31. Ozzie
31
OZZIE
We march deeper into the wooded area. Boone and his men herd us forward like cattle. We’re led straight toward a clearing far from the side of the highway where we parked. Soon the trees thin out and we come up on the meeting we’re crashing.
Silver and his group are on one side. Wheels and his guys on the other. They’re already in the middle of negotiations when we roll up.
“I think we've made all the concessions so far,” Wheels says, arms crossed, expression unreadable. “What do we get in return?”
Silver narrows his eyes, his glare like a wolf eyeing its prey. “We make no concessions on our part. This is our territory. Ludic County is ours first and foremost.”
Boone mutters under his breath, flicking his cigarette to the dirt. “Phew, doesn’t sound like negotiations are going too hot, does it? Maybe I need to step in. Lend the guys a helping hand.”
Before I can brace myself, he sticks two fingers in his mouth and lets out a sharp whistle. The sound echoes across the area. Every head turns toward us. The moment Silver and Rollins spot Boone holding Zoe and the rest of us restrained, the entire meeting shifts. The mood in the air darkens.
I feel like I’m about to fucking explode. My pulse roars in my ears, my muscles twitch, barely contained in the grip of the bastard holding me.
Across from me, Silver’s expression clenches into something lethal. He turns toward Rollins, his voice like a crack of thunder. “This was a setup? You lured us out here to ambush us?”
Rollins stiffens, his gaze flicking between Silver’s fury and Boone’s smug grin. He reads as confused. He’s not sure what the hell’s going on.
…because he wasn’t expecting Boone to know about his meeting with Silver and the rest of us.
“What’re you doing here, Ace? This wasn’t meant for you.”
Boone throws his head back and cackles. “Oh, Wheels, buddy, you should know by now—I don’t wait for invitations. I make my own.”
I grind my teeth as I watch the bastard put on a show, puffing himself up, acting like he’s ten feet tall. If this were a dick-measuring contest, he’d feel like he won on bravado alone.
But Boone’s got it all wrong. In more ways than one. He’s too cocky for his own good. Just like he was back in Vegas during the tournament. He doesn’t realize as he showboats there’s people chomping at the bit for a chance to take him down.
I’m sure as hell one of them.
I glance sideways at Zoe. She’s still in his grip, his hand clamped around her upper arm. But as motionless and stoic as she looks, I pick up on other subtle, telltale signs she’s anything but.
Her almond-shaped, hazel eyes burn with a hunger I recognize.
It’s the same hunger that I’m sure are in mine.
She’s waiting for the right moment, same as me.
Boone’s tone goes even more theatrical. “Did you really think you’d get to meet up and do some peace talks without me, Wheels? Did you think I’d just let that go down?”
Wheels’s face reddens. “This isn’t your territory, Ace. You head back to Houston where you’ve got pull.”
Boone wags a finger at him like a scolding parent. “Wheels, you poor, delusional jailbird. I’ve got pull everywhere . My reach is that far. That wide. How do you think I pulled off what I did in Vegas? How do you think I got you and your club of Rebels to help me out? We’re supposed to be in this together. Which means I didn’t authorize this little meet-up of yours.”
Silver cuts in, unfazed by Boone’s peacocking. “Enough of this. We didn’t come here to be ambushed. Though we were prepared for it.”
He gives a sharp nod that’s the signal. The solitary gesture that’s all it takes.
From the tree line, movement stirs. Men emerge from the shadows, stepping forward, rifles ready. The second group of Steel Kings reveal themselves as part of this fight, led by Mace.
If the Rebels and Boone’s men want it, we’re gonna damn sure give it.
Boone lets out another laugh like somebody’s just told a joke. He’s thrilled to see even more men on the scene, more of a chance to assert himself.
On the flip side, Wheels isn’t laughing. His face twists in frustration as he turns to Silver. “The peace talk was real. I’ve got nothing to do with Boone showing up!”
Silver’s unconvinced. He doesn’t spare Wheels a response, instead issuing a command to the second group of my brothers. “First sign of a move, open fire!”
Silence echoes after his words. His declaration that this will get bloody and violent if need be. Now it’s time to hold our breaths and wait for the first person to get things cracking.
Boone’s smirk fades just a little. If those large shades weren’t covering his eyes, something tells me the light in them would be dimmed. “Is that really so smart, Prez? You’re outnumbered. Even with your backup.”
“We've never backed down from a fight before,” Silver answers, squaring his shoulders. “Outnumbered or not, we still come out on top, Boone.”
Boone seems amused by Silver’s determination and grit. It’s all over his expression. The vibe he gives off, like he just heard his favorite song.
I clock it immediately—he likes Silver. In his own twisted, nonsensical way, Boone respects a man who doesn’t fold. He finds his stubbornness entertaining. It makes it an even better show when somebody like Silver stands his ground.
“Well, I do like a man who doesn’t back down from a fight,” he admits. “That I can respect.”
Rollins staggers forward, not only his face red but his ears too now. “We didn’t agree to this! We held up our end of the bargain!”
“Do you ever shut up, Wheels?” Boone sighs dramatically. “Fuck, how did I never notice you were so damn whiny? No wonder none of the other inmates at the jail liked you. Bet you got your ass beat at prison, huh?”
I’m only half listening. My focus has shifted—my gut tight as I look toward Zoe. She’s remained still in Boone’s grasp… except for the slow movement of her left hand. She slips the switchblade between her fingers so subtly that if I weren’t watching her directly, I wouldn’t notice it.
No one else does.
Ice floods my veins. My whole body tenses more than it already is. My eyes snap to hers, trying to catch her attention. I know what she’s planning and I can’t fucking allow it. Even if I know I’ve got to let her do her thing.
Zoe’s a woman who wants to handle herself.
But how can I let her when this could go so wrong?
She’s not looking at me. She’s staring straight ahead, the look on her face emotionless… but also one of pure fearless bravery.
Her mind’s set on what she needs to do.
It’s about waiting for the moment.
I clench my jaw and get ready to rear forward. Break the hold of the bastard restraining me and rush toward her if need be.
“Let our people go,” Silver demands. “Then we fight it out like men.”
Boone shakes his head with a tsk. “Then what fun would that be? You know, when I caught wind of Wheels’s little meeting, I thought… wow, what an opportunity! A chance to get some real payback on the two people who tried to ruin my empire.” He steps forward and yanks Zoe roughly toward him. “This one.”
Then he sweeps his head in my direction. All eyes fall on me.
“And that one. One of your own Steel Kings. Now, I think I deserve some revenge, don’t I?”
“You don’t deserve shit,” Silver snaps.
Boone’s grin twitches and his nostrils flare. A crack in the facade. He doesn't like being challenged, even if at first he found Silver’s backbone amusing.
Silver sees it too, deciding to lean into it. “Now, are you all talk, or are you going to make a move? I think we’re all bored of your theatrics, Boone.”
“I’ll do whatever the fuck I wanna do, just like I always have. Because I’m in charge. Nobody else is. I run the show. And your little motorcycle clubs?” He scoffs, shaking his head. “They don’t mean squat to me. I’m bigger than that. My empire runs deeper. That’s what you fucking fools don’t understand.
“You see her?” He shakes Zoe by the arm. “I do whatever the hell I want to do. I took her sister. Snatched her up like she was a toy at some playground. My fucking toy! Then I made some money off her. Lots of fucking money. You know how many people I’ve done the same to?” His eyes sweep the crowd, basking in the weight of his own ego. “Because. I. Run. Shit!”
His loudest, most taunting laugh yet rips from his throat. It’s pure arrogance. He tosses his head back, barking it into the night air.
That’s when it happens.
Zoe finally makes her move.
No hesitation to be found, her hand shoots up, clutching the switch blade. She twists toward him and drives the blade into his chest.
Everybody’s stunned.
But nobody’s more stunned than Boone himself. He jerks, his head bowing to stare down at the blade sticking out of his chest.
A second goes by where no one moves. Nobody even seems to breathe. Even the damn wind seems to die out.
Then, like in most situations like these, it all explodes.
I buck against the bastard holding me, fighting like hell to break free. Zoe’s officially made herself the main target. Which means I need to get to her.
Boone’s shock wears off. His lips curl back in a snarl. “Get them.”
Two simple words that seal tonight’s violent fate. The gunfire is immediate, coming from all sides.
“NOOO!” The scream rips out of me as I snap my head back, slamming it into the guy gripping me. His hold loosens just enough for me to twist free. I elbow him hard in the gut and yank his rifle clean out of his hands.
The haze of gun smoke thickens as more bullets tear through the air. Shadows flicker in and out, bodies ducking behind trees before edging forward to fire away. I swing the rifle up and fire off a shot as one of Boone’s henchmen approaches me. He drops to the ground, though I barely notice.
I’ve got only one focus in this moment.
Zoe .
She and Boone are locked in a brutal struggle. The kind that tells me Boone isn’t going down easy. Not even with a knife wound in his chest. He’s still got the strength to rip the blade out. His movements are slower than usual, but still dangerous as he slashes at her.
I push forward, blasting another bastard in the face. Then another. I’m running now, barreling through the chaos toward Zoe. She’s fighting like I’ve never seen before. Like she’s got nothing left to lose. She evades every slash of Boone’s and advances on him anyway, attempting to use her Krav Maga to subdue him.
But Boone is bigger and stronger. Even wounded. He finally lands a hit, knocking her back. She grits her teeth, wipes at the blood dripping from a fresh cut along her arm.
It doesn’t slow her down. She lunges and he dodges. They tumble to the ground in a tangled mess of limbs, rolling over dirt and leaves.
Zoe maneuvers herself fast, trying to trap Boone in another one of her special chokeholds. She uses her limbs smartly, locking her long legs around him and fighting to keep him from breaking free.
It takes everything she has. Every ounce of strength as she stubbornly holds on, gritting her teeth. He bucks against her, refusing to be trapped, fighting for leverage. It’s a power struggle that goes on for several seconds ’til he slips out of her grasp and flips them.
My stomach plummets.
Boone slams Zoe down, pinning her with his weight. His bloody smile stretches wide as he grips the same switchblade she stabbed him with—and rams it into her stomach.
Zoe’s cry is sharp, a breathless gasp of pain.
Boone’s laughter is brittle and loud as he laughs and spits blood.
“ZOE!” I scream her name as I hold up my rifle to take a shot, then somebody spears into me from the side. We tumble to the ground as I find myself in yet another fight.
I’m a man who’s losing his mind. I’m screaming as adrenaline surges through me and I slam the asshole’s skull into a rock. Scrambling to my feet, I charge toward them.
Zoe’s still refusing to give up. With the last bit of strength she has, she headbutts Boone. He’s sent reeling, knocked backward from the direct blow. She wraps shaking hands around the switchblade buried in her stomach and fucking yanks it free.
Just like Boone had done before he came for her.
She crawls toward him, operating on fumes.
“For…” she pants, wincing in pain. “This is for Zani.”
She manages to plunge the blade into his chest a second, then third time as I finally make it to them.
Boone’s dark shades have finally been knocked off his face. His only good eye widens, the other shut like it always is. His one real insecurity.
Blood bubbles from his lips as he struggles to hold onto life.
Zoe slumps next to him, fighting the same battle.
“Zoe! Fuck—no, no, no!” I drop beside her, pulling her away from Boone. Her head lolls to the side, her lashes fluttering weakly. She really is barely holding on.
I press my hand against her stomach, soaking in her blood.
“Stay with me, babe,” I beg, throat sore. “Fucking stay with me, alright? Special Agent! Look at me!”
She blinks slowly, like she’s on the verge of losing it. Her lips part like she wants to say something, but no sound comes out.
Behind us, I sense movement. More than just the others scrambling in the middle of the gunfight.
Boone’s back up again. The fucking bastard’s laughing .
He’s summoned enough strength to push himself up and start toward us, clutching the same blade that’s been rammed into him several times. Even now, he refuses to go down without the last word.
I ease Zoe down as gently as possible, then rise to my feet. Boone staggers toward me, an unhinged rage flickering in his one eye.
But I’m fucking ready for him. As he launches himself at me, I slam my fist into his jaw and grab his hand with the blade by the wrist. I follow up with a haymaker to his body, then I’m muscling the blade from him altogether.
He drops to his knees, unable to withstand the blows. I’m not done with him yet—I’m gonna make him suffer in the same way he’s made Zoe.
I drive the blade straight into his gut and watch as his features contort in deep pain. Then I do it all over again, ramming the blade into his gut several times. It returns to his chest, even his fucking cheek as his mouth drops open for either a howl of agony or howl of laughter. Knowing this sick, egotistical fuck… maybe both.
He eventually slips flat on his back, finally succumbing to his wounds. I’m the one looking him in the eye as all life vanishes.
I’d enjoy the moment more if I wasn’t wrecked by panic.
I spin back to Zoe and rush toward her.
She’s barely conscious, eyelids half shut. I haul her into my arms, clutching her close to my chest.
“I’ve got you,” I whisper. “I’ve got you.”
The gunfire is fading now. The fight is almost over. It couldn’t matter less to me.
I’m only focused on her.
I take off toward the nearest van, my boots kicking up dirt, my pulse roaring in my ears. One of Boone’s guys tries to block my path, but I swing my rifle off my shoulder and let the butt of it connect with his jaw.
Silver and Mace sprint toward me as I reach the van.
“Where the hell—what happened to her?” Mace stares at the blood coating my hands, my clothes, Zoe’s whole fucking body.
“Boone,” I growl. “I’m getting her to the ER.”
I throw open the passenger’s side door, lay Zoe down as gently as I can, then rush around to the other side.
The tires screech as I slam on the gas, speeding through the wooded area and spilling out onto the highway.
I glance at a motionless Zoe, slumped in the seat. Her chest rises and falls in shallow breaths.
“Hang on, babe.” My grip tightens on the wheel. “Fucking hang on.”