Page 48 of Tick Tock, Boom!

I couldn’t go back yet. We were being hunted, traitors branded, hunted, executed. Anyone loyal to Elrik or who questioned Rancid’s takeover became a target. They were terminated on sight. No one had a chance because this motherfucker had been planning the entire takeover for years.

Macabre finally showed three nights later. Fucker was smart. He’d somehow tracked us down and then slipped in through the trees like the ghost he was. He nearly got himself shot.

“Whoa! It’s me!” He raised his hands, showing he had no weapons, as he appeared on the doorstep.

“How the fuck did you find us!” Knuckles yelled out, tugging the door open and yanking him into a hug.

“Glad you’re alive too, brother.” He patted Knuckles on the back before shoving him away.

“What have you heard?” I asked after giving him my own hug.

"It’s all gone," he said, voice tight, face pale. "They burnt it down. Elrik lit the clubhouse on fire before he left."

I stood frozen. The club. Our home. The walls we’d built with blood, loyalty, and all that hard work was now all turned to ash.

"He torched the chapel, the bar, the patch wall. Said if Rancid wanted it, he could burn with it."

I gave a low, humorless chuckle. “I knew we did right by him. That kid has balls. Where is he?"

"All I know is he's alive and far away. That's it."

"Fuck," I muttered, running my fingers through tangled hair. “He left?”

Macabre nodded. “He had to, Tick Tock. Rancid would have probably killed Aiyana if he knew Elrik would return.

“Where is she? We need to get to her…”

He paused, bringing his head down. “She’s dead.”

“What?” My heart dropped at the news.

“She died that night aftershe heard Elrik was gone. I think she had a heart attack. I haven’t gotten close enough to see what happened to her. I just know that.”

“Does Elrik know?”

He shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

“And who’s told you all this?”

He shook his head and raised his hands. “You know I can’t say.”

I grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket. “Talk, or I’ll put a bullet in your head too.”

“Whoa, whoa, that’s enough,” Knuckles said prying my fingers off him. “Just tell us, Macabre. We don’t have time for this.”

“Colt. Colt’s been leaving messages. He says he’s staying to see what goes down.”

“Traitorous…”

“No! He’s legit. And you can’t expect him to leave if he has inside intel. He’s playing it smart.”

Colt was Guardian’s boy and Elrik’s best friend. “That boy is gonna get himself killed.”

“There’s something you need to know Tick Tock.” That’s when he paused. That hesitation, that fucking beat of silence told me I wasn’t gonna like what came next.

"Your place... it’s gone too."

My lungs locked. "What?"

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