FIRE & RUIN
CHAPTER 5
FALFURRIAS
The Nest courtyard was already full when Kait came down the stairs.
Bikes lined the gravel in two tight rows, chrome catching the orange glow of the Halloween lights strung along the balcony railings. Plastic pumpkins flickered in the corners, their cheap bulbs throwing crooked shadows across leather, metal, and dust.
Kuttes everywhere.
Boots on concrete.
Low voices.
No music tonight.
Everyone was ready.
Nobody laughed.
Nobody joked.
Nobody paced.
Kait reached the bottom step and stopped.
For a second she didn’t move at all.
The air felt heavy, thick enough to taste. Like the night already knew what was coming.
Don looked up first.
His eyes stayed on her a moment longer than usual. Not surprised. Not worried.
Just measuring.
He gave a short nod, then turned back to the men.
“…no stops unless I say. We go straight out, straight back. Halo’s bringing Shepherd and Psalm. They’re already on the road.”
He paused, looking from one face to the next.
“I don’t give a shit what we have to do tonight. That fucking town is ours. Understood?”
A few grins broke through the tension.
Then the howl came.
“We Ride!” Don barked.
“We Bite!” the courtyard answered.
Louder this time.
Boots shifting.
Engines ticking.
Adrenaline starting to move under the skin.
Blaze slapped the side of his tank, fired up already.
“Yeah, that’s right!”
Don looked at his Krait, slow, proud, like a man counting soldiers before a war.
“Fuckin’ aye.”
Diablo turned when Alejandra stepped out of one of the rooms, still tying her hair back, barefoot on the concrete. She walked straight to him without a word.
He caught her by the waist and pulled her in, kissing her quick, rough, one hand on the back of her neck.
“Don’t wait up.”
Alejandra smirked. “You say that every time.”
He kissed her once more anyway, then let her go.
Across the yard, Melanie slid up next to Lane, latching to his waist like she’d done it a hundred times before.
“You be careful tonight,” she said, soft.
Lane didn’t move.
“Yeah,” he said. “Gotta go.”
That was it.
Kait saw it from the bottom of the stairs.
Saw the way Melanie stayed close a second longer than she needed to.
Saw the way Lane didn’t look at her.
Didn’t look at anyone.
Just stared past the gate into the dark like he was already riding.
Kolton stood by The Mare, helmet on the seat, digging through his pocket like he was looking for something that wasn’t there. He sniffed once, hard, rubbing the side of his nose with the back of his hand.
Then again.
Lane’s head turned before he even realized he was looking.
Kolton sniffed a third time, quick, sharp, like nothing.
Lane’s eyes narrowed.
He watched him.
One second too long.
Kolton looked up and caught him staring.
For half a heartbeat neither of them moved.
Kolton gave the smallest shrug.
“What.”
Lane didn’t answer.
Didn’t have to.
He just looked away, mouth set flat, the way he did when something was already decided.
Don clapped his hands once, loud enough to cut through the whole yard.
“Alright.”
Everyone turned.
Gloves pulled tight.
Zippers closed.
Chains shifted.
Don stepped forward, voice calm again.
“Let’s get this shit done.”
His eyes moved across the line.
“Ride, Reptiles, ride!”
Engines fired one by one, the sound filling the courtyard, deep and heavy, vibrating through the ground and up through their boots.
Lane swung onto The Hardline like it was just another night.
Kolton kicked The Mare alive on the second try, revving it a little too hard before settling it down.
Kait pulled her goggles down, the world narrowing behind the glass.
There’d be no one to send her off.
Not her.
She was going with them.
The Nest gate rolled open with a long metal scrape.
Don pulled out first.
One by one, the rest followed.
Headlights cut through the dark as the line of bikes rolled onto the road toward the 281.
Toward the quarry.
The quarry was already alive when the first Krait headlights rolled in.
Engines echoed off the rock walls as the bikes came down the dirt road one by one, beams cutting through dust hanging in the air like smoke. On the far side of the pit, another line of lights waited — trucks, vans, and bikes parked crooked along the gravel, silhouettes moving in front of the glare.
Reyes del Camino MC.
Don slowed first, letting the rest of the line spread behind him before killing the engine. One by one they rolled in and shut down, the sound of motors ticking hot filling the space between the two groups.
Across the pit, a blue Impala sat with its headlights on, angled sideways like it owned the place. A couple of Reyes leaned against the hood, arms crossed, watching them arrive without moving.
Halo’s bike was already there, parked off to the side between both clubs. Shepherd stood near him, hands folded in front of his white leather kutte, Psalm a few steps back, both of them quiet. They were there as witnesses and nothing else.
Don swung off his bike.
Lane killed The Hardline beside him, eyes already scanning the Reyes side, counting faces.
Kolton parked The Mare a little harder than he needed to.
Nobody said anything.
They all knew why they were there.
Don jerked his chin toward Halo.
“Let’s go.”
Halo nodded once and started walking toward the middle of the pit. Don followed with Klaus, and Alacrán stepped away from the Reyes line at the same time, Severino right behind him.
The rest stayed where they were.
Waiting.
Diablo dropped his helmet on the seat and went straight to the van behind Mack’s truck. He slid the side door open, leaned in, and turned the volume up until the speakers rattled.
The intro of Attitude echoing off the rock walls on the Krait MC side.
Diablo started shadowboxing in the dirt, already in it.
“Now we’re talking.”
He started shadowboxing right there in the dirt, loose, fast, bouncing on the balls of his feet while the drums kicked in.
Mack was more of Country and Southern Rock kind of guy, but the moment called for something louder. He leaned against the truck, arms folded, watching him with a faint smirk.
A few yards away, Kriket and Ram were already warming up, throwing slow punches, rolling their shoulders, shaking out their hands like they were about to step into a gym instead of a pit in the middle of nowhere.
Kode squatted near Blaze, digging tape out of a bag while Kait tightened the wrap around Blaze’s wrist.
“Is that okay? Not too tight?” she asked looking at every angle.
Blaze flexed his hand.
“It’s perfect.”
“Great.”
Kode kept talking the whole time, eyes on the Reyes side.
“Chido swings wide, no guard. I heard Kount dropped him like nothing at Loyola. Murrieta should be fast on his feet. He’s small. Roque’s can scrap but he gasses fast. Severino—”
He nodded toward the Reyes line.
“—that one’s trouble. That dude don’t move like the rest of them.”
Blaze cracked his neck.
“Good. Nothing worse than a boring fight”
Kait finished the wrap, pulled it tight, then slapped his hand once.
“You’re good.”
Blaze grinned.
“Git-R-Done.”
Behind them, Lane walked straight up to Kolton.
No warning.
Kolton was digging through his saddlebag when he felt him there and looked up.
Lane stood close enough that nobody else could hear.
“You better make that shit worth it tonight.”
Kolton blinked.
“What?”
Lane’s eyes didn’t move.
“You heard me.”
Kolton snorted, shaking his head.
“Man, chill.”
Lane leaned closer.
“You win your fight. Then I’ll chill.”
“Why are on my ass right now?”
Lane stepped in. Kolton blinked.
“Win your fucking fight. We’ll talk later.”
Kolton held his stare a second, jaw tightening, then looked away first.
“Yeah. Whatever you say, dad.”
Lane didn’t answer.
Just stared at him one more second, then turned and walked off.
He stopped when he saw Kait.
She was still by Blaze and Kode, pulling the tape tight on her own hands now, head down, focused.
Lane stood there a moment, like he wasn’t sure if he should go over.
Then he did.
“Lokken.”
She looked up.
For a second neither of them said anything.
Lane nodded toward the Reyes side.
“They’re not gonna hold back tonight. Don’t expect clean. Don’t expect fair.”
Her eyes stayed on his.
“I never do.”
He hesitated, just a little.
“Whoever you end up facing, don’t let him get too close.”
She gave a small nod.
“I know,” she said looking back down to her wrapping job.
“Alright,” he said and he began to move.
Then she looked at him again, softer this time.
“Good luck tonight.”
It was simple.
Quiet.
But it hit him harder than anything she’d said to him in weeks.
Lane nodded once, jaw tight.
“You too.”
He started to turn—
“Kait.”
Kolton’s voice.
Too close.
She looked over before she could stop herself.
He was already walking toward her, helmet in his hand, eyes a little too bright, energy a little too fast.
“We need to talk.”
Lane stopped.
Turned back.
Kait’s shoulders stiffened.
“Not now, Kolton.”
He shook his head.
“Not now? That’s all you ever say anymore. You don’t get to just—”
“Listen up!”
Halo’s voice cut across the quarry, loud without shouting.
All heads turned.
Halo stood in the middle of the pit with Don and Alacrán, coin already in his hand.
“Fighters up.”
Halo stepped into the middle of the pit, boots grinding into the loose gravel. Headlights from both sides lit the circle hard, shadows cutting across the rock walls behind him. Don stood on one side, Alacrán on the other, both calm, both watching each other like this was just another business deal.
Halo looked from one line of men to the other.
“Same rules we agreed on.”
His voice carried easy without shouting.
“Seven fights. First club to get four wins takes the town. Falfurrias will run Krait MC colors if they win. Reyes MC keeps it if they win.”
Nobody moved.
“If Krait MC loses, they pay what was agreed. If Reyes loses, they stay the hell out of Falfurrias and whatever business they had there.”
He paused, making sure everyone heard it.
“Fists only. No weapons. No jumping in. No throwing shit. One fight at a time. When a fighter can’t get up, it’s done.”
Shepherd stood a few feet behind him, arms folded, Psalm off to the side watching both clubs like a referee waiting for the whistle.
Halo nodded once.
“Presidents call your fighters.”
Don didn’t look at his men when he spoke.
“Krait.”
He pointed one by one, calm, like he was reading off a list he already knew by heart.
“Kount.
Kowboy.
Ram.
Kriket.
Prince.
Diablo.
Toast.”
A few Reyes shifted when they heard the last one.
Alacrán stepped forward next.
“Reyes.”
He pointed the same way.
“Chido.
Murrieta.
Roque.
Lalo.
Guamúchil.
Coyote.
Pollero.”
Severino stood behind him, hands in his pockets, not even pretending he cared.
Lane noticed.
Of course he did.
Halo pulled a coin from his pocket and held it up so both presidents could see it in the headlights.
“Call it.”
“Heads,” Don said.
The coin flipped, catching the light as it spun, then slapped into Halo’s palm.
He looked down, then up.
“Krait MC.”
A low murmur ran through their line.
Halo stepped back.
“Reyes sends first.”
Alacrán didn’t hesitate.
He turned his head slightly.
“Chido.”
Chido stepped forward fast, already grinning, rolling his neck like he’d been waiting all night. He bounced once on his heels, looking across the pit like a dog that just got let off the chain.
Don glanced back at his line trying to decide who to send.
Before he could say anything, Kait stepped up.
“I got him.”
Don looked at her.
“You sure?”
She didn’t take her eyes off Chido.
“He owes me for Loyola.”
Don held her stare a second, then nodded once.
“Alright. You got this.”
“Yessir,” she said with a smile that made Don narrow his eyes.
He was not worried.
Lane felt it before he saw it.
His jaw locked tight, shoulders stiff, hands curled into fists without him noticing.
Diablo looked over at him.
“You alright, man?”
Lane didn’t look at him.
“If he hurts her…”
His voice was low enough nobody else could hear.
“I’ll fucking kill him.”
Diablo nodded.
He looked out at the circle, then back at Lane.
“Let’s see what she does.”
Chido saw her coming and his whole face lit up.
“Well damn,” he laughed, spreading his arms. “What’s up, girl? I still get to spank that fine ass after all.”
A few Reyes laughed behind him.
Kait didn’t react.
She stopped at the edge of the headlights, reached back, and pulled the tie from the end of her braid. The wind caught the loose hair for a second before she twisted it up tight, fast, hands steady, wrapping it into a hard bun at the back of her head and jamming it in place with the tie.
Chido watched the whole thing, licking his teeth, grinning like he’d already won.
“Yeah, put that up nice and tight,” he said, voice loud enough for both sides.
“Gonna need somethin’ to hold onto when you blow me after I slap you around.”
A few more laughs from the Reyes line.
Nothing from Krait.
Not one sound.
Kait finished tightening the bun, rolled her shoulders once, then stepped forward into the circle without looking at him.
Halo raised his hand between them.
“First fight.”
Halo stepped back and dropped his hand.
“Go.”
Chido came in smiling.
Not cautious.
Not serious.
Just hungry.
He circled once, hands low, eyes all over her like he wasn’t even looking for a fight.
“You sure you don’t wanna change your mind, princesa?” he laughed. “We can go somewhere quieter—”
Kait moved first.
No warning.
No sound.
Her left hand shot straight up the middle, two knuckles driving hard into the soft spot under his throat.
Chido’s words cut off in a wet choke.
His eyes went wide, both hands flying to his neck as he stumbled back, gagging, trying to suck air that wouldn’t come.
The Reyes line started yelling.
“What the fuck—”
“Hey—!”
Kait didn’t stop.
She stepped in before he could recover, pivoted hard on her front foot, and drove her elbow across his jaw with everything she had.
The crack echoed off the quarry wall.
Chido dropped like somebody cut the strings.
Flat on his back.
Dust jumped under him.
For a second nobody moved.
Not Krait.
Not Reyes.
Not even Halo.
Chido twitched once, eyes rolling, trying to get up, but his arms didn’t listen.
Halo stepped in, crouched, watched him try to focus.
Then he stood.
“That’s it.”
Silence.
Then—
Krait MC exploded in laughter.
“YEAH!” yelled Kolton.
“LET’S GO!”
Blaze threw both hands up.
“That’s one!”
Reyes weren’t laughing anymore.
Murrieta shook his head, pissed.
Roque looked at the ground.
Severino didn’t move at all.
Just watched Kait like he was measuring something.
Lane hadn’t realized he’d been holding his breath until it came out all at once.
Diablo bumped his shoulder with a grin.
“Holy shit, that was fucking awesome.”
Lane didn’t answer.
He just watched her walk back like nothing happened.
No smile.
No celebration.
Just rolling her wrist once like she’d finished a warm-up.
Don nodded when she got close.
“That’s one.”
She nodded back.
“Just four more.”
Don smiled big and tapped her shoulder and she walked over to the cooler and got a beer.
“That was Rokkstar’s elbow,” said Klaus.
“Sure as fuck was,” Don replied nodding.
Across the circle, Alacrán spat into the dirt.
“Next.”
He looked over his shoulder.
“Murrieta.”
Murrieta stepped forward, already angry.
Don didn’t even turn.
“Kowboy.”
Murrieta stepped into the circle already pissed, rolling his shoulders, jaw tight, eyes still on Chido laid out in the dust behind him.
Blaze tossed his gloves down on the ground like he didn’t need them.
“Hell yeah,” he muttered, grinning. “Now we’re talkin’.”
He stepped into the headlights, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand like he was walking up to a bar instead of a fight.
Murrieta came in fast.
Too fast.
Swinging hard, wide, trying to take his head off in the first second.
The Kowboy leaned back just enough for the punch to miss, boots sliding in the gravel, laughing under his breath.
“Easy, Burrito.”
“Murrieta, you long-haired little bitch,” Murrieta said and swung again.
This one caught him on the shoulder and spun him half around, but Blaze didn’t even try to reset. He just planted his feet and swung back like he was throwing a punch across a pool table.
His fist slammed into Murrieta’s cheek with a dull thud.
Murrieta staggered.
The Kowboy followed him, crowding him, shoving him backward with his hands.
“That all you got?
C’mon.
You hit like my wife.”
A few Kraits laughed.
Murrieta growled and rushed him, grabbing for his kutte, trying to drag him down.
Bad move.
Blaze locked an arm around his neck and drove him sideways, both of them crashing into the dirt in a cloud of dust.
They rolled once.
Twice.
Murrieta tried to get on top, but Blaze planted a boot, twisted his hips, and flipped him hard onto his back like he’d done it a hundred times in a rodeo chute.
He came up on one knee and drove a punch straight down into Murrieta’s face.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Halo stepped closer.
Murrieta tried to cover up, but his arms were slow now, hands slipping in the dust.
Blaze grabbed his shirt, hauled him halfway up, and slammed his forehead straight into Murrieta’s nose.
The crunch carried clear across the quarry.
Murrieta went limp.
Blaze let him drop and stood there breathing hard, hands on his hips, chest heaving, grin wide as hell.
“Yeehaw!” Mack howled from the back. He was proud of his son
Halo stepped in, checking Murrieta for a second, then looked up.
“That’s two.”
Krait MC roared.
Blaze threw both arms up, backing out of the circle, laughing like he’d just won a bet instead of a fight.
“Let’s go!”
Lane shook his head once, but there was a corner of a smile he couldn’t hide.
Diablo slapped the side of the van.
“That’s what I’m talkin’ about!”
Across the pit, Alacrán’s face stayed stone.
He didn’t look at Murrieta.
Didn’t look at Don.
Just turned slightly.
“Reyes del Camino asking for a quick time out,” said Halo to Don and he granted it.
Kait stood near the van, hands still wrapped, shoulders loose, eyes on the circle but not really following it.
Lane walked up beside her without saying anything at first.
For a second they just stood there, both watching Ram slip a punch and drive Lalo backward into the dust.
Lane nodded once.
“You did good.”
She glanced at him, then back at the fight.
“Yeah.”
A beat.
Then she smirked a little.
“You didn’t need to step in this time.”
Lane’s jaw tightened, but not in a bad way.
He exhaled through his nose.
“No. Not this time.”
Kait rolled her wrist once, testing the wrap.
“I told you I could handle him,” she said and went to the front with the others.
Alacrán didn’t even look at Don. He was so disappointed at his men.
“Roque.”
Roque stepped forward slow, rolling his neck, trying to look ready, but his eyes were already searching the Krait side.
Lane stepped out of the line like it wasn’t even a question.
Didn’t look at Don.
Didn’t look at anyone.
“Kount,” Don said anyway and Lane walked straight into the headlights.
Roque stopped in the middle of the circle, jaw tight, breathing through his nose.
Lane walked up to him calm, shoulders loose, hands hanging at his sides without a worry in the world.
Kait folded her arms without realizing she did it.
Lane looked Roque up and down once.
Even from where she stood she could see the way his mouth moved.
“Roque, Roque, Roque… I’m starting to think you’re enjoying this.”
Roque spat in the dirt.
“Not the same as last time.”
Lane stepped closer.
Roque felt Lane grew a foot taller with every step.
“Nah. It’s gonna be worse.”
Halo moved between them.
“You know the rules.”
Both nodded.
Halo stepped back.
“Go.”
Roque came in first, swinging hard, fast, like he needed to prove something.
Lane barely moved.
He slipped the punch, turned his shoulder, and drove a straight shot into Roque’s ribs that made the sound carry all the way to the trucks.
Roque folded, stumbling back, trying to get air.
Kait’s fingers tightened against her arms.
Lane didn’t follow.
He just stood there, watching him, waiting.
Same way he always did.
Roque rushed again, wild this time, grabbing, shoving, trying to make it ugly.
Lane caught his arm, twisted, and slammed into him hard enough to knock him sideways in the dirt.
They locked up for a second, boots grinding, shoulders straining.
Roque tried to shove him off.
Didn’t move him.
Lane leaned in close, saying something Kait couldn’t hear.
Roque swung again.
Lane ducked under it and drove a hook across his jaw that snapped his head sideways.
The sound made her cringe before she could stop herself.
Roque dropped to one knee.
Tried to stand.
Lane grabbed the back of his kutte, hauled him up like he weighed nothing, and hit him again.
Short.
Brutal.
Roque went down flat.
Didn’t get up.
Halo stepped in.
“Westfall. He’s done.”
The Krait side exploded, yelling, boots kicking dust, somebody slapping the side of the van.
Kait didn’t move.
“That’s three for Krait Mc. One more and the territory is won.”
Don’s voice cut through the noise, calm but satisfied.
Kait nodded satisfied at everyone’s performance so far.
Lane turned away from the circle without celebrating, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he walked back toward the Krait side. Dust stuck to the sweat on his arms, knuckles already swelling, but he didn’t look hurt.
Just irritated.
Like the fight hadn’t been worth the trouble.
He took his place back next to Diablo, eyes already going past everyone toward the Reyes line.
Looking for Severino.
Kait followed his gaze without meaning to.
Severino hadn’t moved.
Still leaning against the truck, arms folded, watching like he was at a show he’d already seen before.
Something about that made her stomach tighten.
Across the pit, Alacrán stepped forward again, not even looking at Roque crawling in the dirt toward their truck.
“Pollero.”
A stocky Rey del Camino with a shaved head pushed off the side of the blue Impala and walked into the headlights, rolling his shoulders, jaw loose, like this was the first fight of the night instead of the fifth.
Don didn’t hesitate.
“Kriket.”
Kriket grinned the second he heard it.
“’Bout time.”
Kriket walked out into the lights, bouncing once on his heels, loose, ready.
Pollero stepped up across from him, fists already raised.
Halo moved between them, raising a hand.
“Fourth fight. If Krait wins. They take Falfurrias.”
The quarry went quiet again.
South of Heaven coming from the van.
Gravel shifting under boots.
Kait folded her arms, eyes on the circle.
Something felt off.
Across the pit, Severino pushed himself off the truck.
Not fast.
Not in a hurry.
Just enough to make it noticeable.
Alacrán didn’t look at him.
Didn’t need to.
Kait shifted her weight, eyes scanning the Reyes side.
Severino wasn’t where he’d been a second ago.
He was closer now, just behind Pollero. Maybe too close.
Pollero glanced back at him, confused, like he wasn’t sure why he was there.
Severino said something low.
Too low to hear.
Pollero frowned. “What?”
Severino didn’t answer.
He just stepped in.
Fast.
His fist came out of nowhere.
CRACK.
Pollero dropped straight to the gravel before anyone even reacted.
For half a second nobody moved.
Then everything hit at once.
“What the fuck—”
“Hey!”
“Yo!”
Kriket took a step back, hands up, looking from Pollero to Severino.
Don stepped forward.
“The hell is this?!”
Ram moved too.
“That’s your own guy!”
Lane’s head snapped toward Severino, eyes already dark.
Severino didn’t even look at Pollero.
He looked at Halo.
“He can’t fight.”
Silence.
Halo didn’t answer right away.
Alacrán finally spoke, calm as ever.
“What are you doing?”
Don turned to him.
“That’s bullshit. You don’t get to swap fighters now.”
“Fuck that!” said Lane.
Murmurs behind both lines. Boots shifting and tension rising.
“This ain’t what we agreed,” said Klaus.
Halo raised his hand.
“Hold it.”
Nobody listened.
Don pointed at Severino.
“You weren’t called. This is fucking cheating. Alacrán, come on, man.”
Severino finally looked at him.
Then at Lane.
Slow.
Cold.
“If he can’t fight, he needs to be replaced.”
Halo exhaled, already hating this.
He looked at Alacrán.
“You allowing it?”
Alacrán didn’t hesitate.
“He’s right. He can’t fight and needs to be replaced.”
Don cursed under his breath.
“Technically, it checks out. Ain’t got a fucking clue why y’all did this, but in this case, this fighter needs to be replaced.” Halo looked between both sides.
Then at Pollero still on the ground.
Then at Severino.
Then at Kriket.
Long pause.
“…Fight stands.”
A ripple of anger went through the Krait side.
Lane didn’t move.
Didn’t blink.
Just watching Severino.
Severino stepped into the circle.
And smiled.
Kriket swallowed. He wasn’t feeling as confident anymore.
“This is gonna be fun,” Severino said
Kait felt the knot in her stomach tighten.
This wasn’t a fight anymore.
Something else had just started.
Severino stepped into the circle.
Didn’t bounce.
Didn’t loosen up.
Didn’t even raise his hands right away.
Just stood there.
Watching.
Kriket rolled his shoulders, loose, shaking his arms out.
“You shoulda stayed by the truck.”
No reaction.
Halo looked between them.
“You ready?”
Kriket nodded.
Severino didn’t move.
Halo dropped his hand.
“Go.”
Kriket came in first, fast, throwing a quick jab to measure distance.
Severino slipped it without effort.
Second punch.
Blocked.
Kriket circled, light on his feet, trying to draw something out of him.
Nothing.
Severino just turned with him, slow, balanced, eyes locked.
Kriket stepped in harder, throwing a hook toward the ribs.
Severino caught his wrist.
Not fast.
Not flashy.
Just caught it.
For half a second Kriket froze, surprised.
Then Severino twisted.
Hard.
The crack cut through the quarry louder than any punch that night.
Kriket’s face changed instantly.
“—fuck!”
Severino pulled him forward and drove a knee straight into his stomach, folding him in half, then shoved him down into the gravel.
Kriket hit the ground hard, clutching his arm, teeth bared, trying not to make a sound.
The Krait side erupted.
“What the fuck!”
“Hey!”
“That’s enough!”
Lane was already moving.
Don grabbed the back of his kutte.
“Don’t. We still need to finish this.”
Lane didn’t even look at him.
In the circle, Severino stepped closer to Kriket, slow, like he was deciding if he was finished yet.
Halo jumped in.
“Stop! Stop! That’s enough.”
Severino stopped.
Not because Halo told him to.
Because he was done.
He lifted his head.
Looked past everyone.
Straight at Lane.
Lane’s hands curled into fists at his sides.
For a second it looked like he was going to walk into the circle anyway.
“He’s mine,” Lane declared.
Don tightened his grip on his arm.
“Save it, son.”
Kriket tried to push himself up and nearly collapsed again, his arm hanging wrong.
Buster and Ram ran in, dragging him back toward the Krait side.
Don stepped forward, furious.
“That wasn’t a fight!”
Alacrán didn’t react.
“He still lost.”
Halo looked at Kriket’s arm.
Then at Severino.
Then at Don.
Long pause.
“…Reyes win.”
Shouting broke out on both sides.
Kait barely heard it.
She was watching Lane.
He hadn’t moved.
Hadn’t blinked.
Still staring at Severino like the night wasn’t over yet.
Across the pit, Severino turned away first.
Alacrán stepped forward again.
“Next.”
“We’re gonna need a fucking second here,” said Don.
Shouting rolled across the quarry, both sides talking at once, boots grinding in the gravel, engines ticking under the lights.
Kriket was still on the ground, jaw tight, his arm already swelling wrong under the bandana Ram had tied around it.
“Don’t move it,” Ram muttered.
“I ain’t movin’ it,” Kriket snapped through his teeth.
Randy pushed through from the trucks.
“That’s it. He’s done. We’re takin’ him in.”
Don nodded once without looking away from the Reyes side.
“Go.”
Buster grabbed Kriket under one arm, Ram under the other, lifting him careful but fast.
Kriket sucked in a breath, trying not to show it.
“Son of a fucking whore…”
They started toward the parking line, Randy already jogging ahead to open the door.
Lane watched them go, jaw tight, eyes still burning from the circle.
Severino didn’t even look.
He was back by the blue Impala, leaning against the fender like nothing had happened.
The van door slammed.
Engine turned over.
Gravel sprayed as Randy pulled out, headlights cutting past the quarry wall as they headed for the road, Ram and Buster in the back with Kriket.
Nobody on the Reyes side said a word.
Nobody on the Krait side laughed anymore.
Halo stepped forward again, raising his hand.
“Next.”
Alacrán didn’t hesitate.
“Coyote.”
A tall Reyes with his hair tied back dismounted his bike and walked into the lights.
Don turned.
“Prince.”
Kolton lifted his head from where he was leaning against The Mare.
Lane’s eyes went straight to him.
And didn’t like what he saw.
Kolton didn’t say anything.
He just stepped away from The Mare and walked straight toward the circle, fast, like he’d been waiting too long already.
Lane watched him go.
Kolton stepped into the headlights and kept walking until he was right in front of Coyote.
Too close.
Halo raised his hand.
“Same rules. Ends when I call it.”
Neither man answered.
Halo dropped his hand.
“Go.”
“Fuck yeah!”
Kolton came forward like a shot.
No circling.
No testing.
Just straight in.
His first punch caught Coyote before he even finished raising his hands, snapping his head sideways.
Gravel sprayed under their boots as Coyote stumbled back, surprised, trying to reset.
Kolton didn’t let him.
Second punch.
Body shot.
Hook to the jaw.
Coyote tried to clinch, grabbing for his shoulders, but Kolton drove a knee into his ribs and shoved him off hard enough to make him lose his footing.
The Krait side started yelling.
Blaze laughing.
Diablo shouting something in Spanish.
Kait didn’t move.
She was watching Kolton’s face.
Too fast.
Too sharp.
Coyote rushed him, swinging wild, trying to slow him down.
Kolton slipped one, took the second on the shoulder, then stepped inside and hit him again, short, brutal, right to the mouth.
Coyote dropped to one knee.
Tried to get back up.
Kolton grabbed the front of his shirt and hit him again.
Halo stepped in.
“Enough!”
Kolton didn’t stop.
Another punch.
“Hey!”
Don yelled.
“Prince!”
Lane’s voice cut across the pit.
Kolton froze.
Just long enough.
Halo shoved him back.
“Fight’s done!”
Coyote fell onto his side, coughing, not getting up.
Halo looked at him, then at Alacrán, then back at Don.
Then he pointed at the Krait side.
“Krait.”
The Krait side exploded.
Boots stomping.
Hands slamming on metal.
Blaze yelling.
“Falfurrias is Krait turf now!”
Don nodded once, satisfied.
“Fuck yeah it is.”
Kait looked at Lane.
Lane wasn’t watching the circle.
He was watching Kolton.
Kolton stood there breathing hard, chest rising fast, eyes still lit wrong in the headlights.
The shouting didn’t last long.
Krait was done making fun of Reyes
A moment after, Don walked toward the middle with Halo, boots crunching slow over the gravel. Alacrán met them halfway, hands at his sides, face unreadable like always.
Kait stayed where she was, arms folded, watching from the Krait line while the headlights from the trucks and bikes threw long shadows across the quarry.
She couldn’t hear what they said.
Didn’t need to.
Halo talked.
Don nodded once.
Alacrán gave the smallest shrug.
Done.
Territory settled.
Just like that.
Engines started turning over one by one behind her as guys began moving back toward the bikes.
Reyes loaded up first, quiet, no yelling this time. The blue Impala backed out slow, tires crunching over the gravel before the rest followed.
Severino mounted his bike without looking at anyone.
Not even at Kait.
Kait’s eyes moved back to the Krait side.
Lane caught Kolton by the arm near the bikes and pulled him a few steps away from the rest of the club.
Not rough.
Just enough to be out of earshot.
Kolton stopped, helmet hanging from his hand, still breathing a little harder than he should’ve been after a fight he won.
Lane looked at him for a second.
Long enough.
Held his hand out.
“Give it. Now.”
Kolton didn’t say anything. He just looked past him toward the quarry road like he was thinking about walking off.
Lane didn’t move his hand.
“C’mon, man.”
Kolton sighed, annoyed more than anything, and reached into his pocket.
Pulled out the small folded bag.
Dropped it into Lane’s palm without looking at him.
Lane stared at it, jaw tight, then closed his fist around it.
“You serious right now? Again?”
Kolton shrugged.
“I fucking needed after this morning, alright?”
Lane let out a short breath through his nose.
“Yeah.”
Kolton finally looked at him.
“I won my fight, just like you wanted. We got the fucking town and everyone’s happy.”
Lane met his eyes.
“That ain’t what I’m talking about.”
“What else you want, man?”
“Listen to me carefully, Kolton. If I see you high again,” Lane said, voice low and flat, “I’ll send you to rehab on a fucking gurney.”
Kolton let out a breath through his nose.
For a second it looked like Kolton might say something else.
He didn’t.
Just nodded once.
Lane held his stare a moment longer, then shoved the bag into his own pocket.
“Mount up.”
Kolton grabbed his helmet and turned without another word.
Engines started one after another, the sound filling the quarry again, deep and familiar, the kind of noise that made everything feel normal even when it wasn’t.
Kait pulled her goggles down and swung onto the Kriger.
Don rolled out first.
Then the rest followed, headlights lining up one by one as they rode out of the quarry road and back toward the highway.
No music this time.
No talking.
Just the sound of bikes cutting through the dark as Krait rode back to the Nest.
