Chapter 22
Cas
“We’re fucked,” Sparky grunts.
Having been tied up, hauled into the back of a van, and sat back-to-back, I can’t see his face, but I can imagine the anger he wears. It will probably mirror mine.
“It’s not the best place to be in, but we’re not fucked.”
“No? What would you fuckin’ call it?”
“A minor inconvenience.”
I’m not sure if the noise he makes is laughter or a snort or something else entirely.
“A minor inconvenience is pissing off Bonnie and her yellin’ in my ear till she calms down. This, Cas, is a major inconvenience.” He sighs. “She’s gonna be pissed like never before.”
“You came home the first time,” I remind him.
“Oak didn’t though, did he. You think my luck will stretch to twice?”
“I’d always put money on us, brother. You tellin’ me you don’t anymore?”
This time it’s a clear snort that escapes him. “I guess the older I get, the more realistic I become.”
“You think I’m living in a fuckin’ dreamland?’
“Not a dreamland, but I’m pretty sure we should come to terms with meeting our maker, we’ve had a good run, Cas. Had more than most, that’s for fuckin’ sure.”
Sighing, I grunt, “You wanna shut the fuck up, actin’ like we’re already dead.”
“Ain’t we?”
“Brother, you’re drowning in grief and not thinkin’ straight. Until you are, shut your fuckin’ mouth.”
Silence hangs between us for a few precious moments before he mutters, “We fucked up.”
“Where’s ya boy, Sparks?”
“He’s probably over with Harper.”
“I’ve already checked. He’s not answering his phone either. Nor are the twins or Zachery.”
I do a double take when he opens a bottle of water. I’m so used to seeing him with his tequila lately, it’s hard to believe he’s switched drinks.
“What? I gotta sober up. We’re ridin’ soon, ain’t we?”
“Yeah, ten minutes. Find your boy.”
Alannah is heading over to the bar as I head for home. I open my arms, and she walks into them.
“It’s a dark morning,” she murmurs against my chest. “The club feels too big with no one here.”
“I know what you mean, darlin’.” I press my lips to the top of her head and let them linger there until I reckon I could kiss her soul.
I’ve spent years trying to leave permanent marks on her soul, but I’ve never felt like I’ve achieved it.
“I don’t ask you for much, but I’m asking you to bring our boy home alive.”
“I’m gonna do all I can, I swear it on my life.”
She tilts her head back and I lean down and claim her mouth. I swore to give her a life where she could have anything she ever needed or wanted. I won’t go back on that now.
“I have loved you every day of our life together, and I’m gonna love you right up to the end, perhaps even after if there is an afterlife waiting for me. Nothing will stop me from getting to our son.”
A tear rolls down her cheek, and I wipe it away for her. “I feel like I’m going to lose my family,” she admits.
“Never. You’re stuck with us for a long, long time. When have we ever not come home to you?”
“I’ll be pissed if anything happens to you.”
“The same goes for you. Keep your eyes open around here. I hate leaving ya, but I gotta go.”
“I know. I don’t trust anyone more than I do you, just come back to me.”
“Always.”
With one last kiss, I hug her and make my way back to the bar. Sparky steps out and hands me two extra guns fully loaded.
Alannah joins us and hugs Sparky. “Look out for yourself, and don’t drink while you’re on the road.”
“You ain’t my old lady, Lana.”
“She isn’t here so I’m the one to remind you, cause you know she would.”
“You’ll look out for her, yeah?”
“Goes without saying I will.”
We head for our bikes, and he tells me, “The little shits ain’t answerin’ their phones and lookin’ around, their bikes are gone.”
My chest heaves with a long sigh. “They fuckin’ left!”
“Don’t stress your heart out, it’s what we would have done back in the day.”
Though it’s true, it doesn’t make me feel any better.
“It’s just me and you, brother. Let’s fuckin’ do this.” He grins.
“Let’s.”
We ride out and for a brief moment I am taken back to a time in my life when I would ride out of the club with him at my side and no old lady, no kids, no responsibilities but the patch.
I didn’t fear a fight. I didn’t fear death.
I didn’t fear anything. It was a freedom that changed over the years.
I’ve had to bury brothers, stand by and attend funerals of brothers’ loved ones, but I vowed a long time ago I’d never attend my wife’s or boys’ funerals.
There isn’t a time on this earth I’d be alive to see that.
I’ll go out of this world first and by God, if he does exist, I’ll be waiting for them all on the other side.
“Cas, you see that?” Sparky hollers over our engines.
Squinting my eyes, dark figures line the road up ahead. “Could be Jay and the twins?”
“Nah, I count six,” I holler.
We slow until we come to a complete stop and only the early morning birds chirping can be heard.
“If we turn around, they’ll follow, we only left a prospect at the club.”
Glancing at my brother, we both know what is about to go down.
“The way I see it, we have two choices. One, we go out in a blaze of useless fuckin’ glory and try and take them out. Or two…” I trail off.
“Never thought I’d see this day ever fuckin’ happenin’.”
“Nor did I, but what else can we do?”
Four single headlights and a set of double headlights turn on and my heart pounds with adrenaline.
“It ain’t sittin’ right, Cas. I say option one and if it backfires, we’ll take option two.”
Taking out my phone, I call Alannah.
“Don’t tell me you’ve got bike trouble already?”
Having no time to answer her lightness, I say, “Babe, round everyone up and lock yourself in the bar. Tell the prospect to lock and load.”
“What’s going on?”
“You know I love ya, don’t ya.”
“Cas, talk to me. What the fuck is happening?”
“You’re the very fuckin’ best of me. Always have been. Without you, I would have had an empty life, it wouldn’t have meant anything.”
“Cas,” she cries.
Engines rumble to life off in the distance. “I gotta go now, darlin’. Never forget our life together.”
I hang up and put my phone away in the saddle bag as I take out one of the extra shooters.
Sparky has a gun in each hand and for the first time in years, a manic grin on his face.
“If this doesn’t go down the way we want, I’m fuckin’ honored to have called you my brother all these years.”
I nod. “Yeah. We always said we’d get ourselves killed.”
“Thought it’d be years ago but today is as good as it’ll get.”
I bounce on my toes, trying to get a lungful of air. The fuckers creep toward us.
“Say when,” he murmurs.
Alannah.
Leo.
Luca.
Harper.
My grandchildren.
They’ll keep me alive.
The brothers will keep my legacy alive.
I’ve had so much more than I ever expected, I’ve been greedy to think I’d die at home in my bed.
“Our sons will get themselves home and they’ll carry the club on,” I tell him or myself, I don’t know which.
“They’re gettin’ closer, Cas,” he warns.
Taking a deep breath, my whole life flashes before my eyes and I grin. I knew a life with Alannah wouldn’t be enough, but eternity certainly fuckin’ will.
I raise my guns and Sparky follows suit. “Fuckin’ when, brother.”
Option one lasted less than a minute, option two meant getting them far from the club. Surrendering hurt more than getting shot would. But it worked, none of them headed for the club.
“I used to think we were untouchable, but we’re just fuckin’ old.”
“Sparks?”
“Yeah?”
“Shut. The. Fuck. Up. Even we can’t escape bullets.”
The van comes to a stop after driving for hours.
Sparky thankfully listens and keeps his mouth shut.
I have no idea what’s going to happen, but I do know that I’m not going out like this.
We're dragged out but I couldn’t give a fuck where we are, I’ve got eyes on my son.
He's alive and doesn’t seem like he’s been hurt at all.
Him, JJ, and the twins are shoved down onto their knees, tape stuck over their mouths.
Hopper, grinning, points between Leo and me. “Father and son.” He points between Sparky and JJ. “Father and son.” Then he points to Mason and Myles. “I’ve already killed your dad. I’m close to having a full set.”
My blood boils. I count twenty-four Hog assholes. We're outgunned and outnumbered.
So far, the sons look okay, apart from Mason sporting a bruised jaw.
I sigh. “Yeah, yeah, why are we wasting time? Are you killin’ us or not?”
Hopper laughs. "You know, Cas, you led the Lost Souls for nearly thirty years, and we never had a problem, and now I’ve taken down your mother chapter in a matter of days.”
I stare at my son and all I see are the words I threw at him the night he was taken. Fucking regret plaguing me.
It's humiliating being in this position but it’s not Leo’s fault. He's no different to me. He is my name. He is my blood. He is my son. This is on Hopper, not Leo.
Just like Oak was on Ellis and not me. History fucking repeating itself and nothing Leo could have done would have changed it.
Hopper tips his chin and four of his men step behind the sons and aim their guns at them. Shit is getting serious.
“How about we make a deal,” I offer.
“Castiel, we’re past the point of making deals. I offered your boy a great deal and he threw it in my face.”
“I’m not my boy. You take me out and let them go free. They’ll dismantle the club and the club will die. No more threat to you.”
Leo tries getting himself free but to no use. I wink twice and he calms down.
Hopper asks one of his men for my phone and my muscles tighten. He goes through it and presses it to his ear. The fuckers went through our saddle bags.
Apart from Zach, there’s no one he should want to call.
But when he says, “Ah, you must be the beautiful Alannah!” Anger takes over but there isn’t a fucking thing I can do.
“Unfortunately, I can’t do that.” More silence follows, then he says, “I send my apologies in advance. I'll send him home to you, sweetheart, but it won’t be how you prefer.” There’s a brief period of silence before he laughs and hangs up.
“Fuckin’ Christ, your old lady has got quite the mouth on her.
I bet you’ve enjoyed that over the years. ”
“Don’t fuckin’ talk about my old lady!” I warn.
“Why?” he mocks. “What are you gonna do about it? Fuck all, that’s what!” He laughs. “All of your territory is now mine. Your boy should have stepped back when I first rocked up on the scene, would have saved a lotta lives, huh?”
“Funny, I was just thinking that when this is over, we’re gonna be the club with more territory.”
“I know all about your reputation, it proceeds you, Castiel, it really fuckin’ does.” He smirks. “Even now, you still have the balls to think you’ll walk away from this.”
“I haven’t lasted all these years to now believe I won’t.”
He walks behind me and clasps his hands on either side of my face, forcing me to look forward. “Such faith in yourself but do you have the same faith that your boy will walk away.” He leans down and whispers, “I don’t.”
I hear the shots, I see bodies jerk forward and hit the ground. I hear an animalistic scream, but I feel it ripping up my throat.
“Leo!”