Burn (11 page)

“You’ll be OK, you know.”

Cruz nodded.
 
He was about to say something else but Mercer came out of the room, ready to go.
 
The moment between Danni and Cruz was gone.

***

Mercer and Cruz found the road they’d seen on the map and left their bikes on the side of the road, next to a little path that led into the woods.
 
Mercer felt uncomfortable on the unfamiliar bike.
 
It would have to do, but he missed the feel of his own wheels.
 
He’d have to get used to it, though.
 
The bike had been too smashed up to ride out of there, so before Danni had showed up on the scene, he’d stripped off the license plate and left it with the rest of the wreckage.
 

They followed the trail through the woods.
 
According to the aerial photos they found online, the trail led almost to the Rattler cabin.
 
There would only be about five hundred feet of trekking through the woods once they were off the path.
 
Mercer idly wondered how the day would’ve gone if Danni had known that.
 

Even though the sun was mostly gone, they made it through the woods without incident and came upon the cabin.
 
They stood at the edge of the woods and Mercer thought that he must be in the same spot Danni had stood before taking that first step across the grass to steal the bike.
 
They examined the house.
 
The lights were on, but they couldn’t see anyone inside.
 

In a low voice, Cruz said, “I don’t see their bikes anywhere.
 
You think they left?”
 

Mercer looked, but couldn’t spot them either.
 
“Maybe, but where would they go?”

Neither man could answer the question, but after sitting in the woods for ten minutes and seeing nothing move inside the house, they moved closer.
 
Ducking down, they peered inside a ground floor window into the rec room.
 
There was no one inside the room, but there was something sitting on top of the pool table.
 
It looked like a large wooden crate.

“What do you think’s in the box?” asked Cruz.

“One way to find out,” said Mercer.

There was still no indication that anyone was in the cabin, but they crept around the corner all the same.
 
Their guns drawn, they arrived at the door.
 
Mercer put his hand on the knob and lightly pushed it open.
 
The room was still.

The walked up to the crate and Cruz lifted the top.
 
Written on the lid in magic marker was a note that read, “See you in Rawlins.”

Almost too late, Mercer saw the lights flashing in the box.
 
He grabbed Cruz’s cut and pulled him out of the house as fast as they could run.
 
They had barely cleared the door when the bomb went off.
 
It blew out the windows and cracked the door, throwing both Mercer and Cruz to the ground.

Mercer lifted his head and said, “I am really fucking tired of these assholes trying to blow me up.”

Cruz got up and brushed himself off.
 
“What the hell did that note mean?”

“It means the Rattlers are on their way to Rawlins to kill the rest of Black Ice.”

They ran back through the woods, trying desperately to get a signal on their phones.
 
It wasn’t until they were on their bikes and halfway back to town that the call finally went through.
 
Mercer warned Doc of the impending attack and said they were on their way back.
 
Then he called Danni and told her to be standing outside the hotel when they pulled up.
 

After she climbed on the back, the Black Ice Motorcycle Club roared through the state of Wyoming, hoping to save their club and wipe out the goddamn Rattlers once and for all.

S
even hours later, they were close to the Rawlins border.
 
They rode fast, but the trip seemed to take forever to Mercer.
 
He kept trying to figure how far ahead they might be, how much time Doc and Red would be without support.
 
Mercer told Doc to text him if anything happened, and he hadn’t received that text yet, but he couldn’t help but think Doc was dead, which was why they hadn’t heard anything.
 

They were fifteen minutes out when the message finally came through.
 
It just said:
Rattlers.
 
911.
 
Mercer signaled to Cruz and the men pushed their bikes to the red line.
 
Danni held on tighter to Mercer as the motorcycle sped down the highway.

When they got closer to the clubhouse, Mercer heard the unmistakable sound of gunfire.
 
They rounded the corner and Mercer yelled back to Danni.
 
“When this bike stops, you run for cover, got it?”

She nodded. When Mercer turned back to the road he saw two men outside the Black Ice clubhouse.
 
They heard the approaching bikes and opened fire.
 
Mercer put his bike down, grateful Danni had bought that leather jacket.
 
It was all that kept her arm from being ground against the pavement.
 
Mercer rolled away from the skid, taking Danni with him, but the bike kept going.
 
It slid into the parked Rattler bikes.
 

Cruz jumped off his bike and fired on the enemy.
 
It was the second of the big, bald Rattlers.
 
He fired on Cruz, then retreated into the clubhouse.
 
Cruz ran over to Mercer and Danni to help them up.

“Fair bet they know we’re here,” Cruz said.

“We lost control of the clubhouse.
 
We have to find Doc and Red,” said Mercer.

“Any ideas?”

Mercer did have an idea.
 
He told Danni to stay put and keep her head down, then he and Cruz struck out around back to the door behind the garage.
 
They still hadn’t heard from Doc since his message, and Mercer feared the worst.
 
They reached the rear entrance and unlocked it.
 
Quietly, they slipped in and shut the door behind them.
 
They cautiously moved through the storage area, past the tools and spare parts, inching their way closer to the living area of the clubhouse.

Out of the corner of his eye, Mercer saw movement to his left.
 
He raised his gun and turned, but it was too late.
 
There was a gun barrel at his temple.

“About fucking time, kid,” said Doc, lowering his gun.

Mercer wrapped his arms around the man and clapped him on the back.
 
“Thank God,” he said.
 
“You didn’t send another message.”

“Fuckin’ Rattlers shot my phone right out of my goddamn hand.”

“It was a sight,” said Red.

Mercer grabbed the other man’s hand and shook it.
 
They didn’t have a lot, but Black Ice was together again.

“How many are there?” asked Cruz

“Three, best we can tell.
 
Fixer, that fat, bald bastard, and some scrawny necked kid looks like he should work in a library—but they’re all armed out the ass.
 
They hit us hard, caught us with our pants around our ankles.
 
We exchanged fire up front, but they drove us back here.
 
I thought the door was gonna get busted down, but I think they were waiting on you.”

A shotgun blast came through the door that led into the living area.
 
The big, bald biker came through.
 
Mercer fired and ducked behind a tool chest.
 
The man hid behind the door frame, then popped around and fired the shotgun again.
 

Mercer heard Doc call out in pain as he fell on the concrete, clutching his side.
 
Some of the buckshot had caught his arm and chest.
 
Mercer and Cruz fired back at the bald Rattler, then ran out and grabbed Doc.
 
Taking hold of his cut, they dragged him to the back as Red fired wildly.
 
When they reached the back door again, Mercer kicked it up and they all left the clubhouse.

“If we survive this, you’re getting some target practice,” said Cruz to Red.

Red shot him a dirty look, but Cruz ignored it.
 

They got Doc off the ground and took him behind the next building over.
 
Mercer looked him over while Cruz and Red stood watch.
 

The wound was bleeding a lot.
 
Mercer looked around for something to use as a bandage, but Doc waved him off.

“Just get me to my feet.
 
I got a little fight left in me.”

As they got Doc up, he said, “What the hell do we do now?”

“Red, you and Doc come with me.
 
Cruz, go find Danni.
 
Get her someplace safe and get back here.”

They all agreed.
 
Mercer watched Cruz head down the alley towards Danni’s hiding spot.
 
He saw something move in the shadows and called out.
 
Cruz turned to Mercer and opened his mouth to say something, but never got the chance before Cruz’s chest burst open, spewing blood all over the pavement.
 
Cruz’s eyes went wide, and just for a moment he stood there, like he couldn’t believe what had just happened.
 
Then he fell forward, his body lying still on the cold ground.
 

D
anni was crouched behind a car.
 
She was smoking a cigarette, listening to gunfire, and praying it wasn’t Mercer on the other end.
 
She knew she shouldn’t be smoking.
 
She remembered a movie she once saw where a couple of army guys had gotten separated from their unit.
 
The younger guy went to light a cigarette and the big, tough veteran smacked it from his mouth, telling the young grunt that cigarettes gave away your position.
 
Danni thought she was probably giving away her position, but she couldn’t make herself care.
 
She was listening to gunfire inside the Black Ice clubhouse, not knowing if Mercer was OK.
 
So she was going to smoke whether it was a good idea or not.
 

She heard something in the alley on the other side of the street.
 
She poked her head above the car’s trunk and saw Cruz coming down the alley.
 
She’d been hoping it would be Mercer, but at least Cruz would have some news.
 
He must’ve heard something behind him, because just as he was leaving the alley, he turned.
 

That’s when Danni saw red.
 
It spilled out of Cruz’s chest, or rather what was left of his chest.
 
It looked like someone had thrown ground hamburger on him.
 
Then he fell face down on the dirty street and never moved again.
 

Danni was in shock.
 
How?
 
Who?
 
Then she got her answers.
 
Tommy came running out of the alley, looking behind him, seeing if he was being followed.
 
She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
 
Tommy?
 
Scrawny, dumb Tommy had just shot Cruz right through his chest, killing him on the spot.
 

She checked her waistband, making sure the gun she had taken off Roscoe was still there, and then chased after the son of a bitch.
 
Tommy was a dead man.
 
He might not know it yet, but he was as dead as Cruz.
 

She didn’t know where Tommy was headed, but it wasn’t back to the clubhouse.
 
It didn’t matter where he was headed.
 
Danni would follow him no matter where he went.
 
Tommy ran down the street and she was after him.
 
He didn’t go to a motorcycle, instead ducking into an abandoned building.
 
She came through the door at full speed.
 
Tommy was waiting for her, he tackled her.
 
She hit the ground hard.
 
He came at her, but she got a foot up, kicking him square in the stomach.
 
He fell back and she got up.