I smirk, moving to line up my shot. I bend down, threading the cue through my fingers, lining my eyesight to hit the ball dead on, when out of the corner of my eye I see Wraith walk in from outside. His knuckles are covered in congealed blood. He’s pale. Weak. His eyes look puffy. Tired.
The sight throws me as I shoot the pool cue forward, it skirts off on a crooked angle missing all the balls and slams into the side of the table.
I gulp when Wraith walks in, shirtless. It’s like he hasn’t gone upstairs since last night. Whatever happened after our argument, he’s only making his way inside now.
“Good shot, Prinie, your aim’s a little off,” Koda jokes, but I don’t engage.
My eyes stay transfixed on Wraith as he walks inside the main room. Everyone is fixated on him as he ambles for the stairs.
Suddenly, pounding footsteps echo down the staircase.
Wraith’s head jerks up.
A man wearing all black with a black beanie jumps in front of Wraith, hoists himself up on the rails of the staircase and dropkicks Wraith right in the stomach. He flies back toward the pool table as more black, clad men come barreling down the staircase.
I reach out grabbing Koda, pulling him to me. My senses spiral into overdrive as I yank us down under the pool table. The assassin-looking men swarm the clubhouse as our men clamber for their weapons—those who have them. It’s early morning, so not everyone is carrying right now.
I bring my hands over my ears to block out the sounds as Wraith springs to his feet. He’s only wearing jeans. No shoes. Nowhere for a weapon. He’s out in the open as an assassin lunges for him. They fall back on the pool table. All I see are their feet wrestling in front of my eyes. My heart races so fucking fast I want to pass out.
Koda wraps his arm around me. Dammit! I should be the one comforting him right now.
My breathing is quick as Kevlar aims his gun at an assassin then pulls the trigger. Blood splatter coats the wall of the clubhouse right next to Chills. She clings on to Kobe, trying to keep away from the fight as Cherry and her huddle in the corner.
Chains and Luc are tag-teaming as they throw one assassin between them. Punch after punch, until the guy’s face resembles something like a Jackson Pollock painting. It’s gruesome, but no one raids the Houston Defiance clubhouse and lives to tell the tale.
A set of legs above me straighten dramatically then stop dead still.
My chest squeezes, hoping like hell that’s not Wraith as the set drop to the floor in front of me. I clench my eyes shut not being able to take the anxiety.
Koda squeezes me. “It’s okay,” he yells in my ear.
I slowly open my eyes to see the assassin, dead on the floor, his eyes rolled back into his head as Wraith takes off into the main room fighting off more of the assholes.
I don’t know who they are or what they want.
But I do know one thing—these men, my brothers, won’t let them get away with this.
I keep my eyes transfixed on Wraith as he lands blow after vicious blow into the black-dressed assholes. There’s so many of them, I don’t know how our brothers are going to defeat them all. The thing is, they didn’t come in here with weapons, only their fists. They can fight, though. So fucking well as they continue to annihilate my club.
Unexpectedly, something wraps around my ankle. I let out a scream as I turn. One of them is yanking me out from under the table. Koda grips hold of me while I kick at the asshole with my other foot, but he doesn’t give up grabbing my other foot with his other hand and yanking harder.
“Koda!” I call out as my grip on him slips.
“Prinie!” His fingers grasp tightly as the man yanks so hard it hurts being pulled in two directions.
Tears well in my eyes as I’m ripped away from my little brother and pulled out from under the pool table. My hands slide away from Koda’s but he rushes out after me.
The assassin pulls me up into his arms. “Let. Me. Go!” I kick back against him as he holds my back to his front.
Koda reaches out, his fingers digging in the assassin’s arms, but another starts walking over.
“Koda… run!” I yell as he turns, the second assassin landing his fist straight into Koda’s eye socket.
I let out a harrowing scream as tears flood my eyes, and Koda falls face-first to the concrete floor. He’s out like a light.
“Koda. Jesus, Koda.”
“C’mon, princess, you’re coming with us,” the assassin murmurs in my ear.
“No! Nooo. Wraith,” I call out, but over all the commotion, I’m not sure he can hear me.
Fear cripples me, and I freeze not being able to do anything as they yank me out the back door. There’s another four waiting. I cry hard as he hoists me up. I have no way of fighting, there’s simply too many of them as he walks with me over his shoulder to a hole they’ve burned out of the back fence. He shoves me through and into a waiting van. My body begins to shut down. My insides shuddering as they sit me in the rear. They bind my hands and feet, shove a rag in my mouth which makes me gag, then push me down on a mat of the van bed.
I have no idea what’s waiting for me.
But I guess I knew, someday, my life would come to this.
I knew this club would be the end of me.
