In the distance, I hear more noise coming from behind one of the nearby homes. And I’m not about to risk finding out if it is friendly or not. I grab the Mustang, pulling him to his feet, and throw him on the back of my bike. He clings on to me as I spin the bike around and speed off towards where Jager was stationed. I pull up to the armory truck just a few blocks away and two men run off to gather him as he collapses into his arms.
I look down at my phone, now covered in the bright red blood of another man. I’ve only got two minutes to get back to Jager and report in. I wave towards the Mustang who saved my life, thanking him once more before getting on the bike and driving on. Jager is waiting for me, his bike running next to him. Ace and Red Dog are already moving on, followed by the leaders of the second group.
“What was the tally, Cal? How are the lines?” Jager looks at me as I toss him his gun back.
“I didn’t get there. But there’s a kid in the med truck with info this team’s going to need. Let the crew know they need to talk to him before they make another play.”
Jager looks at me with reverence, understanding that what I saw wasn’t just regular fighting. I was coming back from the heart of the battle, and I was ready to move on. The second team, led by Red Dog, heads in the direction of the warehouse armed to the brim with guns and homemade Molotov cocktails ready to be fired. As we hit the intersection, I reach over the street and gave Red Dog my hand in thanks. What he is doing and has done for my girl and me are beyond my ability to show gratitude. But I still give him my hand and tell him I’ll see him back at the clubhouse later that night. “Maddie will want to hear all about it, you got that?”
“You take care of our girl,” He smiles at me widely before winking one dark eye, “And say hello to Michelle, too. I’m sure she’ll be happy to see your dank ass.” The light turns green and he lifts his arm to show the men following closely behind to head left.
Ace, Jager, and I head out in the opposite direction, back towards the highway. Jager leads the way as I follow in the back. The highway’s traffic opens up as we hit the exit for the repair shop, each of us slowing down to lower the sounds of our engines. Jager finds a spot for us to park our bikes just a few doors down from the repair shop’s burnt out rubble. It’s the perfect position to spy what’s going on as we creep down through open yards towards the back of the shop where we are less likely to be spotted.
The three of us kneel behind a bush and take our turns peeking out with the binoculars towards the few bits of the building that remain. Ace spots it first, “Look to your left.” He points as both of us pop our heads above the hidden spot. “I can see the opening in the floor where the underground repair area would be. It’s under that large vent. Even in the fire, that spot would have remained intact.”
Jager asks as he takes the binoculars back, “Are you sure? Where would Addison Bell and the rest of them be, then?”
I look out again, my eyes squinting to see detail, clues, hints, anything. And then, I spot it. A car, not burnt or charred from my fire, is parked just out of clear view near a side entrance of the brick building. Jager sends Ace in for a closer look and we watch with our breaths held as he lowers himself to the ground and crawls through the tall grass towards the parking lot. He sits there, still as can be, for what feels like hours before turning back towards us, a hand in the air.
“That stupid fucking asshole,” Jager mutters under his breath, “get the fuck down.”
It’s too late. A shot rings out from the garage as we hear the scream of a young girl. I stand just in time to see Ace fall backwards into the tan colored grass. I yell out, “Maddie! Michelle!” as I race towards the garage, my gun in hand.
There’s a loud bang of glass falling and shattering, a call out in the dark. Michelle is screaming my name, but I can’t see her. But I keep running towards the battle. No one is going to stop me now.
Chapter 32: A Hard Place
MICHELLE
“What the hell is this?” The man sets Erin down on the stairwell and bends over to pick up the cuffs. He picks them up and examines the lock. The marks from Maddie’s hairpin trace the metal giving a clear picture of what just happened. He looks up at us, his flashlight illuminating his dark features, “What the fuck do you think you are doing?”
The man from upstairs, Addison, screams towards his guard, “What’s going on down there? I told you to grab the dead one and get upstairs, not fool around.”
The guard in our room looks at us, a slick, devilish grin forming around his lips, “You’re gonna wanna come down here, boss. The girls have something to show you.” He walks towards me slowly, and my heart races. Each step, I hunch down lower, grasping to the wall and pole for support. My mind goes completely blank. If this is going to be my last minute, I am going to sit here and think about the people I love and care for: Maddie, my parents, Erin, and Cal. All of my favorite moments replay in my head as I imagine what it will be like on the other side.