Page 3 of Wrath's Redemption

"Contact back door!" Butcher's voice crackles through the comms, followed by two sharp cracks of gunfire.

Crow moves left, I go right. Years of working together make us fluid, deadly. Somewhere upstairs, someone's screaming orders – Joey's voice. My blood burns hotter at the sound.

A door bursts open to my right. I don't think, just react. My elbow catches the Outlaw's throat, crushing his windpipe before he can raise his gun. As he drops, gasping, I put a bullet in his head. Clean. Quick. No time for anything else.

"Two down in the kitchen," Maverick reports, his voice ice-cold.

The house erupts in gunfire, muzzle flashes lighting up the darkness like lightning. The smell of cordite fills the air, mixing with the copper tang of blood.

"Joey's moving!" Angel's voice cuts through the chaos. "West side, second floor, heading for the window!"

"Like hell he is," I snarl, taking the stairs three at a time. Crow's right behind me, covering my six.

A bullet whizzes past my head, embedding itself in the wall. I return fire, catching a glimpse of movement through a doorway. The answering scream tells me I hit something.

"Wrath!" Crow shouts. I drop as he fires over my head. Another body hits the floor.

Then I see him – Joey, trying to squeeze his fat ass through a window. Panic written all over his face as he realizes there's nowhere left to run.

"Remember me, asshole?" I growl.

He spins around, raising his gun. I'm faster. My first shot takes him in the shoulder, spinning him away from the window. The second hits his knee. He goes down screaming.

I stalk toward him, every step measured. This piece of shit tried to destroy my family. Tried to kill my brother. Some deaths need to be personal.

"Please," he whimpers, blood bubbling from his lips. "I can pay—"

My boot connects with his face, cutting off his words.

"You don't talk," I tell him, pressing my gun against his forehead. "You just die."

His eyes go wide, and for a moment, I see real fear in them. Good.

"Clear downstairs!" Butcher's voice reports.

"Clear east side," comes Ruthless.

Joey starts to shake. "Wait—"

I pull the trigger.

The gunshot echoes through the now-quiet house, a final punctuation mark to this chapter of violence. Blood pools around Joey's head, turning the cheap carpet black in the darkness.

"All clear," I say into my comms. "It's done."

And just like that, it's over. 80% of the Outlaws' leadership, wiped out in less than five minutes. Justice, Iron & Blood style.

"Angel, status?" Hellfire demands.

"Area's clean. No movement. No cops. We're good."

I look down at Joey's body, feeling nothing but cold satisfaction. This is what happens when you fuck with family.

"Let's wrap it up and move out," Hellfire orders. "Butcher, you know what to do."

As I head downstairs, I catch my reflection in a broken mirror. Blood spatters my cut, my face, my hands. I look exactly like what I am – Wrath incarnate.

I'm wiping my hands on a bandana when my burner buzzes. Snake's blood smears across the screen as I check the caller ID – it's Tank, one of our prospects.

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