Havoc

Chapter 12

Grim

Itucked my arm under my head and stared at the stars that littered the sky. The top of the RV was a perfect spot to lie when at these parties. I was social, but I needed alone time to think. I’d left the dogs inside with Jesse, who also needed space to work on figuring out what Sonny was doing. We needed to find someone to take the fall, and preferably someone we could also pin Castillo’s murder on. It wasn’t a far stretch to have it be one person. Our worlds were interconnected enough. We just needed to get a solid story in place and not talk about it too much. A problem like this usually just took money to make it go away, but that wouldn’t work this time.

The tip of my joint glowed orange against the peppered sky, then it blurred as I let the smoke free. I wished pot would do more for my head. It used to, but it wasn’t enough anymore. I needed a woman to settle the chaos up there. The right kind of woman, I thought as I discarded the idea of calling Kelly. She’d pissed me off, anyway. We hadn’t come here together, and she needed to remember that. I belonged to no one. Besides, I couldn’t imagine her riding behind me on my bike.

Kenna’s behavior popped in my head, and I was instantly turned on. She was scrappy and had a wild streak that I liked. Sex with her was what I craved. As much as I hated to admit it, she was right. I’d been using other woman to fill the need when she wasn’t around. She drove me to a point where I broke, then I let loose with her.

In the heat of the night, I peeled my shoulders off the cushion and readjusted to a comfier position. It had to be at least a hundred degrees. The queen-sized cushion built into the roof was what sold me on this particular RV. I only wished it had some kind of cooling mechanism. I’d ditched my cut and shirt earlier when I climbed up there in just my jeans. The cool shower I had taken was already a distant memory.

The party was still going strong. Most had migrated over to the main firepit. I could hear the drunken chatter and the beat of the music. The smell of sex, sweat, and booze was thick in the night air.

“Hey.” Kenna’s voice found me. She had stepped out of Morgan’s trailer, and I could see she wore a scrap of white silk and ankle boots. She held a phone to her ear. “Where are you now?” I glanced at my wrist but remembered I was in MC mode. I never wore my watch when I was in this persona. I sat up and pulled out my phone. It was nearly two in the morning. I wondered who the hell she was talking to.

“You’re breaking up. You’re where?” She ran a hand through her hair, and I swung my legs over the edge and watched her. She opened a cooler and pulled out a bottle of water. She downed about half of it then held the bottle to her forehead, no doubt for the bit of relief it offered. “No, please don’t.” She shook her head as if the person stood in front of her. “Dad doesn’t need to know.”

“Whooo!” a guy shouted, and it drew her attention for a moment as he stumbled around with his hand on his fly. She turned her back as the guy wandered off looking for a place to relieve himself.

“Wait. He did what?” She moved the bottle to her neck and down her chest as she grew frustrated. “Of course, Dad took his side.” She covered her forehead with her hand and sighed. “It would’ve been nice if maybe he asked me what happened instead of believing someone who isn’t even family.” I guessed she referred to the situation with Sasha.

“No, Mom, I’m fine. Grim’s security was there.”

“Hey,” Jesse had climbed up and plunked down next to me, “got a second?”

“Mm,” I answered and nodded at Kenna, “just watchin’.” Jesse smirked but hid it with his hand as I raised a brow at him. I went back to my joint.

“I was just talking to my guys.” Jesse lowered his voice. “Sonny called everyone he knows.”

“I figured as much. He loved Matt like a brother.” I couldn’t believe Kenna was connected to this shit storm.

“Grim,” Jesse’s tone made me look at him, “Tony Farrell is on his way to Vegas.” I frowned as I felt that bomb drop. The Fentanyl Father dared come to my city. I don’t think so.

“I see.”

“Sonny called him. I know you guys have some bad blood.”

“That’s an understatement.”

“True, but maybe we just let him come, poke around, then send him off in a different direction.”

“If I don’t react to his visit, he’ll get more suspicious.” I closed my eyes and took a moment to calm my nerves. We were being hit from multiple directions, and we needed to stay level and play our parts well.

“Hey,” Jesse pointed, “check it out. He must have got by me when I opened the door.”

Leal slowly moved toward Kenna where she sat on the trailer steps.

“Fucking desert,” Kenna cursed at her phone, and she shook it. The call must have dropped. When she spotted Leal, her shoulders went back. “You still on duty?” She huffed out an unsure breath as he came a few steps closer. “Well, you’ll be happy to know there’s no one to cock block, thanks to your boss and his oh-so-fabulous timing.” I grinned at her words and wondered what was going through Leal’s head.

“Should I go get him?” Jesse eyed me.

“No.” I wanted to see what he was up to. He sat a few feet away and simply watched her. His ears twitched as if hyper-tuned to the party.

“You watch me like he does,” Kenna huffed and sipped her water, “and just like him, I’ve no idea what you’re thinking.” She chuckled. “I bet those handsome ears of yours hear a lot back at the hotel. I bet you could answer some questions for me.” She wiped her hand on her hip.

“She’s asking for trouble wearing that out there,” Jesse mused at me then chuckled to himself when I didn’t take his bait. “Well, I’m going to go find me someone to play with.” He lifted his beer in a salute. “Night.”

“Mm,” I answered. I took a last puff then eased myself over to the ladder and slid to the ground without a sound. Leal looked over at me, but I was hidden from him in the darkness.

“What do you see, Leal?” Kenna sounded nervous, and she slowly pushed off the step. She looked relieved when I stepped into the light. She crossed her arms, and I could see our earlier conversation was still in the front of her mind.

“You think it’s smart being out here in that?” I pointed to the scrap of silk that barely covered her ass.

“I could ask you the same thing.” She nodded at my bare chest.

“I can handle myself.” I smirked at her, and her chin lifted as I stepped in close.

“And as history has proved, so can I. How’s Kelly, by the way?

I shrugged. “Haven’t seen her.”

“I figured she’d be grinding away on your lap right about now.”

“Jealous, Kenna?”

“He who claimed me as his in front of the entire party asks me if I’m jealous?” She arched her brow as I ran a finger along her hip and drew the silk higher up her leg. We both looked toward the fire as a shout rang out.

“Those guys are animals.” I found her eyes again.

“That from you, Grim?” She huffed as she dragged her fingertips down my chest. I sucked in a deep breath at how intense it felt. “What are you with me?” She tilted her head back, and her hair fell away from my favorite spot.

“A fucking savage.” I slammed her body to mine and hungrily kissed her mouth. She didn’t miss a beat and matched my intensity. My hand moved over the curve of her bare ass and under her thong. I could feel the hype building inside me, and I picked her up and carried her into the shadow of the RV. We didn’t need an audience. She was mine to devour, and I could barely contain myself.

Bang!A vibration traveled through both of us where our ribs were pressed against each other. She yelped into the kiss, and we both pulled away to look around.

“What the hell was that?” She looked up at me with big eyes. Leal growled, and he raced to my feet.

“Bomb, I think.”

Semi-automatics could be heard off in the distance, and I pushed her to the ground.

“Stay low.”

“Grim!” Jesse yelled as he threw open the RV door and handed me my handgun plus a shotgun.

More bullets and screams found our ears, and I knew it wasn’t our guys.

“Kenna, get inside.” I pulled her to her feet and pushed her toward the door. Zhar was on high alert next to me. I stepped in behind her and shoved a gun into her hand. “Point and shoot,” I pointed to the clip, “push here, let it fall, add the next. Got it?”

“Wait,” she held the gun awkwardly then set it on the table and whirled around to stare at me, “you can’t leave me here!”

“Walls are bulletproof, and you’re surrounded by weapons.” I open a cabinet to show her more guns. “No one’s coming in. Only open the door for the girls, me, or Jesse.” Bullets sprayed closer, and I knew I needed to go. I was ready to kill whoever dared to touch the club.

“Gates!” Trigger called from outside, and I looked out and saw him and the guys ready to do battle.

“Don’t leave here, Kenna,” I grabbed her head and kissed her hard, “that’s a Goddamn order!” I pressed my finger into her chest to drive my point home and called my boys to my side.

“What do we know?” I yelled as I came up to the guys.

“Stripe Backs,” Trigger snarled, his eyes filled with hate. “Fuckers came down the mountain and attacked the west side.”

“Do we know why?”

“Does it fuckin’ matter?” Trigger grinned and slapped me on the back.

“Well, let’s go break some bones.” I grinned back and hefted the shotgun to my shoulder as we spread out. I threw an order to the dogs, and they melted into the shadows.

Brick was next to me and pointed with his head as we drew close to the main fire. The smell of fuel and chemicals hung heavy in the air. A few guys lay nearby, and I could tell by their cuts they were from our New York Chapter. More bodies, mangled from the blast, were close by. We moved forward together and found more bodies, some shot in the head or stabbed to death. Some of them women. It helped fuel our hate for what was to come.

“This way!” one of the guys from a different chapter called out. “Grab your bikes. Some went that way!” Several of his men jumped on their bikes and fired up their engines and tore off across the desert.

Zip! Zip!Bullets flew by my shoulder, and I ducked for cover behind a van where I nearly fell over Rail.

“Howdy, brother!” He grinned at me. “I’m waitin’ that fucker out.” He pointed to a Stripe Back who’d been shot in the thigh. We watched as he dragged himself across the sand and called out for his buddies to help him. “Guess you almost got caught in the crosshairs.” He grinned again apologetically.

“How many?” I saw the top of a guy’s head as he peeked out the doorway of one the trailers.

“It’s a whole litter.” He chuckled. “At least five.”

“Five?” I looked around at the chaos that surrounded us, then looked back at the trailer. “How many are there in there?”

“Don’t know.” He paused as more shots were fired our way. “More than five, though.”

Click click click. The shooter was empty. I grinned at Rail, and we both hopped up and fired. Our bullets tore holes through the tin trailer. We moved forward as Morgan covered us and emptied his semi-automatic into the trailer.

Rail smashed the butt of his gun in a guy’s face as we ran by. The sound was deafening. Screams and gunfire seemed to come from everywhere. Rail charged the trailer like Rambo and disappeared inside. I was hard on his heels.

Blood and bodies lay strewn about, but no one fired.

“Anticlimactic.” Rail shrugged and ran back outside.

“Jesus.” I took a quick look around the area from the doorway before I followed him.

Havoc had been unleashed upon us.

Boom!

We were tossed like toys from the blast of another explosion. I rolled on my back to see a trailer blow up into the sky.

“Fuck!” Rail called out. “That was Tristen’s!”

What the hell! These were our brothers, part of my family, and we were being ambushed by these asshole Stripe Backs.

“Grim!” Jesse called, and I hurried over. “There’s four over there.” He pointed. “Trigger and Brick are on them.” He looked over my shoulder. “Morgan just took out three more, but there’s a small pack I lost visual on after that blast.” He coughed from the smoke around us. “What the fuck are they using to blow the trailers?”

“Something strong.” I blinked the sting from my eyes. “Come on!”

We stayed low as we made our way back the way we’d come. A woman’s scream tore through the night. I ran toward it and found a Stripe Back trying to get her on his bike. I rammed the guy, and we both toppled over the bike. I rolled and jumped to my feet, ready to fight, but the guy had hit his head and was out. That was a waste. I stomped hard on his chest and felt the satisfying crunch of his ribs.

“You good?” I asked the girl, who nodded then took off running.

“That fucker took out my trailer.” I whirled at the sound of Tristen’s voice. He held a hand to his bloody head. “Should’ve seen his face when I shot his buddy in the neck.” I saw a gash on his head as he took his hand away. “Go,” he waved me off, “I still got one good eye.”

I didn’t hesitate to get back in the fight. I moved around another trailer, hoping to hell it wasn’t going to go off, and spotted a man coming up behind Trigger where he fought with two others.

I steadied my hand, squinted, and drilled two bullets into his skull just as Trigger knocked out one of the men and knifed the other almost at the same time. He looked at the man behind him then at me. He gave a quick nod.

“Grim!” Kelly shot out from somewhere and slammed into my chest. “Oh, my God, you have to get me out of here!”

Fuck!

“Get her to my trailer,” Trigger drawled.

“No, no, no!” She started to flip out, so I slammed my hand down on her mouth so as not to draw attention to us.

“Shut up!” I growled in her ear, and she nodded, her eyes wild.

“Please, Grim,” she clawed at my arm, “please don’t leave me!”

“Fuck!” I hissed and pulled her next to me.

“They had me then dumped me,” she hiccupped, “just because I don’t have long—” I pressed a hand over her mouth again to shut her up.

“Grim!” Morgan pointed in the direction of our trailers. He held up three fingers indicating three Stripe Backs were headed that way.

“Come on! Stay behind me.” I urged Kelly to follow, and we raced across the open area. She tripped over a dead body, and I caught her before she fell. As we got close to Trigger’s trailer, I saw Minnie’s head peek up from behind a cooler. When she saw it was me, she covered her mouth. “What the hell are you doing out of the trailer?” Was she insane? “Get in!” I opened the door and pushed Kelly inside. Minnie grabbed my arm, and I looked at her.

“I heard something.”

“Not now, Min!” I lifted her off her feet and tossed her inside with Kelly. “Lock it,” I yelled. I whirled around and saw Brick, Rail, and Morgan running toward me.

Someone grabbed me from behind and pulled me between the two trailers. I twisted in his hold and saw the end of an assault rifle pointing at my face. I quickly grabbed the barrel and forced it under my arm, so it pointed down at the ground as he pressed the trigger. Bullets kicked up the sand around us, and I snapped my elbow into his face and yanked the weapon from his hand. I let it fall as I snapped his wrist. His scream was cut short by the heel of my boot as it crushed his cheekbone.

“You good?” Brick stopped short when he saw the guy on the ground. “Shit!”

“Just one got away.” Rail sucked on a cig that hung from his lips. His lungs wheezed for clean air as he held his gun and pointed.

“Call it in to the others.” I looked where he pointed and ran toward my trailer.

Boom!

I was thrown off my feet, and my ears roared. I hit the ground hard and fought the black spots that threatened my vison. Fire licked at my skin as Brick and Morgan grabbed my arms and pulled me back. It registered that my trailer just went up in flames.

Kenna!

“No!” I pushed the guys off and stumbled to get my balance. I blinked a few times and finally got the ringing in my head to stop. I raced toward the fire, but the flames had already engulfed it. A grip of steel closed around my upper arm.

“Grim, stop.” Trigger’s growl cut through my brain.

“Grim?” Minnie was suddenly in front of me with a wild expression as she tried to get me to focus on her. “Was Kenna in there?” At my nod, she burst into tears and reached out as Tess crashed into her and they hugged.

“There’s nothin’ left,” Trigger said quietly. “Fuck me.” He grabbed Tess and pulled her close.

“Fuck!” I screamed.

“Come here.” Kelly put her arms around me and started to sob as she tried to comfort me.

The sound of my dogs barking brought me out of it. I pushed her hands away and ran toward their call. Their barks grew loud as I ran through the dark. I held out my phone light so I didn’t trip and almost stepped on a dead guy. I tried to slow down as caution rang in my head. I could imagine a gun pointed at me but ignored it as I continued to run toward the boys.

“Leal,” I called as I saw him. He and his brother stood in front of a pickup truck. It wasn’t one of ours. “What is it?” I asked quietly with my weapon out as I slowly moved around the front of the vehicle. The light from my phone spread out in front of me. It suddenly lit up a man. Blood ran from what was left of his face; he was half in and half out of the driver’s seat. I heard a sound next to him and flipped the light up. I nearly pulled the trigger in reaction.

“Kenna?” My chest loosened a few notches as relief spread over me.

“Grim?” she cried, but she didn’t move. She kept her eyes locked forward, stiff as a statue. “Is he dead?” Her voice was odd, and it sent a chill up my back.

“Yes.” I looked around at the pickup truck, wondering what I was missing. I could hear the guys as they arrived behind me.

“Are you sure he’s dead?” she repeated.

“I can see inside his brain, so, yeah, he’s dead.” I pulled the body out and let him slump to the ground.

“No! Don’t do that!” She squeezed her eyes shut and tears leaked out. “Grim, go!”

“What?”

“Please,” she sobbed. “He said my seat’s rigged.”

I froze at her words then felt a strange calmness come over me. I tucked my gun away and turned to Trigger.

“Fuck.” Trigger held up a hand as he began to circle the truck.

“Just stay still.” I fought to think clearly. “I’m not going anywhere,” I assured her as Trigger carefully opened her door and leaned down to look under her seat. “Tell me what happened. Why did you leave the trailer?”

“I did what you said. I heard them at the door.” She licked her lips, and I could see her try to pull herself together. “I didn’t open it, but they pried it open and came rushing in. I shot one of them in the leg.” She sounded pleased at that.

“What did they say?”

“They were looking for you,” she sniffed, “and me.” That made me look at her hard.

“Okay.” I coached her on as Trig and the guys had a confab. I hoped they’d come up with something. I saw Morgan turn toward the truck.

“They brought explosives inside the trailer.” Her voice went higher as Morgan reached in and brushed her leg.

“It’s okay, hun,” he patted her again, “I just need to see what I’m working with here.”

“Keep going,” I prompted her to keep her focus on me and swallowed back the bile that threatened to choke me. My anger boiled as I forced myself to stay where I was and talk to her.

“Ah, I told them you were in the restroom and when they went that way I jumped up, shot the one who stayed with me in the stomach, and tore off this way.”

“Nice.” I tried to smile, but it made my face hurt. “Then what?”

“I didn’t get too far ’cause someone grabbed me and threw me on the ground.” She paused. “He tried to, um…” She squeezed her eyes shut and scrunched up her face, and I felt a level of rage I hadn’t felt before pour over me. “But I rammed my heel into his testicles, ending that idea.”

“I do love your heels,” I growled and slowly pushed that fear out of my head.

She kept going. “He made me get in the truck, said all kinds of things no woman wants to hear, then told me if I tried to run, my seat would blow up. Jesus, Grim, Morgan, please get the guys out of here. Go!” I could see she was starting to lose it.

“You think I’d miss this?” Morgan popped up and grinned at her. “We live for this shit, darlin’.” He kissed her cheek and dropped back down beside her.

I urged her to keep talking. “You left out the best part. How’d you kill him?”

“I didn’t.”

That made me look at her.

“Someone else did.”

“Who?”

“Don’t know.” She shook her head. “Suddenly someone was shooting at us, and he got hit in the head.”

“You good, Kenna?” Brick asked from behind me.

“I’m sitting on a bomb, so I’ve been better.” She tried to sound strong.

Morgan was suddenly next to me. “Fuckin’ mess,” he whispered. “Want a look?”

“I’m just going to move around the truck now. Okay, Kenna, give me a sec.” I tried to sound reassuring.

“I’m not going anywhere.” Her voice shook as she tried to joke.

The guys stepped back as I looked under her seat at what Morgan pointed out. I ran the tip of my finger where he indicated and felt a wire, then slid it down to where it was attached to the explosive. Fuck.

“Got a knife?” I asked over my shoulder.

“No, please, Grim. Just go,” Kenna pleaded.

“When have I ever taken an order from you?” I wiggled the knife along one of the panels. If I could just free the pressure sensor from the source, I could disarm it. “Like Morgan said, we live for this shit.” I gave her a reassuring grin as Trigger handed me his knife.

“At least move the boys back,” she whispered, and I went still. I realized she could see Leal and Zhar in front of the truck. They both stood still and silently stared at us. I used Spanish and ordered the boys away then got back to work.

“Trigger?”

“They’re gone,” he drawled.

Good.

“He’ll get you out safe.” Trigger tried his best to comfort her as I gently worked the panel free. “Mexico taught him some.” I chuckled and thought how true that was.

“Castillo’s men loved blowing shit up,” I added as I moved to a better angle. “It kept their hands clean.” I caught Trigger’s eye, then when he nodded, I flipped the panel free and cut the wire. “Coward’s way of offering souls to the reaper, if you ask me.” I let out a breath and held up the wire. “Time to go.”

“I’m good here.” She locked her muscles.

“No.” I hooked my arms around her and lifted her straight up.

“Grim!” She buried her face in my neck. In that second with her in my arms, Trigger and I leapt away from the truck. Nothing.

“See,” I breathed as I placed her on her feet. “Everything’s?—”

Boom!The truck became a fireball. Kenna screamed as I angled her away from the blast.

“Whoo! Nice tuck-n-roll, Trig,” Rail cheered. “That was intense!”

“Jesus.” Morgan checked his limbs then hooted as he patted around and felt his dick was still in place.

My grip around Kenna loosened as she pulled back to look around. Her hands shook when she ran them through her hair. The light from the flames flickered across her tear-streaked face while the shadows around us danced.

“It’s okay,” I breathed.

“Yeah.” Her voice broke as the guys all gathered around us.

“Shit, what’s with these guys and explosives?” Brick shouted, and we all looked at the fires around us. The stink of gasoline and smoke made our eyes run. “What the fuck was that all about?”

“Stripe Backs trying to make a fuckin’ statement. Better be the last of ’em,” Trigger grunted, rubbing sand from his Mohawk. “You good?” he asked Kenna.

“Yeah,” she repeated, her expression stunned.

“Let’s go.” Trigger turned, and we all hurried back toward the burning trailers. Trig’s famous party spot looked like a war zone. The guys immediately went to check their bikes. Trigger’s face was like stone, but I saw his look of relief that they were okay. They all went to inspect the damage to their respective trailers and gear.

“Hey, Grim,” Brick lit a joint as he approached, “we caught one.” I looked over at him.

“Where?” I snapped my knuckles, feeling my skin heat.

“By Morgan’s trailer.”

I glanced over at Kenna and saw she was in conversation with Morgan.

“Hey,” I made her look over, “you think you can ID someone?” She nodded.

We hurried over to where Tristan and Oz stood next to Morgan’s trailer. The guy had his legs and arms bound. I pointed him out to Kenna.

“Do you recognize him?”

She stepped around me and didn’t hesitate. “He was the one in charge, when they came in the trailer.”

“Is he the one who touched you?” I rubbed my thumb over my fingers, feeding the rage inside me. “Kenna.”

“He never got to do much.” Her lips twitched and she held her head high. I saw her touch her chest, and my gaze dropped to her breasts that were outlined in white silk. The idea of anyone putting their hands on her made me itch to break something.

I slowly turned and faced the son of bitch who had just had his fate sealed with me.

“Rail, gimme your cig.” He didn’t hesitate and held it out. I bent over the man and pulled his head back, then held the tip above the man’s eye. “Why?”

“Fuck you,” he spat, and I pushed the cigarette into his pupil and relished his screams. He screamed and bucked while I let it eat away his vision. “Shit, shit, shit!” I pulled it out and let him drop. Leal and Zhar materialized from somewhere and approached. Both bared their teeth and growled.

“Why?” I repeated as he groaned and shook his head in pain. I untied his arms and grabbed one, then with a practiced jerk, popped it out of the socket and snapped his forearm in one movement.

He screamed in agony.

“Why?” I tried again as I studied him. The guys stood by and watched. They knew this was my kill. “Fine.” I snapped his other wrist, and he writhed in pain. His bound legs thumped against the ground.

“Breath through it,” I advised as I jerked the first arm again.

“All right, all right!” His face was blood red and sweat rolled down his cheeks. “We came for you!” He heaved then looked over my shoulder. “And for her.”

I hid my emotions well, but something shifted inside.

“You got one good eye, so you better get explaining,” I warned.

“Once Big D’s son took over the Santa Monica chapter, shit went sideways.” He gasped in pain then hurried on when he saw my arm move. “He…he might want peace with your fuckin’ club,” he directed his comment at Trigger, “but the rest of us don’t. Us original guys want nothin’ to do with you, or you, fuckin’ rich boy.” He spat dangerously close to my feet, and I kicked at his broken wrist and was rewarded with a scream. “All right, all right,” he huffed and licked spit from the edges of his mouth. His blackened eye made him look like a madman. “We know about Caleb’s meeting with you all. He’s weak as shit. Won’t last a fuckin’ month. We ain’t like him. We want Vegas. We’ll start our own division, an’ we got the money comin’ in to make that happen.”

That caught my interest.

“We’re gonna take over!” Spit flew as he yelled.

“You can fuckin’ try.” Trigger stood with his arms folded and looked at him like the piece of shit he was.

“We already have,” he sneered. “Your rich buddy’s hotel was just the start of what’s to come. When you don’t have a pres to answer to, you can make deals with whoever you want. We got ourselves a deal, and it’s a good one.” He lifted his head to glare at me; his bravado was pathetic.

“Making deals like that will punch your ticket to an early grave,” I advised him, but he shook my comment off and turned his attention to Kenna.

“That’s where you come in, bitch.” I fought not to kick him again. We needed the info he was spewing, and he wasn’t long for this world.

“What do I have to do with this?” She stepped forward but I held out an arm to make her stay where she was.

“That’s right,” he chuckled, “listen to your boyfriend, darlin’. He made the mistake of calling you his at Caleb’s meeting. Seems the reaper does have a weakness.”

“Well, lucky for us, you won’t be around long enough to report anything to your crew.” I licked my lips and waited for the moment I could end his life.

“I ain’t afraid to meet my maker. Shit, I’ve scored lots of points with him.” He spat again and gave a pain-filled laugh. “It’s not me you need to worry about.” He aimed a one-eyed leer at Kenna. “Watch out, pretty lady. When you surround yourself with dark shit, evil has a way of finding you.”

I quickly closed the gap between us and drilled my fist as hard as I could into his chin. Blood sprayed as his jaw cracked from the blow and he slammed into the ground. Tristan pulled him upright again, and I grabbed a fistful of his hair and drilled my knee into what was left of his face. I punched him furiously over and over. I could feel the bones shatter under my fists.

“You don’t need to see this.” Tess urged Kenna inside Morgan’s trailer.

I didn’t stop, even after they left. I couldn’t feel my fists. It wasn’t until Trigger pulled me off and he and Rail dragged me toward the trailer that I snapped back to reality.

“Hey,” Trigger got in my face and held me hard against the siding, “there’s nothing left.”

“We need to send them a message.” I heaved for air.

“Leave somethin’ to send.” He pointed with his chin toward the mangled body. “It’s time to stop takin’ the hits.” Trigger’s intense gaze made me listen; he never spoke more than he needed to. “Time you made a decision.”

“What?” I needed to think.

“You know what,” his eyes burned through me, and I could see he meant Kenna, “and make it fast.” He pushed off and looked at Brick. “You and Morgan round up the prospects. This shit better be cleaned up by mornin’.” He tore open the door to his trailer. “Where the fuck’s Kenna?”

“Morgan’s trailer.” Minnie’s voice was low and cautious.