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“It’s true. He killed my partner. The cops raided one of our deals. I got away. One of their men got killed. Now they
want retribution,” I say.
“You know the rules. You give them money, and then you give them some more. Pay them back in full,” he says. “Those are the rules.”
“We’ve given them double what we owed,” I say.
“Then it should be squared away,” he says.
“He took my partner’s life. My gang is done. Last night they ambushed us,” I tell them. “We wouldn’t be here if our situation wasn’t dire.”
The man puts his blade away and glances at the other guys in the room. “Hm,” he mutters. “They really broke the pact? Why?”
“Last I saw of Kaine, he said they’re breaking away for good. They want to be independent. They want all the goods to themselves,” Iago says. “They’re ready for war. That’s why we’re here. We need to gather as many honorable people as possible.”
Jeffco starts in now. “We didn’t have time to bury any of the bodies,” he says. “They were our brothers. Practically family. They put Ash’s head in a box and put it on Rowan’s door. The whole thing makes me fucking sick.”
The man walks in circles, until he stops and looks to look at me in a new light. “You’ve come to the right place,” he says.
“So, you’re the Hell Squadron?” Iago asks.
“No,” he says. “But I can take you to them.”
“We’d be delighted,” Jeffco says.
“Follow me,” he motions forward and walks through a second back door that leads to a hidden outside area.
In the back, there are groups of bikers smoking and talking, drunkenly. One of the guys plays darts in the corner of the room. Others are sitting on the top balcony, surveying the area.
This is a place for wanderers, derelicts, and anyone who’s on the run. This isn’t a normal hangout.
He takes us to an enclosure, not too far away, but far enough. There’s a small river that winds through the mountain range, and a boat that can fit all four of us, plus another.
The man gets in the boat and stares at us. “Come on, now. If you want to get to the Hell Squadron, you have to trust me. Do you trust me?” he asks.
His teeth are a dark yellow and brown, and sharp at the edges. His eyes are wild.
Do I trust him?
“Sure thing,” I say, eying Iago and the rest of them. Nobody looks too pleased about this boat ride, but we know the stakes are too high to give up now.
When we’re in the small boat, the man pulls the engine and unties the rope holding it against the short pier. We take off, slowly moving through a body of water I’ve never seen before.
We wind through a densely populated area, filled with brush, snakes, insects, and eerie sounds. It’s daylight outside, but the mountains have encroached on that light. Towering over us, they block out the sun.
“Where the hell are we?” Jeffco whispers.
The man turns his head. “You’re in no-man’s land, son.”
The whole thing is freaking Caroline out. I can tell. I put my hand on her thigh and squeeze, trying to give her some comfort. She places her head against my shoulder, closing her eyes.
We keep moving forward, through the river.
As time passes, we finally reach land. A small cabin rests near the water. There’s nothing else around us. Not a soul in sight.
We step out onto the rocks, but the man stays in the boat.
“You coming?” I ask.
