Page 25 of Biker's Dark Revenge

A heavy silence hung over the compound for a moment – a stalemate. They knew that if they stepped out that door, they would be caught in a hail of bullets, and we knew that if we turned to confront them head-on, the same thing would happen to us.

I caught Chuck’s gaze across the gap between us – we needed to do something. He nodded, and lifted his gun, squeezing one eye shut and then pulling the trigger. The bullet slammed into the doorframe, splintering wood everywhere, and the shock of the sound seemed to snap something inside the men waiting for our next move.

One of them lunged forward, trying to escape an onslaught he thought was coming his way – seconds later, Jaxon aimed and pulled his trigger, watching as he hit the floor with a thump.

"Now!" Chuck yelled. And, in the confusion, the Dogs darted around the doorway and shoved their way into the corridor.

I took up the rear, aiming my gun and picking off a few of Lombardi’s men as best I could – we moved fast, clearing out the first few guys packed into the corridor, and the rest of them scattered to the adjoining rooms to take cover.

"Find Lombardi!" Chuck ordered the rest of the Dogs, and I scanned the room, searching for him – he was in here, I was sure of it, I had heard his voice We just needed to track him down...

I moved from room to room, letting the Dogs clear out the remaining goons and guards hiding out. I didn’t have sympathy for a single one of them – they must have known what they were getting involved with when they signed up to work for Lombardi, and they deserved to pay for that. They were almost as bad as him – stepping up to lay down cover fire for a fucker like that. I had no time for them. No space for them...

And, as I reached the end of the corridor, I threw open the last door and stopped dead in my tracks.

Because the man standing on the other side was one that I recognized.

My chest tightened. No. There was no fucking way – no fucking way that it could be him. He stared back at me, and I knew he recognized me at once. The fear in his eyes, the terror I saw the night I had run into him the last time – when I’d held him at gunpoint and told him he was going to pay for what he had done to my daughter.

It was the man who had killed Dina.

A ringing filled my ears, and I could hardly remember what the fuck I had been doing here in the first place.

"Lombardi’s gone!"

Chuck’s voice cut through the mess in my head, and I snapped back to reality.

"Shit," I muttered. I had been distracted, and now, that fucker had managed to make a break for it.

"What do you mean, gone?" Jaxon yelled back.

"He made a run for it with one of his men," Chuck replied, panting hard, as he joined me at the end of the corridor. "Anyone left in here we can get information out of?"

The man before me was visibly shaking, and I felt a cruel smile cross my face. All those years ago, when I first tracked him down and confronted him, I’d only shot him in the foot – I didn’t have it in me to take the revenge I wanted to, and I had lived with the regret of that every day of my life since.

But now, I had a chance to do what I should have done all those years ago. And shake loose all the information we needed about Lombardi in the process.

"I have someone," I replied, not taking my eyes off the cowering wreck in front of me.

Chapter Seventeen – Liana

"Wow, that’s amazing," I told Kara, as I looked over her shoulder to take in the artwork she had been working on all day.

Ever since we had visited Star at the tattoo shop, Kara had been showing a tentative interest in painting, so I bought her a cheap set from the local dollar store and set her up at the kitchen table, and, though she had made a total mess of my landlord’s furniture, she had been utterly absorbed by her work. I didn’t care how many tables I would have to replace, it was worth it to see the way her tongue stuck out as she focused all her energy on her work.

And it was a good distraction for me, too, from the stress I had been feeling since Lee had left earlier today. I knew this was their big attack on the Lombardi compound, and I had almost begged him to take me with them – I didn’t like the thought of being left behind, left out of all of this, when I knew there was so much I could do to help.

But, at the same time, I was sure I would have been nothing more than a distraction to him. Better for me to stay home with Kara and keep watch on her than go out and put myself in the middle of a war. I might have known my way around biker clubs, but this? This was way above my pay grade.

"Do you like it?" Kara asked, looking up at me with a smile on her face. I nodded.

"I love it," I replied, picking it up and admiring it. "Is it finished?"

"I think so..."

"It’s beautiful," I told her. It was a picture of a little house – a red roof, blue windows, and a bright yellow door, daubed in her childish style. But to me, it was a damn masterpiece.

"I think I’m going to put it up here," I told her, reaching for one of the tacky magnets on my fridge. I shifted it and planted the new painting right there against the door, stepping back to admire it.

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