Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
Rage
Iwave to the twins when I pass them on the road.
They flip me off in unison. God, I’m going to miss those two.
They talked to me this morning about going back to Nevada, and we got Jameson’s approval.
They miss home. I had a feeling they’d be leaving soon.
Family is everything to them, and that is exactly the type of shit I want to build here with Serenity and Mila.
Cole and Carson went out into the world and made a name for themselves.
Now they can go back to their dad’s club with an earned respect, not just something that was passed down to them.
Real men get that type of shit. That’s the only reason their father agreed to let them come out here in the first place.
The closer I get to home, my mind drifts to the woman waiting for me there. I can’t wait to get lost in the softness of her skin and the warmth of her body.
A coil begins to grow low in my gut, and suddenly I realize it’s not the good kind. It’s the kind I felt as I watched Janet spiral from my hiding place in the trees.
Something is wrong. I look in my mirror, praying the twins haven’t had an accident with Mila.
“Go home,” the voice inside my head whispers.
When I spot a car in the driveway, I increase the throttle.
I pull my gun as I scan the area, quickly getting off the bike. Peanut is down. Whoever is here must already be inside.
Peanut gives me a weak little whine as I pass him, hurrying to the porch. Fuck, there’s blood up here and the screen door is kicked in.
I catch a glimpse of a man stepping into my kitchen.
He’s looking for Serenity.
Everything becomes quiet as if I’m caught in the stillness of time.
Without making a sound I follow him, raising my gun to his head just as he raises his, but I’m still quicker than him.
My gun goes off at the same time as he loses his grip on his own. It looks like my dog tore a pretty good chunk out of his arm.
Frank falls forward, and I hurry to pull him back before he so much as touches my Serenity. I toss him aside.
“Serenity,” I say, rushing down the stairs and falling to my knees at her side. “Don’t you dare fucking leave me!” I yell, patting her face.
Her eyes flutter, but she doesn’t open them. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
I call 911, somehow managing to stay calm as I tell the woman on the other end what has happened.
“Baby, stay with me,” I say, rubbing my hand over her chest, barely listening to the dispatcher on the other end. “He shot her in the leg,” I say, finding a gunshot wound on the back of her thigh.
My hands roam over her. “She may have hit her head. It looks like she fell down the stairs, and her face is bruised,” I continue, doing everything I can in the moment to help the situation. “Yeah, she’s breathing, but she’s unconscious.”
I press my fingers against her neck, feeling her pulse beat slowly beneath my fingertips. A little too slow for my liking. “Please tell them to hurry.” My voice is broken because I feel the thread loosening between us. “Don’t let go. Damnit, Serenity, don’t fucking let go.”
As soon as help arrives, everything happens at warp speed. My mind can’t keep up. Everyone is asking me questions, and all I can think about is that I might lose Serenity. Mila might lose her mother.
I barely remember texting Cole, telling him to get her to the safe house.
Eventually the cops allow me to go with Wolfe to the hospital, but only after they’ve watched the camera footage and saw I was telling them the truth. It’s the first time an officer has ever looked at me with sympathy. They even gave us an escort into town.
“Cowboy got Peanut over to the vet,” Wolfe leans over, nudging me in the arm.
My gaze roams over the club members who are quickly beginning to fill into the waiting room.
“Is he ...?”
He waits until I look at him, and then he chooses his words carefully. “He’s still fighting, and so is she,” he says, shaking his finger at me. “So don’t you go giving up on them now, you hear?”
I nod, turning away from him. I’m trying to stay strong, but my fucking brain is torturing me with images of a future without them.
When the doctor walks into the room, I can’t even focus on what he’s saying, but the somber looks on my brothers’ faces tells me everything I need to know.
“Chase, her prognosis is good. She’s young. We just need to give her body a break and manage the pressure from the swelling on her brain. It usually peaks within seventy-two hours, so we’ll see where we’re at then.”
“How long will you keep her asleep?” I can’t bring myself to use the word coma.
“Let’s just take it one day at a time.”
My heart doesn’t know what to do with his endless timeline. It wants to know the exact moment she’ll open her eyes again. I want to know too.
The doctor pats my hand. “Someone will come and get you as soon as they have her settled in a room.”
“Thank you,” I say, looking to Wolfe to ask any relevant questions before we let the man leave. I know it should be my job, but my brain isn’t functioning.
“What about the gunshot wound?” he asks.
“Her leg looks good. I don’t have any concerns there. It’s the hit she took on the head that we need to focus on right now.”
“When she wakes up …” Wolfe begins, but the doctor stops him.
“There are a lot of possibilities, but with time we’ll know more. For now, she’s good. I don’t have any major concerns. I promise to keep you updated, but please feel free to call me.” He reaches in his pocket and pulls out a card, handing it to me.
He shakes my hand, tipping his head at Wolfe. I’m so fucking glad he’s here by my side. His character is the exact opposite of the man I killed today.
By the time the nurse comes to get me, I’m at the end of my rope. I need to see and touch Serenity. Anything physical that might get through to her. I want her to know I’m here, waiting for her to come back to me.
I stop in my tracks just inside the door. The nurse places her palm at my back. “She’s comfortable, I promise. It looks scarier than it is.”
Wolfe grabs my shoulder, reassuring me I’m not alone.
I step away from them and lean over her face, gently taking her hand in mine. “Don’t you dare let go,” I whisper before kissing her on the forehead. And then I park my ass in the chair beside her.
Wolfe moves to her side and lightly brushes his fingers over her hair. “You got to come back now, you hear? You still owe me for that drink.”
It instantly takes me back to the day I first laid eyes on her. I’m not going to lie; it scares me to think how quickly she gave up on life that day.
Please don’t give up this time.
“Let the guys know I’ll be here until she wakes up,” I state, hoping she hears me.