Hang On

ROBERT

“Ry, sweetheart, what you’re doing can be dangerous,” Robert sighs, loosening his tie with a tug of his fingers. “Keeping secrets never leads to anything good.”

Riley stiffens. “What makes you think I’m—”

“You keep messing with your clothes, honey.”

She quickly lets go of her shirt, and Robert sighs again. “Just tell us.”

She bites the inside of her cheek as Austin and Melissa watch her closely.

She glances at her watch and sees she has less than a minute until she can reveal their location.

She’s relieved. She’s never been good at lying, and having to deceive three smart adults feels like being unfairly accused of a crime.

She clears her throat and smooths out her shorts, her feet bouncing nervously. ~8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2—~

“Um…actually, they’re in Freetown.”

Robert’s head snaps back. “Freetown? Why are they there?”

“Did they go after Ron Moretto?” Austin asks, his eyes wide. Riley nods.

“It seems so…”

“Oh my God.” Melissa pushes her hair back, tugging at the strands. Riley looks at Robert guiltily as he shakes his head in disappointment.

“Ry, why did you wait so long to tell us something this important?”

She opens her mouth to explain, but Austin speaks first, causing her to smile guiltily.

“We’re going there right now; those boys never listen.” He quickly crosses the room to grab his brown jacket from the coat rack while Robert stands from the couch to join him.

As they leave, Riley slumps in her seat. Melissa sits next to her, offering a comforting smile and rubbing her arm.

RON

“Rainey! Rainey! Rainey!”

Ron’s threatening voice fills the air as he crouches in front of the terrified girl, his icy gray eyes boring into hers.

He grabs a handful of her short hair, tilting her head back so she’s forced to look at him. Her eyes are lifeless, reflecting his own.

“Don’t touch her. Let her go!” Alaric warns, but Ron just laughs. His deep, sinister voice echoes with power and control.

He doesn’t have to listen to a young man who’s currently tied up. He’s in control. He’s winning. And that reality feeds his ego.

The King boys are on their knees, their hands tied behind them. Men stand over them with loaded guns, waiting for Ron’s order to shoot.

Rainey is first in line, then Arden. Aiden is in the middle, with Alex next to Alaric, who’s last.

Some of Ron’s men, who Max tried to fight off, have arrived at the cliff. Max and his friends are beaten and lying on the ground.

“Rainey Slate, I must admit, I like you,” Ron muses.

He turns her face from side to side, his grip on her cheeks tightening. Blood trickles from her mouth, mixing with her saliva.

“It’s a shame. If you weren’t connected to these King boys, I would have taken you under my wing.”

“Let her go. Are you deaf, you son of a bitch?!” Alaric struggles against his restraints while his twin brothers sit in stunned silence.

Their brother was just shot and fell off a cliff, and they have no idea if he’s alive.

The cliff is high, and if the bullet didn’t kill him, the fall into the water might have.

Rainey weakly turns her head to look at the cliff again. Her eyes fill with fresh tears, but she can’t speak. The trauma has left her speechless.

Ron tightens his grip on her hair, forcing her to look at him. She doesn’t react, even though his thick fingers are digging into her scalp.

“I would have loved to watch you jump off that cliff after your soulmate. Your display of love was interesting.

“But you don’t die unless I say so. You die on my orders and my orders only.”

“You sick fuck!” Alex shouts, his eyes red and wild.

“I swear I’m going to cut you up and rip you apart for what you did to my brother! I’m going to skin you alive!”

Ron laughs, a dark, humorless sound. “The brotherly love you all share is touching. It almost makes me feel guilty.”

He lets go of Rainey, and she collapses onto the ground, tears streaming down her face. She’s traumatized and broken, unable to feel or hear anything.

“Alex,” Ron says, adjusting his cuff, “for being the youngest, you sure talk a lot.

“I heard you were the one who beat my best man, Hitler, into a pulp the other day.”

“He fucking deserved it. What did he expect after touching my girlfriend? He’s lucky the cops showed up before I killed him.”

Ron sighs loudly, squatting in front of Alex and gripping his face. He tilts his head to the side.

“Should I just cut your tongue out?”

“Don’t you dare touch my brother,” Alaric growls, and Ron’s face darkens.

His eyes shift to the eldest of the brothers, and a potent aura of authority emanates from both men, like two alpha wolves vying for leadership.

“Seems like someone’s a little impatient.”

All traces of humor vanish as he rises, shoving his hands in his pockets and stepping in front of Alaric. The boys watch him warily as he glares at their brother with palpable resentment.

“I was getting to you, Alaric. But you’re just too damn impatient, aren’t you?”

Alaric smirks defiantly, and Ron mirrors the gesture, a half-smile playing on his lips.

“Alaric King…” Ron exhales, tilting his head to the side. “You think I don’t know you’ve been messing around with my girl, Bethany Finn?”

The twins’ eyes widen, but Alaric’s expression remains unflinching as he stares down the man fearlessly.

“You think I’m an idiot? Robbing my truck, thinking I wouldn’t notice. I have guys watching Bethany round the clock. You should’ve known that.”

Alaric shrugs nonchalantly, his eyebrows arching in a show of indifference. “Oh. Maybe I knew and just didn’t give a damn.”

Ron grins. “If I were you, I would’ve given a damn. Lucky for her, the only punishment she got was being sent to a pimp in Mexico.

“But for you, I’ve been waiting for this moment to give you what you deserve.

“I sat back and watched you play your little games, robbing my truck, sleeping with my girl, and I let it all slide just for this moment.”

“Well, here we are.” Alaric grins. “The grand fucking finale.”

Ron laughs darkly. “Indeed. Now tell me, Alaric. What should I do with you?”

“Stay away from him,” Aiden growls.

Ron casually turns away, as if he’s leaving, then spins around and kicks Alaric square in the face. Blood spurts from his mouth as his brothers’ eyes widen.

They struggle against the ropes binding their wrists, trying to break free, as Ron Moretto lands another brutal kick to their older brother’s face.

“Everyone who knows me knows I hate people touching what’s mine! And you, Alaric, seem to enjoy touching what belongs to me!”

The sole of his Oxford shoe connects with Alaric’s jaw again, and his head lolls on his body as his lips curl into a bloody smile.

“Go ahead…give it your best shot, Ron Moretto. You’ve been waiting for this moment forever, haven’t you?”

He spits out a mouthful of blood, and Ron clenches his jaw, crouching down to grip his face in his hand.

He digs his thumb into Alaric’s bruised jaw. “You’re lucky the only woman I love is your mother, or else I’d have slit your throat in a heartbeat.

“Since Bethany didn’t mean shit to me, I have some time to spare to torture you and watch you suffer in your last moments.”

Alaric smiles weakly, a swelling already forming above his left eye. “Glad I could entertain you.”

Half of Ron’s face twitches at his arrogance, and he stands up, nodding to the men standing over Rainey and the boys.

“Get ready to kill them,” he says, meeting Alaric’s brave gaze.

The eager group of men obeys, lining up their rifles at the back of their heads. Rainey is still lying on the ground, mentally checked out, and one of the men aims his gun over her body in anticipation.

Ron smirks, his hands buried in his pockets as he arrogantly lifts his chin. “See you all in hell.”

Suddenly, Alex bursts into laughter, drawing bemused looks from everyone. Ron, sharp-eyed, watches him in amusement as the teen shakes his head, a smile lingering on his face.

“What the hell’s so funny?” a cop with a crooked mustache snarls. “He’s about to die, and he’s laughing like he’s the Joker or something.”

“This motherfucker’s losing it.” Fred narrows his eyes.

“It’s just that when he said ‘see you in hell,’ it reminded me of one of those action movies.” Alex tilts his head to look at his twin brothers.

“I watched this mafia series once, and the villain had four guys kneeling just like this. Then he was like, ‘See you all in hell!’ before he blew their brains out.

“It’s just cool to feel like I’m in a movie.”

Aiden smiles. “Are you talking about ~Reborn of the Mafia Lord~?”

“Hell yes!” Alex giggles as Arden joins in.

“That show was awesome.”

Ron watches the boys in confusion as they continue to chatter.

“I watched up to season four. After that, I couldn’t stand the lead guy. He got super annoying,” Arden complains.

“I hate watching him in movies.” Alaric spits out more blood, grimacing at the taste in his mouth. “But Ansel likes to.”

Tears well up in Alex’s eyes. “Do you think Ansel’s dead?”

Aiden sighs. “I don’t know. He’s a fighter. He’s not one to go down easily. But he got shot in the chest, so I have no idea.”

A tear rolls down his cheek, and he wipes his face on his shoulder as he sniffles.

Arden’s head is bowed as he sobs quietly, and Alaric clenches his jaw to hold back his own tears.

“Honestly, if he’s dead, I wouldn’t mind dying right now. I’d rather be wherever he is.” He tilts his head to look at his brothers.

“Me too.” Alex nods, his cheeks wet with tears. “I couldn’t live without my brother.”

“Ansel’s probably waiting for us,” Arden says, a wistful note in his voice. “I bet he’s got his glasses on, reading a book in heaven, just waiting for us to show up.”

Alaric chuckles, a sad sound. “Yeah, he’s probably up there solving algebra problems.”

The boys laugh, a laughter tinged with sorrow, while Ron Moretto watches them, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Slowly, the creases on his forehead smooth out.

He’s never seen a group of people quite like this. ~Interesting.~ The way they stick together, even in the worst of times, is something he can’t quite comprehend.

Austin and his brothers had the same kind of bond. The sight of it now brings a sense of déjà vu to Ron, as if he’s reliving the past.

“What are you waiting for?” Alaric’s voice snaps him out of his thoughts. “Our brother’s waiting for us. Just kill us and get it over with.”

Ron swallows hard, then nods to his men.

The boys close their eyes, ready for the bullets they know are coming. They love their brother so much that if he’s not alive, they don’t want to be either.

Suddenly, the ground shakes, as if an earthquake is rumbling beneath them.

A hot wind rushes past them, followed by a loud ~chuff~ sound that’s definitely not the sound of bullets. The boys open their eyes, confused, and look up.

A helicopter is descending toward them, a loudspeaker blaring over the noise of the blades.

“~Drop your weapons, now. This is the chief of police. I repeat, drop your weapons now.~”

Arden squints against the glare of the sun, staring at the helicopter. “Am I dead? Is that God?”

“What are you waiting for?” Fred yells, shoving one of the men. “Shoot at it, now!”

Ron’s men start firing at the helicopter, which sways in the air as the people inside return fire.

“Cover Ron!” Fred orders, and two men move to shield the drug lord, firing rapidly at the helicopter.

“What the fuck is this?!” Ron demands as Fred reloads his gun. “These sons of bitches must have called someone!” he says, but the brothers just exchange confused looks. ~No, they didn’t.~

The helicopter lands on the side of the cliff, and eight cops in blue and one in brown get out, taking cover and returning fire.

Now Ron Moretto’s men have met their match. The police are just as good shots, and they’re giving the criminals a run for their money.

Austin, Marco, and Robert jump out of the helicopter and run toward the captives.

Ron Moretto’s eyes land on Rainey’s dad, and he frowns. He knows everyone in this town, but he’s never seen this man before. He doesn’t like new faces.

“Oh my God, Rainey,” Robert says, gently lifting her up. Her eyes are empty, and she looks at her father with a blank stare. Her lips tremble, and tears run down her cheeks.

She tries to speak, but no words come out. She just opens and closes her mouth, as if she’s trying to chew air.

A tear rolls down Robert’s face as he pulls her close. “Jesus.”

“What the fuck did you boys do?” Austin asks, his voice heavy. He quickly unties his oldest son. “Someone’s missing. There are five of you. Where’s Ansel?”

Tears fill their eyes, and Austin looks at Alaric. “Where is your brother, Ric?”

Arden starts to cry. “He fell off the cliff.”

“What?” Robert’s eyes widen, and Austin goes pale.

“What the fuck did you just say, Arden?”

“He got shot and fell off—”

“FUCKING HELL!” Their father stands up, his hand over his mouth, as the brothers cry softly. “HOW THE FUCK DID YOU GUYS LET THAT HAPPEN? SHIT!”

“Marco! Search the bottom of the cliff, now!” Robert orders.

Alaric, tears in his eyes, quickly unties Alex, just in time to see Ron escaping in the middle of the shootout, with Fred and another man covering him.

“The son of a bitch is getting away! Shit!” Alaric jumps up, and Alex follows him. They grab their guns from the ground and run into the woods.

They run through the trees, ignoring the scratches from the branches and thorns.

When they reach the clearing where the vehicles are parked, Alaric jumps into the van, and Alex gets in next to him.

There’s a knock on Alex’s window, and he looks over to see his father, motioning for him to roll down the window. He does.

“I need to come with you guys.”

Alex sighs. “Dad—”

“Move over, boy. And don’t argue with me.”

Reluctantly, Alex slides over, and his father gets in. Alaric starts the van, and they drive off.

“Aiden, Arden, and Marco went to look for Ansel,” Austin says, his voice shaky.

“Hopefully they’ll find him. I just couldn’t go. I couldn’t bear to see if he’s— Fuck, I sound like a weak son of a bitch.” He rubs his face.

Alex wipes his face on his sleeve.

Anger burns in Alaric, and he steps on the gas, gripping the steering wheel tightly.

The van speeds down the road, and soon they see a familiar black car.

“There he is. That BMW up ahead,” Alex says.

Alaric slams his foot down on the gas, causing Austin to instinctively clutch the top edge of his window while Alex braces himself against the ceiling.

Pedestrians on the sidewalk gawk as the speeding van zooms by, Alaric weaving through the slower traffic.

Austin snatches Alex’s gun and thrusts it out the window as they close in on Ron’s car.

“Fire, Dad,” Alex encourages, and Austin lets loose a volley of bullets, shattering the rear window of the BMW.

The car swerves under the unexpected assault, and bystanders on the sidewalks start to scream and scatter as Austin fires again, his jaw tightening with each bullet that dents the car.

“Faster, Ric,” he commands, and Alaric obliges, pushing the van to its limits.

Fred’s head pops out from the front seat of Ron’s car, his teeth gritted as he returns fire, fury in his eyes.

“Blow his head off. That big-headed son of a bitch,” Alex growls as his father pulls the trigger repeatedly, forcing Fred to quickly duck back inside as the car accelerates.

A bullet strikes the back of the brothers’ van, and Alaric swerves, glancing in his rearview mirror. “No fucking way.” He grinds his teeth.

Glancing back, Alex scowls. “What the fuck? There’s a car tailing us, shooting at us.”

“What did you think? Ron runs this town. He probably always has guys ready. Roll up your windows,” Austin instructs, and Alaric complies.

The bullets strike again, followed by a loud ~boom~, and the ride becomes rough, the van lurching to one side. The sound of flapping rubber fills the air.

Austin rolls his eyes. “Shit, they got one of our tires.”

With the tire deflated, the van can’t maintain its speed, forcing them to slow down.

The car from behind swings into the opposite lane, overtakes them, and then cuts them off, blocking their pursuit of Ron’s BMW.

“Sons of bitches.” Alaric scowls as he hits the brakes and grabs his gun.

“Stay in the van. We only have two guns,” Austin tells Alex, who stares at him in defiance.

“But Dad—”

Austin shoots him a look, and Alex clamps his mouth shut, rolling his neck in frustration.

As Austin and Alaric exit the van, two burly men step out of the other car, smirking arrogantly.

Austin and Alaric don’t hesitate to open fire on the men, who return fire while taking cover behind their car.

Ron’s BMW has stopped, and in the midst of the firefight, Fred shields the slippery drug lord and guides him from the damaged car to the pristine Subaru on the other side.

Alex sees this and starts honking the van’s horn, sticking his head out the window. “He’s getting into the Subaru! He’s getting away!”

Austin starts shooting at the car as the two burly men abandon the fight to quickly get into the vehicle. The car backs up hastily, passing the abandoned BMW before speeding down the street.

“FUCK!” Alaric kicks the ground in frustration, quickly turning to head back to the van. “I’m going after them. I have to kill that son of a bitch today!”

Austin grabs his arm, and Alaric shakes it off, earning a stern look from his father.

He buries his face in his hands. “Sorry, Dad.”

“Live to fight another day. We have a flat tire, and we’re still in his territory,” Austin reasons. “Chasing him with just two guns is reckless, Alaric.”

A soft sniffle from his son softens his gaze. Alaric quietly sobs into his hand, and Austin rubs his back, his own eyes welling up again.

“It’ll be okay, Ric. We’ll get our revenge. I promise you that Ron Moretto is a dead man walking.”

Alex watches the two emotional men from the front seat, and his throat tightens again as he lowers his gaze to the ground.