Page 103 of Bolo's Curveball
“Take as much time off as you want after the birth.”
“I know.”
She laughed when I gave her an exasperated look. “Alright, alright, I know you know. Whatever research you need done, you know I’ll help with it.”
“Thanks, Sis.”
She stood up, hugged me, and then left to go get ready for bed.
I finished up my own nightly rituals and then laid down. I’d stayed in her guest bedroom enough times that I felt right athome. Visions of starting my own business danced in my head as I stared at the ceiling.
I wasn’t sure how long I’d been asleep but a coughing fit woke me up. Reaching over, I grabbed the glass of water on the nightstand and took a drink. I’d barely set it down when I started coughing again. My head had cleared just enough to recognize a scent that I knew all too well. Smoke.
CHAPTER 34
Bolo
Ilooked over at Ruck and the others as we waited for his signal. This was it. The first round of attacks we’d be raining down on these factions of The Collective. This wasn’t like how it was with Carrick. The head honcho for both these factions liked to take a hands off approach. So we were going to have to go after him separately. But after we took out his guys.
Lucas Parker. The name was fucking bland, but he was the asshole in charge of all the money printing and laundering for The Collective. He headed up both branches. And he wasn’t going to make it very long once we took out the hired guns he hid behind.
We’d be hitting their apartment complexes one at a time, taking them out as we went. Normally, that would be dangerous because we risked someone alerting the others and having a welcoming party at every subsequent building we went to.
But we weren’t planning to leave anyone alive to warn the others. This time, thanks to The Collective’s arrogance—whoever was in charge of filling out their business paperwork was going to be in deep shit after this—we knew exactly where these scum bags were living. We knew every apartment number they were staying in. And we were going to systematically take them down until only Lucas Parker was left.
Once he was gone? The rest of The Collective was our new target. No way they were going to stand by after all we’d done and not throw everything they had at us. It was going to be an all-out war. Which was why Glitch was helping us find a new place for all our families to live—under different names on our own fake rental contracts—until this was all over. That way they’d be safe.
Ruck frowned at me, jerking his chin downward. My eyes followed the motion and I saw that my cell was lighting up in my pocket. Pulling it out, I connected the call. “Yeah?”
“We have a major problem.”
Glitch’s words rang in my ears. “What’d you mean a major problem?” My gut churned because he knew what we were doing tonight. And he wouldn’t bother us unless it was…well…major. And since he was calling me…
“Sophie’s house is on fire. Some asshole just started it in the garage, but it looks like he’s going to spread it through the whole house. I’m catching glimpses of him on the camera.”
“What?” I barely managed to keep from barking the question out. We didn’t want to wake up any of the residents of these apartments. Once again, there were civilians living here, surrounding Collective members. At least this time we didn’t need to bother them since we knew which apartments we were going into. The silencers on our pistols would keep anyone from knowing we were even there. Unless I woke them all up by shouting outside. “Are Dev and Sophie out of there?”
“Not that I can tell,” Glitch said, his voice tight with worry.
“Fuck. I’m on my way over.”
“I’ll get Butcher and Toxic rolling that way, too.”
Ruck had asked our Tucson allies to send a couple of their guys to keep an eye out on more factions of The Collective here in Phoenix—to make sure they didn’t join in the fun if anything went wrong—and to help watch over our families. Lockout had only been able to spare two guys, but it was Butcher and Toxic.
If we only got two of their guys, I was glad it was them. They were troublemakers half the time, but the rest? They were fucking death on wheels. I was glad to have the help, but no one was going to beat me to Sophie’s place. Not when Devyn and my baby were in trouble.
“Go,” Ruck said, eyes determined. He’d heard everything since he was sitting right next to me on his own bike.
“Thanks.”
“I’m going, too.”
I looked over in shock at my brother. “You sure?”
His eyes narrowed. “That’s my sister-in-law and nephew. Fuck yes, I’m sure. Besides, if The Collective is involved, I need to make sure they don’t snipe your ass when you pull up.”
There wasn’t time to say anything else. Nodding to the rest of our brothers, Relay and I took off like we were escaping hell. I’d already taken too long just acknowledging that Relay was coming with me. It was just so shocking that he was choosing to stay out of the violence—potentially—that it’d stopped me short.
