Page 83 of Bullseye
So, the two assholes—who between them don’t have a sixth-grade education and don’t know all the letters of the alphabet—outsmarted us. Me with my Ivy League education. Fuck.
Yeah, okay, Avery was trying to protect me, but that doesn’t change the fact thathe was there. He was there when that drug dealer was shot, and he was there when those assholes, Mikey and Tony, framed Matt.
He was there when Matt went down. He was there and…
Nothing.
He did nothing.
He let Matt, a kid with his whole life ahead of him, go to jail forlifewhen he could have prevented it.
“Fuck you, Avery. Fuck you.”
There’s no doubt that Avery has to suffer. So, the only question is, how?
I’m getting dizzy from the walking, so stopping, I lean against one of Ironclad’s office armoires that’s probably crammed with guns and ammunition. To think that I gave my body to Avery… that I willingly played along, and was happily submissive to his alpha… that I let myself feel good and feel loved… that I wanted to protect him from all of this chaos…
…and to think that he was as much to blame for it as anyone.
Okay, not as much to blame, but still.
“Fuck you, Avery. Fuck you.”
Pushing myself off of the armoire, I start moving again. Each time I make a circle around this glorified holding pen I’m in, I think I have the answer to “what happens next”. But then, each time I think I may have a plan, it’s like a freaking train comes crashing through my skull, scattering all of my ideas into a heap, and I have to stop, and start planning all over again.
“Who the hell does he think he is?”
Forcing myself to close my eyes and to take a deep breath, I go over what I know for sure. As usual, with the exception of Johnny, there’s no one I can trust but me. Avery isn’t who he said he is, and he’s left me here, with Ironclad, while he goes to do a hit on Don Bordono, the most notorious and feared mob boss in the Tri-state. And finally, Matt is rotting in jail, and I have to get him out. That means I’ll have to get it done. And I’ve never been closer to an answer than I am right now, in Ironclad’s office in the middle of Mammon.
“So, how can I use this to my advantage?” I mutter as I move to the wall of screens that are linked to cameras in all parts of the club. Of course, I don’t see Ironclad—and Avery is gone, but I do see guards who are now stationed outside my door. And not just one or two, but three large men, all visibly packing.
“Shit.”
So, Ironclad decided to keep me here, and they know what I’m capable of, physically anyway. Three men who are that large and are carrying guns will be hard to stop. Not impossible, but difficult. All they’ll have to do is grab me from behind and lock my arms, stepping just outside of the reach of my legs, and I’m rendered useless.
Staring at the screens until my eyes begin to blur, it hits me.
“That’s it. When you can’t beat ’em,” I mumble.
I have to join Ironclad and trick him into admitting that he sent Mikey and Tony to the hit that went bad. And then, I’ve got to get him to say that Mikey and Tony were the ones who pulled the triggers—and then finally, Matt can be acquitted.
Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I calm my racing heart. No, this won’t be easy, I’ll have to pledge with Lucifer’s Riders and that means…
“Shit.”
A chill runs up and down my spine, and my entire body begins to ache as I remember the warm Arizona sun on my back as I downshifted my bike, racing against Harry, Bucky, and the new prospects… I can taste the cool microbrew beer sliding down my throat after a long, hot day of fixing bikes… and most of all, I remember how on any given night, my heart would race as I watched Avery “Bullseye” Pairings walk across the crowded bar with his eyes locked on me…
But that was forever ago now. And none of it was real. It was only a short dream, and I’ve woken up smack in the middle of my nightmare. There is only one way out of this horror story. And that’s through Ironclad.
Thank God I tried to pledge with Lucifer’s Riders years ago, so this won’t seem like a total setup. Plus, the fact that I just had that fight with Avery—and no doubt Ironclad saw it on one of his cameras—makes it all even more believable.
And if Avery goes down because of my connection with Ironclad and Lucifer’s Riders, well, hell, that’s just the cherry on top.
As I turn away from the screens, I notice one screen that’s blank. It must be the room where Ironclad is now. Catching my reflection on the blank screen, I see that woman again—that strong, capable woman.
I can do this.
Glancing at the front door of the office, I know what’s waiting outside. Three goons. But the other door—the one that Ironclad uses—I don’t know what’s on the other side.
