Kodiak removed his pistol and motioned for his V.P. to get up. "Roll him over."
The man rolled, putting his hands out to his sides.
The fucker hid behind a hoodie, but the bike he'd left behind marked him as a Deception MC member. He moved to the right, out of the shadow of the tree. The moon lit up the man's smirking face.
"Take it off." He motioned with his pistol. "If you do anything but remove the hoodie, you're dead."
The sneer fell from his face. Kodiak had no patience when the man hesitated and shot the ground beside the Deception member.
His enemy reached behind his neck, grabbed the hoodie, and pulled it over his head. Kodiak gazed at the bare arms. Only one had a tattoo. He zeroed in on the snake curling around the man's forearm.
Kodiak growled. "That's him."
The fucker scrambled, trying to run.
Kodiak moved—fast, deliberate, unstoppable. The rage he'd bottled since Chopper's murder unleashed inside him. He tackled him into the grass with a crack that sounded like bone. The others held back. This was Kodiak's right to seek punishment. His sentence to deliver. His promise to keep.
The man fought with desperation, knowing his fate was sealed. Kodiak's fists wielded the punishment. Each blow was a sentence.
You took my brother.
You took Roma's dad.
You killed a Royalla member.
You put Roma through hell.
Blood painted the ground. The man ceased moving long before Kodiak stopped swinging. When the adrenaline waned and his energy dipped, Kodiak fell to his knees and let his ass hit his boots.
It was done.
Two long fucking years, and he could finally tell Roma the man responsible for killing her dad was dead.
For a while, he believed he'd disappoint her when every clue came to a dead end. She understood the ways of Royalla. She expected him to avenge her father's death.
Now he could return and tell her it was over.
What happened tonight wouldn't take away her pain. It wouldn't heal her heartbreak. But in the years to come, she would know that his word was good. He'd loved Chopper like a brother.
"We need to get out of here, Prez." Cruz grabbed his arm, pulling him to his feet. "Rocco, make the call back to the compound and have someone get a truck over here. Baker, Duke, Ring, clean up. The rest of you get out of here."
Ring handed Kodiak his discarded helmet, and he stumbled to his motorcycle and swung his leg over his Harley. Blood dried on his knuckles. His heavy heart finally clear of debt. Revenge for Chopper. It was finally over.
"The fucker's name is Curtis Monroe." Duke pocketed the wallet. "Cheap fucker. Only had ten bucks on him."
The name meant nothing—until it did.
Monroe was a killer and a past problem. A year before Chopper was killed, Roma was involved in an attempted kidnapping. She hadn't seen who grabbed her. Luckily, she screamed and fought, causing a scene. The kidnapper dropped her at the curb before taking off in a van.
All Roma could remember was the name Curt. One of the guys in the van had yelled at the man who'd grabbed her, using a name.
Tonight, he'd resolved two problems.
He rode away from the crime scene, trusting his men to get rid of the body and any evidence. Heaviness settled in his chest.
Roma.
She'd be safe now. He'd made sure of that. She'd have a future and could mourn her dad the way she should've two years ago.
