Even though it wasn’t even eight yet, I dug under the covers and closed my eyes…falling asleep just minutes later.
19
Maverick
My motorbike was on the ground, hidden in the high blades of grass. With a bulletproof helmet on my head and the communication device clipped to my ear, I could hear what the men were saying over the intercom—including my father.
“They’re two miles away.” My father gave orders to the rest of the men, falling into the role of dictator so well. His voice was level and calm, even though his entire purpose was riding on this event.
“Got it.” I sat in the countryside with the stars as company. There were other men hidden along the route, but since they were invisible, it was easy to forget they were there. On this summer night, the stars were bright overhead, brilliant because Florence was an hour into the distance. A slight breeze moved across my neck, giving me a respite from the helmet and leather jacket.
My thoughts drifted to Arwen, but when they became sexual, I tuned her out of my mind. I couldn’t afford to be distracted by the good fuck I’d had a couple of hours ago. Who knew sex with your wife could be so fun?
A minute later, the Hummers sped down the road. Ramon was meeting with one of his clients for a drug deal. Little did he know they would never make it. Once the headlights were gone and they were several feet in front of us, I kicked the bike to life and started to follow them. “I’m on his tail.”
“Alright. We’ll begin the assault now. Sneak up behind them—don’t let them see you.”
I kept trailing the Hummers, staying a good distance away so they wouldn’t see me in their rearview mirrors. I saw the lights of my dad’s team up ahead. The Hummer crossed the road and blocked their path.
That when the shots began to fire.
The intercom was silent.
I accelerated down the road, the bike quiet compared to all the commotion up ahead. I was only a few feet away when something took a turn for the worse.
Yells sounded through the intercom.
Now my father wasn’t so calm. “I need backup.”
Ramon was my first priority, but not when my father’s life was at risk. I didn’t need to think twice about it before I reacted, changing my goal instantly. “I’m on my way.”
“No.” He yelled into the intercom. “Get Ramon. He’s all that—” He screamed over the line.
My wrist cranked the gas, and I sped past the three Hummers. Gunshots were firing off everywhere, sparks of light in the darkness. My eyes scanned the blackness as I searched for my father, frantically trying to find him.
I skidded to a halt across the pavement when I saw my father fighting off two men. Every time a gun was pointed at his face, he managed to slam it down before he took a bullet to the head. He’d obviously been disarmed. Otherwise, he would have shot the assholes right then.
I jumped off the bike and sprinted toward the commotion, pulling out my pistol when I got close. I shot the first guy and forced him to the ground, but another had his gun aimed at my father. My father was too busy staring at me in horror to notice.
“Move!” I sprinted toward the gun, aiming my gun so I could take him out before he could pull the trigger. But even if my shot was enough to stop him, his finger would squeeze the trigger automatically. I only had one option.
I fired my weapon then slammed into my father, pushing him to the ground.
Then the pain shot up my arm, the nerves firing off in protest. I’d been shot before, and the shock was the worst part. The body immediately went into survival mode, dulling the senses to keep the systems calm.
I slammed into the pavement and gripped my arm, feeling the blood soak my jacket.
My bullet hit the man in the neck, but he was still alive.
My father picked up my dropped gun and finished him off. When he turned to look at me, I expected to see fatherly terror in his eyes. I expected him to rip off my jacket, apply pressure, and finally give me respect for what I had done.
But it wasn’t forthcoming.
“I told you to get Ramon.”
I gripped my arm to stop the bleeding. “You’re kidding me, right?”
“No.” He walked over to me and pressed his foot against my wound. “When I tell you to do something, you do it.”
I groaned as the blood poured out. “Jesus!”
He pulled his foot off and continued to stare at me with disappointment. The gunfight started to die down as the tables turned. Our men seemed to have gained the upper hand, and Ramon’s men didn’t have a chance. If Ramon fled, he wouldn’t get far.