What Might Kill Us

by M. N. Forgy

  Crying out loud, I scream like a madwoman and run over his body again, and again, and again. My cries releasing all the fear and haunting memories that I harbored over the years.

  My hands tremble, my world spinning from all the adrenaline as I run over his body one last time.

  I stare into the rearview mirror, waiting to see if he stands back up as the truck rocks to a stop.

  A few moments pass, and there’s nothing but the sound of the truck and my heavy breathing.

  I open the door, and when my feet touch the ground I fall to my knees. My legs feeling like Jell-O from the rush, I can’t stand. I pull myself up, using the truck for support as I head toward Alvaro’s lifeless body.

  His head is smashed in, his chest ripped open from the tires ripping it apart, blood everywhere, his bones protruding from his arms and legs. It’s gross, and I have to look away to swallow past the nauseous feeling it leaves me with.

  But something catches my attention, pulling my focus back to him as I do a double take. Taking him in, I notice my leather vest.

  Stepping toward him, I lean down, grabbing my leather cut from his lifeless hand.

  “That’s mine motherfucker,” I mutter, and shrug it back on. It hangs from my shoulders, much like a poncho from where he cut it. It upsets me at first, to see it destroyed but at least I have it. I smile realizing I could always sew it together with some purple thread or something, making it my very own and showing that it has a story already.

  Motorcycles sound up the road, tears fall from my eyes in relief from the familiar sound. They came for me. He came.

  Kane’s truck bites into the desert floor behind Bull who is leading the way.

  His motorcycle comes to a stop, his eyes squinting as if he is looking around for me.

  “Bull!” I yell out, jogging toward him.

  “Anahi?” He jumps off his motorcycle and runs at me.

  As soon as I crash into him, his strong arms engulf me. One hand in my hair, the other on my back. I lose it, crying like a little girl.

  “Shh, I’m here baby,” he whispers into my hair.

  “I’m so sorry, Bull. I should have told you about my dad. I just didn’t want to believe it was him,” I sob into his chest. “My family is the kind that doesn’t forgive, you get one shot or be shot. I was scared and didn’t know what to—”

  He grabs my chin, making me look him in the eyes. They don’t look angry, in fact they’re warm and flaring with passion. It takes me aback and I stop rambling.

  “Hey, that’s not important right now. Are you okay?” He pushes me back a step, looking me over.

  I nod, my lashes wet from crying making it hard to see clearly.

  “You’re covered in blood, Anahi. Are you sure you’re not hurt?” He starts running his hands over me, lifting my clothes where he can in search of wounds.

  “It’s not mine,” I mutter with a grave tone. His face is expressionless and his brows pinch together.

  He glances over my head and jerks his chin. Shadow and Bobby, instantly take off toward the direction in which I came while Kane keeps an eye out for cars.

  Bull directs his attention back to me, placing his palm on my belly. His eyes shining with a look I haven’t seen before.

  “You sure you’re okay?” His eyes grow soft, the feeling of his hand on my stomach sweet. I’m sure we look like a scene out of a horror movie. I’m covered in blood and he’s tattooed, carrying a gun while one hand is placed on our unborn child.

  I laugh, placing my hand over his. “Yeah, we’re okay.”

  “Hate to break up the family reunion, but we’ve got company coming,” Kane informs, pointing behind us at three cars coming around a bend in the curve, about three miles out.

  “My uncle was meeting Alvaro here. I think they were going to kill me and head back to Mexico,” I tell Bull.

  “We will be outnumbered Bull,” Shadow says calmly. “There’s three cars coming right at us.”

  “Fuck.” Bull’s face goes grim as he palms his face. “We don’t have enough ammo?”

  Shadow closes his eyes and shakes his head. “I doubt it, who knows how many men they have. It’s risky.”

  “Let’s blow them up!” Bobby suggests with a shit eating grin. I can’t help but give him a look of doubt.

  “How do you plan to do that?” Shadow rolls his eyes.

  “We have that,” Bobby points at the black truck. “Don’t underestimate a redneck and his explosive skills,” Bobby raises a brow. I cross my arms, intrigued now. I’ve seen a lot of things in Mexico, but using a truck to blow people up is a new one.

  “Sadly, I don’t see another way out of this. You better not fuck this up, Bobby,” Bull shakes his head.

  “Why can’t we just go?” I ask, grabbing Bull’s hand. He looks down, interlocking his fingers with mine.

  “I can’t chance them coming after you again.” His eyes slowly meet mine, the intensity and darkness that swims behind them something new. I can see why people respect and fear this man now.

  I tuck Anahi in the back of Kane’s truck, kissing her lips and rubbing the place that holds both of our futures. I order Kane to cut the headlights until he gets her safely out of danger, his main priority to get her out of here. I can’t risk this not ending well and something happening to her and my child. I wouldn’t survive that kind of loss.

  Watching them take off down the road and head back to the club, we cut the engines on our bikes and hide them in the darkness. Which is ideal considering the mask I’m placing over my conscious is nothing but pure blackness. Cold, and unforgiving. The Devil’s Dust retaliating comes in many forms that can be labeled anywhere from fearsome to plain fucking scary. But you mess with my family, then that retaliation turns into pure fucking sadistic behavior.

  Bobby takes his shirt off, ripping it into strips before popping open the gas tank on Alvaro’s truck, shoving the pieces of the shirt inside of the hole one by one.

  “You’ve done this before, haven’t you?” I lift a brow noticing how he’s so at ease with what he’s doing.

  He laughs. “Not at all.”

  He’s fucking lying.

  “Don’t blow yourself up.” I shake my head as he hands me the last piece to hold.

  Lip walks beside me, casually carrying a bat with nails sticking out of it.

  “Where did you get that?” I point to it. Lip looks it over. “Found it in Kane’s truck. Thought we could fuck something up with it,” he shrugs.

  “Did you see what your old lady did to that asshole? And you’re worried about Bobby blowing himself up.” Lip looks at me likes he’s going to throw up, and that’s saying something for a sick bastard like himself.

  I look back at the windshield, seeing the lifeless man with a tire puncture tool sticking out of his neck.

  “She’s a fucking survivor, I’ll give her that,” I mutter under my breath.

  “They’re here,” Shadow whispers, watching Benito pull up in a town car, two Hummers right behind him. This is the boss, the man who runs the operation. He doesn’t even pull all the way into the hideaway off the main road. There’s a good amount of distance he’s left between the vehicles and it’s a statement. He expects Alvaro to come to him.

  “Let’s do this,” I mutter, praying Bobby doesn’t disappoint.

  I light a cigarette, watching Benito and his men all get out of their cars and look around as if they’re looking for Alvaro. My heart begins to pick up its pace looking at the man accountable for so much destruction in Anahi’s life.

  Stepping up to the tank, I light the tip of the shirt Bobby gave me with my cigarette.

  “This is for my family, for Babs, and most of all, my woman,” I whisper, watching the end turn black before a small flame ignites and then I throw it in.

  Bobby jumps in the truck and takes off like a bat out of hell. He has to get the truck as close as he can, and jump out before it explodes. Sweat beads on my forehead scared not only that he might not escape in tim
e, but if his plan fails we’re going to have to take these men even if it kills us. Because I won’t walk away, I will kill every one of these motherfuckers. I pull my gun out of my holster, wanting to be prepared in case shit goes wrong as I start walking that way.

  My heart races in my chest as the truck approaches Benito and his men, their eyes on it and not me and my boys walking toward them.

  “Fucking jump, Bobby,” I mutter to myself. The truck is close enough, but he ain’t jumping yet. My forehead begins to sweat; nervous Bobby is playing fucking superhero.

  Finally, a few feet away, Bobby jumps, the truck races forward, exploding seconds later.

  The bang nearly throws me back, heat rushing past my face so hard it stings my cheeks. I hold my arm out, shielding my face. Worried for Bobby’s safety, my heart rate spikes.

  Fire erupts into the sky, as shrapnel cuts through the air. “Jesus!” I duck to the ground just in time to miss a flaming tire.

  A silhouette stumbles through the smoke, and I push myself to my feet with my gun aimed.

  It’s Bobby and he’s limping.

  “What the fuck was that?” I yell, my arms outstretched, walking his way. The motherfucker about got himself killed, Doc would have never forgiven us had we let that happen.

  “Just needed to make sure it was close enough,” he grunts.

  “No, that was you playing fucking superhero.” I shake my head in frustration.

  “It got the job done, didn’t it?” he argues.

  “It was too close. What, you trying to have Doc chew our heads off or something?” I question, making him chuckle. “You okay, though?” I ask, looking him over. Jesus, why did I let him do this?

  “Yeah. The force from the explosion was more than I expected is all,” he groans, bending down to rest his hands on his knees.

  Looking over his body, I notice all of the vehicles on fire and no man standing.

  “Let’s go inspect the damage,” I mutter, stepping past him. Ready to see the face of the man they call Benito.

  Ash and smoke land around us, but there’s little packets of drugs raining around us too.

  “Do you see this shit?” Shadow raises a brow, looking around at the falling drugs.

  “Alvaro’s truck must have been packed with them,” I state.

  “Man, today must be my birthday,” Bobby laughs, picking up a baggy. I shake my head and stop at Benito’s car.

  “Everyone looks to be dead,” I observe, tucking my gun in my holster.

  “Not everyone,” Lip informs, standing on the other side of Benito’s town car bat in hand.

  I head that way, the sound of a disgruntled cough making the hairs on my neck stand on end.

  Rounding the car, I find Benito on his back, coughing blood. I smirk, it’s like the Devil gave me a present. Killing all his men, but leaving the target I was after for my evil pleasure.

  I hover over his head, smiling.

  “Do you know who I am?” I ask, tilting my head to the side.

  He smiles a bloody smile, obviously not scared of me.

  “So did you kick her out, or did she run when you realized who she was?” he chuckles. His round face, and stupid mustache making me want to break his face.

  He’s amused with himself, and it angers me.

  “So you do know who I am,” I sigh. “You know what I want to know out of all of this, is how you can do what you’ve done to your own family?” I ask.

  “Oh, that is the difference between you and I.” He groans through a laugh, coughing like an old man.

  “What is that?” I ask, genuinely curious.

  “I get shit done, no matter the cost.”

  I hold my hand out, conveying I want the bat from Lip and he hands it to me.

  “I get shit done too, but not at the expense of my family’s life.”

  “This, you call this your family?” He looks at me like I’ve lost it.

  “You are a fine example that blood doesn’t make you family… it’s loyalty and being there when it counts, that’s what makes you family,” I point the bat at him.

  “I should have just let that whore die when her stomach exploded with those drugs,” he says more to himself than I. I grit my teeth; I’m done talking to this piece of shit.

  Bending down, I grab a baggy of drugs with my free hand.

  “Funny you mention that.” I wiggle the bag of white powder. “Because you’re about to see what it feels like.”

  His face pales and he pinches his mouth closed, like that will stop me.

  I laugh, handing the baggy to Bobby.

  “Batter up,” I smile like the fucking Joker. Gripping the bat, I swing like a fucking pro with all my might. It lands right on his knee, a loud crack echoing through the night.

  Benito screams out in pain and Bobby shoves the drugs into his mouth, covering his mouth with one hand and pinching his nose with the other.

  Benito chokes, swiping at Bobby in an attempt to get him to release him, but Shadow pins his arms over his head and he’s left with no choice but to swallow.

  “More,” I demand my men and Lip starts picking up little baggies off the desert floor, handing them to Bobby when he finally lets Benito’s mouth and nose go.

  Benito tries to shut his mouth again, so I lay the bat with screws into his arm.

  He cries a pathetic sound once more, and Bobby goes to town.

  “Take me to the ball game,” I show tune, pacing back and forth with the bat on my shoulder.

  He groans, trying to roll over on his side and I stop my singing.

  “How ya feeling?” I ask, hunching down.

  “Fuck you!” he moans in pain.

  “What, you want more?”

  I drive the bat into his fleshy arm, the nails ripping his skin as I pull it back.

  Bobby thrusts more drugs into Benito’s mouth to the point that the baggies begin to rip from snagging on his teeth, heroin coating his mouth and tongue. This is going to end rather quickly with the drugs making direct contact.

  “Why are you doing this for a fucking woman!” he slurs moments later once he’s forced to swallow again, the drugs instantly taking effect.

  “This goes way back I’m afraid. To your brother plus your gang has had this coming for a long time,” I inform.

  Benito grabs his stomach, sobbing, giving Bobby the opportunity to thrust more baggies down his throat.

  He begins to seize, his whole body jerking as we all circle him. His pupils are dilated like the size of saucers, foam spilling from his mouth as his eyes roll in the back of his head.

  Either the baggies of drugs in his stomach did it, or the heroin that broke loose did.

  I lean down, my mouth close to his ear as he gurgles for help.

  “Tell the Devil I’ll see him soon,” I whisper.

  Not one to take chances, I raise the bat as high up in the air as I can and drill it into his skull.

  The impact vibrates up my arm, and the sound is chilling as it cracks through the night.

  “Jesus!” Bobby says disgusted.

  “Just a little insurance,” I mutter, pulling the bat free from the bone.

  “And the singing?” he looks at me with a crooked smile.

  “I’m preparing my lullabies for the baby, I guess you could say,” I reply seriously, causing everyone to break out into laughter.

  Stepping back, I grab for my smokes, lighting a cigarette.

  “Well, boys we did it,” Shadow says looking over the fucking mess we made.

  “We took out the motherfucking Cartel,” I state, blowing smoke out my nose.

  “I think I’m high. All these drugs burning around us,” Bobby observes, looking around us as he blinks rapidly.

  We all laugh, knowing we are all probably feeling it to some degree.

  I got my retribution that I was after, but the more I think of it I never really needed it. I just needed to let go of the booze so I could see clearly, and when I did everything fell into place and my life shifte
d for the better.

  I nod, exhaling smoke.

  “Let’s get home, my old lady is waiting.”

  Kane pulls into the clubhouse and my heart starts to pick up remembering everyone staring at me like they hated me before I took off. I ran, I shouldn’t have but I couldn’t stand the look of betrayal written on Bull’s face. I fucked up, causing my newfound family to disown me.

  “I’m covered in blood, I can’t go in there,” I speak as soon as Kane brings the truck to a stop. He chuckles and I look at him like he’s lost his damn mind. “What is so funny?”

  “It isn’t anything anyone in that clubhouse hasn’t seen before, believe me.”

  I frown, opening the truck door to get out.

  Crossing my arms in front of my chest, I suddenly feel cold. I wish Bull was here.

  “Come on, it’s okay,” Kane says, pressing the middle of my back.

  I swallow and follow his lead.

  Stepping foot inside the club, I notice immediately the party is over and Dani and Doc sitting at the bar.

  “Holy shit, what happened?” Doc slides off the stool, Dani right behind her. “Are you hurt?”

  “N-No,” I whisper, shaking my head.

  “Come on, let’s get you in a shower,” Dani motions me, a warm smile on her face.

  Walking down the hallway I’m flabbergasted by their hospitality. Don’t they remember I am the enemy’s daughter? My father killed one of theirs, and nearly killed Bobby from what I hear.

  “Do you have clean towels?” Doc asks, going into mine and Bull’s bathroom.

  “Why are you guys being so nice to me?” I word vomit, ignoring her question about the fucking towels.

  Doc slowly steps out of the bathroom with a blue towel in her hand and Dani sits on the bed.

  “Look, we all know a thing or two about having shitty parents. I mean, it was a shock to hear it the way we did, but it doesn’t make us love you any less,” Dani states. She stands and squats right in front of me. “Especially now that you are making me a big sister,” her words are thick with emotion, and I have to hold back a sob.