Page 131 of Equilibrium
“No,” Indigo responded before he looked at me through the rearview mirror. “Not yet.”
I could see the accusation in his eyes. I could feel the blame that was going to be put on me, because if they weren’t responding because my father was there, I would be the only one to be blamed. He probably wouldn’t be wrong either.
He turned onto a familiar street as fear started digging its claws into my heart. I didn’t want to face my father, but what scared me the most was the state of the club and what he was going to do to them.
Maybe it isn’t your father. Maybe they’re just not responding because they’re busy.
God, I hoped so. I wasn’t a believer, but if it helped, I would become one. I would promise the eternity of solitude if it meant that he wasn’t there, but something told me that prayers wouldn’t help this time. I clutched the gun I took from the trunk tighter, bracing myself for what we were about to walk into.
As we parked at the beginning of the street, far enough from the club, I could see three cars parked in front of the gates—cars that definitely didn’t belong to us. Dread settled in my stomach as I recognized the symbol on the side of one of them, and I knew that The Dragon was here.
“I know those men,” I said as Indigo killed the engine. “Those are the Syndicate’s soldiers.”
“How do you know?” Storm grumbled, as if it pained him to even talk to me.
It’s okay, Stormy. You won’t have to see me ever again after we deal with this shit.
“Because that one,” I pointed to the blond guy, “almost lost his finger in the ring with me. Any other questions, Storm?” I looked at him, daring him to ask more. Anger was better than indifference because it meant that he still cared. There was still hope.
“So, what’s the plan?” Indigo asked when the idiot next to me kept quiet, staring at the three men. “We can’t just barge in.”
“No, we can’t.” Storm seemed to think for a moment before he started talking again. “I know what we gotta do. That house,” Storm pointed to the house right next to the clubhouse, “has a backyard that’s connected with ours. If we go from that side—”
“They will see us,” I argued. “Trust me, I know him. He trained me, and the first thing he would’ve done is to put guards all around.”
“So, what do you suggest?”
I started to think, pondering over the ideas, and then it came to me.
“I’m going to the front.”
“Abso-fucking-lutely not.”
“Storm. They know me. Trust me, both of you would get shot before you could get close enough to see their faces. He wants me, not you. He wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for me.” He kept quiet, uncertain, but he had no say in this. He wanted me gone? Fine. His wish was about to get fulfilled. “Give me the silencer.” I extended my hand, waiting for him to drop the extension. “Storm?”
So, he wasn’t indifferent after all, or he at least didn’t want to see me die. That was something, right?
“Every minute we spend here arguing about who is going to go in, is a minute lost for the members of the club. If you don’t want to give it to me, that’s okay, I can just shoot them and get it over with, but I don’t want to alert them if I don’t have to. And stop with—”
“Here.” He dropped the silencer in my hand, refusing to meet my eyes.
I rolled it onto the barrel of my gun and started exiting the car when he pulled me back in.
“Please don’t be reckless,” he pleaded. “Be safe.”
My throat closed and unable to respond to him, to do anything really, I just nodded before I pushed the door open and hid the gun at the waist of my back. I kept calm as I approached them. As their eyes widened at the sight of me, I knew that they recognized me.
“Hello, boys.”
“Shit,” one of them said.
“Baba Yaga!” the blond one exclaimed. Damn, I really missed that nickname.
The third one started reaching for his gun, but I pulled mine, aiming it at him and shooting him between his eyes. The other two started running toward the entrance, but I couldn’t have them alerting the rest of the gang that I was here. Not yet.
Daddy Dearest wanted to play games? Well, I could play.
I shot two more shots, hitting both of them in their backs. As their bodies crumbled to the floor, I walked back, signaling to Storm and Indigo to come forward.
