Page 35 of Always My Fate

“Naw, thanks, Twisted. I needed a different perspective. I’ll keep you updated, because these bastards are fuckin’ roaches. Stomp on them once, makes them stronger and harder to kill.”

His voice was growing louder with every word as he was clearly headed her way. She was ready, attentive face directed towards the door, and when he walked in, she got to see her favorite thing. How his face softened, his lips curling in an unconscious smile, made her heart beat faster.

“Yeah, I’ll be in touch. Peaches is up, so I’m going to check in with her before anything.” He pulled the phone away from his ear, tapping the screen. “Peaches, did you have a good nap?”

“I did, but what I heard made it seem there’s been some unfortunate developments?” She left it as a question, giving him a chance to bring her up to speed without knowing how much she already understood.

“Twisted is sending a crew from the Baton Rouge chapter of Incoherent, already in the wind. They’re traveling with a bunch of Bama Bastards. He expects they’ll hit Longview in the next thirty minutes.” His expression became pained, as they approached the crux of the issue. “Peaches, I know I said I would be here come hell or high water.” He shook his head. “I can’t reconcile how to make that our truth, baby. My men warrant a president who values their lives.” Sucking in a hard breath, he continued, “And you and the kids deserve a man who supports you no matter what.”

“And you do. Yes, you said you didn’t want to leave home, but things changed in a powerful way, Blackie. Duane is gravely hurt, and every ounce of pain can all be laid at the MDMC leadership. That demands a formidable response. Tell me what you’re thinking?” She kept her eyes on his face, reading every emotion he revealed to her. Anguish, then anger, then—for a long set of seconds—fear.

“Rebels have access to a helicopter, could have me in Belle within fifteen minutes. Means it could also have me home in that kind of timeframe, if needed. Baby, I’m of a mind to go. Horse and Rook are doing a great job coordinating their respective fights, but that’s a lot of weight to bear. I handpicked these men, my brothers, but having someone to take some of the load makes the rest more manageable.”

“Helicopter sounds like a good decision. When do you leave?” From the flinch of guilt that flashed across his face, she knew their time was short. “Soon, then. Come give me a kiss, fondle your old lady’s baby bump, and go put a permanent stop to that dirtbag club. They’ve been asking for it for far too long, and you’re the exact man to deal with them.”

“’Copter is incoming now. I’ll be in the air in less than ten.” He strode to the bed, and she watched him come closer. “Gimme those lips, baby.” She lifted her chin obediently, and he kissed her slowly, reverently. “Love you, Peaches girl.”

Chapter Seventeen

Blackie

He kissed Peaches hard, one last time, as his hands cradled her face, drawing her closer to him.

“I’m not goin’ far,” he growled against her lips. “My brothers are holdin’ the line, but they need me on the ground. This ends tonight. I swear it, Peaches. I’ll be home before you know it.”

Peaches gripped his cut, green eyes fierce even through the fear. “You take care of business, and then you come back to me, Kirk Langdon. To us.”

He stormed out of the bedroom, cut already on, guns holstered, and rage burning like gasoline in his veins. The calculated risk had become necessary. He couldn’t sit on his ass any longer while his brothers bled for the club.

His bike roared to life in the driveway. Three solid patches fell in behind him as he tore out towards the meeting place with the chopper, the wind whipping past his face like a war cry. The road blurred under his tires.

He slid into the lot the oil choppers used, only hearing the percussive noise of the machine once he killed his bike. Each man parked in a line, stepped off their bikes and checked weapons with a casual professionalism. These men, hell, all his men, were certified warriors.

The copter touched down, and someone flung open the door. Blackie and his men climbed inside, finding themselves shoulder to shoulder in the limited space. Without a word, he swung the door closed and grabbed a headset handed to him by the pilot.

“We’re going to Belle, yes?” His voice held no accent, and Blackie liked he didn’t wait for an answer before shoving the machine up into the air.

“Yeah, a ranch just outside of town. You should have the coordinates for the landing site. It’s in one of the larger pastures that are still close to the house.” He shifted, glancing at each man’s face in turn, marking each in his memory. “We’re hoping the surprise of the copter landing will derail any kind of assault they might raise. We’ll cover you every way we can.”

“Copy that. I was read into the challenge, so I’m anticipating that we’re going to be going in hot. I’ll give you warning about three minutes before I can drop you off.”

“Sounds good, brother,” Blackie said. “We’ll be ready.”

Every mile closer to the fight tightened the knot in his gut. Leaving Peaches and Daniel unprotected felt wrong. Like he was ripping his own heart out, but the club was taking heavy fire. He had to lead from the front.

“We’re going in,” the pilot said through the headset, and Blackie quickly communicated the information to the men with him. “I’m going to deliberately do a rough landing, then I’m going to bounce. You can text or call your contact to have me return when it’s time for me to do so.”

“Got you, man.” He turned to the men and mimed bracing for a hard impact, pleased when each man indicated he understood, then proved it by preparing as best they could.

The sound of the copter changed, the whine of the engine growing impossibly louder, and then Blackie watched as the ground rushed up to them. The landing was hard but not as bad as he’d expected. Within seconds he’d thrown the door open, and he and his men exited, running straight towards a building that was blacked out, not a light shining. That was where Horse would be. Behind him the copter engine revved up, and he felt the rotor wash as the machine lifted off.

Gunfire cracked in the distance as they approached what should be the clubhouse. Blackie kept surging forwards and signaled the others to follow silently. Another salvo of gunshots was closer, and he caught the outline of a man in the grass ahead, gun aimed towards the building. Bad fuckin’ luck for him. He pointed to the man, and one of his brothers indicated he’d seen two more. Blackie pulled his pistol and ran straight ahead, letting the barrel line up with the bit of flesh that rode where neck and skull met. His shot was dead on. The man immediately went limp as he stepped over him, still at a run.

“Flank left!” he roared over the chaos as they rolled up on the rear of the MDMC assault. He spotted Horse’s men dug in hard near the barn, returning fire.

One of the MDMC members began to turn towards him, but he was too slow by a wide margin. Blackie dropped him with another clean shot, then charged ahead, using a fence gate for cover. Bullets whizzed past his head. The heat of one grazed his arm, but he ignored the burn. Only pure adrenaline and fury kept him moving.

“Horse!” he bellowed, spotting the chapter president reloading behind a truck. “I’m here, brother! Push the east flank! Drive ’em towards the open ground!”