25. Cipher
CIPHER
T he tension in the room was a living thing as Bulldog and some of the brothers crowded around the surveillance footage I’d come across. All I needed was a computer and some time and I was able to hack into Port Townsend’s feed. Seemed like Councilman Lingdale had eyes everywhere, especially using high tech drones in the sky. After hacking one of the drones, I was able to get feed of Volkov’s black SUV snaking from the Inn and heading through the outskirts of Port Townsend. He thought he was untouchable, hiding out in some forgotten corner of nowhere. What he didn’t count on was Bulldog’s connections or the ruthless efficiency of the Royal Bastards MC’s greatest hacker.
“That’s nearing the water, looks like old farmland,” Hart muttered, pointing at the screen. The drone I’d managed to hack into showed a sprawling property, overgrown with weeds and surrounded by rusting fencing. The barn looked like it hadn’t seen a day of honest work in decades, but the fresh tire tracks leading up to it told us everything we needed to know.
“That’s the motherfucker,” Bulldog growled, slamming a fist on the table. “Mount up. We’re burning this place to the ground.”
I grabbed my jacket, the weight of my sidearm a comforting presence at my hip. Aiyana was already strapping on her vest, her expression set like stone. Bulldog caught sight of her and bristled immediately.
“You’re staying here,” he barked, stepping in her path.
Aiyana squared her shoulders and met his glare with one of her own. “Not a chance in hell, Bulldog. I didn’t come all this way to sit behind a desk watching video feed.”
He pointed a finger at her, his voice dropping to a dangerous growl. “You’re not getting yourself killed over this. I said no.”
“Too bad, I didn’t ask,” she snapped back, shoving past him. “And for the record, I’m a better shot than half your men, so maybe you should worry about them instead of me.”
Bulldog’s face darkened, but before he could respond, we were rolling out.
We underestimated Volkov. The farm was a fortress. We barely got within a mile of the property when none other than Bloody Scorpions came out of the woodwork, their patched vests marking them as hired muscle. Gunfire erupted, bullets tearing through the night as the Bastards retaliated.
“Get down!” I shouted, taking cover behind a stack of hay bales that offered questionable protection. Bulldog was nearby, shouting orders over the chaos. Aiyana crouched beside him, firing off shots with precision.
“Behind you!” she yelled, and before Bulldog could react, she spun and dropped a Scorpion sneaking up on him with a clean shot to the chest.
Bulldog turned, his expression a mix of fury and reluctant admiration. “Damn it, woman,” he muttered.
Aiyana smirked. “You’re welcome.”
The fight was brutal, gunfire cracked through the darkness, flashes of light illuminating the fight going on around us. Around me, one by one, the Bloody Scorpions fell, their numbers thinning under the force of the Royal Bastards. Saddle was a beast, his shotgun roaring as he cleared the way, his sheer size making him an unstoppable force. Hart moved like a shadow, quick and deadly, his twin blades flashing as he cut down anyone stupid enough to get in his way. Carnage, one of our newer enforcers, was somewhere in the fray, his laughter carrying over like a madman with a taste for violence. Even I stayed out of his way.
I barely moved in time as a bullet whizzed past my head, splintering the post behind me. My sidearm barked in response, dropping the shooter before he could reload.
Ahead, Bulldog and Silencer fought side by side, a duo as deadly as they were efficient. Silencer’s blade sang as it sliced through the air, a Scorpion dropping to his knees with a guttural scream, clutching at his throat as blood spilled through his fingers. Bulldog didn’t even flinch, his shotgun booming as he covered Silencer’s blind spot, sending another Scorpion flying back into the dirt.
“Behind you, Prez!” Silencer shouted, lunging forward. His knife plunged into the gut of a Scorpion who had Bulldog in his sights. He twisted the blade with a sickening squelch, the Scorpion’s face contorting in pain before he crumpled to the ground.
Bulldog glanced over his shoulder, a rare smirk tugging at his lips. “Nice catch.”
Silencer wiped the blade on his jeans, his expression cold. “Just doing my job.”
Nearby, Hart ducked under a wild swing and drove one of his knives into the Scorpion’s ribs, twisting it before pulling back to let the man drop. Another thug charged him, but Hart sidestepped, slashing his throat in one clean motion.
Carnage came barreling out of the smoke, laughing like a lunatic as he fired his rifle into the crowd. He caught sight of a group of Bloody Scorpions trying to flank us and unleashed a string of bullets that turned their advance into a bloody retreat.
“They’re scattering like rats!” he shouted, reloading his gun. “Let’s finish this!”
We pushed forward toward the barn, the air thick with the smell of gunpowder and blood. My heart pounded as we breached the doors, the musty smell of rot and oil hitting us like a physical blow to the gut.
“Mila!” I shouted, my voice echoing in the empty space.
The sounds of chains rattling drew my attention and stomach turned as I spotted her in the corner, strung up by her wrists, her body a canvas of fresh wounds. Blood dripped from her onto the dirt floor, her face pale and swollen. My stomach twisted at the sight.
“Mila,” I said again, softer this time as I ran to her. Her head lolled to the side, her eyes fluttering open.
“Cipher,” she whispered, her voice so faint I barely heard it.
“I’ve got you,” I said, pulling a knife from my pocket and cutting through the ropes that held her up. She collapsed into my arms, and I lowered her gently to the ground.
The sound of footsteps snapped my attention to the shadows. I barely took a step before a Scorpion lunged at me from the side. My reflexes kicked in, and I drove my elbow into his face, hearing the satisfying crunch of bone. He staggered back, and I put two bullets in his chest before turning back to Mila.
“Cipher, go!” Bulldog barked, stepping into the barn behind me. He leveled his shotgun and fired at a Scorpion lurking in the shadows.
As I ran to Mila, another figure moved to ambush Bulldog. Aiyana’s voice rang out.
“Get down!”
Bulldog dropped just as Aiyana fired, her shot catching the son of a bitch square between the eyes. Bulldog glanced back at her, a mix of frustration and reluctant pride in his eyes.
“You’re lucky I love you,” he muttered.
“Damn right,” Aiyana shot back, smirking as she reloaded.
The fight of the opposite side of the grounds was chaos. Hart and Saddle came in, their presence a whirlwind of violence. Saddle used his massive frame to pin one Scorpion against the wall, crushing the life out of him before tossing the body aside like a rag doll. Hart moved with surgical precision, his knives a blur as he cut down anyone who got too close.
Brimstone and Silencer joined the fray, Silencer always a step behind Bulldog, watching his back. One Scorpion thought he had an opening, raising a bat over Bulldog’s head. Silencer didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the guy by the back of the neck and slammed him into a wooden beam, the impact shattering both the bat and the man’s skull.
“Focus!” Silencer growled, his tone sharp but not unkind.
Bulldog snorted. “I’m focused, you asshole.”
“Then stay alive,” Silencer shot back, his knife flashing as he dispatched another Scorpion.
The room cleared quickly after that, the last few Scorpions either dead or fleeing. They knew better than to stick around. I reached Mila and carefully lifted her, limp in my arms. She was battered and bleeding, her breaths shallow, but she was alive.
“Cipher,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.
“I’m here, Angel,” I murmured, brushing a strand of hair from her face.
But before I could carry her out, Volkov’s voice echoed from the shadows.
“You think you’ve won?” he sneered, stepping into the light. His gun was raised, aimed directly at me, a smirk twisting his face. “You’re a persistent son of a bitch,” he said, his voice dripping with venom.
I moved to shield Mila, but before I could react, he pulled the trigger. Pain exploded in my side as the bullet tore through me, knocking me backward.
“Cipher!” Mila screamed, her voice breaking.
The barn seemed to spin, my vision darkening at the edges as I fought to stay conscious. Volkov stalked closer, his gun now trained on Mila.
“Don’t move, motherfucker!” Bulldog’s voice thundered through the space.
Volkov turned, raising his weapon, but Bulldog didn’t hesitate. The roar of his shotgun filled the barn, and Volkov’s body crumpled to the ground, a gaping hole where his head used to be.
Bulldog stood over the body, breathing heavily, his hands still gripping the shotgun like it was an extension of his fury.
The barn fell silent, the only sound the crackling of the broken timbers and my ragged breathing. Bulldog approached Volkov’s body, his expression unreadable. He chambered another round and shot Volkov again, point-blank, just to be sure.
“It’s done,” he said, his voice low and final.
My mind blurred in that moment. I caught glimpses of Hart and Saddle as they lifted me, stumbling out of the barn doors. Mila’s whisper carried in the wind as Bulldog carried her out. Aiyana and Ray followed close behind, their protective instincts still in overdrive.
“You’re gonna be okay,” Aiyana said to me as she ordered the guys to set me down.
She turned to Bulldog, “You need to leave them.”
“Did you lose your mind or something?”
“You need to leave them, I’ll take care of them. Ray’s already calling the ambulance. They’ll be fine.”
Bulldog dropped to a knee, setting Mila’s unconscious body next to mine. He gripped my jacket. “I’m sorry.” He slid it off me, and then Aiyana clipped the badge onto my belt.
She granned Bulldog’s hand over my chest. “Go. I’ve got them.”
“Don’t you let them die,” he said, concern and uncertainty marring his tone.
“Just trust me, baby,” she reached up and cradled his cheek.
He squeezed her hand and then I heard the familiar roar of motorcycle engines before I let the darkness overtake me.