Page 26 of Nitro

“Da, bring them in.”

Another man starts talking from the side and I do my best to look at where the voice is coming from.

No, this can’t be. I look again and blink a few times to make sure that I’m not hallucinating. I don’t know the rest of these people, but that man is Sven. He’s with the Juric crime family and if he’s with them that means Wire is near. Holy shit. No fucking way. I don’t want to laugh, but I can’t fucking believe it.

Rage and the rest of the Purged members drag the dirty and barely conscious women up from downstairs and line them up next to me. I want to reach out to them, but I can barely move myself.

“What the hell makes you think I would want this? I can get better women off the street.” Sven snaps at him and turns to walk away.

“Hey, you said you wanted them no matter the condition. I thought you were just going to use them in your sweat rooms or something like that?” Rooster wobbles slightly.

“No deal.”

“What the fuck do you mean no deal!” Rooster yells out and within an instant every single Purged member comes out from whatever hiding hole they were in and points their weapons at Sven. “You don’t come into the house of a god and waste my time. Either you take my merchandise or I blow your fucking head off.”

They all laugh and so do I. Does he know who the fuck he’s messing with? How does he not know who the Juric crime family is?

Sven and the people near him look around at the guns. He acts like he’s contemplating for a second.

“Fine, I guess a deal is a deal. You have to let my people in with the money. They took the back roads like you told me to. They are at the front gates. Bring them out, I don’t want to have to wait.” Sven and his people start walking out like they don’t have a care in the world. Honestly, I’m starting to think that I might be wrong about him being with Wire. He doesn’t seem too concerned about my well-being right now.

They drag all of us out into the open space by the gates. I don’t hear any motorcycles only the sound of a truck. I watch as Gunny presses a small button on the side that operates the gates. I’m assuming they got that put in after everything went down with Tink.

The gates open up and I watch Rooster pull out a smoke and press it to his lips. He looks down at me and gives me one of his trademark winks, “Looks like you chose the wrong side pendejo.”

I watch as he puts his head down to light his cigarette and as the red ember gets brighter another bright red light appears on his chest.

“Looks like you chose the wrong family.” I whisper to him and before he can open his mouth to ask me what I said a bullet pushes through his chest knocking him clear off his feet.

“Ambush!” I hear Rage yell out and I throw myself on the ground trying to take as many girls down with me and get them out of the line of fire.

Everything happens so fast. I hear the door pushing open from the truck and then footsteps running past. Bullets are flying through the air. Until I feel someone grab hold of my back and lift me up.

“Brother, where the fuck have you been? Did you chase the rabbit, because that shit never fucking ends well?” Tex wipes me off before he pokes my cheek. “Does that hurt? What does it look like in there? Can I see your brain through there?”

“Tex! Just bring him over here!” Shepard yells at him and I lean into the large man. I stop on my way to the truck though to see what’s unfolding in front of me.

All the Spawns are here. My brothers have finally come for me and others I never thought I’d call brother again.

Wire, Roth, and some nomads, Ink, Ryder, Archer, Jameson, and others from their crew I don’t know. Even fucking Clean’s ass had showed up.

Sven and the Croatians are standing by the truck clearly not perturbed by what’s going on minus one tall, thin man with blond hair. He must have a personal vendetta against Rooster.

The group of us circle around Rooster as he gets up to his knees. There is nowhere for him to run and no one around to help him. There is nothing for him besides death.

I watch as he chuckles and blood pours out of his mouth. He picks up another cigarette and lights it.

“Did you think you’d be able to run forever?” Shepard asks.

“No, I knew I’d die. I don’t care. But what did it cost, Shepard? What did going against who you really are cost? Wire? Ink? Roth? I gave you purpose. What the fuck are you going to do without Rooster?” He wheezes every word. The bullet in his chest clearly taking its toll.

“We’re going to live.” I answer.

“United and at some level of peace.” Shepard continues.

“Until another fucker like you shows up and we need to chase them down to the ends of the fucking earth.” Wire growls out.

“One shot at a time.” Archer pulls his rifle up and aims it at Rooster’s head.

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