A Dirty Lion

by Faye Byrd

  Bob is waiting up when we arrive back at our own clubhouse, and I send Mad Dog to gather everyone else, sans Mikey. He’s going to be central command from here with Marianne, Katie, and Layla hiding out as well. There’s a slim chance there could be a counterattack, but our outer wall is concrete fortified with steel beams, and the gate can withstand a car attempting to drive through it. Beyond that, Marianne is a master with a machine gun and some grenades.

  A map of the area is laid out on our meeting table, along with a couple satellite shots Mikey was able to print out. Their chain link fence is old and weak, and the building itself is merely an S model arched metal kit. According to Rhonda’s information, there’s a central hallway with rooms on either side.

  I point to a ridge overlooking the clubhouse. “We’ll set up here before moving in.”

  “You trust the sheriff?” Bob asks, lifting a brow.

  “This time.” I twist my head, cracking my neck bones. “But only because Randi’s life is at stake.”

  “It’s my understanding he and Carl go way back,” he replies, shrugging. “Maybe you should give him more credit.”

  “Maybe.” I snort, bobbing my head. “Back before his wife died, Randi says he was a formidable man.”

  “I can see that destroying a man,” Bob agrees, pondering. “If something were to happen to Marianne, especially if it was sudden …” He trails off, shaking his head. “I’d probably fall into the bottle too.”

  “I can understand that,” I say, recalling the ache in my chest when I realized they’d taken Randi. “But you don’t have a teen daughter, who also lost her mom, to take care of either. He fucking failed her in every way, so he better hope like a motherfucker he does as instructed today.”

  “He will, son,” Bob says, standing and clapping me on the shoulder. “Let me wake Marianne and have her cook breakfast. What time does this rodeo kick off?”

  “Mar needs to be at the daycare before seven, and we’ll already be in position by then,” I say, grabbing my smokes and standing. “I want to get the lay of the land in person before the action kicks in.”

  I leave him to his business while I head outside to inhale a cigarette. My mind can’t help but think of Randi and wonder how she’s doing in the quiet of the night. Is she sleepless and climbing the fucking walls, or have they done something to take the fight out of her? My fist balls so tightly the cigarette breaks in two.

  I toss it to the fucking ground and light another.

  This is where the crew—Jameson, Mad Dog, Bob, Tank, and Justice—find me an hour later. Wyndall needs to stick with his routine, and he spends every morning at the diner eating breakfast served by Amy. I fucking hope he isn’t a sitting duck, but the bigger mission is more important.

  The box truck takes us to Pacific Shores, and we end up parking it behind a cluster of huge pine trees. I have a couple of the guys cut limbs from nearby brush to cover the back of it before we start the hike to the overlook. We can’t have the alarm being sounded before we get Randi out of there. By the time we settle in to watch, the sun is just lifting over the horizon, and there’s nothing moving below.

  “Mikey,” I say into my comm unit. “We’re in position. Start real-time satellite surveillance, and let me know when Marianne and Katie make it back safely.”

  “Ten-four, Enzo,” he replies, the clicking of his computer keys obvious through my earpiece. “Marianne and the kid just pulled up to the gate, and the images are loading.”

  “Let me know as soon as you see Sheriff Dawson approaching,” I order, putting the binoculars to my eyes. “It looks like a ghost town down there.”

  “Rhonda and her escort are incoming,” he says quickly. “Looks like the sheriff just left the station.”

  “Let’s move out,” I command, waving them forward as we start to creep down the rocky outcrop. “Stay low and keep your eyes open. Mikey, warn us at the first sign of any guards.”

  “Will do.”

  The next ten minutes are tense as we slowly work our way down the incline. Rhonda and the prospect both pull up and park, and no one bothers to meet them outside. Are they really this fucking stupid? They disappear inside the building without a sign of another soul, and I hope like hell she’s able to make it to Randi.

  “ETA for Rodney?” I ask Mikey.

  “Two miles out, and it looks like a Pacific Shores cop is accompanying him,” he replies, keys steadily clicking. “Get in position.”

  “Are you detecting any cameras out here?”

  “Hold in place,” he mutters, pausing for about fifteen seconds. “No sign of cameras. Move out.”

  As a sleek unit, we make our way to the fence at the back of the building. From here, I can see a giant square window is carved crookedly into the metal. There are still no signs of life as we move around to the far side, and I motion to an area of the fence.

  “Cut us an opening here,” I advise, looking to Tank.

  “Any word from Wyndall?” I switch to Mikey while we wait.

  “He’s finished his breakfast routine with no sign of any Wolves in town. He’ll be in place and ready to take the girls out of there when you have them safe,” Mikey replies. “The law enforcement cars are pulling up out front.”

  “All right, Jameson,” I say, narrowing my eyes his way. “Here’s your chance to make up for your goddamn ineptness.”

  “Wolves are coming out to meet the cops,” Mikey says in my ear. “I’m counting four outside.”

  We stay low and run across the dirt between the fence and the side of the building, flattening into a row against the metal. The mutterings from around front can be heard as voices rise and ebb between the Wolves and the cops. Sheriff Dawson’s role is to distract, and mine is to get to Randi.

  “Did you get the signal from Rhonda?” I ask Jameson as he places C4 in various spots on the metal wall.

  “Three raps,” he replies, sighing. “I know I fucked up before, but I’m going to do everything I can to prove myself. Saving Randi is important to me. She’s a cool chick.”

  “Good,” I bark, moving back as he extends the wire to the detonator. “Then let’s get my girl.”

  “Fire in the hole,” Jameson says, ducking as he presses the button. The explosion that follows is loud but quick and effective.

  The metal has been contorted and with a firm kick, it’s bent out of the way. Seconds later, I’m rushing through the jagged hole. “Randi,” I call urgently. “I’m here, babe.” She slams into me with the force of a thousand kicks from a horse, and I lift her in my arms. “I’m so sorry. I should’ve never left your safety in the hands of someone who wasn’t me.”

  “I knew you’d fucking come,” she says into my neck just as gunfire erupts from outside.

  “Soon, I hope.” I smirk, watching for her to lift her pretty face, but she doesn’t. She breaks into tears, her shoulders shaking, and I pull her tighter to me as a bullet ricochets off the metal wall. “Lay low next to the bed,” I say to Rhonda as I move Randi and myself away from the line of fire. “Come on, babe. I need you to help me get both of you out of here safely.”

  Her head lifts then, and red clouds my vision. My beautiful girl’s face is bruised and swollen. Her eye is as big as a golf ball, the purple spreading near her temple, and her bottom lip is almost twice its normal size and crusted with dried blood. Rage pumps through me like a visceral force, and the only way to silence it is with death.

  The room door flies open with a bang, gunfire splintering the silence, but the bullets fly in the wrong direction. Thank fuck. Before the Wolf can pull the trigger again, I spin Randi away from the threat as I take out my Uzi and pump his body with lead.

  Bob jumps through the hole, his gun aimed as he assesses the situation. “We’ve got three down outside, and four more have barricaded themselves in the building. The Pacific Shores cop has been shot multiple times, the deputy’s been hit in the arm, and the sheriff’s hunkered down near the front door.”

  “Is it safe to re
move the girls?” I ask, my teeth on edge knowing there are Wolves in the building with us.

  Bob’s head bobs. “Wyndall’s waiting to take them back to the clubhouse.”

  “Randi, babe,” I say, brushing her hair from her face and wincing when she hisses. “I need you and Ronda to go with Mad Dog.” I motion him inside, and the nurse jumps up and throws herself at him. My girl watches the exchange with fascination before looking back to me for confirmation. I chuckle. “Yeah, I can’t explain that bullshit, but he’ll get you away from here safely. I still have to kill a few motherfuckers. One, in particular, is going to die painfully now that I see what he did to you.”

  “I’m staying,” she says, looking at me with murder in her deep brown eyes. “His life is mine to take.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Nothing

  Randi

  He studies me for a hot second before turning to Mad Dog. “Take Rhonda and get her back to the clubhouse. Bob and the nomads can help me wrap things up here.” With a kiss to my swollen lips, he says, “Done, babe.”

  I release a deep breath and wiggle from his strong tanned arms, even though I wish I could stay forever. “Gimme a fucking weapon.”

  “I got you,” Jameson says, bursting through the mangled hole in the wall like an eager puppy. “This bad boy right here is made to split Wolves in two.” He shoves a scary-looking rifle into my hands.

  I turn to Enzo, my mouth gaping. “You didn’t kill this motherfucker for letting me get taken?”

  He doesn’t miss a beat, grabbing his gun and pushing the barrel against Jameson’s fucking forehead. “Do you want him dead, babe?”

  Shit! Do I?

  “We talked about this, Enzo.” A bald man I’ve never met sticks his nose in my fucking business.

  “You obviously didn’t get my input,” I snark, glaring at him for a beat before centering my gaze back on a quivering Jameson. “You allowed them to take me.”

  “I’m sorry, Randi.” He drops to his knees right there and clasps his hands together. “I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I never saw it coming. It killed me to watch them take you. I’m so sorry.”

  I understand exactly what he’s saying because I never saw it coming either. “I forgive you.”

  “Vest.” Enzo puts his gun away and snaps his fingers. Jameson stands and dutifully removes his before handing it over. “Arms in.” With the tenderness of a lion taking care of his cub, Enzo secures the vest around my chest. “This one’s a little big, but you have to wear it. I need you to be safe.”

  My heart gallops at the look in his eye and the sincerity that rings through his voice. I knew he was coming for me, but when one hour turns into sixteen, you start to second-guess your savior. Looking at him now, I know without a doubt he’s willing to fucking die so I can live, and I don’t know if I’m capable of processing that shit.

  But I will—when this is over.

  I smash my swollen, crusty lips to his. It hurts like a bitch, but I need this, to feel the fire between us, to reignite my spark. “Thank you for showing up,” I say as I pull away. “I knew you wouldn’t leave me here.”

  His fingers ghost along my neck, his jaw ticking. “Never.” His voice is firm and soft at the same time. “I’ll keep you with me forever if you’ll let me.”

  My breath lodges in my throat, and no words come even though there are a million of them screaming to be set free. I’m not sure which are the right ones, though, so it’s a good thing I can’t open my fucking mouth and ruin the moment.

  But something always does, and in this case, it’s the gunfire that blasts through the wall. Enzo pushes me to the ground and covers me with his body as the other men return fire. From my flattened position, I see Jameson take a hit and fly back against the dresser. Everything happens so fast that by the time he hits the floor, the gunfire dies, and Enzo pulls me to my feet.

  “Check on Jameson,” he orders, pointing to Justice. “Clear the hallway.” He eyes Tank before returning his gaze to me. “Are you ready for this?” His tone is softer. “When we exit this room, there’s no turning back.”

  I nod once, straightening my shoulders. “The last thing I want Jackson Landers to see is my smiling face as I steal his fucking life.”

  “And so he shall,” Enzo says, nodding confidently.

  “All clear,” Tank calls from the doorway. “One man down out here.”

  “Jameson took a bullet to the shoulder, but he’ll survive,” Justice reports, helping the injured Lion to his feet.

  Enzo nods. “Take him to the front of the building and wrap his wound. Then you can be the sheriff’s backup in case a spare Wolf tries to slip in on us.”

  “My dad’s here?” I ask, grabbing Enzo’s arm.

  “Of course he is.” He says it like I shouldn’t be shocked, but I am. It makes me smile to know they’re working together. “Let’s move out.”

  He pushes me behind him as he leads, and the older bald man follows me as we join the nomad in the hallway. Enzo tilts his head to the left. “Tank, you and Bob clear those rooms, and Randi and I will work on the ones toward the front.”

  “Not happening, son,” the old baldy says, shaking his head. “We stay together. We just got this pretty little lady back, and I’m not about to let you do something stupid in the name of protecting her.”

  Enzo’s eyes narrow, but his expression is less hateful than it’d normally be when someone questions him. “I’d tell you to fuck off, if you weren’t right. We’re stronger together. Let’s start at the back and work our way to the front. Do we know for sure how many motherfuckers are in this tin can with us?”

  “Not a clue,” Tank says.

  Enzo lifts a brow at me, and I shake my head. All I’ve seen are Jackson, Stevie, and Rhonda since I arrived. “No fucking idea.”

  Enzo nods, acknowledging my reply before zipping his fingers across his lips and tossing the key. After a few hand motions toward is men, we start moving. Since I’m sandwiched between them, I fall in line like a good little soldier.

  When we get to the very end of the hall, a lopsided rectangular window gives me my first real look of the outside since I was smuggled into this hellhole. Enzo gives a silent nod, and Bob and Tank burst into the room on the left at the same time he bursts into the one on the right. I’m left to stand at the door and keep watch while my muscular man does the heavy lifting, but it doesn’t matter anyway because there isn’t a soul in any of the four back rooms.

  We bypass the room I was being held in, and Tank has already cleared the one across from it, so we move on to the last two before the hallway ends. As soon as Enzo opens the door, a rank smell filters through the air, and I pinch my nostrils shut to block out that nasty shit. He heads straight for a freezer on the far wall, and death fills the air when he opens it.

  “I’m gonna take a stab in the dark and guess this is septic guy,” Enzo says, looking back at me with his arm across his nose. “Anton Voyer rotting away in an unplugged freezer.”

  My eyes widen, but I don’t move into the room or open my fucking mouth. No goddamn way am I tasting dead-man air. Instead, I move a couple paces up the hallway, near where it opens up into a larger room. A single shot sounds, and it ricochets off the wall near my head at about the same time. I don’t think. I only react, aiming the rifle toward the open space and pulling the trigger. Bullets shoot out of the gun at such a rapid pace I’m sent flying back to land on my ass.

  Enzo’s frowning face appears over me. “What the fuck, Randi?” he snaps, grabbing my hand, pulling me to my feet, and shoving me against the wall with his muscular arm as he readies his own gun. “Don’t do stupid shit.”

  “Excuse me.” I shove his arm, but he holds steadfast. The other guys have all flattened against the opposing wall with their guns ready. “Did you just call me stupid?” My voice is high-pitched and a little wild-sounding even to my own ears. “I’ll show you fucking stupid.”

  He huffs, his hold loosening just slightly
as he turns to chew my ass, and I use that momentary distraction to my advantage. I duck under his arm and aim my gun again, bracing myself this time. Pulling the trigger, I release a spray of bullets into the open space, moving from right to left and back again. By the time I stop firing, wisps of smoke are rising out the end of my barrel.

  A groan sounds from the room, and I smirk at my slack-jawed Lion as Stevie staggers and falls to the floor. “There’s one Wolf.” I tilt my head toward the bleeding man. “Don’t ever call me stupid again.”

  Enzo’s lips twitch, but instead of saying anything to me, he motions to Tank. “Drag his ass back here while Bob covers you.” He pauses, his head bobbing. “Tell the sheriff everything’s under control and to be ready to storm the place when he gets the signal.”

  “Who the fuck are you talking to?” I ask, looking around to the non-existent people standing around us.

  Enzo smiles like the cat that ate the canary as he steps closer. “Do you know how good it feels to see you haven’t lost your spark?” He brushes his thumb along my swollen lips. “Even after what they fucking did to you …” He pauses, his jaw tightening. “I have Mikey in my ear. And your friend is also back at the clubhouse. I thought you’d want to know that she’s okay.”

  “Layla,” I whisper, getting emotional because she hasn’t crossed my mind, and yet Enzo’s taken care of her … for me. I’m drowning in my feelings for him. “Thank you.”

  Propping the rifle against the wall, I wrap my arms around him and bury my face in his chest, sucking back the sob that wants to burst free. He returns my affection by placing his strong arms around me and kissing the top of my head.

  “I’ll always take care of the people who matter to you,” he whispers in return, swaying us slightly. “It’s because I love you.”