Chapter 12
“Say hello to my little friend! ”
At least, that’s what I think I said. It was kind of a miscalculation on my part. No one ever explicitly said, “Arrow, don’t fire the rocket launcher inside.” If they had… Well, I probably wouldn’t have listened, anyway.
It’s Arrow’s way or the highway.
It was my desperation. Yeah, I’ll blame it on that. Desperation. An ache to get my Kitten in front of my eyes after she slipped backstage, and we were ambushed.
Was she safe? Did Shepp take her away like he said he would?
I knew taking the handcuffs off Journey was a huge mistake. We should have kept her glued to us at all times. Instead, we got caught on stage with our pants down. Not literally. Our shirts were open. Then, guns were to our heads with the intent on killing us.
Pfft. Bunch of amateurs, if you ask me. No. Seriously. They weren’t prepared in the slightest. It’s like someone trained them over a weekend and then set them free. Like a “pretend to be a killer seminar” put on by some stupid teachers.
Odd, ain’t it?
Anywho.
Time to get this IV out of my arm. Oh, and find my phone.
Nothing says good morning like waking up alone in a dark hospital room. Fucking alone! Well, I found the helpful note Jericho left behind clutched in my fingers. Such a man of words. A poet, and he didn’t know it.
And silly as hell.
If that oaf thinks I will meet him at the cabin we secured years ago as a rendezvous point if our world goes sideways, he’s got another thing coming.
Because I have my ways.
I grunt when I rip the IV out of my flesh. My eyes fall on the blood trickling from my arm, and I smile. Ah, the satisfying sight of seeing red on my skin. It makes my dick throb, and excitement rushes through me. Down, boy. Save that for later when you’re reunited with Journey’s holes—all three of them.
I sit on the edge of the bed, swinging my legs. I haven’t felt this rested and put together in… Well, ever. Sure, I sleep like the dead. But this? I felt like I took a week-long nap. Actually, I might have. Who knows how long I’ve been in dreamland.
Also, why the fuck I was.
The last thing I remember… My brows furrow. It was me, the boys, and our lady at the initiation ball. Everything went sideways when we were attacked. The entire family was in a fit. But I saved them with my rocket launcher.
Then…. well, there’s nothing. Just a blank hole.
Weird.
Maybe I passed out? Is that why I’m here? I peer around the room and purse my lips. Odd that it’s so damn empty here. No noises come from outside. I’m sure my Daddy Jer made sure I was safe and secure when he left me here. Bastard. I can’t believe he just walked away without me. It could give a guy a complex. Or abandonment issues. Well, if I had any.
No matter. I can make my own way and…
“Oh! You’re awake!” My head jerks up at the gasp coming from the nurse standing in the doorway. She shakes off her shock and closes the door behind her, locking it.
When she turns to face me again, coming into the dim lights. Her identity hits me like a train. Memories of her sunken face and lifeless eyes as she waltzed into our club, begging us for a loan.
“I never forget a face,” I say, snapping my fingers. “Lori.” I grin, remembering the visit I paid to her husband.
“No, please don’t chop off my hand! I need it to work.”
Wahh. He was really attached to those things. Don’t worry, I severed them without a problem. It’ll help him not to hit his wife and kids. Or pick up another drink. I did the world a solid by getting rid of his hands and tossing them away. I even helped him not bleed out.
I’m an outstanding guy like that.
“Yes,” she says, hurrying toward me. Her eyes widen when she looks at the discarded IV on the ground. “I can’t believe you’re awake. You were in a coma.”
I tilt my head. “I was.” A coma, huh? That’s interesting. That explains a lot, too. I wonder how long it took them to dose me and knock me out. Or how many days I was gone. “I was in a coma?”
She nods, standing in front of me and checking me over. After she’s satisfied, she checks her smartwatch.
“It’s only been thirty minutes since I gave you the medication.”
“And what exactly did you give me?” I raise a brow.
What Lori doesn’t know is that I’ve been slowly dosing myself with poison over the years. Weird? Probably. But it’s given me a hell of a tolerance toward any medication. Or poison. Just a tiny drop here and there, and my body fights it like a champ. Nothing can kill me or take me down. Or so I thought.
She swallows hard. “You were in a medically-induced coma for almost two days. I woke you up with the proper medication.”
She says it so casually. Well, that’s a lie. There’s a tiny tremble in her voice. And in her fingers. In fact, I think her entire body is shaking.
Poor Lori.
Am I that terrifying to her? She’s not someone I want to fear me unless she’s threatening my Kitten or brothers. Then, down with the bad nurse. My gut tells me she’s a good egg who doesn’t need to be cracked.
“Are you afraid of me?” I watch her as she rounds the bed and inspects the wound left by the IV.
“Not you,” she says, giving me a tight smile.
“The family?” I inquire, pushing more.
I’m mainly curious why she’s even here or checking me over. Also, I need to know why she’s trembling like a little leaf.
Her eyes flick to my face, and she swallows hard. Oh. It’s the family she fears. We do have quite the reputation to live up to. Murders. Heists. Gun runs. You name it, we’ve got our paws in it.
“Jericho made sure you were in a safe place. I helped him bring you here.” She gives me a sharp nod, avoiding eye contact.
So. The heir. My bestie. My boner brother. Left me. In a damn coma. Alone. In a dark hospital room.
Ain’t he a peach?
I’ll show him my appreciation later when I track his ass down. All I need now is my phone.
“Did I happen to come in with clothes and my phone?”
My phone. I need it like I need air. It’ll give me all the answers I’m seeking.
Her spine stiffens, and she nods. “I think so. I… I think they’re in your old room. Shoot. I’ll go get them for you!” I watch as she scurries out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
Interesting. Old room? So, this isn’t where I was before. She did say Jer hid me away. What a good boy.
I take the time to climb to my feet. Fuck. I grunt, nearly falling over. The room spins. My knees give out, but I catch myself on the bed, huffing for breath.
Phew. That was close.
My toes wiggle against the cold floor as I gain strength and finally stand tall. My legs wobble slightly beneath me, but I regain my balance. While waiting for the nurse to return my belongings, I search through the drawers and cabinets. You never know what you’ll find.
Weapons? Maybe. Anything can be a weapon if you have imagination. Take this tongue depressor I found in the back of a drawer, for instance. I could shove this through an eyeball and make a kabob.
Easy peasy.
Although, my knives would have been a much better gift from Jericho than a piece of paper with instructions. Wasn’t he prepared? Actually, I don’t know what the fuck is happening right now.
I lay the tongue depressor on the countertop with furrowed brows. Now that my brain is finally kicking back after its two-day nap, more holes are forming.
Why did he leave me a note and not stay to help? Why wasn’t he prepared? That maniac is ready for everything. Secret weddings. Ambushes. You name it, he always has a plan up his sleeve.
But this? He came in half-cocked. I smirk to myself. Who am I kidding? The poor fella is always half-cocked compared to me. And he’ll be even more so when I punch him in the nads for not taking me on his field trip.
I know, I know. Jer probably had good reasons. And I can totally fight my way out of this hospital. Damn it. I hate it when nothing makes sense.
“Here are your belongings,” Lori says urgently, barging in through the door. She’s pale and trembling when she hands me a hospital bag filled with my suit.
Ugh.
The suit. Which suspiciously smells like fire.
Whatever. Maybe I’ll steal some doctor’s scrubs on my way out. I refuse to wear this stupid shit again. Not only is it my least favorite outfit, but it also stinks. It probably carries some bad juju or something, anyway. Not that I can’t handle anything thrown my way, but I’d rather walk out of here without getting caught.
“There are guards everywhere, looking for you.” Her eyes dart over her shoulder, and she shudders violently.
Poor thing. She’s not meant for this depraved life. She’d probably have a heart attack if she knew how her husband was doing. Or what I did to him. And his friends.
My anger got the better of me that night. It’s like tunnel vision gripping me by the shoulders and whispering for me to kill, kill, kill.
“Everywhere? So, blocking exists, I presume?” I shuffle the things in my bag, digging for my phone at the bottom. Luckily, it’s there.
Unluckily, it’s dead.
Next stop, find a charger. And from the tone of Jericho’s note, there’s no way I can go home. Having to meet at the cabin means our home base is compromised. My guess? Gabriel fucking Viotto. I can’t wait to make a necklace out of his ears.
“Y-yes,” she shudders. “I think so.”
“Do you happen to know what happened in Briar Cove that brought me here?” I eye the hospital room, thankful it’s semi-dark, as I slip my boxer briefs on while wearing the god-awful hospital gown.
Although there’s a pleasant breeze on my cheeks, I need to get dressed to figure out what’s going on.
“Oh. Um. Viotto Tower was damaged pretty badly. I-they said there was a party or something and that there was an attack. It… um… collapsed.”
My spine stiffens. Well, shit.
“Collapsed? Completely?” That’s not good at all. That would mean Gabriel moved his operations somewhere. Probably the damn mansion. Shit. No wonder Jericho wanted to tuck tail and go to the cabin.
“No. Not entirely. It crumbled on one side into the street, and it’s unusable.”
Huh. Interesting. Gabe can’t use his precious tower. I wonder if it’s my fault. Ah. A sense of pride fills my chest when I discard the hospital gown, letting it drop to the floor.
“I... um… shoot!” she hisses, looking down at the iPad in her hand. “I need to get back to work. You’ll be okay?”
Pfft. Define okay. I’m never okay. But in this instance, I have a feeling I’m about to rock some people’s worlds. If Gabe has multiple guards around the hospital, I’m in for a treat. Although going on a murder spree throughout a hospital is probably frowned upon.
Party poopers.
“Thanks for all the help,” I say with sincerity. Because she could have left me to rot but didn’t. She aided Jericho and me.
“Anything for you guys. Like I told Mr. Viotto. You helped me at my lowest, and I can’t repay you enough.” She nods once before slipping out the door and not allowing me to retort.
We’ll have to think of a way to stop her repayments and let her off the hook.
First things first, though. I need to get out of here without being detected.