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Alexander Getty made an appearance in Royal Road from time to time but liked to do his dealings through his henchmen, like Ralph.
Ralph, sensing the shift in power, nodded, a trace of his former defiance returning. “I’ll make the call. But if we do this, if we go after Fond, we’re in it together. We take him out and split everything.”
I released him, stepping back but keeping the knife within easy reach. “Get Alexander on the phone, shithead. This meeting’s happening now.”
Ralph scrambled to make the call, and the pieces began to fall into place. An uneasy alliance was forming, born not out of trust but out of mutual necessity. The stakes were higher than ever, but so was the resolve to end Fond’s reign of terror. I was piecing together a plan that would bring Fond out of his fortress and into our crosshairs. It would be a high-stakes game of deception and power, and I had just the cards to play.
Talking to Alexander on the phone, we decided I’d fake agreeing to sign over Royal Road, using it as bait to lure Fond into a meeting. But this wouldn’t be any ordinary meeting. With my own club’s might and now the mob’s resources at my disposal, we’d create a trap from which Fond couldn’t escape. And unbeknown to Getty, with the Road Monsters MC by my side as well, I had an ace in the hole.
The location would have to be neutral, somewhere public enough to prevent Fond from suspecting a trap but controlled enough to ensure our advantage. However, Getty suggested a false signing and handing over Royal Road itself, perhaps, with all the legal pomp and circumstance to make it look legitimate, would do the trick.
Meanwhile, teams would be positioned discreetly around the perimeter, armed and ready. Hallow, with his personal vendetta, could be crucial in adding an element of surprise. His already established anonymity could prove useful if he agreed to be the one to kill Fond. The mob’s influence could ensure that any of Fond’s usual police contacts would be looking the other way, giving us a clear shot at getting away with it. They’d need a day or so to make deals to put their help in motion.
The moment Fond arrived, hopefully with Eve and Sky, giving them over, believing he was about to claim his prize, we’d spring the trap. The Road Monsters would block any escape routes, my brothers would move in to secure the area, and the mob’s presence would ensure no outside interference.
I’d have to swallow my pride and bring Hallow into the fold. The man was a fool, a joker, but his love for Sky and his potential hatred for Fond taking her could make him a valuable ally. Convincing him that Sky hadn’t left by choice, that she was in danger because of Fond, was something I would have to do right away.
It was a plan that relied too much on precision, timing, and a shitload of luck. But with Eve and Sky’s lives on the line, failure wasn’t an option. We were going to take Fond down, once and for all, and I was willing to bet the house to make it happen.
Chapter 18
Kingpin
The ride back to Royal Road was a blur, my mind overflowing with the plan to take down Noah Fond and save Eve and Sky. But first, there was the matter of Hallow, the man who’d lost everything because of me, now locked up in the barn, unaware of the nightmare unfolding around us.
As I threw open the barn doors, the light spilled over the biker, who looked up, hatred marking his features.
Without preamble, I cut straight to the heart of the matter. “Sky’s been kidnapped, Hallow. Fond’s got her… and Eve.”
The news hit him like a physical strike, his body tensing, eyes narrowing into slits of pure revolt. When he didn’t speak, I undid the chains. But before I could gauge his reaction further, his fist connected with my jaw, a crystal-clear declaration of his pent-up rage.
The fight that ensued was brutal, no holds barred. We were two men, fueled by a toxic blend of anger, guilt, and desperation.
“Damn you, Kingpin,” he roared as we traded blows, his anger making him reckless. “This is your fault. You brought this on us.”
I dodged a particularly vicious swing, feeling the whoosh of air as it missed my head by inches. Hallow relentlessly used the barn’s array of weapons to his advantage, swinging a chain, grabbing for tools hanging on the walls, each move of his aimed with lethal intent.
“Hallow, damn it. Listen to me. We can kill each other later. Right now, we need to focus on getting them back.”
But reason was lost on him. His only focus was on taking me down, on making me pay for his perceived injustices of the past. The barn became our arena, a battleground strewn with potential weapons, each of us using whatever we could to gain the upper hand.
Hallow nearly landed a hit with a sledgehammer, but it flew out of his sweaty hand. I countered with a jab to his midsection, trying to knock the wind out of him, but Hallow, big guy, was unmovable. He absorbed the blow, barely flinching, and came back with a vicious uppercut that clipped my chin, sending a jolt of pain through my jaw.
“Fuck,” I hollered out.
“Remember when you had Goliath kick my ass because you were too chickenshit?”
“I could’ve taken you, boy,” I said from the ground. “And I’ve taken you out before.”
“I was drunk,” Hallow shouted his excuses as he managed to grab a piece of broken plank, swinging it with the desperation of a man with nothing left to lose.
I rolled away, feeling the rough wooden floor scrape against my back. I kicked out, sending the makeshift weapon skittering across the floor.
Getting to my feet, I was met immediately by Hallow’s bulk as he tackled me into the side of a nearby stall. The impact rattled my bones. His shoulder dug into my chest, driving the breath from my lungs. I pushed back, the confined space limiting my movements, turning the fight into a grapple, a test of sheer strength and will.
Our grunts and curses filled the barn, a primal soundtrack to our struggle. I managed to get a hand free, landing a solid punch to Hallow’s side. He grunted out his frustration and pain, but it only seemed to fuel his temper further.
With a sudden twist, Hallow broke free from my grip, his boot connecting with my knee in a sharp, calculated move that brought me to the ground. The pain was immediate and intense, a white-hot flash that momentarily clouded my vision.
