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  Luke turns to Carter, motions him to follow and the two men start picking their way deeper down into the rock quarry. Every once in a while, the Harbingers just start shooting in an effort to engage them but the two men know better than to play that game. The minute they return fire, the Harbingers will get a line on them and it’ll be over.

  Luke and Carter spend the next terrifying 90 minutes getting cut, bruised, and shot at. The biggest enemy is their own minds. It is one thing to be in a quick fire fight when you have no time to think, but quite another to be stalked and hunted for several hours.

  Luke crawls out from his hiding place after the Harbingers finish another of their shooting sprees. The moment he straightens, a large figure suddenly steps out of nowhere and opens fire. Amazingly, not a single bullet finds its target, but Luke is completely blinded by the bright muzzle flashes. As he stumbles back away from the gunman, reaching for his own gun, he falls on his ass. Luke finally gets his gun free of his pants and fires off four quick rounds, striking his target in the chest. The big man goes down in a heap. Now everyone knows where they are. Suddenly, five Harbingers are lighting up the quarry with a surprising amount of fire power.

  No point in sneaking around now, Luke realizes. They know exactly where we are.

  He turns to his friend and shouts, “Just run, Carter; just fucking run!”

  Luke and Carter take off in opposite directions, shooting back wildly. This is their last desperate attempt to get out of the quarry and away from the Harbingers. Luke’s heart is exploding in his chest, and he expects to feel the hot bite of lead any second now. It seems like everywhere he turns, there are either muzzle flashes or flashlights or both. He can’t shoot anymore for fear of hitting his friend. Their only hope is for the Harbingers to run out of bullets or butcher one another by mistake.

  Either way it’s a long shot.

  The beam of one of the Harbingers’ flashlights saves Luke from charging headlong into a huge boulder more than once. At some point, he is completely surrounded, so he just stands up, fires off two quick rounds and falls flat on his belly. Their reaction is exactly what he hopes for. The tired, frustrated Harbingers open fire, aiming at the last spot they’d seen his head. The resulting volley of gunfire leaves three Harbingers dead and two more wounded; one so badly he can’t even walk. Luke jumps up and sprints away blindly, not caring what he might run into; it can’t be any worse than the hail of bullets that await him if he's spotted again.

  Moments later, Luke sees a lone gunman open fire towards a target that he assumes must be Carter. The return fire is fast and vicious. He just hopes his friend doesn’t pay with his life for that daring maneuver. Luke collapses in the dirt once more, gasping for breath and trying not to make a sound at the same time. Fortunately, his pursuers are not trying to hide their approach. Were they to do that, they'd probably be a whole lot more successful. Luke risks a brief glance at his watch. It’s 4:45 am. The sun will start to rise in about thirty minutes and if they're still in the quarry, it’ll all be over for them. It’s time to start climbing back up.

  That proves to be a lot more difficult than he thought. Normally, anyone climbing would look around and pick the best route to make their ascent. Luke doesn’t have that luxury and just has to hope that the route he picks isn’t too treacherous. Hopefully, Carter is picking his own way back up as well.

  After many missteps and several slides back down, Luke finally makes some progress, but it’s impossible to tell how much further he has to go. Luckily, his pursuers seem to be concentrating on the other subject of their manhunt. He just hopes Carter’s climbing and evading skills are up to the task. It’s still dark when Luke finally crawls over the lip of the quarry. He lies there for a couple of minutes until his breathing returns to normal. When he looks up again, the sky has visibly become brighter. He can also see the tree line and that’s where he’s going to go and with any luck, his bike will still be parked there; otherwise it’s going be a long, dangerous walk home. If both he and Carter haven’t been caught by the time it’s fully light, the place will be crawling with just about every Harbinger there is.

  Luke gets up, takes a deep breath, lets it out and takes off running. After a couple of minutes, he realizes it’s been a while since he last heard any gunfire. He hopes that doesn’t mean they’ve already got Carter. Ten minutes later, Luke is deep into the trees. He can now see about fifty feet in any direction and the territory is beginning to look familiar. Even still, he almost misses his bike.

  He jogs up to his Harley as he fumbles around in his pockets for his keys. About to sit on his bike, he notices the symbol for the Suicide Kings drawn on the layer of dust and dew covering his seat. That could mean a lot of things to anyone else, but to Luke it’s a clear sign from Carter that he’s okay and on his way back to the club house. Luke jumps on his bike and is off with an ear-splitting roar.

  An hour later, Luke pulls into the club house parking lot. Carter’s bike is there and so are his father’s and several others from his father’s most trusted circle. Luke feels around for his cell phone, but then remembers it’s in the basket at the gathering table. Whenever they go on a mission like the one last night, everybody deposits their cell phones in the basket. Originally, it was just a precaution to avoid blowing their cover during a raid if a phone suddenly went off, but now they fear for traitors among their ranks.

  Unable to call any of his guys for back up, Luke pushes the door open and walks in, feeling like he’s about to be ambushed. No one is in the bar, so he heads to the meeting room. Unfortunately, he can’t tell what is going on due to the soundproof doors. Entering, he finds his father sitting at the table with Mack, Carter and Brian. They are having a heated conversation. A visible look of relief crosses Carter’s face when he sees Luke in the doorway. Luke walks over to Carter, gives him a hug, and then addresses his father.

  “What’s going on, pop?” he asks.

  “Just trying to explain to your thick-headed friend here what happened last night.”

  “So what happened?”

  “Well, after you and Carter left, we waited according to plan and then took off to meet you guys at the lab. The thing is someone gave them a heads-up and we were ambushed before we even got near the club. That’s why we couldn’t give you guys backup when the shit hit the fan for you two.”

  Luke thinks about it for a minute. “So you guys were ambushed then?”

  “I said that,” his father replies, glaring at his son as if daring him to continue.

  “They ambushed you because, of course, someone tipped them off, correct?” Luke asks.

  “And I’ve just said that twice now. Get to your point, Luke!”

  “I just have a problem with this whole ambush story,” Luke continues on. “I just don’t understand why they would have bothered to ambush you when they were taking all their drugs to the safe house. Now how stupid is that? Surely, they wouldn’t want to jeopardize their product. They may be Harbingers but they’re not dumb.”

  Now Luke’s father is pissed. “Who the fuck says they had the drugs with them?” he asks.

  “I’m assuming that’s what’s under that tarp you got covering your truck bed.”

  “It is,” Brian confirms. “I peeked.”

  “So what, the drugs are there, so fucking what?” Luke’s father is getting dangerously angry.

  “Well, that kinda makes your whole ambush story one huge load of bull crap, doesn’t it?” Luke replies.

  He is well aware that he is walking on dangerous ground, calling his father a liar right in front of his men. But he doesn’t think his father will be brazen enough to try anything in front of anybody.

  “What the fuck is your problem, Luke. If I say something happened, then it happened.”

  “What happened to my boy London?” Luke asks.

  “London….London…,” Gunnar says like he’s trying to recall who exactly London is.

  “He’s the guy I sent to check up on things,” Luke cla
rifies. “He was supposed to text me on this burner phone.” Luke holds up a small cheap phone. “Problem is, he never texted me so I know something is seriously wrong here. There was no ambush save for the one that Carter and I walked into. Someone set us up, father!”

  The word ‘father’ is like a cue to both sides of the table and suddenly people are leaping to their feet, knocking chairs backwards. Guns are drawn, and faces become masks of the rage brewing inside each individual. Luke is pointing his Heckler and Koch 9mm at his father. His finger is on the trigger, safety off, and a round is in the chamber. Likewise, his father is pointing his own Glock 17 at Luke. Both Brian and Carter have their firearms drawn and pointing to the person nearest them on the opposite side of the table.

  “You tried to have me killed!” Luke rages.

  “And you tried to kill me the day I got out of prison!” his father shouts back.

  “Harbingers…it was the fucking Harbingers,” Luke shouts back, not caring if his father believes the lie or not.

  “Yeah, you were set up,” admits his father. “But it was a calculated risk. We knew there wouldn’t be more Harbingers in that lab than you and Carter could handle. It was a necessary risk to get a quarter of a million dollar load of crystal meth. The ends justify the fucking means, Luke, so get over it!”

  Luke comes closer than ever to blowing his father’s head clean off his shoulders. What a load of bull crap, he thinks to himself.

  But as bad as he wants to blow Gunnar’s head off, he knows full well he’d be getting Carter and Brian killed as well. The way the club has been divided lately, it would be the end of the Suicide Kings if they were to lose their president, vice president, and possibly their Sergeant at Arms. That’s the last thing Luke wants. He is willing to die but not if that means the club will die as well. He has to find a way to diffuse the situation before someone accidentally or purposely shoots another brother.

  Luke takes a deep breath. “Look, obviously we have some issues to work out here, but is this really the way to do that?” He looks over at Mack, their Sergeant at Arms. “Mack, you’ve been like an uncle to me. Some of my earliest memories are of you teaching me how to ride my mini bike.” Luke looks across the table at a very big, ugly-looking brother. “Big Joe, you took a bullet for me even before I was a brother and I’d gladly take one for you.”

  “You’ve always been my brother, Luke,” Big Joe says, and he stuffs his weapon back in his waist band. “This ain’t right, Kings. We talk it out, not shoot it out.”

  Luke puts his H&K away and so does Brian. Mack follows but Carter keeps his trained on Gunnar, waiting for the president’s next move. Gunnar looks around him. The mood has changed and there’s no way anyone present will back his play to murder his own son; at least not today they won’t. Later, he’ll have a talk with Mack and Big Joe. They should have never backed down, no matter what Luke says and no matter what their history is with his son. That was weak and weakness has to be punished; today's not the day.

  Chapter Twelve

  Home Invasion

  There’s a loud knocking on the front door.

  Kayla jumps up from her recliner and hurries to see who it is. She opens it without thinking and steps back to the side.

  “You’re early—” she begins, but stops mid-sentence.

  Standing in the doorway is her ex- boyfriend, Harbinger biker, Dillon. He’s brought company as well; a rather nasty-looking brute and fellow outlaw biker she’s seen only once. She has no idea why they’re standing on her doorstep.

  “Aren’t you going to let us in?” Dillon asks, as his eyes take liberties with her body.

  Her shorts are far too short and flimsy to withstand the scrutiny from Dillon’s prying eyes. Suddenly aware that she is lacking a bra, Kayla crosses her arms in an attempt to cover herself.

  “Well, are you or aren’t you?” Dillon presses.

  “What the hell are you doing here? And no, I’m not letting you guys in.”

  “Look, I just wanted to talk and I brought Kurt here as a witness to my very honorable intentions. I feel like we left things…a bit strained if you will…”

  “If I will?” Kayla asks with a laugh. “If I will? Honorable intentions? Since when do you talk like that Dillon?” she asks.

  “Since I've decided to make some changes in my life,” he replies.

  “Look Dillon, I’m glad you’re making changes, I really am, but it’s time for me to move on.”

  “I don’t understand, Kayla. I am doing everything you wanted. I’m a different person now, completely.”

  “Yes, I’m sure you are,” Kayla lies. “Now I really need to be going.”

  She starts to shut the door and nearly succeeds but for Dillon’s boot preventing complete closure. Instead of moving his foot out of the way, Dillon lowers his shoulder, takes one big step and all of a sudden Kayla is sprawled out on the floor of her hallway with Dillon and Kurt looming dangerously over her.

  “Look,” Kayla says. She takes a deep breath, trying to keep her voice from shaking in fear. “Someone’s coming over. In fact, he’ll be here any second, so you should leave now.”

  “Who?” he asks. An ugly look is starting to come over his face. “Who’s coming over? Is it a guy? You’d better not be seeing other guys or it’s gonna get real ugly, real fast.”

  Kayla’s heart is pounding in her chest. Icy cold fear is beginning to seize control over her mind as images of her last encounter with Dillon come unbidden to her mind. She scoots backward, trying to put some distance between herself and Dillon’s size thirteen boots.

  “Who is it, Kayla? If you’re seeing another guy, you’d better tell me now.”

  “Really, Dillon? I thought you changed, but you come barging in here just like you always do whether I want your company or not. You just told me two minutes ago that you are a changed man, but you’re behaving like—”

  “Shut up!” he shouts, and then he catches himself and takes a deep breath. “I’m trying to make some changes for you…us. But how can I do that when you keep throwing my past up in my face?”

  “You’re supposed to be making changes for yourself, not for me Dillon!”

  “Why the hell would I want to do that? If I can’t have you, there’s no point changing anything. Geez, you can really be dumb for a nurse sometimes, Kayla.”

  “I’m a Physician’s Assistant, not a nurse; big difference, Dillon, now would just please leave and show me you are a changed man.”

  “Okay fine.” Dillon actually takes a step backwards and begins to turn back to the door. It appears he has every intention of leaving.

  “What’re you doing, man?” asks his friend. “You promised we’d have some fun here and now we’re just leaving? What the hell?”

  Dillon stops in his tracks and it appears he’s having some inner struggle between evil and… and a little less evil.

  Finally, one side wins out. “Sorry Kayla, but I did make a promise…”

  Kayla opens her mouth to scream, but a boot stomping down on her stomach turns the scream into a desperate gasp to get oxygen as all the air in her lungs is forced out in one big burst.

  Kurt steps in, slamming the door behind him. He turns and locks the deadbolt. Kayla gets up to her knees and tries to stand, using the small hall table as a prop. Dillon sees what she is doing and gives the little table a kick. His steel-toe boot strikes a spindly leg, breaking the table in half. Kayla crashes on the floor again.

  A small object rolls to a stop out of Kayla’s reach. It’s her pepper spray. She’d put it on her table just in case, but never thought she’d actually have to use it. She starts to get up to a crawling position when she feels a boot on her ass and suddenly she’s sprawling face first on the carpet. Laughter fills her ears as she feels around for her spray.

  “Why don’t you stay right there, Kayla?” Dillon says. “No point in standing. You’re gonna end up on your face again anyway.”

  Dillon reaches down, grabs Kayla’s left shoulder
and flips her over. As Kayla turns, she brings up her right hand just inches from Dillon’s face. She is holding the pepper spray. She depresses the trigger. Instantly, Dillon finds out just how effective pepper spray can be, especially at close range. He stumbles backwards and goes down hard against Kurt’s legs knocking him off balance. His vision begins to go black as he hits his head against the door knob.

  Kayla takes advantage of the moment and literally climbs over Dillon as she brings her weapon to bear on Kurt. He throws his hands up but it’s too late! He too gets a face full of pepper spray. Not wanting to stop here, Kayla actually climbs back over the howling Dillon. He tries blindly to grab her, but can’t get a grip and Kayla stumbles to her hall closet. She opens the door and fumbles around; but just as she makes contact with the cool metal tube of her weapon, a pair of hands yanks her backwards and away from the closet.

  Kayla screams and kicks viciously at the hands holding her legs, but Dillon has an iron grip. He may still be blinded, but he is deadly strong. Kayla makes one last swipe for the weapon and just manages to grab it. Dillon yanks her leg again and this time she lets him pull her towards him. As he does, she flips over on her back and shoves the steel barrel of the shotgun in Dillon’s face. Both men freeze when they hear the unmistakable sound of a pump action shotgun chambering a round.

  “Get the fuck out!” she screams as her finger begins to depress the trigger. “Get out or I’ll blow both your heads off!”

  Neither men attempt to draw their own weapons. Instead, they feel around for the door in a blind panic until they locate the knob. It takes a minute for them to realize they’ve locked the door and another to manipulate the lock and get the door open. Then they’re stumbling down the side walk and over to their bikes. Kayla stands in the door way and watches as the two men wipe their eyes repeatedly until they’re able to see well enough to ride their bikes. She resists the temptation to shoot indiscriminately at them. No point in getting the neighbors, and then the police involved. She’s pretty sure they won’t be coming back ever again.