CHAPTER 6 - Red Dots and Broken Trust

The red dots painted targets across all our chests.

Three laser sights centered on me. I watched them dance across my heart like deadly stars, and all I could think was how stupid I had been. Tommy stood over three bodies—men I knew, men who had protected me growing up—with a gun in his hand and pride on his face.

"Tommy," I said, surprised my voice stayed steady. "What did you do?"

"What I had to do, Miss Eva." He gestured at the corpses with his gun. "They figured out I was working with the Sinaloa Cartel. Started asking questions. So I gave them answers." He smiled. "Permanent ones."

My father made a sound like a wounded animal. "You killed Reaper brothers."

"They were not my brothers. Just obstacles." Tommy's eyes were cold, nothing like the kid who used to ask me for college advice. "Like this whole marriage thing. But do not worry—after tonight, problem solved."

Albert shifted beside me, barely an inch, but Tommy noticed.

"Do not even think about it, Ghost. One move and my friends outside turn everyone in this room into Swiss cheese." He looked directly at me. "Especially the bride."

"The cartel is using you," I said, taking a step forward despite Albert's hand reaching for my arm. "You think they will give you power? They will throw you away the second you are not useful anymore."

"You do not know what you are talking about."

"I know exactly what I am talking about. I have watched this world eat people alive my entire life." I moved closer, red dots tracking across my body. "Tommy, you are nineteen years old. You have your whole life ahead of you. Do not throw it away for people who see you as disposable."

"Like you saw me?" His voice cracked. "All those talks about leaving, about college, about getting out? That was just you trying to make yourself feel better about abandoning everyone. But I am not like you, Miss Eva. I am not running away."

"This is not staying. This is suicide."

"Then I will die with power instead of living as nothing!" He raised his gun higher. "The cartel promised me my own crew, my own territory. I just had to make sure this alliance never happened. Dead bride, dead peace treaty, both clubs tear each other apart. Then we move in and take everything."

Knox spoke from behind me. "Who is we, kid? You are not part of their organization. You are a tool they will discard."

"Wrong. I am valuable. I proved it." Tommy looked at me with something twisted and dark. "I was supposed to kill you two days ago, Miss Eva. Had a perfect shot at the Barroom. But I hesitated because you were always nice to me. Stupid, right?"

My stomach turned to ice. Tommy had been the shooter.

"So I hired a professional for the clubhouse. Figured if I could not do it, someone else could." He shrugged. "But you are harder to kill than I thought. That changes tonight."

Albert's voice was death itself. "You are not touching her."

"I am not doing anything. My friends outside will handle it." Tommy pulled out his phone. "One call and this room becomes a slaughterhouse. But I am reasonable. I will give you a choice, Ghost. You and Eva walk outside, nice and slow, and my people only kill you two. Quick and clean. Everyone else lives. Or you try to be a hero, and everyone dies. Your call."

The room went silent except for my thundering heart.

"No," Albert said simply.

"No?" Tommy laughed. "You do not get to say no. This is not a negotiation."

"You are right. It is not." Albert looked at me, something fierce and protective burning in his gray eyes. "Because I am not letting you or anyone else hurt her. Period."

"Then everyone dies."

"Wait," I said, my mind racing. "Tommy, if you kill us all, the cartel still does not get what they want. The clubs will unite for revenge. Every Reaper and Viper will hunt the Sinaloa until there is nobody left. Is that what your new friends want? A war they cannot win?"

Tommy hesitated.

"But if you let everyone else go," I continued, feeling Albert stiffen beside me, "if it is just me and Albert... then the clubs will be too busy mourning to think clearly. The cartel can move in while everyone is weak and leaderless. That is the smart play, right?"

"Eva, no," Albert said.

"He is right. That is smarter." Tommy nodded slowly. "Okay. Everyone else leaves. Just you and the Ghost stay."

"Absolutely not," Marcus said. "I am not leaving my daughter."

"You do not have a choice, old man." Tommy's finger moved to the trigger. "Clock is ticking. Either everyone walks out right now, or I make the call."

Knox grabbed my father's arm. "Marcus. We leave, regroup, and come back with everything."

"My daughter—"

"Will die for sure if we stay," Knox said firmly. "This is the play. Trust it."

My father looked at me, and I saw him breaking. The tough MC president crumbling as he realized he had to choose between me and everyone else.

"Go, Dad," I said softly. "Please."

"I love you, baby girl." His voice cracked. "I am sorry for everything."

"I know."

Ruby was crying as Jacks pulled her toward the door. One by one, the Vipers and Reapers filed out, laser sights following them until they disappeared.

Then it was just me, Albert, and Tommy.

And the snipers waiting outside.

"Smart move, Miss Eva." Tommy smiled. "At least you will die knowing you saved them."

"I am not planning on dying tonight," I said.

"Neither am I," Albert added, his hand sliding to his weapon.

Tommy laughed. "You really think you can outdraw a phone call? The second I hit send, you both get dropped."

"Maybe," Albert said. "Or maybe your cartel friends are not as loyal as you think."

"What are you talking about?"

"Derek," Albert called out. "You getting all this?"

The door burst open.

Derek Morrison stood there with a laptop. "Every word. Voice recording, video, full confession. And I just sent it to every news outlet and law enforcement agency in the state."

Tommy's face went white. "What? No—"

"You just confessed to murdering three men and conspiring with a Mexican cartel on camera, kid." Derek smiled coldly. "The Sinaloa is going to kill you themselves for being this stupid."

Tommy's hand shook on his phone. "I will still make the call. Everyone still dies."

"Go ahead," Derek said. "But your snipers left three minutes ago when they got word their operation was blown. Cartels do not waste resources on failed jobs."

Tommy looked at his phone. The screen showed messages.

Operation compromised. Extracting. You are on your own.

The gun in his hand trembled. "No. No, this is not how it was supposed to go."

Albert moved like lightning.

He crossed the distance before Tommy could react, knocked the gun away, and had the kid pinned against the wall in seconds.

"You tried to kill my wife," Albert said, each word precise and deadly.

"She is not your wife yet," Tommy gasped.

"Close enough." Albert's fist connected with Tommy's face.

I should have looked away. Should have been horrified.

Instead, I watched the Ghost do what he did best.

And I felt nothing but cold satisfaction.