Page 137 of Steel

He looks from me to Havoc as he holds Tempe by the hair. With his free hand, he brings a gun up to the side of her head, and she stops fighting when the barrel presses to her temple.

Her eyes widen as she meets my gaze across the yard.

“Jameson—” She’s cut off when Dimitri pulls her hair harder.

“Let her go, Dimitri.”

“And then what?” He laughs. “You’ll just put a bullet in my head.”

“If you’re lucky.”

I’d like to drag him back to the Shack and tear him apart from his fingernails to his teeth. Better yet, I could give Ghost a few hours to let out his demons. But right now, all that matters is making sure Tempe is safe.

“Always knew you Iron Sinners were pathetic fuckers,” I taunt him. “Too scared to fight your own battles.”

Havoc slowly circles, but he doesn’t get any closer as we both keep our distance. He’s looking for any shot he can take, and I’m hoping he gets one while I keep Dimitri distracted.

“Your men are dead. You will be too in a second. There’s nothing left for you to fight for.”

“That’s where you’re wrong.” Dimitri narrows his eyes.

“Am I?” I take a step closer, watching him shift each time I do. “Reyes left you here. Everyone back at the house is dead. This battle is over. You’re the only one left.”

Dimitri’s jaw clenches, and even if he hates me, it’s clear he’s not happy to hear that. “It doesn’t matter. I’d do anything for my club.”

“I’m sure you would. But what would they do for you?”

Most outsiders view all motorcycle clubs the same, but that’s only because they don’t look closely enough. There are a lot of differences—from what we traffic to who we protect.

But the biggest difference between the Twisted Kings and the Iron Sinners comes from within.

There’s nothing I ask of my men that I won’t do myself. There’s nothing I won’t sacrifice that I don’t also expect them to. We have each other’s backs to the end. No one runs from a fight, and no one backs down.

“You think you’ve won this?” Dimitri sneers. “We already got what we needed. Why do you think Reyes blew his cover?”

“You want to talk about winning right now? You’re not walking out of here.”

Dimitri laughs, spitting a wad of blood on the ground. “Like that matters. Do what you want. This doesn’t end with me. Your club is going to burn around you, Steel. Titan made sure of it. Reyes made sure of it. This is far from over.”

With a cocky step, he creates just enough of an opening for Havoc to shoot him in the shoulder, forcing him to release Tempe.

She runs from his grasp the second he lets her go, and I close in before he can try to make a run for it.

Havoc grabs the arm with the bullet wound, driving his thumb in and forcing Dimitri to his knees. When he cries out in pain, I grab his jaw and force his mouth open further, shoving my gun between his teeth.

He tries to wiggle away but can’t.

I could draw this out; I could torture him for information. But one look in his eyes tells me I won’t get what I’m looking for. Dimitri was a pawn—a distraction.

They left him here because they no longer have use for him.

“Do me a favor.” I look Dimitri dead in the eyes. “Give your boss a message from me.”

I press the gun deep enough for it to click against his teeth. Havoc releases Dimitri to make room, stepping back. And before Dimitri can blink or try to fight me off, I send a bullet down his throat.

For Tempe.

For Austin.

---