Page 46 of Shared By Her Brother's Best Friends

Once we’re in position, the only thing we can do is wait.

“I sure as shit hope that J-Bird’s intel is good and this isn’t a trap,” I whisper.

Mason grunts in response, checking his phone to see if Bess has replied.

“Maybe call her?” I suggest.

Mason nods and dials his phone, holding it to his ear and pacing as it rings. “No answer,” he says grimacing before putting his phone back in his pocket.

We’re both on edge and coiled tight with tension so we don’t talk much, both just staring out the window looking for any sign of movement. The time passes agonizingly slowly, and I begin to wonder if our intel was bad, that nothing is going to happen after all, but then two figures appear from the shadows, Breaker and Venom.

Mason’s phone begins to vibrate in his pocket and his eyes go wide with panic, he hurriedly declines the call and our gazes dart back out the window, praying we haven’t given ourselves away. Breaker and Venom are both looking up toward the window and they gesture to the shadows, pointing up to where we are. A man appears, coming into the building.

“Shit,” Mason hisses.

If this guy finds us it could blow the whole thing. We need to hide or take him out without arousing further suspicion. The room is empty, there’s nowhere we could feasibly hide. I pull the switchblade I’m carrying out from my pocket, popping the blade out. It glistens in the light of the streetlamp outside. Mason nods at me. I may have to take this guy out quickly and quietly. Otherwise, we jeopardize the mission and risk all of our men’s lives.

As quietly as we can, Mason and I move to stand on either side of the doorway, preparing to do what needs to be done if the guy comes in here. We hold our breath as we hear his careful footsteps coming up the stairs. I tighten my grip on the knife in my hand, I’ll need to move quickly and without hesitation, aiming for the carotid artery to take him out silently. I’ve never killed a man, and I don’t relish the thought of doing so now, but if it means saving all of my brothers, I’ll do it.

Mason gestures that he intends to choke the guy out. I hope that he’s able to do so but I don’t change my stance, just in case.

The man is almost upon us. A bead of nervous sweat forms on my brow as I ready myself for what comes next.

Then, as if by divine intervention, a trio of rats comes scuttling out from behind us, noisily rushing from the room and right into the man’s path. He jumps in surprise before sagging with relief when he realizes he’s not in danger.

“It’s just some rats,” he says into the walkie.

“Roger that, get back down here, Kane’s men will be here soon,” the voice on the other end responds.

My eyes dart over to Mason whose expression confirms I heard that correctly. We might have avoided being caught by the Hell Riders, but we’ve got another, far more dangerous enemy on the way.

Unable to use the walkie without giving our location away, Mason pulls out his phone. He looks at it for a moment before turning the screen to me, his expression grim.

Beth:Get the fuck out of there!! The Hell Riders are making a deal with Kane and the Feds are coming to bust them all!

Shit. Things are going sideways fast.

Mason relays the information to J-Bird warning him that we need to get the hell out of dodge. I’m not surprised when his response pings back almost immediately and Mason shows it to me.

J-Bird: Fuck that. This is good news, now we get to take out both our enemies in one go.

I shake my head at Mason, what the fuck is J-Bird thinking? Surely Venom wouldn’t be here if Kane himself was going to show up? Kane would immediately recognize him and the whole sting would be over. It’s more likely that we’ll end up getting arrested as well and then Kane will know we’re onto him. Of course, we can’t relay this without breaking our promise to Bess that we wouldn’t reveal Venom’s identity.

So, in essence, we’re fucked.

We both know better than to try to reason with J-Bird once he’s made up his mind. Nothing is going to stop him from going ahead with his plan and trying to kill Kane and take outthe Hell Riders, all while attempting to avoid being arrested. It’s fucking insane.

But it’s ride or die. We don’t give up on our brothers. It’s our job to try to stop things from getting royally screwed up and to keep our men alive.

In the past, I’ve thrown myself into these situations with gusto, ready to fight and hurt anyone who stands in my way not caring for my own safety. But as I prepare for what’s about to come, I find myself feeling an uncommon amount of trepidation and I realize why. It’s because I finally have someone I care about waiting at home for me.

My thoughts wander to Emma, sleeping soundly, unaware of the danger we’re in and I wonder how she would feel if she knew. Knowing Emma she’d probably be royally pissed at us. She’d also likely want to come here and confront Kane herself about Max. For a reasonably reserved and timid person, she’s a lioness when it comes to her son. The thought makes me smile. It’s one of the things I love the most about her, how good of a mom she is.

I try to shake the thoughts of Emma from my mind. I can’t afford to be distracted tonight.

Distractions can be deadly.

I drag my attention back to the present, following Mason to look out the window again. Venom and Breaker move out of our view.

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