“I’ll shoot off the fireworks. The rest of you keep your eyes on the perimeter.” Morgan bent down and grabbed the grill lighter.

“You know what you’re doing, man?” Frisco asked, dragging his fingers through his hair.

“I was shooting off fireworks when you were still jackin’ off to tittie magazines.” Morgan smirked before letting out a booming laugh. “I got this.”

“Let’s spread out.” Thomas pointed around the yard where our friends and family sat on their blankets, waiting for the fireworks display to start.

“I have a bad feeling about this.” Mike shifted from foot to foot before stalking off to the right corner of the woods.

“It’ll be fine,” Sam said before jogging off in the opposite direction.

I smoothed my hands down my pants, wiping off the sweat that had started to coat my palms. For once, I agreed with Mike. I had a shitty feeling. Just days ago, someone had been sitting in the woods, watching me, and now everyone I cared about sat on the lawn in plain view.

“Joe, come with me,” Thomas said, yanking on the sleeve of my shirt to get my attention.

“Right,” I muttered and looked over my shoulder at Suzy, Gigi, and the babies, spread out on a blanket near the door to the patio. My heart ached at the thought of anything happening to them.

There wasn’t one person sitting in the yard that I could handle losing. Even Sam. No one deserved to lose their life to the shitheads from the Sun Devils MC. The government was supposed to protect Thomas’s and James’s identities, but just like everything else, it could be bought for a price.

When the first firework exploded above, I jumped. “Fuck.” My heart started to race and I shook my hands out, rolling my head on my shoulders to let go of some of my anxiety. I caught a glimpse of the red embers as they cascaded toward the ground.

Thomas turned to face me, placing his hands on my shoulders. “Relax, Joe. Nothing will happen to anyone.”

“I wish I had your confidence, brother.”

“Just breathe. This will all be over soon.”

“How do you know?” I don’t know if I’d ever been as fearful as I was in that moment. Not for myself, but for my family.

“They won’t stay hidden for long. They can smell the blood.”

For fuck’s sake—his words didn’t bring me solace.

I stood next to Thomas, trying to keep an eye on the woods and not get distracted by the sound of the fireworks. Every time one exploded, my eyes would dart around the yard to make sure it was only the fireworks and nothing else.

The hair on the back of my neck stood at full attention. Movement in the woods caught my eye. “Thomas.” I narrowed my eyes, honing on the same familiar red glow in the distance. “Over there.”

He turned slowly. “Act normal. Don’t give it away that we’ve spotted him. Walk with me.” He motioned with his chin toward the woods in the direction of the glow.

Slowly, we made our way into the woods, pulling our guns out of the back of our pants as we walked. The guy got away last time, but there was no way in hell it would happen again.

Less than a hundred feet into the woods and the light disappeared. Thomas motioned to head to my right while he headed to the left. Hopefully, we’d come up behind him without him knowing we were heading in his direction.

I listened for the sounds of branches breaking under the feet of whoever was watching us from the woods, but I heard nothing.

All that mattered was making him run in the opposite direction of the family.

My feet moved faster, matching my heartbeat as I pushed aside the twigs. The sound of a breaking branch in the distance made my breathing falter.

I took off running, heading straight toward the noise, seeing Thomas doing the same out of the corner of my eye.

A loud bang rang out, and I thought it was firework until Thomas fell to the ground. Oh God! Thomas’s body crumpled and I ducked, trying to find out where the shot came from.

Every muscle in my body tightened and the adrenaline kicked in, pushing me forward after the intruder when I heard another branch crack.

I didn’t have time to stop.

I needed to get the man who had just shot my brother in order to keep everyone else safe. My hands shook, gripping the gun tighter than I should have as I ran in the direction of the gunshot. Tree branches smacked me in the face, blocking my way as I got closer.

The distance between us shortened, but before I could get to him, another gunshot rang out. I didn’t stop running, picking up the pace and heading straight into danger. If it took my life to keep everyone else safe, it was worth it. No one would hurt what was mine. No one could take them away from me. Holding the gun in front of me, I cleared the brush and saw James standing above something on the ground.

“Joe! It’s me. Don’t shoot,” he said, hunching over and resting his hands on his knees with the gun still in one hand. “I got him.” He sucked in a breath.

I turned to where Thomas had gone down and saw lights in the distance. “He shot Thomas,” I told him, running up to the body and looking down, clutching my chest.

“Fucking Cowboy.” James spit on him and he moaned, gurgling up blood as it started to ooze from his mouth. “Piece of shit.”

“What the fuck, man? How did you get here so fast?”

“I came around from the back before Morgan started shooting off the fireworks. I just didn’t get here quick enough.” He straightened and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, still clutching the gun.

“He’s not dead.” I pointed toward the piece of shit and stood with my feet wide apart, lifting my gun and pointing it at him.

“He will be.” James wrapped his hand around my wrist. “He won’t last long. Don’t shoot him, man.”

My hand shook and my finger started to squeeze the trigger.

“Don’t do it, Joe. I know you want to, but you’ll go to jail. Think of your family.” He pushed my hand down, slowly removing the gun from my hand.

My arm was still extended with trembling hands. “I should’ve been the one to shoot him, James.”

“Killing someone, no matter whom, is a guilt you don’t want on your conscience.”

We both stood over him as he reached into the air like we were going to help him. We stared down at him, watching him gasping for breath before his hand fell to the ground and he grew silent.

“He’s not my first kill, Joe,” James admitted and shook his head. “I know how to deal with it.”

What do you say to someone when they admit they’ve killed people? Fuck if I know. “Thomas,” I whispered, turning my back on the bastard who had shot my brother.

James and I took off, running toward the lights in the distance. “The ambulance is on the way!” Pop yelled before we were even within fifty feet of Thomas.

Angel sat at his side, clutching his shirt and crying into his chest. “Thomas!” she yelled through her tears, gasping for air out of fear.

“Fuck,” I said, feeling tears threatening to fall. “This shouldn’t have happened.”

Izzy ran to James, wrapping herself around him in tears. “Is he going to die, James?”

“I don’t know, baby. Let me look at him.” James untangled her, handing her off to me before kneeling down next to Thomas.

His eyes fluttered open. “Angel,” he whispered, reaching up and touching her face.

“Thomas!” she yelled, leaning over him and kissing his face. “Thomas, are you okay, baby?”

“I don’t know.” He grimaced and closed his eyes again.

“Someone give me a light,” James said, holding his arm in the air.

Izzy pressed a few buttons on her phone and turned on the flashlight before handing it to her husband. “It’s a pretty big hole. We gotta get him to the house.”

The sound of the ambulance going down the street that ran between the house and woods broke through the sobs and panic.

“I’ll carry him,” James said, scooping his arms underneath Thomas.

“I can do it,” I said, pushing him out of the way. He was my brother, and he took a bullet instead of me. When I lifted him, my legs started to shake, but I didn’t let it stop me.

I walked quickly, trying to avoid hitting any branches on my way to the yard. When we emerged, the entire family stood around, holding their hands over their mouths in tears.

“Joe,” Suzy screeched and ran toward me with her arms outstretched. “Oh my God, Thomas.”

“I have to get him to the front yard.” My voice was strangled, and he had started to feel like a ton of bricks in my arms.

“Thomas!” Ma yelled from across the yard, running in our direction.

I didn’t stop and let her see him. It was too important to get him to the front yard when the paramedics arrived. When I rounded the house, the ambulance pulled into the driveway. Two men hopped out and started running toward us with their gear.

I collapsed onto the ground, shielding Thomas from the impact. Laying him down, I scooted away on my ass and made room for the paramedics.

The enormity of the situation hit me when Suzy wrapped her arms around me from behind and whispered, “He’s going to be okay, Joe.”

I lost it.

Tears streamed down my face and my entire body started to shake. I grabbed her hands, clutching them to my chest as I watched them work on my brother.

“He’s critical,” the one man said as they lifted him onto the gurney.

“Oh, God,” I said, staring up at the stars before sealing my eyes shut and saying a prayer. Thomas didn’t deserve to go out like this.

---

“Mrs. Gallo,” the nurse said, walking into the waiting room. She was met with five women who said yes. “Mrs. Thomas Gallo.”

“Yes,” Angel said, pushing the others to the side.

“They’ve taken your husband into surgery to try to control the internal bleeding and remove the bullet.”

Angel grabbed her chest, twisting her shirt in her fist. “Will he live?”

“It’s too soon to say, ma’am, but the doctors are doing everything they can.”

Her legs started to give way, and Suzy grabbed her around the waist, catching her before she collapsed to the floor.

“He’s strong, Angel. He’ll make it,” Suzy whispered to her and stroked her hair.

Angel sobbed, walking backward toward the waiting room chairs with Suzy’s assistance. “I can’t lose him.”

“I knew something bad was going to happen,” Mike said, smashing his head into the wall behind us.

“We all made the decision, Mike.” I stood, needing a bit of space. I couldn’t believe we were here again. Too much time had been spent in hospitals.

Ma was around the corner, leaning against the wall for support.

“Ma,” I whispered and pulled her into my arms.

“No mother should outlive her children, Joseph,” she cried, burying her face in my chest and fisting my T-shirt in her hands.

I held her head in my hands. “Shh, Ma. He’ll make it.” I promised her something I knew I couldn’t deliver.

“You don’t know that,” she whispered, peering up into my eyes as tears streamed down her face.

If we lost Thomas because of tonight, I didn’t know how I’d hold it together. Without him, we might just fall apart.