediately returned fire.
We went back and forth for what seemed like hours.
I had to give it to him. The guy was good. He’d fire, then disappear before I had the chance to make a decent shot. I was growing frustrated and low on ammo when I spotted Maverick coming in through the back entrance. Two Bit and Savage followed after, and seconds later, I caught a glimpse of Torch and Rooster at one of the side windows.
They were there.
I should’ve been relieved, but I wasn’t.
I figured if I’d seen them, then the psycho hitman had seen them, too.
I wasn’t going to take any chances on one of them getting hurt, so I stepped out of hiding and charged towards the location of his last round of gunfire.
For every shot I fired, he shot back, round after round.
The brothers joined in, and the warehouse erupted in an explosion of gunfire, the sharp cracks and thunderous blasts echoing off the walls. Smoke from discharged weapons further obscured my visibility, adding to the disorienting atmosphere. But I continued to shoot. I was about to run out of ammo when a bullet finally found its mark.
He crumpled to the ground, and I thought that was the end of it.
It wasn’t.
The asshole kept shooting. I was out of ammunition, so Savage stepped up to the plate. He could’ve just shot him in the head and ended it right then and there. But that would’ve been too easy. He kicked his AK-47 out of reach, then shot him in the thigh. The stranger didn’t scream out in agony. He simply lay there glaring at Savage as Savage asked, “You got a name?”
“Yeah, I got one.”
“What is it?”
“Hector.”
“Okay, Hector.” I could tell by his expression Savage didn’t believe him, but he pressed forward and asked, “Who hired you?”
He didn’t answer.
I wasn’t surprised.
A man like him wasn’t going to talk without a good deal of coercing, so I wasn’t surprised when Cotton said, “Enough of this bullshit. Load him up in the truck and take him back to the clubhouse. We’ll get him to talk there.”
“You got it, Prez.”
Hector wasn’t a small man, so it took both Savage and Torch to get him to his feet. I figured he would’ve resisted, but he didn’t. He simply let them carry him out of the warehouse and into Two Bit’s SUV. Once they had him loaded, Cotton turned to me and asked, “You okay?”
“Better now.”
He motioned his head towards Bruton’s truck as he asked, “You ready to get the hell outta here?”
“More than ready.”
“Good deal.” He started out to the parking lot as he ordered, “Let’s roll.”
We all loaded up in our various vehicles and made our way back to the clubhouse. Torch and Savage took Hector to the playroom, and I was on my way to join them when Cotton stopped me and said, “You’ve had a long one. Call it a night and get some rest.”