Page 58 of Everest

I stare at him, unfazed by his threat.

He opens his mouth to say something but is cut off by a third cop walking up behind him. The cop is older, with a beard, steel gray hair cropped short, and calm eyes. “Officer Bennett and Doucet,” he says, his tone clipped.

Both uniforms glance his way.

“Landry,” Doucet mutters.

“Go check on the victim’s status. I’ll take it from here,” Landry orders.

Bennett scowls but doesn’t argue, and Doucet looks relieved. They disappear into the hospital.

Landry shifts his attention back to Kiwi and me. It takes me a second before it clicks why I know his face. “We’ve met. You used to shoot at Kings Tactical.”

“Everest, right?” Landry offers a handshake, and I accept. “And you’re Kiwi.” He looks at my brother, and he nods. Landry sighs. “Look. I don’t know what happened tonight, and I’m not asking. But a half-dead girl is gonna stir up shit. If she starts talking, the higher-ups are gonna want answers.”

“You know where to find us. We got nothin’ to hide,” I clip.

Landry nods. “Get out of here.”

As we go to leave, the sliding doors open, and a young nurse jogs out. “Wait. You two brought that poor girl in. Do you know her name?”

“Amara,” I tell her.

“Last name? Does she have a family?” the nurse asks.

“Sorry, sweetheart. I don’t have those answers.” I go to walk away again, but stop and turn back around. “How is she?”

“Stable,” she tells us, glancing between me, Kiwi, and Landry.

I give her a tight nod. “Thanks.” Then we walk to where Wick is waiting with the SUV engine running.

Some time later, back at the abandoned sugar mill, the air feels thicker than before. The others are waiting when we roll up. Riggs is standing near the riverbank, his arms crossed over his chest. Next to him, Nova is crouched, washing his hands in the water while Fender lingers nearby, a cigarette dangling from his lips. Wick, Kiwi, and I approach them, my eyes scanning where the dead men once were.

“Bodies?” Wick inquires.

Riggs jerks his thumb toward the water. “Gator food.”

I gaze out at the river, the water looking blacker than oil, knowing somewhere beneath the surface, three bodies are now just bones waiting to be picked clean. Then I look back at the SUV we used to transport Amara, our prints are all over it, and the last thing we need is someone thinking the Kings are linked to anything the dead men were involved with. I scan the ground, looking for something useful, and spot a length of rusty pipe near the shipping container, so I pick it up and head toward the driver’s door. “Might want to move,” I call out, and my brothers shift from where they stand. I wedge the pipe between the gas pedal and the seat, shift it into drive, and step back as the engine revs. The SUV lurches forward, right toward the river. It hits the bank with a hard splash, taking a few minutes before the current's pull starts taking hold, and the nose dips below the surface. It happens fast. The ass end of the SUV bobs a few times, then it’s gone, swallowed by the Mississippi.

We trek back to our cages in silence. The drive back to the clubhouse is the same—a quiet that allows your thoughts to slip in and take hold. I think about our troubles, but my mind mainly focuses on returning to my woman.

We roll through the clubhouse door just past midnight, with the smell of coffee and the buzz of tension in the air.

“She alive?” Tony asks, his voice rough. He’s slow to get off the sofa.

I nod once. “Yeah, but barely.”

Tony lets out a slow breath of relief and closes his eyes.

Then, I spot London. She is barefoot, wearing sweatpants and one of my shirts hanging to her knees. She appears exhausted—no doubt waiting and running through every worst-case scenario in her head.

“You found her?” she asks, heading down the stairs. London crosses the room in seconds and wraps her arms around my waist, clutching at my back like she’s grounding herself.

“She’s in bad shape, babe. But alive.” I hold her tight and bury my face in her hair.

“Listen up.” Riggs grabs our attention. “It’s late. Lock it down. Nobody in or out until tomorrow.” Then he glances at Tony. “Tony, we’ll fix you a room to crash in.”

“Appreciate it, but I’m gonna head out,” Tony says.

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