“Shoot him in the face or I shoot you in the head,” I snarl, close to his ear.
“Don’t you fucking dare, Caleb!” Red cap shouts.
“I gotta, Big dog,” he wails.
Big Dog? Fuck me!
“Yeah, he’s gotta,” I say with a shrug.
“Shoot him, Caleb. Turn around and shoot him,” the guy on the other side of the fire shouts.
“Well, I mean you two could try and take the gun from him,” I offer just as Alejandro pulls a second gun from his waistband, pointing it at Dog as I push Caleb forward and away from us.
Survival instincts kick in and the two of them look at each other and then begin to edge forward.
“Fuck you, Aaron,” Caleb snarls. Then he aims the gun at his buddy’s head and pulls the trigger. Aaron screams but he’s not hurt. The gun only had one bullet in and the guy in the fire took that.
Caleb pulls the trigger again.
“Fucking asshole,” both Aaron and Dog shout as they round on him now, jumping on him and bringing him to the ground. “You were going to fucking shoot us, you goddamn fuck!” Aaron screeches as he jumps on Caleb’s head with such force that his eye pops out of its socket.
“Ouch,” Alejandro winces.
Both Dog and Aaron start to beat the shit out of him as Caleb curls up into a ball on the ground, trying to protect himself from their vicious assault. I see now why they get paid to beat people up — they’re kind of good at it. Vicious little fucks once they’re all nice and riled up. But the thought that the four of them beat up on my father like that makes the blood boil in my veins.
“I know, amigo,” Alejandro says quietly. “But with that sheriff on your ass, we gotta try and keep this clean. Okay?”
“Okay.” I grumble. He’s right. Making this look like these four assholes turned on each other is the best play. It’s exactly what we did in Jacksonville.
Sensing my annoyance, he turns to me. “They were just the pawns, Jax. Save your fire for whoever paid them to do it. And the sick fuck took those videos of you and Lucia.”
At the sound of her name, a fresh surge of anger sears through my chest. When we find out whoever that is, that is where I’ll take my vengeance.
Aaron and Dog continue punching and stomping on their former associate until he lies motionless and unrecognizable. No longer a person, but a lump of blood, meat and bone.
“I think he’s dead, boys,” I shout out to them.
“Not enough,” Aaron snarls.
“Well, I suggest you save your energy for fighting each other though.”
They both stop and look at me. Their faces full of their buddy’s blood. Teeth bared like rabid animals. “No,” Dog snarls.
“Well, like I said, only one of you is walking outta here,” I say with a shrug. “After you tell me what I want to know.”
“What the fuck do you want to know?” Dog hisses. “Is this about that old timer at Rocky’s bar?”
“That old timer is my old man, asshole,” I snap.
Realizing his mistake, Dog holds up his hands. “We just did what we were paid to do. We have no beef with you or your father.”
“Well now you do,” I remind him.
“We just did what we were asked.”
“By who?”
“We don’t know the guy’s name,” he insists.