Talon (Uncompromising #1)

by Sybil Bartel

  “But your friends, he’ll go after them.”

  “They’re gone. He can’t go after what he can’t find.” I went to my safe and pulled out a few extra clips and tucked them into my cargo pockets. “I told you I’d handle this, Siren. Now tell me where you’re at. You alone right now?”

  “Yes, I’m in the bedroom.”

  I tried to keep my voice even. “You got the lights on?”

  “Um, yes.”

  “Turn ’em off and go to the window.” I stepped into my boots and laced them up.

  “Okay.”

  I put on my tactical vest and slipped one of my 9mms into the chest holster. “Slow and easy, without openin’ any blinds or curtains, look out and tell me what you see.”

  “Hold on… There’s about a dozen or so bikes parked and a group of men standing by them. Four, no five men. The rest are probably in the living room.”

  “Do you know what Candle’s bike looks like?”

  “The big one with the flames?”

  “Yeah, do you see it there?”

  “No.”

  Shit, I didn’t know if that was a good sign or really bad one. “Look beyond the parking lot. See anyone else?” I strapped on a thigh holster and put my other 9mm in it.

  “No. Wait…maybe. I can’t tell, it’s really dark, but there’s a couple of SUVs on the street and usually the residents park in the lot.”

  Shit. “Good girl.” I walked out of my bedroom and André looked up from the kitchen table where he was typing on his laptop. I made a circle with my index finger indicating we needed to roll out. He nodded and got up. “How’s your leg, Siren? You think you can climb out that window for me?”

  She sucked in a breath. “They’ll see me.”

  “You’re not gonna do it now, you’re gonna wait till I get there and tap on the window.” I looked at my watch. “In fifteen minutes, darlin’. Can you do that for me?”

  “How are you going to get past them?”

  “You let me worry ’bout that.” I grabbed the key to my Aprilia and nodded at André, who was now quietly talking on the phone. “Get your bag and be ready.”

  “There’s something—”

  Shouting erupted in the background followed by a barrage of angry male voices.

  “What’s happenin’,” I demanded.

  Her voice dropped to a hush and I could barely hear her over the commotion. “It’s okay. Just…hurry.”

  Goddamn it. I hated the fear in her voice. “Gimme a sec. I’m switchin’ to a wireless headset and we’ll stay on the phone till I get there.”

  “No, it’s okay. I’m okay.”

  “Siren,” I warned.

  “I’ll be fine for fifteen minutes.”

  Jesus, she was tough. I picked up my helmet. “I’m on my way.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Quit thankin’ me. See you in a few.” I hung up.

  André palmed his keys. “What happened?”

  “We gotta go. Stone’s making a move.”

  He cursed. “What kinda move?”

  “No clue yet. But we’re gettin’ Siren out.”

  “Roger that.” André checked his phone then holstered his gun. “Neil’s on his way back and my men are out front.” He took a few extra clips out of his bag.

  “We don’t have time to wait for Neil. Siren said there’s at least a dozen LCs at the apartment and all of ’em are nervous as fuck.”

  Tucking the clips into his pockets, André stilled and looked at me. “That’s one hell of a hot extraction.”

  “She’s in a bedroom facin’ the back parkin’ lot on the ground floor. You losin’ your edge, Patrol? It’s a cakewalk.”

  “Famous last words.” He shook his head. “Why the fuck am I friends with you?”

  “Good question,” I muttered, jogging down the stairs and heading to my garage.

  “Hold up, let’s take the SUV.”

  “Negative. I’m takin’ the bike.” Faster getaway.

  “You got nothing covering your six on that, not to mention the extra cargo you’ll have.”

  I opened the garage then turned to him. “You’ll have my six.”

  “Fuck.” His hands went to his hips. “What’s the setup? I’m not going in blind.”

  Before I could respond, my cell vibrated. I held a finger up to André and was about to answer when I saw the display.

  Unknown caller.

  Shit prickled on the back of my neck. I swept a finger across the screen and prayed my instincts were wrong. “Where’s your phone, darlin’?”

  “In my hand, motherfucker,” Candle’s voiced boomed.

  “How’d you get this number?”

  “How the fuck do you think?”

  I gripped my cell so tight I thought it’d break it. “Where is she?”

  “Relax.”

  “Right fuckin’ now, Candle. I hear her voice or I hang up.”

  “She’s not with me but she’s fine. For now.”

  That motherfucker. “I’m not playin’ games. Start talkin’.”

  “Stone called everyone in.”

  Good. It’d make getting her out a hell of a lot easier. “And you’re tellin’ me, why?” Not to mention a decent president protected his MC. Stone should call them all in. They were about to have a fucking war on their hands.

  “Cuts and prospects only. No one else,” Candle bit out.

  Two seconds. That was how long it took to sink it. Stone wasn’t decent. Not even close. He was a fucking executioner. Cartels didn’t give a shit about women and children. Stone knew that. He had a fucking fortified compound on the outskirts of Ocala Forest that was an old military base. He could’ve easily housed everyone. Asshole. “Not my fuckin’ problem.”

  “I need a favor.”

  “Fuck you.” I was done with his bullshit.

  “Kendall won’t leave.”

  “So make her.”

  He sighed. “I tried.”

  “Like I said, not my problem.”

  Silence, then, “Man-to-man, I’m asking for help.”

  Christ. “Fine. I’ll get her after I get Nic. Where is she?”

  “Home.”

  “I don’t know where the fuck she lives.”

  “With me.”

  Momentarily shocked, I didn’t say shit.

  “She’s at my house,” he explained.

  “So the rumors are true?” Kendall was his old lady?

  “Shut the fuck up and go get her.”

  Damn it. “Give me an hour.”

  He rattled off an address in Ormond Beach. “You know Graham Allen?”

  Bass player in a famous band that Neil’s nephew fronted, mechanic and overall fuckhead, yeah, I knew him. The question was, how did Candle know him? “Didn’t think this conversation could get any weirder.” I glanced at my watch. “Speed it up.”

  “Take Kendall to his shop in Ocala. She’s good with cars, there’s a place to sleep in back. She’ll fit right in. Call Graham and tell him you’re bringing her in.”

  Kendall didn’t fit in anywhere. “You fuckin’ call him.”

  “Can’t.”

  I didn’t have time for this. “You either know him or you don’t. I’m not bringing shit to his doorstep. Call him and get an okay, otherwise she can stay with me. I’ll give you two days to handle your shit.”

  “Fine. She stays with you. I’m calling back in an hour and you’d better have her by then.” He hung up.

  I shoved my phone in my pocket. “It’s on. Stone called everyone in but he’s restricting it to members only.”

  André looked at me incredulously. “They’re leaving their women and children unprotected?”

  “Yep. We’re gonna get Kendall after we get Siren.”

  André laced his hands behind his head. “Mierda. This is my fault. I set the ball in motion.”

  Jesus Christ. “Did you tell every fuckin’ cut in the LC to leave their women behind? What the fuck? You didn’t start this shit. And you’re not
responsible for what sick fucks like Stone Hawkins do.”

  André let out a string of curses in Spanish but the stricken look on his face turned into pissed-off determination. “Let’s go,” he ground out.

  “I’ll roll in dark and wait for you on the south end of the back parking lot.”

  André inclined his head and got in the SUV.

  I straddled the Aprilia and turned it over. I was so fucking strung out about getting Siren out of there, I didn’t even appreciate the 184 horsepower engine humming under me. I took my gravel driveway slow then opened her up once I got on A1A. Taking every shortcut I could think of, I was at Carter’s in eight minutes.

  Cutting the engine a half a block away, I drifted a few yards then hopped off and pushed my bike behind a dumpster. I crouched behind a retaining wall and counted eighteen bikes then I pulled out my cell and texted Siren.

  Me: I’m here, but hang tight till I come for u

  Siren: Ok. I’m sorry, I gave Candle your number

  Me: I know. All good

  André crept up next to me in a crouch. “She okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What’s our approach?”

  I glanced at the five guys in cuts talking on the other side of the parking lot. “Two options. You create a distraction out front, and I go in and get her, or…”

  André was already shaking his head. “They’ll be expecting that. Some of them will stay back.”

  “Then you and your men surround the five and hold ’em while I pull her out.”

  “Copy, but if they start to move before we can get into position, we’ll hold till they clear out then go in for her. Otherwise, give us ninety seconds to get into position. You’re good to go once we have them all on the ground. We’ll rendezvous at the Ocean Center west parking lot.”

  I nodded but André had already disappeared into the shadows. I watched the bikers for any signs that they were getting ready to leave. The dumb fucks were so busy smoking and hazing each other that they didn’t see the dark figure with an AR-15 streak across the parking lot and take up a position behind them.

  Twenty seconds later, André and his two men surrounded the bikers from three sides. André’s voice carried across the lot. “Arms up, not a sound.” He nudged one of the bikers in the shoulder with the muzzle of his rifle who’d reached for his gun. “Drop to your knees, hands behind your head, now. Face down!”

  Five grown men dropped to the ground and I moved.

  I cleared the retaining wall and sprinted across the lot. Ten seconds later I tapped on the window that was chest height and shoved down the nagging feeling that this was going too easy. When it started to slide open, I pushed it the rest of the way open and Siren’s stricken face appeared.

  No time to reassure her, I reached in. “C’mon, c’mon, swing a leg over, I gotcha.”

  Without a word, she threw her knee onto the sill and started to hoist herself up.

  My heart fucking hammering, I got a hold of her waist and the door to the bedroom flew open.

  Siren froze.

  “What the fuck?” Randy reached behind him.

  I didn’t hesitate. I yanked Siren to the ground, palmed my 9mm and fired at Randy.

  Blood spread across his left shoulder as his right arm came up and he started firing.

  I dropped below the sill, yanked Siren’s bag off her arm and slung it over my shoulder. “Dumpster, run.” I reached up and was emptying my clip into the bedroom before she’d even taken her first step. “Cover,” I yelled at André as I reloaded.

  Then all hell broke loose.

  LCs poured out of the apartment complex from all directions, blindly shooting. Three of the bikers on the ground in front of André and his men rolled to their backs and started firing. André gave the signal to retreat but they were taking fire from too many directions to do anything but sweep the lot with gunfire as they fell behind the retaining wall.

  With most of the LCs’ backs to me as they came out of the building, I grabbed my second piece and took aim.

  “No,” André bellowed. “Go!”

  I was a sitting duck and my only cover was the fact that none of them had seen me yet. I didn’t hesitate, I ran after Siren.

  Bullets whizzed past my head, hammering into the Dumpster. Reaching back, blindly firing, I’d made it almost to the other side of the lot when the impact hit my right arm. Burning heat seared into my flesh and pain shot up my arm into my neck. Wetness spreading across my bicep, I didn’t break stride until I rounded the Dumpster. The sight of Siren crouched in a ball with her hands over her ears was my last straw. I unleashed my rage.

  With the stench of garbage and two walls of steel as my cover, I stood up and fucking unloaded both my guns. Dropping to reload, I holstered one gun and grabbed Siren’s hand. “You hit?”

  She didn’t respond.

  “Siren,” I barked.

  “N-no,” she stuttered.

  “Let’s go.” I grabbed my helmet and pulled her up.

  Her body shaking, she stumbled to her feet.

  “Stay in a crouch,” I warned, giving her the helmet. I holstered my guns, swung a leg over and waited as she climbed on behind me and smashed the helmet over her head. I handed her the bag. “Sling it over your shoulder. Can you shoot?”

  She put the visor up. “Wh-what?”

  “A gun. Can you shoot?” I started the bike.

  “Yes.”

  “Good.” I grabbed her hand, brought it to my vest and showed her fingers where the barrel of the piece holstered on my chest was. “The safety’s off. Use it if I tell you. Got it?”

  “Okay.”

  “Hold on.” Ignoring the stabbing pain in my right bicep and smell of burnt flesh, I fired up the bike as blood dripped down my arm.

  Siren wrapped her arms around my stomach. Adrenaline pumping, I gave the bike too much gas, spun a one-eighty and ripped through the gears. Three blocks later, we were doing seventy in a thirty-five zone.

  I wove in a maze pattern through the city streets until I was sure we weren’t being followed then I turned onto the street where we were supposed to meet up. Checking to my left, I didn’t see the truck pull up on our right until it was too late. Unable to safely swerve with Siren on the back, I hit the gas. The truck sped up and Siren didn’t hesitate. She pulled the gun from my chest holster, her arm shot out and she fired three rounds.

  The pings of bullets hitting metal sounded over the roar of the bike’s engine and the truck pulled even closer. I barely had time to register what kind of crazy fuck would do that when the truck’s tinted window went down.

  Neil scowled. “Follow me,” he yelled, stepping on the gas and pulling in front of us.

  My heart in my throat, I patted Siren’s leg and spoke over the wind. “We’re good. He’s one of us.”

  Without a word, she shoved the gun back in my holster and wrapped her arm around my stomach.

  I followed Neil through the empty city streets, wondering what the fuck he was up to. When he turned north onto a two-lane county road that went straight toward Ocala, alarm bells started going off. I was about to pull back and let him go fuck himself when I saw what he was after. Two SUVs appeared a quarter mile ahead of us before a curve took them out of view.

  Neil eased off the gas and motioned for me to pull up alongside him. “Blind spot, driver side, keep up,” he issued the command then sped back up.

  Three feet off his left rear panel, I kept pace. Two more turns and Siren gasped in my ear.

  “That’s Stone.”

  The second we’d turned onto this road, I’d figured that was Neil’s end game. “I know. Hold on.”

  Neil pulled into the lane for opposite traffic and I drifted with him. I knew what he was gonna do the second we came to the next curve. Neil hit the gas, rolled his passenger window down and fired three consecutive shots, followed quickly by three more. The rear SUV spun sharply as it lost two tires. Narrowly missing us, the tail spun out. I glanced back and saw the hug
e vehicle flip twice before landing tires up in the ditch.

  Neil was already gunning his diesel truck and cutting off the front SUV. Forcing them off the road in a calculated move, he screeched his tires and pulled perpendicular to the SUV as it braked to avoid rolling into the ditch.

  Neil was out of his truck, gun drawn, before I had the bike stopped. I hit the kickstand and grabbed my 9mm.

  “Stay here!” I barked at Siren.

  As Neil walked toward the SUV, he unloaded two rounds into the driver-side door by the lock and another one into the lower rear corner of the window. The safety glass spidered and without missing a beat, Neil’s elbow smashed into the window. He reached into the SUV, wrenched the door open using the inside handle and yanked the bloodied, stunned driver out by his shirt. He threw him to the ground, brought his heel down on his neck and trained his gun on the front passenger seat.

  “Out of the vehicle,” Neil commanded.

  I held my weapon on the driver as Stone Hawkins slowly got out of the SUV.

  HIS HANDS IN THE AIR, a smug expression on his face, Stone walked around the front of his SUV. The first thing I noticed was how young he looked.

  “Well, if it isn’t the infamous Talon Talerco.” Stone inclined his head at Neil. “But I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting his muscle.”

  “Consider yourself lucky.” My mind spinning from Neil’s tactical precision, I studied Stone’s almost perfect appearance.

  Neil aimed his gun at Stone’s head. “On your knees.”

  Wearing a cut but looking nothing like the rough LCs back at the apartment complex, Stone glanced down at his pressed shirt and black jeans then smiled. “Is that really necessary, gentlemen? You have me at a disadvantage, I assure you.”

  Neil took a step toward Stone.

  Stone dropped to the dirt. “All right, all right.” He laced his hands behind his head. “So, what business brings you out on this quiet evening?”

  Ever so slightly, Neil inclined his head at me.

  The fact that Stone wasn’t already dead told me Neil was giving me a chance to clear shit with the asshole. If it didn’t go our way, I had no doubt Neil would pull the trigger. I needed to get my head in the game and let Stone know he couldn’t fuck with us but his appearance, his speech, it was throwing me. Nothing about the way he dressed or spoke screamed ruthless MC president.