Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
Dodge
Hulk’s standing at the edge of the porch, his silhouette dark against the moonlit yard. He doesn’t turn, but he acknowledges me with a nod. “All clear, Pres.”
“Keep it that way,” I order as I continue walking down the walkway to the gravel parking lot in front of my mom’s house.
I nod to Rebel, Ozzie, Cobra, and Speed.
They're by the bikes, armed and waiting, engines ready to rev at my command.
Their shoulders are hunched, muscles bunched like coiled wire.
Cobra slides a spare magazine toward me, his jaw locked tight, while Rebel checks his own piece.
We don't need words. We've ridden into the fire together plenty of times, but tonight it hits different.
It isn't just about club business or territory.
It's about who waits inside that house and the promise I made to her.
I swing my leg over the saddle and signal for them to roll out.
The ride is quick, we’re all prepared for any outcome.
As we approach the building, it catches my attention at how the darkness clings to the warehouse walls like tarnished oil.
Parked in the brush, the bike disappears into the night, leaving me to move with the silence of a predator.
Steel feels cold and heavy in my grip as the safety clicks off.
My blood sings with the hunt. Every sense is dialed up, tracking the perimeter for traps while the scent of rusted metal fills the air.
A pair of silhouettes break through the shadows, their hushed tones lost in the murky air.
These are the rats trying to crawl between me and the future I want with Adalynn.
I move like a shadow in the night, closing the gap before they even sense my presence.
My fist connects with the first prick’s temple, a dull thud that sends him crashing down like a sack of rocks.
The other one panics, fingers fumbling for his piece, but I drive my boot into his sternum before he can even think about drawing.
His breath hitches, a ragged and wet sound, as I jam the steel of my piece hard against his cheekbone. “Don't you damn well move,” I snarl, the barrel biting into his temple with enough force to bruise. “Unless you want to be the first prick to see exactly how little I value your pathetic life.”
Panic flares in his eyes, wide and wild. He knows who I am. He knows that today isn't about negotiation, it’s about elimination.
“Where's Vance?” The question leaves my lips like a death sentence.
“He's inside,” he stammers, trembling beneath my grip. “Waiting for the delivery.” Internally, I snicker because that’s a delivery that won’t be coming.
I don't waste any time, delivering a debilitating blow to his jaw that shuts him up for good.
I hear his teeth crack and crumble and a satisfied smirk coats my face.
He collapses onto the floor like a sack of stones, dead to the world and no longer a threat.
The air inside the warehouse is thick with the scent of oxidation and rot.
As I stalk toward the back office, the murmur of voices filters through the cracks in the wood.
I don't bother with a polite entry, I drive my boot into the door, sending it flying off its hinges in a hail of splintered timber.
Vance looks up, smugness instantly replaced by a flash of terror.
He reaches for a drawer, but he’s too slow.
I’m already there. The first round from my chamber tears through his shoulder, spinning him out of the chair.
He hits the floor, screaming, clawing at the concrete.
I’m on him in a second, pinning him by his throat.
“You made a mistake, Vance,” I sneer, my boot pressing into his ribs. “You decided to go after what’s mine.”
“I just work for them,” he chokes out, blood frothing at his lips. “But I’ll switch teams and work for you instead.”
“I don't hire snakes, Vance,” I growl, digging my barrel deeper into the soft skin of his throat. “You don't get to switch sides when the bill comes due. You went after Adalynn, and that's a debt you can only pay in blood.”
Rebel steps up, aiming a finger in the dipshits face and asks, “Who’s your boss?
Who hired you to take those kids out?” I’m glad one of us is thinking beyond revenge.
Stepping closer to where there’s no breathing room between us, I press the barrel of my piece tighter against the soft tissue under his chin.
He is shaking, his eyes darting around the room like a trapped animal looking for an exit that doesn’t exist. The air in here stinks of mildew and the copper tang of blood.
It is a good smell. It is the smell of justice finally arriving.
“The name, Vance,” I growl, my voice steady despite the rage burning in my gut. “Give it to me, or you spend the rest of your life eating through a straw.” It’s a good threat, but we all know he’s not leaving this room alive.
Vance coughs, a wet, rattling sound that sprays crimson across the concrete. He knows I am not bluffing. He looks up at me, his gaze pleading. “It is Gallows,” he wheezes.
The room goes quiet. The only sound is the hum of a distant generator and the ragged breathing of the men around me. Rebel stiffens beside me, his hands tightening into fists. Even the air seems to drop a few degrees.
Gallows.
That name tastes like vomit in my mouth.
It is a history of betrayal and blood that stretches back years.
He is the leader of the Winlaw chapter, a cancer that has been eating away at our borders for too long.
We have been hunting him since he tried to undercut our supply lines two winters ago.
He is a coward who hides in the shadows, a snake that slips through our fingers every time we get him cornered.
“Why the kids?” I demand, my grip tightening on the pistol. “What does he want with them?”
Vance struggles to swallow. “Gallows is scared. He's terrified of what they have.”
“Speak,” I snap. “Tell me every goddamn thing you know!”
“The book,” he gasps, his gaze darting toward the door as if he expects a rescue that isn't coming. “They have his black book. The ledger. It's got everything in it. Every bribe, every hit, every dirty cent he has laundered through the club. It’s his entire life in ink. He knows if that book hits the wrong hands, he’s finished. He’ll spend the rest of his life in a cage, and his entire empire will burn to the ground. ”
The weight of his words hits me hard. I think of the kids.
I think of the trauma they’ve endured and the fear they carry every single day.
I thought they were just survivors, lost in the shuffle of a world that didn't want them.
I had no idea they were carrying the key to destroying a man like Gallows.
He isn't just hunting them for leverage. He’s hunting them because they are the only thing standing between him and total ruin.
My rage flares hotter, a searing heat that consumes every rational thought in my head.
He thinks he can snatch them, break their spirits, and erase the one thing that can bury him.
He thinks they’re just children, but he has no idea who he’s dealing with.
He has no idea that Adalynn isn’t just a woman I’m protecting.
She’s the ground I stand on. My foundation.
She’s my future, and those kids are the family I never knew I wanted until I looked into their eyes.
I pull the gun away from his throat, but I keep my aim steady. I turn to my brothers. They look as pissed off as I feel. They know what this means. This isn't just a turf war anymore. This is a rescue mission for the truth.
“We have a new target,” I announce, my voice cutting through the heavy air. “Forget the warehouse. Forget waiting for them to make a move. We are taking the fight to Winlaw.”
Rebel cracks his knuckles, the sound sharp and popping in the quiet room. “About damn time, Pres. I have been waiting to crack that man's skull open for years.”
“He’s not going to be sitting around waiting for us,” Cobra adds, checking the slide on his weapon. “He’ll have men. He’ll have security surrounding him. He’s a coward, and cowards never fight fair.”
“Good,” I say, a hard, humorless grin stretching across my face. “Because I’m done with fair. Fair got us nowhere. Tonight, we do this my way.”
I look down at Vance one last time. He’s broken, trembling, and entirely useless. He’s a pawn who thought he was a king, and now he is just waiting for the final blow.
“Speed,” I bark, not taking my eyes off the exit. “Finish this mess. We ride in ten.”
I stride toward the door, my boots striking the concrete with purpose but stop before leaving, taking a minute to get my thoughts in order.
The path is clear now. The enemy has a face, and it is a face I have been waiting to smash into the dirt for a long time.
Gallows thinks he is playing a game of chess, but he forgot one thing.
I am not the man you want to cross. I’m a demon in a devil’s shell.
I’m meaner than a rattlesnake and I will be avenging my club and my newfound family.
I pull my phone from my pocket. My thumbs fly across the screen as I type a message to Hulk.
It's Gallows. He's behind this. He wants the kids for some ledger they've got.
Find it, secure it, and update Adalynn. Lock that house down right now.
Nobody gets near them. Use lethal force if you have to. Don't take chances.
I need to hit Gallows before he realizes we’re on the move. He didn’t show up tonight as expected, and I need to get to the bottom of why. Was the whole setup a trap? I don’t have that answer yet, but taking him out before he executes his plan makes it irrelevant.
I whip out my burner and punch in the emergency line for the clubhouse, the ringing echoes loudly through the mostly quiet warehouse.
Glacier answers on the second ring. “Pres?” His tone is sharp, already sensing trouble.
“Rouse every man out of bed,” I order, my voice raspy like grinding gravel. “I need an army, Glacier. We’re taking the fight straight to the Winlaw Snakes and finishing this tonight once and for all.”
“Winlaw? What the fuck does he have to do with any of this?” Glacier inquires, so I fill him in on everything I know.
“I want him and his cronies eating dirt by the time the sun rises, Glacier,” I growl. “I’m done playing games with this motherfucker. I need you and as many men as you can gather to be on call and ready to meet me when I have a location.”
“You got it,” he says, and I can hear the adrenaline already pumping in his voice.
“Wait for my call before y’all hit the road. We're moving out as soon as I nail down which hellhole he’s holed up in. Make sure everyone knows this isn't a drill. It's kill or be killed. I want every weapon we've got. I want full gear. No mistakes.”
I disable the connection. The warehouse suddenly feels too small for the rage building inside of me.
Rebel’s watching me, his hand resting on his weapon.
He knows what's coming. He's been waiting for this as much as I have.
The rest of the brothers are shifting, their eyes locking onto mine, waiting for the command.
They can smell the violence in the air, and they're ready for it.
“You hear that?” I ask, turning my attention back to the shivering mess on the floor. “Your boss is about to lose everything. And you're the one who gave him up.”
Vance looks like he's about to be sick. He knows he's a dead man walking. He thought he was playing us, but he was just a pawn in a game he didn't understand.
I step out into the night air. It's crisp and cold, a stark contrast to the filth inside.
My bike's waiting for me, a beast of steel and chrome.
I pull a pack of smokes from my saddlebag and light one up, the cherry glowing bright in the dark.
I take a long drag and let the smoke drift away on the wind before tossing the butt to the ground and stomping on it until it dies, just like that motherfucker Vance is fixing to be.
I throw my leg over the saddle and kick it to life.
The engine roars, drowning out the world.
I don't care about the consequences anymore.
I don't care about the politics or the turf.
All I care about is protecting what's mine.
I tear down the interstate like a man possessed, the cold night air lashing at my face as the miles blur.
I need the rumble of the engine and the open road to settle the bloodlust clawing at my throat.
Road therapy is the only thing keeping me from burning it all down before the guys even arrive.
As I ride, I'm already mapping out the carnage we're going to bring to Gallows' doorstep.
We know every hellhole that snake calls home and every shadow he crawls into.
He thinks he's untouchable, but we're going to be faster, sharper, and a hell of a lot more lethal.
Tonight, he learns exactly what happens when he targets what's mine.
I think of the kids back at the house. I think of the fear in Adalynn's eyes.
They're my family now. And I'll burn the world down to keep them safe.
Gallows thinks he's the predator, but he's forgotten one thing.
He's cornered an animal that's done playing games.
He's made the mistake of thinking we'd follow the rules.
But we don't have rules anymore. We have a target, and we have the means to hit it.
The road ahead is dark, but I can see it clearly. I can see the chaos, the fire, the end of the Winlaw Snakes. It's a beautiful vision. And in a few hours, it'll be a reality. I'm coming for you, Gallows. There's nowhere left for you to hide.