Lethal (The Disciples 1)

I look around. The sun’s still bright and it’s hot. Maybe I’m not in the mood to deal with bodies or maybe I don’t want to kill my childhood friend.

Grabbing Doc by the head, I ask, “You want to die? I need to know, brother. I’ll put you down, or I can drop your shit ass off at the hospital. What’s it gonna be?”

His brown eyes look wild and his skin is covered in a cold sweat. “Hospital, you dick. You know I won’t talk.” I shove his sorry ass away. “Load him up. Who did you call to help us clean this shit up?”

Ryder stares down at Doc then grabs him and tosses him in the back with the other two. They all groan as if their bones hurt, but that’s the first response I hear from the two prospects so that’s positive for them.

“George and Mickey are on their way,” Ryder says. “If it was anyone other than Doc…” He lets it go at that. I nod as he climbs in the pickup truck and takes off toward town. Axel and Ox come out carrying plastic bags full of what I assume are drugs. This is serious and is going to cost a fortune in bribes. Along with the very real fact that the two prospects could talk. I almost text Ryder and tell him to get rid of them, but at this point, the whole lab is getting destroyed. As long as there’s no evidence, I guess it’s their word against ours. And I have guys who can take them out if need be.

I look around at the puffs of dirt coming closer. Mickey and George are the best at cleaning up—it’s why I keep them here.

“You get it all? We need everything. I’m not about to let Doc bring us down any more than he already has.”

“We got as much as we could find. It looks like he’s been living here.”

I light up a cigarette and hand it to Axel. He takes it and his eyes search the shithole lab. “Jesus Christ, had we not come today…”

“Burn it—make sure there’s nothing left.” The loud thunder of bikes explodes as I stop Ox from entering again, his eyes wild and breathing harsh. “Get some air, man. Let Mickey and George check it out.”

“Prez.” George gets off his bike. “Jesus, what the fuck has Doc been cooking?” He pulls his shirt up to cover his mouth and nose.

“You tell me. Why do I show up and no one but sluts and junkies are at the house? Then I find two prospects OD’d and Doc ready to blow himself up.”

George drops his shirt, and fear enters his eyes. He’s been with the club for five years and also served in the military, but this is a major fuckup.

He swallows and looks at Ox, who is panting like a dog with rabies, and Axel. His calmness always unnerves people.

“I was here four days ago. Doc was here with the prospects and Sandy.”

Mickey walks up. “I was here two days ago. Everything was normal.”

I look at Mickey, a six-foot-four bear of a man. “Go and take care of the fire department and police. Give them what they want until this place is gone.” He rubs his head. Fuck, whatever he was cooking is strong. “Where is Sandy? This must have just gone down.”

“No shit, it just went down. Otherwise they’d be dead.”

I spit out the fumes.

Mickey gets on his bike. “I’ll take care of it.”

I turn to George. “Go in and make one final sweep then light this bitch up.”

“Got it, Prez.”

Ox paces back and forth, his fist clenching as dirt follows him.

“Take it easy, Ox.” The force of my voice makes his head snap in my direction.

“We light this place up, we’re fucked.” He spits and a small amount stays on his chin. “Do you know how much money we’re going to lose?”

“I do. We’ll deal with that later.” My phone vibrates. It’s a text from Ryder with a thumbs-up: code for he dropped them off and is on his way back. This is how we’ve all stayed alive. We’re a team. Not for the first time do I hate that we’re too big. It makes us sloppy.

George runs out. “It’s clean. Fuck, that kitchen was not like that days ago.” His eyes water.

“Burn it down.” I watch as Axel, George, and a screaming Ox throw lit T-shirts in the house and on the porch. The garbage lights up like a bonfire and flames continue to crawl up the columns and the dry wooden door.

Almost mesmerized, we all straddle our bikes as we start our iron horses up. I go first and my men follow. We’re not that far when the explosion sends the heat flowing past us. Reflected in the mirror on my bike, flames and sparks cover the landscape, making me feel as though I’m in a Mad Max movie. The end of the world is coming.