Page 2 of The Heiress

If Todd ever found out what I’d done, he’d kill me. But that was the price. It would either work in my favor, or I’d be put out of my misery. I liked those options, even if they did cost me everything.

I followed Storm and Riddick on the twenty-mile ride off the island and out to the hideous off-the-beaten-path arena near the swamp where a series of barely legal fighting was taking place tonight. The crowds were already thick. My guys waited outside the fence.

Home Run gave us a nod as we approached. “The jackasses think they’ve got it all handled. Full force. A man at each door, two at the main entrance. They’re taking bets in the south corner.”

“We can’t just kick them out,” Storm said. “We’ve got to send a message.”

If we didn’t, they’d just be back next week.

“I brought red paint!” Joker held up two cans of paint with a grin.

I laughed. “Yeah, okay. You can hit them on the way out.” It was a shame to ruin bikes, but I didn’t feel too bad about it.

“Yes!” He fist-pumped the air.

We drew up a plan that involved hog-tying and leaving most of them on the edge of the slough. There was a good chance they’d meet a few of Florida’s deadliest creatures out there if their brothers didn’t find them first. Either way I was good. Dead Pythons didn’t bother me. Scared shitless Pythons made me happy. And trust me, anyone would be scared shitless after a date with a gator, water moccasin, or if we were really lucky, a panther this far north.

And that was if the mosquitos didn’t drive them mad first.

Everything went real smooth until it didn’t.

The Pythons sergeant-at-arms was understandably unhappy and put up one hell of a fight as we dragged his giant ass out into the woods. Unfortunately, he was a big damn guy and managed to knock Riddick out with a well-placed head-butt. Which meant Storm and Joker were just barely holding the asshole down.

I had to play my part.

I knelt over him, my boots sinking a half inch into the mud. “Don’t make me put a bullet in your skull. You know I will. Who am I?” I took an unnecessary moment to chamber a bullet in my Glock 22 and point it at the artery in his thigh.

Instead of answering my very reasonable question, he spit at me.

I leaned away just enough to miss the ball of saliva entirely and dug the muzzle of the Glock into his flesh. “Who am I?”

He grunted, baring his teeth like a goddamned dog. “You’re the Red fucking Right Hand.”

I patted his cheek with my free hand. “Good boy.”

He tried to bite me, the fucker. I moved the gun under his chin, pointing right up into his pea-sized brain. “Are we really going to do this? You going suicide mission for your club? You think this’ll set off a little war between the Pythons and Devil’s Wrath? That’s not how this works, buddy. I pull this trigger andno oneever finds your body. The rest of your brothers are a mile away from here. There’s no one to witness what I do to you or what we do with your body. You justdisappear.”

“Fuck. You.”

How far are you willing to go?

She was a goddamn ghost haunting me tonight. Why now? It’d been so long since I saw her she might as well be a ghost. And there was zero chance I’d ever see her again. Yeah, I held onto the stupidest shred of hope that one day she’d forgive me, even if I knew it was a pipe dream. I was a liar, killer, and master manipulator. There was no redemption for me.

I glanced at Joker. His cold eyes told me his vote was for the bullet. Storm nodded. If we strung him up or left him lame he’d just come after me. He’d live for revenge.

“When you deal with the devil the price is your soul.” I pulled the trigger.

I hated myself. The cold instantly settled over me as the double shot of nausea and adrenaline hit. I did what had to be done. It wasn’t right or wrong; it was survival, plain and simple.

So I took a moment. Then a breath. “You know what to do.”

Storm stripped the body while Joker backed in the truck. A couple of miles from here the swamp got thick. It was a great place to feed the gators at night. I dug a hole and put his clothes in it, then covered them with acid. “Drop his gun in the swamp.” I handed over the weapon and waved my brothers off. Once the clothes were nothing but goo I covered over the hole.

How far are you willing to go, Jace?“All the way.” I said it out loud, hoping to banish the words for at least a little while. Tonight I’d need a bottle of Wild Turkey to silence her.

Home Run pulled up in the other pickup truck just as I finished. “Need a ride, boss?”

I threw the shovel in the back with the rest of the tools. “I’ll take a lift.”

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