Page 68 of Trick

She leans against me, her arm wrapping around my middle. “I don’t want you to do anything you’re not ready for.”

I consider her words, warmed by how considerate she’s being. There’s not a hint of jealousy about living in the shadow of a dead woman. “I’m ready. Should have done it a long time ago.” I press a kiss into her hair, holding her tight against me. This here is a second chance, and not one I deserve, but I’m going to take it anyway.

For a while, we sit together, her leaning against me, my arm wrapped around her. The moment is only broken by my phone buzzing. Shit. I struggle to get it out of my pocket, and when I do, all I see is one message from Howler.

Howler: We have a lead on Richardson.

I sit up straight, and she comes with me, tension in her body. “What’s wrong?”

“I have to go. We’ve got intel on Richardson.”

Her expression morphs into concern. “Be careful,” she says, and I kiss her deeply.

“Always.”

The ride over to the clubhouse feels as if it takes forever, and when I arrive, I sense the tension in the room immediately. Rage looks ready to unleash, and I don’t blame him for that. He has to protect his old lady and child, and I understand the strain of that. There is nothing I wouldn’t do to keep my daughter and Heidi safe.

It takes what seems like too long for everyone to be ready to ride, and by the time I get on my bike, I’m twitchy with anticipation.

We leave some brothers behind to protect the clubhouse, and I know how fortunate I am to be invited along, considering my status in the club.

Our destination is on the outskirts of Birmingham, where we meet some of the brothers from that chapter as well as the Fraser brothers. Nicky is among them, the Birmingham chapter’s Sergeant at Arms. He, like the rest of us, has a stake in this. His chapter has been plagued by Richardson and the Pioneers for years. Richardson is about to have a bad day—everybody wants a piece of him and his fucking soldiers.

We park up the bikes, and my helmet is off before anyone else’s. I’m eager to get inside and get this done. I want to make that cunt suffer for every evil he has paid on our club.

Howler walks over to me. “I need to know that you’re gonna remain fucking calm with this. No heroics.”

“I got stuff to live for, Howler. I’m not planning on dying here.”

He scans my face as if trying to see the truth in my words. Finally, he says, “Be careful in there.”

“You, too.”

We split into teams, circling the building before breaching it. It’s off the beaten path at the end of an industrial estate that looks disused. From the looks of things, no one has operated in any of these buildings for years. It’s the perfect hiding place for someone like Richardson to lick his wounds and regroup.

It’s also the place he’s going to die.

As we enter the building, I keep close to Lucas Fraser and Blackjack. The gun in my hand is heavy, and while I’m a good shot, I’m far better at using knives.

The building smells musty, damp too, and the stench fucking sears the hairs inside my nose, forcing me to breathe through my mouth.

Moving slowly to ensure our footfalls are not echoing around the empty space, I keep my eyes peeled for any danger while protecting my friends’ backs.

As we move through the building, there are signs someone has been living here for quite some time, but we don’t come across anyone.

Spreading out, we move through the building, and as I round a corner, we step into a large room at the same time as Howler and the others.

“Ain’t anyone here,” Rage growls in frustration.

I understand it. I feel the same. “They can’t have left that long ago,” Nicky says. “I say we wait for them to come back.”

“Fuck!” Howler yells, losing his shit for the first time. He kicks a nearby stack of boxes, scattering them across the floor.

It tears me apart to see our usually immovable president struggling to keep a hold on his emotions.

“This fucking prick! He needs to die,” he snaps. “I’m fucking tired of chasing our tails.”

We all agree on that.

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