Chapter 14 #3
Ranger didn’t know how long he stood there.
Didn’t know how long he watched those sightless eyes staring back at him from a limp, silent body.
He was a statue, his mind not processing what he’d done, what he’d given up.
Was there more? Cross had to have more. There was some on the table.
Not enough for another dose, but it was better than nothing.
It would take the edge off and then he’d find more.
If Cross was Pike’s partner and supplier, he had to have more.
They didn’t find drugs at Pike’s house, so they had to be here.
It was all here. Ranger just had to find it.
“Easy, brother. Can you look at me? Can you see me?”
“What’s wrong with him? Is he high?”
“Ranger! Ranger! Can you hear me?”
His body was shaking, or maybe it was being shaken. He couldn’t tell. But it wasn’t until the sharp pain of the slap across his face that Ranger gasped out. His lungs screamed at him like this was the first breath he’d taken in minutes.
Ginger hair caught his attention, and Ranger’s vision cleared. Sounds, smells, tastes, all came rushing back to him as his eyes landed on Ghost’s pale face.
His knees buckled, no longer able to hold up his weight. Ghost caught him, slinging his arm around his shoulder to steady Ranger.
“Ghost,” Ranger managed to get out. What was he doing here? How did he get here? Vaguely recalling pressing his panic button like it had been an act inside a dream, Ranger shifted his head, looking around.
Bear was on the floor with Toni. Bulldog and Lucky stood over Cross’ asphyxiated form. On the coffee table, untouched and still calling to him like a siren’s song, was that off-white powder.
Ranger couldn’t look away as he begged his best friend, “Get me out of here.” He didn’t know what he wanted to be away from more, the heroin or Toni. Shame filled him, rising like bile through every cell of his body, at the knowledge of what he’d almost done. If the club hadn’t come…
Toni was better off without him.
* * *
“Wait! Where is he going? Where are they taking him?” Toni demanded, not caring who answered. The club had stormed the house, entering from the front and the back. Hell, Scar came down the stairs like he’d been lounging up in one of the bedrooms.
Bear immediately went to her on the floor while Ghost went to Ranger.
But Bear was a nurse, wasn’t he? She was fine!
Why was he paying attention to her? Why hadn’t he gone to Ranger?
Lucky and Bulldog checked over Cross’ body, even though she was very certain he was extremely dead.
The heroin must have been laced with something for it to have that sort of effect on him and so quickly.
Maybe she was wrong, too shocked to judge time appropriately, but she’d swear on the Bible that it hadn’t taken longer than three minutes for him to die.
She wished it had taken longer.
The furious looks on Bulldog’s and Lucky’s faces worried her. Were they upset Ranger had killed Cross? They didn’t understand! They hadn’t been here. They had no right to judge what he’d done. What it must have cost Ranger to inject Cross with the heroin instead of himself.
“It’s okay,” Bear answered her, having already knelt on the floor next to her. “Ghost is getting him out of here. I need to check you over. There’s blood on your throat. Are you hurt anywhere else?”
Toni’s hand went to her neck. Feeling like she was covering a vampire bite, she shook her head. “No, no, I’m fine.” Her palms stung something awful, but rug burn had never killed anyone. “Where’s Ranger?”
A pair of latex gloves on his hands, Bear reached for her wrist. “Let me see. Were you injected with anything I should know about?”
“Cross jabbed the needle into me, but he didn’t inject me. I’m fine,” she insisted again. Toni tried to get to her feet, but Bear stopped her by stretching his large arms out. He never actually touched her, but it was no less a block.
“This will go a lot faster and a lot smoother if you would stop fighting me and let me examine you. I promise I will get you to Ranger as soon as I can.” Bear’s voice was gentle, but in that moment, Toni hated the giant teddy bear for keeping her from Ranger.
Did he not understand what they’d just survived?
And now the club was trying to separate them?
“Is that the needle?” Bear asked, pointing to the syringe on the floor.
Toni nodded. “He barely poked me. I’m not high or anything.”
“Unfortunately, that’s not my current concern,” Bear said, frowning at the items on the table next to her. “We don’t know where that needle has been. I need to clean your wound and get you an antibiotic. Do you know when your last tetanus booster was?”
“I don’t know. Maybe eight years ago.” Fuck. Toni hadn’t even thought of that. But it was just a prick. Was that enough to transmit anything?
“Easy,” Bear encouraged, likely seeing the panic on her face.
“I didn’t mean to frighten you. Eight years is good, but we’re still going to need to get you to Tessa.
She’ll get your bloodwork done and ensure that you’re good.
” He started cleaning her neck. “It can wait until the morning. I need to warn you, though. It’s not a simple one-and-done.
You’ll need to go back a few times to confirm you didn’t contract anything.
It’s precautionary,” he informed her. While his voice was gentle, it was also steady, confirming the seriousness of her situation.
Bear pulled a pill bottle and small water bottle from his medical bag.
“Do you have any medication allergies?” When Toni shook her head, feeling the tape from the bandage pull on her throat, Bear handed her a large white pill.
“Drink the whole thing. You’ll thank me later when the shock wears off.
I don’t see any open cuts on your palms. How are your knees? ”
“Fine,” Toni growled. “Will you let me see Ranger now?” At Bear’s hesitation, she realized that his medical care wasn’t just about checking on her wellbeing. He’d been stalling her. “Where’s Ranger? What did you do with him?”
Toni pushed to her feet, ignoring the sting in her legs and Bear’s arm when he tried to bar her again. She saw Lucky, Starbucks, Jigsaw, Scar, and Angel in the room, but no Ranger. Where would Ghost have taken him?
Her head on a swivel for the smallest sign of white-blonde or ginger hair, Toni leapt over the spilled tray and ran across the hall into the kitchen. It smelled like fresh coffee, a full pot sitting unused in the machine. But still no Ranger.
Bear came running after her. “Toni, maybe keeping your distance would be best for now. I’m not sure he’d want you to see him like this.”
Like what? Where was he that Bear knew his condition and she didn’t?
Her eyes flew to the front door, but before she could get to it, Jigsaw stepped in front of it.
Disbelief and fear filled her. Not fear that these men would harm her, but fear that they had the power and the wherewithal to keep her from Ranger.
Toni turned to Bear. She knew he was an officer, the road captain, but she wasn’t entirely sure what that meant. What authority did he have in the club? Didn’t matter. She rushed back out into the living room where Lucky watched as Starbucks and Angel covered Cross’ body with a crocheted blanket.
He turned as she hurried up to him.
“You once told me a story of a man trying to keep you from the love of your life, to the point where he had you arrested on false charges to punish you for loving her.” Toni put her hand to her chest. “I can’t tell you what Ranger means to me.
Those words are for him. But if you try to separate us, I swear on all that is holy Russell McCoy, I will find a way to throw you back into that cell and throw away the key. ”
Lucky stared down at her, his light brown eyes devoid of the fury he’d held when he stared down at Cross’ dead body only minutes ago.
“You’re going to fit in just fine with this crazy lot when Ranger finally gets his head out of his ass and puts a cut on your back.
He’s out front with Ghost and Bulldog, but I do encourage you to give him a minute, Toni.
He’s still processing what just happened. ”
“No shit,” Toni snapped, already heading for the door. Thankfully Jigsaw moved out of her way, or Toni might have royally embarrassed herself trying to make him move.
The front lawn was lit up by several headlights, including a large van that was haphazardly parked. A streetlamp and the near full moon also helped.
Her eyes landed immediately on Ranger’s back. He was hunched over, gagging and spewing into the grass.
“I really think Bear needs to look at you,” Ghost was saying, giving Toni the impression that this wasn’t the first time Ranger had vomited since exiting the house.
“He needs to take care of Toni.” Ranger’s words were slightly slurred, which worried her greatly. “You need to take care of her, Ghost. You need to protect her.”
Toni pushed her way between the large men, coming around to Ranger’s side. “I’m here, Liam. I’m fine. You protected me.”
Rather than embracing her or leaning into her as she’d anticipated, Ranger pulled from her hold. He moved away from her. “You shouldn’t be out here! Go inside. Bear needs to take care of you.”
“He already did,” Toni assured him. “Clean bill of health.” Well, almost. “Now I can help take care of you.”
Ranger spun away from her again, shifting so he didn’t have to face her every time she moved in front of him. “No, you need to stay away from me. You don’t understand.”
“What don’t I understand?” He could move out of her way as much as he wanted. She was not going to be ignored like yesterday’s half eaten pizza.
“I almost used, Toni! I almost did it! I wasn’t strong enough to resist!”