Iceman’s Killing Frost (Hunters Creek Archangel’s Warriors MC #13)
Iceman Prologue Two Months Ago
“Iceman.” I heard my name screamed. I took off running for the back of the clinic. That was Jessamy’s, Mace’s old lady, voice. I was here in Cherokee, North Carolina, patrolling to ensure none of the Black Outlaws MC guys got any stupid ideas about trying to make another grab for her. Members from several MCs had sent men to assist our friends with this issue. It was a common thing we did on a regular basis.
I thought it was highly unlikely they’d be that stupid. It was broad daylight and in the middle of town, but you could never be too careful. I was wrong about their level of intelligence. I heard the panic in her voice. Right after she screamed my name, I heard the little boy she was watching on the playground yelling at the top of his lungs. Christ, if they touched either of them, I’d never forgive myself. I ran faster. More screams from Jessamy scared the crap out of me. I was as far away from her as I could be. You should’ve stayed in the back with her , I berated myself. I’d been told to patrol, so that was what I did—wrong move. I rounded the corner of the building and saw three men with her. The one with his arm around her waist dropped her.
“Get the fuck away from her!” I shouted.
Jessamy moved as if she was trying to come to me, but the guy who dropped her grabbed her hair and yanked her backward. I saw her slash at him. There was something shiny in her hand. Was it a knife? I had my gun out. I pointed it away from them toward the one on the ground and the guy next to him. I couldn’t shoot at the one gripping her hair because I didn’t have a clear shot. I refused to risk hitting her with my bullet. Before I could pull the trigger on either of the other two, there was a loud popping sound of a gun.
Searing pain tore through my chest, taking my breath away seconds before the pop registered. I fell. I heard Jessamy scream again. The fiery pain in my chest claimed my breath and wouldn’t give it back. I was trying to suck in oxygen, but I couldn’t seem to get any air into my lungs. I tried again. While I fought to get an ounce of oxygen in, I heard Jessamy. She was going insane. I heard snarls, swearing, shrieks, and other indescribable sounds from her.
The men attempting to take her were yelling to hurry up, get the bitch, and one was threatening to shoot her. That threat helped me gasp hard enough to get some wind into me. She was arguing with the one who made the threat.
“If you do that, I don’t think the people you’re going to sell me to will be pleased. What will your president say? You already fucked up at least once, if not twice. A third strike and you’re out,” she taunted.
“It wasn’t my fuckup,” he denied.
With a shaky hand, I got my cell phone out of my cut and found Mace’s name. I sent off a text. Honestly, I had no idea how I even tapped out the words.
Me: 911. 3 men at the clinic. Jessa outside in the play area. Maybe more. I’m shot.
Somehow, by a pure fucking miracle, I was able to drag myself up off the ground slowly after I sent it. I was astonished to see that I still had my gun gripped in the other hand—the wonders of one-handed texting.
I wobbled on legs that felt like overcooked noodles. I clutched the fence with my free hand and focused on Jessamy. I saw her facing off with all three of them. She was holding a knife. One of the guys had a knife, and another had a gun. Squinting my eyes, I prayed before I squeezed the trigger twice. The gun-toter went down first, followed by the knife-wielder. I would’ve shot the third one if he hadn’t run for cover.
“Get the gun, Jessa. Hold it on the live one. I’m not sure how long I’ll stay awake,” I hollered hoarsely. Things were fading in and out. Don’t pass out until she’s safe , I ordered myself.
Thank God, Eliana came out the backdoor of the clinic, yelling Jessamy’s name at that moment. I knew she’d make sure to get the gun. The fight left me, and I fell to the ground again. I lay there, staring up at the sky. It was the prettiest blue, and the sun was shining. I swore I heard birds chirping. As consciousness faded in and out, I found myself in a green meadow covered in flowers with bees buzzing. What the hell? I must be dead. My only question—was this heaven or hell?
The sound of motorcycles was the last thing I remembered before it went black. Ah, it must be heaven after all. That wonderful thought only lasted for what felt like a moment before a hard slap to my face and a voice I knew well yelled at me, and I snapped my eyes open. Eliana was bent over me. She had a determined look on her beautiful face. Her hands were tugging on my shirt as she barked at me.
“Iceman, don’t you dare die on me! Do you hear me? If you do, I swear, I’ll follow your ass and bring you back. Don’t make me give you more love taps,” she ordered.
The pain was coming in waves. I wanted to pass out or die to escape it, but I was afraid she’d carry out her threat. No one wanted to piss off Agony’s woman. She could be a terror when she wanted. I tried to look around, but it was too much effort. As I concentrated on her, I saw Eliana holding a phone. Her lips were moving, but I wasn’t listening to what she said. The roar of bikes was deafeningly close. One of her hands was pressing down on my chest. I tried to push it away because it made me hurt worse. She slapped my hand. The phone was gone.
“Let me do this. You’re bleeding all over the street. Your damn road name is Iceman, so shouldn’t your blood be frozen solid?” she muttered.
Suddenly, I saw Hulk, the Pagan Souls’ enforcer, bending over me. His face was creased with worry.
“What do you need, Eliana?” he asked her.
I vaguely heard her tell him that she called for an ambulance, followed by unintelligible words, and then she told him to hold pressure on my wound. Someone else approached us, but I couldn’t see who it was. I closed my eyes.
Unexpectedly, a small, soft hand took hold of mine. I opened my eyes to see who it was. It was Jessamy. “You saved me. I’m so sorry. I never wanted you or anyone to get hurt. Please, hang on,” she pleaded.
She was crying. I hated to see a woman cry. I tried to make her feel better. I eked out what felt like a small smile. Wanting to make her stop bawling, I said, “It was worth it to get a beautiful woman to hold my hand.” I winked.
She made a choked sobbing sound, then bent over and kissed my cheek. “There, now that I gave you a kiss, and in front of Mace, no less, you have to survive.”
I groaned and mumbled, “If I do, he might kill me.” I thought a kiss from a beautiful woman was one way to revive me, but Mace’s frown made me reconsider.
She giggled.
There were sirens all around us. Jessamy and Eliana were placing pressure on my wound while cops yelled for us to put our hands in the air. That wasn’t happening with me. I smirked when Eliana started barking orders at the police.
“Get the hell out of the way! Can’t you see we can’t put our hands up? He’s bleeding here. Move so that the ambulance can get to him. He needs a hospital.”
A shadow bent over me. It was a cop, and in his hand was a handcuff. What the fuck? Did it look like I was able to do anything? If so, I definitely looked better than I felt. Both women began yelling at him, so he moved away. The next thing to grab my attention was the flurry of activity as two paramedics descended upon me and started to poke and prod me. Eliana was talking to them, and then they were racing me into the back of an ambulance. The siren made my head hurt, and the way the one paramedic riding in the back kept talking to me and touching me while not making the pain go away pissed me off. I swatted at him. That got a reaction, but not the one I wanted. My arms were restrained, so I said the hell with it and blacked out.
They wouldn’t leave me be. I woke to bright lights, multiple loud voices all talking over each other, still in fucking pain, and me being raced down a long, stark hallway. Suddenly, I was lifted and moved to a cold, hard table. Men and women in surgical masks and gowns stood over me.
From far away, I heard someone say, “Get him under! We’re gonna lose him.” And just like that, it was pitch black again, but at least there was no pain. Where was that beautiful meadow with the flowers and bees if I was dead?