by Logan Chance
Ten minutes later, we’re in the club’s cargo van, speeding to the location where our brother is being held in North Vegas. Tyler reached out and let me know his father had snatched Keegan without his club’s blessing. Tyler’s dad Vince, as the Devil’s President, can act with a certain degree of impunity in most cases, but such a bold move would require an official club vote, and according to Tyler there was none. Kidnapping a fully patched member of a rival club, especially someone wearing the Aces & Eights cut on their back, is an act of war. Tyler mentioned a ransom so exorbitant we would never be able to meet it. Not that we would ever give Vince anything he asked for. We’re all about taking back what’s ours. No one fucks with our family.
“Five minutes out,” Finn barks from the driver’s seat.
The rest of us immediately begin checking our guns to ensure a round is chambered and the clips are full. We can’t afford any mistakes, especially with our baby brother’s life on the line.
Looking around at my brothers I see concern on their faces but rage in their eyes. What comes next is going to be ugly.
Four minutes later we pull into the industrial park in North Vegas. It’s mostly commercial warehouses, with a few storage lots scattered throughout the property. We approach the far end of the park and see the warehouse Tyler described. It’s a basic space metal box and looks like an orphan among all the newer structures. Finn pulls into a storage lot less than fifty yards from the back of the warehouse. There are shipping containers spread out over the area that will provide enough cover to plan our approach.
“Finn, you stay with the van. The rest of us will fan out for some quick recon. Nobody moves in alone, nobody.” Liam makes eye contact with each of us. “Meet back here in three minutes.”
We spread out among the containers, quickly gather our intel and meet back at the van.
“Two guys guarding the front door.” Patrick starts the conversation.
“Two bikes and an SUV parked in the side lot; nobody else around the perimeter,” Colin adds.
“Two doors total, front and back. No windows, which means no way to tell exactly where they have him,” I say.
“It’s definitely not ideal, but…” Before Liam can finish we hear the rumble of aftermarket pipes echoing off the buildings through the park as they get closer. Two bikes pull up and park alongside the others. The riders are wearing Devil’s cuts and I see one of them is Tyler. As he dismounts, he pulls a cell phone from his pocket, dials a number, and puts it up to his ear.
Within seconds my cell phone begins to vibrate. I answer on speaker.
“Rory, where are you?”
“We’re close.”
“Jones and I just pulled up at the warehouse.”
“I know.”
“We want to help.”
“I’m listening…”
“This warehouse is an old storage spot for club business. It should be empty,” he continues. “My father will have four men with him. They’re not with the club, but they are loyal to him.”
“Weapons?”
“I can’t be sure but they’re all shooters. How fast can you be at the door?”
“Thirty seconds.”
“Jones and I will distract the two guys at the front while you make your approach.”
“We’ll be coming up the south side, from the back.” I respond.
“See you at the door.” Tyler hangs up, and I can see them slowly walking through the parking lot toward the front.
We make our way to the rear of the building unseen, and Liam dispatches Patrick and Colin to cover the back door. “Wait for our call; unless the shit hits the fan. If that happens, shoot everyone whose name isn’t Fox.”
“Knuckle up, boys.” I nod to Patrick and Colin as we slip around the side and out of sight.
Liam and I are at the front corner of the building in time to see Tyler and Jones slowly walk toward the two men at the door.
I turn to Liam, who’s directly behind me. “No matter what happens in there, Vince crossed a line and he’s got to go.” Liam nods in agreement.
Tyler is giving these guys some bullshit about needing to speak with his father about club business when Liam and I make our move. Liam taps my shoulder and quickly slides up, grabs one of them in a rear naked choke and drops down onto his back, locking his legs around his torso.
At the same time, I pull a blackjack from my pocket and run forward, swinging it into the back of the other guy’s head with as much speed and force as I can. The crack of the impact is brutal and he’s out cold before he hits the ground. Hell, he might be dead.
“Jesus Christ, Rory, you broke his fucking skull.” Tyler is stunned.
“We’re not here to make friends with them, Tyler,” I say.
Liam cinches his grip until his guy gasps and wheezes into unconsciousness, before rolling him onto the ground and kicking him in the face.
“Damn.” Jones seems impressed and intimidated.
“If you can’t handle this…” Liam says.
“I’ll be fine.” Jones confidently puffs his chest up.
“Then nut up, cupcake.” I slap him hard on the back. “Cuz things are about to get ugly.”
I call Patrick and Colin. “Ten seconds.” Ending the call, I turn to Tyler. “You two first, we’ll be right behind you.” I slip the gun from my waist and Liam does the same.
Tyler and Jones enter first with Liam and I crouched low, three seconds behind them and moving fast.
Coming into the dark space from the bright sun outside, my vision takes a moment to adjust. “What are you doing?” Tyler shouts at his father, as Liam and I emerge from behind him. We quickly spread out and move forward as Patrick and Colin kick through the back door and approach from behind.
There are two men standing on either side of Keegan, who’s tied to a chair with Vince standing over him. The three of them, shocked by what’s happening, are briefly unsure of which way to turn.
“What the fuck have you done?” Vince is instantly enraged at his son’s betrayal.
His goons remain completely still, paralyzed by the knowledge of what comes next and looking for an opportunity to seize.
My brothers and I are laser focused, each of us training our gun on one of the targets in front of us. If any of them move, they’ll be put down before they can blink.
“I got the one on my right.” I call out to my brothers.
“I got left,” Liam calls out.
“Right,” Patrick responds.
“Left,” Colin confirms.
Tyler and Jones speedily step back out of the line of fire. Now these guys are really nervous, and it doesn’t take long for all Hell to break loose. They all make a move at once, fast and deliberate. The goon in my sights reaches inside his jacket and begins to spin around behind Keegan for cover. His partner grabs for his hip as he tries to square up in front of us like a gunfighter. Vince remains motionless.
Four guns fire simultaneously and fill the air with smoke as their singular echo bounces off the metal walls. One shot each. Four shots fired; all four bullets found their intended targets. Two bullets each to the head and Vince’s goons on the ground where they stood, dead in the blink of an eye, as promised.
“Fuck yeah,” Keegan shouts out at Vince. “The Fox brothers don’t play.” He struggles against his restraints. “Now you’ll see, motherfucker.”
The four of us close in, checking our targets, then focus on our brother. Keegan is a mess. His entire face is swollen and he’s bleeding from his nose, mouth, and somewhere above his eyes. Patrick and Colin begin removing what appears to be duct tape from his ankles, chest, and hands.
Seeing our flesh and blood like this is unnerving, and Liam can’t take it. He steps over and places the red hot barrel of his gun directly against Vince’s forehead. “Fuck you.”
“Wait,” I call out to Liam. “This is his job.” I turn back to Tyler.
“Agreed.” Liam takes the gun away from Vince’s head and holds it out for
Tyler.
“If you want to be the King, you have to kill the King,” I tell him as he steps forward.
“It’s yours if you want it,” Liam agrees.
Tyler doesn’t hesitate. He takes the gun and steps up to his father.
One final gunshot still rings in my ears as we exit the warehouse. Finn is now parked at the edge of the front walkway with the doors open and engine running. He looks concerned until he sees Keegan being helped to the van by Patrick and Colin.
“Can’t walk yourself, you pussy?” Finn smiles as he taunts Keegan.
Stopping Liam with a hand on his arm, I motion to the two men we left on the ground. He glances at them, checks the immediate vicinity for eyewitnesses, and then gives me a nod. Standing over each of them, I fire a single shot through the back of their heads.
Tyler and Jones stand a few feet away in silence. Liam steps over, holding his hand to Tyler. “I’ll need my gun back.” He stares at them, then his eyes move to the two fresh kills lying at their feet. “No witnesses, right?”
“No witnesses.” Tyler nods in agreement as he hands over the gun. “The Devils will take care of the bodies.”
Liam and I look at each other and then at Tyler, who suddenly sounds like a man in charge. “We’ll talk soon…Pres.” Liam smiles.
The ride back to the clubhouse is unusually quiet, but a lot has happened in a short time frame. Blood has been shed and payback delivered.
Finn parks in front of the clubhouse and as we’re all about to step out, Keegan stops us. “Wait. I…” He struggles to find the words, shaking his head.
“We know, man,” Colin replies, bumping his fist.
Once I see that Finn and Patrick are assisting Keegan, I can’t get inside the clubhouse fast enough, an intense need to see my girl, driving me on. I find her in the kitchen sitting at the counter, paging through a magazine, her back to me.
“Fallon.”
By the time she spins around on the stool, I’m already there. Wrapping her in my arms, I breathe in her clean scent. She grips onto me like I’m her lifeline as she sobs. “I was so worried about you.”
Stroking the back of her hair with one hand, I murmur in her ear, “Shh, it’s okay, baby. Nothing to worry about. I’m here safe and sound.” Her long strands are soft under my palm. “It’s done.”
Her head snaps up, her tear stained eyes studying mine. “It’s done?” she questions with wide eyes. She understands the meaning of my words, even though we’ve never spoken about it.
I nod. “Yes. He’ll never hurt you or anyone else we love again.”
14
Liam
I step inside the clubhouse, my eyes searching for the only person I want to see right now. Ah, there she is. Standing next to the bar with her sexy tight jeans and red shirt.
She rushes over to me and places one hand on my chest. “I was so worried. Is everything alright?”
Our lips meet, and I kiss her with everything I have. It’s so good to be fucking home. Keegan’s safe, the girls are safe, and this is how it should be.
I grip her hard, never wanting to let her go ever again. She belongs here.
Patrick and Finn walk over after we break the kiss. “Man, I’m glad this shit is finally over,” Patrick says, a bottle of Miller Lite in his hand.
“Yeah. Think we can trust Tyler?” Finn asks.
All our eyes glance over at Tyler, grabbing a beer from Six, and I nod my head. “I think we can.”
And I do. He was a hundred percent on our side against his own father.
“So, are you our new prospect, Audrey?” Finn laughs as he wraps an arm around her shoulders.
Audrey smiles wide, all beautiful and shit. “I don’t know, I guess I’d have to ask the president.” She bats her long lashes at me.
“Baby girl, you’re always going to be anywhere I am.” I swat Finn’s arm. “Get your fucking hands off her.”
He laughs.
“Are you going to talk about what all this means with Tyler?” Rory asks, walking over with his arm around Fallon.
“I’ve been thinking about that.” I scrub my hand down my face, “I’m going to see what he expects.”
I call Tyler over. After the events of the past few hours, this probably isn’t the time, but we need to know.
“Yeah, man,” he says.
“Even though he deserved it, I am still sorry about Vince.”
His gaze hits the floor, and everyone walks away to give us privacy. “Yeah, he was a sick man.”
“What’s your plans for your club now?”
We both move to take a seat at a small wooden table, and he lets out a long, slow breath. “I’m not really sure now. I guess run things how I want to.”
“Well, I ask because we wanted to know if Marco led onto any information about us. Did he sell us out?”
Tyler doesn’t answer at first, his eyes scanning over the back wall of the club where pictures of my brothers hang. “Marco’s been slipping info to us for the past couple months.”
Fucker.
“Well, if he’s selling us out, who knows what else he’s up to.”
“Yeah, listen, I owe you guys a lot. Anything you want to do to get back at Marco, let us know, and we are in.” Tyler reaches his hand out for me to shake.
I grip it, locking eyes with him. “Done deal. I think we may have some ideas of our own to get rightful payback for the motherfucker.”
Tyler laughs as my eyes meet Audrey’s from across the bar. I say my goodbyes to Tyler and make my way over to her.
“So, you and Tyler work out a truce?” she asks, her smile brightening up my night.
“Yeah, something like that. What about you? Do you want to join us over here?”
She wraps her arms around me, lifting on her tiptoes to bring her lips close to mine. “I don’t want to be anywhere else.”
And, as much as I want her by my side always, I wonder if I should keep her with the Devil’s Way, so I can always keep an eye on them. I trust Tyler, I do…but not that much.
There’s only five people I trust completely, and they’re my brothers. My blood. And now, Audrey makes six. My choice.
Epilogue
FINN
The cedar casket feels light on my shoulder as my brothers and I carry it down the aisle of St. Joseph’s Cathedral in downtown Vegas. Mick was like a father to us, and I’m sure going to miss him.
We step into the heat, sliding the casket into the back of the hearse, and Colin pats my shoulder.
“Let’s get to the bikes,” he says as Liam and Rory are already firing their pipes up.
I swing my leg over my Harley and take off after the procession.
Seeing Liam with Audrey and Rory with Fallon, I’m happy to know they’ve found someone.
That’ll never be me, though.
I don’t think I have what it takes to fall in love.
I push that thought away as we get closer to the cemetery.
Keegan hasn’t been the same since his rescue which worries me.
Did Vince fuck him up that bad?
He tries to act tough, but I see something hidden in his eyes. A fear or pain he isn’t willing to come to terms with just yet.
I haven’t tried talking to him, pretending a problem doesn’t exist is what I’m notorious for. I’ll usually ignore it, wishing and hoping it works itself out. But with Keegan, I’m not sure how much longer it can be left alone.
Maybe he is fine like he constantly tells Colin when he asks. Maybe he’s great like he told Liam at the church before the funeral.
I put Keegan’s issues on the back burner as we retrieve the casket from the back of the hearse.
Fallon and Audrey take a seat next to the plot, and we set the casket down.
All five of my brothers and I stand off to the side with the other patched members of the club as the priest begins to speak.
He talks about family, about devotion, and about love.
He talks about Mick’s life,
stating it was too short.
Mick didn’t deserve this. And my anger damn near exploded when Liam told us of Marco’s betrayal.
Marco was one of my best friends growing up, now he’s a miserable, greedy asshole.
He’ll get his soon enough.
Colin and I will make sure of that. Even if I have to pull the fatal shot.
Acknowledgments
Thank you for reading Ransom
Logan Chance
I had a lot of fun writing Liam, hope everyone enjoyed the story. There’s many more to come.
You can stay up-to-date on all my new releases here:
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website |
Goodreads | Reader’s Group | Newsletter | Amazon
Thank you so much to everyone for your support. Jacob and I loved writing this book together. And, we can’t wait to see where the Fox brothers take us next.
Jacob Chance
Writing Rory’s story was a good time. I hope you enjoyed reading Ransom and meeting the Fox brothers. Thank you to all the readers and bloggers who have read, reviewed and shared Ransom.
To keep up with all my current and upcoming releases:
Facebook | Amazon | Twitter | Instagram | Reader’s Group | Newsletter | Website | BookBub | Goodreads