Chapter Thirty-Three
Ihad to stay in the hospital overnight, which meant I was missing out on the club retaliation, and that really burned in my chest, because I should fucking be there.
I wasn’t some child who needed to be sheltered from the fight, but it had to happen right away, or they’d have time to plan for an assault, so instead, I sat with a tablet on my lap, comms in my ear, and Glory on the bed beside me.
Between Grease, Ice, and that tech guy for the mobsters, we had video feeds of the entry points to the Double D compound, and access to the up to the minute chatter on the comms.
“Team Bellend, make your way to the storage centre, Team Phoenix, at points two and three.”
“I didn’t agree to Team Bellend as our tag.”
“Sorry, it’s all arranged now. Confirm when in position.”
Glory had an earpiece in too, and giggled every time they said ‘bellend’.
“I’m pretty sure I advised that our team was Team Bennett. Stop being a child, Grease.”
“Listen up, fucknuts, I don’t answer to you, so take your pissy ass attitude, and shove it-”
“Grease, shut it. I can’t hear the others.”
We were both laughing at their antics at this point, but our comms were listen-only earpieces, so we couldn’t join in with the banter.
“This is hilarious,” Glory said, her eyes bright with laughter.
“Tell me about it. Still, it’s going to get nasty pretty soon, so you don’t have to watch.”
She slapped my hand away as I tried to cover her eyes.
“Yes, I do. I have to see them pay for hurting you!”
“They’re going to die for hurting me, you do get that?”
“What, like I’m an idiot?”
Voices in our ears shut us up again.
“Overwatch 1 in place.”
Silence followed, then a Bennett bastard voice.
“Overwhat? Who the fuck is that?”
Chuckles sounded from our guys, and then a second unknown voice.
“Overwatch 2 in place.”
“Who the fuck are these people? You’ve got secret snipers or something, bruv?”
“They better be watching the DDs and not us, bruv, or we’re gonna have issues.”
Micro chuckled. “They’re backing us, so shut up and rejoin your bellend team.”
“Who’re you calling a fucking bellend?”
“Shut it! There’s movement outside their clubhouse.”
“Oh it’s on now. I’m about to Jackie Chan their asses.”
“Jackie Chan didn’t do Krav Maga, dickhead.”
We watched as the banter quieted down, and people started moving, first a team making their way into the storage area, and lying in wait for anyone heading for the guns, disabling them in the process.
The second camera was aimed at the open space between their clubhouse building and the storage units at the side.
It was in the middle of a trading estate, but we knew they were mostly surrounded by closed down buildings.
Probably quite hard to carry out business with a nasty biker club dragging the area down.
I guess we were doing their whole town a favour tonight.
Or at least, everyone but me was. That thought was niggling at me, because it was my fucking retribution to take.
“Uh oh, they’re going for it.”
She wasn’t wrong. Bodies started crashing together, and yelling filled the air, at least in our ears, as Phoenix and Bennett people took on the Double Ds, and hell broke loose.
I saw punching and kicking, the glint of blades, and then a low crack in the air that suggested someone had been taken down by our mercs, the guys the Bennetts clearly didn’t know about.
Or the guys Don Rossi had sent to discreetly back us up, on the proviso that the Bennetts didn’t find out about them.
He’d managed to steer clear of any ties to them, according to Harley, and I wished we’d done the same, although, watching their men and woman fight side by side with my brothers was pretty amazing.
The Double Ds picked on me as a weak link.
One biker alone in a deserted area, and easy pickings for a group of guys, but now they were learning that there was nothing weak about Phoenix.
Everyone seemed to assume since the club mostly stayed on the right side of the law, despite some gentle distribution of party drugs, and the like, that it meant we were weak, easy to take down. Not a challenge.
They were learning the opposite right now, as Double D bikers started hitting the ground and not getting up again. I found myself hoping it really fucking hurt each of them, because that’s what they deserved.
“This is almost too easy,” Grease said in our ears, laughing to himself as another crack of gunfire cut through the sounds of fists thudding, and grunts of pain.
“Overwatch 1, no more movement.”
“That’ll be because you shot their faces off,” someone chuckled, but I couldn’t tell who.
“Oi, bruv. That one’s legging it.”
We watched as things slowed down and people started to run out of people to fight.
“Check for stragglers,” Micro yelled, and then we heard Reacher yelling out commands to someone too. We couldn’t see all of it, but what we could see was a body-strewn battlefield, with only friendly survivors.
“No more in there.”
“Overwatch 2, nobody here.”
“Overwatch 1, clear.”
With no people left, phase two was in motion, dragging bodies into the main clubhouse, and ransacking their supplies before torching it.
The screen started to white out as flames challenged the night vision cameras, and I lay back against the pillows, almost feeling exhausted by the fight I’d watched rather than participated in.
“You okay?”
I felt strangely choked up as I pulled Glory against my chest.
“Guess I’m feeling kinda loved right now. I’ve got you with me, and a club who just destroyed another for attacking me. If I’d ever doubted the club I was trying to patch into, I don’t anymore. They came together for us.”
She nodded, snuggling tighter against me, despite how it niggled the bruising, because I’d never stop her.
“I thought I was better at telling who the good guys and bad guys are, but I had it all wrong. Not that I ever doubted you, I knew exactly who you were, but your club? Even if you’d asked me earlier today I’d have said I’m not sure about them, but now?
I get it. The sense of belonging you must feel… ”
“We should both be feeling it. They’ve claimed you too, you know.”
“Even though I brought those mob guys into things again?”
“I don’t think they would have found things so easy tonight without them, sweetheart. They know that.”
“I was just so scared. That journey to the hospital to see you was the longest of my life, and I’ve lived some very long, slow, painful moments in the last few years, but none of them compare to today.”
Glory
Ifell asleep there with him, woken only by a soft touch on my arm, a finger against smiling lips, and a jerk of a head toward the door. I carefully extricated myself from Henley’s heavy arm, his sleep even heavier with the pain relief, and followed her outside.
“How’s he doing?” She asked, and I smiled, rubbing my tired eyes as I fought the fogginess of my sleepy brain.
“He’s fine. Annoyed they’re keeping him in. Oh, and even more annoyed he missed the fun.”
Lenore grinned, that ever present deadliness in her eyes.
“Oh it was a wonderful night out. It had everything. A road trip. Snacks. Beating bastards to death. Just everything.” She looked exhilarated, but her shoulders sagged with exhaustion as she leaned against the wall, dragging a bruised hand over her face.
“I like how your guys operate. Swift. Deadly. They pillaged what they could before the place was torched too.”
She waved someone off, and I looked over my shoulder to see Marco chatting to the silver haired one. Danno? For some reason, I was sure that was right.
“You look shattered,” I said gently, because I didn’t know why she or any of them had added time to their day to visit here.
“Just wanted to check in, you know, make sure you guys are okay. You didn’t watch did you?”
I nodded, moving to lean against the wall beside her, because I was feeling that tiredness and all I’d done was keep Henley company all night.
“I was impressed. I’d love to learn how to do what you do.”
“Don’t let it give you more nightmares, babe, okay?
This had to happen, but we came out on top.
We always come out on top. Just because they got the drop on your boy, doesn’t mean the world isn’t safe.
It’s just that there will always be assholes, but that’s what people like us are for.
To remove assholes, or ugh… I was going to try for a metaphor but my brain is fucked.
We’re heading back home, but don’t lose my number.
I’m still your friend no matter how well you keep recovering. ”
“Thank you.” I didn’t know whether to try for a hug, or if I’d lose my throat, so I just smiled at her, and she patted my arm as she straightened up. Now she was moving, I could see tears in her clothing, dust and mud on most of her lower body, and a bandage around her left hand.
“Are you okay?”
She grinned. “I chose this life and I fucking love it. Get some sleep.”
She headed back to her man, and he and Danno waved at me as they left.
It was then that I realised there were a couple of bikers in chairs in the waiting area too, one asleep, and the other playing something on his phone.
He’d been watching the guys with Lenore, but now he caught my eye and gestured at me to come over.
He was cute, if you were into baby faced blonde guys.
“I’m Has-Been, love. Just wanted to make sure you and your man are doing okay? We’re here ‘til six, so just shout if you need anything.”
“You’re just going to sit out here?”
He glanced at the sleeping guy beside him, who I couldn’t recognise because his head was down, and all I could see was dark hair and folded arms over his patches.
“Yeah, it’s all good. Someone has to stay awake while this dickhead catches some zees.”
I nodded, waving my thanks as I turned to walk away but then I turned back.
“Wait. Has-Been, you said?” He nodded, quirking a brow at me.
“You’re the other artist, like Rocket, right? You do club tattoos and stuff?”
He grinned, shoving his phone in his pocket.
“You’ve been doing your homework, love. That’s me. I heard you’re pretty good yourself.”
I chewed on my lip, finally settling into the seat beside him, because now we were talking, I felt like I wanted to keep going.
“I haven’t for a few years, but I wanted to get back into it. Henley’s set me up with a sweet art area at his house, brand new airbrush kit, and everything. I’m just… I need to work out where to start, you know? Have to remember how to do everything.”
He nodded slowly, glancing at the guy beside him again, as he carefully angled a little toward me.
“It’s like riding a… well… ride,” he laughed, his blue eyes twinkling at me, “maybe the best way would be to learn the kit first, before you try making actual art with it. It’s all about needle thicknesses, the pressure levels you use, and distance from the page.
Oh… but don’t let that stop you drawing.
Get back to that in between. Take a pencil and paper with you, sit down and sketch.
It’ll come flooding back. You looking to get into inking too?
We’d love an extra person helping with that.
I dare say you’d be the instant choice for future old lady ink too. ”
Whoa. Talk about pressure.
“I mean, I don’t know if I’m any good, so baby steps, I guess.”
He chuckled, leaning his head against the wall, settling in for the long haul, so I did the same. He was easy to talk to, and it meant Henley could have more room on his bed for his rest.
“I’m sure your man would let you practice on him.”
“He did offer, actually. I just don’t know if it’s a good idea. What if I mess it up?”
Has-Been chuckled, and the guy behind him snorted, and jerked in his chair.
“Wha? I’m… I’m awake.”
Oh. It was Rocket. I hadn’t recognised him with his head down, but now he was peering blearily at me it was clear. I waved lamely and he nodded.
“Our man okay in there?”
I nodded, and he settled back in his seat.
“So why’d you fucking wake me, man?”
He was snoring again in seconds, and we went back to our conversation.