I knew it’d be no small feat to get these assholes under control. They were spread throughout the storage lot, and if one of them spotted us moving in, all hell would ensue.
We were at the rear of the property, a slight distance away from where our unwanted guests were ransacking through our units, so it would take some quick maneuvering to locate a good position of attack. As if he already knew what I was thinking, Hawk looked over to me and suggested, “We should split up. Take them on from both sides.”
I nodded, giving the order for the brothers to disperse.
Shotgun and Rafe led Country and two prospects to the left while Hawk and Axel directed Jagger and the rest of us to the right. With the misty haze, it was difficult to see, but as we got closer, Hawk held up his hand, signaling for us to stop and wait for the all-clear. Once we were good to move, he lowered his hand and motioned his head forward.
We immediately continued ahead, and as soon as our group rounded the corner, we came upon three men who’d gained access to one of the units. They were hunched over, sifting through the various boxes—completely unaware that we were standing behind them.
I cleared my throat before asking, “Looking for something?”
One of them immediately looked up and muttered, “Fuck.”
When the guy on Jagger’s left took a charging step forward, Jagger pulled the trigger, firing two shots and hitting him right in the chest. I watched the man flail back and hit the ground with a hard thud.
Jagger turned around to check if we were still good when the second man lunged towards him and tackled him to the ground. The gun flew from Jagger’s hand, and a struggle ensued between the two.
Locke immediately aimed his gun at the third, making sure he didn’t join in. While I knew Jagger could handle the guy, I was in no mood to wait out their dispute. I aimed my gun at the asshole’s head and pulled the trigger, killing him instantly.
Jagger rolled the lifeless body off him with a frustrated groan. Once he was back on his feet, he picked his gun up from the ground, then looked down at the guy I’d just shot and froze. “You gotta be kiddin’ me.”
I stepped closer, and a sinking feeling hit me in the gut when I saw a Broken Knights rocker embroidered on the back of the asshole’s cut. I figured they’d come looking for their fucking guns, but how the hell did they know we had them and that we’d secured them in our storage unit’s vault? It made no fucking sense.
Hawk also knew why they were there and was just as puzzled, but he didn’t let on as he looked over to the guy in the corner and asked, “What the fuck is this all about?”
“Like you don’t fucking know.”
Without saying anything more, the man lifted his pistol and attempted to aim it at Hawk, but Locke shot him in the chest before he got the chance. Lynch immediately turned to me and asked, “What the fuck, Prez? How the hell did they—”
Before he could finish his sentence, the familiar tzinggg sound of silenced gunfire erupted behind us, drawing our attention away from the men at our feet. “We gotta move.”
Worried for my safety, Hawk looked over to me and asked, “You sure it wouldn’t be better for you to hang back? Locke and I—”
“Fuck no,” I growled. “I want this thing done, and I want it done now.”
Hawk nodded, then started to the others.
We’d just rounded the corner when I heard a man’s voice command, “Hold it right there.”
All motion in the storage yard halted as I turned to look over my shoulder. My stomach sank when I found two men standing on Ada’s front porch—one with a gun pointed directly at Gladys’s head. Her hands were bound behind her back, and her mouth was taped shut. There was no sign of Ada, which left me wondering if she was hiding somewhere in the house or if she was already dead.
It took me a moment, but I recognized the bigger of the two men.
It was Armor—the president of the Broken Knights.
He gave me a menacing smile as he snarled, “I was wondering when you would finally show up to the party.”
“Let her go!” I demanded. “She has nothing to do with any of this.”
“She’s here. That makes her a part of it. Besides, you’re in no position to be giving orders, friend.”
“Just tell me why you’re here, and let’s resolve this thing before anyone else gets hurt.”
His smile dissipated and turned into a scowl. “Again with the orders.”
“Well, I can’t read fucking minds, so if you want something here, you’re gonna have to tell me what the fuck it is.”