“How long ‘til show time?” I ask Torch.
He looks down at that damn watch he’s always wearing. “In about two minutes, Boss man.”
I nod. And we all sit and just stare. We’re quiet, all of us. Even Pistol has cut down his sarcasm. Sabre is sitting at a laptop and Torch gives him a signal. You can hear the tapping of the keys, the room is that quiet. Then, the screen in the bottom starts as the bar explodes. Wood and other debris go everywhere as flames swallow the screen.
My men don’t celebrate; real lives were just taken. Collateral damage sucks and it makes it hard for me to continue, but fuck, you have to do what you have to do. The Donahues called war on me, and I can’t exactly tell everyone to leave the bar if they want to live.
Up next are the strip joints. A similar scene to the first one unfolds on the second television followed by the one beside it. The gym makes me smile. That one’s not collateral damage; every fucker in that joint was dirty and owned by the Donahues. There’s a pause before the next one hits. It’s huge. The casino starts with one explosion in the back of the building. I hear Sabre typing on the computer again, and another explosion goes off in the same building, closer up, then another, and another. In total, a series of six bombs combine to bring that fucker down. I watch as people run from that building; I hope the innocent ones got out, but again, it’s out of my control.
I release a breath of air that I didn’t even know I was holding. The next hit is the most important. Hell, I’m even praying that we take out Colin with this one, even if I do know it’s a longshot. Torch already warned me there will be a five minute delay between it and the other bombs. I look around at my men. Each one is a good man, a man who for one reason or another pledged themselves to my club and my leadership, and I do feel like I’ve let them down.
“Men,” I say, addressing them. “I should have thought more about how my actions would affect each of you. I don’t normally back down from a fucking fight—and Beth is my old lady, that made her one of us—but doing that cost Beast something so precious I can’t begin to imagine how he will live with that. That’s on me. This is my fucking fault. I shouldn’t have claimed Beth and went full steam ahead.”
“Boss,” they all start. Well, not all; Pistol’s shooting me I-told-you-so’s from across the room, even if he isn’t giving them voice.
“No, let me finish,” I insist. “I made a mistake, and for that I’m sorry.”
The room is silent.
“You would have let her go and backed away to keep from going into war?” This comes from Briar and I can hear the disgust in his voice.
“Fuck, no. I would have claimed her anyway. I just would’ve thought twice about making it my club’s problem. Beth’s my woman. I’m not giving her up for anyone.”
“Then fuck you. We’re a club because we have each other’s backs. That includes Beth. Besides, I like her.”
“Same here,” Torch speaks up, but he doesn’t look away from the monitor he and Sabre are working on. In fact, every member here, even Pistol, seem to agree. I still feel the guilt in my stomach, but that tight knot inside me loosens at their support.
Then the fireworks start. Colin and Matthew’s house blasts apart before our eyes. Honestly, we put twice the charge in that fucker. We had to. We knew we wouldn’t get a second chance, and it was harder than hell to get through the gates, even disguised as groundskeepers and security guards. Still, it’s done, and every fucker in the room cheers.
In a few days, their private yacht and some of their favorite things will be toast. They wanted war and the motherfuckers are getting it, one delicious slice at a time.
When I woke up and found Skull gone, my heart hurt. I still can’t believe this mess went so horribly wrong that it took Beast’s beautiful little daughter’s life. I’m consumed by guilt. If I had just given Skull up when Colin demanded it, none of this would have happened. What makes that thought even worse is that, despite everything, I don’t know if I could go back and give him up. I don’t know what kind of horrible person that makes me, but I know it’s disgusting.
I slide out of bed and decide to go and find him. I want to hold onto him. I hope tonight delivers the message that Skull wants to get across. I’m praying it ends the war before it can escalate further. I just don’t think it will. I look around the hall of the shelter, but luckily everything looks pretty deserted, probably because it’s so late. Skull said he’d hoped to be back by nightfall, but they had some problems infiltrating the house that Colin and Matthew owned even with me giving them security codes. I can’t figure out why they hadn’t changed the codes, but I figure it’s arrogance. I honestly don’t think Colin thought I would betray him. Then again, he thinks I’m eventually going to cave and accept that I will be his one day. I’d rather die.