Chapter Twenty-Four
Wade
“Mr. McMillan, please, you can’t just do whatever you want.”
I ignored the nurse’s plea and pulled the needle out of the vein on the back of my hand, ignoring the drop of blood that oozed out. As I got out of bed, I felt the stinging pain from the gunshot wound in my side, and I couldn’t help but grimace.
If I hadn’t had one of the special gauze packs with me that I kept from my days on the battlefield, I would have bled to death before I reached the hospital. I didn’t, though, and the doctor was even able to patch me up, saying I would heal up nicely.
In other words, I would be fine, so there was no reason for me to stay in a fucking hospital any longer than I already had.
I waited for the wave of dizziness that had come over me to ebb, before grabbing my shirt from the chair. The nurse tried to grab it from me.
“Mr. McMillan, Dr. Mathers said you have to stay for a few more days,” the nurse told me. “If you can’t, then you have to at least sign a form before you leave.”
“Fine,” I said. “Get me the form and I’ll sign.”
The nurse still wouldn’t let my shirt go.
I frowned. “I said get the fucking form.”
Finally, she let go. She was about to leave the room when Jake appeared in the doorway.
“Actually, don’t get that form,” he told her. “But just leave us alone for a bit, will you?”
The nurse nodded, looking relieved, then left.
Jake closed the door. “I see getting shot has turned you back into an ass. And here I thought you’d gotten nicer, especially to women.”
“You know I hate hospitals,” I told him through gritted teeth.
Heroes died on the battlefield. The ones that woke up in the hospital? They turned into ghosts. Or monsters.
“I know.” Jake grabbed the chair and sat on it. “That’s why I came to cheer you up.”
“Bullshit,” I scoffed. “You’re here for info.”
“That, too,” he admitted. “Dr. Mathers only told me you got shot, not how.”
So it was Dr. Mathers who called in the cavalry.
I let out a deep breath as I sat on the edge of the bed. Fine. I might as well give Jake an explanation, but there was something I wanted to know first.
“Is Lauren okay?”
“Yes,” Jake answered. “You’ll be happy to know I took your advice and talked to her. We’ve put the past behind us now.”
I could hear the relief in Jake’s voice as he spoke. I could only imagine Lauren had gained some peace of mind, too, which gave me some in turn.
“Good.”
“Now, tell me what happened,” Jake said.
I told him about how I went to the cabin in the woods that Lauren mentioned escaping from. It was in the dossier my friend had prepared, and it wasn’t hard to find. I was hoping I could get some evidence to use to take down Clyde, but I didn’t expect the place to be guarded like a fortress. I managed to take down three of the guys but the fourth shot me. I was lucky to escape with my life.
Jake touched his forehead and sighed. “I thought I told you not to do anything reckless.”
“I had a plan and things were going well,” I told him. “Until I got shot.”
Looking back, I should have expected this. I should have known that mercs work in pairs, just like soldiers and cops do during patrols.
“Yeah.” Jake nodded, then gave another sigh. “Well, at least you’re fine. So far, we’ve been able to avert every crisis.”
My eyebrows creased. “We?”
What other crises was he talking about?
I listened as Jake told me about Max’s race, then about the clip of his fight with the Devils that was now circulating on the internet. He also told me about the Black Storm members who got injured but who were doing fine.
“Those damned Devils,” I muttered when Jake was done talking. “They’re just as bad as Clyde Roarke. No wonder they get along.”
“I disagree,” Jake said. “I’ve known the Devils for a long time, crossed swords with them more times than I can count. While they can be hot-tempered and arrogant, they’re not evil. They care about each other at least, just like we do at Black Storm. I’ll talk to Harry, try to make him see that Clyde’s only using him and his gang.”
“You think he’ll listen?”
Jake shrugged. “It’s worth a try. I’m also going to hold a meeting with Black Storm. I’m going to tell them about Clyde.”
I nodded. After all the shit that had hit the fan, the members of Black Storm deserved to know who was behind it all.
“I’m also going to try and make the traitor come forward, maybe ask the others for help. I want to understand his motives, then decide what to do with him. I think that’s the only way Black Storm can move forward.”
“You do whatever you think is best,” I encouraged Jake.
He was the leader of Black Storm. If there was anyone who could lead the gang through this rough patch, it was him.
“And I’m also going to apologize for being a shitty leader,” Jake added. “I’ve done a shitty job of protecting Black Storm. If I had paid more attention to things, if I had done my job better, neither you nor Max would have had to put yourselves in danger.”
I frowned. “You’ve done everything you can. Max only tried to do his part. So did I.”
Jake said nothing, guilt and regret still apparent on his face. They were clear signs he cared so much about Black Storm. Couldn’t he see that was what made him such a good leader?
I was about to tell him so, when his phone rang.
“It’s Max,” he told me before answering the call, putting it on speaker. “Yup?”
“How’s Wade?” Max asked.
“I’m fine,” I answered. “Jake told me what happened to you. You probably look worse.”
Max snorted. “I don’t think so.”
“How’s the damage control going?” Jake asked.
“Well, we managed to take the video off YouTube and other video streaming sites,” Max answered. “Which means squat now that the TV networks have managed to get their own copies.”
“Can’t you just pay them not to air the video?” I asked.
“The bigger networks want a story,” Max answered. “My story.”
My forehead furrowed. “You mean they want you to admit that you’re in a motorcycle club and were in a fight with another club?”
“My PR team is still trying to come up with the best solution,” Max said.
Well, at least, he could afford a good one.
“Anyway, I’ll take care of it. You take care of yourself, Wade. No more solo missions.”
“I could say the same for you,” Jake said. “We all should be working together, not individually. It’s the only way we can take Clyde Roarke down.”
“Speaking of Clyde Roarke, I’ve already got a ton of info about him,” Max said. “He’s rotten as they come, but unfortunately, his daddy’s covering his ass.”
“I know,” I said. “He does drugs. He’s had people killed, even killed a few himself. He owns some secret club that auctions prostitutes.”
“All allegations,” Max said. “We need solid proof of his crimes, dirt that Rob Roarke won’t be able to cover up.”
I nodded. That was exactly why I went to the cabin. Surely, with all the bad things he’d been up to, there must have been something he let slip, something we could use as a noose to wrap around his neck.
“I’ll leave that to you and Wade then,” Jake said. “But no more reckless moves. I’ll deal with the Devils and…”
“What did you just say?” Max interrupted.
Jake drew a breath. “I said…”
“Not you, Jake. I was talking to Irina who just arrived. She said she found a note in the living room from Lauren.”
My eyebrows furrowed. A note? What note? It didn’t make sense for Lauren to leave one unless…
“Fuck!” Max suddenly shouted over the phone
Then I heard his fist slam his desk.
“What is it?” Jake asked, the fear in his voice echoing what I felt in my chest.
No. Lauren couldn’t have left. She wouldn’t.
“I checked the cameras,” Max said.
“And?” I asked impatiently.
“Lauren left the house,” Max answered, the words making my heart stop. “She’s gone.”