Chapter 47
Jackal
Petrov got the ladies off the premises without a hitch. It was almost too easy, but I couldn’t dissect that right now. I just hoped Petrov knew that if he let one single curl get out of place on Shivana’s pretty head, I’d dissect him . I don’t give a fuck who his daddy is.
“Keys said a small group of five was moving in here,” Hawk said once we got back inside.
We brought all the guys in so we could get updates and make sure things went according to plan. As much as we’d love to run up on them guns ablazing, this required a bit more strategy. We wanted Butch, and if he wasn’t with them, we needed someone alive.
Some of our chapter was still back at the clubhouse with a few guests. Another group escorted all the Old Ladies that came to town away from the clubhouse until this was over.
We couldn’t assume that just because they knew we’d be here, that they’d come after us. We weren’t sure what they were after, honestly. But it didn’t make sense that they’d have a full-on takeover of the wedding. It was too public, even if we did get the heat off us.
No, we had to assume they would ambush us from both sides. If they thought the clubhouse would be empty, they could have thought they could get in, steal some intel, steal some products, and destroy the place. That made more sense, but they would send someone to the venue as a decoy as well.
My muscles tensed as I waited for command from Hawk. Would we be lucky enough for Butch to show up here? Or even at the clubhouse? Or would that pussy send his guys in without him?
Hawk’s phone buzzed, so he answered and stepped away. We all stood around, peeking out the windows.
“We can escort the ladies back to the bridal suite when they’re ready,” Angie said as she popped from her office. Her smile fell as she looked around. She gathered herself quickly, though, and came closer. “Is something happening?”
“Coop, c’mere.” I waved him over. “Angie, where’s the bridal suite?”
“It’s upstairs, in the loft,” she said, her eyes darting between all of us.
“Is there a basement?” I asked.
She grabbed my arm and pulled me over to her office, pushing me inside and shutting the door. “Look, my employees are like family. What is happening?”
“Just some precautions. Is there a basement?”
“Yes, it’s mostly storage and we have some coolers down there. Why?”
“Can your crew fit comfortably?”
Tears filled her eyes and her lips trembled, but she rubbed them together then cleared her throat. “Yes. But what am I supposed to tell them?”
As if on cue, thunder rolled outside. “Tell ‘em there’s a bad storm.”
“They’ve all lived here their whole lives. It’s just a thunderstorm. We’re in Georgia. They’re not going to buy this–”
“Angie, I’m trying to be as polite as possible, but I’m gonna need you to get your crew and go to the basement with Coop until we tell him you can come up. You get me?” I hated to be an asshole, but I didn’t have time to argue with this woman.
She scowled, but grabbed a sweater from the back of her chair then flung the door open. Coop was waiting outside.
“Follow them downstairs and keep your phone handy. Nobody out until we give the clear. And by ‘we’ I mean me, Eagle., or Hawk.”
Coop nodded. “Got it, Jackal.” He looked Angie over and grinned.
Angie shivered, then said, “They’re in the kitchen.”
Once they were out of sight, I made my way back to the guys.
“Whoever’s out there is hanging back. They’re spread out, though,” Hawk said after he ended the call.
“Still just a few?” Eagle asked.
“Yep. So far, no readings of activity at the clubhouse.”
Falcon shrugged. “So they send a handful of guys out here and that’s it? For what?”
“Maybe they sent them to scout and they really were gonna come in like the red wedding once the party was underway,” Eagle said.
Glancing out the window, I looked over the parking area. The officers didn’t have their Harleys. Just the limos from Petrov.
Hawk’s phone buzzed again. “Yeah. What? I’ll tell Knox.” He ended the call and went to make another. “Knox? Yeah. They’re moving on you. But we got a situation over here. Just remember, if you see Butch, keep him alive if you can.” He ended the call and took the tux jacket off, laying it over a chair. “There’s a substantial group moving in on the clubhouse, but Keys said more are coming up here.”
Thunder roared, followed by a bolt of lightning that illuminated the already well-lit space.
We all pulled our jackets off, exposing our holsters. There were extra clips in our pockets. I rolled up my sleeves, and they began to do the same. The members even came in dress shirts, but they at least had jeans or Dickeys. I’d never had to do club business in a tux before.
“Keep an eye out for Butch. You,” he barked at a group of the members from our chapter as he rolled up his sleeves, “keep an eye out here so nobody gets to those people downstairs. The rest of you, outside. I’ll make sure one of them is alive, so kill everyone that’s not Butch,” Hawk said before he turned and walked through the side door.
We all followed, fanning out as we approached the tree line. Rooster, the other Enforcer, stayed with Eagle, while I went with Hawk. A few more guys weren’t far from us. I had to be sure nothing happened to Hawk, so I wasn’t leaving his side. The rain was heavy and blowing sideways, pelting us as we hustled toward the woods.
Once we passed the tree line, the rain wasn’t as hard, but still coming down. Even with the storm, there was just enough light to see. That meant they could see us, too. And they had the advantage, since they were already out there.
But Hawk moved like he was invincible, and I kept stride with him, ready to block or push him out of the way. He was the future of the club and Raven’s only son. I had to protect him.
A brief flash of Shivana telling me she’d kill me if I died today entered my mind, but I blinked it away. I couldn’t be distracted, or I wouldn’t be able to keep my promise to her. In that moment, I could only focus on keeping Hawk safe.
We made it about a quarter of a mile when something whizzed past me and bark flew from a tree nearby. They were close enough to shoot at us, which meant they were close enough for us to shoot back.
We all scattered, leaning against the nearest tree we could find. I poked my head around, gun in hand, when I saw movement. I popped off two shots in that direction but couldn’t be sure I hit my target.
More shots came toward us, and suddenly we had a full-on gunfight.
Hawk yelled, “I’m going.”
“Fuck,” I said before I took off after him.
We darted through the trees, only firing when we saw a target. We were doing figure eights as we closed in on them.
“Fuck!” Hawk yelled as he stumbled but didn’t stop.
“Prez!” I yelled.
“I’m okay! Go!”
Then it sounded like fireworks. I had to swap clips but did so with speed and precision. There was an eerie calm in my mind as the soft sounds of rain and footsteps on the wet ground mixed with the sharp sound of steel flying through the air. As soon as I reloaded, I pointed both guns in front of me and fired at will as I saw two guys running the other direction up ahead.
Three bodies splayed out as we ran deeper in the woods.
“The one on the left, take him out,” Hawk ordered through labored breaths as he caught up to me, keeping pace with my sprint.
I stopped to get a better shot and aimed, hitting him in the back, then again in the knee. The knee is what took him down. As he tried to right himself, I got one right to the head, and his body crumbled to the ground.
The other guy kept running, but Hawk took a shot, and the man tripped, falling forward. We kept running, guns trained on the last one still moving.
He scrambled to turn over and started shooting. I got him in the foot, trying to make sure I didn’t get a head-shot, but he was laying down so it was the best non-kill shot I had.
We both ran up on him as he cried out, recoiling from the shot. Once close enough, I kicked his gun from his hand, then pointed mine at his face. “Don’t fucking move.”
“My foot! You shot my fucking foot!” The man’s dark hair was soaked and nearly in his eyes, stuck to his forehead and cheeks. He reached for his ankle, so I kicked his ribs, sending his hands there instead.
“I said don’t fucking move.” I’ve been known to carry a knife in my boot, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see someone pull a gun from under their jeans.
Hawk gripped the man’s hair as he bent down. “Where’s Butch?”
The man’s jaw was tight, his lips even tighter. His breaths were labored and ragged.
“Where is he?” Hawk asked through clenched teeth.
Thunder rolled, but there was no lightning this time. The storm was still holding up.
My phone buzzed in my pocket.
Looking down at it, my heart stopped. My breath stopped. It was as if even the rain around me stopped.
“Jackal!” Hawk’s yelling snapped me out of my freeze.
“Shivana.”