One hour. You're late, I start removing fingers. " The line went dead. Creed lowered the phone, looked at the men around him. Brothers who'd followed him into hell, who'd stood with him when standing meant probable death or imprisonment. "He's got Harper and Declan. " he said, "Wants a trade, me and Hollis for them. " "It's a trap. " Flint said flatly.
"Of course it's a trap. " "So we don't go. " "We have to go, he'll kill them. " Bull stepped forward. "Then we all go. 15 against however many he's got. Better odds than we've faced before. " "No. " Creed shook his head. "This ends with me.
It started with Alpha six, with a betrayal that killed good people and let evil ones prosper. I'm not dragging you all into it. " "Too late, boss. " Old Johnny said, "We're already in it. Have been since you called us. That's what brothers do. " "He's right. " Hollis said quietly. She'd been silent, thinking, calculating.
"But going in guns blazing is suicide. Brennan will have 20, maybe 30 men at that plant, all armed, all willing to shoot. We need a different approach. " "What kind of approach? " Hollis smiled. It wasn't a nice smile. "The kind that uses what we have instead of what we wish we had.
Brennan thinks he's got all the power. Let's show him he's wrong. " She laid out the plan. It was insane, probably wouldn't work, had more holes in it than a target at a shooting range. But it was better than nothing. "30 minutes. " Creed said, "We move in 30 minutes.
Everyone clear on their roles? " They were, because they were professionals, because they'd fought together, bled together, and they'd be damned if they died separately. The bikes started up again, but this time they split up, heading in different directions, each with their own part to play. Creed rode alone with Hollis, heading toward the copper plant, toward the end game that had been building for 34 years. "You know this might not work. " Hollis said over the wind. "You keep saying that, and you keep not listening. " "I'm listening.
I just don't care. " Creed downshifted for a turn, the Harley leaning into it like a living thing. "Harper and Declan are in there because of me, because I dragged them into this. I'm getting them out. " "Even if it costs you everything. " "Especially then. " They rode in silence for a while. The desert at night was beautiful in a harsh way, all shadows and starlight. The kind of landscape that didn't care if you lived or died.
It just went on, eternal and indifferent. "Your brother would be proud. " Hollis said finally. "Emmett, he'd be proud of what you're doing. " "My brother's dead because I wasn't paying attention. Because I was so busy building my life that I didn't notice his was falling apart. Your brother's dead because the system failed him.
Because people like the Brennans decided his life wasn't worth protecting. " Hollis's grip tightened on Creed's waist. "You can't save everyone, but you can make sure the people who caused the damage answer for it. That's what tonight is about, not revenge, justice. " The copper plant appeared on the horizon, dark against the stars. Creed could see vehicles parked around it, SUVs, black, expensive, the kind of vehicles that screamed corporate security. He killed the engine a quarter mile out, let the Harley coast to a stop.
They dismounted in silence, checking weapons, preparing for what came next. "Radio check," Creed said into the comm. "Team two in position. " Bull's voice, calm despite what they were about to do. "Team three ready," Old Johnny. "Teams four and five standing by. " That was Flint, Pike, and the others stationed at different points around the plant.
"Copy all. Hollis and I are going in. Wait for my signal. " "What's the signal, boss? " Creed smiled in the darkness. "You'll know it when you hear it. " He and Hollis walked toward the plant, hands visible, no weapons drawn. They'd left the rifles with the bikes.
Creed had his Colt in his waistband, but he didn't reach for it. Not yet. The front entrance was lit by portable floodlights. Six men stood guard, all armed with what looked like military-grade rifles. They tensed as Creed and Hollis approached, weapons coming up to ready positions.
"That's far enough," one of them said. Big guy, crew cut, probably former military himself. "Mr. Brennan is expecting you, but first we need to check for weapons. " "I'm armed," Creed said. "Colt 1911, back of my waistband.
I'll keep my hands where you can see them while you take it. " They did. Professional, quick, no unnecessary roughness. They found Hollis's pistol, too, a compact Glock she'd been carrying in an ankle holster. "Clear. Follow me. " They were led into the plant through corridors that Creed remembered from rescuing Declan.
But this time the building wasn't empty. Men were stationed at intervals, watching, waiting. Creed counted 15 visible, probably more hidden. Bad odds getting worse. The basement was lit now, powered by a generator that hummed somewhere out of sight.
And in the center of the large open space, sitting in chairs like they were at a business meeting, were Harper and Declan. They were alive, bruised but alive. Harper's lip was split, and Declan had the beginnings of a black eye, but they were breathing and conscious. That was enough. Standing beside them was Thaddeus Brennan Jr.
72 years old, gray hair perfectly styled, wearing a suit that probably cost more than the Harley Creed rode. He looked like someone's grandfather, kind eyes, warm smile. But Creed could see past it, could see the coldness underneath, the calculation. This was a man who'd inherited his father's empire and his father's conscience, or lack thereof. "Mr.
Maddox," Thaddeus said warmly. "Captain Vaughn, thank you for coming. I know this is all very dramatic, but I felt we needed a proper conclusion to our little conflict. " "Let them go," Creed said. "That was the deal. " "All in good time. First, I think we should discuss what happens next.
You've released quite a lot of damaging information. My lawyers tell me most of it won't hold up in court, hearsay, circumstantial evidence, documents that could be forgeries, but it will cause problems, bad publicity, investigations, inconveniences. " "Good. " Thaddeus's smile didn't waver. "I admire your conviction. My father had similar qualities. He believed in getting things done, regardless of what rules said he should follow.
That's how he built this empire. That's how I've maintained it. " He walked closer, hands clasped behind his back like a professor giving a lecture. "But empires require maintenance. They require cleaning, removing elements that don't fit, that cause disorder. Like homeless veterans who stumble onto evidence of your crimes.
Like anyone who threatens what we built. " "Yes. " Thaddeus stopped a few feet from Creed. "Your brother, for instance, Emmett, sad case. The war broke him, and the system failed him. But he was surviving, living his life, such as it was, until he found documents that my father had hidden decades ago. Then he became a problem. " Creed's fists clenched.
Hollis put a hand on his arm. "Wait. " "Did you know he tried to sell the documents? " Thaddeus continued. "He came to my office, showed them to one of my assistants. Said he needed money, would give us first chance to buy them before going to the media. We could have just paid him, but then we looked into who he was.
Emmett Maddox, brother of Creed Maddox, local Hell's Angels boss. And we realized that if we paid him, you'd eventually find out. You'd ask questions. You'd become a problem, too. So you killed him. " "I gave the order.
Vic and his associates carried it out. Unfortunate but necessary. " Thaddeus shrugged. "The boy seeing it was bad luck, but bad luck can be managed. And now here we are managing it. " "By killing us? " "By eliminating complications. You, the captain, the boy who saw too much, the mother who asks too many questions.