Page 78 of Salute, To Bravery
Gunner reached over his shoulder and grabbed my tee. He tried hauling me off as he fell to his knees. I could feel his struggle for air and knew he had mere seconds left before he blacked out.
Gunner tipped forward and twisted onto his back, attempting to squash me, but it was a futile move. I only had to hold on for a few more moments, and then his body relaxed.
Only, I didn’t let go. I sensed it was a trap and was right when he began struggling again in vain. Finally, the fight left Gunnerjust as his weight was beginning to affect me, and he slumped in my arms.
I released my grip and shoved him off me, leaping to my feet, ready in case he got up. I gulped in lungfuls of air; shit, Gunner was a heavy bastard. But Gunner stayed down. While Fallen Warriors whooped it up and held their hands out, Rage stared at me in disbelief.
“Never saw that coming,” Apache said, holding out a handful of money.
“People underestimate me because of my size. More fool them,” I replied dispassionately.
“Won’t make that mistake again,” Drake added and glanced at our group. “With any of you.”
“Anyone wanna fight a cripple?” Bat asked with a grin, pulling up his jean leg. His metal bionic leg shone in the light.
“Wow,” Axel boomed, coming closer to peer at it. “Not seen that before.”
“An amputee or the leg,” Bat asked, chuckling.
“The leg, you prick,” Axel retorted.
“It’s bionic. We’ve all got bionic limbs. I figured the army owed us after screwing up their intel. When they make significant improvements in the future, we’ll also get those. Part of our severance package,” Lance explained.
“How’s it feel?” Axel asked, and I grinned as he took a shot in the ribs from Texas, who Axel promptly thumped on the head.
“You can’t be asking that shit,” Ace hissed at Axel.
“It’s fine. People are curious. To be honest, considering the state of the old prosthetic limbs the army dealt out, I’m relieved we got these. These are bionic, and the army is trialling them. But they’re almost as good as the limbs we all lost, and honestly, there’s hardly anything we can’t do in them. But the army still discharged us,” Lance replied.
“Well, little lady, let’s get you a beer,” Axel boomed in approval at me.
I grinned over my shoulder as Axel led us away. Axel asked if I had any bionic parts and was disappointed when I said no. When he asked what my disability was, he looked surprised and then laughed when I explained I was an emotional cripple. The thing was, I wasn’t joking.
Epilogue.
Lance – 2018
Istood looking at the burning foundation of our home. The clubhouse burned, and I watched as the fire brigade tried to put it out. Since we had taken the building over, it had become home to us. We all bunked there, and there’d been enough room for the prospects we’d taken on.
Santos had hit us in retaliation for busting a drug deal. Miguel Santos was dead, had been a while now, but his asshole son Romeo thought he was God’s gift. Romeo was about to find himself wrong.
You didn’t fuck with the Fallen Warriors.
“The camp is fine and being patrolled,” Bat said, approaching.
I nodded, keeping my eyes on the burning building. The Fallen Warriors fuckin’ clubhouse. Our home. Gone. Yeah, I was going to burn one of Santos’s rich homes as payback.
“What about those who have nowhere to go?” Bat inquired.
“Get tents set up in camp. They’re soldiers and used to roughing it but get the best blow-up beds and everything. We’re going to have to find somewhere fast,” I said.
“Fallen Warriors need vengeance for this insult,” Bat growled out.
“We’ll get it, trust me. And we’ve got the allies to call on. Double security at the bar. That’s our big earner, and we can’t lose that,” I ordered.
“Raddock and Reaper were already on their way there. Sniper is organising patrols around camp,” Bat replied.
“Tonight, we mourn what we lost. Tomorrow, I want everything on Romeo fuckin’ Santos, including what home he favours, because that is going up in smoke. Then, I want the location of one of his businesses. Santos doesn’t hit us and walk away unscathed. Tap the allies; one of them might have the info we need,” I ordered.
