Page 25 of Deserter

I felt it.

Apparently Slim and Comedian felt it too because they’d followed suit.

“Shit don’t feel right,” Comedian noted quietly before pulling his gun free.

I realized that it had gone silent outside and the hair on the back of my neck bristled. We moved toward the back entrance in the kitchen, staying in the shadows, as Daniel marched in with an army of bikers.

Several of our guys met my gaze and nodded before freeing their weapons and slipping into position. The others waited for Dragon to give the commands.

“It appears we have a bit of a problem,” Daniel noted before stepping behind the bar with a reluctant smile. “You’ve been outbid.”

“The drugs were paid for,” Dragon stated flatly, still not bothering to look up.

“Sí, but now we have a higher bidder. So, you see, the drugs now belong to these men.”

One of the bikers stepped forward and my blood turned to ice in my veins. It was the president of the Serpents, Viper. “You’re in our territory, Dragon. And you know what that means? Anything you’ve got is ours—including the drugs. Now hand them over and we’ll let you run off back to the desert.”

They weren’t going to let any of us leave.

Our pathetic excuse for a president smirked. “We’re here to take back what rightfully belongs to Silent Phoenix.”

What the fuck?

Our numbers were laughable up against the Serpents. To start a turf war now was nothing short of a suicide mission and he knew it.

“Does anyone else here agree?”

“I’m taking the back entrance. Wait for my signal,” Slim said under his breath before disappearing. The woods behind the bar had gone silent; even the animals were holding their breaths in anticipation.

Rock, our VP, stepped up. If anything, he was worse than Dragon. “You heard our Pres. We’re taking this ba—”

The Serpents’ Pres fired a round through his skull before he could finish his sentence. “As I was saying, is there anyone else—”

Dragon hopped off his barstool and sloppily reached for his gun. Another biker fired two rounds into his forehead, and he collapsed back against the bar.

And just like that, an opportunity had presented itself.

I was going to solve my Comedian problem without having to lift a finger.

Every member of Silent Phoenix looked to me to make the next move. “Punch line,” I whispered, and Comedian cocked his head.

“Punch line?” Realization dawned and he nodded. “You got it, boss.” He cracked his neck and made his way over to our rivals while I tried to silently communicate with our men to stand down until I gave the signal.

“Hey guys, you up for a joke?”

The rival president sat down on a nearby stool with a grin. “Now this man, he gets it. We don’t want trouble. We just want what’s ours.”

Comedian bobbed his head up and down. “Absolutely. No one else needs to lose their heads if you know what I mean.”

“He’s funny,” Viper pointed out to the others. “Alright, funny guy. Tell us a joke. I hope, for your sake, that it makes us laugh.”

“What did the three tampons say to the bartender when they walked into the bar?” Comedian fired his gun from his hip, sending a round into Viper’s chest just as there was a flash of light out front.

An explosion followed, rocking the bar and sending glass flying. I didn’t hesitate before raising my gun and shouting, “Now!”

It wasn’t our best plan, but if it was this or getting shot like fish in a goddamn barrel, I was willing to take my chances.

The bar erupted into chaos and I fell into a role that was as natural as breathing to me. The scent of blood filled the room. In six years, I’d gotten a lot better at recognizing it.

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