Page 89 of Skid
“Are you excited for tonight?” a man asked, and another chuckled.
“I’ve been ready for tonight. Is everything in order?” the second voice inquired, and I looked at Needles.
His eyes were practically slits as he stepped forward and whispered, “Let’s end this shit once and for all.”
James pressed a few buttons on his phone and replied, “Cameras are covered. Let’s finish this.”
His desire to avenge Aubrey and my desire to avenge Grace was nothing compared to Needles’s need to rip these assholes apart. He wanted to attack them head on, but we had to play our cards right and protect not only the club but any innocents involved. If we went nuts, like he wanted, we would all end up in prison, and I refuse to be away from Grace, locked in a cage.
We all grabbed our weapons then readied ourselves for the battle ahead. Eight men inside were all that stood between The Community and annihilation. And one innocent little girl.
Devlin nodded to us and silently opened the door to the kitchen. He stepped inside, and I followed behind him, seeing the room empty. James looked at his phone and pointed to the left. “That way.”
Moving through the kitchen, we listened for anyone outside the door before Devlin pushed it open, revealing a large dining room. James nodded to the right, and we walked to the door, hearing voices coming through.
“Is she ready to be brought in?” a man asked. While another replied, “I’ll send for her.”
“Kill them all and protect the girl,” Gunner whispered, and we all exhaled.
Jackal stepped up, kicking the door with his big black boot, and we filed into the room, catching the seven perverts off guard. I swung my eyes around and didn’t see the girl. “James. Innocent.”
He nodded and moved to the other door in the room, listening for approaching footsteps.
“Who the hell are you?” Prescott yelled, and Needles walked up from the rear and stood with his eyes locked on the man. “Monroe? What the hell are you doing here? You walked away from your chance years ago.”
He picked up his weapon and aimed it at Prescott before announcing, “I never asked for a chance.”
With the silencer on the gun, it barely made a sound into the room as he pulled the trigger, dropping Prescott to the floor with a bleeding hole in the head. A few of the other men screamed and tried to run, only to be met with a fist, a knife, or a bullet to the head. Their noise was going to alert whoever was in the house with the girl, and I slapped my hand over another man’s mouth to silence him.
Pulling him to me, I menacingly whispered, “This is for every little girl you sick fuckers hurt.” My knife came down onto his chest, punching into his heart as he gurgled behind my hand. “I hope you burn for eternity, you degenerate piece of shit.”
He flailed for a minute before his arms dropped to his side, then I released him with a thud onto the floor. There was one man pressed against a bookshelf with his hand out, begging Devlin for mercy.
“Mercy won’t be found here. The devil demands his payment,” he stated as he shot the man. First in the crotch, then in the head.
The seven men were dead or dying on the floor as James watched from the second doorway. He held his hand up and muttered, “Stop.”
We all froze as he looked at his camera and pressed his finger to his closed lips, then stepped to the side of the doorway. We watched as the door opened and a beautiful little girl walked in, blinking her eyes heavily as she was led into the room by the last man who needed to die.
When she stepped into the room, James snatched the man up by his collar and slapped a hand over his mouth to stop his screaming. The little girl looked up at James, and he glanced over at us for help. She went to turn her head to us, but Needles ran across the room and scooped her up, pressing her face into his chest and leaving with her safely in his arms. She didn’t need to see all the blood or what was going to happen to the last member of The Community.
We dug and dug for the last two weeks, tapping into emails and phone calls until we verified every last member. They never grew in size, and from all accounts, the little girl here tonight was the last one with them. Hopefully, we saved her before they could hurt her, and I glanced into the hallway to see Needles kneeling in front of her to check her out.
“What is this about?” the old man asked, and I recognized him as Baldwin Granger, the leader of The Community.
“Well, if it isn’t the ringmaster of this shitshow,” I taunted as James released him, pushing him into the room.
He looked around, seeing all his proteges dead on the floor, and tears flooded his eyes. I stepped closer, knowing his sickness was what hurt my Grace, and I wanted to look into his eyes as he died.
“Do I know you?” he asked with snot running down his face.
Wiping his nose on his sleeve, he collapsed to the floor onto his knees, and I squatted in front of him. Lifting his chin with the tip of my knife, I looked at him as I explained, “Grace sends her regards and wishes you the best when you finally get to hell. She hopes you burn for what you did.”
Swiping the blade, I watched blood flow from his gashed open chin as he yelled for help. I gripped into his white hair and brought his face to mine. “I bet all the little girls you hurt begged for help too.”
“I . . . they . . .” he stumbled over his words, and I looked over my shoulder at Devlin, Gunner, James, and Jackal.
“Do you have any questions for him?” Everyone shook their head as they watched, and with slow precision, I began to cut into his face.
