9. Wrath
WRATH
“You getting close?”
“Yeah, I’m about forty-five minutes out. Maybe less.”
“Good. How you making it?”
“I’m hanging in.” There was something about his tone that led me to ask, “Why? Is something up?”
“Stitch just got a call from Mia.” The mention of Mia’s name brought a knot to my throat. “She told him you two were talking, and something happened. Apparently, she was worried something was wrong.”
“Oh, it was nothing. I was trying to get off the phone with her when I saw that I was running low on fuel.”
“That was it?”
“That was it,” I assured him. “I’m gonna stop in Leland and fill up.”
“Okay. Sounds good.” I could hear the concern in Cotton’s voice as he said, “You haven’t seen any sign of the guy?”
“Nah. I’m pretty sure he’s long gone. You guys been able to find out anything about him?”
“We’re looking into it.” He hesitated for a moment, then added, “Bruton seems to think he’s a hired gunman, but he’s no clue who hired him or why.”
“Whoever hired him knew what they were doing. Fuck. This guy is a real psychopath.”
“Certainly sounds that way which is why I want you to hurry up and get your ass home.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Cotton ended the call, and I carried on with my drive. It was getting late, and without the adrenaline rushing through my veins, I was starting to wear down. I tried to keep my focus on the road ahead, but it wasn’t long before my mind drifted to Mia.
She’d surprised me when she called. She’d surprised me even more when she called Stitch to tell him she was worried about me.
The whole ‘worried about me’ bit was hard to swallow.
I was used to Liv and Hadley fretting over me and even Clutch from time to time, but they were family. Their worry was expected.
Mia’s wasn’t.
We’d basically grown up in the clubhouse together, and we knew everything about each other.
She knew about my parents' murder. She knew how it had fucked me up, and while she didn’t know all the details, she knew my stint overseas hadn’t helped matters.
I knew she was Stitch’s one and only daughter.
I knew he adored her and watched over her like a hawk.
I also knew it wasn’t necessary. Mia was strong and independent—just like her father.
She’d always been amicable towards me—almost overly so, but I didn’t consider myself special.
She was like that with everyone, but she’d never shown any real interest in any of the brothers—not like she’s shown for me.
I didn’t know if I should be flattered or pissed.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time to dwell on it.
I needed to get gas and get back to the clubhouse before Cotton had a come apart.
When I got to Leland, I pulled into the first gas station and was surprised to find that it was brewing with customers.
Normally, there weren’t so many folks out after ten—not in these parts.
Folks around here kept to themselves and rarely left the house.
But I didn’t question it.
I needed to get home and to do that, I needed fucking gas.
I pulled up to the only available pump, then quickly scanned the area, searching for any signs of the man who’d killed Bruton’s men.
Once I was certain the coast was clear, I got out and started pumping gas.
I watched the meter tick with one gallon after the next.
Once I finished filling the tank, I went inside to grab a bottle of water and pay.
I felt like I stepped back in time as I opened the door and walked inside.
It was dated and dark, and the tile floors were dingy and broken.
The air felt thick and dirty, and it clung to me as I made my way to the back of the store.
I passed a young couple with a baby and an older gentleman with a cane, and none of them seemed to notice the state of the place, nor did they care.
I gave them a quick nod, then grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and headed up front to pay. I’d just gotten up the counter when my attention was drawn outside. My throat tightened as I watched the black van from earlier speed into the station and screech to a halt.
Everyone, including me, stopped and stood frozen as they watched the driver's door swing open.
A wave of panic washed over me when I spotted a pair of black cowboy boots step out of the van and hit the pavement.
Fuck. The man dressed in all black looked completely unhinged as he slowly surveyed the area.
I couldn’t believe that he was actually there.
I’d made sure that he wasn’t following me. I’d checked and double-checked, and never once did I see that fucking van trailing me. Not that it mattered. He was there now, and he looked just as deranged as he had before.
He stepped away from the van, and that’s when I noticed the AK-47 in his hand, the cold metal gleaming ominously in the flickering light.
Without warning, he lifted his weapon and opened fire, killing or wounding the people trying to flee from him.
Bullets pierced the air with a sharp crack, shattering the windows of the cars and trucks in the lot.
Fragments of glass rained down as the convenience store's windows shattered under the onslaught of gunfire.
Customers and employees scattered in panic, their screams mingling with the loud pounding of my heart. The cashier whipped out a shotgun from beneath the counter. He shoved a few extra shells in the front pocket of his flannel as he shouted, “Everyone get to the back!”
“What’s going on!” a woman screeched. “Who is that?”
“Move it!” the cashier shouted once more.
The words had barely left his mouth when the glass shattered, and a bullet went through his chest, sending blood splatters all over the front counter. Shocked, he looked down at the blood on his chest and muttered, “Fuck! He shot me... He fucking sh...”
Before he could finish his thought, his body dropped to the floor.
He was still clinging to his shotgun as he took his last breath.
He’d tried to stop him, but the shots continued.
Now, it was up to me to put an end to this madness.
I grabbed a few shells from his pocket, then snatched the rifle from his hand and started for the front door.
Time slowed as I stopped and scanned the parking lot.
I crouched down, trying to remain unseen as I eased the door open and stepped outside. I was immediately hit with the familiar stench of gunpowder and death, but that didn’t deter me.
Instead, it spurred me on.
I was going to get this asshole once and for all.
With a shotgun in hand, I stepped out in his direct view and growled, “I’m right here, asshole!”
“Well, how about that?” In a sinister tone, the man snarled, “The coward finally comes out of hiding.”
Enraged, I lifted the shotgun and fired off a round, sending a spray of shot directly at him. Like something out of a movie, he managed to move in just enough time to avoid getting hit. I let out a stream of curses as I shot at him again. He didn’t shoot back.
He couldn’t.
I didn’t give him a chance.
I kept firing, one after another, forcing him to take cover.
He got back in his van and started the engine.
He threw it into drive and sped towards me, leaving me no choice but to jump out of the way.
I barely had a chance to recover before the asshole started backing up, trying once again to end me with the fucking van.
I scrambled to my feet and dodged him once again.
I was about to take another shot when I heard sirens wailing in the distance, the roar growing louder as they approached.
I could see the glow of their blue and red lights drawing close, and I knew my time was running out.
He must’ve known it, too, because he stopped trying to hit me with his fucking van and sped out of the parking lot.
I looked around at all the wounded and crying bystanders, and as much as I hated to just leave them to fend for themselves, I had no choice.
I had to get out of there before the cops arrived.
Doing the only thing I could, I rushed back to the SUV and drove out the back.
Once I’d put some distance between me and the cops, I grabbed my phone and called Cotton.
As soon as he answered, I told him, “He found me.”
“How?”
“No clue. He just showed up at the gas station and started shooting.” I doubted that there was anything he could do about it, but I had no choice but to tell him, “He took out quite a few innocents and wounded even more.”
“Fuck! What is it with this guy?”
“He’s off his fucking rocker.”
“No doubt about that... What about you? Are you good?”
“Been better, but I’m still breathing. So, there’s that.” I let out a breath, then said, “Gotta figure out how the hell he was able to find me... If I didn’t know better, I’d say he had a tracker on me.”
“You think?”
“It’s the only way he could’ve found me at that hole-in-the-wall gas station.”
“You might have a point.”
I pulled over on the shoulder of the road as I told him, “Hold on. I’m gonna check.”
I placed my phone on the dash, then got out and went to the back of the SUV.
I opened the trunk and pulled the crate closer.
I removed the lid, then started sifting through the various weapons, searching for any signs of a tracking device.
It was hard to see in the dark, but after digging down to the bottom of the crate, I finally felt a small, rectangular box that wasn’t much bigger than a money clip.
I put the top back on the crate, then closed the trunk and headed back to the front of the SUV. Once I was back inside, I grabbed my phone and told Cotton, “I found it.”
“Damn.”
“Yeah, I’m gonna toss it.”
“No... Hold on a minute.” I could hear him talking, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying. After a few moments, he turned his attention back to me and said, “If he’s set on tracking you, then let him track you.”
Knowing he had a plan, I asked, “Okay... Where exactly is he tracking me to?”