Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Gemini
I’m steaming mad as I pull up to the hospital.
We had to let that fucktard go so we could check on Pisces and make sure Sutton got out of that situation unscathed.
It’s a bit worrisome that he attempted to capture her the way he did; or at least that’s what I’m presuming his intention was, surely he had to realize she wouldn’t be left to her own devices.
Of course, he seems to be a bit of an egotistical asshole, so maybe he thinks he’s above reproach and the law.
Parking my bike, I hastily make my way inside to find Mercury sitting there filling out forms, his face focused but obviously worried.
“How is he?” I ask as I sit down next to him. Fucking plastic chair has me grinding my teeth because I suspect we’re going to be here for some time judging by the number of people sitting there. Hopefully, they’re family members and not patients waiting to be called back.
“He was unconscious when I found him, but thankfully, the ambulance didn’t take too long to arrive. Lots of abrasions and road rash, of course, and his bike is trashed. Looks like his head hit a rock because there was blood everywhere.”
I wince because Mercury has a strong stomach having dealt with some of the cases he’s worked on over the years with search and rescue teams, but fresh blood still seems to freak him out.
Of course, it probably has more to do with the fact that it’s our cousin instead of a stranger, since I’ve also seen him field dress a wounded hiker who had a compound fracture and there was a shit ton of blood then as well.
“So are they running tests and shit?” I question, taking the clipboard from him so I can continue filling out the forms to give him a few minutes to breathe.
“Yeah, they want to make sure he doesn’t have any brain bleeds because of the lump and him being knocked out, of course. Then, the doctor said they’d take advantage of his unconsciousness and debride his wounds.”
I wince in sympathy because that hurts like hell. Every one of us has had our share of road rash from when we first learned how to ride. “I’m sure he did what he could to avoid wiping out,” I mutter, pulling out a card from my wallet.
“Gem, that fucker hit him hard enough to bend the frame of his bike,” Mercury huffs, looking as if he’s set on seeking Jeffries out and dishing up some revenge.
“Don’t do anything rash, Mercury,” I order.
“We don’t do anything alone, remember? Not anymore, not now that we belong to the Kings.
Everything has to be voted on and discussed.
Majority rules.” This is my way of trying to keep him from going on a murder spree.
He won’t only go after Allen, he’ll go after the entire Jeffries line.
“He’s going to pay, Gem. Not just for what he did to Pisces, but because of what he’s done to Sutton too. I’m not going to sit back on this one and play political games,” Mercury insists.
“It’s not political, Mercury, it’s about brotherhood,” I point out. “Pisces isn’t just your cousin, he’s mine too. I want blood just as much as you do, but we need to go about it the right way.”
“Fine,” he harrumphs. “Maybe giving the dipshit time to sit and stew will work in our favor. He’ll never know when we’re coming after him.”
“He’ll be constantly watching over his shoulder which should cause him to make a mistake,” I tack on.
“His first mistake was fucking with Sutton, Gem. Now, though? He tried to take Pisces out completely, and with us having all the Kings at our back, he fucked up big time. We might not have the tech guy here yet, and ours is obviously indisposed,” he says, referring to what Pisces is capable of doing, which is a bit deeper than the rest of us, “but you’ve got that guy LoneStar talked about, and both Riptide and Rio have guys at their disposal we can use in the meantime. ”
“We’ll figure out why he’s jonesing so hard for Sutton,” I promise. “Let me turn this in so they can set up the rest of his file.”
* * *
We sit here in silence for the next hour, eyes glued to the door that leads back to the emergency treatment room before we notice a doctor walk out, Pisces’ cut in her hands as she glances around the waiting room.
Mercury and I stand up, letting her see us with an exact replica of the leather in her hands.
Before giving her a chance to call out Pisces’ name, asking for his family to step forward, we’re already moving to her.
“Doc, how is our cousin?” I ask, not giving her a chance to build up to his diagnosis.
“He’s doing better than expected,” she answers.
“He has some minor cuts and contusions, but those were easily treated. What has me the most worried is the fact that he lost consciousness. All of his head scans came back normal, which is a miracle in itself considering he wasn’t wearing a helmet.
” Mercury and I dismiss that accusation, we know that technically we should be wearing them for safety's sake, but we aren’t men who always follow the rules and laws of man.
I make a mental note, however, to check into getting the helmets with mics in them so we can communicate, but right now, it’s like closing the barn door after the horses have escaped.
For whatever reason, he didn’t have one on today, which is odd, because he typically does wear it.
Then it dawns on me and I look at Mercury, having a silent conversation.
When he nods, I know he’ll go back out to the crash site to see what he can find, since Pisces was his primary focus, not anything else.
“So there wasn’t any brain damage that you can find through your exams?” I continue, not wanting to hear any lectures that I can see her gearing up for.
“No,” she says, her tone snappy. “This time. I could give you some horror stories that’d give you nightmares about what can happen without wearing one. But I can see by the looks on your faces that you’re already aware of what those are.”
We both nod our heads, because we’re well-aware of the statistics. “We wear them as a rule, so we’re not sure where his is or why he wasn’t wearing it, but we’ll find out,” I assure her.
“Well, there’s that at least,” she huffs out.
“I can’t express how lucky he was. He’s come around and is alert, so you two can go back and see him.
I was going to ask that you express the importance of a helmet, but now I can put that worry to rest. He’ll be staying overnight for observation, and as long as nothing sneaks up on us and he continues to stay alert, we’ll release him tomorrow. ”
“Thank you, Doc. Will we be able to see him before he’s issued a room?” Mercury asks her. I know he wants to go back and re-examine the crash scene, but there are some things we need Pisces to answer before he leaves to do that.
“Give me a few minutes and the nurse will come out and take you back to him,” she says before walking away.
“If I find his fucking helmet, I’m bringing it back up here. Ain’t promising not to shove it up her uptight ass, either,” Mercury snarls. “I don’t think she believes he was wearing one, brother, but you and I both know better. We’ve always dressed for the slide, not the ride.”
“Do what you gotta do,” I reply. “Maybe they can set up some kind of display out here showing how it protected one of their patients or something.” Personally, I don’t give a fuck, but this is personal to Mercury because she inadvertently called our integrity into question.
* * *
I convinced Mercury to go ahead and leave, swearing to ask the questions we need answers to.
As I’m called back, the smell of antiseptic is strong, and I resist the urge to cover my nose with the neck of my shirt.
Hospitals always have this effect on me, especially after we lost our fathers and had to identify their bodies.
I stroll into the cubby where Pisces is and notice right away that he looks distraught, lost in his memories. “Pisces. Brother, how are you feeling?”
“Sick as shit. Pissed as hell. And ready to rip that piece of shit’s head from his body,” Pisces growls.
“I think we’re all fighting that urge,” I state as I grab the chair from the corner and drag it over to the side of his bed.
The bruising coming up, along with the red, raw skin that’s shiny with whatever they covered it in has me wincing.
“Did you see him? Do you know for a fact it was Jeffries who hit you and chased Sutton?”
“Sutton?” Pisces calls out her name, sitting upright in the bed with eyes wide as saucers. “Is she okay, Gem? Did she get away from that psychopath?”
“She’s good. She’s at the clubhouse surrounded by our men,” I tell him. “She called me and stayed on course until we found her. Jeffries got away because you and her were our primary worries.”
A sneer forms on my cousin’s face as he turns around fully and faces me. “I want his head on a platter, Gem.”
“I’ll buff out the silver,” I say, teasing him.
“I’m not playing, Gem. He has to be stopped, he tried to kill me and who knows what his intention was with Sutton.”
“I’m not sure we’ll ever know unless he spills the beans,” I confess. “Pisces, I have this constant nagging urge in my mind that this is bigger than we think it is. I don’t think that he wants Sutton for himself, I think it’s something that none of us are considering.”
“Like what?” he probes.
“That’s what I can’t figure out. But, brother, there are a lot of missing women and men whose bodies have never surfaced. There’s no digital footprint of them either, so they didn’t skip town and start fresh somewhere else.”
“Do you think we’re dealing with some sort of trafficking scheme?” he asks me.
“I’m not sure. But whatever they’re up to, they’re not adding Sutton to their inventory,” I contend.
“Not while she has the Kings at her back,” Pisces mumbles. “We have to figure this out, Gem. Otherwise, there’s no telling how many people will fall victim to him and his schemes.”
While I want to put eyes on Sutton, I’ll wait until one of the others comes to relieve me. There’s no fucking way I’m gonna let Pisces stay here, alone and unprotected. “Get some rest, cousin. I know you’ve gotta be hurting.”
“I feel like raw hamburger,” he confesses, smirking at me. “Thinking it’s a good thing I don’t remember them cleaning the abrasions because just sitting here breathing, they’re constantly throbbing.”
Since several look like they are quite deep, I understand what he’s saying. I’m sure his nerves are twanging, so it’s time he lets the drugs do their job. Snapping my fingers, I ask, “Before you head into the land of Nod, were you wearing your helmet?”
“Fuck yeah, don’t you remember what our dads did when they found out we weren’t wearing them?” he asks.
Snickering, I nod. “Having to re-tar and re-shingle the clubhouse roof while wearing them was a helluva reminder that there was a time and place for them to be on, and another for them to be hanging from our handlebars waiting to be worn.”
He’s chuckling now through his winces as I push the button that’ll give him some pain relief. “I don’t wanna remember how sick all four of us got that day, but it was far more effective than a lecture.”
“They were smart men, that’s for damn sure,” I reply. “Sleep, Pisces, I’ve got your back.”