Page 114 of Tempting God

“Good.”

Ryans’ pleas fill the air as the chains drop. There’s a moment where hope fills Ryans’ face…right before the lights go out.

Charles calls out, “Gentlemen, let justice be served for someone who sought to hurt the Defiant God Brotherhood.”

I put my goggles on in time to see Walt making a mad dash for the door. He doesn’t get far because Brooks steps on one of the chains, halting his progress. Jones and Blanc move in, attacking Ryans. They get in a few hits before he gets smart and uses the chains as a weapon. It won’t do him any good. He’ll tire soon and make things even worse for himself.

Brooks and I move in, giving Blanc and Jones a break. Ryans screams when my blade makes contact with his arm, slicing the skin. There’s one thing I love about this blade. It’s sharp and therefore cuts deeply. I strike again. It really is like a knife sliding through butter.

Ryans manages to get a hit in on me, but I have the upper hand when I remove one of his fingers.

“You bastard,” Ryans screams.

Brooks laughs. “You’re definitely not going to like this.”

He swings his bat, hitting Ryans behind the knee.

“Oopsie. I was aiming for your ankle. Better remedy that.” Brooks strikes again. “Damn. Did you hear that bone breaking? I doubt even Santos could fix that one.”

Even though it’s pitch black in the room, I know my friend is smiling like a fool.

“Please,” Ryans begs. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s too late for that,” I say.

All four of us move in on Ryans, giving him the punishment he deserves until the only sound in the room is our heavy breathing.

Jim crosses the room to turn on the lights and tosses his goggles to the side. “Shit. I’m going to feel that in the morning.”

We move away from Ryans’ body, removing our goggles.

Brooks glances over his shoulder. “Damn. Didn’t know any of you had it in you.”

Charles scoffs at that. “Respect your elders.”

But he’s smiling.

Turning to me, he asks, “How do I make things right between us?”

“Tonight was a start.”

I mean it, too.

He dips his head. “Thank you.”

“But that doesn’t mean things don’t need to change.”

“I agree,” he says. “Jones and I would like to have a meeting with you, Henderson, and Moretti. Brainstorm on how we can take the Brotherhood into a new era.”

I dip my head. “That sounds like a good plan.”

Charles says, “We’ll wait until you secure the presidency, of course. With Ryans out of the way, I have no doubt that you will win.”

“I have to ask. Why did you back him in the first place?”

Charles is silent, and I’m not sure he’s going to answer. Brooks and Jim both wait, as if they’re curious, too.

Finally, he says, “It’s a tough job leading the Brotherhood, but it was something I knew I would do one day. Of course, I thought it would be after my uncle stepped down. I never expected it to happen when I was forty-two.” He exhales. “I also never thought I’d see members I served with die off one by one for various reasons. DeLeon. Smith. Zhang. It changed me.”

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