Chapter Nine
“Everyone knows what they need to do?” Brick asked the others. He and half a dozen men spread themselves out on the side of the road. The other men gave him nods. Brick checked his watch. The convoy should be arriving by now.
“Let’s rip these assholes a new one,” Razor said, and the others agreed with him.
A mix of eager young and old faces peered back at Brick, including Trigger. Trigger made it clear he stood by his decisions and insisted he wanted to come. Brick had been reluctant to let him in the mission, but King told him to give the kid a chance.
The Black Dogs MC had stolen two of their shipments. They hit back once, but Brick believed two times was the charm. Brick positioned himself by the front. He held his rifle steady as the first pair of riders appeared in his line of sight.
Brick rested the butt of the gun on his shoulder to steady his aim and fired. The rider to the left toppled over, his bike careening to the side. Some of his men quickly took cover. Razor took out the man to the right. The convoy soon appeared, and Brick sucked in a breath. An armored truck? Where the hell did Rat have the funds for that?
Razor appeared next to him. He carried a handgun Brick had never seen him use before. Razor popped open a small case next to him and loaded the cylinder. Brick blinked. “Are those armor-piercing rounds?”
“Never hurts to be prepared,” Razor said.
“You crazy bastard,” Brick said, letting Razor hear the fondness and awe in his voice. Grinning, Razor fired. His first shot missed, and the second barely made a dent on the vehicle. Razor fired at the glass, but it didn’t shatter. All it did was make the driver jump in his seat. Razor swore.
“These defective or something?” Razor demanded.
“Go for the wheels. We’ll both take it out,” Brick said.
Razor did as they asked. One of Brick’s bullets caught the front left wheel. Razor got the back. The truck went past them, but Brick knew it would eventually come to halt. More enemy riders fanned out from the back. They all carried guns.
“Take cover,” he yelled at his guys. Most of them managed to dive into the bushes or hide behind the trees right on time. The Black Dogs MC started firing. He spotted Trigger and another newly patched member crawling on their bellies toward the firefight. Trigger whipped out his revolver.
“Wait for it,” Brick yelled. Trigger and his friend looked torn between rushing in or lying low.
“Follow the fucking plan,” Brick said.
Trigger gave him a curt nod. The kid knew how to follow orders after all. Maybe after Trigger’s stint in the hospital, he learned a measure of patience.
The Black Dogs eventually ran out of bullets. It would take them a couple of seconds to reload. Precious seconds Brick and his crew could make use of. Brick leaped to his feet. He started shooting, and Razor was behind him. The others did the same. It was a bloodbath. One Black Dogs MC member managed to turn his bike around, ready to flee. He didn’t get far. Razor shot him in the back. He toppled over.
Brick walked up to the waiting armored truck. Trigger and Grizzly had gotten the door open. The grim expressions on their faces made Brick hasten his footsteps. “Something wrong? Our stolen shipment not there?” he asked.
“It’s there all right, but there’s something else you should see, boss,” Grizzly said.
“Something good or bad?” Brick asked.
“Bad, judging by their expressions,” Razor remarked by his shoulder.
Grizzly held the door open. Brick had to squint because there were no windows inside the truck. He saw the crates of their stolen shipment first. He breathed a sigh of relief. King and their clients would be happy to know they got their guns back.
A soft whimper made Brick freeze in his tracks. Three women had been handcuffed to the railing of the vehicle. They looked young, scantily clad. Tears and ruined makeup streamed down their faces.
“Fuck,” Brick muttered under his breath. He heard the rumors that the Black Dogs MC dipped their fingers in human trafficking, but seeing it in person was another thing.
“What are we going to do about them, Brick?” Trigger asked, flashing the women a nervous look.
“Help me get them free,” Brick said.
Razor and Brick got into the truck. Trigger found the keys to unlock the handcuffs on their wrists from the jean pocket of the driver. The three women huddled together and shot them frightened looks.
“You’ll be all right,” Brick said. “No one can hurt you anymore. We’ll make sure you’ll all be returned to your loved ones.”
Brick sighed as he exited the truck. Trigger managed to persuade the women to climb out. None of them tried to run. Maybe Trigger had a more trustworthy face. Rose could’ve ended up like them, Brick thought, if Dragon and his men had their way.
The thought made him see red for a couple of moments.
“What a headache. Now we have to get the cops involved. How are we going to explain the women and all this to them?” Razor asked by his side. The other man gestured to the corpses on the floor.
Brick pushed his angry thoughts aside. Rose was his woman now, and he promised her that nothing would ever happen to her or Stefan. Razor and his other MC brothers needed them now.
“We’ll clean up the scene as best as we can. The bodies will need to go. The truck, we’ll need to put to a vote. It might be useful to us in the future,” Brick said, thinking.
“Then what? We’ll just have to tell the cops we happen to find the women the Black Dogs were holding captive against their will?”
Brick nodded. “We won’t mention the convoy or the robbery. We’ll convince the women to stick to our version of the story. I’m sure they’ll be amendable. We’re on their side, after all. If the cops give us trouble, then we’ll just have to give them a little more incentive.”
“All right then,” Razor said with a nod.
“You heard him. Let’s clean up,” Razor yelled to the others.
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