Chapter 21 (Zero)


    River and I rush on the flimsy narrow metal floored stretch.


    We both start kicking doors. The fifth I SPOT two outfit members and two kill shots go into each of


    them.


    We carry on doing this until thest door. My frustration is palpable when we find nothing and three


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    bullets miss my feet by inches.


    My bullets run out and I clip my new magazine in, spin around and shoot the bald-headed outfit


    member shooting at me from the bottom of the warehouse.


    “Let''s go down, I can spot a door on the end,” River points to the bottom on the far left of the


    Warehouse.


    It looks like a locked door.


    We run down as the bullets ricochet through the air. The ce is smoking and smells of gunpowder.


    Our men and women fight, continuing to hold them off us two as we look for Beggar and Kylie.


    River and I get downstairs and rush to the door as two outfit memberse from nowhere and shoot.


    I get one in my arm, the other grazes my ear.


    “Fuck,” I curse on a hiss as I put two bullets in their heads.


    I see River hold his leg and limp toward the door. And my relief is instant when I see it is a scratch.


    He shoots both the locks and we open it.


    “Beggar.” The room is dark and we can''t see shit.


    River uses his sh from his phone and we both rush to her. She is tied to a chair, her mouth gagged.


    Head limp.


    But I can''t make out if it is her or Kylie. The two look a lot alike.


    River holds his phone in his mouth as we both start untying her body from the chair. I know it is her.


    “She''s too weak, we need to carry her,” River announces and I don''t think about it as I lift her almost


    lifeless body in my arms.


    I ignore the paining from my arm as I cradle her against my chest.


    There is a million emotions running through my brain and it takes a fucking shit load of control not to


    lose my shit at the condition she is in. I tell myself I would feel this way about any of our women.


    “Go check for Kylie, I got her,” I tell the Prez as the bullets stop.


    I leave the room with her in my arms and see through the smoke. All our enemy''s menid to waste on


    the ground.


    A ughterhouse I don''t regret.


    Knight and Spade start dragging some of the dead men, as After tends to Bull who looks like he got


    shot.


    There is always going to be injuries or death or both in a war. Today that is what it was, a war. At least


    the start of one.


    “Kylie isn''t here,” River yells from across me somewhere.


    Beggar stirs in my arms, “Beauty, Beauty you need to wake up.”


    Her eyes flutter open,


    “Zero,” she croaks and moans through her words, “Kylie, where is sh...ah...sha she.”


    A lightness fills me at the sound of my name from that discernible voice.


    “Yeah, Kylie, she isn''t here, do you know where she could be? PLEASE, BABY, try and think.” I use my


    good hand to lightly brush her cheek, trying to keep her awake.


    “Washington, by the D.S docks,” She says before her body goespletely still.


    I repeat the info to them.


    “Vincent is on his way there now,” Killer announces when he gets off the call with VINCENT.


    “Let''s move people,” River bellows and we rush out.


    When I get outside I see the one thing we didn''t think about.


    “How are we gonna get her on the bike, IT''S an hour and a half to the nearest hospital.”


    Killer moves with me and produces a long strap with Velcro. And regardless of our evening and


    Beggar''s condition, I smile at the fucker.


    “We not gonna stop at the hospital. There''s a hotel forty miles from here, Ribs and Gizbee will meet us


    there and bring what she needs. She''s a wanted fugitive,” River announces, reminding us of what she


    is capable of doing.


    My eyes drop to her cradled in my arms.


    She is so fucking beautiful, and fragile.


    Her lips are chaffed, dry blood painted on swollen, pale skin. Long eyshes shut.


    How does this tall, skinny girl do what she is used of? Why would she want to kill my brother?


    These questions boggle my mind as I look at this woman that insists on calling herself Beggar.


    “Your arms fucked. I''ll keep her until we get there, Gizbee will have a cage. You can take this,” Killer


    drops his bag on the ground and I know not to argue. My arm IS fucked.


    I hand her to him and for some reason, I can''t spare her frail body or face ast nce.


    Even in her current state, she is achingly perfect, that I wonder if she chose the name Beggar, or did a


    superior entity whisper, Beg her.


    A small smile creeps in as I shake my head and chase these fucked up thoughts away.


    Mercy walks to us. She produces a needle with some liquid in it and injects me in my arm, close to


    where I got shot.


    “It should numb the pain ''till we get it sorted.”


    Knight joins us, and he and Mercy begin strapping Beggar to Killer''s front. Joining them until Beggar''s


    legs are wrapped around Killer''s top body and her weakened head is in his chest.


    Not able to control myself I watch them, and see her stir a bit as he easily lifts his legs over his engine.


    Killer murmurs something to her and she tucks herself tighter in his chest. The act is one that will be


    forever nted in my brain.


    His eyes catch me staring and it is like I am looking at a man way older than I am, not a twenty-four-


    year-old brother but the Vice President of National.


    I give him a chin lift and he revs his bike. The others all startup. Bull and After set us up so Killer is in


    the center of us as we hit the road, shielding Beggar.


    The free road numbs the pain in my arm and a burning sensation on the tip of my ear.


    We ride and a sense of something freeing happens to me as it sets in that Beggar is here. She was in


    my arms.


    My stomach feels weird and I up my speed, clearing my head of the craziness of my mind.


    I have a girlfriend, I have moved on.


    We arrive at the Blue Kernel in Westchase Houston. It is one of the nicer ces we''ve stayed while


    handling club business.


    We all park our bikes under the blue beams of ceiling light. I re at the man who walks out of the


    ce, no doubting to tell us not to park here and he moves right back inside.


    The air is warm, as the smell of sand and wildfire filters through my nose, the stench of death.


    River jumps off his bike and goes straight inside.


    I help Killer unstrap Beggar when he jumps off the bike with her. Her eyes open as I get thest strap


    from around his back.


    “I need water,” She says.


    “Beggar needs water,” I announce to the others who are also off their bikes.


    Her eyes stare at me dead. It is first unbelieving, then her gaze turns cold, and a shiver races up my


    arm when I realize she heard me say Beggar.


    There was once a time when I would never have called her that. A time when she was Beauty.


    Her feet touch the ground, but I notice they are bare. She wobbles a bit and Killer easily catches her.


    Lifting her up as she was in my arms.


    He doesn''t waste time talking with her inside the hotel.


    My phone vibrates, and I slip it out noticing eight missed calls from Quinn.


    I dial her back, and she picks up after the second ring.


    “Whatsup?” I say in answering.


    “Are you good? I was worried, Ribs called me over an hour ago, said to meet ya''ll at the Blue Kernel,


    asked me to bring a list of medical supplies, said some of you were shot.”


    “Yeah, sorry babe, just got here now, how long will you be?”


    “A couple of hours or so, I''m with Jade and Venus.”


    “See you when you get here,” I don''t wait for her response, and I slip the phone off.