Page 148 of Break Out

“How can you be sure it’s Knuckles? Could be someone across the street.”

I shook my head. “I confronted Knuckles two weeks ago, and before he pulled out of the drive, he revved the engine just like that. Loud and annoying.”

Torque shot me a text back.

Yeah, he texted Flip a few minutes ago saying he was leaving. We’re on the move.

“Tor says Knuckles texted that he’s on the way. Let’s get my woman out of there.”

Within minutes, we made our way through the gap in the fence, and quietly edged around the house. Along the back, all of the windows were closed, but the first corner we rounded, the edge of a curtain fluttered out of the open window.

Mug’s voice carried outside. “Sledge, he said to go easy on our product.”

Sledge’s voice sounded like he was next to the window. “Motherfucker, mind your own business. This is nothing since he’s getting a new shipment. Hell, I’d be with him to inspect it if you weren’t such a fuckin’ pathetic perv.”

I gripped my gun tighter at the thought of Mug making Simone uncomfortable. Volt strode past me and led the way toward the front of the house.

He put an arm out to stop me. “Raff and I have Mug. You take Sledge. He’s a bigger wildcard.”

I lifted my chin. “Fine. But aim below the nose. I want to gouge his eyes out for looking at my woman at all.”

Volt’s head cocked at an angle. “You need this to be believable. Eyes being gouged out is too much.”

“Thanks for the reminder,” I whispered and moved past him to the front door.

My hunch was right. Mug hadn’t locked it behind himself.

Luckily, the hinges didn’t squeak when I slowly opened it. I tip-toed inside and crept down a very narrow hallway. A free-standing fireplace sat in an alcove to my left. It hadn’t been used in over a decade, from the dilapidated state of it. A tiny kitchen was to my right. From this angle, there was a pass-through at the kitchen sink and I saw Simone bound to a plastic chair. Mug stood watching her.

Sledge had to be along the wall on my left since we could hear him so well at the window.

Volt crowded closer to me and I nodded.

We both entered the room together with our guns raised. Volt went straight to Mug, catching him off-guard. Sledge noticed the movement, and had his weapon in hand but aimed toward Mug.

“Yo!” I called to get his attention.

The moment his eyes met mine, I shot him in the shoulder. He dropped his weapon. Volt’s words outside the house came back to me and I kept myself from filling him with bullets.

He charged toward me. I tucked my gun in the holster, and landed a punch to his jaw.

Nelson came around and grabbed Sledge from behind. He shifted and locked an arm around Sledge’s neck, putting him in a sleeper hold. In seconds, Sledge’s body slumped and hit the floor.

Nelson grinned. “Blood splatters, Prez. I’d stand back if I were you.”

I moved toward Simone, but stopped short when Volt said, “A little help here.,”

Volt had pistol-whipped Mug, initially. He couldn’t shoot him since Simone sat directly behind Mug. I looked for Rafferty and saw him slumped against a wall. I should have had another brother here instead of Rafferty. Mug was an enforcer for a reason, and had likely caught Rafferty by surprise. Volt had a split lip, and Mug had a bowie knife in his hand.

“You motherfuckers are gonna die,” Mug said.

From behind me, I heard the strange sound of a toilet lid scraping. Nelson came back into the room and flanked Volt’s other side.

“A toilet lid?” I called out to Nelson.

Mug’s eyes slid to me and then his head turned toward Nelson. It was enough of a distraction that Nelson lunged forward while swinging the rectangular piece of ceramic. I didn’t think there was any way he’d connect with Mug, but that cracking sound was one I would never forget.

Mug’s body stayed upright for a second and then fell to the floor. Nelson pulled his knife out, and I had to look away when he slit Mug’s throat.

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