Page 135 of Savior

Angel.

“Now, Mike, I did this for us,” Betsy began. “I thought you were dead—”

“Everything you saw, we wanted you to see.” I forced a bitter laugh. “You had eyes everywhere. Knew our next move before we did, but I figured out a way to beat you at your own goddamn game. So, if you’re the saint, then I guess that makes me the motherfucking savior.”

The timing couldn’t have been more perfect. The wooden floor began to vibrate under my feet as the air outside filled with the thunderous sound of motorcycles.

Something like confusion crossed Betsy’s face before she snapped, “What’d you do, Mike?”

“Brought a few friends to even the odds, Betsy. You’re Saint, don’t you wanna see a good fight? What the fuck am I saying? Of course you do. It’s what you’ve kept us doing for years.”

Dakota began squirming on the floor. “Um, excuse me. I really need to pee! This baby is on my bladder.”

The biker nearby looked at my mother in question. “What do I do?”

“What do you do? You take her to the bathroom, genius. She’s a pregnant woman, what the fuck is she gonna do? Just stay in there and make sure she doesn’t try to run.” Betsy threw up her hands before turning back to me. “Mike, I want you to come with me. We’ll leave all of this behind and start a new life together. Just you and me.”

“And my family?”

“I’m your family. Me! These people are nothing!” Her voice rose, drowning out the thump of a body hitting the floor in the bathroom. She continued rambling, but I couldn’t hear a word she said as I made my way toward the bathroom.

Just as I reached for the door handle, it opened beneath my hand, and Dakota stepped out, straightening her hair. The biker who’d escorted her lay on the floor, unmoving.

“Jiu-Jitsu. I’ll teach you someday.”

“Fine, “ I whispered. “Need you to help me get everyone out of here. Zane and the others are nearby, but it’s gonna get ugly here real quick. Stay hidden.”

She nodded, and I walked back to the main living area, calling over my shoulder. “Jesus Christ, how long can one woman pee?”

Carnage jerked his head. “Now.”

Molly pulled a gun from behind her back and fired, hitting one of the bikers in the chest. Carnage fired on the other one, hitting him in the head and sending him to the floor. The first one managed to get two shots off before collapsing, striking Molly in the chest and abdomen.

“No!” Lauren shouted, covering Molly’s body with hers.

I didn’t even think about the ramifications before sending two rounds into the guy’s forehead. For good measure, I walked over to Kyle’s unconscious form and unloaded the rest of my mag into his skull. “You cocksucking pieces of shit,” I growled.

Gunfire erupted outside, echoing off the mountains and turning the woods into a war zone. Sun Tzu believed that it was crucial to end a battle strongly. We’d chosen to follow his principle of shock and awe by striking on the military that had backed my mother.

We were cutting the head off the snake.

Without an army, there was no Saint.

“Mike, put the gun down. Let’s talk.” Betsy gripped Celia’s hair in her fist, holding the barrel of a gun to her temple. With the way she was positioned, Celia had become a human shield.

“Carnage,” I said calmly, keeping my eyes on my mother. “Get them out of here and kill the one in the bathroom before he wakes up.”

“You got it, boss.”

“Nobody move or I’ll do it. I will end her.”

Grey struggled to free himself, thrashing wildly against his restraints. “Let her go, Betsy. It’s me you want.”

She looked down at him as if he were something stuck to the bottom of her shoe. “Not anymore.”

“Take the shot, Mikey,” Celia demanded, stoically resigning herself to her fate.

I shook my head. “I’ll hit you.”