Page 34 of Griffin
“Go!”Knuckles hissed his command.
Chains shot forward with a roar, his engine screaming as he fishtailed onto the dirt and up alongside the box truck.Knuckles peeled off to circle the back.I brought my bike up the right cut in front of the Yukon.The driver instinctively jerked the wheel to avoid me.
Inferno moved up the middle, gun already drawn, two shots through the Yukon’s windshield before the driver could even react.The bullet spiderwebbed a hole and plowed through to ping off the metal of the vehicle.From inside, someone screamed.The driver’s door opened, and a big man tumbled out, shotgun raised.
I fired three times.Two hit the door, one hit the guy in the thigh.He crumpled, dropping the shotgun, then scrambled for the ditch, howling in pain.
Behind me, the rest of the crew pulled up.I sprinted to the rear of the box truck where Tiny already had the pry bar out, wedging it under the lock housing and ratcheting it back with his massive strength.
“Cover me,” he grunted, putting his whole weight into it.Knuckles swept the tree line, keeping an eye out for anyone we hadn’t seen as well as any indication from Gunnar we had company.“Here we go.”Tiny heaved the crowbar.The lock snapped clean.He tossed the bar aside and wrenched the double doors open.
Inside, it was pitch dark.I switched on a pocket flashlight, sweeping the interior.Rows of empty dog crates and a few loose packing blankets littered the floor.But bolted to the front wall of the truck, two welded metal cages stood side by side.One was empty, the bedding inside torn to shreds.In the other, two women crouched side by side, knees drawn to their chests, their faces slack and gray under the light as they flinched back and cried out.
Knuckles holstered his weapon and scrubbed a hand over his face.“Fuck.”He heaved a long breath.“It’s times like this I really wish Hannah was here.”Like the other man would let his wife go into a firefight.“She’s much better suited to this than me.”
The women didn’t move at first.The one closest to the door, who looked to be maybe in her mid-twenties, had dark hair chopped short and uneven.She pressed herself deeper into the corner, eyes wide and flat.The other, a blonde with blood at the edge of her mouth, raised her chin and locked eyes with me.Her hands gripped the bars so hard her knuckles had gone white.
“Nobody’s going to touch you,” I said, and even though my voice sounded rough.She looked wary but let go of the bars and backed away, putting herself between us and the other woman.
Tiny clipped the chain securing the cage with a bolt cutter Gunnar brought after Tiny got the back of the Yukon open.The hasp popped off, and he opened the door, letting Gunnar move in first.He offered a hand.The dark-haired woman ignored it, but the blonde reached for him, and Gunnar eased her out, careful not to touch her more than he had to.
As soon as her feet hit the truck bed, she jerked away from Gunnar and scanned the faces outside.“Who are you?”she demanded, her voice raw but angry.
“Friends,” Knuckles said.“Can you walk?”
She nodded, shaky, stumbled from the truck to the ground along with the other woman.Inferno appeared with a couple of blankets.He tossed one to Gunnar to wrap it around one of the women while Inferno helped the other.
Knight’s voice crackled to life in my ear as he spoke to us through the radio connection we shared.“Clean it up and get the fuck out.We were careful, but if anyone heard the gunshots the cops’ll be here soon.”
I stepped away from the truck and scanned the scene.The Yukon sat in the ditch, the engine dead, driver moaning where he’d landed.The box truck was open and emptied of the unwilling passengers.The rest of the club members riding with us watched the road, their weapons ready, guarding our backs.
“Gunnar, help the girls to the Bronco.”Knuckles and Tiny both backed off to give the women space.Both of the men were hella big and both women looked more than a little wary of them.
I paced the length of the box truck, checking for traps or hidden spaces.Nothing.At the front of the cargo area, I found a small, battered duffel, zipped shut.Inside were a burner phone, a roll of cash, and a thick envelope with a strip of blue tape sealing the flap.I pulled the tape, opened the envelope.Inside was an index card reading:
DELIVERY: 2
CONDITION: UNMARKED
BUYER: I
Inferno came around the front, dragging the wounded driver by the collar and tossed the guy face-down in the mud.The man didn’t even protest, just curled up and shivered.
I heard a shriek from the Bronco.No doubt the traumatized women had had all they could take.Gunnar climbed in after them with sandwiches and drinks we’d hastily tossed into the vehicle before we left, and the noise faded to the occasional muffled question followed by Gunnar’s soft, gentle replies.
“That wasn’t our target,” I said.
“Figured,” Tiny replied.“Decoy?”
“Or distraction.Or they’re running more than one shipment tonight.”I glanced back at the box truck.“We need to go.”
“Torch the vehicles,” Knuckles said.“If this was a diversion, I’ll send my own fuckin’ message.”
Tiny nodded, already reaching for the gas can from the back of the Bronco.The fire caught fast, black smoke coiling up in the blue wash of the salvage yard floods.When we pulled away, the Bronco with the two rescued women followed at the center of our formation, the motorcycles closing ranks.
Somewhere behind us, Tiny and Chains secured the Steel Serpent member in the second cage we’d brought and would meet us at the designated meetup.We’d take better stock of the women to make sure they were good until we could get them back to the compound.We’d have some time before Knight gave us the all clear to head back to the compound.Last thing we wanted to do was lead anyone straight back to our doorstep.But once we got the Serpent where we could question him, we’d see what the bastard knew.
The night thinned around us as we put miles between the salvage yard and whatever fallout came next.I kept my eyes on the road and my surroundings, knowing better than to let my attention waver.
