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It was such a waste. Such a waste of life. Of effort. Of energy.
He’d do anything to have that time back right now. Those endless days, trusting only himself, struggling to see the good in anyone.
Dear Lord, give me that time back and let me spend it with Esme.
Was this the most stupid thing he’d ever done?
Right now, it certainly felt like it. But there was something in the back of his mind, something that Baron had said to him before all this mess had started.
Best way to play Russian Roulette is the best way to play poker. You cheat.
Trouble is, the cheating he had in mind wasn’t down to him. It was a matter of trust. And that wasn’t a skill that came easy to Rainer.
“Babygirl,” he said to Esme. She was looking at him with that pleading expression in her eyes. No doubt she had no idea why on earth he had suggested such a stupid game. It must have seemed like he’d gone mad. He tried to look at her with reassuring eyes, but in truth, there was no guarantee that his plan would work. “I love you. Whatever happens, I need you to know that. I’m doing this for you — for us.”
It was true. He hoped that he got the opportunity to prove it.
“Come on,” Whip said. “He’s stalling, obviously. Looks like big, brave Rainer isn’t as big or brave as he pretends to be.”
“Now’s the time, Rainer. Offer of Costa Rica still stands, otherwise. Or, myotheroffer, which is a game of Russian Roulette played with all six bullets in the chamber.”
Rainer looked at the pistol. He had a five-in-six chance of surviving the first pull. They were good odds. Excellent odds. For a moment, he considered turning and pointing the gun at Dog, before frantically pulling the trigger.
It might work, if the bullet was in the first firing chamber. But he couldn’t take the chance. Besides, if he shot Dog, the goons would shoot him without missing a beat.
Wait, Rainer. Have faith. Trust.
He knew that his brothers would be close behind him. Sophia would tell Baron what had gone down with Esme, and she'd heard the location on the walkie-talkie too. Maybe he should have stopped to discuss the plan with Baron, but he didn't have a moment to waste. He had to do what he always did with his brothers at the club: trust that they justgoteach other.
“Here goes nothing," he said, stalling. "Never been so good at games of chance.” He somehow managed to mask the fear in his voice, as he raised the gun to his temple. The muzzle was warm against his forehead — a memory of the shot that had killed Kevin. Rainer gulped, his throat suddenly dry.
Nearby, he heard a desperate sob from Esme. His eyes flicked to his girl. Would this be the last time he ever saw her beautiful green eyes? Would the last sound he ever heard from her lips be a tortured moan?
Rainer slipped his finger onto the trigger. His heart pounded.
Surely his friends would be here any second?
"Get on with it, asshole!" barked Dog.
Rainer flinched. Was he really going to have to press the trigger?
Suddenly, destiny was on his side, and everything went black.
“What the fuck?!” That was Dog’s voice, out ahead. All the lights in the warehouse were out, and the TV screen was dark, too. Even the standby light was off. Clearly, all the power in the warehouse was out.
This was the moment that Rainer had been waiting for.
He felt an urge to spring forward, to throw everything he had at Dog, but he knew that would be a bad idea. Instead, he did what he knew would serve him the best, and he threw himself to the floor.
A moment later, there was the smashing of glass. The sound seemed to come from all around the room, and there was immediate panic from the Death Division.
“What the fuck is happening!?” Dog’s voice sounded strangled now. It was wonderful to hear the fear in it.
Rainer could hear Esme, panting with fear around her gag. He hoped she was okay. He started to crawl toward her. He had to reach her, had to reassure her.
It was a moment later that the inevitable happened. One of the bikers called out: “Use your phone flashlights!” Rainer heard an acceleration of something from nearby, and, a moment later, when the lightsdidflick on, he heard screams.
Because there were people in here with them.
