Edge of Chaos by Brynn O'Connor Read Free Book Online Page B

and
cried hysterically as I tried to pick up the poor creature, but I just couldn’t
with one hand. My other one hung at my side at an awkward angle. When I was
about to catch it, a giant black motorcycle boot put an end to it. I looked on
in horror as my father ground the little creature into the carpet.
    'I hate you, I
hate you! You’re not my father, you’re a horrible beast!' I had managed to say
before my father put his other foot on my shoulder and shoved me hard down to
the wet carpet. He had then turned and left without another word, slamming the
door in his wake.”
     
    Kayla wipes her
face with her napkin. She doesn’t like crying in public, but she is just heartbroken
for young Luke. She can’t imagine what it’s like to have a father like that.
Her own parents were a loving, caring and supportive couple and would not have
dreamed of doing any of the things Luke’s father did to him.
    “I don’t know what
to say, Luke,” she finally says.
    “And that’s not
all. I did all my chores while cradling a broken arm.”
    “What the hell?”
    “Yeah, when I fell
against my desk, I broke my left arm. It was horrible and the worst part of it
was I had to lie to the doctor in the ER. I knew if I told the truth, they
would take me to an orphanage or something since my mother disappeared when I
was five.”
    “Oh, my God! I am
so sorry, Luke! I jus—”
    “Stop, Kayla. I
didn’t tell you so you would pity me. I just thought you should know why my
father and I aren’t close; nor will we ever be. Believe me, that was not my
worst birthday and he’s done a lot worse than just break my arm.”
    Kayla looks around
her. The sun is still out; there’s not a cloud in the sky and it’s 78 degrees
according to the diner’s outside thermometer, but chills are running down her
spine. She can’t push the horror of what Luke had just told her out of her
heart and mind. The two of them are so diametrically different that it’s
amazing they can even stand being in each other’s company.
    “Look,” Luke says
after a while. “I need to get back. We’re having an officers’ meeting at the
club house in a few hours. We need to get going, so I won’t be late.”
    Kayla pushes her
plate away, full and satisfied. “Let’s get to it then.”

Chapter Seven
The Best Laid Plans

     
    “So what’s the
plan?” Luke asks, as he takes his seat at his father’s right hand at the great
oak table.
    “We’re going to
hit the Harbingers tonight!” his father announces. “We’ve identified one of
their meth labs out near the old quarry. This ain’t your normal meth lab. This
one’s permanent.”
    Most Harbinger
meth labs are run out of trailers and are highly mobile. For that reason,
anytime the police take down a meth lab, it’s usually not one belonging to the
Harbingers. Larry, one of the Clubs newer brothers, is a CI (confidential
informant) for Oakland Police and he’s an expert at working both sides of the
fence. The police accidentally discovered this lab a few days ago when one of
their SWAT teams was doing some night time field exercises and they had picked
the quarry for an outdoor training session. Once the lab was discovered, they
tipped off Larry so he could gather Intel on the lab. They wanted to know how
many Harbingers were in there at any given time and what they were armed with.
With the help of the brothers, he’s gathered the requested information; but the
club is going to hit the place first to get even with the Harbingers who tried
to ambush Luke and Carter on the last gun run, as they suspect.
    “We’re gonna send
’em one helluva ‘you’re not fucking welcome here’ message,” Luke’s father joked.
“But this is gonna be a dangerous one. It’s heavily armed, so we’re gonna hit
it after they have made their monthly delivery. Since we’re not interested in
their product, they’ll never expect anyone to hit them when there are no drugs
there. It’s the perfect setup. After they