“There she is!” Randy hissed, pointing toward an opening in the trees.

 

Scott’s head snapped around to where Randy was looking and saw Jess as she ran across the field. She was running at an angle away from the house and toward the road.

 

“Get Angela! Hurry!” Scott ordered as he burst from his hiding place, running for the truck. They could pick her up on the road and be away in minutes, but before he could reach the truck, he saw Val burst from the same cut in the trees, then farther away but closer to the road, another man.

 

“Jess!” Scott shouted in warning. As he watched, she began to arc back toward the house, her arms and legs pumping furiously. Val changed course, as well, and he had the angle on her. Scott pulled his weapon and drew a careful bead on Val and fired, emptying his weapon, but Val was just too far away to hit. He ejected the magazine and slammed home his spare, but held his fire. This was his last load and he had to wait until Val was closer.

 

***

 

Jess watched as Scott fired in her direction, but she didn’t slow, so relieved to see him nothing could stop her from reaching him. She snagged her toe on something in the tall grass and fell, but bound back to her feet immediately, barely slowing.

 

She saw his pistol pop up again, then the rest of the men with him do the same as the air was split with the sounds of gunfire, their guns pointed in the same general direction.

 

She was almost out of gas, but she forced her legs to move, refusing to slow, her side burning and her breath heaving in her chest. She stumbled again, but didn’t fall, gritting her teeth against the pain in her side.

 

She heard several pops from guns behind her and the men with Scott scurried behind his truck and crouched down. She finally broke out of the knee-high grass in the field and onto the well-manicured lawn surrounding the house. There were several more pops and a couple of sharp pings as a couple of holes appeared in the side of the truck. She rounded the end of the truck and Scott was waiting for her, taking her into his arms, holding her tight and kissing her head frantically as she almost collapsed, breathing so hard she couldn’t even speak.

 

***

 

Scott held her a moment then lowered her gently to the ground behind a wheel and propped her against the truck. “Sit there and don’t move,” he said as he let her go and turned to face the threat.

 

Val had slowed to a walk as ten, then twelve Angels, including Jason, appeared from the woods, but no Rick.

 

“What are we doing here, Ed?” Randy asked.

 

“This is Scott’s play. We back him,” Ed growled as he sat with his back the truck.

 

“We’re going to try to get out of here,” Scott said.

 

“Angela is still in the house,” Ed reminded him. He said it calmly, as if nothing more than a gentle reminder, but they weren’t leaving without her.

 

“Yeah, I know. That’s our Ace in the hole,” Scott said, then glanced at Ed. “Don’t worry. We’re not trading Angela for Jess.”

 

Jess stood up beside him and crouched low as he was, still breathing hard but not on the brink of collapse any more. “Why is she here?”

 

“Have you forgotten how she is?” Ed asked with a grin.

 

She still didn’t have the breath to laugh, but she understood what he meant. Angela did what Angela wanted, and if the world didn’t like it, it could fuck off.

 

“We just want to leave, Val!” Scott shouted, loud enough for him to hear. “This doesn’t have to get any messier!”

 

“You think you can get away? You have another think coming.”

 

“I just want to take Jess and leave. That’s all.”

 

“Not fucking likely!” All of them jumped when Val fired twice and Scott’s truck suddenly listed to the side as both tires on far side were shot out.

 

“Just let me go! Please, Uncle Val!”

 

“Oh, we’re way past that now, little girl! You’re going to have to pay for what you’ve done.”

 

“Fuck!” Scott snarled quietly from behind the truck.

 

“He’s lost it,” Ed said quietly.

 

“Yeah,” Scott replied then raised his voice again. “Val! We have your wife and kids.”

 

“Nice try!”

 

“We have a man inside with a gun on…” Scott paused as he tried to remember Val’s wife’s name.

 

“Jodi,” Ed supplied.

 

“Jodi! She and your kids are safe, but it’s up to you how safe they stay!”

 

“I’m not falling for your stupid amateur hour tricks, boy.”

 

“She’s wearing a light blue top and khaki shorts!” Scott lowered his voice. “Ed, call Angela! Have her give Jodi the phone and have her call Val.”

 

“I still think you’re lying!”

 

“Just wait! We’re contacting our man inside. She’s going to call you.”

 

“Angela!” Ed said when she answered the phone. “Pass the phone to Jodi. Have her call Val! We’ve got a situation out here!”

 

A moment later they heard a phone ring and Val muttering something before raising his voice. “Angela is your man inside?”

 

“All it takes is one pull of the trigger!” Scott replied. “Are you willing to take that chance?”

 

Val was quiet a moment. “No deal!”

 

“Fuck!” Scott snarled. “What now?”

 

Ed grimaced. “Damned if I know.”

 

“Anybody?” Scott asked, looking at the men behind the truck with him, but none of them had an answer.

 

“Val, this isn’t really about Jess. It’s about me!” Scott called, thinking furiously. “I’m the one that fucked everything up! You don’t want Jess. You want me.”

 

“Scott! No!” Jess hissed.

 

Scott put his fingers to his lips to hush her, waiting for Val to answer.

 

“If I let Jess go, you’ll stay, is that it?”

 

Scott handed Ed his weapon then stood up, hands up where Val could see them. All the Angels were spread out in a fan, peeking out from behind cover, with the exception of Val. He was standing in the middle of the yard, without cover, as if daring Scott to shoot him. “I believe you’re a sporting man. How about a wager? Just between you and me. You up for that?”

 

“Why shouldn’t I just kill you now?”

 

“Because a lot of innocent people are going to get hurt or killed, including your wife and kids. But I’m offering you a chance to get what you want without all of that.”

 

“I told you. No deal.”

 

“I’ve broken your club, Val, all by myself. Your men are joining me because they know you’re wrong. Hell, over half your club is already on my side, and there isn’t a thing you can do about it. You know why? Because I’m better than you.”

 

Scott ducked behind the truck just as Val shot, a bullet hole appearing above his head as the bullet passed all the way through the bed. “That got him,” Scott said, looking at Ed with a grin.

 

“What’s the matter, Val? Truth hurt?” Ed yelled.

 

“Ed?” Val asked. “You’re part of this? What the fuck?”

 

“Yeah! Me and a bunch more. You’re going to lose, Val.”

 

“I never fucking lose!”

 

“Then prove it!” Scott said, slowly standing up again. “Let’s see who the better man is. Mano a mano.”

 

Scott watched as Val looked at his men. Scott couldn’t see them all from his vantage point, but the two he could see were looking at Val expectantly.

 

“What do you want?” Val asked.

 

“Simple. Me and you, winner take all. If I win, I leave with Jess and you leave us alone forever.”

 

“And if I win?”

 

“Then you’ll have the satisfaction of killing me with your bare hands.”

 

“Scott! No!” Jess hissed again. She jumped to her feet beside him. “No! No deal!”

 

Val looked at Jess, his eyes hard. He hadn’t planned on agreeing with to Scott’s demands. If it weren’t for Angela holding a gun on his wife and kids, especially his kids, Scott would be dead already. But if Jess didn’t want it to happen, that sweetened the deal a little. He was going to break that little bitch and show her who was boss, and killing her boyfriend in front of her would be a good first step. “Done.”

 

“No!” Jess yelled.

 

The moment he agreed, Ed pushed send on his phone. A moment later, all the Angels phones announced the arrival of a text. The men cowering behind the truck looked at each other.

 

“Insurance,” Ed said with a grin.

 

“Done,” Scott agreed.

 

Randy pulled his phone out and read the text aloud. “Val and Scott, tonight, at the farm. Winner take all fight… no weapons. All come.”

 

“Scott, no…you don’t know Val! He’ll kill you!” Jess begged.

 

“That’s the only way he wins,” he said softly.

 

“You’re not leaving until this is settled.” Val said. “All of you, leave your weapons and step out from behind the truck.

 

Scott took Jess by the waist and led her from behind the truck, the rest of the Angels laying down their guns before standing and following.

 

“Kill them,” Val growled as the men stepped out from behind the Ford. He would deal with Angela next. When none of his men moved, Val shrugged and brought his gun up. “Fine. I’ll do it myself.”

 

“Don’t do it Val,” Chuck said, his weapon coming up to point at Val. You agreed to settle it old school.”

 

Val turned to look at his men, his eyes hard. “You would shoot me?”

 

“I won’t follow anyone I can’t trust. You agreed to this. I expect you to follow through.”

 

Val’s eyes roamed over his men. “That the way you all feel?”

 

“Yeah, Val. That’s how I feel. If I can’t trust the President to keep his word, who can I trust?” Danny said, and the others nodded.

 

Val glared at his men. “Fine. I’ll give you your fucking show. But after I break this fucker in half, there is going to be some changes.”

 

“I suspect so,” Ed said just loud enough for everyone to hear.

 

“They are not leaving, understood?” Val snarled, jabbing a thick finger in Scott’s direction.

 

“Understood,” Greg said, tucking his weapon away. “If he tries to leave, I’ll kill him myself.”

 

“I’m not going anywhere,” Scott said. “This ends here, tonight, one way or the other. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life looking over my shoulder.”

 

“Put them in the barn,” Val ordered then thought of all the expensive toys housed there and what happened to his basement. “No! On second thought, put them in the basement. There is nothing else for them to break down there…and somebody go get that asshole Rick and dispose of the body. You’ll find him on the old logging road.”

 

Scott’s heart sank as Val spoke. That’s another one I owe you, you fucker, Scott thought to himself.

 

“All of them?” Danny asked.

 

“All of them and that bitch Angela, too.”

 

As they were escorted toward the house, Chuck stepped up beside Ed. “When this is all over, you and I have a score to settle.”

 

“Whenever you’re ready, Junior.”

 

“When I kick your ass, I’m taking my winnings out of Angela.”

 

Ed began to chuckle. “Son, she will break it off inside of her and then feed it to you.”

 

When they approached the door to the kitchen, Val stopped them. “Call her off or you’re dead right here.”

 

Scott nodded. “Angela, its Scott! Can you hear me?” he shouted loud enough for her to hear inside the house.

 

“Yeah! Everything okay?”

 

“More or less! We’re coming in! Don’t shoot!” He opened the door and stepped through, Jess right behind him. But when Val stepped through next, Angela’s smile disappeared in an instant.

 

“It’s okay. Give Val the gun,” Ed said, stepping into the room behind Val. Angela hesitated, unsure of what to do.

 

“It’s okay. Give him the gun,” Scott said.

 

She looked back to Ed, and when he nodded, she handed the gun over. The moment the gun was out of her hand, Jodi grabbed her by the arm, turned her, and punched her right in the face. Angela staggered back a couple of steps, blood pouring from her busted lip. She paused a moment as she shook off the blow, then spat a red mass onto the tile floor and charged Jodi.

 

Ed grabbed her and held her back. “Save it!”

 

Angela struggled against Ed a moment then stopped, spat again, and then wiped her mouth. “You’ll get yours,” she snarled.

 

“Come on, bitch!” Jodi sneered, calling Angela to her with her fingers.

 

“Knock it off!” Val bellowed. “Get them in the goddamn basement!”