'I never feared the dark

No, I just became it'

"You wanted to see us?" Buck says to Ace as we head into his office. The sun is starting to go down and all I want is to get back to Bella. Maybe I can go down on her again.

I shake my head to stop those thoughts right now.

"Yeah, I need you both tonight," Ace pulls out a gun and checks to see if it's loaded, before handing it to me.

I take the gun with fear.

"Going to see a guy from a rival gang tonight about supplies, need a little bit of backup just to be safe." He hands Buck a gun as well, he takes it without hesitation. Stan's words about being able to pardon me for everything but murder vibrate in my mind.

Bella lying in my bed, now seems so far away.

I automatically pull out the magazine to check for bullets, even though I just watched Ace do the same thing.

I stay silent like I usually do in these situations, when all I really want is to ask a million questions. Being curious is suspicious though, and keeping my mouth shut has always been my safest option in this gang. Ace seems to think that I still have some sort of protective instincts with him, that must be why he is bringing me; that or he is testing my loyalty tonight.

I stay silent as I tuck the gun into the back of my jeans. I stay silent as we hop into a car, Ace in the driver's seat. I stay silent as Buck and Ace make jokes back and forth, like it's just an average night with friends. I guess to them, this is an average night.

I beg my flooded mind for silence as my hands sweat, and my stomach fills with anxiety.

What if I don't come home to Bella.

What if she is left lying alone in my bed till dawn. Constantly checking her phone, going to Anna as a distraction, then to her parents for comfort. Chasing Stan down by the next day, and on the third she would go to the clubhouse in desperation.

I light a smoke and bob my leg up and down quickly to push away a freak out.

"Tyson?"

"Hmm?" I call back to Ace.

"I said, do you even remember how to fire a gun?" Buck chuckles at Ace, probably for a second time.

"I remember enough," I say calmly.

"I'm just teasing, tonight will be fine; you look a little tense." I catch a smile in the revision mirror as we pass under a street light.

"I'm fine." I fucking wish he picked anyone other than me.

The apartment we pull up to is in the dodgy part of Queensland, kind of exactly where I expected it to be. The street isn't that busy, with just a couple parked cars around.

I don't really take in much of the conversation, just that there are three guys like us, and a few half naked girls roaming around. There are drugs on the table with a gun, plus the two guys standing either side of the guy on the couch hold guns also.

Ace sits on a couch opposite their main guy, and Buck and I stay standing, we don't pull out our guns though. They laugh a lot, which I think must be a good sign, but my mind can only focus on the gun loosely held from the guy's hand in front of me. I swallow to try and wet my dry throat.

Before I know it, they stand up and shake hands. "Always peaceful doing business with you," he says to Ace.

"Always Johnny," Ace smiles back.

As we head outside, the night air dries the sweat I didn't realise I had. Now I really am so close to Bella and my bed. I smile as I picture her in one of my shirts, I couldn't wait to kiss every inch of her skin.

"Those guys were sitting there when we went in," Ace says. I turn my direction to a dark commodore across the street.

"It's probably nothing," Buck says reassuringly.

"Two blokes in a car together not doing anything is always something," Ace shoots back. He seems angry.

"OI!" He yells at the car, the guys that pretend to be doing nothing now look at Ace.

"What the fuck are use doing!?" Ace yells again.

The guys don't reply.

Ace pulls out his gun and points it to them. "I asked you a fucking question!"

The two guys quickly get out with their own guns. "Police! Drop your weapon!"

Buck quickly reaches for his gun and my hand slowly touches mine. Then as I get a good look at their faces, my heart stops. Stan is one of the men.

Ace wastes no time shooting at them, and they shoot back while using the car as cover.

Buck heads to run out to Ace as a shot flies over us, he ducks back. My own gun is now trembling in my hands.

"Ace!" Buck yells as Ace takes a shot to his stomach, falling slowly to the ground. Buck makes a call as I quickly scan for Stan, both him and the other cop are fine.

"Hold on Ace, help is coming!" Buck screams.

"How much help?" I ask panicked.

"Everyone," Buck says as he fires his gun in the direction of Stan.

"The whole club?"

"Yes!"

My eyes dart from Ace to Stan, I needed to do something, and I needed to do it fast.

"He won't make it," I say as rush out into the open. I raise my gun, focusing on Stan before pulling the trigger.