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“Not unless you want to walk around with our cryin’ baby on your shoulder all night so we can get some sleep.”

“I’d do it, but I don’t think your baby would be satisfied with me. She needs a parent’s touch. You know?”

“That’s the same shit Nora says.”

Right before firing up my engine, I tell him, “Your old lady is smart. You should listen to her.”

“I know.” Staring at me like he’s seeing me for the first time, he asks, “Exactly what the fuck is up with you?”

I slam my fist into my chest. “The fuck? I’m right as rain, bro.”

“True. You look like a man who might have finally got laid.”

“Nosy bastard. That ain’t none of your business.”

He gives me a feral grin. “I knew it. Better late than never, brother. Three years is a long-ass time to hold out for the right woman.”

“Beth is worth waitin’ for,” I tell him sharply. “Let’s roll.”

He checks the piece under his cut without being obvious. I pull out my weapon and check it as well.

I punch my ignition, and the engine catches on the first try. The roar is deep and satisfying. We take off like a shot down my hill and onto the secondary road. There ain’t no better feeling in the whole world than riding an empty road in the early morning before the dew dries. Riding with a brother you like and trust makes it ten times better. Jinx and I grew up together. We both served in different branches of the military, buried battle buddies together and joined Sons together. That’s the kind of bond that stands the test of time.

***

Keene’s house sits at the end of a long gravel drive, a low brick ranch that’s a little on the shabby side. He has sagging gutters and landscaping problems. But more importantly, there are lights on in the house and a car in the driveway, which means there is a good chance he’s still at home this morning. We leave the bikes a fair piece back from the house, so he doesn’t hear us coming. Then we approach on foot all stealthy like, keeping to the tree line.

“Look, I’ll take the front door,” I tell Jinx. “You go around back, cover the back door. He’s got to leave through one of the doors ‘cause he sure the fuck ain’t climbin’ out through a fuckin’ window.”

Jinx nods. “Roger that.” Then he takes off to work his way around the back without being seen. I lose sight of him behind the corner of the brick. I take cover behind a pine tree with a good view of the front door.

Before I can get settled down, I hear gunshots from the back of the house. Fuck me, this is off to a fuckin’ awful start.

The first shot comes from the back of the house, and I know before the echo dies that it’s Jinx’s gun that just fired several rapid shots. Keene must have come out the back rather than the front. Keene was apparently not the soft pencil-pusher I took him for if he drew down on Jinx.

I run around the back of the building at full speed realizing how badly I misjudged this one. It seems as though it takes minutes to get there but I’m sure it was only seconds. My heart is pounding because I can’t lose my best friend, not in a situation like this.

I listen as I run. Shots are still being exchanged. I recognize the sound of Jinx’s gun. It’s a .45-caliber handgun and hard to mistake for any other kind of weapon. I start counting how many bullets he fires and realize he’s about to empty his magazine.

I come around into the backyard and what I see chills me to the fuckin’ bone. Jinx is down on the ground and bleeding from his shoulder. And Keene is standing over him. The fucker raises his weapon. I realize he’s about to shoot my friend point-blank in the face, gun him in cold blood.

I’m still running but I realize pretty damn quick that there is no reaching him in time to stop this from happening. I’ve only got one option if I want to save my best friend’s life.

I come to a stop. Lifting my gun up, I take aim and squeeze the trigger. In an instant, I know luck is on my side because Keene drops to the ground before he can shoot Jinx.

I rush forward and get to Jinx right after Keene hits the ground with a solid thud. I notice that he’s not moving and as I step over him, I see why. My bullet hit him center mass and the exit wound is right where his heart probably was.

I drop to my knees beside Jinx. Blood is soaking through the hole in the shoulder of his jacket. “Fuckin’ hell, brother. Are you okay?”

He throws me an irritated look. “I’m fuckin’ fine.”

“You don’t look fine. In fact, you look like shit,” I tell him. Because he does. His face is pale and he’s bleeding pretty profusely. I pull his jacket away from the wound and have a look inside. Although I can’t see the actual bullet hole, I can see the blood spreading down his arm. Thank God, the wound is nowhere near his neck or chest, or this situation could have been lethal. I press one hand over it.

“Fuck!” Jinx snaps. “Get your fuckin’ hand out of my clothes.”

“Stop bein’ a whiny little bitch. It’s in your jacket, not your clothes.”

“I don’t care. Get off me,” he says, tryin’ to shove me away.