"I think that's something you should discuss with Shadow."
"Well, he's not here, and you are," I pushed. "Just give me the gist of it, so I'll have an idea of what I'm dealing with."
"Okay, but you're gonna have to hold on. I'm gonna need more coffee for this."
Once she's refilled her cup, she came back over to the table and immediately started sharing the ins and outs of the club. She seemed surprised by my lack of reaction when she explained that club business was never discussed with the women, and she seemed even more surprised that I wasn't bothered by the fact that we weren't supposed to ask questions. It might've seemed strange to her, but over the years, it was something I'd grown used to. My father never shared his business dealings with me or my mother, and neither of us ever questioned him-about anything. It simply wasn't done. Furthermore, I'd spent the past eight years doing everything I could to keep my identity a secret, and I knew the consequences that would occur if it ever got out. Knowing how detrimental it could be, I understood why the brothers of Satan's Fury kept their secrets. It was their way of ensuring their family's safety, and I didn't begrudge them for doing so.
Shadow
I got an uneasy feeling when we pulled up to the dock in Baton Rouge, one the largest ports in the area. At this time of day, you'd normally see people scurrying around as they prepared their next shipment, cranes high in the sky, shifting from one side to the other as they loaded their cargo onto the different ships, and barges creeping down the river as they made their way down south. But as I surveyed the area, I was surprised to see that it was completely deserted. There was no one in sight for miles, not even out on the water, and the fact that Ronin and his guys weren't there to meet us wasn't a good sign. From day one, they'd always been there to give us a hand and keep a lookout. It took a good deal of effort to unload all the crates from the two horse trailers, especially when they had to be removed from the secret compartment that was hidden beneath the horses' feet. Once we'd gotten all the crates out of both trailers, they'd help us carry them over to the storage container on the barge. Even though Ronin knew Gus's plan and that today's shipment wouldn't be like the others, I still expected him to be there when we arrived. Seeing that he wasn't, I could only assume that Navarro had read Riggs' dummy email and had used the information that was provided to know exactly when and where our run would be.
Knowing there was a strong possibility that we had visitors, Murphy and I instructed the others to stay put while we checked things out. I eased the truck door open, and as soon as my foot touched the gravel, I knew we had eyes on us. I could sense it, and when I glanced over at Murphy, it was clear from his expression that he felt it, too. It wasn't like we hadn't expected company. After talking to Berny, Navarro's man who tried to kidnap Alex, we knew Navarro had managed to put a small tracking device on one of the club's SUVs. While we had no idea how long it had been there, we knew he had used it to gather intel on Fury, including our connection to Ronin. It was a definite hit to the club, but we hoped we could use it to our advantage. Instead of immediately removing the tracker, we left it alone, hoping to provide Navarro with misleading information.
As we continued towards the door to Ronin's warehouse, the hairs on the back of my neck stood tall, making me stop dead in my tracks. I slowly turned, and as I scanned the building to our left, I spotted something glimmering in the distance. I knew from experience that the light came from the sun reflecting off the lens of a gun scope.
"We've got company. Two o'clock," I warned Murphy as we continued towards the door. "I have a feeling we'll have more inside."
"Um-hmm. Also have one at five o'clock and nine."
"Damn." Just as he was about to reach for the door handle, I said, "Hold up, Murph. We got no idea what's waiting for us on the other side of that door."
"Maybe not, but we sure as hell know what's waiting for us out here." With his weapon in hand, he pulled the door open and said, "They already know we're here, so there's no reason for us tiptoeing around."
Realizing he was right, I positioned my AR on my shoulder and followed him through the door. Once we were inside, we found Ronin and two of his men sprawled out on the floor. They were all bound and gagged, leaving no doubt that we weren't alone. When I crouched down to check on him, Ronin nodded his head forward, letting us know that our guests were still close.
Murphy reached for the mic on his headset and whispered to Blaze, "We just found Ronin."
After a few seconds, he ordered, "Yeah. Look alive, brother. They're closing in."
He'd barely had a chance to hang up the phone when gunshots exploded around us, forcing us both to take cover. We hunkered down behind several metal cargo carriers and the warehouse instantly became eerily quiet. My heart raced, but not with fear. It was moments like these that made my adrenaline kick in, giving me a rush like none other. I lived for times like these, and as I watched as Murphy peeked around the corner, I found myself feeling eager for the battle to begin. I got my wish when he spotted one of the shooters approaching on our left. He pulled his trigger, and we both heard a loud thud when the guy hit the ground. Anticipating another round of shots, we remained in our positions for several more minutes. I had no idea what was going on outside, and just the thought of my brothers being in danger made it impossible for me to wait a moment longer. I stepped out from behind the shelter of the cargo carrier, and with my AR aimed straight ahead, I advanced forward, searching for our next victim. Worried for my safety, Murphy hissed, "Dammit, Shadow!"
"I'm done with this shit," I growled.
Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion as I charged ahead. With each step, I took in every shape, every smell, and every sound; it wasn't long before something drew my attention to several large barrels that were gathered in the back corner. As I moved closer, I could see the outline of a dark figure cowering behind them. Like the others, he was dressed in all black with a balaclava hat covering his face. Without a moment's hesitation, I pulled the trigger, killing him instantly.
I continued to comb the area, and once I thought the room was clear, I went over to one of the windows to check on the others. Unfortunately, I couldn't see a damn thing through the dirt and grim, so I used the butt of my gun to bust the dingy glass, giving myself a better view of the parking lot. When I peeked through the open hole, I noticed two men standing on top of the building. I aimed and quickly took my shot, killing one of them instantly. I was just about to take out the second man, when I heard a gunshot behind me, followed by a burning sensation in my upper arm. "Fuck!"
Before the asshole could take another shot, Murphy came up and shot him from behind. When he noticed my arm, he asked, "You okay, brother?"
I looked down at my wound, and once I saw that it was just a graze, I answered, "Yeah, I'm good."
When we turned our attention back to the window, we could see several men headed towards our trailers. I looked over to Murphy and said, "Make the call."
Murphy used his headset to radio over to Blaze and ordered, "Now!"
We both watched anxiously as Blaze and the others stood up, revealing themselves from their hiding spots inside the two trailers. They quickly positioned their weapons in the small, side windows and began shooting round after round. Within seconds, they had killed everyone in sight, leaving the parking lot scattered with bodies. Once I felt certain that the others were safe, I went over to release Ronin and his men. After I took my pocket knife and cut the zip-ties that restrained their hands and feet, I helped Ronin up off the floor. He rubbed his wrists as he said, "Is everyone okay?"
"Not sure just yet. We need to go check on the others."
They all followed me to the back door, and when we stepped outside, several of the brothers were gathered around Gunner. As we got closer, I noticed the blood splatter across his left shoulder. One of the prospects handed him a towel, and as he held it tightly against his shoulder, he shouted, "I can't believe I got shot … again! It's like I have a fucking target on my back!"
Blaze went over and took a look at his wound. "Oh, come on, brother. It's not that bad. The bullet went straight through."
"That's easy for you to say. You're not the one who just got shot!"
T-Bone walked over next to Blaze, and as he looked down at Gunner's wound, he said, "Blaze is right, man. It's a clean shot. Mack will be able to fix you up as soon as we get back to the clubhouse."
"Well, clean or not, the motherfucker hurts like a bitch," he complained.
"Stop pouting, Gunner. Women are impressed by battle scars," Blaze snickered.
"I don't need help impressing the ladies, asshole."
Blaze would've taunted him all afternoon if Ronin hadn't come over and interrupted them. "We need to clean this mess up before the cops show up. With all the shooting, there's no doubt somebody called them."