20
Chance
We rode straight across town, taking the shortest and also the most open route to get to the woods surrounding the place we’re heading for. Time was of the essence. Time we couldn’t give the Riders to prepare for us coming.
But we’ve stalled now, sitting under the cover of the trees, with the interstate humming and whooshing behind us each time a car passes. It’s late, so they’ve been few and far between. The air stinks of the smoke still rising from what’s left of the Riders’ clubhouse. It’s still rising in a thick black cloud, obscuring the moon and the stars. We passed the clubhouse getting here and a couple of fire trucks are still dousing it with water, but the cop cars and ambulances have all left. This smoke-filled, pitch black night will be a perfect backdrop for our ride into the compound which isn’t even walled up. The fact that we all have night-vision goggles and they don’t is just the cherry on top.
“I’ll just go in on my own then you swarm them when they come at me,” I say.
Cross is with us now too, and he shakes his head. He brought thirty men, said he’s not letting us do this alone, that it was too dangerous without the Riders knowing we’re coming. Said he’s not missing a single battle of this war we’re waging to avenge his son.
“Then we just all ride in, taking them from all sides at once,” Tank says. We’re the same when it comes to looking at things like this. We both rather go in hard and fast. Not slow and deliberate, which is more Cross’ way.
“They’ll be watching for us,” Cross says, but something in his voice tells me he’s finally come to a decision on how we’ll do this.
“I want twenty men to surround the area, keep to the trees, kill whoever you find, as silently as possible,” he says and tells Ice and Rook to pick their men. Then he turns to me.
“Once that’s done the rest of us will surround the place and you will go in alone,” he says.
“That’s insane, Cross,” Tank protests.
“He’s no use to them dead right now,” Cross replies. “They want to trade him for their lives. It’s the only reason they’re doing this.”
There’s no arguing with the certainty in his voice and leaves even Tank speechless for the moment. For what it’s worth, I’m sure he’s right too.
“And we need that element of surprise when he actually appears to ride in alone,” Cross adds. “They won’t be paying attention to what’s going on behind their backs, giving us time to take them out.”
“And I’m more than happy to provide that surprise,” I say because my father is showing every sign of protesting. “Plus, the Riders are lousy shots.”
That finally relaxes Tank. “Yeah, it’s a good plan. The best we’ve got.”
“And it’ll work,” Cross adds. His voice sounds like the darkness around us speaking, and I feel the certainty of his words in my bones. We won’t fail tonight. I can almost guarantee it.
The men led by Ice and Rook have already left, the crunching of their footsteps on the blanket of needles fading into the distance.
A few minutes later, he sends in the next thirty men, telling them to tighten the circle around the camp. It’s just Cross, Tank and me here now.
Time has been running slow for me all night and the minutes that pass before Ice finally calls to tell us everyone’s in position seem to last years.
“We took down four of them,” he says. “The rest, a dozen more, are scattered around the perimeter of the compound. Six of them, including Gazz, are facing the dirt road entry and they have two snipers atop the containers to the left and right of it. They have floodlights on. If you come by the dirt road, you’ll be riding in blind.”
Cross doesn’t say anything for a few seconds that last an eternity.
Is he considering calling it off? I’m going in even if he does.
“Chance will be riding in alone,” he finally says. “As soon as they see him I want you rush them from all sides. Knives only. There’ll be enough bullets flying from their guns as it is. Take out the floodlights and the snipers first.”
Then he hangs up and looks at me. His hard eyes are somehow even more piercing in the darkness.
“I hope you’re ready for this,” he says. “Because I can’t lose you too.”
Hunter’s not gone yet, I want to shout at him. But maybe he knows something I don’t, something I don’t want to know right now. Something I never want to know.
“You won’t,” I say. “I am ready. And I’ll slice Gazz’s throat open myself tonight.”
Both him and Tank make almost identical rumbling sounds of agreement to that and then I mount my bike and ride towards the dirt road I’ll be riding in on. The two of them disappear into the trees, night joining night.
That feeling of certainty that this will all go our way doesn’t leave with them. It hangs in the air, riding the smoke we sent into the air to make this night as dark as it is. Dark enough to hide us coming now to take out the rest of our enemies and save the woman who has already taken up permanent residence in my mind. And heart. I think.