Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 33577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
"We good?" I asked Ghost, keeping my voice low.
He nodded, sliding the door fully open to reveal stacks of wooden crates. "All accounted for. M4s, Glocks, ammo. Even those grenade launchers Rivet's been hard for."
I grunted in acknowledgment, my eyes still sweeping the surrounding containers and abandoned warehouse buildings. Six of my brothers were stationed around us, each one positioned to cover the entire area collectively. This shipment was too important to fuck up, especially with the Copperhead threat still out there.
"Let's move fast," I ordered. "I want this shit locked down and out of here in twenty."
The dock workers we'd paid off were conveniently absent, giving us the space we needed. Our trucks waited, engines running, ready for a quick exit. Everything was running smooth. Until it wasn’t.
The comm link at my belt crackled to life. "Prez, movement at the south entrance. Three vehicles approaching fast. Cut their lights."
I snatched the radio, thumb pressing the talk button. "IDs?"
"Black SUVs. Tinted windows." The voice paused. "Fuck! They're opening up! It’s an attack!"
The first gunshot split the air before the transmission ended. I whipped around to Ghost, our eyes meeting in instant understanding.
"Heads up! Now!" I barked into the radio. "Bug, get the trucks ready to roll. Rivet, Animal, secure those fucking weapons!"
My brothers scattered to predetermined positions as I pulled my Glock from its holster, the weight familiar and reassuring in my palm. Ghost pressed against the opposite side of the container door, his rifle already up and scanning.
"How the fuck did they know?" he muttered.
"Worry about that later," I growled. "Right now we need to—"
The world exploded. The blast hit like a giant's fist, lifting me off my feet and slamming me against the container wall. My ears rang, vision swimming as I fought to get my bearings. The acrid smell of explosives filled my nostrils, as well as the muddy water smell of the nearby Illinois River. This is the very reason I hated using the dock. While we had the workers paid off, when things got messy, avoiding the police was always a concern.
Through the smoke, I saw shadows moving. Men with guns advanced on our position, but they didn’t look as comfortable as every single member of Bound in Blood did. They carried their weapons as if unsure or scared. That would be my advantage.
I shook my head to better clear it. Last thing I wanted to do was make a mistake in the heat of battle. Surprisingly, even after getting knocked off my feet, I still clutched my pistol. Ghost was already returning fire, his movements precise despite the chaos. I took up position beside him, sighting down my barrel at the first Copperhead I saw and squeezed the trigger. The man dropped.
"They're coming from the south and east," Ghost called out over the gunfire. "Trying to pin us against the water."
Bullets ricocheted off the metal container with high-pitched whines, peppering the ground around us with sparks. I felt one pass close enough to ruffle my hair.
"Bug, status on the fuckin’ trucks!" I shouted into the radio.
"Ready to roll, but they've got the main exit blocked!"
"Use the service road by the old warehouse," I ordered. "Rivet, Animal, how're those weapons coming?"
"Half to go," Rivet's voice came back, strained but steady. "Taking heavy fire on the east side."
I popped around the corner, emptied my clip at a cluster of Copperheads using a forklift for cover, then ducked back as return fire shredded the air where I'd been standing. The smell of gunpowder was thick now, mixing with the metallic tang of blood and the oily harbor water. My heart hammered, but my mind was ice cold. I counted my shots while giving instructions to Bug, going over the map of this place mentally until I was satisfied my brothers had the safest, cleanest route out of the harbor. Beyond that, my only other concern was getting back to the clubhouse and Honey.
"Ghost, take three men and give Rivet covering fire. I'll take the south approach."
He nodded once and was gone, moving low and fast between containers. I reloaded, the motion so practiced I could do it blindfolded, then signaled to the two prospects crouched nearby. Their faces were pale but determined.
"On me," I commanded, and they fell in behind as I moved toward the gunfire coming from the south entrance.
We made it twenty yards before the radio crackled again. This time, it was Bug's panicked voice.
"Prez! Compound's under attack! Multiple hostiles, heavily armed!"
My blood chilled, the hair on the back of my neck standing. Honey.
"Repeat!" I snapped the command, pressing the radio to my ear as bullets pinged off the container above me.
"It’s a coordinated strike," Bug confirmed. "They hit us here as a diversion. Main force is at the compound. They breached the east fence. Got at least three brothers down."