Chapter 23 RINGO
Idon’t know who these fuckers are, but whoever hired them will fucking pay for this.
Two more men burst through the entrance where the front door used to be. They’re dressed in all black, their faces covered, and the fuckers have night vision goggles on.
Talk about an unfair fucking advantage.
By now, one of the neighbours would have heard the war raging in this tiny, shitty little seaside cottage. Normally I don’t want the pigs to get involved, but if getting cops here means keeping my wife and Bobbi safe, then fuck, I hope someone has called for help already.
“Come on, motherfucker. Come and get me!” I snarl, as fuckwad number one strolls in so fucking casually, that I’m kind of impressed.
Why they aren’t shooting anymore is anyone’s guess, but the moment he unsheathes a knife Hush would be proud of, I grin.
I don’t mind me a little bit of hand to knife combat. Especially since we are all out of bullets. The only gun loaded is the one I gave Abbey.
We came here with seven men, plus me and Abbey. We’ve lost communication with Stocky and Trunk, and I try not to think about what that means, because I need my head right here, right now, doing everything I can to make sure these fuckers die.
I saw Trigger’s body just before when I ducked my head out to check on him. There are so many bullet holes in him that I know it’s going to be hard to identify who he is.
We know who he is… was. He died trying to protect my wife and baby, and for that, I will make sure his name is never forgotten in our club.
So with three men down, I’m left with four, all of us with zero ammo, and right now, JD and Murf are hiding, ready to attack from behind, while Vender and I lure the fuckers to us. Meanwhile, Mex has already snuck out on the beach side, and should be closing in from behind any minute.
“Where’s the baby?” the fuckwad asks as he approaches, but I just shake my head.
“No baby here, arsehole. You picked the wrong fucking house.”
The cunt laughs. “Nice try, but we know the kid is here. Just hand her over and we’ll let you live.”
Vender scoffs. “Un-fucking-likely.”
“Have it your way,” the other tosser snaps, his shoulders tensing as they step into the tiny living room, and I shift backwards, luring them in further.
In the blink of an eye, they attack, lunging for me and Vender.
With my focus on the guy attacking me, I manage to dodge the swipe of his blade, swinging my fist in an uppercut which rattles him enough to stagger, and then I reach for his night vision goggles, tearing the fuckers from his head.
He snarls something incredulous at me, his sharp blade slicing across my arm, and I manage to grab his wrist, holding the knife back as we wrestle, falling to the floor.
His knife clatters away, and the melee becomes a rampage of fists and elbows as we pummel each other.
The crack of a gun doesn’t stop this fucker from throwing fists, and I have to hope everyone is okay as my men yell, and there’s more chaos close by.
In my worry for my team, my momentum gets thrown off, and I find myself under this crazy fucker, giving him the advantage.
I take a brutal hit to my temple, making me see stars, but I keep my focus on the blade just near my hand on the floor.
“There’s more!” Mex calls from somewhere, and bullets start spraying the fucking cabin again.
Fucking hell. I thought these were the last two.
Just as my fingers find the knife, the guy above me, gearing up to swing another punch, flies forward with the crack of another shot, blood spraying from his head, showering down over me.
Trying not to get this fucker’s blood in my mouth, I shove him off me and sit up to see Mex holding a gun.
“I thought we were out of bullets,” I snap, lurching to my feet to see Vender doing the same, the guy he was fighting now dead too.
“I found… Trunk.”
I freeze, already knowing what’s happened, yet still not fucking prepared for it.
It also explains why there’s no fucking silencer.
“Is he…” JD trails off, and Mex nods.
“Throat slit. They didn’t disarm him though, so…” He holds up the gun. Stocky’s gun.
Suddenly, I feel fucking dizzy. The world spins, and I buckle in half, gripping my knees as I fight to hold it together.
“There’s more, man.” Mex sounds fucking worried. And that’s not a good fucking sign, because not much scares him. “I can’t tell how many, but they are hiding in the treeline in the yards across the street.”
Movement from the corner of my eye catches my attention, and I see another couple of black-clad men slowly crossing the gravelly street, through the non-existent front door.
Fuck.
FUCK!
Straightening, I hurry to the hallway and call to Abbey.
“Angel. It’s time to leave,” I bark, and she pops her head out of the bedroom. “Quick, there are more men coming, I need you to go now. Take Bobbi up the beach and find a house to get help.”
She nods, worrying her lip, before ducking back into the bedroom, and a moment later, she comes rushing out, Bobbi bundled up in thick blankets, cradled to her chest, her caramel eyes wild with fear.
“You’re coming, right?” she asks, and I nod.
“Right behind you.”
“There’s the baby!” someone from outside yells, and I grab Abbey’s arm, urging her through the living area to the opening where glass doors used to be.
“Go. Now!” I yell, and the moment more shots crack through the air, Abbey finally does what I’ve asked, and runs out onto the deck, down the steps, and up the sandy path that cuts through the low dunes that lead to the beach.
When her shadow gets engulfed by the darkness, I go to spin back to the men charging the house, but another flash of movement at the top of the sand dune has my heart lurching in my fucking throat.
No.
“Gun!” I scream, spinning back to where the dead attackers are lying in a pool of their own blood. “Give me a gun!”
JD, seeing what’s got me freaking the fuck out, searches the dead guys and finds a gun, tossing it to me, and the moment I catch it, I turn and sprint out after my wife.
“Abbey!” I bellow, rain and wind pelting my face as soon as my feet hit the sand, and I fucking charge up that path, my legs burning with every step that sinks into the cold sand.
Out here, all I can hear is the howl of the wind and the crash of the waves, while getting attacked by the icy cold rain like flicks of hail that melt as soon as they hit my searing skin.
As I reach the mouth of the path that opens up onto the beach, a scream from my left has me jerking, and the flash of a gun firing feels like it’s ripping my heart from my chest.
FUCK! NO!
“Abbey!” I scream, charging in that direction, the burn of my legs barely a fucking afterthought as I spot three shadowed silhouettes up ahead, running up the beach.
One is my wife. And the other two are men dressed in all black.
The faint glow of sunrise lines the horizon, giving me the slightest visual as I get closer.
“Don’t shoot the baby!” one man yells to the other as he raises his gun again, directly at my wife.
With my heart just about fucking stopping, I raise the gun in my hand, skidding in the sand, stopping for just enough time to aim and shoot. The crack is loud, and the moment I see the fucker that was going to shoot at my wife fall to the sand, I start fucking running again.
“Just hand over the baby and this will all be over!” the other man yells to my wife, gaining on her.
I hear her scream, and charge forward, running faster than I ever think I’ve fucking run before.
The man seems determined not to shoot at her, but he’s fucking fast, and I can hear Abbey’s cries of desperation as she tries to get away.
“Stay away from her!” I yell, gaining his attention, his gaze darting over his shoulder, spotting me on his tail.
He doesn’t fucking stop though, charging closer to Abbey, reaching out to grab her. Even though I’m close, I fucking fear I’m not close enough as the flash of a knife appears a moment before he lunges for my wife.
She screams, spinning to face him as he crashes towards her, and time fucking slows as the bundle of blankets containing Bobbi goes flying from Abbey’s arms, slamming into the wet sand before waves rush over it.
“No!” I bellow right as a loud piercing crack meets my ears, and I glance back to see the man and my wife sprawled on the sand, and a dark pool of what has to be blood seeping from between them.