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Several things happened all at once. Dust rose further down East Frontage. I heard the roar of engines.
Do' dodged behind the cherry red classic Chevy.
Big Jacket was pulling out a shotgun.
Dealer and Gripper lunged ahead to use our side of the car as a shield.
Big Jacket racked the shotgun and his upper chest blossomed with blood and gore. The report of a gun followed just after. The shotgun went flying forward and slid spinning on the cracked pavement.
I dove for it. Not a good idea. I felt my elbows impact painfully and the knees of my jeans tear. I grabbed it and came up kneeling.
A bad-ass tattoo was aiming a gun at my head from less than fifteen feet away. He was holding it sideways, fist over like thugs like to do. I flinched and jerked over just as the gunshot went off.
A burning numbness ripped across my head. I don't know if I was dead or not, but I jerked the shotgun up and blew a hole in his stomach.
Squealing tires tore into the gas station.
A distant and growing thunder told me the rest of the Iron Crows were coming.
But the Mexicans were already here.
I rolled towards the car and scrambled to the other side.
Behind us, a rollup door at the back of the gas station went flying up. Bandidos poured out.
Surenos began running from the front to the back of the gas station.
I put the car between me and them.
Big Pizza dove for the handgun that had shot me.
A gunshot sounded and he flopped down.
I racked the shotgun and rounded the car.
One of Do's lieutenants was aiming a pistol at me. His side erupted in blood and he flew against the car.
Huddled beneath him and holding a shiny revolver was Do'. He looked at me and his eyes widened in shock.
I bought the barrel up to his face and pulled the trigger. What had been a surprised old man turned into an explosion of flesh, bone, and brain.
The thunder had stopped.
But the gunshots hadn't.
Dealer scooped up Do's gun beside me and began firing.
I saw Sixgun, holding two revolvers, firing at anything in the clear.
Bandidos were mixing it up with double their number of Surenos until I saw Iron Crows wade in from behind.
Pain lanced my head and then began pulsing heavily. I lifted my hand and touched the area. It was slick with blood. I leaned against the back of the car and tried to get some air in my lungs.
From around the other side, where our Harleys were parked, came our chase vehicles. Trucks and vans stopped. I saw our SUV.
The fight was a melee of screaming, cursing men. What few that had brought guns were down or dead. I saw Jacks in a frenzy with a crowbar, his teeth showing and blood flying wherever he hit. Dragon was bleeding from a wound on her left arm but was swinging her chain with the right. Ghost and Sonar swung lead pipes overhand and down into heads.
What had taken an eternity to round the car and find Do' had turned into an instant.
I fell to my knees as all the sound of fighting died away.
Not a single Surenos escaped.
Dealer shouted, "Let's move! Clean up! Grannie, here! We have two down!"
Women were rushing with plastic. The Iron Crows, wounded or not, began lifting bodies onto the plastic and carrying them to the vehicles.
Dealer leaned over Big Pizza and froze. "Shit..." He moved over to Viking who looked like he was resting on his side. The president's fists clenched.
Gripper appeared in front of me, grabbing my chin and turning my head. "Fuck, head wounds always look so bad."
I felt chills all through me and I was shaking. "Am I going to live? Are my brains okay?"
He shook his head. "Lucky son of a bitch. Grazed you to the bone." He sighed. "Give me your gun."
I handed him the shotgun.
He said, "Use your rag on your head." He sighed and yanked the rag from my back pocket. He placed it in my hand and pressed it to my wound. "Hold that there."
He wiped down the shotgun and then pressed Fat Jacket's dead hands all over it.
Bodies were being moved, arranged. Most were being wrapped in plastic and carried to the vehicles.
A few times I saw Sonar raise his pipe and bash someone's head in that was still alive.
A cop SUV pulled around the front of the gas station in view of the car and stopped.
I wanted to shout warning, but I couldn't seem to muster the energy.
The cop that got out was Sheriff Jefferson.
I was knocked over. Kristy was all over me. "Oh my god, are you okay? Are you..." Tears were in her eyes.
Donna called, "Kristy, Gripper said he'll make it. We need you."
She touched my face as if afraid to break it. Then she backed away hesitantly and ran to help.
Sixgun faced Dealer and I heard them both sigh. The Bandido said, "Well done. But it's hard to lose brothers."
They hugged, patting each other's backs.
Dealer said, "Yours came out okay?"
Sixgun nodded, looking ashamed. "I'm sorry about your losses."
"I'm glad you lost none, brother."
Sheriff Jefferson looked over the scene.
I blinked and blinked again. There were four bodies near the front of the car, including Do'. There were four more bodies arranged near the gas station where the Bandidos had crashed into the reinforcements.
The sheriff said, "Outstanding job."
Doors on vans and trucks were shutting.
Gripper came to me and squatted down. "Stiff, can you hear me?"
I nodded.
"Can you stand?"
"I... don't know."
Gripper stood. "Grannie! Truck up Stiff's Harley."
Jefferson said, "You'll handle the rest of the bodies?"
Dealer said, "Yep."
"I won't ask. All right then, looks like there was an intergang rivalry that went bad." He thumbed the mic attached to his epaulet and walked towards his vehicle. "Three-four and three-six, come on in. Dispatch, I need the coroner at..."
Gripper hauled me up.
Trotting in from the west was a shaggy creature from the swamp bog. A rifle was slung over its back. It swept back its head and revealed Gunner's face. He was looking me over. "I hope that wasn't one of my shots." He cackled. Then he was running past towards the vehicles.
I dimly thought, ghillie suit.
Gripper led me to my SUV. I was stuffed into the passenger seat.
Kristy was looking at me with horror in her eyes.
I said, "I think we did it." I saw four Iron Crows hustle my Harley up into the back of Smoke's pick-up. Then I closed my eyes.