An Outlaw Monster (Back Down Devil MC #10)(24)

We had our fists up and this * started to dance around me. Kicking his feet and moving his shoulders, trying to get me to do something stupid. I knew patience. They were beaten into me a long time ago and I carried patience on my back.

From the corner of my eye I saw Trev, Jasper, Garvan, and Bryant standing together. They were starting to talk, which was a good thing. These crazy people liked to conduct business with a fight going on. Shit, this was their version of going to a strip club and cutting loose a little.

Danny threw the first punch, which was all I needed him to do.

He clipped my jaw and I set my feet to keep from falling. I threw a right to his gut and it was like punching a wall. I got Danny to crunch down enough so I could sweep at his leg. That could cause him to stumble a little and I went in for the kill. Three solid punches to the face took him back to the van he climbed out of.

Danny lunged forward at me, shoulder down. He slammed into me, lifting me up, and rammed me into the side of the van. Hot pain shot through my back. I started to come down on his back with elbows as he repeated the move three times on me. He broke away from me and moved fast. A trained fighter, probably in the ring and on the streets, he kept himself tight and swung hard and fast. My ribs suddenly felt like they were being shattered one by one. Before I could attempt to defend myself there, fists were at my jaw, cheeks, and eyes. I felt like I was being jumped by two guys.

My head rocked left to right and Danny finally grabbed my hair and threw me to the side. I stumbled and fell to one knee but I wasn’t done yet. That was his biggest mistake. He took me for granted. I looked back at him and watched as he laughed at me. He had some blood on his teeth and licked it off.

“Finish it off!” Garvan called out. “Come on, boy!”

Danny strutted toward me, his right hand cocked back.

I waited until the last second to make my move.

Danny never got a chance to try and hit me with his knockout punch. I stood, turned, and slammed my own right to his nose, busting him open. He grabbed for his face and I grabbed him, walking him to the van. A handful of hair later and I started to smash his face off the van. Even though he tried to protect his face it didn’t matter. The force of my strength was too much.

Slowly, Danny started to drop to his knees.

There was a goddamn dent in the back door of the van. That’s how hard I had been slamming him into it.

I gave him one more good smack to the head and Danny toppled to his side.

I looked back and asked, “Is that enough?”

“Aye,” Bryant said. “Tough, are you?”

I walked to my shirt and leather cut. I grabbed them and put them back on. My face throbbed and bled but I wasn’t going to wipe it away. Wearing blood was a badge of pride in front of the Irish mobsters. They both looked at me, nodding.

“Power has changed,” Trev said.

“The MC is different now,” Jasper said.

“Aye,” Garvan said. “But a change in power doesn’t take away what’s been done.”

“Meaning?” I asked. “What else do you need done here?”

Bryant snapped his fingers. One of the other doors to a van opened and there was an array of guns. It was all the guns Ripper had stored away, hidden from the rest of us.

“These were acquired and purchased,” Bryant said. “We don’t handle refunds.”

“You took the goddamn weapons back,” Trev said.

“That was to see where your honor remained,” Garvan said. “You were open and honest. We appreciate that. Normally we’d just wipe out your club. Fuck it. But I can respect a man who wants to do right.”

“So what makes this right?” Trev asked.

“These are your guns,” Bryant said. “We’ll keep them safe for now. We expect our full payment soon. If we don’t get that payment, I can promise that the massacre unleashed won’t be one you want to see.”

“Aye,” Garvan said. “And your baby will never see its first day of life.”

Trev jumped forward. I managed to grab his arm but he still threw a punch. He barely got Garvan, just enough to send the stubby man back. It wasn’t enough to make him bleed.

I pulled Trev back and Jasper had already drawn his weapon.

“Enough,” Jasper said. “Meeting is over.”

“I was just about to say the same,” Garvan said. “Good company thinks alike.”

“You may change anything you need,” Bryant said. “But the word of a man remains. Even if he’s silenced now. Remember that as a lesson.”

The two members of the O’Nuall family turned and walked away. At the exact same time, they took out their guns and pointed them at Danny. He was climbing back to his feet. Well, he was until they both pulled their triggers and shot him.

They got into their vehicles and the cars drove away.

I looked at Trev. “You okay, Prez?”

“Yeah. I feel like digging up Ripper’s ass and killing him again.”

“Prez!” Cash called out. He was wiggling his phone in his hand. “Call from Max. Says we have a package. A gift from the O’Nuall family.”

“Christ,” Jasper said.

“A gift?” I asked.

“When these guys send a gift, it’s nothing ever good.”

“Meaning what?”