Page 62 of Ride Long
“Why?” Idemanded.
Gasket glanced at Chaser. “There was talk of adeal.”
“A deal?” My blood ran cold, and a chill shuddered through my nerve endings. “I knew it. He’s planning to sell me off, isn’the?”
Chaser nodded. “I’m sorry,Sloane.”
“That’s why he came down so hard on Harley.” My breath caught. “Two birds, one stone, right? By killing him, he squashed any hopes of me staging a coup. He ensured Fortitude would split, and then he’d be able to take out those who weren’t one hundred percent loyal. After the dust settles, he’ll be able to ship me off to the Hollow Men and cement his rule for a fuckinglifetime.”
“The kid’s got brains,” Gasket said. “But that’s not the half ofit.”
“What do you mean?” Chaser asked,bristling.
“Rick gave me one more parting gift to bargain his life with,” he explained. “Once the Hollow Men have stood down, Marini will try to take them again, and once he’s gotten what he wants…” Gasket dragged his finger across histhroat.
“He knows.” Even Chaser was lookingworried.
“Marini is brilliant as he ispsychotic.”
“And his blood runs in my veins,” Idrawled.
“You are not him, you hear?” Gasket said, laying a big hand on my knee. “You’re more like your mother than him, youhear?”
“He’s still going to kill us all,” I said, brushing away an image of my mom I would rather forget. “We have to dosomething.”
Chaser put his hand on my thigh. “And wewill.”
“Who’ll follow us?” I asked,fretting.
“Harley might’ve been a bag of shit, but he was Fortitude,” Gasket said. “You didn’t pull the trigger, but you got him killed. A lot of men won’t follow you because of that. Then there’sSam.”
“What about her?” Isnarled.
“You took away what was rightfully theirs,” Chaser replied. “She was Fortitude,too.”
“You’re defending them?” I practically shrieked. “There are men down there that were organizing a gang, Chaser. A fuckinggang.”
“No,” he said. “I’m not defending them atall.”
“But it comes into play,” Gasket explained. “There are certain things people around here expect. They see you, and they see their rights taken away, no matter how fucked up theyare.”
“We have a solution,” Chaser said. “You already voiced it,Sloane.”
I glanced at Gasket, the man I thought of as a surrogate father, the only family I had left the day I ran from Fortitude. I had an extended family now, but that was beside the point. I looked at him long and hard and knew he was our best chance. This wasn’t about me anymore. It was aboutus.
Gasket narrowed his eyes andnodded.
“It’s time, old man,” I said. “Their lives, and my revenge…and Chaser’s is in yourhands.”
He grunted and looked out over thecity.
“This has to happen before Marini makes the deal or this would’ve all been for nothing,” Chasersaid.
“I hadn’t exactly thought this far,” I admitted. “I’d hoped to do things peacefully. Well, except where my dad was concerned. I expected violencethere.”
“It’s an unpredictable situation,” Chasersaid.
“The minute I give the word, we’ll round up those loyal to Marini,” Gasket explained. “Once we’ve got him locked down, the others will fall back and surrender. Without a leader, they’llscatter.”
