Chapter 39
THIS IS THE ONLY WAY
J.D. Stevens
As we huddled together in my office, our primary goal was to ensure everything ran smoothly when we put our plan into action. We only got one shot to get this right, so we had to make sure everyone was on the same page. If we fucked it up, we were all going to be up shit creek without a paddle. There was no way any of us would get away with this if we didn’t do it perfectly.
Nothing ever went smoothly in this world, and that was what scared the shit out of me about this entire situation. Something had to be done because Agent Revels couldn’t get away with this, but I couldn’t shake the fear or the guilt of endangering the woman I loved while trying to get justice for the woman that I loved and lost because of him.
At this point, we had been going back and forth for the last ten minutes on whether Rebel was going to be involved in this more than she already was. I was so fucking tired of going around in circles. Nobody had convinced me it was a good idea for her to actually go to the meet.
I shook my head, pacing the room. “No, Rebel. I don’t like this.”
“J.D., we both know for this plan to actually work, I have to be there,” she said. “He’s a Fed. What if he scopes out the place before you even get there, waiting for me to arrive?”
“She’s right,” Caesar said. I stopped pacing and glared at him. He threw his hands up. “I’m just saying, J.D., if she’s not there, he’s gonna know she set him up. Like she said he’s going to scope the place out before we even get there to make sure it’s not an ambush. It makes sense for us to get him once he approaches her.”
“But what protection is she going to have, Caesar?” I asked, folding my arms across my chest. “He’ll be able to get to her.”
“I can protect myself,” she said.
My attention shifted to Rebel. Did I believe she could protect herself? I did but she still shouldn’t be in the middle of all this. She shouldn’t be on the front lines dealing with my shit. She shouldn’t be in the situation where she had to protect herself because of me.
“I’m not saying you can’t protect yourself, sweetheart. I’m saying I don’t want you in the position where you have to protect yourself against a grown ass man with a fucking gun and a license to kill people.”
“I understand that, but you have to look at this objectively and not from the standpoint that I might get hurt. You need to look at this as what’s the best way to get the result you want. If you want to take Revels down, this is the only way to do it.”
I closed my eyes, pinched the bridge of my nose, and absorbed her words. I had approached this from that position because my sole intention was to protect her. I wanted to prevent her from suffering the same fate as Dani. I wanted to start a life with her, and the thought of losing her was unbearable. This bullshit had already caused me to lose one person. And I didn’t want to lose her too. However, she was right. The best way to get to Revels was to confront him when he approached her, despite my reluctance.
I let out a sigh, my gaze fixated on her. “If we do this, you need to have a piece.”
Her head was shaking vigorously, her expression filled with disbelief. “I don’t like guns.”
“I don’t give a fuck if you don’t like guns, Rebel. You’re not going to be with in arms reach of that motherfucker and not have protection.”
“I’m trained.”
Curiosity sparked as I lift a brow. “Trained in what?”
Before she shut it down, a flicker of emotion passed across her face. I didn’t like it.
“Self-defense.”
“And why would you need to be trained in self-defense?”
“That’s not important, and it’s a long story I don’t want to talk about. Just know I can protect myself.”
“You take a gun or you’re not doing this.”
As she glared at me, her eyes narrowed with anger, and I met her gaze with equal intensity. I wasn’t backing down on this. I had already resigned myself to the fact that she’d have to show up for us to get anywhere, but I would not let her walk into this shit without protection. She was already walking into the lion’s den.
I looked down at my watch at the time. We had thirty-five minutes to get to the spot.
“Times ticking, Rebel. If you’re going to do it, this is the only way.”
With a hostile glare, she stuck her hand out towards me. I reached into the drawer of my office desk and handed her the cold, metal nine-millimeter and the worn leather holster I always kept there, prepared for any trouble at the clubhouse.
“Do you know how to use it?” I asked.
She rolled her eyes, expressing her annoyance. “Of course, I know how to use it.”
“Keep it tucked in the front waist of your pants.” I stood and moved around to the front of my desk. Grabbing her arms, I took it from her hand and secured the gun in the concealed carry holster in the front of her jeans where she could reach it quickly. “You won’t have time to pull it from your purse if shit goes to hell. But with it here you’ll have a chance.”
“I’m going to be okay. Don’t worry.”
I gave her a curt nod even though there was no way I wouldn’t worry about her. She pecked my lips then pulled away too quickly for my liking.
“Let’s head out,” I said.
As our hands met, our fingers intertwined, creating a comforting connection between us. However, I didn’t like this. The anxiety had already started churning in my gut. I hoped I wouldn’t regret this shit.
***
We stopped about a half mile out from where the meetup was supposed to take place and did our best to conceal the vehicles we drove.
Only high school and college kids came up here to party. The cops knew that this place was the hangout spot for the local kids, but we expected little traffic tonight since it wasn’t the weekend. It was the perfect place to grab him. We opted not to bring him back to the clubhouse since Rumi and Rebel were still there. So, we already had another place picked out.
As Rebel slowly made her way up the long, cracked asphalt road, we dipped into the tree line and made our way to where we could get to Revels before he did something stupid. We instructed her to drive as slow as possible, so we’d have enough time to get into position.
Now we watched as she stepped out of the car and waited by the driver’s door. She had pulled a few feet away from a black suburban I recognized as Agent Revels by the plate on the back. He hadn’t gotten out yet, but as soon as he did, we were going to grab him.
Hannibal, Schizo and Tank were already making their way through the thicket of trees not too far away from the vehicle. We all were close enough that if anything happened, we could take him down and get her out of there.
I was proud Rebel wasn’t showing any fear even though I knew she had to be scared out of her mind. She knew what Agent Revels was capable of and she still was brave enough to do this so I could get closure.
My anxiety was at an all-time high as I waited. I hated fucking waiting.
She folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the side of the car, waiting for him to exit his vehicle.
“I don’t like this,” Zigzag whispered to me. “Why the fuck ain’t he getting out of the car?”
“I don’t like it either,” I said.
The windows of the SUV were so dark that it was impossible to glimpse what was inside. The old training building stood a considerable distance from where they were. The only thing that surrounded us was trees. My anxiety spiked even more as I considered the possibility that he could be hiding in the woods, just like we were.
“Shit, I’m calling it.”
Just as I was about to motion to everyone, signaling my intention to call off the entire operation, the driver’s side door suddenly swung open. And Agent Revels stepped out with his gun drawn.
“Fuck,” I mumbled. “Come on Hannibal, fucking move.”
“Don’t, Prez,” Zigzag said, grabbing my arm to stop me from rushing to her.
Revels slammed the door and slowly walked towards Rebel who was now standing, facing him with her hands raised. She didn’t have them up too high. She’d still be able to reach her gun.
“Goddamn it,” I hissed, summoning all my strength to remain where I was.
As I scanned the area around the vehicle, I noticed a flicker of movement, and my eyes locked onto Hannibal, who was slowly making his move. My heart was pounding in my throat, causing a surge of adrenaline. This shit was happening way too slow for me. I wanted Hannibal to move a hell of a lot faster than he was so I could get her out of harm’s way.
Once Hannibal was just a few feet away, he finally rushed him. Agent Revels whipped around, but all I heard was the gunshot. I quickly glanced at Rebel, and she clasped her hands on her stomach, her eyes widening in disbelief.
“No!” I shouted.
Everything seemed to unfold in slow motion, and my heart raced as I desperately tried to reach her. She looked down at her hands, smeared with crimson stains.
“Rebel! I screamed and her head slowly turned to me as I rushed to her side.
Sorrow welled up in her eyes as I held her, preventing her from collapsing onto the ground.
“You’re going to be alright, baby. Just hold on. Please hold on.”
I gently laid her on the ground, my heart pounding in my chest. In a rush, I pulled my shirt over my head and pressed it against her wound, desperate to stem the flow of blood.
“J.D.,” she groaned. “I’m...”
“Don’t talk, sweetheart.” I looked around and Zigzag, Schizo, Hannibal, and Tank had Agent Revels subdued. “Help! I need one of you to help me!”
They all looked up at me.
“I’m going to kill you, Stevens!” Agent Revels screamed. “I hope she dies just like that other bitch of yours.”
Rage roared through me but now wasn’t the time. He’d get his soon.
“Fuck!” Zigzag said as he hurried towards me. “What do you need, Prez?” he asked when he reached us.
“I need to get her to a hospital,” I said.
“I’ll drive.”
He opened the back door of Rebel’s car. As I gathered her into my arms, her piercing scream echoed around us.
“I’m sorry, baby. I’m going to get you to the hospital. You’re going to be okay.”
Sliding into the backseat of the car, I focused on maintaining pressure on her wound. The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood. If we didn’t hurry, she wouldn’t survive. She’d bleed out in my arms.
“What about the cops?” Zigzag asked as he drove as fast as he could down the road without jostling her too much.
“I don’t give a fuck about the cops, Zigzag. I need to get her some help. I’ll deal with all that shit later.”
He looked at me through the rearview mirror with worry in his eyes. Right now, I didn’t give a shit about the cops. All I wanted to do was save her.