Chapter 46
Atlas
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.
My stomach clenches at the fear in Lark’s voice, and I quickly hang up with her before dialing Cannon. Thankfully, he picks up on the second ring.
“Atlas?” he asks, his voice gravelly with sleep. Normally that would have me hard as a rock but not tonight.
“Lark’s break lines were cut. You need to get the guys down here at the sharp bend on Jackson Street.”
“Fuck,” he curses and I can hear the rustle of his bedding as he gets up. “I’ll gather the guys and meet you there.”
I curse again as Lark’s car leaves the road and goes into the ditch. I slow down, making the turn and park before jumping out of my truck and racing after Lark.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I curse as her car hits a hole or a divot or something and it bounces more than it already was.
I damn near drop the phone when my boot catches on the uneven ground. I hang up on Cannon, something I’ll probably pay for later and dial Reaper. Thankfully, he also picks up right away.
“Atlas?”
“Reap, it’s Lark. Someone cut her break lines. Shit. Lark!” I call out as her car hits a tree dead on.
“Atlas! Talk to me!” Reaper demands, his voice panicked, not that I blame him one bit since I’m panicking as well. And she isn’t even my woman.
I run up to her car and try to open her door but it’s locked.
“Doors are locked. She hit a tree head on. Fuck. She hit her head on something and she’s bleeding, not a lot, but there’s blood,” I reassure him when a pained sound comes over the line.
I focus back on Lark and pound on the window. “Lark, unlock the doors.”
Her hand reaches out unsteadily, but then her eyes roll back, and she slumps against the steering wheel.
“Fuck, I think she just passed out.”
“Break a back window.”
I look around for something that’s big and heavy enough that would work. Spotting a fairly good-sized rock, I pry it out of the semi-frozen ground and start banging on her back window.
“Come on you fucker, break,” I grunt out as I use all my might.
Sirens ring out in the distance followed by the faint sound of multiple motorcycles.
Ignoring them, I continue pounding on the window.
Relief fills me when I hear a crack and I double my efforts.
Right as the sound of bikes gets louder, I finally break through the window.
I punch and smash a hole big enough for me to get through.
“Reaper, I have to disconnect so I can crawl through and get a better look at her. We’ll call you back soon,” I tell Reaper and then hear him barking orders in the background.
“Fuck,” he curses and then I hear his truck start up. “We’re on our way. Call me as soon as you have more information.”
I hung up and carefully but quickly, climb through the window, wincing when I accidentally slice my hand on some glass. Leaning over the front passenger seat, I unlock the doors. Getting out, I open her door and feel for her pulse right as the roar of motorcycles and the sirens reach us.
“Thank fuck,” I breathe out in relief when I feel her pulse.
“Lark!” The guys cry out as they race down the bank toward us, followed quickly by the paramedics.
“She’s unconscious,” I call out over my shoulder as the paramedics finally reach us. “I haven’t moved her, just felt for a pulse. I had to break the back window to get in and unlock the doors,” I tell them as I step back.
My hands start to shake from the adrenaline as I watch the paramedics check Lark over.
An arm wraps around my shoulders and my body relaxes when I smell the familiar mixture of leather, motor oil, and sandalwood wash over me.
“Hey, you did good, Duncan,” Cannon whispers to me, and the use of my real name has me blinking a bit of the fog away.
He clasps the back of my neck and makes me look at him.
His blue eyes bore into me and his grip grounds me.
“You got a hold of us right away and we called the ambulance. You got her car unlocked so that the paramedics could get to her quickly. You did good. You got to her in time. You did good.”
Taking a deep breath, I nod as I try and push those memories away. “Thanks, Theo,” I grit out, but my body still feels like I just ran a marathon.
“Shit, you’re bleeding. Doc!” he calls out as he takes a hold of my left hand and flips it over.
It doesn’t look deep, so I don’t think I’ll need stitches, but it will be a bitch to deal with while doing my custom paint jobs.
“Are you bleeding anywhere else?” He quickly looks me over but, other than a few small nicks on my arms, it’s nothing serious.
Movement has me turning back toward Lark.
The paramedics put a neck brace on her, then carefully lift her out of the car and lay her down on a stretcher board.
Digging out my phone, I wince as I move my injured hand and quickly type out a message to Reaper that they are loading Lark into the ambulance.
My phone is taken out of my hand as Doc reaches us and I wince again as he inspects it.
“Well, it doesn’t look like you have any glass in it and it’s not that deep so you shouldn’t need stitches.” He pauses as he reaches into his bag and I groan when he disinfects it. He wraps it and nods. “When we get to the hospital, I’ll take a better look since we’ll have better lighting.”
Seeing one of the paramedics close the doors of the ambulance, I tense. “Who’s with her?”
Cannon squeezes my shoulder. “Loki’s with her. Now, come on, let’s go.”
He leads me to my truck and I don’t even question him when he steers me toward the passenger door. There’s no way I can drive the way my body is reacting right now.
Buckling in, I stare after the ambulance as Cannon follows it. Memories threaten to bombard me, but I push them back. I shut the door on that side of my life a long time ago and I’m not going to let it affect me now.
“She’s going to be okay, Duncan. This isn’t like Lisa’s accident, she’s going to pull through just fine. Lark’s also not one to pull shit after this. She isn’t Alyssa.”
My body freezes at the mention of my sister, but then it locks up even more at the mention of our ex’s name. What she pulled on us was a nightmare I’d rather forget. She hurt both of us, but for some reason, she liked inflicting pain on me more.
“I don’t want to talk about her,” I damn near growl and clench my good hand. Thankfully, he doesn’t mention her anymore.
However, thinking of her brings to mind someone else. Actually, three someone’s.
I dig out my phone but then hesitate. While I want to call her, I should call Lark's mom first.
I dial Emma and thankfully, she picks up even though it’s late.
“Hello?”
“Emma? This is Atlas, with the club.”
“Atlas? Oh no, is Lark okay?”
I hesitate but then decide she’d want the whole story. She’s always come off as a mother who actually cares about their child, unlike mine.
“Not really. We think someone tampered with her break lines. She hit a tree and is in an ambulance on its way to the hospital. It was at that sharp corner on Jackson Street.”
“Oh my God, she would have rolled if she had tried to take that corner. Thank you for calling me. I’ll wake Mom and we’ll get around and head over. See you soon and thank you for being there for my baby girl.”
She hangs up and I stare at my phone in disbelief. Even though I hadn’t told her, she somehow knew I was the one with Lark tonight. Any of us could have called after the fact, but she knew. Somehow, she knew.
Shaking my head, I pull up Miracle’s contact information. She’d given it to us when she stayed with Lark around Halloween. This time though, I hesitate for a whole different reason.
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Cannon glancing at me and I grit my teeth.
This shouldn’t be that hard.
Neither one of us have talked to women much ever since she fucked us over, but this summer, that started to change. It started with Levi and Sasha verbally handing us our asses when we thought they were new bunnies, and then it changed again when we got to know Lark better.
Fucking hell.
Before I can continue to second guess myself, I dial her number. My heart beats faster in my chest as I wait for her to pick up.
“Atlas?”
Like a balm, her throaty voice washes over me, just like every other time we were around her.
“Um, hey, Miracle.” Then I pause as I hear her radio. “Are you driving right now?”
“Yeah, I just got off work not too long ago.”
“Pull over.”
“Atlas, what’s going on?”
“Just pull over, Miracle. Please.”
I wait and soon I hear her shift her car into park.
“Okay, I’m pulled over. Now, tell me what in the hell is going on. Shit! Is Lark okay?”
I grimace. “Not really.” I give her the run-down of what happened and then she’s swearing up a storm as I hear her pull back out on the road.
“I’m going to swing by home and grab a bag.
Then I’ll be on my way. I’ll call my pathetic excuse of a boss on the way.
I don’t care if the asshat fires me. Lark is family.
Can you guys keep me posted on everything they say?
Wait. Reaper’s not there, Lark told me he was still in Forest Creek.
Does she have anyone back there with her? ”
“Loki was in the back of the ambulance with her. My guess is he’ll tell them they’re family so he can stay with her.”
She exhales heavily. “Good, at least she won’t be alone. Does Emma and Lottie know yet?”
“Yeah, I just got off the phone with Emma.”
She exhales heavily again. “Thank you for being there for her, Atlas. It could have been a lot worse if you weren’t.”
I frown. How did she know it was me that was following her?
“How…” I start but then stop when her laugh comes over the line.
“Atlas, anyone with eyes can tell that you guys all respect the hell out of Lark, which I’m very grateful for by the way.
I also know that because of this stalker business and the fires, Reaper would have asked someone to be with her.
Yeah, I know anyone could have called me after the fact, but after talking with you guys a lot around Halloween, I just got the sense that if she was your charge for the night, then you’d make sure everything was covered.
And in this instance, that means keeping Reaper, Emma, Lottie, and me informed.
I would have included Khloe in that, but I also know you don’t have her number.
Now that I think about that, when I get there, I’m giving you her number as a precaution.
Don’t worry about telling her though, I’ll call her after I call my boss. ”
Something loosens in my chest at her words, but I refuse to dwell on it right now. “Miracle, I need to let you go. We’re approaching the hospital. My guess is they won’t tell us shit, but I’ll message Loki to keep us posted.”
“Thank you, Atlas.”
Ending the call, I drag my hand over my face. Fuck, this has been a long night. Cannon squeezes my shoulder and when I turn toward him, he smirks at me and I frown. Did I miss something?
I shake my head, I’ll figure it out later.
Pulling into the hospital parking lot, Cannon parks and we head into the emergency room waiting area. Devil’s already at the nurse’s stand and he curses under his breath as he turns away from the nurse.
Seeing us, he walks toward us, rubbing a hand over his face. “Loki’s still back with her. He told them she’s his sister, but they refuse to tell me anything other than she’s still back there.”
“Fuck,” Cannon and I both curse in unison, but at least she has Loki with her.
Spotting the others, I make my way toward them and sit next to Doc who is already digging around in his medical bag.
Cannon sits on my other side and I dig my phone out, pulling up my text thread with Reaper while Doc inspects my hand closer now that he doesn’t have to rely on a flashlight.
I scan the room noting who’s all here and who’s missing.
Atlas: Loki is back with Lark. He told them she’s his sister. Devil said they won’t give him any more updates other than she’s back there. Prospects and Smithy are at the clubhouse. The rest of us are in the waiting room. Emma and Lottie are on their way here. Called Miracle, she’s also on her way.
I don’t get a response back, but then again, he’s driving. Leaning my head back against the wall, I close my eyes as Doc continues to clean my hand.
Fuck, I hope Lark’s okay.