Page 82 of Gang of Roses: Rebel

Everything was going smoothly until one of the bank tellers decided she wanted to play hero. As I rushed past, the stupid bitch latched onto my leg. I nearly lost my balance and looked down at her in disbelief. This idiot really wanted to lose her life over a job that would’ve replaced her before the ink dried on her death certificate. At first, I raised my gun and aimed it right at her head. One squeeze of the trigger and the problem would’ve solved itself.

Then I saw my sister’s face. Just like that, Rose flashed through my mind.

My finger froze on the trigger. The hesitation caught me off guard. That shit had never happened before on a job, ever.

Before I could think about it any longer, I drove my boot into the woman twice with all my might. The force of the kicks finally broke her grip, sending her sprawling across the floor. My girls had already made it close to the exit, but that fool had slowed me down.

Just as I was making my way toward the entrance, one of the security guards recovered and fired.

A burning pain exploded through my arm as the bullet tore through it. Instantly, blood began leaking down my sleeve. For a split second, I just stared at it in disbelief. In all the years we’d been pulling jobs, I’d managed to avoid getting shot. Apparently, my luck had finally run out. Before the guard could fire another round, Kash spun around and put two bullets in his chest. His body slammed against the wall before collapsing to the floor. I pressed my hand over the wound instinctively. My glove came away damp with blood, but it wasn’t pouring out.

“You’ve been shot!” Dice shouted, her eyes widening as she spotted the blood running down my arm.

“Shit! We gotta get outta here!” Kash yelled.

“I’m fine,” I snapped. “Go! Get the fuck outta here! We’ll meet back up.”

For a split second, neither of them moved. They looked like they wanted to argue. Then another police siren wailed, much closer this time.

My arm burned like hell, and I knew I couldn’t carry the money and fight if things went sideways. I yanked the duffel bag off my shoulder and shoved it into Dice’s hands. She caught it against her chest while Kash immediately moved in behind her, her weapon raised, covering our retreat.

They didn’t waste another second. Dice took off with the money while Kash stayed a step behind, keeping her gun trained on every possible threat until they disappeared.

I shoved through the rear exit and burst into the alley behind the building, where Declan’s transport team was waiting for the money. The back doors of the armored truck flew open.

“Load it up!” one of Declan’s men shouted.

Dice tossed the duffel bags inside while Kash stood guard, sweeping the alley with her weapon. Oatz backed out of the bank last, never taking his eyes off the rear exit until every member of the crew had made it outside.

“We’re good!” Declan’s driver yelled.

The truck doors slammed shut, and within seconds it peeled out of the alley with millions of dollars inside. Once the transport truck disappeared, Dice, Kash, and I threw our legs over our black motorcycles. Just as I fired mine up, a police cruiser came flying into the alley. The driver’s door swung open.

“Police! Stop!”

We didn’t even look back. Three engines roared to life at the same time, vibrating beneath us like they were just as eager to escape as we were.

“Ride!” Kash shouted.

The three of us shot out of the alley in perfect formation just as police officers poured through the rear exit of the bank.

“Police! Stop!”

“Catch us first!” Dice yelled over the roar of her engine.

I couldn’t help but grin beneath my silicone mask. Even after everything we’d just pulled off, she still found time to talk shit. Kash took point while Dice rode on my right. I stayed slightly behind them, watching. We had been riding together for years. Nobody had to tell us where to be. We already knew. It was instinct.

The engines roared beneath us while the wind whipped against our faces. We weaved through traffic like we’d practiced it a thousand times, leaving confused drivers laying on their horns as we flew past.

“You still with us, Rebel?” Kash asked through the earpiece.

“I’m on your ass.”

“Good,” she replied. “Stay there.”

Every bump in the road sent pain shooting through my arm. I clenched my jaw so hard it felt like my teeth were about to crack, but I refused to slow down.

“You’ve been bleeding this whole damn time,” Dice said after stealing a glance in my direction.