Page 90 of Diesel
“You really think I came here with no plan?”
“I don’t really give a shit what your plan was,” Nic tells him, looking to Mace. “Bind his hands.”
“You should. You see, while I was taking care of you, I may have let Crank believe that the clubhouse was going to be empty of brothers.”
Cold spreads through me. “Why?”
“Because Crank is a coward. He thought I was picking off the main bulk of you while he took care of the stragglers. But I’ve sent him into a firefight with the majority of the club. My plan was simple. They take him out. I take Nic out and then I put myself forward for president.” His gaze slides to me. “I really do hope that your girl doesn’t get caught in the crossfire. That would be a tragedy, especially considering my offer.”
I stumble back. My heart slams against my ribs like it’s trying to burst out of my chest and my blood turns to ice.
Not Makenna.
Not my firefly.
I run for the exit.
TWENTY-NINE
MAKENNA
Everything feels wrong.It’s not quiet. There’s a low hum of voices from brothers scattered around the room, but it’s almost like the breath before the sky splits open.
You’re just worried about Zane.
Not just worried, terrified. He walked out of here like a soldier climbing into a Humvee. And I feel like the military wife who may never see her husband again.
No. He’s coming back. I don’t care what it takes. I will literally drag him back here if I have to.
I try to shake off the crawling beneath my skin, the prickling along my neck, but it won’t stop.
Focus on the girls. Listen to the conversation. Pretend your world isn’t burning.
But even they seem quiet. It’s as if everybody can feel the unease seeping through the walls.
“Just putting it out there,” Dayna leans forward on the table, “but does anyone else feel —”
“Weird?” Ivy interrupts, taking the glass away from Seren’s reach for the hundredth time.
“You’re weird,” Toby mutters without looking up from his phone. Maylie gives him that look only an older sister can manage, before shifting the baby. Theo’s latched on, one tiny hand curled against her skin, his eyes half-closed.
Dayna stares at the doors, like she’s expecting them to burst open. Her brows pull together. “My spider senses are tingling.”
“Your what?” Maylie frowns at her, adjusting Theo.
Dash doesn’t even look up from his coffee. “Okay, Spider-Man, take a breath. Nothing is tingling. The guys will be back soon, and we can all go on with our merry little lives.”
I really want to believe that, but until Zane walks back through that door and tells me it’s over, I’m keeping any hope at a distance.
I let my gaze drift around the men left behind to protect the clubhouse. They all look like tanks. Broad, covered in tattoos, could snap a neck with their pinkie…
But I don’t feel safe.
I open my mouth to say that, but my words die in my throat.
There’s a pop. Then another. It’s the third shot that breaks the spell. It lands in my chest like a hammer.
Gunshots.
