Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77904 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77904 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“It’s bad,” he muttered.
“Nah, it’s just a graze,” I lied. “I’m sorry, brother. This shit’s on me. I shouldn’t have lost my cool. It’s my fault...”
“No,” he mumbled. “Not... on... you.”
His eyelids started to grow heavy, and I knew we were losing him. With bullets still flying overhead, Q knelt beside me and said, “He’s right. Those assholes came here looking for a fight, and they found it.”
“But...”
“I mean it, brother. It’s on all of us.” Q glanced down at Chains as he said, “We need to get him to Doc.”
“We don’t have that kind of time.”
The words had barely left my mouth when the shooting suddenly stopped, and silence fell over us. I could hear my brother’s footsteps as they trudged through the gravel, and as soon as they approached, Torch grimaced and asked, “How bad is it?”
“It’s pretty fucking bad,” I answered. “He’s lost a lot of blood.”
Knowing time wasn’t on our side, Wrath opened the back hatch as he said, “We gotta move, or we’re gonna lose him.”
“Let’s go.” I looked down at Chains, and he didn’t look good. He was pale, and his eyes were glassed over. I put my hand on his chest, trying to get him to come around. “Chains, are you with me, brother? I need you to hang on. You hear me?”
Nothing.
No groan.
No movement.
But I wasn’t giving up.
I swallowed hard, trying to release the knot in my throat as I told him, “We’re gonna have to move you. You with me?”
Again, nothing.
Torch shook his head as he helped me and Clutch lift him into the back of the SUV. As soon as we laid him down, Torch stepped back and said, “I think we lost him.”
Clutch reached over and placed his fingers on his neck, checking for a pulse. Moments later, he turned to us, and his weathered face bore the weight of grief as he said, “He’s gone.”
“Fuck.”
Losing a brother was tough, but to lose one during the heat of battle cut deep. One minute, you're side by side, fighting for survival, and the next, they're gone. The loss hits you like a Mack truck, unexpected and merciless, and the fact that I had a part to play in his death hit even harder.
Anguish marked Cotton’s face as he stepped forward and growled, “Damn.”
He sighed as he draped a blanket over Chains’ lifeless body. He stood there, breathing deep as he tried to collect himself, and after a few moments, he looked over to me. “This is on me. No one else, and you have my word that his death won’t be in vain. They will pay for this shit.”
“Yes, sir. Understood.”
“You gonna be able to manage that without blowback on the club?” Torch motioned his hand over at the two cars we’d just shot up. “Bauco had to know we were doing the drop, and if I had to guess, I’d say he’s not going to be happy about how things played out.”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” Grant answered. “As soon as you say the word, I’ll handle Bauco, and I’ll do it in a way that’ll leave them with no means to give you boys any trouble. Same goes for the Reapers.”
None of us questioned Grant’s ability to handle both Bauco and the Reapers. We’d all seen what he could do and knew he’d send a message that everyone Bruton worked with would hear loud and clear.
Wrath cleared his throat and then asked, “What do you want us to do about our friends?”
“Torch ‘em,” Cotton answered. “It’s the safest route.”
“And the goods?”
“Leave them in the trunk,” Cotton answered. “Bauco needs to know we delivered as promised.”
We each gave him an understanding nod, then got to work loading the bodies into the cars. We siphoned some gas from their tanks, just enough to douse the interior, then set them on fire. It didn’t take long for the flames to take hold, and within minutes, both vehicles were totally engulfed. Fearing the smoke might draw attention, Cotton announced, “It’s time to move.”
And just like that, we all dispersed and loaded into our separate vehicles. No one said a word as we pulled out of the parking lot and started home. We’d driven less than a mile when I glanced up at my rearview mirror and spotted the blanket that Cotton had draped over Chains.
I thought back to his last moments, and I couldn’t help but feel guilty about how things had played out. It didn’t matter what Cotton said. I should’ve just ignored the asshole and made the exchange, but I let my anger get the best of me. The only thing that kept me from losing it was knowing that I wasn’t alone in my torment. Each of my brothers felt the same, and together, we would find a way to pay a proper homage to our fallen brother.