Page 172 of Beyond the Badge: Nox

Rez elbowed Nox and jerked his chin toward what was left of the doors that led into the main area of the club. With a nod, both Nox and Finn followed him.

Rez slammed to a stop as soon as he took in the scene.

He wasn’t the only one. “Damn,” Nox whispered, looking around.

Finn whistled softly while also taking in the carnage.

With Hawg Wild and Pizza Town, the Russos had destroyed them from the outside.

This location had been handled quite differently.

“Anyone wanna bet that they used an AR-15 with a bump stock?” Nox asked, taking in the death and destruction.

“Not just one, either. They peppered this whole fucking place with bullets,” Finn murmured.

Bullet casings were strewn all over the floor, along with evidence markers, the majority of them right by the shot-out double doors. It appeared as if the Russos began firing the second they stepped inside. They didn’t want to give anyone a chance to shoot back.

They seemed to be successful.

As they wandered through the crime scene, they were careful where they stepped to avoid the puddles of blood, the sheet-covered bodies, the broken glass, as well as the knocked-over tables and chairs.

A couple of customers still sat in the seats where they were shot. They didn’t even have a chance to scramble for cover.

A single body remained on a blood-covered stage.

“Jesus fuck. Those fuckers didn’t give a shit who they killed,” Finn said in a low tone, trying not to draw too much attention to their nosy asses.

Rez said, “Maybe it was a good thing they lost a majority of their clientele. Otherwise, the death toll would’ve been a helluva lot worse.”

“Think they’ll fix the damage and eventually try to reopen the place?” Nox asked.

“Fuck, they just need to patch a few holes and it’ll be as good as new,” Rez answered, glancing around.

“It would be smarter if they don’t,” Finn said. “Because by the time we have The Pink Pearl up and running, we plan on putting them out of business, anyway.”

“Sure you don’t want to buy this place instead? Just needs a bit of spackling and some paint.” Rez laughed and whacked Nox on the back. “We have some experience in that department.”

“Since we already bought the building and started renovations, I’d say fuck you.”

“A simple no would’ve sufficed,” Rez told Finn.

Nox headed over to the bar, only to find another body behind it, surrounded by spilled alcohol, as well as broken bottles and glassware. He squatted down and pulled back the sheet enough to expose the head.

He glanced up at his redheaded brother. “The prospect Mutt, right?” The rapid gunfire had just about decapitated the biker.

“Mmm…” Finn pursed his lips as he studied the body. “Used to be. Maybe his road name should be changed to the Headless Horseman.”

A soft snort slipped from Rez.

Law enforcement tended to use dark humor to deal with a constant barrage of tragedies and remain sane.

“What are the odds that they took out that fucker Saint?” Finn glanced around. “Could we be that fucking lucky?”

“It’s hard to kill roaches like him,” Nox murmured.

“A well-placed shot would do the trick,” Finn told him.

“If he was here and not at the fucking motel with T-Bone.”

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