Madness Ends by Beth D. Carter

been the accountant of the Men of Hell, but he knew how to use a gun and he was still out there.
    They pulled into the bus terminal, which wasn’t really a bus station, only a narrow building that hosted the buses coming and going. As he turned off the rumbling engine and dismounted, many people gawked at them. Boone figured he and Gabby looked a little out of place among the crowd with suitcases and family members. He wasn’t the least bit interested in the convenience store and walked around to the back, where two rows of storage lockers waited under an awning. The key had a large number sixteen on it so Gabby took point and watched the surrounding area while Boone located the locker and inserted the key into the small locker to open it. Inside lay a small duffel bag. He pulled it out and let the locker shut. Opening the bag, he glimpsed a bundle of cash and swore under his breath. Yes, he had suspected he’d find money, but now that it confirmed just how much Cipher had backstabbed them, his blood burned even hotter for payback.
    “What is it?” Gabby asked.
    “What we thought,” he replied. “I was willing to give Cipher the benefit of doubt, but this fucking shit just pisses me off.”
    Gabby nodded.
    “Come on, let’s get out of here. No need to press our luck.”
    He led the way back to the bikes, gripping the duffel bag tightly. The money belonged to the Men of Hell. Even though Chloe had helped them out, he knew Romeo wanted to pay her back. Whatever cash was in here would help restore their coffers so they could be independent again.
    By the time they hit the road to go back to Kaiya, twilight had fallen. The bus depot had been located in the middle of nowhere, in an industrial section of the city with little more than trees and warehouses around. Boone just started to relax when a vehicle jumped out at them from a dark service area, breaks squealing as the car’s back end whipped around. If Boone hadn’t been so experienced on his bike, or known his machine by heart, the car might have banged into him. But Boone swerved and accelerated, peeling away so rapidly that the bike shuddered under him, protesting the sudden sideways dancing forced upon it. Gabby throttled up next to him and the car gave chase. He pulled a gun free from his holster, flipped the safety off with his thumb and fired at the piece-of-shit jalopy. Beside him, Gabby did the same. Two sets of guns fired back, one from the driver’s side and one from the passenger. Bullets whipped by his head, and he ducked, returning fire. Just as his gun clicked empty, a loud pop boomed from the motor, and the vehicle swerved into the ditch as steam erupted from the engine. He and Gabby accelerated down the road, but quickly slowed enough to turn around and head back to the ruined car. He slipped the empty gun back into its holster and grabbed his other one as they approached the dead vehicle.
    “Son of a bitch!” Gabby snarled as they came to a halt.
    The doors stood wide open and no one was around. Whoever had been in the car had fled.
    “Cipher,” Boone said grimly. “And he wasn’t working alone.”
    “Fucking cowards for running.”
    Boone looked around the empty road. Their car chase had gone unnoticed. However, he had the distinct feeling they were being watched. “Maybe they ran for a reason.”
    Gabby stared into the dark tree line. “Luring us?”
    “Not sure.” Boone put his gun back. “Let’s get the hell out of here, only let’s split up and circle the long way back to the motel.”
    Gabby nodded, and they zoomed away, leaving the accident far behind.
     
     

Chapter Nine
     
     
     
    “We could’ve killed them!” Cipher raged. “Why didn’t you let me shoot?”
    Vicious grabbed his T-shirt and twisted, bringing Cipher face to face with him. Madness swam in his eyes, and it scared Cipher to his core.
    “Because that’s too easy. Boone has to suffer. He needs to bleed out every drop of blood in his heart and I must