Chapter 14
Damien
We pull into Sirens and head straight for Zeke’s office. Opening the door, we walk in and see he has some guy tied to a chair, his mouth duct taped so he can’t scream. Little does he know he just led a lamb to the wolves, I’m out for blood and I’ll be fucking collecting with this prick first.
“So who’s this?” I ask stepping further into the room, Reyes right behind me. I hear him locking the door behind us.
“So once we got the results back on the liquid that was left inside. It wasn’t hard to find out who was selling it.
Apparently, my rats in the streets are doing their job.
” Zeke chuckles, looking up at me and Reyes.
“This guy makes it too easy. He’s basically selling horse tranquilizers laced with a heavy dose of oxy,” he finishes, and Reyes busts out hysterically laughing.
“What the fuck is so funny?” I ask, pinning him with a glare.
“I don’t mean to laugh. It’s just funny because earlier I literally was thinking what if all he got dosed with was horse tranq,” he replies, still chuckling.
“Well, I guess you weren’t far off.” Zeke shakes his head.
“How did you know it was him? Just by the Oxy?” I reply, and Reyes finally shuts his mouth and gets his shit together.
“He’s the only one around that calls his Kitty Cat.” Zeke raises a brow at me, and I look at the man sitting in the chair.
“Umm, there’s more to it than that, huh?” I cross my arms over my chest and meet Zeke’s stare, but Reyes pushes past me and clocks the dude right in the side of the face. Hard enough that I swear you can hear a tooth crack, and his whole head swings to the right.
“Well, I guess it’s time to rough him up some and see if we can’t get some answers,” I say as Reyes throws his next hit, and I watch as the guy's head flies the opposite direction.
To my surprise, Zeke gets in a few licks to his mid-section, the guy trying to curl in on himself, but can’t since he’s restrained.
I patiently wait my turn, because before he’s beat up too much, I have questions for him.
One thing for sure is that we all love a good fight, whether it’s fair or not.
We’re a bunch of scrappy fuckers. Pulling Reyes off the guy, I yank the tape from his lips, and he screams out.
“Want to tell us who you sold to recently? Someone that’s not your usual crowd of buyers.” I grip his long dirty hair and pull it back so he's looking up at me.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He spits on the floor beside me, and without a thought, I backhand him so hard he and the chair go flying backwards.
“Don’t fucking spit at me. Ever,” I seethe, pulling a blade out and holding it against his throat.
“Tell me what the fuck I want to know! Someone I love was hurt because of this shit, and if I don’t find out who it is, I’ll slice your throat and watch you bleed out.
” He pushes himself harder against the blade and meets my stare.
“I met up with a guy. He wasn’t one of my normal customers, no.
I can kind of give you a description from what I remember.
He had dark hair that showed under his ball cap and was sort of tall.
That’s all I know, honestly. He looked shady as hell,” he replies in a shaky voice, and I don’t know if he’s nervous or lying.
Hmm that sounds familiar, like I have seen them before.
“You going to let me go now?” he asks, and a sinister grin pulls at my lips.
I’m far from letting him go. Rearing my fist back, I lay blow after blow into him. It doesn’t matter if it’s his face, sides, or stomach. I just keep going. For Luis. For Raven. I would have them here with me if it wasn’t for this prick and his concoction of drugs. I don’t stop, I can’t.
“That’s enough, brother,” I hear Reyes call out, but I’m still going lick for lick, blood slinging all over me, and I’m not sure if it’s his or mine. I could honestly care less.
“Let’s stop him, before he kills the guy,” Zeke says just as I feel hands wrap around me.
“Remember, she still needs us too. Come back from it, don’t let it consume you brother,” Reyes whispers as he pulls me back.
The prick just lays there, unmoving. I can still see the rise and fall of his chest though, so I at least didn’t kill him.
I look down and see that my hands are all busted up and bloody. I’ll definitely need that shower now.
“Let me clean this mess up then we can go home,” I say in a voice so monotone, I don’t even recognize it.
The next morning, as we head back to the hospital, I can't stop thinking about last night. It’s been a long fucking time since I have blacked out like that, but that’s also why I don’t fight much.
However, those aren’t thoughts to get lost in.
Now we have some answers, and today is the day our girl gets to come home.
I’m sure the doctor doesn’t really approve, but she’s losing her mind sitting in that damn place.
So, we decided, fuck it, we’ll pay them to release her if we have too.
As we pull up to the front of the hospital, Reyes parks by the doors, and we both hop out of his truck.
We figured this would be easier for her to get in and out of, even if it’s lifted.
“Let’s see how feisty our girl is today.” He grins as we walk up to the elevators and wait for the doors to open.
“She’s definitely going to wonder where we’ve been all night. Maybe Naomi kept her busy.” I chuckle, and push the number three for her floor.
“Yeah, I can only imagine what those two got up to and how fast she notices your hands are wrapped.” He shakes his head and grins.
The door opens, and we step out, walking down the hall to her room. Right as we get to her door, we hear laughing. We glance at each other as we sit there for a few seconds and listen to her and Naomi giggling back and forth.
“That’s a sound I never thought I’d hear again,” Reyes says as he grabs the handle and pushes the door open.
“Me too, brother, and damn, it’s like music to my ears,” I whisper, following him in.
Walking in, Raven is sitting on the bed, and Naomi is right beside her.
Raven apparently went rogue while we were gone, disconnecting her IVs and wires.
One of them changed the bandages on her wounds, but left a few of them uncovered.
Seeing the healing wounds on her perfect body has me ready to cut people up.
“Hey, boys,” she cheers, her and Naomi still giggling about something.
“Hey, Babe. What’s got you two laughing so hard?” Reyes questions as he walks to her bedside and kisses her head.
“Don’t worry, we're just catching up on all the girl talk,” Naomi replies, and I raise a brow at her. Lord only knows what those two have up their sleeve.
“Alright, go get that doctor. It’s time to break me out of this place,” Raven demands as she starts to swing her leg off the bed.
“Don’t worry, we will call him. Slow down. You haven’t really been up and walking around much since you woke up,” I command, moving to help her plant her feet on the tiled floor.
Reyes reaches over and pushes the call button, the nurse instantly coming over the speaker. “Yeah, can you send the doc in please?” he replies to her.
“Have either of you seen Marco? It’s been a few days, and that’s not normal for him. He doesn’t miss work, and he damn sure answers when I call,” Naomi questions, looking at us.
“He helped me clean up Raven’s bike off the road. Other than that, no, I haven’t seen him at all,” Reyes replies, looking over at me with a look I know all too well. The guy that was described last night, thinking about it now, looks a lot like Marco.
“Have you talked to Eddie? Maybe he’s seen or talked to him, or got him on a job?” I reply, looking back at Naomi.
“I don’t know, I’ll ask him. It’s just weird. Like, he hasn’t even checked on her,” she says, pointing at Raven.
Running my hands through my hair, I spin on my heels and pace the floor.
Where the fuck would he have gone? Could he have really been the one to get that drug?
I mean, he’s always been there for Raven.
Wait a damn minute. He’s always there for her, helping her.
That guy was with him the day she dropped her bike off.
No. No, no, no. I spin around and pin Naomi with a stare and can feel all eyes on me as I walk up to her.
“Would he hurt her? I mean, he’s been with the enemy before. Who’s to say he’s not playing both sides of this? Now, all of a sudden, he’s missing when she’s supposed to be dead and my best friend was taken,” I seethe, clenching my fists.
Naomi stands, walking up and getting right in my face.
Raising her hand to slap me, I catch it before it makes contact with my face.
“What makes you think that? He would never! He was her friend and loyal to Eddie,” she shouts as I release her hand and scrub mine down my face. Nothing makes sense anymore.
“Surely not. I mean, I trust him and Eddie does too. I don’t think he’d betray us. Would he?” Raven says, limping up to me and Naomi, Reyes hot on her heels. Looking over her head to my best friend, he looks just as confused as me. Neither one of us knows what to think or believe.
The doctor walks in, pulling all of our attention to him.
“Ahh, Ms. Martinez, I see you’re up and about today,” he states, looking over her chart. “How are you feeling? I see the IV has been removed.” He looks at her with a raised brow, like he knows she took it out herself.
“I’m feeling fine, still sore in places.
I can walk, but maybe with a slight limp from the bruising and wounds,” she replies, trying to act all innocent.
“So I can go, right? I mean, these guys can help me out there. I’m just really ready to be at my house to finish healing,” she asks, laying the charm on thick.
This girl could probably talk herself out of almost anything.
“If you think that would be better, I’ll let you go home.
You still need to take it easy though. Your ribs are healing, and make sure to change out those bandages.
I’ll schedule a follow-up appointment to check that wrist again,” he states, and the grin that spreads across her face lights up the entire room.
“Give me a few to get your discharge paperwork,” he says before he turns to walk out of the room.
“Fuck yes, finally. Now to go find our boy,” she cheers.
“I’m going to talk to Eddie. Let me know when you make it home. Be safe, okay,” Naomi says, wrapping her arms around Raven. She looks between me and Reyes, then turns and walks out the door.
Stepping out of the main entrance after getting her discharge papers, Raven takes an audible inhale, almost like she’s missed the fresh air and the sun on her face. Looking at me, she gives the biggest grin. Turning to Reyes, I assume she does the same.
“Alright, boys, home. Let’s go fucking home.
I’m ready to set this plan in motion tonight,” she says, walking over to the truck.
Opening the front door for her, I pick her up and sit her in the seat.
“Always the gentleman. Don’t think I haven’t noticed your hands either.
” She chuckles, and I shut the door and climb into the backseat.
Getting in and starting the truck, I watch as Reyes just stares at her for a second before turning forward, putting the truck in drive, and pulling out of the parking lot into traffic.
And to think we almost lost the one thing that gives us light in our life.