Ruthless Hold (Back Down Devil MC #9)(69)

“Put your gun down, Ripper,” Trev said. “I’ll put you in that storage building and hide you. Nobody will know where you are. There’s how many of them? And one of you?”

“Fuck yourself, Trev,” Ripper said.

“Fine. Fuck myself.”

Trev had to pull the trigger and make it count.

Any shot could result in Ripper pulling his own trigger, killing Trev. It wasn’t all that long ago Trev would have already pulled the trigger. Getting killed was just a part of the life. He never saw himself getting old, visiting the doctors for aches and pains, and then dying in his sleep. He was going to go out big. With a bang.

Not anymore.

He had Eden to love and care for. He had a baby on the way.

A baby.

That meant family. That meant the Back Down Devil MC family was going to grow again.

So that left Trev with another plan.

He moved quick, shooting Ripper’s arm. The bullet blasted through Ripper’s forearm, forcing Ripper to drop his gun. He grabbed for his arm, screaming.

Trev pointed his gun at Ripper. “Now you’re my bitch, Ripper. You never get to make a call again. This is it. This is your dark ride.”

Ripper tried to make a move for another gun and Trev shot him through the shoulder. Ripper screamed again and slumped to the left. There was blood on Griffin’s headstone, along with a chunk of the stone cracked from the bullet.

Sorry, brother.

Trev climbed to his feet. He walked to Ripper and reached down, stripping him of his other weapons. He then forced Ripper to his feet. There was blood everywhere on Ripper and he looked at Trev, his eyes already getting weak.

“You’ll pay for this,” Ripper said. “All of this. You need me alive to survive, Trev.”

“Nobody needs you alive,” Trev said. “Walk.”

Trev forced Ripper through the cemetery. The way he walked, it looked as though they were zombies in some cheap horror movie.

When they got to the storage building, Trev walked Ripper inside and let him fall to the ground. Ripper started to crawl forward. To his left, Trev saw a can of gas. He grabbed it and put it outside the storage building.

Ripper reached up and opened a drawer. He pulled it out and it fell, spilling bullets all over the floor. They were the bullets Pete had collected from Trev putting them on Griffin’s grave each time he visited.

“Son of a bitch,” Trev said with a grin.

He crouched and picked up one of the bullets.

His memory overtook his mind for a few seconds.

That was a huge mistake.

*

Trev saw the blade coming at him. He managed to lift his right arm and felt his skin give way. He fell back and Ripper came at him, finding his last bit of strength, wanting to kill Trev.

“Fuck you,” Ripper growled.

They were large shears, meant for cutting the branches of bushes. That meant they would make a great killing weapon and they were in the hands of a man who loved to kill.

The motorcycles were louder, only seconds away.

Miller and the guys would be here. But Trev still had to survive Ripper.

The blades came down again and Trev moved just in time. The shears hit the stone floor, making a scrapping sound that was like nails on a chalkboard. Trev managed to roll away from Ripper, but Ripper was quick, fighting through his own pain. He stabbed Trev in the back, the blades sliding into his body with ease.

Trev let out a cry and felt the wind get sucked out of his body. He reached forward and grabbed a brick off a small stack that had been so perfectly organized. He sucked in a breath and swung back, smashing the brick off Ripper’s head.

A second later, Ripper was face down on the floor, knocked out.

Trev favored his shot shoulder and stabbed back, crawling forward and then to his knees. When he looked out, he saw Miller, Gaige, and Blaine running toward him.

“Jesus,” Miller yelled. “What happened?”

“Trust issues,” Trev said out of breath. “He made some call, Miller. I don’t know what about. He was getting me to bring him here and then backup was coming. He tried to take me out. I had to fight back.”

“Is he dead?” Gaige asked.

Trev was on his feet. Blaine had an arm around him.

“No,” Trev said. “Knocked out. Miller, you have to do it. You have to kill him. It’s only right.”

“Fine,” Miller said. He reached for his gun.

“Wait,” Trev said. “I have an idea. To honor Griffin. For everything that’s happened.” With each sentence, Trev felt more pain and felt weaker.

“What?” Blaine asked.

“Gas… pour the gas in there. Light it up. The bullets… I put a bullet on Griffin’s grave each time I visited. Stupid, I know, but maybe Griffin can get his revenge now.”

Blaine helped Trev back and sat him down.

He then watched as Gaige poured the gas. Miller struck up his lighter and tossed it into the storage building. Flames ignited a second later.

After that, when the bullets were hot enough, they started to explode.

Trev put his head back and shut his eyes.

For you, Griffin.

Then Trev thought about Eden. He couldn’t wait to touch her face, taste her lips. Strip her naked. Devour her body top to bottom. Kissing her belly so softly, knowing there was something miraculous happening in there.