Page 187 of Come Back To Me

Chapter Forty-Two

DEAN

“What do you mean they’re collecting him separately?”

“Exactly what I said, brother. The bids are coming in fast. Now at one hundred thousand.” We file into the room. “One said they’d collect within the next two hours—that they didn’t want to wait.”

“What they bidding for?” I ask stammering.

“Lung, liver. Some cunt even bid for his fucking intestine.”

This can’t be happening. I edge closer, my feet like heavy blocks of lead. “No way he could survive with all of those missing,” I say out loud, making the mood of the room shift.

Beats and Captain stand, and I catch Mop check his weapons. They know we have to move.

“Fetch our order,” I tell them.

Jack shifts on his feet, looking between all of us. “What are you doing?” The slow draw of my eyes to his says everything I need to as Mop and Beats leave the room. “Deano, no.” He looks at Travis, then back to me. “You’d risk all those people for one man?”

I feel my brothers move. Like a pack of wolves they stand behind me, ready to fight. “That one man isfamily.”

Jack’s face tightens. Charged. “I’myour family,” he grinds.

I tilt my head. “You know as well as anyone in this room, thepatch goes beyond blood.”

Jack pushes past The Joker towards me. “We’ve come too far to let them get away now.You’vegot too much riding on this as well.”

I clench my teeth, unable to miss Travis looking at me out the corner of his eye. “Who said anything about letting them get away? Everything runs as planned, but I will not risk someone turning up early to collect the kid.”

Jack’s temple twitches. “Fuck,” he whispers, running a hand through his hair. I can hear his thoughts as he wrestles with himself. He’s not ignorant. He knows we won’t leave a man behind. He just wantshisman. His man that we now know is close.

Mop enters the room with Beats, grabbing my attention. They each carry two duffel bags, loaded with guns. The bang of them on the table crashes down with a thud.

I move to them, unzipping one, grabbing what I can before my men do the same.

Jack drops his head. “We get close but stay out of sight.”

I load a handgun, then slip it inside my cut. “Agreed. We only move if we see them taking Legs. You’ll have to wear his cut to blend in.” The sound of guns being loaded filters around the room. “Are your men already in place?” Jack nods at my question. “Better let them know this is happening. If it goes south, they need to be ready to move.”

Jack pulls his phone from his pocket.

“Cap’, stay here, keep a watch of the screens. You’re our eyes,” I tell him.

He looks at me stone faced. “That a fucking joke, boy?”

I smile like a deranged man. “No, but it was a good one.” Slipping another handgun in the back of my jeans, I pat his shoulder. “You call me if anything changes. I’ll cut the feed as soon as we get there, then you bring the truck as planned. Theswap needs to be fast.”

He moves the laptop on the table, turning it where he can see.

“Beats, load the bags into Jack’s truck,” I order.

We move taking what we can from the bags, and run to our bikes. I start my engine, nodding over my shoulder to Jack who’ll follow in his truck. He won’t keep up, but he knows where to go.

Pulling back on the throttle, I don’t stop pushing us until mile after mile passes. With every second that ticks by, every thought that drops into my head is torture. I know how to handle what we’re about to do. I know how to shut down everything in order to get things done. I’ve proven that time and time again.

But what I don’t know how to handle, and clearly I’ve a lot to fucking work on, is the self-doubting torrent that consumes me in these moments when I face fear. Fear of what I’ve done. Fear of what’s to come. At least I see it now. And that in itself is something I never knew I was capable of.

It’s a vicious circle; living in a world you no longer want, but reaching for a life you never thought you deserved. Can I do it? Can I make it over the line?

---