Creed
I’m going to tear that man’s throat out.
I daydreamed about wringing that Carrion asshole’s neck, watching those ice-cold black eyes slowly fade into nothing. Then I’d leave his body for the birds. Carrion to the last.
Fury burned like coals under my skin, seething along each one of my veins. The rage coated my vision like a cloud. I could hear Bax trying to calm me with reason, but I didn’t want to be calmed. I wanted Ivy and Josh back now, and I wanted that Carrion asshole to pay for it with his last breath.
Forcing myself to take a deep breath, I turned to Bax. “Why are we trying to storm the hideout? Carlos wants me alone. To talk.”
“Because I don’t trust him,” Bax said, quietly. “We need at least three guys to back you up in case you have to shoot your way out. Besides, we’re not sure it’s a good idea for you to be going in there by yourself.”
I growled. He was probably right; Bax knew me better than anyone. And he knew that I would most likely do something stupid enough to get myself killed if left alone. But that didn’t mean I wanted to agree with him. My barely-contained anger needed a vent, and Carlos’ head sounded like a great place to start.
Pearl drew a vague map of the area in chalk directly on the folding table. The five of us stood in a circle around the table. Pearl had the best memory of any of us, and she remembered what the inside of the base looked like. She and Patrick had been called there on diplomatic sorts of talks on more than one occasion. But it had been years; that already tenuous relationship between the gangs had been worn away by Kelly’s crazed desire for something more.
Beside Pearl was Bax, and he had several hand-picked men he trusted at his side. One was a huge man named Cole and the other was Bax’s brother, Kite. The others were gathering supplies elsewhere. The group of us would be the invasion team after we came up with a plan based on Pearl’s map.
The planning only seemed to be slowing us down, and I needed to leave. The only thing that kept me here was Kelly’s vague orders to “bring a team with you.” I didn’t tell him about the note or about everyone’s sudden decision that I was somehow the next in line to Kelly’s throne.
I didn’t want to think about that. I just wanted to think about Josh and Ivy. And wringing Carlos’ neck.
“Okay, so we’ll send Creed in the front alone, and Kite, Cole, and I will find a side entrance to storm. As long as we’re quiet, we should be able to cover your exit, if you end up needing one. Our priority is Josh. Ignore the woman; she’s not a part of the plan.” Bax was staring at me oddly as he said the words. “Kelly’s orders.”
When I glanced up at them, both Pearl and Bax were watching me, as if waiting for a reaction. I was furious; Kelly’s orders! I knew the men would obey them too, leaving Ivy to fend for herself. I wasn’t sure Ivy would survive it.
“The only way we’ll go in after the both of them is if Creed claims Ivy as his own, making her part of the Edge for the rest of her life,” Pearl finished quietly, annunciating the words slowly like we were learning this for the first time.
But I couldn’t claim Ivy as my own. If my concentration was divided, if I tried to save them both and things went wrong, I would most likely lose both Josh and Ivy. I had to choose one, and my son came first. Even if it felt like someone had driven a knife through my ribs and into my chest at the thought of losing Ivy, I had to take care of my son. Ivy would survive on her own. Or she wouldn’t. It wasn’t my business.
But it feels like it’s my business.
Divided and unsure, I forced myself to pay attention to the plan, but my blood only seemed to boil hotter with every word. Filled with fury, I could barely hear the others discussing the plan around the roaring in my ears and in my mind.
The four of us said goodbye to Pearl, filing into one of the Edge’s few cars. It wasn’t as roomy as Pearl’s ancient van, but it was quiet. Far quieter than we would be on their bikes. It took us about twenty minutes to cross over into Carrion territory and find their base of operations. So far, Pearl’s directions had held up; the front doors of the building were just where we expected them to be. Everything was in order.
Bax parked the car down the hill about a quarter of a mile from the base. It was as close as we dared get and as far as we dared leave the car. I hoped we wouldn’t need to make a break for it; the hill was empty of any cover that would stop bullets. I guess I will just have to make sure the shooting never starts. It wasn’t my strong suit, being diplomatic. Carlos knew it, too. Which meant he was either desperate to stop Kelly, or hoping I would cause an incident that would start a war between the Carrion Club and the Devil’s Edge.
Either way, it would most likely end in Kelly’s death and the loosening of the grip of the cartel in our city. Carlos won either way.
It took every ounce of willpower I had not to turn around, grab the keys, and just drive the damn car through the front of the clubhouse.
Taking a deep breath, I left the boys as they slid around the side of the building in the dark, looking for the side entrance. I walked up to the double doors, my empty fingers itching for my guns, which were holstered at my sides. “They didn’t say unarmed,” I reminded myself.
The front door swung open on silent hinges as I knocked. I took a deep breath, trying to push back the haze of red that threatened to overtake me again, and stepped inside.
And Carlos was waiting for me on the other side.