Page 70 of Ripper
I cocked my gun back, waiting to fire, but that’s when I heard the sound of Ray’s men swarming the place. Ripper tapped me lightly on the shoulder, giving me the green light with a single nod.
Bullets rang high in the air, each one rippling through my eardrums as I ran straight for Anna while everyone stayed back dealing with the rest of the Kings. I shot in her direction, hoping to nail a spot that would down her, but she was too quick. I ran as fast as I could, glancing behind me to see that Ripper was barreling toward me.
I heard the groans of men who were dropping like flies, and I just knew that the rest of the Rebels would be able to handle this one. Anna got onto the back of one of the Freeway King’s bikes as he was sitting around keeping watch.
“Drive! Drive!”
Ripper and I took one of our own. Ripper sat at the front, steering his way to the main road while we tried to chase her down. They were quick and too damn good at evading every shot that came their way.
They took sharp street corners, heading onto the highway probably knowing it would be nearly impossible to get a shot at them with all the cars around. I held my gun steady, waiting for the moment they’d take an exit, and when they did, I started firing again. That’s when I heard the sound of a bike engine roaring behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder to see a burly man with his gun out, ready to shoot.
Ripper tried his best to evade him, but his shot was too clean, hitting me straight in the lower back. The pain set my entire body on fire. Ripper tried to stop, but I put my hand up, telling him to go forward. He took the gun from me, holding himself steady, and he managed to get a direct shot into Anna. I struggled to keep my eyes open, but I saw a blip of what looked like Anna and the biker spinning out, their bodies grazing across the asphalt.
Ripper was starting to slow down now too. I couldn’t hold onto him any longer. The blood gushed from my lower back onto the seat of his bike, and I glanced over my shoulder one more time, looking for the biker that shot me, but he’d disappeared. Ripper hopped off his bike the moment it came to a full stop, grabbing my limp body before I fell.
“Ronnie. Ronnie! I need you to stay with me, okay? Everything’s going to be okay.”
“Ripper…”
“Keep your eyes on me, okay? Do not close them. Please. Look at me.”
I watched as he frantically reached into his pocket for his cell phone, dialing Tank. I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer, realizing in that moment that this may be the last time I saw Ripper. I realized then this could’ve very well be the end of the line for me.
“Ripper…”
“Ronnie, please. Please open your eyes!”
“I love you. I love you, Ripper.”
My world slowly faded to black.
Chapter Nineteen
Ripper
“Tank! I need you to get down here now. Ronnie’s been shot. Get the doc. We need to get her help! Now!” I screamed into the phone.
I gave him my location, sitting there with Ronnie’s limp body, gritting my teeth to keep myself from blowing up. I begged and pleaded for her to wake up, but nothing seemed to help. I checked her pulse to see that it was still there, but it was faint. I waited for twenty minutes before I looked up to see Tank and Wrench heading my way. They came to a screeching halt right next to me.
“We need to get her out of here now. The clubhouse is too far. I told the doc to meet me at home,” said Tank.
I heard groaning coming from the side of the road, and I turned around to see Anna trying to claw her way back to her bike.
“Ripper, we’re gonna take Ronnie back. You deal with that bitch,” Wrench said, and I shook my head.
“I can’t leave Ronnie. What if something fucking happens and I’m not there? Huh?” I asked, angrily.
“We don’t have time for this. Ripper, we’ll take care of it. Now, put this shit to bed,” Tank ordered.
I nodded reluctantly as they took Ronnie from my arms, speeding off with her as fast as they fucking could. I was covered in her blood now, and I was so enraged that I genuinely thought I might fucking lose it.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” I asked Anna.
She laid on her back, staring up at me with such fear in her eyes.
“You really think there’s a fucking chance you’re gonna walk out of here alive, Anna?”
“Y-you’re not going to kill me, Ripper. No matter what you say, I know there’s still a part of you that cares about me,” she said, coughing up blood.
