MC: Brighton (21 page)

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Fuck! She’s scared and I can’t do anything but get us to the yard. I pat her arm, but she doesn’t loosen her hold on me. Rich is in my ear with Sticks, guiding us home. We avoid the highway because of the Outlaws, when all I want to do is take them down, but I can’t do that with Penny on the back of my bike. I need my gear too.

Rich: “Digs, come right to Security. We’ll transport Penny from here.”

Me: “Roger, LP2.”

Sticks: “I lose you for two and a half miles. You’re clear on the other side.”

Me: “Roger.” Since I’m Danny’s partner, I’m the lead here. It feels weird with Driscoll on the side of me. He’s been HS longer than I have, but he doesn’t seem to mind. I’m trying to think of why we’re off for so long. We don’t go five hundred feet before I hear a shot from behind. “What the fuck?”

Rich: “Digs, what’s going on?”

Me: “Shot fired from behind. HS12, who’s firing?”

Colby: “Truck coming right for us.”

Me: “Taking the next left.”

Sticks: “I won’t be able to clear your way.” He sounds nervous. Fuck! The hair on the back of my neck stands up. Two and a half clicks. Fuck!

We go left and I sign to Driscoll to shut his mic off then pull over. Penny finally lets me loose. I call Danny. “This is a setup. Watch Sticks.”

“How do you know it’s Sticks?” he asks as bikes are coming toward us.

“We got company, gotta go.” I pull my gun and head straight for them, firing. Driscoll stays with me, hitting the second bike. I turn and head back to the main road and ride like the wind back to Security. Penny has me in a death grip, but she’s safe and holding on.

Once we stop, I pat her arm. “You’re safe, princess. There’s a ride home for you arranged.”

“She’s going with Patches and Tess,” Danny says, suited up and ready to ride on the side of me.

She lets me go and slides off the bike. I grab her arm before she falls. “Jiminy and fiddlesticks, that was fast as heck!” We crack up. She went through someone shooting at us to me shooting and she was scared because of the speed.

“He rides just like you, LP, fuckin’ fearless,” Driscoll says. We look at him. “I can’t think riding like that. I don’t want to end up like Bob.” Fuck.

“Nothing wrong with that, Brother, but there isn’t a fuckin thing wrong with Bob except he’s Family Security, otherwise he’d be here. Our families keep getting bigger,” Danny says with a smile on his face, but his eye isn’t smiling.

Driscoll nods, but he isn’t buying it. Bob’s leg bothers him. That’s why he rides behind us all the time. He shouldn’t be limiting himself with thoughts like that, but now I know why he’s not Danny’s partner and gladly gives up the lead.

Rich comes out and man hugs me then Penny. “Glad you’re back safe. Fuckin’ pussy is in holding, whining about injustice. I need you loaded and ready.”

I kiss Penny and bring her to Patches and Tess. “I don’t know if I say good luck or what?” I smile. She doesn’t have one fuckin’ complaint.

“Tell him to ride like the wind!” Tess says from the front.

Penny looks at me with my smile on her lips. “Ride like the wind!”

I kiss her again because she’s fuckin cute. “Later, princess.” I hear Tess laughing as I’m closing the door. I run into Security and grab my gear.

“Use my office. Closer,” VP says. I walk by him to the bathroom and change, then set my guns and clips.

“No duct tape,” I tell him, opening the door. He walks around his desk and pulls a roll out of the drawer. I don’t even want to know why it’s in there. “Good call with Sticks,” he says, handing me the tape. I throw him chin and jog to the back door. I can’t think about that right now. My bike is ready and Danny’s waiting with Rich on the side of him. Shit, it’s going to get ugly.

I put my helmet on, hearing VP talking to Danny.

VP: “Got Bull and Darren on controls. New computers. Geek and Pres on the way.”

Bull: “I need check-in, HS team 1.” Shit, with Rich I don’t know the order.

Danny: “LP1.”

Rich: “LP2.” He fixed that.

Me: “Digs.”

Jessie: “Shadow.” I swing around and see Jessie throwing his leg over his bike. I’ve never ridden with him, but he wouldn’t be here if he couldn’t do it.

Rich: “About fuckin’ time. Thought I was going solo.” He’s Rich’s partner. He looks at me. “Fuckin’ good too.” He laughs. Fuckin’ LaPontes always laughing.

VP: “Roll on one.” We pull up to the exit and wait. “Waitin’ on team two.” I look back at the ramp.

“How did you know?” Rich asks.

I know he’s asking about Sticks. “His voice, then he said he had two and a half miles with no view. It’s only a half mile that’s not covered. I would have known anyway because when we took the left they were headed our way. They had no reason to be on a secondary, it’s highly populated. Any Outlaw up this way is new, wouldn’t know the roads like we do.”

He throws chin. He didn’t catch it. That feels good, because he usually sees everything. “It wasn’t until you cut us off that he thought about the Outlaws. When Dad called we already had him cuffed. I’m glad you caught it. Penny was on that bike with you. VP gave you first shot.” I nod. I’m going to take it too, fuckin’ douche. For years I listened to him whine, helped him with code, and taught him enough to get into HS. He puts my old lady in the path of fuckin Outlaws as a thanks.

Three bikes come flying up the ramp and file in behind us. A bike coming at us has us looking at the road. Little Ben in full gear with Ricky beside him fly by and spin around. Pres and Geek are behind them, going toward parking.

Bull: “HS team two, I need check-in.” Driscoll, Chet, little Ben, Colby, and Ricky check in.

VP: “Two’ll be on with Pres and Bull. Darren on boards. One’ll be Geek and me.”

Danny: “Thank fuck!” We all laugh.

VP: “One, roll on three, two, one.” Danny takes off and I take his side. Rich and Jessie follow. They stay right with us up the highway ramp and I think of Driscoll.

Bull: “Two, roll on Pres’ one. You’re switching over now.” I hear the click and know Pres is on with them and Bull switched the feed.

Geek gets us up to Bristol and we jump onto 136, giving us a straight shot to Newport. Rich and Jessie peel off and take out two at a bar not far from where I stopped with Penny. They catch us in traffic, rolling into Newport Common. There’s too many fuckin’ people and cars to have a gunfight here.

VP: “Taggin’ has four. Two blocks at the dockside keep to Thames. Then two a block after Marriott. LP2 and Shadow, on the two. Doubt they’re alone. Watch your back.”

Danny: “Roger, VP.”

Rich: “Roger, VP.”

We park off Thames and walk through people going to the waterfront. They must have something going on for all these people to be here. I know they were trying to draw people in once they realized Providence Water Fire was pulling in big crowds, but this is fuckin’ nuts. Newport isn’t set up for huge crowds. No parking and very few public bathrooms has always been a major problem here. We get to the next block and Geek guides us dockside toward another bar. Great. Drinking Outlaws.

“Looky here! Our geek came back. Where are your friends?” The pussy with an Officers cut says.

I’m wondering how they know me. Fuckin’ Sticks! Danny smiles at him. “Just us. Heard you were looking for my Brother. He doesn’t want to play with you. We thought we should tell you in person.”

I clench my jaw. The Outlaw isn’t amused. “We weren’t asking. He’s coming with us.”

Danny takes a step to the side. “You wanted to go with them?”

“Not going anywhere with fuckin’ Outlaws,” I tell him.

He positioned himself so the building is on his patch side. “I didn’t think so, but I wanted to ask.” He looks over at the Outlaw. Three are behind him. One is Tiny’s size, meaning he’s a fuckin’ giant. I’d like to take him down. “Yeah, so he doesn’t want to play with you. Now you know we’re going home.” He turns.

“The fuck you are!” the Officer says.

Danny turns back, aiming his gun at him. “See, this is a hell of a place for a shootout and you’re not even ready.”

“You can’t take us all down,” the smartass says.

I level my gun at him. “Sure we can.” He looks surprised.

“The way I see it is, you have two choices. You can get on your bikes and go home without my Brother here or you can be stupid.”

VP: “One comin’ from the side of the buildin’. Straight shot at eleven, Digs.” Danny pulls his second gun and I swing, shooting at eleven o’clock. Shit, VP is good.

The Outlaws move and Danny hits two. Giant moves to me and the pussy with the Officer at his feet pulls a knife. Danny is laughing, but I’ve got a giant coming at me, so I’m not looking to see why. Giant has no weapon, so I shoot. He’s still moving my way, but he’s too close, so I pull my knife and sink it in him just as his hands wrap around my neck. Putting my gun against his stomach, I aim up and shoot. Fuck, he’s falling my way.

Danny pulls him and he falls to the side. “Thought you’d die under him, didn’t you?”

“Fuck yeah! He’s as big as Tiny,” I say, catching my breath.

Danny: “LP1, clear.”

VP: “PD in from the road. Head to the water. Take the dock around to LP2.”

Danny: “Roger, VP.” We walk down the road as if nothing happened. This side doesn’t have many people and we only spent a couple of minutes outside the bar. Danny starts walking faster when we hear a woman scream. I shake my head. “Not like our women. Ours would just walk by hating the fuckin’ pussies because of their cuts. That reminds me VP, they had on Cincinnati.” He doesn’t miss a fuckin’ thing. I didn’t see that and I have two eyes.

VP: “Roger, LP1.” VP is guiding Rich and Jessie as we walk the long dock.

We get closer to Thames and see Jessie against a building. He moved out so we’d see him. If he hadn’t, I would have missed him standing there. Someone yells behind us and Jessie shoots.

VP: “Nice shot. Wasn’t tagged.” I look around and see the cameras on the building. Rich comes out the back door of the building, wiping his hands on a towel. As he’s walking over to us, he throws the towel on the dead guy.

Rich: “LP2, clear.”

VP: “Roger, LP2. Come in. Team two is clear. No Cleanup.”

Danny: “Roger, VP.”

Rich and Jessie go right and we go left on Thames. “Nice night,” Danny says, but his voice is monotone.

I look back and see two inked pussies about fifty feet back, then look at him. There is no fuckin’ way he saw that without turning around. “Two behind, fifty feet.”

“Two in front about a hundred,” he says. I know he doesn’t see depth well, so I look to see where he’s looking. He’s right.

“Yeah,” I tell him.

VP: “LP2, four closin’, in the crowd around LP1.” I pull my knife and palm it so the blade is up. Rich taught us how to fight just like this and I’m hoping I remember what the hell to do when I need it.

Rich: “Roger, VP.” I hear the bikes and see them fly by on two wheels. The crowd is turning to the road, clapping. They spin and block the road, making a circle. People walk in the road, thinking it’s a show. Crazy. The Outlaws are a good twenty-five feet away, but I hear boots behind me.

VP: “Back to back, LP1.”

Danny: “Roger.”

I spin as someone touches my shoulder and slice his arm. He backs away, holding it with his other hand, no weapon. The other pussy throws a punch and I duck, coming back up with an uppercut, then I slice down. The guy falls and all I can think is
Rich is fuckin good
. The first pussy comes at me, growling. I never understood that. It lets me know the intent before he’s close enough to touch me. We were always taught to be as quiet as possible, focusing our energy on breathing and anticipating the guy’s next move. “Fuckin’ geek he told us,” he growls out, swinging. I step to the side and swing my arm wide then down, slicing the back of his arm. That’s going to hurt. He pulls it back, growling louder, then rushes me.

VP: “Step into him!”

I take a step and plant my feet. Swinging my elbow up, I slice him right up the middle. He falls back doubled over. I see Rich fly through the air and shake my head. Turning, I step back as Danny drops a pussy with a nice kick to the head. Before his leg is down his knife is away. Shit. I bend and wipe the blood off my knife on the first pussy’s sleeve. I need to take another class so I can be ready like that.

Danny: “Clear.”

VP: “Roger. Nice drops. LP2, keep the crowd until they’re in the wind.”

Rich: “Roger.”

Jessie: “Fuckin’ Outlaws have me out here like a circus act. I hate this shit.”

Danny laughs. “He’s good, though, just never liked the tricks.”

“He doesn’t like to be noticed. He likes being in the background. Not that he can’t do it, he just doesn’t want to,” I tell him, throwing my leg over.

He nods. “Like you.”

That surprises me. “I was thinking like you and Pres, but I’ll take it.”

Jessie: “Think you can do the fuckin’ debate later so we can get the fuck away from here before the PD show?” Rich and Danny laugh.