“I didn’t say a fucking word, Dom,” he assures me, his eyes volleying between Tyler’s truck and me.
“I know,” I clip out.
Sean’s still on my side for the moment, my most trusted, my brother by choice, and my best friend for the same reason. That truth resounds deep as he rattles next to me in fear. His concern—even after I’ve done my worst—eliminates some of the space between us. “The fuck did you do, Dom?”
“You’re about to find out,” I relay, getting a good look at him for the first time since I got here, the haze starting to disperse before I issue my warning. “Don’t step in for me.”
“What?” Sean’s brows draw together a second before Tyler flies out of the cab of his truck and charges me, his right hook landing squarely, making my teeth rattle. Unable to withstand the force of it, I stumble back but lift my chin, readying myself for more. We’ve been at the junkyard for a little over two hours, which means the news has already broken with enough details to have Tyler drawing the right conclusions and steering him to my whereabouts.
Still clueless as to what just went down, Sean ignores my order and steps between us, trying to get Tyler under control. Truth is, if Tyler wanted to have another crack at me, he’d have already put Sean down and delivered it tenfold. Tyler has yet to show anyone in the club what he’s truly capable of. Something I admire about him, even as my mouth stings like a bitch.
“What the fuck!” He roars, attempting to push past Sean, who divides us now after ignoring my request.
“Let him through, Sean,” I snap.
Sean sighs and reluctantly lets Tyler by.
“You fucking know why,” I relay, trying to keep my tone level.
“We had a goddamn plan!” He rages, and I can tell he’s doing everything he can to keep from striking me.
“You made a plan that includes utilizing a broken system to do our job. That’s not who we are. We don’t make citizen’s fucking arrests, Tyler. Maybe you spent one too many years following rules.”
“So instead of raising those points, you go and fuck it all up?” He fires, his head swiveling toward Sean.
“Don’t look at him,” I bark, drawing the heat away from Sean, “I acted alone by baiting one of the hooks you were planning on casting a little early in a way that can’t be ignored. But this can still play out to plan.” I step forward, meeting his accusing eyes. “I just sped the process up a little.”
“What the fuck is happening right now?” Sean demands between us.
Tyler shakes his head, his livid stare fixed on me as he speaks. “What’s happening is our unhinged brother went rogue, endangering his fucking life and future while simultaneously trying to take care of our crate problem.”
“I altered it,” I insist in a shit excuse. “Kicked it into motion early out of necessity because my fucking hands were tied!”
“Yeah, and where are our hands now?” He snaps before opening his truck door as the Buick is crushed to dust behind him. Reaching into the cab, I know exactly what his plan is, and a second later, the news fills the yard.
“—gunman found dead outside the North Carolina stadium has been identified as twenty-year-old Joshua Brown. Authorities have issued a state-wide search for a suspected second gunman, who investigators think might have had a last-minute change of heart. Firework shows have been canceled across the following counties, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, and Mecklenburg. Please be advised a second suspected gunman remains at large and should be considered armed and extremely dangerous—”
Sean’s eyes fly to mine. “Jesus Christ, Dom!”
“Don’t look at me like I had a choice,” I snap at both of them. They stare at me like I’m a different person than the one who rode bikes with them well after the streetlights came on, snapped cards in our rooms until the late hours, and explored every inch of the surrounding woods while sharing stories of the first time we got our dicks wet.
Maybe I’m not the kid they grew up with anymore.
Maybe I haven’t been in a long time.
Maybe the look in their collective eyes is justified, and I focus on Tyler as I relay as much. “Neither of you wanted to see that I’m as capable as you are,” I say, knowing he’s well aware the other I’m referring to isn’t Sean. “You can relay that to France when you update him to earn your brownie points.”
Tyler’s eyes flare in final warning, and I take it for what it is, along with the struggle inside him—knowing he’s now crystal clear on the nature of mine. While they might still be straddling the line from the reality that exists—and the world we have plans to change—in my mind, I’ve been living full-time on the other side.
“We can’t stand idly by, not when it comes to stakes this high,” I declare, “You can look at me all you want like that, but you would have done the same thing because all three of us know when we wait for someone to do something no one ever fucking shows up.”
Tyler full on rushes me, gripping my T-shirt in both hands. Nose to nose, he stares me down, and I don’t waver. “We’re the someones, Tyler. That’s who we decided to be.” He searches for the cracks in my psyche, but I haven’t felt them yet. Right now, I feel nothing, and it must show because he steps back, seeming satisfied, before releasing me and hanging his head. “Goddamnit, Dom.”
“You’re wasting time already,” I remind him.
“Those plans have to change,” he snaps.
“They don’t,” I tell him as he looks up at me, staring through me, his mind racing with a dozen scenarios, tailoring each to further cover my tracks.
“Cameras?” Tyler prompts.
“Blacked out everything within blocks. No pedestrians on the street. I didn’t speed. I don’t think anyone made the car, and I didn’t get out.” I nod toward the dusted Buick. “We’ve owned it for years due to a mechanics lien.”
He gapes at me. “How long have you been planning this?”
“A while.” Since the fly vibrated on my web.
“Fuck!” Tyler slams his fist on his truck glaring at me, his request for Sean. “Get everyone to the garage. We’re going on a field trip. I’ll meet you there in fifteen minutes.”
I move to get into Sean’s Nova, and Tyler shakes his head. “Not you. Go to Denny’s and fucking stay there until I text you home.” He looks over to Sean. “He’s grounded.” Tyler snaps his gaze back to me, and I don’t bother to object. He’s the only one who can veto me, and there’s no fucking way around it. “This is what it is, or I bring France home. Don’t fucking test me on this, Dom.”
Exhausted, I give him a sharp dip of my chin as he climbs into his truck and speeds off. Sean sparks up a cigarette, and I give him the words I know he needs. “I’m okay.”
Denny pulls up, and I round the car as Sean remains idle, studying me intently for the same cracks Tyler sought. Opening Denny’s passenger door, I jerk my chin. “Go. I’m all right, brother.”
Seconds later, Sean’s speeding off in his Nova. Denny remains wordless as I stare through the trees blurring out of his passenger window. On that drive, I realize I’ve finally reached the place I’ve been searching for. A state not quite as blissful as the peaceful place I’ve come to rely on but strong enough to recognize—numb.