From The Ashes (The Knights of Mayhem Book 3) (20 page)

“Heavy tree cover, thick underbrush.  The ground is thankfully covered with pine needles and not leaves. The summer rains washed out a large ravine at the back of the house.”  I close my eyes and try to coax back the memories of my surroundings that night, but the only thing coming to the forefront is me burying a body.  “There’s a small, worn down shed, out from the back of the house.” 

“Plenty of places to hide, for us and them,” He states the obvious. 

“That’s it. I pulled off the four lane and walked through the woods up to the back door the last time.  We might need to, with all the extra noise,”  I throw my thumb to the dumbasses behind us,  “park a little farther away.  I know just the place.”

We drive the rest of the way in silence, each of us knowing the job ahead of us, if not executed correctly, could mean the life or death of one of our own.  The fear he might already be dead has me throwing a glance over at Leo, but I quickly push the thought away and adjust myself in the damned bulletproof vest. Leo insisted we wear them during the ride so we can roll up, get out and go.  He’s right. There isn’t time to suit up when we get there.  There’s no telling what will be coming at us or who will be watching.

The time comes for us to pull over and park.  We find our game faces then debrief Oz and his men.

“You guys are the real deal, aren’t you?”  Mose asks with a small hint of respect in his eyes. 

“Yeah, we are.”  I throw back at him.  “Just stay behind us, we’ll handle everything.”  I adjust the chain around my neck that holds my badge.  That’s when Oz pulls a gun from his waistband and checks the clip.  “What the hell are you doing with a fucking gun?”

He looks at me as if him pulling a gun in front of cops is an everyday occurrence.  “Protecting myself.”

“You’re on probation for federal weapons charges, asshole.”

“Yeah, I know.  And you bunch of dicks pulled my ass into all this, so that’s why we’re all packing.”  The three men behind him all agree, showing us their weapons.

“Leave it alone, Roman, I told them to,” Leo sighs. “We need them and the kinda help they provide.”  It isn’t quite defeat in his voice, but the once stern tone has a slight hint of defeat to it.

“If you say so, man.”  I turn, making sure I have everything I need; extra clips, badge, guns, check.  I look around at everyone else doing the same thing except for a bewildered Oz and company.  “Ritual for every mission. Haven’t missed one yet.”

“Oh, I was wondering if you dicks had lost your mind.”  Dex slightly stumbles over his feet.

I walk over to him and get in his face.  “Agents, asshole, we’re agents.  Federal Agents if you don’t understand the difference.” 

He backs away, holding up his hands in surrender.  “Okay, okay, I got it, Agent Asshole.”  He salutes me with a smirk on his face.

“Oh yeah, special forces too.”  Dalton comes up beside me and crosses his massive arms over his chest.  “Did you tell him that?”

Dex acts like he’s unzipping his pants.  “I didn’t realize this was a pissing contest, boys.  I can drain against the best.”

“Don’t pull your dick out, idiot.”  Oz turns around and smacks him on the back of the head.

Leo, not missing a thing asks,  “Are we gonna have a problem with him?”

Oz scoffs.  “If we do, I’ll be the one handling him.”   Understanding the brotherhood, Leo backs away.

“If you don’t, I will.”  Leo turns on Oz, letting him know who’s in charge on this particular mission.

“Understood.”  Oz nods.

“Are we gonna stand out here and swap spit or are we gonna take care of business?”  Cruz steps in between our little pissing match.

“We’re waiting.”  Leo looks down the road at the dark horizon.

“Who, more cops?”  Dex is one of those dumb fucks that doesn’t know when to shut up.

“No, the fucking Easter bunny,”  Leo barks in a hushed tone.

“My, my, all business, aren’t we?”  Dex lulls his head.

Leo takes him by the shirt, slamming him into the side of his SUV. His brothers don’t make a move to help him.  “Yes, I am.  That’s all I am.”  I hear something click in the silence and smile at the big man’s forethought.  “Are you with us? Cause if not, you’re keeping your ass right here.”  He jerks a very shocked Dex over, locking the end of the handcuffs to the door handle.

“What the fuck?”  Dex starts to jerk on his arm.  “Oz, you can’t let him do this to me, man.”  He pleads with one of the only three friends he has present.

Leo reaches down and takes out his side arm, pressing it to his temple.  I move as Oz moves to take on Leo.  I shake my head no. 

“Stop fucking yelling. We don’t know if we’re alone or not.”  He adds more pressure to Dex’s temple.  “They have my brother and if I have to kill someone, I will, and I’ll start with you.”  Seeing no way out of it, Dex lowers himself to the running board along the outside of the vehicle. We finish out our plans and start to head off into the woods.

“Hey Leo, what about my man? I can’t leave him out here undefended.”  Oz is standing by the SUV that has Dex handcuffed to it.

Leo doesn’t move to release Dex from the cuffs.  “Can you control him?”

Oz kicks Dex’s leg.  “Get it together, asshole, or I’ll fucking shoot you myself … got it?”

“Oh yeah, I got it … I do, I do.”  He rattles his hand at Leo. 

Leo fishes out the key and unlocks the cuffs.  “One misstep and I will end him.  I don’t have time for his fucking mouthy ass.”  He stalks off into the woods with us close behind, each of us eyeing Dex as we pass.

We take up position just inside the tree line under the cover of the midnight black shadows cast by the trees.  There’s no moon in the sky, and the stars are hiding behind the angry clouds beginning to roll in. Each of us are in place where we can see the house and anything that might come up behind us.  The house is lit up like a Christmas tree; a beacon of light, holding what I’m sure are many dark memories for Hollis. 

There aren’t as many men as we had been expecting.  With our usual men and Oz’s men, we’re just about even.

I slide closer to Leo so I can talk to him without being heard by the men walking around the house.

“Text him,”  I whisper to Leo.

“What?”

“Send Markus a text.  We need to know if he’s here or not.  Tell him we’re ready to deal.”

Leo fishes out his phone and sends a quick text to Eno’s phone.  We wait, holding our breath but it’s not long before he sends us one back.  Leo reads the message with a grimace on his face.  “The fucker won’t give me a straight answer.”

“So you don’t know if he’s here or not?”  Oz asks from the other side of Leo.

“No,”  he bites out.

Chapter Eighteen

Hollis

I told myself I wasn’t going to cry after the way Roman had embarrassed me in front of everyone, and don’t even get me started on the way he’d talked to me.  I wipe the wetness from my cheeks and use the back of my hand to dry my nose.  I sit up and survey my new prison, and that’s in fact what it is, a cage with walls.

The others had gone their separate ways after the boys left to think about what was happening, and I guess pray for their safe return with Eno in tow.  My insides are vibrating and I’m having a hard time sitting still.  I pace the length of the room, chewing my last long fingernail ‘til I have the nail bed bleeding.

I can’t stay in this room any longer, I have to do something.  I walk out into the quiet dark hall.  The soft sound of voices drift up the narrow corridor to me.  Shit, they’re up. I’d hoped I was the only one. 

I peek around the corner to see them all sitting on the couch, consoling each other.  I fight the urge to go to them and join in the worrying, but I have something else on my mind.

I ease around the outskirts of the room, not wanting to draw attention to myself.  I slowly make my way through the shadows to the kitchen and the door to the outside, which is proving to be difficult, staying quiet with the silence hanging in the air.  Just then, I kick a pool stick and it clatters to the ground.

I pinch my eyes together and wait.

“Hollis, what are you doing?”  Avery turns her puffy red eyes to me.  I look up to see all four of them staring at me.

“I was going …”  Think of something, dipshit.  I point to the kitchen.  “For water. Yeah, I was going to the kitchen for some water and didn’t want to disturb you.”  I stand, straightening myself out.  “You want anything?”  Piper cuts her eyes to me and I watch as Emily rocks Caden back and forth, trying to sooth the little girl.  Kayla paces in front of the TV, chewing on her nails, only stopping to take in the conversation between me and Avery.

“No, thank you.”  Avery’s kind eyes make it hard not to like the woman Leo had scored well above his pay grade.  The rest nod their heads no then turn back to the business of worrying.

“Okay, well I’m going to go on.”  I make a fast exit away from all the sadness, more determined to do something to bring Eno back to them.

I stand with my hand resting on the knob and take a deep breath.
You can do this
.  The feel of the metal of the gun at my back makes me shiver.  I’d found the gun where he’d always left it, resting on a small shelf he had fixed to the back of the full headboard of his bed.  It was just one of the many places he had a weapon hidden, and I knew them all.  I’d discovered them in my snooping days.

I pass over the threshold with a bigger sense of determination than I’ve ever had in my life.  I lay my back, flat against the block wall, collecting my thoughts and going back over my plan in my head.  Although it’s full of holes, it’s sound and completely irresponsible, and if Markus doesn’t kill me on sight, Roman will.

I look around the corner and take in the men Leo posted at the gate and they seem distracted by a small light in front of them.  I watch as they both give each other high fives, yelling ‘nice shot’. I can’t decide if they’re watching porn, as in ‘face shot’, or basketball, where a player just made a basket.  Shrugging my shoulders, not caring either way. I’m just thankful that they’re distracted enough that I can duck through the lot to the garage.

Racing as fast as my feet will carry me, dodging the light thrown off by the multiple street lights lining the lot,  I reach the side of the shop a bit out of breath.  I close my eyes and grit my teeth as I test the door, praying it isn’t locked, and much to my surprise, it’s not.  It’s unusual for these boys to leave anything open or unlocked because if they’re anything, it’s anal about things like that. 

Walking into the black space, I fish out the pocket flashlight I’d found in the bedside table.  Turning it on, I search the tools hanging on the walls for the bolt cutters I know are hanging from one of the hooks. 

Spotting the tool, I reach and take it off the wall, then turn for the door.  I press my ear to the cold surface and listen before opening it.  Easing it open, I peek my head out to see the men still watching the small screen and cheering, so I take the opportunity to run like hell.

I slink to the unlit portion of the back lot and get to work, opening a hole in the fence.  It’s more difficult than I thought it would be to use the snips to cut through the stiff wire.  I look over my shoulder but no one ever comes.  The desperation I feel is making my heart beat a million times a minute and I’m panting like I’ve run a marathon.

It’s slow going, but after what feels like hours, I finish bending the fence down enough for me to get through.  Now it’s time to set the rest of my plan into action. 

I run for the two lane running around the Mayhem compound and wait by the blacktop.   It’s not long before I see the gleam of headlights coming towards me.  As the car approaches, I step out into the middle of the road and my heart freezes in my chest.

I press my eyes closed and pray the driver sees me and can stop before they run me over.  I hear the tires begin to squeal as the driver locks the car down, stopping it right before it takes me out. 

“What the hell are you doing standing in the middle of the damn road?”  A gruff man’s voice breaks through the silence of the night.  I open my eyes and walk around to the driver’s side of the car, trying to slow my breathing when I come to a stop by the door.

He has the window down and his furious face greets me.  “Get out of the car, please?”  I ask, trying to keep my voice even while my insides vibrate with fear.

“What?”  He’s an older gentleman, with kind eyes and a receding hairline.             

I reach for the gun at my back and level it at him.  “Get out of the car, please?”  I hold it with both hands so he can’t see them shaking.

“Have you lost your mind?” 

I reach for the door handle and open the door for him.  “No, I haven’t.  Sir, I need your car.”  The interior light illuminates the inside and I’m relieved he’s alone in the vehicle.

The man is still refusing to get out of the car so I aim the weapon out to my side and fire it into the night, making me jump before aiming it back at him.  “Get out of the fucking car. I will not ask again.”

“Damn, woman. You have lost your mind.”  His eyes are wide and I can see he’s weighing his options, but thankfully he gets out.  I quickly jump into the driver’s seat and slam the door before I lose my nerve, shoving it into drive and floor it, leaving the man standing alone in the night on the side of the road. 

“I am calling the cops.”

“Okay.”  I speed off into the night, heading for the farmhouse.  I’m not sure what I’m going to do when I get there.  I don’t even know if Markus is there, but I at least have to try.   I just hope I’m not too late.

I reach and turn up the radio because the voices and doubts in my head are starting to give me a headache and I feel a panic attack coming on.  

I can hear the words Roman yelled at me not more than three hours ago, I’m not falling a sword that doesn’t belong to me, hell I brought the damned thing to the party.

I refuse to sit and let them take on the brunt of my burden. I want revenge and I’m going to get it. I’ll be damned if I let them take it away from me. 

Roman

“I’m sick of lying on this fucking ground, dude.”  I flip over and pull my legs up to my chest one at a time, trying to work out the kinks in my old body.  When we’d been in the military, we’d sat and laid in wait for days for a target to show.  I don’t think I could do it now. In fact, I know I couldn’t do it now. “So what are we doing?” I ask Leo. I wanna get this show on the road and get whatever is going to go down done.

“I don’t know.”  He shakes his head, worry lining his face.

“Heads up, vehicle coming,”  Dalton whispers from the other side of Cowboy.  We hold our breaths and watch as a brown sedan makes its way up the dirt drive.  It comes to a stop and the driver hesitates as the men surround the car.  We watch as one of Markus’s goons opens the door and pulls the driver from the car.

“Get your hands off me, asshole. I’m here to see Markus.”  The sound of the voice makes my heart stop. 

“What the fuck?”  Leo pushes himself up to see Hollis being dragged from the vehicle.  “Roman?”

I’m on my feet as I watch the soon to be dead man practically lift her up by the arm and drag her across the front yard.  I look back at the men behind me, then back to her.  I let my eyes follow her as the man drags her up the steps and across the porch, into the house.

Before I know it, I’ve jumped out into a sprint across the yard to the house.  “Shit, Roman … wait!”  Leo calls from behind me, but I don’t heed his warnings and continue.  I take the steps two at a time but before I can make it, pain rips through my shoulder, knocking me back.  I roll, grasping my shoulder with my hand.  “Fuck!”  I sit up and get to my knees.  In all my years of service, I’d never been shot, but it’s not going to stop me from getting to Hollis.  I stagger to my feet and with my weapon drawn, I enter the house firing shots.

Hollis

I’m chucked down the steps and come to a rolling stop against a hard wall.  “Asshole!”  I scream at the man who promptly slams the door, squeezing out the only light cutting through the dark I now lay in.  A groan from my left has me scrambling up to my sore ass and backing away on all fours until it hits me.  “Eno?”

I hear a deep rumble then a scoff.  I scurry to the sound and find the thick form of a man.  “Eno?” 

“The one and only.”  His voice is raspy and his breathing is heavy and uneven.

“I’m here to rescue you.”  I smile, knowing he can’t see my humor in the dark.

“Oh great.  So who’s gonna rescue you?” I feel him adjust painfully as he tries to downplay his injuries.

“Where are you hurt?”  I begin to let my hands drift over his shirtless torso.

“Everywhere, Hollis … everywhere.” 

We fall silent and listen to the sounds of gunfire going off all around us.  “Did you bring them here?” 

“No, they came to this conclusion on their own, I just followed.”  I hear more pops and screams. It sounds like pure chaos. With every shot, my insides twist and every shout makes the tension tighten in my neck.

“So how did you get here?”

“I stole a car at gunpoint.”

“No shit?”

“No shit.”

“Well, Hollis, I’m the law, so would it be ill-timed if I placed you under arrest right now?”

“It would be if you wanna get out of here.”  I take my arm from around him and begin to crawl on all fours into the dark, looking for the steps.  “Plus, I don’t think you have any cuffs hidden on you anywhere.”  I reach out in the dark in front of me as the sounds of a full-on war rages around us.  I wince every time one is popped off, not knowing what gun it’s fired from or who it’s been aimed at.  “I found it,”  I announce as I begin the slow crawl up the steps to the door.  I cautiously feel to the sides, making sure I’m not near the edge.

“Be careful―
shit
―that you don’t fall off.”  I hear him groan with pain as he must be shifting his body.

“Eno, sit still and let me find some light,”  I warn as I stand when I get to the top and walk my body with my hands up the door.  The outside has grown silent and I stop to listen with my ear pressed to the door.  There’s no movement inside the house that I can hear, so I take hold of the knob and give it a turn. As one would expect, it’s locked.

“They padlocked it, Hollis.”  Eno’s voice breaks through the dark.

“Why didn’t you tell me that before I went to all the trouble of climbing up the steps?”

“Because,”  he laughs and audibly winces.

“You hurting?”  I turn to sit on the first step of the stairs.

“Yeah, a bit.”

“Then it serves you right.”  I cross my arms, resting them on my knees.

“Hollis, get away from the door!”  Someone yells from behind me. Before I can, the door swings wide, knocking me back.  I try to stop my body from going forward but I can’t and end up rolling down, hitting every step and landing on my back with a thud.  To add insult to injury, the light is flipped on, blinding me.  I squeeze my eyelids shut, hoping to stave off the headache from the fall.

“Oh shit, Hollis.”  Roman rushes down, kneeling beside me.  I blink a few times and look up into his worried eyes.

I wave him off.  “Don’t mind me, make sure Eno’s okay.”    I feel as several people rush past me and hear the sound of shuffling feet.  I push away from Roman, trying to get to my feet.

“Hollis, stop.”  He tries to manhandle me as the fog consumes me.  He snakes his arms under me, lifting me up and cradling me in his arms.  “You got him?”  He asks the others helping Eno, and for the first time, I see Eno and all his injuries.  I gasp at the sight.  My eyes dart back to Roman and he then recognizes the concern in my eyes.  “Don’t worry. The little fucker is tougher than he looks.”

“Yeah,”  Leo answers as he gently helps Eno to his feet with Cowboy on the other side.

“Guys, Markus isn’t here. No one else is either, except for the goons we just took down.”  Dalton shoots from the top of the stairs.