Andre

 

“Okay, people…” I pace back and forth in front of nine men and two women. “A member of our crew is up shit’s creek, so we need to go get her. But it won’t be easy. Her father is a cop, and he’s completely nuts. So is his partner, Officer Crow, which means that the whole station could be in need of some mood stabilizers. I hate hiding out in this place like a coward as much as the rest of you, but not everyone will be able to go. I need some of you to stay, here because this is where Kristel will come once we grab her. First of all, do I have any volunteers who want to stay here?”

 

No one holds up a hand or says anything.

 

“Figures.” I offer them all a wry smile. “Hailey and Debbie, you’re with me. You two will flank me and watch my back while I go in and get Kristel. Grant, you’re about my size, so you can be my ‘double’. You’ll hop on my bike and pretend to be me to distract Kristel’s parents. At this point, anything goes, so use your best judgment. Erik, Carter, and Stanley, I need you boys to follow Grant, but stay out of sight. If he gets into trouble, you guys are there for him. Everyone else will stay here and keep an eye on the place. Make sure you’re armed at all times and, if you have to use a firearm, shoot to kill. That goes for other weapons, too, or whatever the hell you happen to have handy. I’m not fucking playing, and neither are they. Any questions?”

 

“Yeah.” Debbie steps closer to me and folds her arms across her chest. She’s a big girl with a lip ring and too much eye shadow, but she can take down any one of my crew members any day of the week. “How do we know where they are?”

 

“I gave Kristel a phone a while back, and it has a GPS setting.” I hold up my own phone. “I’ve already sent locations and information regarding her whereabouts to all of you, so no one has any excuse to fuck up.”

 

A few of my members laugh softly, and I flash them a quick grin. “I take it that means everyone is ready to get this over with?”

 

“Yeah, let’s roll!”

 

“Fuck those cops, kill 'em all!”

 

“Let’s do this!”

 

“Hell yeah!”

 

The room erupts into enthusiastic cheering and excited rambling, so I make my way over to Grant and clap a hand over his shoulder. “Hey. You ready for this?”

 

“Yeah, I’m ready. Are you?” He smiles at me and dips his chin in a nod.

 

“I’m ready.” My body doesn’t exactly feel ready, but no one needs to know how much pain I’m really in. “Here, take my jacket. You need to play hard to convince Bryce that you’re me.”

 

As he takes my jacket and pulls it on, he scoffs at me. “Please! I’ve known you since before you could crawl, it’s not hard being you.” He puffs out his chest and struts around in a circle while pretending to smoke a cigarette.

 

I roll my eyes and playfully punch his chest. “No, man, that’s not even close to me. Am I gonna have to pick someone else for my role?”

 

“Like I’d let anyone else take it!”

 

I chuckle and ease out a deep breath. As dire as the circumstances are, I feel good about this. I feel like we’ll get the job done, just like we always do. Kristel will be back in my arms by the time the day has ended. “All right, enough shit talking. Let’s get this done.”

 

“Let’s do it!” Grant gives me a sharp nod and grabs my bike helmet. When he turns his back and slides the helmet on, I have to admit he looks just like me. That’s good. If it can fool me, it’s almost guaranteed to fool the cops.

 

Erik, Carter, and Stanley follow Grant out the front door, and within seconds I hear the rumble of bikes. I know my own by heart, and it heads out first in the direction of Kristel’s GPS coordinates. Within a few minutes, I hear the other three bikes as they go in the same direction. It’s now or never.

 

“All right, Hailey, Debbie, you’re with me. Hailey, you’re our best driver so you take the wheel. Debbie, make sure you have extra ammo just in case. I know you’re a good shot with that rifle, but this is do or die.”

 

“You’re so dramatic.” She rolls her eyes and waves her middle finger at me.

 

I let out a snort of laughter. “Okay, then, we’re good. Let’s go!” As I half run toward the door, I pat myself down to make sure I have all the gear I need: Handgun, throwing knives, armored vest, survival and first aid gear, and a bag for food, water, and clothes. It may seem like overkill, but anything is possible. Kristel and the baby are worth the supplies to me. They’re even worth lives.

 

Debbie is in the car first, and I slide in next to her. As soon as I close the door, Hailey slams on the gas. We tear away from the safe house, and my eyes shift to the GPS up by the rearview mirror. I can see the location of everyone, including Kristel. She’s a bright red dot while everyone else is orange. I wish we had the technology to track the cops, but the police scanner in place of the radio will have to do. I check the extra ammunition in my bag as we close in fast. There isn’t as much as I want, but if the cops raid the safe house, the rest of the crew will need all the help they can get.

 

Within a few minutes, the traffic begins to slow down. I pay attention to the police scanner, but so far there’s nothing going on over on this part of town. From what I can tell from the GPS, Kristel is about half a mile ahead of us.

 

“Hailey, get us closer.”

 

“Andre, I fucking can’t. They won’t let me through!”

 

“Make them!”

 

She grinds her teeth and hisses as she jerks the steering wheel over and literally drives onto the shoulder and sidewalk of the road. There is a cacophony of honks and shouts, but my eyes are on the goal up ahead: Kristel’s car. I think I see it up ahead. It’s dark red with a tennis ball on the antenna.

 

“Turn onto any side street you can get onto, Hailey, so we don’t get caught up in this jam.” As I speak, I hear Officer Crow’s voice on the radio:

 

“We’ve got one biker on the corner of Max Street and Dulna Avenue. Requesting backup, now! I have my eyes on one, and he’s got a gun in his hand. Traffic has stopped. Again, I have an armed biker on the corner of Max and Dulna. Backup requested immediately.”

 

Hailey jerks the wheel to the left, and the car rushes around a corner and into an alley. As it slams to a stop, I open my door. “Keep it idling. You two stay by the car. Debbie, you be ready with the rifle in case I get in shit.”

 

Both women nod, and as I stay low and creep toward the road, I hear Debbie behind me with the rifle. The sound of a cartridge shooting into the chamber comforts me more than it scares me. I know the Black Knights who remain are like family now. I have to trust them as much as I trust Kristel despite some of the setbacks we’ve had.

 

When I reach the sidewalk, I want to break into a trot, but keep walking. My whole body vibrates with anticipation, and my eyes continuously scan the cars. The closer I get to that red car with the tennis ball on the antenna, the more I’m convinced it’s Kristel’s vehicle.

 

I come to an unsteady halt when I see a tall, burly man climb from that red car. Even though I can only see him from behind, I know it’s Officer Bryce. I recognize that haircut and that heavy build. My jaw grows tight and my nostrils flare. I breathe deep to keep myself calm, my eyes narrowed. If I lose my head here, it’s all over and I may never see Kristel again.

 

Up ahead, I spot a police cruiser. It stops about a mile down the road, and there’s a slight decline so I can see everything from my higher vantage point. Grant rolls up on my bike, and with that helmet and leather jacket, he still looks just like me, especially from a distance. He revs the engine to get attention, and suddenly the cop car’s lights flash in flickers of red and blue. Close to me, his back still turned, Bryce breaks into a run and heads down toward Grant, and I notice a line of orange cones across the entire intersection. No one wants to go through. They probably think there’s some kind of construction going on, and while it’s a brilliant plan, it won’t last for long. Horns are already starting to blare, and I hear confused murmurs from people in cars close to me.

 

As Crow gets closer and closer to Grant, I make my move. With a sharp huff, I break into a trot and weave my way through the traffic jam toward that red car. The tennis ball on the antenna is like a beacon. No other vehicle in its vicinity has one. I don’t have to look back to make sure Debbie and Hailey are on the ball. As soon as I have Kristel, I have faith that they’ll be there.

 

I hear shouts up ahead, but I can’t pay any attention to that right now. Kristel is less than ten cars ahead of me. My heart thunders in my chest, and I can barely take in a breath when I see her slam her hands against the window. She is clearly trying to get out, but her mother has her by the wrist and the doors don’t seem to open. They must have child locks. Her eyes are locked on Grant, but she must think it’s me. Why else would she be trying to get to him?

 

Five cars from Kristel’s vehicle, I speed up. A quick glance tells me that Crow is almost at the intersection. I see him reach for his gun.