Chapter 9
“Hey! Wait up!” Valid called out as he chased after the side by side Alison was driving away in.
She looked over her shoulder and hit the breaks. “Why?”
“Feral said to ride with you, so I’m riding with you.”
“I don’t even know you,” she said, pressing on the gas as he jumped into the passenger seat.
“Then why’d you let me get in?”
“You’re Variant. Alpha Jack trusts you.”
“Where are we going?”
“The manufacturing facility.”
“That the building we passed on the way in?”
“Yes, it’s Laighin Celtic Leathers. We make leather goods.”
Alison drove the side by side like a bat out of hell as she wove on and off the road, avoiding tree roots and pits in the road.
To his credit, Valid didn’t say a word, he just held on and steeled himself against the bouncing and the movement.
When they arrived at the manufacturing facility, she brought the side by side to a stop, then hopped off and ran into the building.
It was mid afternoon and some people were working, though most had already finished for the day.
She ran over to her station and grabbed up her soldering iron, then grabbed up the one belonging to the worker who sat next to her, and ran back toward the offices.
Valid stayed on her tail, watching everything she did.
She ran into the offices, then into Vance’s office and started opening and closing drawers and even the storage cabinets behind his desk. “Yes!” she exclaimed, snatching up a box and turning so quickly she almost bounced off of Valid.
“What’s that?” Valid asked.
“It’s a brand new soldering iron. Never been used. But I’m still bringing these two, too, in case the new one doesn’t work.”
“Good thinking,” Valid said.
They hurried back outside, got on the side by side, and she drove them back just as recklessly as she’d driven them there.
She brought the side by side to a stop in front of Jack’s house, turned the key and engaged the emergency brake, then reached for the soldering irons Valid was holding. “What’s your name?” she asked, as she got out of the side by side and ran toward the house.
“Valid,” he said.
She paused for just a second as she thought about his name.
“I like that. Cool name,” she said, as he reached around her and opened the door, pushing it open for her to go through.
“I’m back!” she announced, rushing over to the formal dining table.
“I brought three. Mine, the girl’s next to me, and a new one I found in Vance’s storage cabinet behind his desk. ”
“Let’s start with the new one,” Feral said.
“Why three?” Kassidy asked, from her spot near the kitchen where she waited in case anybody needed anything and she had to go find it for them.
“In case one won’t work, and another breaks, right?” Feral asked.
“Right,” Alison said. “Hopefully the new one will be enough, but if not, we have options.”
“Smart girl,” Feral said.
Alison beamed a huge smile his way.
Frenzy bobbled his head side to side a bit and made a funny face at Jack. “Ohhhhhhhh, smart girl,” he repeated.
“Frenzy, I’m a little busy at the moment, but I will kick your ass later,” Feral said.
Frenzy laughed. “Welcome to the jungle!” he sang, making his voice raspy and strained to sound like the singer who’d made a song by the same name famous.
“Do you mind?!” Rance demanded.
“Hey, this is how we operate! You know that. You met me when I was operating on Findley,” Frenzy said.
Feral kept pressure on Gwen’s wound as Storm plugged in the new soldering iron and waited for it to heat up.
“It’s ready,” Storm said, handing the iron carefully to Feral, who shook his head.
“I’m going to need your fingers, Storm. Take a close look. Make sure you see where I’m holding, see where the fingertips of my left hand are pressing.”
Storm held the iron out to the side so she didn’t burn anybody and leaned over to get a good look at where Feral’s fingers were.
“You see that? Fingertips of my left hand?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m going to slide my fingers out of the way, but not completely.
I’m going to keep holding the wound open as much as I can.
You keep your eyes on the place my fingertips were in.
When the blood starts seeping through, that’s where you cauterize.
Pause for a second and see if any more blood is seeping through, if so cauterize that, too.
Once the blood stops, go back and cauterize the spots again to make sure we’ve got them good. You ready?”
Storm stared into the wound. “Yep,” she said.
Feral slid his fingers apart, widening the spot Storm was looking at as much as he could.
“I see it!” she exclaimed, applying the soldering iron to the bleeding spot within the wound. Steam and the smell of burning flesh filled the room immediately.
“Watch for more,” Feral said as he gently began to move his fingers first one way, then another.
“Got it!” she said, applying the soldering iron again, twice. She watched as Feral moved his fingers back and forth again, two more times. “I think that’s it,” she said.
“Okay, cauterize the same spots again, and then we’ll stitch her up,” Feral said.
Storm did as she was told, grinning as she stepped back out of the way as Frenzy cleaned the area, sterilized it as best he could, then started stitching it closed.
“Blood?” Storm asked.
“Yes,” Frenzy said.
Storm reached over and opened the valve on the transfusion line between Gwen and Rance, and watched it for a few minutes, checking both Rance and Gwen’s IVs and veins before she was finally satisfied.
“Would you take some of those alcohol wipes and clean some of this blood off her side and her back? It’ll be easier to tell if she’s bleeding again if she’s cleaned up,” Frenzy said.
“On it,” Storm said, following his instruction as he stepped back and removed his rubber gloves.
Feral had already removed his and was leaning against the wall as he watched Frenzy closing Gwen’s injury.
“Nice job, doctor,” Feral said.
“Right back at you,” Frenzy said.
“Alright, I’m not getting injured unless one of you is with us,” Savage said.
“You got Harsh. He’s as good as we are,” Feral said.
“Or Storm. She’s learning everything we get a chance to teach her,” Frenzy said.
“She going to be alright?” Jack asked.
“Honestly? We hope so,” Feral said. “But until we see if the cauterizing holds, we don’t know. The fluids we’re putting in her, the blood, it’ll help make her stronger. But it’s up to her now.”
“Love her hard enough to keep her here, Rance,” Frenzy said.
Rance squeezed her hand and whispered to her.
“What the hell is going on?” Niko demanded as he jogged down the stairs, his eyes searching for blood spots on the carpet as he went.
“You missed it. They just saved Gwen,” Jack said. “We need to send some of our people to study with their medic training.”
“What happened?” Niko asked.
“She was injured back home, and somehow it got worse. We don’t really know,” Jack said.
“Is Griffin alright?” Niko asked.
“I haven’t seen Griffin. But Bonnie’s out there trying to keep everybody calm. Nobody’s freaking out yet, so I’m guessing she’s doing a good job.”
“I gotta go check on him,” Niko said.
“Y’all know Niko?” Jack asked.
“We met,” Frenzy said. “And what is with all the fucking pretty boys around here? That’s what I want to know. Give another male a chance at a female sometime!”
Jack laughed.
“I am pretty, huh?” Niko asked, grinning back at Frenzy. “I’ll meet everybody in a few minutes. I gotta go check on Griffin,” he said, his voice trailing behind him as he stepped outside before he finished his sentence.
“We got any Hydrogen Peroxide?” Vance asked as he came down stairs.
“Yes!” Kassidy exclaimed. “Finally, something I can help with. It’s under the kitchen sink and I’m guessing there’s more in each bathroom,” she said, ducking into the kitchen and coming out with a large brown bottle.
“Niko said we can clean up blood with it,” Vance said as he kissed her cheek quickly.
“He’s right. I’ll come help,” Kassidy said.
“Have you cleaned her room?” Rance called out.
“Her bathroom is clean, we just gotta get the spots off the carpet,” Vance said.
“If you can’t, put her in my room,” Rance said.
“Alright.”
“You got time,” Frenzy said. “Nobody’s moving until that IV bag is empty, and until I decide she’s had enough blood.”
“We’ll be done by then,” Vance said as he and Kassidy went up stairs to help Three finish cleaning up.
“So now what?” Rage asked.
“Now, we wait to see if Rance’s woman is recovering.
Then in a couple of days we go see what we can find in Missouri.
We might have Variant still being held, we have a shifter Pride that’s been decimated.
If the aggressor has taken any survivors captive, we’ll be freeing them.
I’m pretty sure we’ll be burying a lot of individuals while we’re there. ”
“We can go ahead and get started,” Rage said.
“They were attacked at least four-to-five days ago. The evidence has been sitting all this time, I’m sure another day or two won’t hurt while this female recovers and Rance prepares to go with us,” Frenzy said. “Anybody disagree?”
“I want to go,” Steve said.
“Who are you?” Savage asked.
“I’m a member of that Pride you’re talking about. I was charged with getting the Alpha’s Reigna here safely. I’ve done that. I want to go back and see for myself what’s left.”
“It’s not a bad idea. You can help us understand where everything was, and help identify anyone we find.”
Steve nodded. His gaze drifted over to Jack. “Alpha, I’d like to accompany those going to Missouri.”
“Understood,” Jack said.
~~~
Niko stepped out onto the patio and looked around.
“Niko!” Griffin yelled, waving from the splash pad.
“Hey, boy! I was looking for you, thought you were in the pool!”
“Mom let me play on the splash pad now,” he said, as he ran over to Niko.
Niko knelt down and smiled at Griffin. “You alright?”
“Yeah. Reigna Gwen fell down. Did you know that?” Griffin asked.
“I did. But they’re taking care of her. She’s going to be okay.”