Chapter 34
I was hoping to never come back here. The Reapers hideout isn’t on the scale of the Outlaw Sons compound, but it’s not small either.
Tucked away on an isolated property outside the city, it’s made up of renovated buildings from when it was a working farm.
I lived here the first year after my “death”, but Romero mostly kept me away from the city since then.
I only come back a few times a year so he can make sure I’m still behaving and remind me why I don’t rebel.
Romero only really stays here when he needs to lie low, but the Reapers traffic a shitload of drugs, and out here nobody cares what the old storage buildings are holding. Not even the cops. Why bother when they get a nice payout and have easier targets closer to home?
And somewhere in there, probably in the main house where Romero has his rooms, Quinn is being held.
What’s it been for? All of it. The last ten years of my life. To keep her safe? She ended up here in the end. I fucked up.
But maybe we can end this once and for all. I wasn’t strong enough to do it on my own, but Quinn recruited some powerful allies.
As her older brother, I should probably be trying to guide her away from people like Priest, Sinner and Colt. What’s an MC other than a slightly more organized gang? But the Reapers would never do this. They would cut their losses and let someone die rather than risk anyone else.
I glance over at Hellfire. Maybe it’s bullshit, but he seems to value the reputation of his MC, and be willing to stand alongside his men for Quinn’s sake.
A weak flare goes off on the other side of the hideout. A brief flash that they might or might not notice, but that we sure as hell do. Hopefully, by the time they understand what the signal means, it’ll be too late.
“Everyone ready?” Hellfire hisses. “Because if you aren’t, you’re getting left behind.”
The five of us get up as one, jogging towards the main building in the shadow of dusk while keeping low. The longer we evade detection, the easier this is gonna be. And the closer we get before—what was his name?—Skyhigh does his thing, the more of a jump we’re gonna have.
I know just about everyone guarding this place. I thought that might be an issue, but I realized I couldn’t give a fuck. They’re assholes, every single one. They’d sell their own grandma if they thought they could profit.
Meanwhile, the Sons act like brothers. Never a question about whether they should help, just where to show and how much ammo to bring. Must be nice.
A sharp whine pierces the night, followed by a bright flash and a thundering explosion that shakes the ground like a fucking earthquake. A ball of fire leaps into the sky, and debris falls around us in the darkness.
“Here we go,” Sinner says under his breath. “It’s showtime.”
Priest bumps my side. “You good with this?”
I pull my gun. The same one I’ve used to defend the people I’m about to shoot, and occasionally kill a few of them. Those bothered me less, honestly. “Yeah, fucking perfect. Let’s murder some assholes.”
Colt, overhearing, laughs. “Let’s do it.”
We charge into the farm while the locals are distracted.
Skyhigh just reduced the main barn to a fireball and a pile of broken planks.
And probably vaporized several hundred thousand bucks’ worth of cocaine, heroin, and more exotic shit.
Gonna have to breathe carefully. The farm erupts into motion, as members are trying to figure out if this is an accident or an attack. They’re about to get their answer.
Someone pops out of the darkness. I raise my gun, but Colt is faster. The guy’s head is thrown backwards by the bullet’s impact and then the rest of his body follows. He hits the ground with a dull thump.
Never liked him anyway.
I point towards the main building. “Romero’s office is on the second floor, along with his rooms.”
Two more guys go down, one by Hellfire’s gun, and one by mine. There’s shooting everywhere around us, sounding like we’re right in the middle of a Fourth of July fireworks show.
I thought I’d feel so many things. Some kind of glee at finally taking down all the assholes who live here, anticipation of taking down Romero, something.
All I feel is worry. Somewhere around here, Quinn’s in Romero’s claws, and with him it’s only a matter of time before something goes fucking wrong.
Until I know she’s safe, this tight knot in my gut isn’t gonna go away.
I run faster.
Something explodes. People are dying, and it hardly registers, not with the goal in front of us.
“Hang back.” I charge the door, nailing it with the heel of my boot. It slams open and I roll through the opening, coming up with my gun ready.
A shithead that goes by Mr. Ice because he doesn’t wanna admit his real name is Kevin stares at me in confusion. “Axel? What are you—”
I put a bullet in him. Kevin melts, dropping to the floor and lying still. He never saw it coming.
“Where’s Romero?” Priest growls as he charges in.
“Second floor.” I mount the stairs, just starting to run up when an all too familiar voice barks from upstairs, “Nobody move! I’ve got the girl. If any of you assholes as much as think of aiming my way, I’m going to make sure that I take her with me. Is that clear?”
Romero appears at the top of the stairs, with a gun in his right hand, pointed right at Quinn’s temple, and his left arm tight around her throat. Her eyes go wide when she sees us. All he has to do is twitch the wrong fucking way, and it’s all over.
“Romero,” I growl, staying right in the middle of the room, facing him, while Priest and the others fan out. “You want me? Take me instead, but fucking leave Quinn out of this.”
“Axel?” He laughs, and it’s more unhinged than usual. What’s going on? “See, honey? I told you he was alive. The proof came right to us.”
What the fuck?
“Stay back, he’s acting crazy,” Her voice cracks.
Ignoring her, Romero takes stock of his situation, marking where each of us is. Me, Sinner, Colt, Priest and Hellfire. “Don’t even think about it. I will fucking execute her if I have to. It’d break my heart, but if I’m going, I’m taking her with me.”
“You been dipping too hard into your own stock? Put the gun down, Romero. Let go of the girl and maybe we’ll let you live.” Hellfire’s voice is cool, steady and full of menace.
“I don’t think so.” Romero removes his gun from Quinn’s temple just long enough to fire it at the ceiling, the gunshot deafening as it echoes off the walls.
A little shower of wood splinters rains down over our heads.
Quinn screams before he suddenly cuts her off with the arm on her throat and then the gun is back at her temple.
When he lets up, she coughs and gasps for air.
“But if you want your precious Quinn alive, you’re gonna let me down the stairs—back up, back up—and out the door. ”
I’m gonna shred that fucker to pieces, but Quinn comes first.
“Fine.” I holster my gun and hold my hands up, backing up to clear the way. We can’t fight him here. “Don’t hurt her.”
“Axel, he’s going to—”
With a laugh, Romero aims and pulls the trigger. The bullet tears through my gut like a burning spear.
Fuck. “Quinn…”
Someone screams, but everything is already going black.