Chapter 21
Camo
A fter today’s shift at the club’s garage, my body aches from being bent over so many fucking car engines.
“Beer,” I call to the prospect, then join Pres.
“All caught up?” he asks me.
“Yeah. Burying myself under car hoods all day is just what I signed up with an MC for,” I joke, downing half my beer.
“We all play our part, brother.”
“I know. How did the organ drop go?” I ask Winger.
“Uneventful, thankfully. The rich fuck wants to keep us on the books for when he needs more; plus, he wants us to help find some ring that will keep him young. The pixies have knowledge of it.”
“More money for the club. I saw that Rush and Cotton got back from the run to collect the potion from the black witch.”
He nods. “Got scratched to shit for it, too.” He laughs, then his body stiffens and his eyes turn white.
His visions come when we least expect it but we are used to it now. He has been caught off guard a few times, once he was riding and had a vision, he almost laid his bike down, but we rode next to him to control the situation.
His vision clears and he looks at me and my gut sinks.
“Skyla.” One word has my heart racing.
I push to my feet, then my phone rings. Seeing Clark’s name, I stop in my tracks, looking to Winger, who nods.
“Clark?”
“Camo.” I hear her voice and my fear reaches the heavens.
“Skyla? Baby, what happened?”
“Got attacked. Call 911. Hurt bad.” Her voice fades.
“Skyla. SKYLA!” I scream her name into the device when she says nothing else.
Running down the hall, I make it into the main room seeing my brothers ready waiting for an order from me.
“SKYLA. Baby, please talk to me.” I try again but I hear nothing.
“Let’s go,” Pres calls out.
I move around him, calling out the information.
“Skyla called, they have been attacked. We need to get to the gym.” I race to my bike, all of my brothers hot on my heels.
“Where the fuck is the prospect?” Thorin growls.
“Fuck knows but he had better be dead or bleeding out,” Winger snarls.
He fucking hates shitty prospects. They come into his club wanting to be a part of us, then become lazy and never pull their weight. Well, those fucks do not last long around the Kings.
While we speed through the street, my blood boils, and my heart races in fear and anguish that I could lose Skyla before I can tell her how I feel.
No more fucking pushing my feelings down; it is time for my soul to claim our other half.
We arrive at the gym, and I see the smoke. My heart rate kicks up a beat, as I park my bike and dismount in a flash, needing to get to my girl.
“Fuck, the place is on fire. Call the fire department.” I don’t wait for a reply.
I run inside, kicking the door open so hard it smashes. My body turns to ice seeing an unmoving Skyla, lying next to Clark on the ground, covered in blood.
“Oh, fuck me, they did a number on them both,” Halen says, as I rush to my girl.
“Skyla. Wake up, baby, I need to see those beautiful eyes of yours.” I get no reply.
“No time, brother. The place is burning fast. Get them out. Oryn, call 911.” I look up to see Pres shaking his head at Halen.
“It is too much for you, brother,” I tell him.
If he heals both Skyla and Clark, it could immobilize him or worse.
I gently lift Skyla into my arms and four of my brothers lift and carry Clark outside. We lay them both on the sidewalk across the street away from the building, and wait for the ambulance to arrive.
“Let me do something that will bring her around,” Halen requests, his gaze pleading.
He will always put others before himself but sometimes he takes it too far, and that is when the club steps in.
“Only a touch, Halen. She is hurt too badly for you to take it all.” He nods at my instruction.
His hands hover over her body, but he does not make contact. Halen sighs, then he touches the side of her head, and a blue light seeps from her and into the palms of his hands. With his eyes closed, his lips move as he mutters words that we never know.
“There. Just enough to bring her around so she can tell us what happened.” I nod to him.
“Thank you, brother.”
“Now, Clark.”
“No,” Pres growls to my brother. “He is hurt badly and will most likely need surgery. Let his recovery be natural.” The sound of Pres’s voice shows how angry he is.
He looks to me as sirens sound through the air.
“I am sorry, brother, that I didn’t foresee this sooner.” His brow dips.
“We can work that out later,” I promise him, and he nods.
He is not to blame for this. There could be any number of reasons why his vision did not come earlier in the day.
Two ambulances arrive, along with three fire trucks, and they get to work. Next to arrive is Tate and his deputies and Eva, with Rocky hot on their heels.
“The prospect has been take to the clubhouse. He went for a piss when they attacked,” Oryn fills us in, the anger evident in his voice.
I grind my teeth, wanting to flay that motherfucker but right now, my girl needs me.
“I am riding in the ambulance with her. Have someone take my bike.” I look to Winger.
“Got it.”
“Eva, go with Tate; Rocky, go with Clark. I will explain at the hospital.”
“You fucking better,” Tate states, then turns to his deputies. “Close off the area, this is an active crime scene. Let the fire department do their jobs, then canvas the area to see what footage you can locate.” He shouts out orders and they get on it.
“You watch her, Camo,” Eva says, her hand on my arm as I step to the ambulance.
“With my life.” She nods at my reply, and I climb in.
“Fuck, baby.” At the sound of my voice, she slowly blinks, wincing at the light.
“I am sorry, Skyla, but I need to do a quick examination, okay? Can you tell me where it hurts?” the EMT asks my girl.
“Everywhere,” she replies, then her pained gaze comes to me. “Clark?”
“He is in the other ambulance, babe. Rocky is with him.”
She nods and goes back to talking and listening to the EMT.
I take in her battered body. Blood covers most of her face, her hair is matted on one side, and her skin is already turning black and blue from bruising.
My blood boils in my veins, and I know that my rage will need to be channeled toward the right person, and that person is the boy’s stepfather, who decided to use my girl as a punching bag.
Everything points to him: the threats, the earlier attack.
Guilt swirls in my gut at not protecting her myself; I should have fucking fought her harder when she refused my help.
“It hurts,” Skyla cries, and my heart cracks open hearing the anguish in her voice.
“I know, baby, but they will do what they can to help you, okay?”
During the ride to the hospital, my brain switches between wanting to take my girl’s pain away, and ways to track the cunt down who tried taking my woman away from me. No fucker hurts those I love.
Fucking hell.
The word love bounces around my head and my soul and heart preen in happiness that I have finally admitted to myself what Skyla means to me.
The sound of my brothers’ pipes follow behind the ambulance, letting me know that without a doubt they will be here for me and will do what it takes to avenge Skyla’s attack as much as I will.
Blood will be spilled from those who hurt her.
The unit comes to a stop and before the EMT can move, the door swings open to a crowd of Kings of Anarchy MC members and it makes my fucking soul happy that they are here.
“Clark has already been taken in; they think he will need surgery,” Winger informs me.
“Okay, let’s move, gentlemen,” the female EMT calls out.
I climb out and watch as they wheel Skyla into the building, her hand in mine, as the EMTs shout out information on her injuries.
My main focus is on my girl, until I am stopped with a tiny hand on my chest.
“You cannot go in there, sir. Someone will come and get you when we have more information.”
I look down to see a tiny nurse looking up at me with defiance in her eyes, and I can tell that she is not one to back down. I manage a nod and she walks away, even if every fiber of my being is telling me to go to Skyla and be with her.
“Brother, come sit,” Winger calls to me.
I follow behind him into a room where Skyla’s people are anxiously waiting.
Tate steps to me, Eva tucked under his arm.
His eyes are filled with a mixture of concern and anger, a reflection of the emotions swirling inside me.
I can see the same rage burning within him that I am feeling, a shared desire for retribution against those who hurt my girl. His badge be damned.
“I have put out an APB on that cunt, he will not get away with this. I should have acted sooner,” he states, regret swirling in his gaze mixed with anger.
“He should have been buried after the first attempt but the prick is staying hidden,” Shift jumps in.
I look at Cotton. “Send Titch to him; I want him so I can bleed the cunt dry.”
I hear Thorin growl at the sound of bleeding some fucker dry, he loves his blood play both sexually and through torture.
Cotton nods, moving across the room.
“She will pull through this, Camo. They both will. They have to.” Eva sobs through her words, making my stomach tense.
“I have brothers out looking, Camo. We will find him,” Pres announces, determination coating his voice.
I nod, knowing that my brothers are doing all they can. I move across the room, sinking into one of the chairs, my mind racing with thoughts of Skyla. The waiting is unbearable, each second stretching into an eternity.
My fists clench and unclench, the need for action coursing through my veins. Winger sits beside me, his presence a comfort in the chaos, but I sense his guilt.
“Oryn thinks there is an old ward around Skyla and Eva. That is why I did not see what was coming her way before it happened, brother. He is going to look into it.”
“Good.” I sigh, sitting back, bringing my hands up behind my neck and tightening my grip against the tension. “You would have stopped this if you could. I know you, brother.”
I see some of the guilt fall from his gaze.
“Are you finally stepping up, brother?” I see a glint of humor in his eyes.
“Yeah, man. Skyla is mine. My soul needs her, and I was a fucking fool to push her away. Like you have always said, she could get hurt without me in her life and she did. From now on, she is mine to love and protect.”
“Good, man. She is good for you, and you will be for her. Give her the world, Camo.”
I nod and we go back to sitting in silence, waiting.
My gaze remains fixed on the door, willing someone to walk through and bring news of Skyla. Eva and Rocky sit huddled together, talking quietly. Eva looks to me, offering me a reassuring smile and I dip my chin.
Finally, the door opens, and a doctor steps in, her expression serious but not grim. My heart pounds in my chest as she approaches, and I rise to meet her, every muscle in my body tight.
Eva, Rocky, and my brothers come to stand close, offering silent support as we all wait for the information on Skyla and Clark.
“Family of Ms. Delmont and Mr. Cedar.” I nod and step forward.
"Yes, that's me and them; we are all family.” Eva takes my hand, and I give it a little squeeze, thankful that she is including me in this.
The doctor gives us a small, reassuring smile. "Skyla is stable. The surgery went well, and she's in recovery now. Her lung collapsed, so she has a drain but it will heal, and she has some broken ribs.”
Relief washes over me knowing that my girl pulled through, but the anger remains, simmering beneath the surface. Skyla may be safe for now, but those who hurt her will pay.
“Mr. Cedar, is more serious I am afraid. He has a bleed on the brain, that we had to go in and drain, but he is currently in a coma to help his body heal. We will not know the extent of any further damage until he wakes up,” she informs us before leaving the room.
Eva cries, Tate holding her close, as Rocky steps back, bellowing into the air.
I turn to Winger, my voice low and determined. "We find them. All of them. And we make sure they bleed until the lights go out,” I snarl, and he nods in acknowledgment.
I look to my brothers, Rocky and Tate included, their expressions mirroring my resolve. Together, the club will take out the fucks who hurt our people. Skyla's pain will not go unanswered.
“I am not a member of your club but I am coming with you. That prick hurt my family so I want to make sure that he feels pain before he takes his last breath.” My gaze snaps to Rocky, who is looking out of the waiting room window with his shoulders bunched up.
“We welcome you into the pack of misfits, brother,” Winger speaks, stepping into the middle of the room.
Rocky turns to look at the man who I have admired for so fucking long, his eyes narrowed, anger shining bright. His chest heaves as he steps closer to Pres. If this were any other man, me and my brothers would be on guard, but we know that Rocky has the same intentions as we do.
“Nobody fucks with the Kings,” I call out as Winger and Rocky lock arms in solidarity for my woman and their friend.
“Nobody fucks with the Kings” is repeated as we accept Rocky into the arms of the brotherhood.
“Holy shit. There are so many dead people here,” Izzy chimes in a giddy tone to her voice, as she enters the room.
“For fuck’s sake, Iz,” Oryn mutters, shaking his head.
“What?” She looks at him innocently. “I know that his woman and friend are alive, because they are not wandering the halls.”
They banter back and forth. My skin itches to see Skyla, to lay my eyes on her and know that she is truly not leaving me.
“Who is Iz?” Eva asks from her seat, looking at us with wide eyes.
“A pain in my ass,” Oryn gripes.
“Hey.” Izzy slaps his bicep.
“Oryn can explain,” I reply.
I walk toward the door, passing Winger, who nods to me. My blood is pumping with the need to see my girl, the desire to see that she is breathing takes over and my steps pick up. A nurse steps out of her room, stopping me with one look.
“It will take a little longer for her to come around. I am warning you, biker, do not get in that bed with her. I know what you are all like when it comes to your women.” I nod, smirking at her.
Her cheeks pinken and she mutters, “Damn sexy Kings,” as she walks away.
Entering the room, I hold my breath and rage seeing Skyla hooked up to all kinds of machines. I sit on the edge of the bed, making sure not to jolt her too much, and take her hand in mine.
“I am sorry, and I will be sorry until the end of days, baby. No more, Skyla Delmont. You are mine, baby, and you are never leaving my side again.”
Leaning forward, I kiss her forehead as my promise to her soaks into my soul and redemption forms.
I am ready to make them pay and make her mine.