Page 54 of Providence

A man in black, his face completely covered, stepped up to Burns. “Sir, the explosive guy is here.”

Burns smiled wide. “Excellent. Let’s go and unwrap my prize, shall we?”

I screamed obscenities at their backs as they walked down the hallway toward the basement door. Towards my heart.

29

Goliath

Iwas letting the Horseman out in broad daylight, taking bullet after bullet to the chest, but I felt nothing. Apocalypse was burning behind me, but I just walked toward the SUV’s filled with fucking Cartel gangbangers. My Club behind me, I fired indiscriminately at those masked motherfuckers.

We had eight minutes before the cops showed up, along with the fire department and probably the motherfucking DEA who was desperate to get us in handcuffs. Cain let out a roar, and I grinned at the bastards in front of me. I knew the inhuman pitch of that yell, the guttural nature of it spoke to the depths of my black heart. War had arrived for the Cartel. They should have counted their losses, and fucked off from our territory. Pride was the fucking downfall of men, and I should know. I was Conquest. I would take everything they loved and grind it into dust. I must have looked as savage as I felt, because the guy I was striding toward like a fucking demon, up and bolted. I nailed him in the back of the head with a bullet. There’d be no survivors. I had no mercy when you came into my fucking house and shit on my goddamn rug. You got the brutal end of my backhand and then put the fuck down.

I popped off several more shots.

I could hear Sol yelling that he got Sera on the phone, and something inside my chest unclenched. Thank fuck. I knew where I was going. I could sniff out the arrogant fucker from a mile away. All the SUV’s were horseshoed around one vehicle, a fucking bitch-ass Escalade, probably tricked out to resist bombs and shit. But Cadillac couldn’t prepare for a force of nature, a fucking Horseman of the Apocalypse wasn’t factored in when they were creating bullet proof glass.

My Brothers walked behind me, and I could feel War sliding into the hearts of the Cartel’s men, the insidious rage overtaking their minds, and they turned, shooting at each other as much as us. It was every man for himself now, and I knew my grin was fully manic. I walked up to the shiny white target, and when the driver rammed the car into reverse, I let out my own inhuman laugh and sprang forward, moving inhumanly fast. I gripped the bumper of the SUV, it’s tires squealing as I held it still. I saw the moment that the driver knew real fear. He stared at me like he was looking at his death, and I spat blood stained saliva at the windscreen. Cain finally reached the car, and he put his fist through the bomb proof glass like it was tissue paper. He hauled out the driver, throwing him on the ground and then double tapping him in the chest.

I saw my prey then. Ferrera. I curled my finger at him. Surprisingly, he didn’t come to me just because I asked nicely. Fucking pussy. Hiding in his shell, afraid to finally see the fate that awaited him.

I ripped open the door, and was met with the muzzle of a gun in my face. I shifted to the left, missing getting it right between the eyes, but I still felt the hot burn of the bullet along my cheek, clipping the bottom of my ear. I stared into Ferrera as he watched my cheek heal before his eyes, delighting in the fear that morphed his smug fucking face. “Diablo.”

My hand slammed forward, gripping his throat. “Mmm you’re wrong there. Not the Devil. Worse. I really am untouchable, but not everyone is lucky, hmm?” I spat his words back at him so he’d know the reason he was about to fucking die. He threatened what was mine. He’d never get the chance to do that again, because I was about to send him to meet his goddamn maker.

I slapped the gun from his hand, and then dragged him out of the car. Throwing him on the ground, I marveled how quickly this fucker could go from the top of the food chain to shit that was about to be splattered on my boot. I put my foot on his throat, slowly adding pressure, delighting in the way he squirmed. I could hear the sirens in the background and I knew we all had to get the fuck out of here.

“Goliath!” Sol yelled, but I ignored him, watching Ferrera’s face turn blue. It was really fucking beautiful. “G, its Serendipity!” Sol yelled again, and my face snapped toward him. His face was pale and distraught.

No. No. I looked back down at Ferrera. He was smiling even though he couldn’t draw breath as I crushed his windpipe. “No one is untouchable,” he hissed, and a red haze of rage and fear blanketed my vision.

I leaned close. “You better hope that not a hair on their heads got hurt, otherwise I’m coming to find you in fucking Hell and making you into a fucking meat-suit, asshole. You don’t know who you fucked with.” I pressed my gun to his forehead, and the blowback of the bullet I put between his eyes had blood splattering my face.

I stood, ignoring the eyes watching me, the ruined corpse at my feet. I strode to my Brothers, my heart hammering in my ears. Judas was yelling for the Club members to go to ground and they were fleeing like ants in a kicked nest.

“Speak,” I growled even as we ran toward our bikes.

Cain was beside me. “Gunfire. We think Marco is down. We can’t get Bear or Goose on the phone. They’re under attack, G.” The devastation in his voice was like a knife to the chest. Flashbacks to Laura’s brutalized body on our living room floor stole the air from my lungs. No. It wouldn't be like that again.

Sol still had the phone to his ear, talking softly. He looked at me, thrusting the phone at me. “It's the kids. They are in the safe room. Dippy left her phone with them. Madoc is screaming and Cara is crying and I can’t find out anything from them.” His voice cracked, and I knew he was remembering the same moment decades earlier. We destroyed everything we fucking touch. Why hadn’t I fucking remembered that?

I grabbed the phone. I could hear the wailing of the baby, and Cara sobbing. Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. I calmed my breathing as I skipped my bike and went for the truck. Cain got in the driver's seat.

Judas roared out of the parking lot, Sol right behind him. Cain slammed the truck into gear, right on their tail.

“Cara,” I growled into the phone, and the hiccuping sobs got louder. Jesus, she was breaking my heart.

“Gowiath?” her tiny voice trembled and I vowed that I would slaughter every fucker who had made her scared.

“Yeah kid, it's me. Are you okay? Your brothers?”

“Yes. I’m scared,” she whispered, and I gritted my teeth.

“Pfft, don’t be Kiddo. I’m coming for you right now. No one takes you from us. We’re a family.”

“Sera and Marco, they haven’t come back…” she whispered, as if saying the words would make bad things happen.

“Two minutes, Cara.”

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