“I’m going too,” Veronica says and takes a tiny, unsure step towards the trees, because of course she would, fiery as she is.
“You just stay here. I got this, I’ll get her back.” I tell her. “Last thing I need is for you to get killed now.”
“Or you,” she says and I think she means what I think she means. But this is no time for wondering that.
“Let’s go,” I tell the other two and sprint the rest of the way towards the tree line.
I think I hear my father yelling, “Chance, stop!” somewhere way behind me, but I don’t. The heat seeking night-vision view tells me there’s no one in the trees near the edge of the clearing.
And as we cross the tree line, the sound of battle becomes muted and fades to complete silence within a few yards. That’s the power of these majestic redwood trees. They create a world of their own wherever they grow.
I signal Edge and Ruin to stop so we can get our bearings. And it doesn’t take long for the silence to part and reveal the sounds of a woman cursing and yelling and a man breathlessly telling her to shut the fuck up, accompanied by the creaking and crunching of pine needles.
“There they are,” Ruin says, points off to our left and starts running.
He seems to be taking this mission even more personally than I am, sacrificing all stealth for speed as he hurtles toward Gazz and Ariel.
I yank him to a halt when I catch up to him, but it’s too late. Gazz has seen us. He had to use both hands to keep Ariel from breaking away, but he loosened his grip to reach for his gun as he saw us. She takes full advantage of that and falls to the ground just as I reach him and tackle him.
His body shields my fall nicely and I’m sure I heard the telltale sound of bones breaking right before his animal scream of pain. He really is a piece of shit weakling.
“You were absolutely right, Gazz,” I hiss at him. “The Devils came. And we came for you.”
I pull my knife from my boot and hold the tip against his throat.
“This is for Hunter. And for Veronica,” I say and stab him in the neck. Hot blood douses my hand and I feel no joy as I watch life leave his eyes. Only justice. He had it coming.
I wipe the blood on his shirt and sheath my knife again, before standing up.
I turn so I can help Ariel to her feet and take her back to her sister. But Ruin has already beat me to that task.
“I’m sorry this happened,” he’s telling her quietly. “But you’re safe now. No one will hurt you now.”
She’s listening to him as though in a trance. But then she breaks out of his arms and comes towards me and Gazz.
“This piece of shit destroyed my life,” she says in a clear, carrying voice, kicking a shower of needles onto Gazz’s stomach.
“And he died like the coward he was,” I say.
“Yes,” she says and spits at his body for good measure.
Then she leans on Ruin, who is already standing by her side, offering his support which she accepts.
I know Ruin must feel responsible for what happened to her and her family tonight, seeing as he was supposed to be keeping them safe, but that doesn’t quite explain the degree of gentle care he’s showing Ariel now.
“Not sure what that’s all about,” Edge mutters to me, meaning the way Ruin is leading Ariel away with his arm gently around her waist.
I just shrug and start following them back to the clearing. It probably has something to do with Ruin’s past. He wandered into the clubhouse at fifteen, after a club war took his whole family. The Devils had no part in that war, but we let him stay and we took him in.
Veronica is standing at the tree line, or trying to stand, because she’s unable to straighten up. When she sees her sister walking towards her, she lets out a happy little sound and tries to rush to her. But it’s Ariel who runs to her, and is hugging her tight, by the time I reach them.
I don’t impose on the moment, even though I wouldn’t mind being the one with my arms around Veronica. But that’ll keep. And if the grateful look she flashes me over her sister’s shoulder is anything to go by it’ll last too.
I take my goggles off, because the lights are on again in the clearing, where the sounds of frenzied battle and men dying have turned into a whole different kind of noise.
Loud banging of fists against metal and women screaming is deafeningly loud and growing louder. For all the terror of it, the sound is music to my ears. It’s over, the battle is won.
“Open the containers,” Cross yells and my brothers get to it.