Page 95 of Frenemies

I nodded at Snake, giving him the signal to continue, and tucked my back up against the metal box.

There was one big problem with bringing the fight to a place like this. Too many places for people to hide and absolutely no way to tell who it was you were shooting at until it was too late.

Luckily, we had Wilder on our side who planned this shit down to the last man. Yeah, we were all over the place, but we also had every inch of the docks covered. I might not make it out of here, but neither would Jax.

“You wanted me, little brother,” Jax called out over the fight. “Well, here I am.”

I knew he was baiting me, but that didn’t stop me from imagining what it would be like to put a bullet in his head. I had to actually grit my teeth and stop myself from jumping out when he called out my name. If I couldn’t control myself now, when Naomi needed me most, then I didn’t deserve her.

“Man,” Mason slammed back against the mailbox beside me. “That guy’s a dick.”

I looked over at him as he passed me a 9mm. “He’s my brother.”

“Well shit, and I thought my brother was a gigantic ass.”

To be fair, Micha was an ass. He just wasn’t a backstabbing prick.

“I gotta get back before that big motherfucker cracks my skull.” Mason slapped me on the chest, “Let me know how the offing your brother thing goes.”

Then he was gone, rolling across the ground and ducking back into the alley Beast was giving him the evil eye from.

Now that I was armed again, I dared to peek around the mailbox. If there was ever a time when opportunity was knocking at my door, it was right now.

Jax wasn’t even looking over here. He was too focused on Snake and the boys riding around him to be worried about anything else. So I got up on my haunches and took aim over the top of the mailbox.

This was the moment I’d been waiting for, for years, and did I see the hate in his eyes when I had Jax’s head in my sights? No. I saw the love and protection shining down at me when he helped up on the playground.

I saw the teenager that kicked another kid in the alley for tripping me. The man who puffed his chest out with pride when I got married, then years later bounced his giggling nephew on his knee. It wasn’t the monster that destroyed me that I saw.

It was my brother.

My finger twitched against the trigger, unable to give it that final tug. I knew this needed to be done. That the world would be better without him in it, yet, I couldn’t shake the image of his face smiling down at me.

“Come on, Chase,” I growled and tightened up my stance. “One shot, and it’s done.”

Everyone was relying on me. I could do this.

But could I?

I rolled my neck and once again focused on the enemy. There was no redemption for Jax. He couldn’t be fixed. My brother was gone, and he was never coming back.

But was he really?

I should’ve fired when Jax spun around and locked glares with me. Should’ve taken that shot instead of searching his face for some hint of the man I used to know. But I didn’t. I stared back at him and did nothing, even when he lifted the barrel of a Glock my way.

So many things flashed through my mind in that second. My old man teaching me to ride a bike, then weak and dying on a bed. My brother’s hand reaching out for me. My wife’s beautiful face and the bright eyes of my baby boy. Then finally, a snarled lip and deep green eyes. That was the image I held onto as I accepted my fate.

But fate had other things in store.

Just when I was getting ready to meet my maker, a bullet sliced through the air and tore into my brother’s brain. The last breath Jax had on this earth was full of confusion. His brows knit as he reached up to touch the blood trickling down the side of his face, then he dropped down to the ground. Dead.

It was surreal, almost like a dream, until I looked over to see who fired that shot and saw Naomi standing on the deck of the boat with a pistol in her hands.

I never loved her more.

* * *

The fight didn’t last toolong after Jax was down, which I was more than happy about because I couldn’t wait to get my hands on my woman. While everyone else was rounding up the few remaining Reapers, I charged across the docks and scooped Naomi up and twirled around.

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