Page 100 of Hendrix

Ace had been a pain in my ass, and I knew he enjoyed playing cat and mouse. Still, hurting me in business was one thing, but screwing with my people had crossed a line I wasn’t willing to overlook.

Now his days were numbered because in kidnapping one of my men’s kids, he’d signed his own death warrant.

My stare remained on Ace as I waited for Addie to disappear. The second I lost sight of her, I leveled Ace with a stare. “Since when did the big, bad soldier need to use little girls to make a point? Thought even a traitorous bastard like you had bigger balls than that.”

Anyone who didn’t know him would have missed the slight blanching of his face, but I didn’t.

Direct hit.

“She was never in danger, and you know it,” he bit back.

“Doesn’t mean it’s not cowardly, though,” Diablo called out. “She lost her mother a few years ago. Her dad lost his wife. Today, you made it so he thought he might lose Addie, too. All because you wanted to play a twisted game.” He shook his head. “Used to look up to you. Loved you as a brother in arms. Now I wouldn’t piss in your mouth if you were stuck in the desert without water.”

“Wondered when you’d pipe up,” Ace muttered. “Bend over a little further, Drix. Diablo needs more ass to kiss.”

My SAA laughed and nodded toward Smoke and Baxter. “You only say that ‘cause I wouldn’t kiss yours like Laverne and Shirley over there. How you two doin’ anyway? Betray any more brothers lately?”

“Fuck you, Diablo,” Smoke spat.

“Goddamned fucking traitors,” my brother said, loud enough for them to hear. “Can’t wait to kill these fuckers.” His head twisted toward the two men. “I decided it's chop-off-a-cock day today. Come on over to Daddy. I’ll immortalize your tiny peckers in one’a my jars. You remember them, doncha? They’re all lit up with pretty Christmas lights now. Looks goddamned awesome at night.”

Smoke’s face paled to white, and I had to choke back a laugh.

He remembered, alright, because he whipped his Glock from his inside pocket and pointed it at Diablo.

“I’ll shoot a fuckin’ hole in your chest,” he yelled.

“Looks like he wants to keep his pecker where it is, brother,” I said loudly. “Though from what I remember, you’d be hard-pressed to find it anyway. Didn’t the whores always compare his dick to a little mushroom?”

Diablo threw back his head and laughed maniacally. “Chop a cock. Chop a cock. Chop a cock,” he chanted. “Or is it chop a mushroom?”

“Shut the fuck up!” Smoke bellowed, anger suffusing his face.

“Lower your weapon, brother,” Ace barked, but it was too late.

Smoke aimed his gun at Diablo, and a deafening bang splintered the air.

A gargling sound left my brother’s throat, and slowly, he fell to his knees as all hell began to break loose. A barrage of gunfire filled the air, and everybody dived for cover.

Heart jolting, I ducked, grabbed Diablo, threw him over my back, and ran for the trees with him bouncing on my shoulder. “Status report,” I huffed out.

“Swerve, Prez,”Gambit said through comms.

I veered right and felt a bullet whizz past my ear. “Jesus fuck,” I panted. “Diablo, can you run yet?”

His reply was a strangled gasp.

A soft chuckle filtered through my earpiece, and Fletch said,“Just took Baxter down, Prez. Ace is on the move, but I can’t get a clear shot. Smoke’s lagging behind. I think Gambit blew off his kneecap ‘cause that fucker’s dragging.”

I cleared the tree line and dumped Diablo onto his back in the dirt and leaves. Then, bending over, I put my hands to my knees. With my breath sawing in and out, I stared down at Diablo, who was still fighting for breath, and snapped, “Why you gotta go and yank every fucker’s chain? So much for trying to get to the bottom of Ace’s plot. You and your chop a dick, chop a dick bullshit. It’s no fucking wonder Smoke shot your ass. You scared the goddamned crap out of him.”

Laughter drifted over the comms.

“Is Addie safe?” I demanded.

“Rockabye has her,”Gambit confirmed.“He bundled her in the SUV and got her out of there the second she came through the trees. He’s on his way home with her. Trick’s hanging fire.”

“Did you guys run into any trouble?” I asked, getting down on my haunches to check on Diablo, who was still trying to get his breath.

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