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“I was careful on my way over,” my father says. “How’d you find me?”
“There’s a tracker in the seam of each of your jackets, Mayor David,” the first gunman says. “The Black Hand is always watching.”
“Where’s Masterson?” Kendric asks.
“Doing his part, ever the faithful soldier.”
“I’ve got a bone to pick with him.”
“Get in line,” the third gunman replies. “Put your gun down, slowly.”
Kendric glances back at me. All I can do is look at my father. “You do realize they’re going to kill me, right?” I ask him.
“I can’t save you, not anymore,” he says. “You and this biker goon will be sacrificed for the greater good. I tried to protect you, Ariana. I really tried.”
“You’re going to let the Black Hand murder your daughter?” Kendric scoffs.
“As far as I’m concerned, her blood will be on your hands. You’re the ones who dragged her into this,” my father says, then looks at the first gunman. “End it quickly. Do not let her suffer.”
I can see the pain in his eyes. Yet he takes a deep breath and chooses to walk away, unable to hold my gaze anymore.
“Murder-suicide it is,” the second gunman mutters.
My father turns his back on us and makes his way down the stone path leading to the northern entrance of the cemetery.
I listen to the faint echo of my father’s footsteps receding, time slowing down as beads of cold sweat bloom on my temples. Too much tension in my body makes my jaw tighten and lock as I struggle to find a way out of this mess.
“He just left me here to die,” I whisper, still shocked. “My own father …”
“For what it’s worth, he’s not the first nor will he be the last,” the first gunman calmly replies. “There are bigger things at stake here, Miss David. I’d stick around and explain everything; perhaps then it would make more sense, but I’m afraid you’ve run out of time.”
Kendric moves to protect me, but there are three other men present with a clear line of fire. It will only take one bullet to end my life, and I fear I may not get to see another sunrise.
“Murder-suicide,” I mumble.
“I’m sure we can work something out,” Kendric says, doing the one thing I never imagined him capable of doing. He’s trying to negotiate with the enemy. Something tells me it won’t do much good, but if it buys me even one second to get the hell out of here, I’ll take it. Right now, all I can focus on is surviving, no matter the cost. “The cabal has seen what we’re capable of,” Kendric adds. “If you kill us, it won’t shut the MC down. The Steel Knights will only be more emboldened to tear you to pieces.”
“Which Steel Knights?” the first gunman asks with an evil grin. “The ones back at the Henry residence?”
The silence that follows speaks volumes. They’re talking about Sky and Raylan. “Oh, God,” I mumble, my knees suddenly weak.
“Yeah, they’re probably already dead,” the gunman replies. “Like so many of you who insist on learning the hard way, there is no escaping the Black Hand. You either do as you’re told, or you die. Only the strongest survive, only the smartest. It’s how we keep this country at the top of the food chain.”
“Country? You motherfuckers haven’t gotten out of New Hampshire yet,” Kendric says. “Don’t try to make yourselves bigger than you actually are.”
“Well, it doesn’t really matter for you two, though, does it?” He points his gun at my head. I stare at the muzzle, at the cold darkness within.
There’s a bullet in there with my name on it.
25
Sky
Staring death in the face can have a certain effect on a man’s mind.
The fabric of time and space narrows, and everything moves slower and slower until it’s just me and my rapidly firing thoughts. I’m standing in front of three men with weapons trained on us. Raylan is right beside me, and the two of us are about to die. But my mind keeps calculating, my eyes scanning everything. Even in what appears to be the final moments of our lives, I am still looking for a way out.
Raylan tries to talk some sense into Masterson. “You’re going about this the wrong way. You can’t sweep us under the rug, not anymore.”
