Page 72 of Falcon

My ability to compartmentalize was one that had served me well for years, and I had no doubt it would now. I had my Sig tucked away but I grabbed the shotgun, opened the back window, and tossed it into the bed of the truck.

“Need me to slow down?” Linx asked as we got closer and closer to the van.

“No. Keep going. See you in a few, brother.” I’d never fit through the back glass, so I climbed out the busted window, glad the storm had moved on, and found the sidestep. With my long reach, I grabbed the side of the bed and pulled myself up and over, rolling as I landed. I banged on the window to let Linx know I was set, then waved over at Pitty and pointed him to go to the driver’s side of the van. Tiny would follow and Linx would fall back once I was ready.

I readied the shotgun, wind beating against my face. That first shot would be the difference between this working or everyone getting killed, including Daisy. Pitty had to be opposite of me at exactly the right time or I’d likely be killed. I took a deep breath, knowing that whatever happened, it was my destiny.

The van must have spotted us because it swerved, but Linx didn’t waiver. He kept it steady, and I braced against the back of the truck and had the double-barreled shotgun ready. An arm flew from the window we were pulling up to and fired a gun at us. Linx still held it steady, and I used the truck as cover, ducking down further but pointing around the side in case the passenger decided to get a good look.

After the passenger pulled his arm back in, Linx laid on the horn—the sign to Pitty to move up—then gunned it up beside the passenger door. The arm came back out, but I got off my shot. The man’s body slumped but didn’t fall, I assumed because he was buckled in. I had one more in the chamber and didn’t have extra rounds, so if I missed on the next one, I’d have to rely on my Sig while I was on one moving vehicle, chasing another.

The driver was watching as Pitty held his gun out, ready to pop him if he shot me first. The man was visibly flustered and swerved the van. Pitty fired off a round, but it was just a warning shot. The third man finally showed himself, reaching around to try to get me, but I got my shot off first. His blood splattered across the face of the driver, who was white knuckling the wheel, mumbling something to himself.

Pitty was yelling to stop the van, but the man just went faster. Fucking idiot. A work van wasn’t going to outrun the bikes, but I had to make my move soon. I dropped the empty shotgun and knocked on the top of the truck. Linx moved closer and tried to pull alongside, but the van kept accelerating, then he slowed some. He knew what I was planning and wasn’t going to make it easy. By now, he had to know he was a dead man walking.

Bracing myself, I finally saw my opportunity. I couldn’t mess up or it would all be over. I went for it, flinging myself to the van, one arm grabbing the mirror and the other gripping the open window. Thankfully, the window had been rolled all the way down to make room for the dick to shoot at me.

Pitty still had his gun trained on the driver, so through my struggle to climb in, I said, “Don’t get any ideas. That crazy fucker will take us all out.”

I pulled my body up by grabbing the seatbelt that was holding what was left of the passenger and got my legs in. Pulling my knife from my pocket, I put it to the driver’s throat. “Stop this van.”

“I’m dead anyway.” He floored it and I briefly lost my footing. I grabbed his seatbelt buckle to steady myself, the tip of my blade piercing his side. “Fuck!”

I leaned into his ear but still shouted, “Stop the fucking van and I won’t track down your family and kill them one by one! Otherwise, I will find them all the way to your third fucking cousins and mutilate them in the most deranged ways you can imagine. Pull over!”

Sweat dripped down his face as he slowed the van and pulled off to the side. I clicked the buckle on his belt as his door swung open. Pitty was standing there, his gun aimed at the mother fucker’s head. “Get out,” the stocky man ordered.

The driver put his shaking hands up and his nostrils flared before he turned and stepped out. I heard some kicks and hits but turned to the back of the van. Women’s boots peeked out from under the dead body lying near the seats. I pushed him off and there she was.

Pulling Daisy up, I yanked the black cloth off her head and was greeted with wide, red-rimmed eyes. Her hands were bound in front of her with zip ties and something was stuffed in her mouth. I pulled it out and she gagged a little as she fell apart.

Tears streamed down her face, and she shook violently. “F-F-Falcon. I–you–”

I popped the zip tie with my knife, sliding it into my pocket as her arms went around my neck. I gripped her just as tightly, pulling her as close as I could. “Shh. I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”

Her hands squeezed my cut, and I held her until Pitty popped his head inside. “Hey boss, we got him in the back of the truck. Need to get rid of the van.”

I pulled away just enough to see her face. I was going to kill everyone responsible for this. Her hair was wild and dried tears had crusted over her face. Her beautiful lips were dry and cracked. “We gotta go. My truck’s outside.”

“My ankles,” she croaked out.

I cut her ankles free before I lifted her up and opened the side door. She didn’t need to see everything up front. I hustled us to the truck and put her inside. “This is Linx. Great driver. Let me check with them–”

“They got it, brother. Let’s get her back to the clubhouse.”

Looking over the hood, the van was already being pushed toward the embankment just ahead. “How deep is that river?” I asked, peering at the rushing water.

“Deep enough. You coming?” Linx asked in that deep gravelly voice.

I hopped in and slammed the door, pulling my woman against me. She was still shaking, but her tiny fingers tried to hold onto me, so I made sure to wrap her up in my arms.

Linx took a look around. Seeing nobody there, he jumped the median and headed back towards the clubhouse.

Now that she was safe in my arms, all my emotions were flooding back. I’d get my vengeance soon enough. For now, I had to control that rage and just comfort her.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

My chest was on fire. She shouldn’t be thanking me for shit; none of this should have happened. All I could do was pull her closer and dig my face into her hair. I let her down. I promised to protect her, and I failed miserably.

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