Claimed By My Father’s Outlaw

Chapter20

Cole's POV

Ambrose stumbled backward, his hand clutching at his chest where the bullets had split through his skin. Blood bloomed across his shirt, spreading quickly, and he hit the table behind him before crashing to the floor. The sound echoed through the room, followed by a split second of stunned silence. Then Vex Mercer roared, pointing at me from the high table.

"Grab him! Get that bastard now!"

One second I was standing alone in the middle of the room with my gun still smoking in my hand, and the next second I had Revenant soldiers swarming around me. They formed a tight circle, shoulder to shoulder, blocking anyone from getting close. Even though I'd just killed our leader and president, I was still their vice president. They had a duty to protect me.

I looked around and took stock of the situation. We were outnumbered two to one. The Iron Serpents and the Reapers had closed in on us, forming their own wall of bodies, and every single one of them was armed and ready to tear us apart.

My eyes went back to Ambrose. He was still on the floor, gasping and coughing, his body jerking with each labored breath. Blood pooled beneath him, spreading across the floor like ugly red ink. Nobody moved to help him. They all just stood there watching because everyone knew he was already gone. It was only a matter of time.

His chest rose one last time, then fell still. The room was quiet again.

Blackjack stood up slowly from his seat at the high table, glaring at me. "You and your boys aren't leaving here alive for this," he growled at me. "You just signed your own death warrant, Maddox."

"Did you not hear what I just said?" I shouted furiously. "That bastard was trafficking women! He was selling them like livestock, and none of you give a damn! You're really more concerned about the fact that I killed such a vile man?"

"It wasn't your place to take his life!" Blackjack insisted.

"It was the only thing I could do!" I roared, my hands shaking as I pointed at Ambrose's lifeless body with my gun. "It was the only way to make sure those women got out safe! None of you were going to help them. You're all too busy protecting your own asses to care about innocent people!"

I was screaming now, screaming so loudly that I was losing my voice. Every ounce of rage I'd been holding back for the past three days came pouring out all at once. "You're all bastards! Every single one of you sitting up there acting like you're better than him when you're just as guilty for letting this happen!"

Vex Mercer stood up next, and his face was twisted with cold satisfaction. "Put the gun down, Maddox," he ordered. "Make yourself available to be taken away. You're not going to survive any battle that breaks out here tonight, and you're just going to get your men killed for nothing."

He let me process those words for a few seconds before continuing. "Why are you willing to risk everything for some women you don't even know? What's the point?"

I stared at him and realised that he was right, hard as it was to admit that to his face. If this turned into a full-on battle, my men would die for me. And as their vice president, I couldn't ask that of them. I couldn't sacrifice their lives just because I'd made a choice.

I started to lower my gun in surrender. Then I felt a hand on my shoulder.

I turned and saw Ronn standing beside me, with two machine guns slung over each shoulder. His face was filled with determination, and he nodded at me once.

"You're doing the right thing," he muttered. "We're here to support you, brother."

That was all I needed.

I looked back at the high table, where Vex Mercer was watching me with a sadistic grin on his face. I knew what that look meant. This wasn't just about Ambrose, this was also personal for the man. He wanted revenge for what happened with his daughter.

I watched as he slowly turned to his own men, issuing a single command: "Kill all the Revenants."

********

The room exploded into chaos immediately.

Gunfire boomed all around the room. Chairs started to fly around, men were shouting over each other, some screaming orders, some merely screaming because they were already hit. The high table was chaos now, bodies ducking and scattering as bullets flew around the room.

Ronn gave me one last grin before he opened up fire beside me.

Both machine guns roared at once, pure rage in metal form. Iron Serpents men dropped to the ground. Some were barely getting their guns up before they were cut down. Reapers tried to flank him and Ronn pivoted, firing his machine guns in wide arcs, teeth clenched and his eyes narrowed. I’d seen Ronn fight before, but this was so different.

“Ronn!” I yelled over the noise.

He didn’t answer. He just kept firing, yelling at the top of his voice.

Then I heard a loud gunshot, and Ronn gasped and staggered, one knee buckling. Blood sprayed from his leg as he hit the floor. One of the machine guns clattered away from his reach.

"s**t, s**t, s**t!" He swore loudly, trying to push himself up. But he was bleeding terribly.

“Ronn!” I shouted again and ran for him, but I didn’t make it three steps.

Two Reapers slammed into me from the side and drove me to the ground. My head bounced off the floor and stars burst behind my eyes. Fists came down on me brutally as boots were digging into my ribs. Someone's hands were trying to tear my gun from my grip.

One of them leaned close and snarled in my ear, “You’re dead, Maddox.”

"Not before you are!" I roared and swung the butt of my gun up as hard as I could. It connected with one of the men's face with a sick crack. He collapsed off me, blood pouring from his nose. I rolled, came up on one knee and fired point blank into the second Reaper’s head. He dropped to the ground instantly.

No time to think.

I was back on my feet, moving and shooting and shoving past bodies and smoke. The floor had become slippery from blood and spilled booze; 75 was hard to stay on my feet. A Serpent rushed me and I put him down. Another grabbed for my jacket and I slammed him into a table and fired.

I looked around and my heart sank in despair.

Despite our efforts, my men were already thinning out. Revenants were falling, getting dragged away or not moving at all. The Iron Serpents and Reapers were still coming for us, and there were too many of them around us. We would not survive.

“Fall back!” I roared. “Fall the f**k back, now!”

They heard me. Thank God they heard me.

The Revenants started pulling out, covering each other as they moved for the exits. I turned just in time to see Ronn being hauled upright by two of our guys, his arm slung over their shoulders, his leg soaked red.

“Get Ronn out!” I yelled.

They dragged him toward a waiting van outside. Someone threw the doors open and they shoved him inside. More of my men piled in after him, guns up and watching the doors.

I ran for the parking lot as bullets chewed into the walls behind me. Different car engines roared to life and vans peeled off fast, tires screaming as they raced down the road. People who came with bikes threw themselves on their bikes and raced off.

I slid into my car alone and slammed the door shut, speeding away from the Conclave.

I’d started a second war in one year against two biker clubs, and there was no turning back now.