Part 3 (1/2)

”Jacks...” Evan slurred. ”Where have you been?” he drew out slowly.

”So much for keeping him clean.” Jackson waved toward Evan.

Jackson watched Cherry's fiery personality erupt. ”I have to work. It's not my fault that most of these dimwits working here don't understand when I say to watch him.” Cherry placed her hands on her hips. ”Besides, the poor child is a train wreck.”

”Don't I know it,” Jackson agreed.

”Friendly visit, huh?” Cherry raised her brow as Dane dragged the bodies into the room. ”Black is gonna flip his s.h.i.+t when he finds out you came into his place and started shooting s.h.i.+t up. He's probably gonna show up any second.”

Once the bodies were inside, Dane closed the door. ”There's no way that went unnoticed,” Dane said with a shake of his head. ”We need an exit plan in a hurry.” Dane aimed his gun toward the door, knowing they would have company any minute.

Jackson walked over toward Evan ”Get up,” he demanded. ”We need to move.”

Evan tried to push off the sofa and stumbled.

”f.u.c.king great,” Jackson cursed as he pulled his buzzing phone from his pocket.

”Get the f.u.c.k out!” Teddy yelled on the other end before the line went dead.

The sound of the door cras.h.i.+ng open caused Cherry to dive behind a chair. ”Oh s.h.i.+t,” she hollered.

Dane shot the man who came barreling through the door but his partner managed to get a shot off that grazed Jackson's arm before he dropped to the ground on top of his friend.

”f.u.c.king great.” Jackson looked down at the blood seeping down his arm.

”Sorry, man, he came in shooting.”

”It's just a scratch. We need to move.” Jackson turned toward Cherry ”You like working here?”

”f.u.c.k no,” Cherry said, crossing her arms.

”Good, I need you to get help us get Evan out of here.” He tossed Cherry the keys. ”If things go to s.h.i.+t, I need you to take him to the address in Freyview that's in the glovebox. We're parked in the lot at the end of the block. We'll cover you. Just worry about getting his sorry a.s.s to the car.”

”How do you not know I won't just steal your car?” Cherry said, looking at the keys.

”You won't,” Jackson threatened. ”Besides, you really want to stay on this sinking s.h.i.+p?”

”f.u.c.k it,” Cherry said as she grabbed Evan's arm and pulled him to his feet. ”Let's get out of here, Country. Cherry needs a change of scenery, anyway.”

”Jackson,” Dane called in warning as he looked to see if the hall was clear.

”Stay close,” Jackson told Cherry before they filed out of the room. Jackson and Dane fired on Black's men as they poured out of the club. They were responding to the noise without knowing the threat, making it easy to pick them off.

”In here,” Cherry called. ”The window is an easy drop to the back and we can get to the parking lot quicker.” Dane and Jackson backed in behind her as they held cover. As soon as they were inside, Jackson closed the door and Dane pushed the desk over to barricade it.

Cherry leaned Evan against the wall before she pried the window open.

”Easy drop, you say?” Jackson questioned the rather high alt.i.tude from the alley below.

”s.h.i.+t, they moved the dumpster,” Cherry complained.

A large bang on the other side of the door had them picking up the pace. ”Dane, you go first,” Jackson said, waving him toward the open window.

”I'll stay in case they get through this door,” Dane said, just as someone started shooting through it. They all ducked as one of the bullets came clean through and lodged in the wall beside them.

”Go,” Jackson demanded. ”I need your help to catch Evan when I pa.s.s him down.”

Dane tucked his gun in the back of his pants and grabbed the window ledge. ”Don't try any of your stupid heroics, Jacks. You come down with us,” he warned before lowering himself down. Jackson ducked as more bullets fired through the door and someone began throwing weight against it. ”Yeah, yeah, just go already.”

Dane dropped down, giving a m.u.f.fled curse as he landed. Jackson looked down to check on Dane.

”I'm good,” he said, waving for Jackson to lower someone down.

”Let's go,” Jackson told Cherry, who was more than eager. She lifted her heel adorned feet through the window and began to lower herself down as Jackson held onto her hand. ”Don't kill Dane with those f.u.c.king spikes for shoes you have on.”

”You obviously don't have good taste,” Cherry said under her breath. Once Jackson lowered her as much as he could, Dane eased her drop.

Jackson grabbed hold of Evan, who was barely able to support his own weight. ”Move, s.h.i.+thead, before you get us both killed,” Jackson ordered. He helped Evan lift his legs and s.h.i.+mmy out of the window just as the door banged loudly and the desk sc.r.a.ped along the floor. Evan was barely out of the window before Jackson felt the barrel of a gun pressed against his neck.

”Don't move.”

”f.u.c.k,” Jackson breathed angrily. He let go of Evan and kicked back as he grabbed for the gun and twisted it away from the man holding him hostage. When he turned, he noticed the other armed men entering the room and his survival instinct kicked in with a fury. Jackson managed to move fast enough to catch his attacker off guard. Using him as a s.h.i.+eld, Jackson used the man's gun to shoot the men filling the room. Gunfire rang out as they responded to Jackson's attack. He could feel the man in his arms jerk with every bullet he received until the body grew heavy and Jackson could no longer hold him with one arm.

When the last man dropped and the gun Jackson was firing ran out of ammunition, he heard a familiar laugh from the hallway.

”I should have known you would pull some s.h.i.+t like this, Jackson,” Black announced as he entered the room with his gun aimed at him, unfazed by the dead men around his feet. Jackson tossed the empty gun to the floor.

”It's a pity, Jackson. I didn't want to have to kill you,” Black said as he raised his gun.

Jackson stared at the barrel of Black's weapon and the first thing that came to mind was the gut tearing awareness that he would never see Lexie again. The fear of this fact had his heart racing as he faced his last moment. It was not the fact that John Stodden was still alive, or that his father's murderer was still free, but the realization that he was in love with Lexie Wilder. Her very existence had forever changed him and made him capable of love. The fact that he would never be able to tell her how he felt was the most devastating thought of all.

”You seem disappointed, like you actually thought you would get away with this,” Black said with a shake of his head.

”I did,” Jackson confessed with a frown.

”Slash will be sorry he missed this.” A sly smile curled the edges of his thin lips.

”Slash won't be anything at all, because he's dead.” Jackson raised his brow.

Black's eyes narrowed as he stared down the barrel of his gun at Jackson. He was completely unaware that the tide was about to change.

”Don't move,” Teddy said as he pressed his gun against the back of Black's head.

”It's about time,” Jackson breathed out in relief.

”Yeah, well, there are a lot of distractions out there. Can you blame a guy?” Teddy pressed the gun harder against Black's head. ”Drop the gun,” he ordered.