Page 100 of Ravage

That’s what they deserved for thinking they could take control of our territory. We were more than just some club. We’d fought for our place here. It was our home, our livelihood, and there was no way in hell we would let someone take it from us. Not now. Not ever.

We all got out and gathered around as we listened to Prez say, “Go in slow, watch each other’s backs, and don’t fuck this up. We gotta make this a one and done.”

“Understood.”

“Mercy will flash his lights twice, then detonate. Keep a healthy distance until the dust settles.”

Murmurs rippled through the group, but no one said anything audible. We’d heard this many times before and were eager to get this thing done. Stone hesitated, which wasn’t like him, but eventually, he ordered, “Let’s do this.”

With that, we all dispersed, heading to our assigned positions. I led Reaper and Lucky through the tree line, using it to shield us from view of the security cameras. I followed the exact path Mercy had laid out, and once we were in position, I held up my hand, signaling Reaper and Lucky to hold tight.

We’d been standing there for several minutes when Reaper inched up next to me and asked, “You good?”

“Yep.”

“You sure?” he pushed. “Knox seemed pretty pissed.”

“I’m sure… It was nothing.”

“Ah, come on, brother. We both know that wasn’t nothing,” he scoffed. “Never seen you two go at it like that.”

“Drop it, Reap.”

“I was just asking.”

“Don’t.”

I thought that was the end of it until he asked, “It’s about Emery, isn’t it? I saw what happened when she tried to hook up with Coop. Never seen you so wound up.”

“Reap…”

“Don’t get me wrong. I don’t blame you for wantin’ her. She’s fucking hot.”

I turned to him, and when I saw the smirk on his face, it took all I had not to punch him right in the damn face. “Shut it.”

“I’m just saying… She’s a once-in-a-lifetime kind of girl. If I’d gotten a shot at her, I would’ve taken it, too.”

“Jesus Christ,” I growled, looking back at him again. “Would you shut the fuck up and get your goddamn head in the game?”

That second glance back would cost me.

My attention was still on Reaper when I felt a violent jolt in my upper chest. The impact was enough to knock me off my feet, and it hurt like a motherfucker. As I fell back, I spotted two dark figures through the back window.

Through my blurred vision, I saw one of the men aiming at my head, ready to finish me off. I braced for the hit, but in a blink, red mist replaced his face. He dropped, and seconds later, the other guard collapsed into the darkness. Muzzle flashes broke through the glass, and the bullets cut through the air, snapping branches in the woods behind us.

I looked up to find Reaper standing above me with the barrel of his gun aimed at the warehouse. I should’ve been standing right beside him, helping him do the job we’d come here to do, but instead I lay flat on the grass, the dampness soaking into my clothes. I moved to get up, only to feel the same electric jolt that sent me down.

I lifted my hand and pressed it to the source of pain. It was right under the shoulder strap of my vest, now ripped in half and soaked. I glanced down, and the moment I saw my blood-stained hand, I knew I was in trouble. A hail of bullets whizzed all around us, and through the blur of chaos, I caught a glimpse of more figures firing at us from above.

Damn. This was getting out of hand.

I tried to raise my gun, only to find my hand empty. My fingers had dug into my palm so deep that my knuckles were white. I looked to my right and spotted my Glock lying loose in the grass. I wasn’t just shot. I was unarmed. Fuck.

Without hesitation, Reaper and Lucky stepped in front, shielding me as they took aim and unleashed a storm of gunfire. The ache from my wound was quickly turning into a blazing sting that radiated through my entire damn chest. This was bad. Real damn bad. I felt the warmth of my body slowly seep out of me and pool onto the grass, all the while more men spilled out from the shadows of the building.

“Ravage!” Reaper called out.

I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came out. This was bad. It had only been a couple of minutes, and my shirt was soaked in blood. The burn was making its way from one shoulder to the next, and it was growing worse by the second. I eased onto my side, trying to get my bearings, but I felt like a damn elephant was sitting on my chest. I was trying to catch my breath when an explosion rang out.