Part Three

Chapter Sixteen Gunner

“Kid, wake up.” I didn't want to wake Gun in the middle of the night. I didn't want to say goodbye, but I had too.

“Dad?” His sleepy voice filled the bedroom. My chest ached in that way that only Gun calling me Dad could create.

“Yeah, Gun. Wake up.”

He sat up, his Ninja Turtles pj’s reminding me of how young he was. Sometimes, it was easy to forget because he’d already been through so much.

“What is it? Is it Mom? Did you find her?”

I couldn't tell him anything as much as I wanted to.

He blinked his eyes at me. The light from the hallway filtered into his bedroom. “Why are you dressed? Are you leaving me?” I hated that. My boy was so insecure about not having anyone, and I knew this conversation was not going to be easy for me.

“I need you to listen to me, and do your best to be as brave as you can. You hear me?”

Gun sat up even taller and nodded his head.

“I do have to leave. Reggie’s going to stay with you. He’s going to keep you home from school for the next few days and play video games and shit with you. Whatever you want, ‘kay?” Reggie had really taken to Gun, so I hoped that he wouldn't be too disappointed.

He looked dejected. I had to give it to him straight. I owed him that, and if I didn't come back, I didn't want him to think it had anything to do with him.

“I got a lock on your Mom. A bad guy has her. I’m going after her, and I’m going to do everything I can to bring her back to you. Love you, kid.”

“What if the bad guys win?” his chin wobbled as he asked.

“None of that. You hear me? Bad guys don't win. You be brave and do as Reggie tells you and hopefully, all this will be over before you know it.”

“Is she okay?”

My eyes turned down because I really didn't know and I didn't want to lie to him. “I really hope so. I really do.” I hugged my son for a few minutes, and soon his tired body started to grow lax in my arms. I started to leave his room when I heard him call out, “Dad, love you too.”

It was the first time he’d ever said that to me and I needed to hear it. I needed that extra something to get me through this because, in all honesty, I wasn't sure how the fuck I was going to save her, but I was going to try. If I failed, my club would raise Gun.

***

I had parked my bike and was walking up to the private airstrip I’d arranged to use, when Ace and Shane came into view.

“Fuck, I thought we talked about this? I thought we decided I’d go it alone, and you guys would take care of the club? They need you.”

“No, fuckwit. You decided you’d go it alone. We didn't decide that shit.” Shane slapped me on the back, and I flashed him a look of irritation.

“It’s decided. Club voted tonight. We’re with you. One way or another, either you’re coming home with us, or none of us are. We don't do it alone. Didn't you learn that lesson?” Ace shot me a glare. That was one of the longest sentences my brother had ever said to me. I knew I couldn't argue if my club had voted on it.

“You fucks voted without me?”

“Yep,” Shane answered.

“Plane’s loaded,” Ace lifted his vest showing me all the guns strapped to his chest.

The first twenty minutes in the air was spent getting ready for war and the remaining part of the flight, we went over every detail of our plan. Which wasn't a solid plan, but it was all we had. The danger was great, but they were willing to risk it for me. They were willing to risk everything. I couldn't be pissed, even though I wanted to be. Truth was, I needed the help.

We landed in a makeshift airfield in the middle of a fucking field of cocoa plants. The heat from the early Colombian sun made my brow sweat almost immediately. Men with guns walked around in the field and a group of young boys harvested plants. They didn't look up at us, and the pilot acted like it was business as usual as he paid the armed guards a small fortune to keep their mouths shut.

“You need to be here by midnight tonight, otherwise I leave and you never see me again,” the pilot said as we got into the SUV that was waiting for us.

“We understand. See you soon,” Shane said before we pulled away.

Our intel finally came in, and we paid a mint for it. We were confident that we could get in and out. It was a decent plan; it wasn't perfect. When we were in the air going over everything, I couldn't have been more glad that Ace and Shane were with me. Ace knew his shit, way more than I ever gave him credit for. He came strapped like motherfucking Rambo. Of course, it didn't hurt that one of Enrico’s guys sang like a fucking canary when offered the right amount of money. There was no loyalty among these men. His employees worked for him out of fear or money, not because they were brothers. That meant they could be bought. And our inside guy told us exactly who we could buy.

There was a change in guards every six hours. We had a by-the-minute time table of how we could get in without getting caught. For three hours, we sat in the brush waiting for our signal. When it came, we were ready and did exactly like we were instructed.

We moved through the path in the thick jungle surrounding Enrico’s property and came out of it at the rear of the house. Once at the back of the house, Ace kept an eye on his watch until it was time for us to move again. Another minute passed, and we were going to the sliding door. It opened just like we were assured it would. We moved down a hall, and came to his office door. I threw open the door and there he sat at his desk, dressed in a tailored suit. His hair was slicked back. I caught a flash of concern cross his features as his eyes crinkled in the corners, the only real sign that he was much older than me, before he quickly put on his steely reserve. The room wasn't overly large. There was an opulent desk with a briefcase opened on it and a laptop next to that. Besides that, it was meticulously clean. Even the pen that sat on the desk looked like it had been set in that exact location on purpose. There were several large bookshelves lining the back wall and across from that were two large, high back chairs with ornately carved wooden arms.

There was another man in the room who quickly moved into action. He lifted his gun to aim it. Ace didn’t hesitate. He shot him before the man’s finger was even on the trigger. The man fell to the ground with a bullet hole in his head. A red pool started to form around him.