Now, they’d pay for that mistake with their lives.

The casualties were quickly mounting. Those still in the game were in full panic mode, shooting wildly in all directions while others scurried for cover as they tried to stop our advance.

They were running scared, and for good reason; their end was imminent, and they knew it.

Shotgun took out two men hiding in the back of a unit while Country took out another trying to flee.

I was still jacked up as we continued to push forward from each side, closing them in as we took cover, dodging the bullets flying through the air. I glanced around the lot, happy that only a few Broken remained.

We’d only taken a few more steps when bullets started whipping past us again. As soon as I spotted the shooter, I aimed my Glock in his direction, and with a single shot, his lifeless body fell backward onto the pavement.

I was catching my breath when I noticed Bear lying on the ground with blood pooling around his body. Immediately, I rushed over and pulled him out of harm’s way, but I was too late. He’d been shot in the chest and throat, and he was struggling to breathe. I pulled him into my arms, and in a matter of seconds, my leather jacket was drenched in his blood.

Bear was still clinging to his gun in desperation, unwilling to stop fighting, and I knew then just how much the brotherhood had meant to him. With his gun still clutched in his hand, he let out his last breath.

“Fuck,” I shouted as I eased him to the ground.

The gunfire had started to dissipate, but I didn’t care. My focus was still on my fallen brother. A bullet pierced my flesh, and a stabbing pain shot through my arm, but I swallowed the burning sensation, letting my mind shut down the thoughts of how much it hurt as my anger took over.

With my gun in hand, I stood and stalked towards the final shooter, firing off a single round that immediately brought him to his knees. I shot him again in the chest, and once I was sure he was dead, I made my way back to Shotgun and Hawk.

As we stood there surveying all the Broken’s casualties, a wave of gratification washed over me. It was over. A war that never should’ve been was over.

Country and Rafe swept in from the back and a proud smile crossed Country’s face as he announced, “I think we finally got ’em.”

“Maybe, but we need to do a sweep to be sure.”

“On it.” Lynch was about to turn and leave when he noticed my wound. The bullet had just missed my vest and pierced through my shoulder, going straight through the flesh. “Holy shit, Prez. You’ve been shot.”

“I’m fine.” I motioned my hand behind us. “Unfortunately, Bear didn’t end up so lucky.”

“Damn, not Bear.” Lynch’s words were filled with anguish. “That shit’s not right.”

“No, it’s not.” I knew he was hurting over the loss of one of our own—I was, too. Losing one of my boys hit me hard, extremely hard, and it would take us all a long time to move past it. Hoping to give him some small amount of comfort, I told him, “But he died protecting us. That’s the way he’d want to go.”

“Doesn’t make it right.” Lynch shook his head. “Doesn’t make it right at all.”

“No, it doesn’t.” I gave them all a moment, then said, “Look, we gotta do the sweep, brothers.”

“Yeah, we’re on it.”

Once Lynch and Shotgun left with Hawk to assess the damage, I turned to Country and Rafe and ordered, “Go check in on Gladys and Ada, too.”

Before the words had barely left my mouth, Country and Rafe were racing up the porch steps and storming inside the house. I wasn’t surprised that Country was eager to see about them. Gladys was his grandmother, and since his grandfather died, Country had taken it upon himself to look out for her. I had no doubt seeing her bound with a gun to her head had fucked him up, but I knew she’d set him straight and make him see that it’d take more than a little rough handling to get her down.

My attention was drawn from Ada’s when Axel stepped over to me and leaned in, studying my wound. “We need to get you back to the clubhouse and let Doc have a look at that.”

“Got shit to do first.” I took out my phone. “Gotta get Billy in here to clean up this mess.”

Billy the Butcher was the club’s cleaner. He was the man we called any time we left a mess, and with daylight quickly approaching, this one was huge and needed to be dealt with fast. Once he’d confirmed that he was on the way, I turned my attention back to Axel. “We need to call Dax, too.”

Tags: L. Wilder Ruthless Sinners MC Erotic
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