colors come into view and ice floods my veins.
Satan’s Seminoles.
Fuck. How’d they find me?
I don’t dwell, it’s time to fight and fight I will.
I grab just about the only intact beer bottle from the floor and swing it over my head, bringing it down in a crack on the back of the skull of the asshole that is locked in battle with Bulldog.
He’s fucking tough, he doesn’t go down, but blood streams from the cut on the back of his head and he releases Bulldog, spinning around and I recognize Fury from my time with the Seminoles.
“Fuck, yeah!” He nods, with hate in his eyes. “Here you are. Long time.”
“Fuck off.” I’m not here to reminisce, so I bring a fist into his chin from below, then another one into his gut, and Bulldog is right there with a double shot to the center of his back, dropping him into the glass and mess on the floor.
“What the fuck?” I say as we both turn to head to the next battle.
“They’re looking for you, man. What the fuck is right!”
We don’t keep talking. Bulldog takes on one guy who’s got Jackal in the corner. He’s holding his own, but Bulldog double teams him and a second later, there’s another heap of Seminole ass on the floor.
Troy’s got another by the throat and drops him in a bleeding heap under the dartboard.
He turns to me shakes his head and we both grab two more and the battle continues.
The place is trashed, only two of theirs are standing when they put their hands up in surrender.
“Okay,” one says, blood streaming down his face. “We have a legit beef with one of our own. You.” He points my way and I recognize him as Skate. He was up and coming when I left, but dirty as fuck and would do anything Lukas told him to do.
“Well, your beef doesn’t belong here. He’s a Heartlands member now. So take your shit on down the road.”
Skate shakes his head. “We need to settle up. It’s only fair.”
Jackal and Wrath are next to me, eyes on mine. “Dude, what’s the fucking story here?”
“I wouldn’t do their shady shit. Took off. Just left.”
“Yeah, he left. Defied a direct order from the President.”
“Then the beef is between them. Any one of these jokers the president?” Troy looks around at the moaning, shifting bodies on the floor.
“Can’t. He’s dead. But we got wind where that motherfucker was and were here to settle the debt. Saw that little video of him taking the guys down in the grocery store. Social media’s a wonderful thing sometimes.”
“Fuck.” I grunt. “What do you want to settle up? You gonna kill me? Because I don’t see that happening.”
“Nah. Just face us. You in the center, you take all you can take, you fight your way out of the circle, we’re settled, otherwise, you take your beating until we feel things are level again.”
A few of the guys from the floor are on their feet again, moving to stand behind Skate and his partner.
“Nope.” Troy steps up. “Things don’t go that way here. You take us all, or none. And, from the looks of things, we already gave you a taste of how this will turn out.”
“There’s a lot more of us back east. We can end this today, or you can start a war. One you ain’t gonna win, I guarantee you.”
One thing I know that Troy and my brothers don’t, is the Seminoles are not just dirty, they’re a big fucking group. Ten men to every one of ours, and if they want a war, it will be all out and it’s guaranteed there will be Heartlands blood spilled.
And I can’t have that. Not on my account.
“I’ll do it.” I step forward and Troy shakes his head, but I push ahead. “This is my beef. I need to settle it or this won’t end. Let’s go.”
I nod toward the door and there’s a few voices from the Heartlands telling me it ain’t gonna happen, but I wave them off.
“Let’s go then.” Skate pushes the door open.
“In the back. We don’t need anyone calling the cops.” Troy acquiesces and we file out the front door, around the corner and into the sandy area next to the parking lot, and six of their guys stand around me in a circle.
“He gets no help.” Skate barks to the rest of the Heartlands crew and they shake their heads, grumbling, but stand firm.
“Who’s first?” I ask, starting