Chapter 32
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Gideon
The door flew open, and a bullet whizzed by my head. I ducked, giving Danny the opportunity to shoot the big guy right between the eyes. Another man winged Alex’s arm but was immediately taken out by Toni.
My eyes darted around the room, and I noticed two things: Lorcan wasn’t here, and there was a man hanging from a hook, covered in blood. His face was hamburger, and he looked dead.
“Penn!” I stopped a few inches from his body. He had a knife sticking out of his stomach; he was a mess. “I need help here.”
“Fucking hell,” Danny muttered.
It took four of us to lower him, and as much as I hated laying him on the floor, I had no choice.
“We need to get him to the hospital.” Alex checked his pulse. “Gid, it’s super weak. He’s losing blood.”
“Where the fuck is Lorcan?” Toni was beating the shit out of someone, trying to find out where that piece of shit had gone, but my focus was on Penn.
“Get the car, Alex. The rest of us, carry Penn out. Don’t jostle him too much, and do not remove that knife.”
“What about the people on the boat? We got some live ones.”
I turned to Toni. “Get whatever info you can; then burn and sink it.”
“Even the staff and the ladies?”
I glared at him. “Everyone. They knew what was happening, so they can spend eternity in Hell thinking about it.”
“Yeah, okay, Boss.”
“On three.” We were able to get Penn off the yacht and into the back of the SUV.
His head rested on my lap while Danny was doing all he could to apply pressure to the wound around the knife.
“Five minutes,” Alex announced from the driver’s seat.
“When we get there, Alex, get that arm checked out,” I ordered.
“I’m fine, sir.”
“It wasn’t a suggestion.”
“Yes, Boss.”
St. Mary’s was the closest trauma hospital from the marina. Alex drove right up to the entrance and jumped out.
“We need help!” he shouted.
“Hang in there, Penn, please.” I pressed a kiss to his forehead. It was crusted with blood, and anger and fear began warring for dominance.
“Sir?”
I looked up and saw a nurse. I released my hold on Penn and they carefully pulled him out and onto the gurney. Quickly, I got out and followed them, only to be stopped by a nurse.
“You have to stay here, sir. There’s a waiting room where you came in.”
I wanted to argue, but that wouldn’t do Penn any good. I stepped away and stared through the square windows on the door. I watched until I couldn’t see him anymore.
“Boss.” Danny stood in front of me. “Clothes are being brought over for you; you’re covered in blood. Let’s go get cleaned up, and we’ll sit in the waiting room.”
I cocked my head, then peered at myself. Penn’s blood practically covered every inch of me.
“Oh.”
“Come on, Boss.”
I let Danny guide me to the bathroom, where I stripped down to my boxers and washed the blood off my hands and face. Clothes arrived, and I dressed robotically.
“Alex?”
“He’s getting his arm checked out like you asked.”
“Raff?”
“Stable, he’ll be fine.”
“Good.”
In the waiting room, there were a few others. The television was on with the news broadcasting. I half watched, half thought about Penn and how much this was all my fault. I fucking should have let him run, my feelings be damned.
A tap on my arm caught my attention, and Danny gestured to the television. On the screen a reporter was at the marina, a fire blazing behind her.
“The Lady Midnight, formerly owned by the deceased Callan Anders is no more. A 9-1-1 call came in a short time ago stating the yacht was on fire. Sources are telling me there were people on board. It’s all very bizarre and as the story unfolds, we’ll keep you informed.”
“Where’s Lorcan?” I whispered to Danny, but the hatred I had for that man made it sound like a growl.
“Toni informed me that they found a hatch in the room Penn was in. It led to the bow where Lorcan likely got out, swam or something. Can’t be too far.”
“I want every person minus those watching my family on this.” I turned to face Danny. “Every human being who owes me a favor, everyone in all of Northchester, I want them searching for Lorcan Anders. And call those mercs. I want Lorcan Anders alive.”
“Yeah, okay, Boss.” When he didn’t move to do it, I glared. “Right. On it.”
I was alone for a few minutes, nothing but my thoughts and guilt to keep me company. Alex joined me after a while, his arm wrapped. I wanted him and Danny looking for Lorcan, but I knew they wouldn’t leave my side.
“Dean’s here,” Danny said, and I shot out of my chair.
He was speed walking toward me, wasn’t stopping, suddenly he crashed into me, his arms wrapping around my shoulders. “Jesus, Gid.”
“What are you doing here, Dean?”
He released me and scoffed. “It was either me or Rita coming. Who would you have preferred?”
“Who brought you here?”
“Ronnie and Matt.”
Over Dean’s shoulder, I saw both men close by. From the expressions on their faces, they knew I was pissed.
“Don’t be angry with them. Originally I tried leaving on my own, and they stopped me. I told them I’d keep trying to leave unless they drove me.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose and led Dean to the chairs. “I don’t want to risk anyone else, Dean. I wish you’d have stayed put.”
Naturally, he ignored me. “How is he?”
“I don’t know. He went back there, and I haven’t heard a damn thing.”
He squeezed my knee. “He’s tough, Gid. He’ll be okay.”
I blinked a few times, trying to push away the memory of his broken body. “You didn’t see him, Dean. It’s bad.”
“Tell me.”
“I don’t even know the extent. He had a knife sticking out of his stomach, I think there was a slash on his chest, his face was unrecognizable, broken leg…there was a lot of blood. So fucking much.”
“You care a lot about him.” It wasn’t a question but I nodded all the same. “Maybe when he’s feeling better, you tell him?”
“You’re confident he’ll come out of this?”
Dean smiled softly. “I watched him jump out of a burning house, flames all around him, and he lived. He’s like nobody I’ve ever known, Gid. He’s a fighter.”
I wanted desperately to believe him. “I need him to be okay.”
He squeezed my knee. “Have a little faith, Gid.”