Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
AMES
Something’s gone wrong. I know it. The atmosphere in the clubhouse has changed, as if the temperature has dropped a few degrees.
Pippa has just put her head out of the office where she’s normally holed up with Genie, and yelled for Words and Piston. Hearing the urgency in her tone, they immediately stop their pool game and run to join her. They disappear behind the door.
A cold feeling descends on me. Have they found Rat dead? An all-too-familiar feeling of dread goes through me. After getting my hopes up, I can’t go through my grief again.
It’s only moments later when both men reappear.
This time they move toward the club girls, who, with the brothers out of the way, are playing a game of cards while passing around a bottle of Jack.
Piston leans over to talk to them. I’m on the other side of the room.
I can’t hear what they’re saying, but reading the girls’ faces, it’s not good news.
Their card game forgotten, they stand, and with Heaven’s arm around Star, Sweetie starts moving toward the kitchen, then turns back, picking up the whisky before hurriedly catching up with the others.
When I hear the outer door slam, I presume they’ve gone to the bunkhouse, I think that’s where they have their rooms along with the majority of the brothers.
For a moment it’s like I’ve been frozen to the spot. Then, all in a rush, life comes back to me. I get to my feet, and hurry over to where the two men are standing. “What’s happened? Is it Rat?”
They look from one to the other, but neither seems inclined to give me a word.
Oh fuck it. I spin and start moving toward Pippa’s office, when Piston grabs my arm and holds me back. “Pippa’s got her hands full at the moment. She can’t be disturbed.”
“Well, you tell me what the fuck’s going on.” I pull myself up to my full height, which, admittedly isn’t very impressive and demand, “Tell me now.”
Words pinches the bridge of his nose. He looks sideways at Piston, who shrugs. “She’ll find out soon enough.”
Inhaling sharply, Words sees the other man’s point. His jaw tight, he tells me, “Your brother was expecting them to rescue Rat,” he reluctantly says. “They walked into a trap. Which means Stone knew that we tricked him. Odds are your brother’s coming straight for the club.”
Air leaves my lungs in a rush. I’m not stupid. Bullseye had told me they were going to bring Rat back, so when most of the club had left, I’d assumed that was what they were doing. “The trap?”
“Didn’t fuckin’ work.”
Which is a relief. I feel tension leave me, then just as fast as it went, it’s back.
The problem is obvious. I let out a shaky sigh, “Malachi’s coming here.
When all the brothers, except for you, are miles away.
” That’s why they sent the girls out, to keep them safe.
Words presses his lips together and raises his chin confirming my observation.
As if deciding he can leave me to his brother, Piston starts backing away. “I’ll go bring Dee inside.”
“What’s the plan?” Dum, who must have already received a briefing, comes across.
Ignoring me, Words addresses the prospect. “Get to the armoury, check out more guns and ammunition, fuck, bring a grenade or two and some rifles.” As Dum starts to spin on his feet, Words barks at him. “Then we’ll need you up on the roof.”
Dum snaps to attention. “I’m no fuckin’ sniper, but I’ll give it my best shot.”
“All I can ask, but Dum? I’ve seen you at the range, you’re better than you think.”
The prospect seems to glow under Words’ recognition, and despite the circumstances, there seems to be a spring in his step as he walks off to complete his assigned task.
“I need a gun, too.”
Words had been focused on the prospect, my demand takes him by surprise. “We may be outnumbered, but I’m not giving a fuckin’ weapon to someone who’s more liable to shoot herself.”
I stand my ground. “Flynn taught me how to shoot up at the cabin. I might not be a sharpshooter, but I can hit a target more often than not.”
“Give her a weapon.” Pippa’s sudden appearance startles us both. I don’t miss the way Words silently communicates with her, she answers with her voice. “I’ve done all I can for now. Saint’s on his way back. But traffic cams show there’s four identical sedans, and I think they’re headed this way.”
“Malachi had three cars when he attacked the cabin.” Fear has made my voice shrill. Has he got even more men with him now?
“How far out?” Words asks Pippa.
“Five minutes,” she responds, her jaw tight.
Dum’s back, his arms full of weapons which he starts laying out.
The front door opens to reveal Piston and — for moment I think I’m seeing double as it’s a second Dum, then I remember seeing twins last night though I hadn’t been in a state to take it in at the time.
They both run to the pile of guns and start arming themselves, filling their pockets with ammunition.
Not wanting to be left out, I go, take a gun that looks like the one Rattler trained me on, selecting the right magazine to go in it. Which earns me a look of approval from Pippa, who’s also stocking up.
The temperature seems to have dropped even further, the air thick and heavy to breathe.
While I wouldn’t say the men, nor Pippa, look scared, they’re obviously uneasy.
And why shouldn’t they be? Who knows how many men Malachi has with him?
Or what weapons he’s brought to make a full assault on the club?
“Gate should hold them,” the second prospect says.
“I’ll go up on the roof now,” his twin confirms. Then the two touch fists, pull each other in close, and slap each other’s backs.
Suddenly the answer dawns on me. I know I’ve bought the club’s protection, and I’m not reneging on that.
But maybe there’s something I can do to prevent total bloodshed.
“Stop!” My loud one-word command causes them all to turn in my direction.
I raise the gun I’d just picked up. “Malachi wouldn’t expect me to be armed.
I’ll go outside to meet him. As soon as I get a clear shot, I’ll shoot him. No one else needs to be hurt.”
Pippa shakes her head. “As soon as you step out the door, you’ll get a bullet in your head. It’s far too risky.”
“Even Malachi isn’t crazy enough to shoot me in front of witnesses.”
Pippa’s sharp eyes focus on me. “Yeah, what you said. So he’ll come in and try to kill us all anyway. He wouldn’t want to take a chance that your death could be laid at his door.”
A loud crashing outside shows the time for talk is over. Rushing to the windows, we peer out. One of the cars has tried unsuccessfully to break down the gate. Four men escape from the crashed vehicle, one already covered with blood. I can’t find it in me to feel sympathy.
Shooting sounds from overhead and two of the men go down.
“Dee, get upstairs and help Dum.” The Words pulls me back from the window. “Keep your fuckin’ head down.”
“Glass is bulletproof,” Pippa tells Words as if reminding him.
“Don’t fuckin’ want to put it to the test,” Words grumbles.
“Any of the fuckers that went down Stone?” Piston asks.
“No,” I answer. “And the other cars have blacked-out windows. I can’t see which one he’s in, or if he’s even with them.”
“And the cars are fuckin’ armoured,” he points out, as more shots are fired from the roof, but there’s no real damage to Malachi’s vehicles.
Suddenly a boom comes from behind the clubhouse.
Pippa glances down to the tablet I hadn’t realised she was holding. “They’ve breached the fence. Six men coming in from the back of the compound.” Piston takes off running, Words looks undecided. “Go,” she urges. “Ames and I have got this.”
“Fuck!” Words exclaims, but runs after his brother, picking up an automatic rifle from the pile of weapons on the way.
“Pippa…”
But she can see what I’m seeing. Using the cover from the crashed car, someone’s appeared and he’s thrown…
The gate blows open. That the grenade thrower is already dead, courtesy of one of the prospects shooting from overhead, is small comfort.
“They can’t drive in,” Pippa reassures me. “They won’t get over the damage. And if they come in on foot, Dum and Dee will pick them off.”
“Oh fuck!” My voice is little more than a whisper. Men are spilling out of the other cars, and they’re wearing body armour and helmets, holding shields in front of them. It looks more like a SWAT team than anything else.
Dee and Dum are shooting, but their bullets aren’t taking them down.
Pippa drags me back by my shoulder. “Come.” She seems icy calm.
“Quick. They’re going to break in, and we won’t be able to stop them.
We’ve got to do this smart. Saint will be here within minutes.
Once he’s arrived, he’ll take them from their rear.
We’ve just got to hold off for a few minutes.
Unfortunately, that door won’t hold them long. ”
Bursts of automatic rifle fire sound from out the back, as Pippa pulls me toward the stairs that lead to the rooms above. After we ascend, she pauses at the top. I cast an eye to Freak and Trixie’s room where I’d slept the night before. Or passed out unconscious, more to the point.
And now she pushes me in that direction. “Go hide.”
“Fuck yourself.” I’m not hiding like a cornered mouse.
Her eyes alight with amusement. “You really know how to shoot?”
I nod, trying to remember everything Flynn had taught me. I won’t be able to steady myself by taking a proper stance but firing around the walls at anyone coming up the stairs, well, if I fire enough bullets, I’m sure to hit something. I hope. And at least I’ve pocketed a few spare magazines.
As she predicted the front door falls to another explosion. Men swarm into the clubroom. Placing a hand on my arm, she indicates I should hold off for now. I presume she’s buying us time so Saint can arrive with the cavalry.
Hidden by shadows, we peer down, as the downstairs area is searched. Cries of ‘Clear’ come from every direction.
“The fuckin’ bitch must be somewhere.”
“Malachi?” Pippa mouths.
I shake my head. That’s not his voice. And wearing their armour, I can’t recognise any of them.
Watching, I see them make hand signals. And grow cold when they start pointing up. Breathing in deeply, I take aim just as Flynn had taught me.
“Shoot the face, pelvis or legs,” Pippa advises. “Our bullets won’t go through their body armour.”
My first bullet hits the leading man attacking the stairs full face.
He falls back, crushing his comrades behind them.
Enraged they push his body aside and all start rushing up, my next shot goes wide, but Pippa’s doesn’t.
Encouraged as she manages to take two men down, I refocus, try to shut everything else out but the memory of Flynn standing behind me.
I start firing again. Okay, I might have only hit a thigh, but it stops the man climbing. And Pippa’s shooting one shot after another. When she runs out and needs to reload, I give her cover, sending bullet after bullet down the stairwell.
It seems like hours, but is probably less than a few minutes, when they draw back.
“Send out Amethyst,” one man’s voice sounds. “Or we’ll blow this whole fuckin’ building up.”
And then comes the most beautiful sound in the world.
Motorcycle engines. And Dee and Dum suddenly appear pushing past us, firing their AK 15s on rapid fire, sweeping the stairwell as Saint rushes in through the broken front door, and simultaneously Piston and Words, presumably having mowed down their own enemies, come in through the back.
Surrounded and now outnumbered, the surviving attackers raise their weapons in surrender.
Saint whips his head in a jerking motion, the prospects interpret that and move to disarm Malachi’s team.
I count up. Only five of his men are still standing.
And once they’ve surrendered their weapons, their hands are quickly zip-tied behind them, and they’re made to kneel. Helmets are whipped off.
It’s only when they’re safely secured, that Saint shouts, his voice unsteady. “Pippa?”
“We’re here, we’re fine.” Pippa starts to descend the stairs. When she sees I’ve frozen, she pulls at my hand.
It’s bizarre. Shock hadn’t set in while I was in the heat of the fight for our lives, but it does now. I follow behind her, shaking so hard, that when I reach the bottom step, she takes the gun out of my hand. Probably wisely.
My stomach rebels and I can’t help myself. I bend over and vomit.
Saint gives me a moment while Pippa rubs my back. When I’m done and start to straighten, multi-tasking keeping the captive men in his sights, he steps forward and asks Pippa, “Jade?” His voice full of concern.
“I got Trix to take her to her house as soon as I got the warning.”
“Thank fuck.” He hugs her with his free hand.
“She’ll bring her back soon,” Pippa tells him. “I didn’t get the chance to express any milk.”
Assured of his daughter’s safety, Saint turns to me and asks, “Malachi?”
I force myself to look around the faces I can now see without their protective headgear. “He’s not here.”
One of the attackers spits. “Of course, he’s not fuckin’ here. He told us this would be a quick in and out job.”
More motorcycles arrive. Saint, not taking his gun off the men who he doesn’t trust, even though they’ve been disarmed, steps aside as the newcomers enter.
Bullseye strides in first, his face set and glaring. After him comes Tempest, and another man, then a fourth and fifth, and they’re supporting a sixth between then who’s covered in blood.
His wounds don’t stop me recognising him.
“Flynn!” I shout. Suddenly the fog that’s clouded my mind disappears as I rush over to him. “Flynn! Thank God!”