Chapter 24
Chapter 24
Talon
62%
The air was thick with tension when I walked into the chapel. The kind that always preceded a talk on something heavy. I nodded at a few of the guys and took my seat next to Jake.
“Alright,” he said, quieting the chatter. “Most of you know already, but here’s how it is. Reapers hit our warehouse on the west side of town. Burned it to the ground. Everyone made it out, but we lost a lot of product.”
+58
The room was silent. I leaned forward, my elbows on the table, and looked around at the faces of my brothers. Some were pissed, others calculating, but all of them were ready for what came next.
“They want war,” Jake continued. “And we’re gonna give it to ‘em. But not on their terms. We’re not gonna play their game.”
A murmur of agreement rippled through the room. I leaned back in my chair, arms crossed, eyes on Jake as he stood and paced the length of the table. He was in full Prez mode now.
“Most of you have been around awhile – you know this isn’t our first prom date with the Reapers. If we let them take even an inch, they’ll take the whole damn mile. We’ve gotta hit back hard – remind them who they’re trying to fuck with.”
Tank cleared his throat. “So what’s the plan? We can’t just ride in guns blazing. They got numbers on us.”
Jake stopped pacing and turned to face him, nodding. “We hit them where it’ll do the most damage. We take out their supply chain, their money, their leadership. A calculated assault. We make them regret ever setting foot on our territory.”
My eyes met Jake’s across the table, and I could see the weight pressing down on him. This wasn’t just about territory or pride – it was about survival.
I could see the doubt in the eyes of some of the younger guys, the ones who hadn’t been around long enough to see how these things played out. They wanted blood, and they wanted it now. But Jake and Tank were right – rushing into retaliation would only get us all killed.
“I’ve got an idea,” Norris said, his voice breaking the silence. He dragged his cigarette before continuing. “My cousin works down at the docks. Word is, the Reapers are moving a shipment, night after tomorrow night – big one, enough to keep them in cash for months. If we hit that…” He let the sentence hang, but the implication was clear.
The room erupted into a hum of conversation, ideas and strategies tossed around like hand grenades. I stayed quiet, letting the others talk, while I studied the map of the docks that Norris had slapped down on the table.
It was a solid plan, but it wasn’t without risks. The docks were heavily guarded, and even if we managed to get in, getting out would be another story altogether. That was Reapers territory.
I flicked a glance up at Jake, who was pacing again. He knew what this meant as well as I did – if we pulled this off, it’d send a hell of a message. But if we got caught it would be an all–out blood bath, and we’d be fish in a barrel.
“Jake,” I said finally, my voice booming over the noise. “We need to be smart about this. We go in quiet, just a small team. In and out. No unnecessary risks.”
He nodded, his eyes narrowing as he considered.
“Agreed. Norris, get your cousin to confirm the shipment. Dex and Ledger, scope out the security at the docks. Tank, you’re with me on weapons. We’ll need to pack a punch, but nothing too heavy.”
I leaned forward, my elbows braced on the table. “This is a precision hit. We don’t touch civilians, and we don’t leave anything behind that can be traced. Only the Reapers will know it was us.”
The chorus of agreement was immediate as we put it to a vote, the brothers nodding one by one. Some of them looked hungry for it, others nervous, but they all knew the drill.
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19:32 Wed, 9 Apr
Chapter 24
*.62%
As the guys started filing out of the chapel, Jake caught my eye and jerked his head toward the back door. I followed him outside, the cool air hitting me like a slap in the face.
“You think this’ll do it?” Jake asked, his voice low as he lit a cigarette.
I shrugged, the motion barely visible in the dark. “It’s a start. But we need to be ready for anything. You know how the Reapers are, they won’t take this lying down.”
He nodded, taking a drag from his smoke. “I’ll give our brothers in Pike Crest a call, let them know the plan. Maybe they’ll have some further insight.”
I inclined my head, then turned and walked back through the chapel, heading for the bar. I paused in the hallway, my mind racing. This was gonna get ugly, sooner or later. I could feel it in my bones. But I wasn’t just fighting for the club anymore. Now I was fighting for Laura, for the life I wanted to build with her.
The thought of her sent a pang through my chest. She was worried, and she had every right to be. But she wasn’t backing down, not even when I pushed her to. That was secretly part of why I loved her her resilience, her pig–headedness… But that part of her was fuckin aggravating, too. She seemed determined to throw herself into the violence.
I pulled out my phone and sent her a quick text.
“Just letting you know everything’s okay. Be home soon.*
It was a small thing, but I knew it would ease her mind. Right now, that’s all I could give her.
I made my way to the bar, where Norris and Ledger were sitting. “Let’s get to work, boys,” I said, grabbing a bottle from behind the counter. “Got a war to plan.”
Laura
The house was too quiet when Talon left. The emptiness felt like a living thing, pressing in on me from all sides. I wandered upstairs, my bare feet creaking up the wooden steps. The bedroom was cold. I pulled one of Talon’s hoodies over my head, inhaling the familiar scent of him.
I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the ring on my finger. It sparkled faintly in the dim light. It felt surreal, still, that I engaged to Talon Nash. That I was part of this world now. But the walls felt thin, brittle, as though they might come crashing down at any moment.
I paced the room, trying to shake the restless energy that had been building since he’d left. Talon wanted me safe, hidden away, but it didn’t sit right with me. I had a bad feeling about what was about to go down, and I wanted to help. To do something.
The silence was suffocating. I tried to distract myself with a book, but the words blurred together on the page, meaningless. I grabbed my phone and scrolled aimlessly through social media, finding nothing but noise.
A text message alert flashed across the top of the screen, and I opened it. It was from Talon.
“Just letting you know everything’s okay. Be home soon.*
I bit down on my lip. It was comforting that he’d wanted to ease my mind, but frustration was still simmering below the surface. I understood why he and Jake wanted to protect me, but it didn’t make it any easier to swallow. I felt like a spectator, sitting on the rim of the volcano while the people I loved walked straight into the fire.
I stood, the hoodie swallowing me whole, and moved to the window. The night outside was dark and still – the moon hidden behind a lace of clouds. Somewhere out there, Talon and Jake were planning a war. And I was stuck here, in this fragile bubble of safety they’d built for me.
19:32 Wed, 9 Apr
Chapter 24
But I couldn’t shake the feeling that the bubble was about to pop. And when it did, it would take everything with it.
