Something in the air just didn’t feel right.

Then there was the soft, muffled sound, and I immediately grabbed a hand towel on my way out the bathroom door. I wiped my face mostly clean with a swipe, then tossed the towel aside.

When I glanced out the front window, I growled with rising, raging combo of complete surprise and bitter fury.

NO.

I rushed to the door, but Mudflap was already tossing Kate in the back of a trunk. He was ready for me, and whipped out a pistol before I could make it halfway to him. He was clearly untrained, holding the gun slightly off-center with one hand, making no effort to steady the weapon against the kick. He’d be lucky to hit the broad side of a barn with that thing, even at this range.

“Holy shit,” he sputtered, his gaze having fallen down to my swinging cock. “Did they make you get a conceal permit for that shit?”

“Give her back,” I snarled.

“Not happening,” he spat back.

Doors started to open as a few other tenants poked their heads out, immediately drawn to the sight of a showdown in the lot – and one of the men being bare-assed naked.

“Inside!” He snapped, waving the gun around at them. “Or you all fucking die! Get back in there!”

The doors slammed.

The gun swung back at me again but I was already moving. Bullets started to ring out and the window behind me shattered into a million pieces. I spun and dove through the new opening, sailing through the air over the shitty window air conditioner and landing hard on the bed. A piece of stray glass cut a long line across my side as I tumbled, but the pain barely registered in my mind as I focused on the gunfire. More bullets kept coming, slamming into the far wall. Ten… Twelve… Fourteen…

Click…

I knew that sound. Mudflap just blew his fucking wad right there in the parking lot. He was out of bullets, and my hands were already lifting my vest from the floor and pulling a vicious looking 9mm free.

I could hear Mudflap slam the trunk shut.

I bolted for my jeans. I didn’t even bother with the boots or shirt.

I’d tried to spare this miserable fuck’s life. That was a mistake I wasn’t going to make twice.

I left the duffelbag of weapons in the closet, but it didn’t matter. I had everything I needed. One half empty glock and a rage burning like the surface of the fucking sun.

My bike keys were in my hands as I shoved my way out the door, pistol raised for action.

Mudflap was already peeling out of the fucking place like a bat out of hell. I lifted the gun, steadied it in both hands, and squeezed off a single shot. The rear driver side tire blew out, sending him skidding onto the main road as the rubber disintegrated on the rim.

That’s right.

Run, motherfucker, run.

‘Cause nothing can save you from me.

He was already out of sight as I brought the kickstand up with a bare foot and revved my engine, but I could hear the metal grinding on pavement as he made his getaway. I tucked the gun into the back of my jeans and peeled the fuck out of there.

Even on three tires he was making good headway as I hit the main road, but I could still see his car sparking off in the distance. He quickly blew through a red light and turned for the interstate…

At least I know which way he’s going, I thought to myself as I watched him head east – back towards Metairie.

He was bringing her back to her cage.

Not if I have anything to say about it…

I revved the engine and roared down the road, hoping that I’d have enough time before the police started heading this way. The last thing I needed was some stupid fuck in a uniform letting this asshole get away.

The light stayed red as I roared to it, but I wasn’t willing to lose my momentum. A quick glance both ways told me I was clear enough, and I rumbled through just in time for some jackass in a pickup to get the same idea.

Horns blared and curses were shouted as I raged through the intersection, hearing the crunch of metal and rubber behind me.

It didn’t look like a dangerous wreck, but it would be a costly one.

My eyes came forward just enough to see that I was dipping into oncoming traffic, and I quickly veered back as more horns blared and brakes squealed.

The interstate turn-off was just ahead, and I hit that round curve fast enough that it was a goddamned miracle the bike held grip on the road. I’d lost sight of him, and interstate traffic was blocking my view.

And then there he was.

The sneaky fucker was trying to hit the next exit on the freeway so I’d speed on past. Maybe he was hoping to hop onto the back-roads and swap cars.

Not today, motherfucker.

I twisted the throttle and flew up the side of the interstate, narrowly avoiding the barrage of highway signs advertising the local food and loding.

I was getting too dangerous now.

One wrong move, and I’d lose life and limb…

Mudflap was wrestling the car to keep it straight. But now he had to see me coming. Came as no surprise when I saw the gleam of something at the window, and quickly forced my bike to the side.

It was just in time to avoid a bullet. Guess he had time to reload…

I heard the sound of screeching vehicles behind as the shot pierced one of them. Another shot rang out, striking the road.

Goddammit, I thought to myself.

This asshole’s gonna end up killing a civilian before he hits me.

I didn’t like it…

I knew what I had to do.

Before he could get another shot off, I steadied myself against the handlebars and pulled my pistol free from my beltline.

God help me, I prayed.

I have to endanger her to save her.

Make my aim true.

Without any choice but to pull forward, I sped up – putting me closer to the gun on that driver’s side window. He fired another shot, missing me by a country fucking mile.

Now.

I fired three bullets at the front tire, and at least one of them hit their mark. With two tires blown out the old car rattled and swerved, and Mudflap lost grip on his fucking gun. I watched it skitter across the pavement as he desperately tried to overcorrect the car’s slide, only managing to swing the vehicle off the road and spin it out into the ditch.

Wham!

The car struck a tree and collapsed against the wood, shaking the heavy boughs. I quickly pulled over and dismounted, sliding barefoot into the large ditch with my pistol held high. From here, the car was almost completely hidden from the road and sitting in water a foot deep.

“Kate?” I shouted. “Kate, are you okay?”

There was a rummaging from the trunk, and I took that as a yes.

But before I could rush over the front passenger door flew open, and the fucking scourge of my existence fell out the car in a battered, bloody heap in the ditch.

“That’s right, Mudflap,” I growled with my approach, gradually lowering the pistol. “Let’s end this.”

Mudflap slowly rose from the water, dripping with anger. I spotted a knife in his hand as he pulled himself to his feet.

Not this shit again…

“You…” Mudflap snarled, staggering upright. “You have been… such a fucking pain… in my goddamn ass…”

“I have given you every chance to walk away from this,” I growled menacingly, standing my ground in front of him. “I should have killed you when I had the fucking chance!”

My enemy’s face twitched.

“She’s mine. Open the trunk and I’ll let you live,” I growled.

“You filled her head with bullshit.”

“What?”

“You made her hate me,” he snarled.

“You did a damn good job of that before I ever showed up,” I smiled grimly. “All I did was try to keep her safe.”

“We were just on the rocks! Taking a little break!”

“She’s in the back of your fucking trunk!” I shouted, reminding him with a wave of my gun. “You had to take her away to have her! Kate doesn’t want you anywhere near her.”

“You think you’re such hot shit, huh? Think can just walk right in like a damn two-dollar note and take what don’t belong to you?” Mudflap roared. His eyes were white with fury. “Could’ve just walked away and let sleeping dogs lie, but then you’ve gotta be some chicken-shit wannabe hero!”

My eyes slid over to the trunk of his car. Kate was still trapped in there, and there was no telling what he was going to do with her after all of this…

“You’re a goddamn coward, Mudflap.”

“I’m a fucking hero,” he held his arms open, the knife still clasped hard in his fist.

“You’re a dangerous fucking psychopath. You’re a punk with a tantrum who thinks he’s a big boy. All because he’s in some piece-of-shit, backwater biker gang that nobody’s fucking heard of.”

“They’ll hear about us soon enough. Once we kill the legendary Devil’s Dragons, everyone will fucking know who we are…”

“Kill the Devil’s Dragons?” I roared with laughter. “You have any idea how many people want us dead? You’re gonna have to get in fucking line.”

“We got somethin’ they don’t,” he chuckled like a stupid fucking idiot.

“Yeah, you do,” I snarled, ready to end this, once and for all. “You’ve got something the others didn’t: my undivided fucking attention… and the others were destroyed with less than that.”

I could see him quake at those words.

You’re not fit to be a biker,” I told him. “You’re just a disgusting coward and a lunatic, Mark. Nobody will ever know who you are… and nobody will care.”

Something twisted in his face, and he lunged forward with the knife held high…

A bullet pierced the night, and wood splintered behind him.

“FUCK!!”

I stepped aside as Mark dropped to the water, clutching his arm. The knife flew uselessly to the grass behind me, rolling to the edge of the water.

Two bullets left…

“You… bastard!!”

I pitied the sad fuck.

I honestly did.

And maybe, I thought to myself, it was better that I put this rabid dog down now, before he ever hurt anybody else.

He clutched his wounded arm, bleeding into the ditch. The hollow point round certainly did some damage. Mark glanced up from his spot on his knees, cradling the broken limb. That arm was probably just shy of useless, and he’d be feeling that bullet for a long time.

“Nobody had to die today,” I snarled. “Nobody had to be hurt. All of you fuckers could’ve walked. Could’ve licked your wounds and moved on with your fucking lives. But you’ve pushed me too far.”

I held the gun up, pointed between his eyes. One little flick of the trigger…

“D-don’t,” he whimpered.

“I can’t hear you, Mark.”

“D-don’t k-k-kill me,” he began to stammer, his tough shell cracking on the ground in front of me. “I d-d-don’t want to die…”

There was no satisfaction in my stare.

“Promise me, then,” I replied.

“P-promise you w-what?”

“Promise me that you will never, ever seek out Kate again… that you’ll accept this gift I offer you and never darken us with your presence for the rest of your life…”

“Ok-okay.”

I put a boot on his shoulder, still holding the gun against him. “Not good enough, Mark. I want to hear the words.”

“Y-yes sir… I p-promise…”

This wasn’t going to stick, I realized. In order for him to never come after us again, I had to wound him deeper.

And with just a little intimidation…

“I need more than that,” I decided, pushing the barrel harder against his head.

“W-w-what?”

“Your name,” I told him gravely.

“My… my n-name?”

“Yes, Mudflap,” I answered. “I need your name. You’re unfit to call yourself a fucking biker, so I’m gonna take your name away.”

“Y-you can’t d-do that…”

“I have beaten you, and I outrank you,” I answered darkly. Of course, that last part had nothing to do with it, but he didn’t need to know that. “So, I am going to ask you one time, and one time only… and you’ll want to answer this correctly… what is your name?”

I pushed down on the gun harder.

Whatever was left of this hard-ass Mudflap identity died in his eyes when he quivered under my livid gaze. He had tried so hard to take everything from me… so I would punish him appropriately.

I would let him live.

But I would take everything away.

“M-M-Mark,” he answered.

“Repeat it.”

“My name is M-M-Mark F-Ferguson…”

“Good,” I replied, pulling the boot back as I lowered the gun. My eyes caught the telltale sign of flashing red and blue lights on the trees behind him. “And there’s a silver lining here, even if you don’t see it that way.”

“W-what’s that?”

The police cruisers pulled to a stop above and behind us. I heard the sounds of officers assembling while a K-9 unit growled.

“Should have no trouble making good on that promise with some years behind bars to think on your fucking mistakes…”