Page 80 of New Beginnings
“I’m trained.”
Curiosity sparked as I lift a brow. “Trained in what?”
Before she shut it down, a flicker of emotion passed across her face. I didn’t like it.
“Self-defense.”
“And why would you need to be trained in self-defense?”
“That’s not important, and it’s a long story I don’t want to talk about. Just know I can protect myself.”
“You take a gun or you’re not doing this.”
As she glared at me, her eyes narrowed with anger, and I met her gaze with equal intensity. I wasn’t backing down on this. I had already resigned myself to the fact that she’d have to show up for us to get anywhere, but I would not let her walk into this shit without protection. She was already walking into the lion’s den.
I looked down at my watch at the time. We had thirty-five minutes to get to the spot.
“Times ticking, Rebel. If you’re going to do it, this is the only way.”
With a hostile glare, she stuck her hand out towards me. I reached into the drawer of my office desk and handed herthe cold, metal nine-millimeter and the worn leather holster I always kept there, prepared for any trouble at the clubhouse.
“Do you know how to use it?” I asked.
She rolled her eyes, expressing her annoyance. “Of course, I know how to use it.”
“Keep it tucked in the front waist of your pants.” I stood and moved around to the front of my desk. Grabbing her arms, I took it from her hand and secured the gun in the concealed carry holster in the front of her jeans where she could reach it quickly. “You won’t have time to pull it from your purse if shit goes to hell. But with it here you’ll have a chance.”
“I’m going to be okay. Don’t worry.”
I gave her a curt nod even though there was no way I wouldn’t worry about her. She pecked my lips then pulled away too quickly for my liking.
“Let’s head out,” I said.
As our hands met, our fingers intertwined, creating a comforting connection between us. However, I didn’t like this. The anxiety had already started churning in my gut. I hoped I wouldn’t regret this shit.
***
We stopped about ahalf mile out from where the meetup was supposed to take place and did our best to conceal the vehicles we drove.
Only high school and college kids came up here to party. The cops knew that this place was the hangout spot for the local kids, but we expected little traffic tonight since it wasn’t the weekend. It was the perfect place to grab him. We opted not to bring him back to the clubhouse since Rumi and Rebel were still there. So, we already had another place picked out.
As Rebel slowly made her way up the long, cracked asphalt road, we dipped into the tree line and made our way to where we could get to Revels before he did something stupid. We instructed her to drive as slow as possible, so we’d have enough time to get into position.
Now we watched as she stepped out of the car and waited by the driver’s door. She had pulled a few feet away from a black suburban I recognized as Agent Revels by the plate on the back. He hadn’t gotten out yet, but as soon as he did, we were going to grab him.
Hannibal, Schizo and Tank were already making their way through the thicket of trees not too far away from the vehicle. We all were close enough that if anything happened, we could take him down and get her out of there.
I was proud Rebel wasn’t showing any fear even though I knew she had to be scared out of her mind. She knew what Agent Revels was capable of and she still was brave enough to do this so I could get closure.
My anxiety was at an all-time high as I waited. I hated fucking waiting.
She folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the side of the car, waiting for him to exit his vehicle.
“I don’t like this,” Zigzag whispered to me. “Why the fuck ain’t he getting out of the car?”
“I don’t like it either,” I said.
The windows of the SUV were so dark that it was impossible to glimpse what was inside. The old training building stood a considerable distance from where they were. The only thing that surrounded us was trees. My anxiety spiked even more as I considered the possibility that he could be hiding in the woods, just like we were.
