Sabian joined me, Ryder, Jax, and Axel at the table on Ryder’s back deck. He pulled out his seat and dropped into it before raking his fingers through his black hair and lifting his gaze to meet Ryder’s. “Sorry, I’m late.”

Ryder dismissed his apology with a shake of his head and looked around at the rest of us. He’d called the meeting that afternoon after I got him all the information about The Devil’s Hand getting out of prison on Friday. He’d wanted to throw together a plan of action, and when I told him I already had an idea, he arranged for all of us to meet.

It was still weird that there was an empty chair at one end of the table that should have been occupied by Hyde.

I tried to ignore it as Ryder cleared his throat. “You all know why you’re here. That bastard is free as of yesterday afternoon, and we have a plan to eliminate him.”

Axel leaned forward on his elbows. “Eliminate?”

“You heard me right.” Ryder nodded.

Sabian crossed his arms and slumped back in his chair. “Are you going to share the details of this little plan of yours?”

Ryder glanced at me. “It wasn’t my plan, actually. This one is all Derek.”

The others all looked at me. I assumed this was my time to talk. “You all know I have connections from before I joined up with you guys. I decided to put them to use and ask some questions about our big bald problem. Word is The Devil’s Hand will be at Kadia tonight.”

“Can we stop calling this bastard The Devil’s Hand?” Jax hissed. “Let’s simplify it. Can we just stick with The Hand?”

Everyone nodded in agreement and then attention turned back to me. I shrugged one shoulder. “Well, word is The Hand will be at Kadia tonight. I’ve already spoken with Caleb. He knows what to expect, and he’s made arrangements to better accommodate us and our needs. It’s going to be tricky working with so many people around, but it’s going to be the best shot we have at him. And I, for one, am not going to miss that opportunity.”

Sabian glanced between me and Ryder. “So the plan is to kill him, then?”

We both nodded.

Sabian shrugged. “All right. You won’t hear any objections from me.”

“Or me,” Axel grated.

We all looked at Jax, who met our hard stares. “I’m in. What’s the plan, then?”

I looked at Ryder, who stared right back at me. He gestured for me to go ahead. I met the eyes of all the men gathered around me. This felt like we were preparing for war. Five generals all gathered around to bring down a common enemy. A personal threat.

I started talking. “The plan is to separate him from his boys. Caleb has switched his shift and won’t be working the front door. Instead, he’s covering the emergency exit, which opens up onto a back lane where partygoers never venture because it’s pretty shady. Once we get him out there, he’s ours. The trick will just be moving him out there without him getting suspicious of it being a setup.”

Axel was nodding along to my words. “I’m guessing you have an idea of how to lure him out?”

I nodded. “Yes. He responds to action. Violence. If we can start a brawl in the club, Caleb has directed his guys to get The Hand out of there and into that back lane.”

“Really?” Sabian asked.

“Yes,” I said. “Those boys all know what this bastard is capable of, and they don’t want him hanging around their club any more than we want him hanging around our city. This is our best shot. We have backup and the element of surprise. So long as we can get him outside, we can end him.”

There was a buzz of anticipation in the air. It had been a long time since I did anything this real, and I was itching for a fight. I was itching for blood and payback. It had been a long time since I did anything like this, and I hated myself for craving it. I also told myself it was for a good cause. It was for Hyde. It was to protect my brothers and their families.

But I’d be a liar if I denied I just wanted to feel the rush of a good fight again.

The last time I’d been in a brawl was when Ruby and The Hand had the upper hand in this very house. Caleb and I had shown up and let our fists fly, but the odds were so stacked against us that I never had the chance to really let loose. This time would be different.

“Derek?” Ryder asked.

I blinked. I hadn’t even noticed that I’d zoned out. I shook my head. “Sorry. Did someone ask a question?”

“Who’s going to be the one to off him?” Jax asked.

“It doesn’t matter,” Ryder said.

“So long as he’s dead when we leave,” I added.

The men all nodded. Then, Axel piped up again. “So, we’re doing this. What time are we leaving?”

“Just before midnight,” I said. “We have to get there late and do it right away. We can’t risk him seeing any of us beforehand.”

“What about civilians?” Sabian asked.

“What about them?” I asked.

Sabian scratched his chin. “There’s a high risk of someone getting pulled into the fray. I’m not interested in jeopardizing innocent people. Kids, probably, knowing fucking Kadia. Just a bunch of people out to enjoy their night and have a good time. I’m only doing this thing if we’re all on the same page. Nobody else gets hurt.”

It was a small request, and something I should have been on board with right away. All the others were. They nodded their agreement and slowly turned to look at me.

What was I willing to risk to put this fucker in the ground? Myself, easily. My brothers, no. Strangers?

Maybe.

That was a bone-chilling thought.

I looked down at the table. “Agreed. Nobody gets hurt.”

The silence around us was thick. Tense. Everyone had caught on to my hesitation, and I wished I could have taken it back. I was hardened from my years working with Warren. He’d made me into a monster to do his bidding. I’d killed men before. I knew for a fact that not all my brothers around the table had done such a deed. They’d come close, sure, and they had blood on their hands, but it wasn’t the same.

I’d done things. Seen things and never said anything. Said things I couldn’t take back.

Ryder clapped his hands together. “Well. We know what’s expected of all of us tonight then, right? We take care of this and spare a lot of people a lot of shit down the road. This bastard deserves nothing less than what we’re going to give him.”

Sabian nodded. “For Hyde.”

“For Hyde,” we all said in unison.

The waiting would be the worst. It was eight o’clock at night now. That was four hours from the time we were scheduled to arrive at Kadia. Four hours to sit and think about what we were about to do.

Kill a man.

I could swallow it easily. I worried that some of the others might not find it as easy.

Ryder, being the wisest of all of us, quickly changed the subject from the impending deed to lighter things. “So Sabian, is Angela consumed with wedding planning yet?”

Sabian chuckled. “You have no idea. She shows me pictures online daily of napkins and tablecloths and curtains. And table runners. And seat covers. Who the fuck knew so many different kinds of linens existed?”

We all laughed. It was a nervous sort of laugh, an obligated laugh.

“And with her damn family, they’re pulling out all the stops. You should see the venues they want us to use. It’s ridiculous. High-scale golf courses and hotels and shit. Angela and I just want to get hitched in a backyard and have an awesome party. That’s our speed.”

Ryder gestured at his backyard. “She’s all yours.”

Sabian arched an eyebrow. “I think Angela would have something to say about all the old cars and pulled motors lying around. And the yellow grass.”

Ryder chuckled. “Fuck you.”

“Fuck you too.” Sabian grinned.

While the rest of them engaged in thin banter, I tried to keep my mind off the fight around the corner. It was impossible. No matter how hard I tried, all I could think about was The Hand’s face and his wicked smile. I could see him jeering at us, standing over Hyde’s corpse, proud of himself.

I’d never wanted to hurt someone so badly before. It scared me.

“You got any beers in your fridge, Ryder?” I asked, getting to my feet.

He looked up at me. “Yeah. Bring some out for us. Take the edge off.”

“That’s exactly my plan,” I said.

I went into the kitchen. On the fridge, secured by a plain silver magnet, was a picture of Dani and Ryder on his living room sofa. Neither of them was looking at the camera. Dani was in his lap and had her arms wrapped around his shoulders. Her head was thrown back in genuine laughter, and he was looking at her like she was the most magnificent thing he had ever seen.

And she probably was.

He looked happier in that photo than I’d ever seen him.

Fighting down the bitterness rising in my throat, I wrenched open the door and grabbed the box of beer. I lifted it out and closed the door with my hip to avoid looking at the photo again.

It must be nice to have someone there when you got home every day. Someone you could unload all your troubles on. Someone who would wrap their arms around you after some terrible shit went down and tell you over and over that it would all be okay until you believed them.

Dealing with grief and the loss of a friend alone was not easy.

I knew I had the MC, and they were there for me. But the love of a woman was more healing than anything else in this world. I craved it as much as I craved the blood of the man who killed my friend on my knuckles.

Maybe, when all this shit was behind me, I could find a woman who would put all my broken pieces back together. Maybe I could find someone who would make me feel worthy again.