Page 19 of Blade

“To kill the asswipes that put that look of fear on Eloise’s face? Fuck yes.” I’d called him over to Elliot’s the night before to talk to him about what she’d shared with us. He’d been almost as angry as I was.

Bash and I had a lot of firsthand experience with the evil this world could bring. We’d met in foster care when we were just teenagers. We’d been through the system and seen the kind of scum that only the deepest corner of hell could produce. Early into our adult life, we decided if the justice system couldn’t protect innocent lives from the evil infiltrating the planet, then we would. We teamed up with others who had similar views and nine years later we were still at it—ridding the world of one piece of shit at a time.

“Did you call the others?” he asked, typing on his phone, probably sending our location.

“Yeah. They’re going to meet us at the factory.”

“Okay, I just sent Jasper our location. He put this together so quickly for us, he must have been seething.”

“Yeah, I had to talk him down. He wanted to take matters into his own hands last night.”

“Fuck, I’m glad he’s on our side. I’d hate to be in his crosshairs.”

I snorted. “Same.”

“I’m glad you brought him in. I know it had to be tempting to handle it yourself. I can see that Eloise means a lot to you already and I know it took strength to wait.”

“Like I’d plan anything without making sure the mastermind was available to cover our asses. I’m too handsome for jail,” I deflected.

Seriously, most of us operated off of emotions and testosterone. Jasper was the brains behind the operation. He handled everything from evidence to security cameras. I didn’t know how he and his teams worked and I didn’t care to. He took care of us, and we took care of whoever needed taking care of for him. He also had a plethora of information at his fingertips. When I’d told him who we were looking for, he’d been able to provide us with everything we’d need for today, including handling getting everyone in one place for us.

We pulled into one of Jasper’s large factories and I typed in the code to the keypad. The side doors opened and we drove inside.

Before we could get out of the truck, Smoke and his stepbrother Layton pulled in behind us.

“Let’s get this fucking show on the road,” Bash said, grinning ear to ear. Sometimes I really worried about him. Nobody should love violence as much as he did.

“Dude, I pulled up some information on this church last night. It’s fucking creepy,” Smoke said, grabbing a hoodie from the pile Jasper left us and sliding it on. The hoodies had a QR code on them so when captured in video, the link took people to a website that exposed shitty people around the world. I couldn’t wait for every member of that church to be on the damn site.

“I know. It made me sick,” I told him after I’d put my own hoodie on. I’d only been able to research it a tiny bit because it had enraged me.

Layton looked over some of the items we’d been left. “Do you feel taking out the church will help bring more closure to your girl?”

“Oh yeah. It’s going down too,” Bash said, holding up a control switch.

“I think maybe you mean up,” Smoke pointed out.

Bash shrugged. “Up, down, whatever. The building is going to be in flames by the end of the day.”

“Yeah. The church is supposed to represent a beacon of hope to the community, but this one doesn’t. Every time those bells ring, it reminds the community of those it’s hurt. I’m sure Eloise wasn’t the only one. It’s got to go,” I said, opening the truck and grinning. Just what I’d asked for.

“What the fuck is that?” Bash asked, studying the item laying in the truck. It was a twenty-eight inch long, one-and-a half-inch-thick Escrima stick made of rattan. Twisted around the body were two thorny vines and the handle was wrapped in a non-slip rubber. It was perfect. Jasper always came through.

“Whatisthat?” Smoke asked, his voice carrying the same wonder at Bash’s.

“Myrod of correction,” I answered. That son of a bitch was going to pay.

***

I watched as Jasper’s men surrounded the church, their SUVs blending in with the other vehicles in the parking lot. His plan had been brilliant because he’d played off Billy’s pride. He’d called Billy and told him a news crew was interested in doing a documentary about his fundamentalist church. Of course, the wannabe pastor had fallen for the trap hook, line, and Bible. Once Jasper had gotten Billy to agree, he’d drafted a plan to send emails to the actual news stations to make this entire thing look like another cultish ending. Perhaps the town would think they’d just had a bit too much of the Kool-aid.

Maverick, one of Jasper’s men, walked out a side door and waited for us on the moss-covered stairs. Grabbing our things and raising our hoods, we met him in the front.

“He’s in his office ready for you.”

“Thank you. No innocents?” I knew we were about to kill two dozen people, but they were monsters who deserved it. Kids who didn’t have a choice, teenagers who had been forced to attend against their will, and women who were in the same position as Eloise deserved to be free. They’d be helped and spared.

“None. Jasper screened well and honestly, I don’t think any actual members were under forty. Eliose was the youngest registered member.”

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