Page 27 of Charging Dodge

“He's inside,” he stammers, trembling beneath my grip. “Waiting for the delivery.” Internally, I snicker because that’s a delivery that won’t be coming.

I don't waste any time, delivering a debilitating blow to his jaw that shuts him up for good. I hear his teeth crack and crumble and a satisfied smirk coats my face. He collapses onto the floor like a sack of stones, dead to the world and no longer a threat. The air inside the warehouse is thick with the scent of oxidation and rot. As I stalk toward the back office, the murmur of voices filters through the cracks in the wood. I don't bother with a polite entry, I drive my boot into the door, sending it flying off its hinges in a hail of splintered timber.

Vance looks up, smugness instantly replaced by a flash of terror. He reaches for a drawer, but he’s too slow. I’m already there. The first round from my chamber tears through his shoulder, spinning him out of the chair. He hits the floor, screaming, clawing at the concrete. I’m on him in a second, pinning him by his throat.

“You made a mistake, Vance,” I sneer, my boot pressing into his ribs. “You decided to go after what’s mine.”

“I just work for them,” he chokes out, blood frothing at his lips. “But I’ll switch teams and work for you instead.”

“I don't hire snakes, Vance,” I growl, digging my barrel deeper into the soft skin of his throat. “You don't get to switch sides when the bill comes due. You went after Adalynn, and that's a debt you can only pay in blood.”

Rebel steps up, aiming a finger in the dipshits face and asks, “Who’s your boss? Who hired you to take those kids out?” I’m glad one of us is thinking beyond revenge. Stepping closer to where there’s no breathing room between us, I press the barrel of my piece tighter against the soft tissue under his chin. He is shaking, his eyes darting around the room like a trapped animal looking for an exit that doesn’t exist. The air in here stinks of mildew and the copper tang of blood. It is a good smell. It is the smell of justice finally arriving.

“The name, Vance,” I growl, my voice steady despite the rage burning in my gut. “Give it to me, or you spend the rest of your life eating through a straw.” It’s a good threat, but we all know he’s not leaving this room alive.

Vance coughs, a wet, rattling sound that sprays crimson across the concrete. He knows I am not bluffing. He looks up at me, his gaze pleading. “It is Gallows,” he wheezes.

The room goes quiet. The only sound is the hum of a distant generator and the ragged breathing of the men around me. Rebel stiffens beside me, his hands tightening into fists. Even the air seems to drop a few degrees.

Gallows.

That name tastes like vomit in my mouth. It is a history of betrayal and blood that stretches back years. He is the leader of the Winlaw chapter, a cancer that has been eating away at our borders for too long. We have been hunting him since he tried to undercut our supply lines two winters ago. He is a coward who hides in the shadows, a snake that slips through our fingers every time we get him cornered.

“Why the kids?” I demand, my grip tightening on the pistol. “What does he want with them?”

Vance struggles to swallow. “Gallows is scared. He's terrified of what they have.”

“Speak,” I snap. “Tell me every goddamn thing you know!”

“The book,” he gasps, his gaze darting toward the door as if he expects a rescue that isn't coming. “They have his black book. The ledger. It's got everything in it. Every bribe, every hit, every dirty cent he has laundered through the club. It’s his entire life in ink. He knows if that book hits the wrong hands, he’s finished. He’ll spend the rest of his life in a cage, and his entire empire will burn to the ground.”

The weight of his words hits me hard. I think of the kids. I think of the trauma they’ve endured and the fear they carry every single day. I thought they were just survivors, lost in the shuffle of a world that didn't want them. I had no idea they were carrying the key to destroying a man like Gallows. He isn't just hunting them for leverage. He’s hunting them because they are the only thing standing between him and total ruin.

My rage flares hotter, a searing heat that consumes every rational thought in my head. He thinks he can snatch them, break their spirits, and erase the one thing that can bury him. He thinks they’re just children, but he has no idea who he’s dealing with. He has no idea that Adalynn isn’t just a woman I’m protecting. She’s the ground I stand on. My foundation. She’s my future, and those kids are the family I never knew I wanted until I looked into their eyes.

I pull the gun away from his throat, but I keep my aim steady. I turn to my brothers. They look as pissed off as I feel. They know what this means. This isn't just a turf war anymore. This is a rescue mission for the truth.

“We have a new target,” I announce, my voice cutting through the heavy air. “Forget the warehouse. Forget waiting for them to make a move. We are taking the fight to Winlaw.”

Rebel cracks his knuckles, the sound sharp and popping in the quiet room. “About damn time, Pres. I have been waiting to crack that man's skull open for years.”

“He’s not going to be sitting around waiting for us,” Cobra adds, checking the slide on his weapon. “He’ll have men. He’ll have security surrounding him. He’s a coward, and cowards never fight fair.”

“Good,” I say, a hard, humorless grin stretching across my face. “Because I’m done with fair. Fair got us nowhere. Tonight, we do this my way.”

I look down at Vance one last time. He’s broken, trembling, and entirely useless. He’s a pawn who thought he was a king, and now he is just waiting for the final blow.

“Speed,” I bark, not taking my eyes off the exit. “Finish this mess. We ride in ten.”

I stride toward the door, my boots striking the concrete with purpose but stop before leaving, taking a minute to get my thoughts in order. The path is clear now. The enemy has a face, and it is a face I have been waiting to smash into the dirt for a long time. Gallows thinks he is playing a game of chess, but he forgot one thing. I am not the man you want to cross. I’m a demon in a devil’s shell. I’m meaner than a rattlesnake and I will be avenging my club and my newfound family.

I pull my phone from my pocket. My thumbs fly across the screen as I type a message to Hulk. It's Gallows. He's behind this. He wants the kids for some ledger they've got. Find it, secure it, and update Adalynn. Lock that house down right now. Nobody gets near them. Use lethal force if you have to. Don't take chances.

I need to hit Gallows before he realizes we’re on the move. He didn’t show up tonight as expected, and I need to get to the bottom of why. Was the whole setup a trap? I don’t have that answer yet, but taking him out before he executes his plan makes it irrelevant.

I whip out my burner and punch in the emergency line for the clubhouse, the ringing echoes loudly through the mostly quiet warehouse.

Glacier answers on the second ring. “Pres?” His tone is sharp, already sensing trouble.