I might not have the whole story from Hazel yet, but I’m not stupid. The debt they’re talking about has to be her father’s. She’s probably doing something to help pay it off, and if I had to guess, they decided whatever they agreed upon isn’t enough.
It’s the kind of thing I’d expect from these slime-balls.
“From what I can tell, your debt is more than settled,” I say, because regardless of if they’ve recouped what they’re owed monetarily, after today, Hazel and her father don’t owe them shit.
“I don’t think that’s for you to decide,” the first man says, finally moving his finger to the trigger.
That’s more like it. I was worried I was dealing with a coward. Still, I’m not going to let any of these guys have the satisfaction of putting another bullet in me.
With a smile on my face, I smack my gun against his face, sending him to the ground. His buddy starts to move, but he’s too slow. Another member of the Riders of Retribution jumps in,knocking his weapon from his hand. It discharges as it hits the ground, and that’s when all hell breaks loose.
Chapter 10
Hazel
At the first sound of gunfire, I duck behind the van. The cacophony of the rival MC’s shouts and the pulse of their weapons fills the air. I take deep breaths, trying to center myself. My experience in the emergency department helps me calm down, but my entire body still shakes with anxiety at the thought that Axel is in danger.
I wasn’t able to hear the conversation, but I can only assume that Axel was trying to get inside. Or maybe they were arguing about the debt if those guards decided to bring it up. It doesn’t really matter, though. All I know is that the exchange led to this.
Every once in a while, I hear Axel’s voice in the mess. It helps ease my worry just a little bit. He’s still alive, he’s still fighting. That’s all that matters. As long as he’s alive at the end of this, it doesn’t matter what happens. We’ll figure this out. If we’re together, we can do anything.
As I’m leaning against the van, I hear rustling from the inside. I press my ear against the side, straining to listen to what’s going on inside the vehicle. There’s a man inside yelling, though I can’t make out what he’s saying. The voice, though… It's familiar.
My dad. It’s my dad in the back of the van.
A wave of level-headedness washes over me. Now that I have a task, the gunfire fades into the background. I need to gethim out of here and away from the fight. Maybe whoever threw him in here was stupid enough to leave the keys in the ignition.
With swiftness, I run to the back of the van and pull on the handles. Thankfully, they were in such a rush that the vehicle is unlocked. I breathe a small sigh of relief as I throw myself inside, closing the doors behind me.
The sound of the gunfight is slightly muffled in here, but it’s still deafening. My father’s screams get louder, my name falling from his lips. He’s restrained, struggling against the duct tape that’s holding him in place.
“Jesus Christ, Dad,” I say as I rush to him. I begin to pick at the tape around his wrists. “What the hell happened?”
“They showed up looking for you,” he says, eyes wide with fear. “I told them you weren’t here, and they told me to call you, but as soon as I hung up they grabbed me and threw me back here.”
“Shit,” I curse as I get his wrists free from their binds. Immediately, he tries to work on the tape around his ankles. Fear has him too uncoordinated to be of much help though, so I swat his hands away. “Dad, just let me.”
“We need to get out of here,” he says, still grabbing at the tape his ankles.
“Iknow,” I say, pushing his hands away again. “Let me help you out of this and then we’ll leave.”
“No,” he says urgently, finally letting me free his feet. “We need toleave, Hazel. They’re going to send you away. Maybe me too. I don’t know.”
“Dad, what are you talking about?” I ask, my heart rate picking up dangerously.
“They know something’s up,” he replies, rubbing at his wrists. They’re red and raw from where he was struggling. “I don’t know if they know we’re planning to leave or if they’re just upset about what happened yesterday, but they don’t want to let us get away. They kept saying things about how much you’re worth.”
The words hit me hard. I knew these guys were involved in some shady shit. They’re connected to the cartel, pushing hard drugs and illegal weapons directly into the community they claim to serve. They extort people who come to their gambling operations, squeezing more and more money out of them before shifting their attention to their families. This… this is something completely different.
That ends today. I’ve given them more than enough. I’m not running from them anymore, and I’m not going to let them get away with this bullshit.
“Hazel, wait!” my dad yells as I turn around and march to the back of the van, flinging open the doors. “Don’t!”
I ignore him, because if I say anything to him right now, I’ll probably tell him to shut up. I’m about to walk into the middle of this gunfight. The least I can do is make sure my last words to him aren’t something mean.
With all of the command I can muster, I yell, “Everybody stop! Right fucking now!”
I’m not expecting it to work. At the very least, I thought I’d be ignored. At worst, I thought I’d be shot. Instead, the gunfire ceases, and everyone’s eyes turn to me.
