Page 93 of Bullseye
Swallowing my agony, I turn to Don Bordono. “I want my father. I did the job. I want him.”
“Your father is at home, Bullseye. He knows the whole story, and he’s also sorry it’s going down like this, but sometimes…” He holds his hands up in the air and then lets them drop. “That’s the way this world works. Call him yourself if you don't believe me. You did the job. That was the deal. And now, because I couldn't do more, I’m going to throw you a bone. The next part of the deal is for you two to run. You’re not working for me, Bullseye. Go back to Arizona. This way, there will be no connection between Ironclad’s… demise… and me. You’ll be safe there. No more looking over your shoulder. I’ll see to it.”
That means Mikey and Tony are as good as dead.
“And… Bullseye, Seneca…” He looks from me to Seneca and back again. “I suggest you run while you have the chance.” Pushing his front door open all the way, he reveals not just his two immediate bodyguards, but an army of armed men standing in his foyer.
Nodding, I take Seneca by the hand, and this time, she walks to the bike willingly.
Although it makes it a hell of a lot easier to get her on the bike and drive her back to my truck, I hate that she’s compliant. That her spirit has been broken. Thatshe’sbroken.
Thanks to me, my Wildfire has been extinguished. And it’s a damned tragedy.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Bullseye
Dear Sen…
I’m sorry.
Shit. Just scrawling the note is hard enough. How am I going to face the next years knowing that she hates me? The ride back to Hoppa was horrendous. It would have been one thing if she sat there and screamed the whole ride back, but she didn’t. Instead, she just stared out the window and didn’t speak a word. The only stops we made were for gas and to pee, and even then, I followed her into the women’s room and waited outside the stall for her just to make sure she didn’t try to run again.
And I’m not sure she isn’t trying to run now. The only way I’ll ever be sure that she’s safe, is, ironically, when I’m away from her and on the inside. Then, when I’m in and her brother’s out, they can make a life here in Hoppa with the Steel Knights, and she can finally stop fighting.
I’ll do it for her. I’ll take the rap and let her brother go free, but it would all be so much easier if I knew that she’d be here, waiting for me, when I got out. But that’s the crap that happens in fairy tales, not in the lives of bikers who work for mobsters. Shit.
Crumpling up the paper, I try again.
Dear Sen…
I hope you know how sorry I am that this happened to you and Matt, and I hope you know what you mean to me.
After taking care of some unfinished business here in Hoppa, I’m heading back to NY. I’m going to take the rap for the dealer and get Matt freed. I’ve already told Don Bordono, so it’s a done deal.
Stay here with Harry and the Steel Knights. Give them a chance. Your brother will join you here. Soon. Please tell Nick, the guys, and especially Harry, that I’m sorry.
And most of all, Sen, I’m sorry for everything I’ve ever done that’s upset you.
I love you, baby.
Avery.
Grabbing a bag, I stuff it with those few things I need to go cross country again, and my Ruger. Yeah, I need to go, but I need to clear my mind first.
And the range is the only place for that.
***
Bang! Bang!
Bullseye after bullseye. Why can’t I handle the rest of my life as well as I handle a gun?
Taking my stance, I lift the gun again and aim at the target. I’m going to get as many shots in as I can. This may be the last time I shoot for a very long time.
Looking down the sight of my Ruger, I see the bullseye, and closing my eyes—
“Those are quite the shots. How come you don’t lean in like I taught you?”
