Chapter 26
“Everything is in place. All you have to do is get him on tape saying he orchestrated this whole thing. After tonight, you’ll have everything you need to take him down.”
“I got it, youngsta. That cocky motherfucker would never pass up an opportunity to gloat in front of me. Trust me, he’s going to slip up.
You just watch your back out there,” my uncle Atlas spoke from the other end of the phone.
I knew this plan would work, but I felt bad asking him to choose me over my dad.
This would be something we both had to live with for the rest of our lives.
“I hate I have to ask you to snake your own brother, Unc.”
“He stopped being my brother the moment he chose revenge over his own son. I should have cut him off after what he did to your mother, but I stayed connected to him for your sake. Whatever happens to him now is his own doing.”
“I love you, Unc.”
“I love you too. Be safe out there.”
I disconnected the call and stuck my phone back into my pocket. Bishop was next to me as we got ready to ride out. Every man who wore the Durty Boyz colors was lined up and ready to fight.
Engines roared as we all prepared for what could have been our last night on Earth.
Daze and the rest of my brothers sat on the bikes behind us, and I was thankful that Bishop hadn’t blown my cover to the rest of the crew.
One word from him could have ended my life, but we had put our fates in each other’s hands.
“You know, you look just like her.”
Bishop had a toothpick sticking out of his mouth as he spoke. The streetlights that lit up the compound at night bounced off the shades he had on his face.
“Like who?”
“Your mother. I was going to wait until all of this was over to tell you where it all started, but I think now is a better time. Your father and I have been beefing since before you were born. I dated your mother back in high school, but she ultimately chose him. I was okay with that, and I went on to fall in love and marry Maeve’s mother.
“Losing a love like the kind of love I had with my wife will make you do the dirtiest of things. Things like sleeping with another man’s wife.”
The realization of what Bishop told me caused a crease to form in the middle of my forehead. I needed clarity, and I needed that shit fast.
“Bishop, what are you trying to tell me right now?”
“I’m trying to say, I was a grieving man, and your mother was a scorned woman. She was hurting from her decision to marry a man like Detrick. Neither of us were thinking straight when we did what we did. I’m not saying it’s right. I just want you to have all the facts.”
He paused before he continued, and I was thankful for the break. I thought my father’s beef with Bishop was strictly about wanting to make the city safe, but this shit ran deeper than I could have imagined.
“When Detrick found out about the affair, he beat your mother almost to death. That wasn’t his first time putting his hands on her, but I meant it would be his last. I wanted to kill him then, but your father has just as much pull on that side of the law as I have on this side.
The safest option was to help your mother disappear. ”
“Why are you telling me this now before we walk into a fucking war?”
“Because I don’t want you to decide who is the better man without all the facts. Detrick will never tell you how deep this shit run between us, but I think it’s only fair that you know.
“When you decide if it’s me or your father that should be behind bars, weigh it all, and make the right choice. Maeve will love you regardless. Trust me, that girl’s love is unbreakable.”
Bishop rolled out in front before I could say anything else. Guard rolled out behind him, and everyone fell into formation with ease. I understood we had to move so we could table the conversation for later, but I definitely needed clarity on what the fuck he said about my mama.
We hit the Jack-town JUs at their clubhouse with full force. We used the cover of night to slide to their side of town. They should have known we were coming, but while we rolled in a tight formation, they were all out outside.
Music blared through the air as we rolled up with guns already drawn. Some men leaned against their bikes with either a blunt or a beer in their hands, while others chased ass up and down the street their clubhouse sat on.
Bullets ripped through bodies left and right. Some of them tried to reach for their guns, but it was too late. The force we came with couldn’t be matched. Once we leveled everyone who stood outside, we moved inside.
I walked with Daze on one side of me and Mob on the other. We stepped into the Jack-town JUs clubhouse shooting everything in sight.
“Fuck you bitch ass Durty Boyz,” someone yelled as they let shots ring out.
The men inside the clubhouse matched our firepower, but we weren’t backing down. I signaled for us to split up. We all went our separate ways, killing everything in sight.
“Fuck,” Mob cried out.
He’d been hit in the leg.
“Get him out of here. I got Dima,” Bishop told Daze, who was making his way over to where Mob had fallen. I kept moving forward, happy to know I had Bishop coming behind me, and we wouldn’t stop until this shit was done.
“Let’s do this.”
He looked at me as we moved further into the clubhouse together. We were looking for the president. Once we killed the king, everyone else would fall. We found his bitch ass hiding in the office.
“I’ll let you have this one.”
I laughed at how scary this nigga looked hiding behind a desk while his men were outside fighting for him. He didn’t deserve the position he was in. I turned to leave, but as soon as I did, I felt a burning sensation hit me. I’d been shot.
I turned back around and raised my gun to shoot back, but before I could, Bishop had already put a bullet between his eyes. I tried to move, but my body was too heavy to carry. I fell into the wall before I slid to the ground.
“It’s okay, I got you.”
My vision blurred as I tried to focus on Bishop. I knew I needed to force my brain to hold on to something so I wouldn’t pass out. Passing out could mean I never woke up again.
“Stay with me, Dima. I got to get you home to Maeve.”
“Fuck.”
I heard the sadness in Daze’s voice when he entered the room. I knew it was bad from the look on his face.
“Help me get him out of here.”
Daze and Bishop carried me out of the clubhouse. I was in and out as we rode away. The war had ended. Now, all I could do was pray I made it home to my girl.