I looked over at her, seeing the determination in her eyes.

  “You’re not worried or anything?” I asked.

  “Worried? Course not. I know what I’m doing, Caleb. I’m here because I want to be here. I want to see this all through to the end,” she said.

  I listened to her, nodding in agreement.

  “The feeling is mutual then,” I told her.

  “Alright, save the lovey-dovey shit for later. For now, we need to discuss the plan. Your dad is in his office, and he’s been waiting for you,” she explained.

  I nodded.

  “Alright, let’s all go in then,” I told Mary and Zephyr.

  We all started inside, and when the door opened, I saw my dad in tactical gear.

  “There you all are. I was about to send you a text message asking what was going on,” he said.

  “Sorry, Dad, we had a bit of a confrontation in the sewers,” I said.

  “I see. Let me guess, Damien?”

  ‘How did you—”

  “I noticed he was trailing you after the attack. I saw him in passing, but I didn’t think he would actually follow you and try and kill you. Guess your father isn’t as organized with his men as we thought,” my dad said.

  “I know he’s heading to the base near here. He said Anderson Street. Damien that is,” Mary explained.

  “Correct. I’ve been looking for where he went because the attack on our base was a distraction. I’ve alerted all the men of our MC to be on the lookout and be ready to fight. The plan is simple: we strike in three hours. We’ll go in, do away with your father, and go from there. We don’t sit around and mull this over. We make the decisions, and we make them now,” he said.

  I nodded.

  “Alright, Dad. By the way, when this is over…there is something I want to ask you,” I said.

  “Sure, but it will have to wait till after the attack if that’s okay with you of course,” he said.

  I nodded.

  “I would prefer after the attack. For now, let’s focus on the mission,” I said. I did feel a bit of anxiety when I thought about what might happen with my relationship with my father, and if he was willing to go into early retirement. But Mary didn’t want me to say much more. I turned towards her, and I noticed she was quiet. She probably was trying to figure out how to approach the rest of this.

  “Anyway, we have a lot of work to do. All of you. Let’s get this started,” my father said.

  I agreed with that.

  “I’ll get fitted with some gear, and we’ll go from there,” I said.

  “Good. By the way, Mary, are you willing to fight on our side? You can always say no,” my dad said.

  I looked at her, wondering if she would actually do this. But then, I noticed Mary nod.

  “Yes sir. I’m on your side now. I’m not changing that in the very least,” she said.

  I was shocked to say the least. I didn’t expect her to make a decision so easily, so readily, and so quickly, but my dad smiled at me.

  “I’m glad you see the winning side then. Your dad made a lot of mistakes, Mary, and I was worried that you might want out for whatever reason,’ he said.

  “No, my dad is a piece of shit. He tried to kill me. It’s over between us. I used to be his kid, but right now, I’m a warrior. I’m not the good girl he tried to raise. He hid the truth from me, and obviously my own mother wants nothing to do with him. If I have to kill him myself then I’ll…I’ll do it,” she said.

  I looked at Mary with a shocked expression.

  “Mary, you don’t have to—”

  “Quiet, Caleb. You of all people should understand. Being yourself, defying all of the wishes of your parents, you alone should damn well understand the pain that I’ve gone through for that bastard,” she said.

  I stayed quiet. I could see the determination in her eyes.

  “Fair enough. Well, that settles it. We’ll be going,” I said.

  “Good. Be safe. Both of you. Seriously,” my dad said.

  “I will, Dad. Thanks,” I told him.

  The two of us made our way over to where the uniforms were, and I looked over at Mary. She was different. Gone were the days of her acting scared, like some fearful little bird who couldn’t do anything. Now, she was a strong woman, someone whom I admired, and someone that I fell for.

  This inspired me to actually follow through with my promise, to give her the best life possible. We were finally getting rid of our pasts, and the fact that she was so determined to do the same thing made my heart swell, and I felt less scared of the future.

  “Are you ready, Mary?” I asked.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  We finished suiting up, and when I noticed Mary looking at me with a look of concern, I spoke.

  “Something the matter?”

  “No, it’s just…I want to deal the final blow to my dad if that’s okay. I want to make him pay for all the pain I’ve felt all these years. How he kept me on a leash as a “good girl” if only to further his own sick games,” she said.

  I was shocked by this, but I quickly nodded, understanding her words.

  “The feeling is mutual. You’ll take the final blow,” I told her.

  We finished getting ready, and for about thirty minutes, we sat around and talked about the plan. It was simple: we go in and get the kill. It would be my last job as a leader of the MC in the area, and I’d take the reins after this. I knew my dad would probably be pissed with my choices, but this was for the best.

  I was sick of living in fear.

  When the time came, we went over to where Zephyr and my dad were. The target was about three blocks away, and we’d have to go fast.

  “Alright, is everyone ready for the next move?” my dad asked.

  I looked at Mary, and she seemed to nod slightly. She was scared, I could tell from the look in her eyes, but I wouldn’t let her face this alone.

  When my dad made the signal, we went together, getting to the goal, and getting our lives and futures back.

  Chapter 4: Mary

  I never thought I’d be on the side of a motorcycle club, with my alpha boyfriend taking control of the next part of this. But, once the signal was there, I quickly went in the direction of where the building was.

  The plan was pretty simple. We’d go in and take out my dad, and from there, Zephyr, my mother, would distract and eliminate the others. My mom seemed to feel almost hollow about this. Maybe it was because this would be her last job as a mercenary for this MC, but I felt a bit better knowing that she was making these choices.

  We quickly ran down the street to the building his dad pointed out. Of course, as we did this, the sound of gunshots echoed towards us.

  “Run,” I heard Caleb say. He was determined to get the hell out of here as fast as we could.

  I felt the same way. I covered my ears, darting down the street. We saw a couple of goons right outside, and Caleb looked at me.

  “Grab the one that’s closest to you and throw them in front of you,” he said.

  I didn’t know if that would work, but when we got there, the guys were dazed and stunned. That was the moment to strike.

  I grabbed the first guy, throwing my body weight to get him in that direction. Sure enough, the bullets rained in, hitting their bodies and causing them to fall down. I noticed that using these men as meat shields was a totally fitting way.

  They should be nothing more than maggots once we were through with them.

  We stepped into the entrance of their location, a bunch of men coming down. I hesitated, unsure of what to do, but then, Caleb held his small gun up, shooting these men down.

  I didn’t feel fazed. I was here to stop this whole mess so that Caleb and I could live a normal life together. It was hard, especially since a lot of the people coming to attack were, of course, men that I thought would be dead already. But Caleb continued to move forward, shooting down everyone who was in our way.

  The goal was my dad. I needed to stop this, if only for myself.

  The fight was growing. I heard the sound of screams below. It was because of my mom, that’s for sure. It surprised me still that she was one of the strongest people on this side and my mom faked her death to be a mercenary.

  It felt unreal in a sense, but it made total sense. Caleb looked at me, and we stopped for a second.

  “Something the matter?”

  “No. Just surprised that this is all happening like it is. I mean, with my mom being a mercenary, and all of us going after my dad and his group. I just…I can’t believe that we’re getting revenge on them finally,” I said.

  “Well, you can certainly believe it. Because I don’t think any of us will be stopping until the job is done.”

  I nodded.

  “I’m glad. I want to make sure that we finish the job. I’m just still surprised my own mom isn’t even on his side. I mean, it makes sense considering how poorly he treats women whom he can’t use,” I said.

  I mean, I was treated pretty damn nicely until my dad couldn’t use me. I felt a bit of fear though, mostly because I wasn’t sure whether things would turn out right for me or not.

  “If you’re worried the cycle will continue, then the answer is no. The truth is, Mary, once this is over and I finish talking to my dad, there is another thing I need to tell you as well,” he said.

  I looked at Caleb, unsure of what he meant, but I accepted whatever he gave me. I nodded, looking at him with a smile.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  We trudged all the way up the stairs, taking down a few more guys until we got to a big, expansive doorway. I felt a bit of fear as I got closer, but then, I noticed Caleb get near the doorway.

  “No sense in staying out there. I know that you’re there, Mary,’ I heard my father say.

  Caleb and I looked at one another with surprise on our faces before we stepped inside.

  “Dad?” He looked at me with a smile on his face.

  “Nice to see you,” he said with a purr.

  “So, you’re the one in charge of The Skulls now,” Caleb said. I could see the seething rage in his eyes.

  “Well yeah. I mean, it’s not like the previous leader just upped it and left. I had to take things into my hands…in a sense, of course,” I heard my dad say.

  “So, you killed him,” I spat.

  “You could say that. I mean, he certainly didn’t live to tell the tale, Mary.”

  I felt sickened by my dad’s words. I wanted to say something, but I was tongue-tied by the way he looked at me. Caleb grimaced as well, and I could tell he was just as disgusted as I was.

  “Alright, well now that's that out of the way, why the hell are you doing this? What is your goal?” Caleb asked.

  “The goal is simple: I want control. I want to take over all of the gangs in town, so I can take control of what is rightfully mine. All of these people are the perfect pawns and using my place as a preacher certainly helped with this,” he said.

  I was disgusted. My own father used his position of power as a way to take control and use others. I could see that Caleb was just as angry as I was.

  “You’re a disgusting piece of shit,” he said.

  “Aww, how cute,” he said to me with a smile on his face.

  I tried to figure out what it was to make my dad fall so…so damn low. I was surprised by it, but then, Caleb put his hand out.

  “Don’t fall into his trap, Mary.”

  “But—”

  “He’s trying to make you feel guilty. He’s going to manipulate you, so you don’t actually think it through. So, you’re doing this solely for power? Seems like a lot of work for that, right?” Caleb said.

  “Actually, it has something to do with you as well,” my dad said.

  Something to do with Caleb. I looked at Caleb, but I noticed he was…smiling instead of just getting angry at my dad.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “His dad and I used to be quite close. But your dad betrayed me. He threw me under the bus in college, and since then, I’ve been waiting for the day I could get my revenge on him, and on you as well,” he said.

  I listened to my dad, shock settling through my body as I heard that.

  “So, this was all a ploy to get at Caleb,” I said.

  “Bingo. I figured, if I killed the son, the dad would show up. But it seems your father is nowhere to be found. Maybe it’s because my men got to him first,” my dad said with a sneer.

  I tensed up. I looked at Caleb, expecting him to feel the same way I did, but instead, he seemed almost…happy with this.

  “Is that all you’ve got?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It’s simple. You’re just trying to scare me. But you’re finished. You probably used my dad as well,” he said.

  I listened to all of this. In a strange way, it would make sense as to why Caleb’s dad forced him to take up this job.

  “Well, come on then. The future of both of these gangs rests on this battle. So, what do you say? A good ol’ one-on-one?” my dad asked Caleb.

  I then did something I never thought I would do. I stepped forward, looking at my dad with a serious glance.

  “Actually, you’re fighting me this time, father,” I said.

  My dad stopped for a second, looking at Caleb, and then at me.

  “What are you talking about? You have nothing to do with this, Mary. You should know your place by now,” he said.

  I did have something to do with this. Caleb stared at me for a moment, and I nodded.

  “Dad, this is our fight. You hurt me, you hurt Caleb, and most of all, you hurt mom. I learned the truth, and for everyone’s sake, it’s my job to…to take you down,’ I said.

  “Oh, that’s a good one. You think you can Mary? After all this time?”

  “Yes. Yes, I will,” I said.

  I grabbed my knife and stepping forward. My dad immediately attacked me, pinning me up against the wall. The strain of his body against my own made me wince, but that was it.

  That was the moment to strike.

  I grabbed the second knife in my sleeve, stabbing him directly into the hand. He groaned, falling back, and I soon kicked him in the face. He fell down, and I suddenly felt my body go out of control. All those years I stayed in line, all those years I pretended to do what made my dad happy because it was the only thing which seemed right, all of that was gone.

  And now, I was being myself.

  I kicked, I touched, and I punched my father. I beat him down within an inch of his life. I felt the anger and pain from how he hurt everyone. Suddenly, I heard Caleb’s voice.

  “Easy there, Mary, don’t kill him,” he said.

  I suddenly felt reality come back to me. I looked at my dad, bloodied and on the ground.

  “This is what you get. You hurt everyone, and it’s high time someone put you in your goddamn place,” I said.

  I looked at him, seeing his eyes barely open.

  “Mary…come on. Can you forgive me?” he said.

  I looked at him and then shook my head.

  “Sorry, Dad. There isn’t any more forgiveness for you here. This is the end of the line for you.”

  I then looked at Caleb, then at my dad. Was he really asking my forgiveness? I felt a sting of guilt. But then, Caleb spoke.

  “We’ll pardon you only if you come with us, and The Skulls disband,” he said.

  “Hah, like I’d do that,” he muttered.

  “Well, we can either do this the easy way or the hard way. Your call,’ Caleb stated.

  I looked at both of them, noticing that my dad didn’t even feel the regret that he should for everything he did.

  “He doesn’t give a rat’s ass about what he’s done, Caleb,” I said.

  “But Mary—”

  “Let me do it,” I said to Caleb.

  I turned to my dad, grabbing the knife in my hands. I then touched the gun, looking at him.

  “Sorry Dad, but if you’re not willing to listen to me or anything, then we’re going to have to end this here,” I said.

  He looked at the gun, and then into my eyes.

  “You don’t have the balls to shoot me,’ he said.

  “I do. I’m tired of you ruining my life, and I’m tired of you thinking I’m some pawn in your games. It’s over.”

  I didn’t even think when I did it. The sound of the gun and the puddle of blood in front of me made me think for a moment. Suddenly, I felt extreme regret, realizing what I had done. I looked at Caleb.

  I felt the gun fall from my hands to the ground, tears in my eyes. It was over, but I still felt awful for what I had done. I didn’t think I even had it in me. But then, Caleb grabbed my hand.

  “You did the right thing,” he said.

  “Did I really? I don’t think so.”

  “You did, Mary. He was going to kill you if you’d hesitated any further. I have a feeling we’d be the dead ones if you hadn’t done what you did,” Caleb explained.

  I looked at my dad. I felt awful for taking these steps, but it was either that or let him continue with this.

  “What about The Skulls then?”

  “Their leader is dead. I’m sure that my dad will tie up any other loose ends at this point. But our job here is over. We won,’ he told me.

  I didn’t feel like we’d won, but the place felt empty now. I looked at my dad, a guy who I thought wanted what was best for me, but instead went crazy. I felt a tear ghost down my face as I moved, feeling regretful about it all.

  “You okay there?” he asked.

  “Eh. Just kinda realizing what the hell happened. It’s a bit daunting, I’ll admit that” I told him.

  “I know. But you did the right thing, Mary,” he said.

  I mean, he was right. If I hesitated any further, I would be the one dead, and I would have left Caleb alone. Or maybe he would’ve joined me.

  But I did this because I wouldn’t let it end any other way. I looked at Caleb, realizing what he was looking at, and I saw my mom there. She looked at the two of us, nodding.

  “You did it, Mary,” she said.

  “I did mom. I stopped him. For all of us,” I said.

  “You did, Sweetie. I’ll take care of the cleanup,” she explained.

 

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