Page 72 of Ruin
I’m thankful it turned out my finger was only dislocated. It healed well, and I was able to take off the makeshift splint this morning. Hell, even if it were still on my finger, I’d tear it off so I could shoot right.
A few shots go off, and I can’t tell who’s guns they are, but I peek around the corner and catch an Iron Runner in my line of view, so I take aim and fire, getting him right in the throat. Blood spurts from his neck, his hand coming up to grasp it but it does nothing to stop it. I got him right in the carotid; he’ll be dead in seconds.
I pop back around the bar to take cover, and find Rhino back here now.
“How many?” I ask.
“Saw four.”
Two more shots go off, and I jump up, aiming and scanning the room. I spot a dickhead that doesn’t belong here and shoot. He moves at the very last second, but I don’t miss. His nose explodes off his face, and he jerks backward, gun falling to the ground as his hands come up. He trips on a chair, going down when someone else gets off a round that hits him right in the chest.
I drop back down, glancing at Rhino. “There are four now,” I tell him.
He nods. “Maybe more coming in. I’ll go to the back.” Rhino crawls toward the back door. An Iron Runner rounds the bar, jerking around to aim at Rhino when he spots him, but I get him first, right in the gut. Rhino gets one in next, right between the eyes. He gets to his feet and runs through the door that leads to the hallway and out back.
That door is supposed to be locked at all times, and there’s no handle on the outside. So how the fuck did they get in? Especially so quietly.
There’s a gunshot, a thud, a snap and a yelp. Bet that was Shark breaking a bone. He likes to do that. He, too, got his name for biting someone. Runs in the family, I guess.
“All clear!” Ghost yells, and I get to my feet, both hands trained on the gun—just in case we missed one or more come in.
Spam has one of the guys in a chokehold, Bullseye and Tank standing in front of them like two well-trained Rottweilers.
If Coyote were here, he’d handle this interrogation, but since he isn’t, my brother, the VP, will take over. I look around the room, wondering where the fuck he is, when he walks out from the hallway with a meat cleaver in hand, Rhino trailing behind him.
“Crowbar got them into the back door,” Rhino says. “It’ll need replacing.”
And a deadbolt. Maybe two.
Shark walks toward Spam and the Iron Runner who’s still in a hold. He picks up a bar stool on his way and drops it in front of them when he gets there.
“Grab his arm,” he demands.
Bullseye doesn’t hesitate to grab the guy’s arm, slamming it on the stool and holding it in place.
Shark looks at me and says, “Tourniquet.” He turns his attention to Spam, and without a word, he loosens his grip. Then he gives the Iron prick all of his attention and says, “I’m not going to ask why the fuck you’re here. Quite frankly, I don’t give a fuck. What I am going to do is leave you with a reminder of why you don’t fuck with the Hell’s Mayhem.” He rears the cleaver back and brings it down on the guy’s wrist, cutting his hand clean off. It falls to the floor with a low thud. The guy screams. Blood puddles out. His eyes roll to the back of his head, and he passes out.
“Better hurry up,” Shark snaps at me, just as he walks out the front door.
I spot the belt on the prick’s jeans, go over and yank it off before getting it on his arm to stop the bleeding. I don’t know how I became the closest thing to a doctor in this club. Being smart fucking blows.
Chapter Thirty
Kolton
The house is quiet when I get inside. Not to my surprise but much to my dismay, I find Grizz asleep on the couch. He’s been hanging around a lot lately, and I don’t fucking like it. I don’t like anyone in my house, especially slobs like him. The guy acts like he was raised by wild fucking boars. The only positive is that there is someone watching after Anastacia and the baby when I’m not here.
Lucian has come around to check on her but only when I’m not here. Surprise, surprise. I insult him once and he avoids me like the plague. It’s a good thing I didn’t give in to his bullshit. I knew I couldn’t trust him. He gave up so easily.
I don’t know what he wants out of this, but whatever it is, it isn’t worth fighting for. Which isn’t good enough for me. If you aren’t willing to fight, then you’re not worth it to me. It hurts, but I’ve had enough years of pain to be used to it.
I kick my boots off and don’t bother to wake up Grizz. I’ve accepted that my couch is his new home, and whenever hedecides to finally leave, I’ll just buy a new one. That one smells like his stupid ass.
I take a quick shower, not bothering to clean up since Anastacia has been doing it every morning. She’s always commenting on how I like a clean house and she’ll do her best to respect that. Since she’s been sleeping and eating better, she’s had more energy. Lucian made a comment about “nesting.” No idea what the fuck that is, but I guess it has something to do with the baby coming soon.
Meaning, we need to figure out what the fuck we’re going to do about that.
Me and Razor have a deal. She will have a safe place to deliver the baby that isn’t a seven-hour drive. It’ll take us thirty minutes to get her there, which is a much better number. It gives us a better scenario of her having the baby safely and not in the back of my car or on my floor. The Iron Runners do not have anyone over the border, as far as we know. It feels like the smartest and safest bet.
