Chapter 23
Zach
Angel throws open the van doors and it’s a welcome sight of guns.
Plenty enough to replenish our supplies.
If we need more, we’ll pick up along the way.
Thanks to Alannah's two-minute tirade, I managed to locate the call, and a plan was concocted within sixty seconds. Working with Luca is easy as fuck.
It’s a ten-hour ride and brothers are preparing to leave as soon as possible.
Luca turns to his men and says, “King, Maxwell, Warren, you’ll stay here and watch over the place. You're protecting my mother, my sister, my brother’s old lady, the kids... fuck, you’re not to let anything fuckin’ happen.”
The three of them nod and I turn my back to everyone. I take out my phone and call Nina.
“Hey,” she answers.
“Hey, babe. How’s my mom?”
Her laughter is soft. “She has slept through most of the day. I don’t know how much you gave her, but she got what she wanted, sleep.”
I didn’t put hardly anything in, just enough so she could smell that I did.
“Any news on Leo?"
“That’s why I’m calling. I got a hit on Cas’s phone. We’re heading out in a minute.”
“As soon as I tell your mom you’re leaving town on club business, she’s going to lose her shit.”
I sigh. “Tell her I'm not going to not help my brothers.”
“Because I know what you and the club are going through, I’ll deal with her, but you owe me, babe.”
Luca walks over and clears his throat. “Babe, I’ve gotta go. I’ll call you from the road, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”
“Okay, be safe and I love you.”
“Love you, too.”
I hang up and put my phone away. I jerk my chin to Luca, and he holds my gaze like a man on a mission.
“Before we leave, I wanna ask if you have any underlying problems with me after running Lily outta town?”
It doesn’t take me long to mull it over and shake my head. “Lily’s at peace. Whatever went down between you, died with her.”
He nods and I turn to head over to my bike. “Zach?”
I stop and face him. “You might not believe me, but I am sorry about Slade. He was around so long it’s hard to remember he wasn’t an OG. He should never have gone out like that.”
I believe him. Luca doesn’t speak for the sake of it. He certainly doesn’t offer condolences when it’s not sincere.
“I appreciate it, thanks.”
Luca puts his fingers to his mouth and lets out an ear-piercing whistle. “Let’s ride!” he hollers once he has everyone’s attention. “We know where we’re heading. Once we get there, anything goes, everyone dies who ain’t wearing our patch.”
Brothers agree and motorcycles are brought to life. There's always been a therapeutic vibe to riding with the club. I ride behind Angel and as one we leave Willow’s Peak.
Mom will be okay with Nina watching out for her.
Having Sebastian around helps her from sinking into herself like she did when India was killed.
I feel for her; I'm not made of stone. Yet I'm not going to uproot my family and leave the club. She wanted to leave town after India, but back then, it was dad who changed her mind. I don’t want her to leave, I’d miss her for sure, but at the same time after everything she’s been through, I won’t ask her to stay.
A change could be good for her. If it’s not, she has always got the option of coming home.
I'm not looking forward to the conversation, but she must know deep down what my answer is going to be.
We stop for gas after a few hours and get straight back on the road.
It’s strange to think that if this goes sideways, I’ll be the only brother alive in the Willow’s Peak chapter.
I assume Luca would return and take over but who knows, I don’t take anything for granted and nothing is set in stone until it is.
Late afternoon approaches and we stop for gas once again.
After I’ve refilled my tank, I lean against my bike and light a joint. It hits in all the right places, and I take another hit as smoke curls from my nose.
“That shit stinks,” Luca lets me know.
“Yeah, but it’s so fuckin’ good.”
“I’ve never been a fan, myself.”
“I thought the same about my mom, but the other night she asked me to roll her one. She smoked it all.”
He snorts. “I would not have thought of your mom as a pothead, but then again, she’s lost her husband, she probably doesn’t give a shit anymore.”
“That she doesn’t,” I murmur.
Luca's prospect bangs on the bathroom door, hollering, “How much longer are ya gonna be?”
Luca smirks. “Go piss around the back and let’s go!”
He glances at me and adds, “The fucker acts like he hasn’t been in more unhygienic places. I’ve seen some the women he goes for.”
I laugh and it feels good.
He bangs his fist against the door again and Luca sighs. He turns to Angel, and instructs, “Go hold his dick and let’s get back on the road. We’re wastin’ time.”
“Don’t fuckin’ think so, Luc. What the fuck?”
It’s rare when Luca laughs but it’s soon gone when the bathroom door opens, and Leo falls out. Luca and I are on our feet, running over to him.
His cut and hoodie are saturated in blood as he holds his side. We've been resting here for nearly half an hour, and he’s been here the whole time.
“Brother!” Luca demands. “Talk to me!”
He drops to his knees at Leo’s side, and I lift up Leo’s hoodie to see what we’re dealing with. Blood soddened tissue sticks to his side, just above his hip.
“Shot, there’s two wounds, I'm sure it was an in and out,” he tells us.
His face is ashen white and sweat speckles his forehead.
“Where’s everyone else?” I ask him.
“Dad and Sparky are with JJ and the twins. They thought I was dead, made out I was.”
“It’s all good, bro. We'll get you fixed up then we’ll go get them,” Luca says and goes to help him up. I lean down and take his other arm. Together, we get him over to the van and Angel takes over helping him while I whip out my phone and search for a local health clinic.
“Have you got cash to pay and possibly blackmail someone into helping him? Cause if we rock up and use guns and violence, we’ll have the cops chasing us and we ain’t got the time for that,” I ask Luca.
“It’ll be fine,” is all he says.
“Prospect!” I holler.
He jogs over. “You’ll ride my bike, I’ll drive the van.” I hand him the keys and warn, “You fuck my ride, even scratch it, I’ll shoot ya.”
“Got it. The van key is in the ignition.”
Luca slams the passenger side door shut and waves his hand for brothers to leave.
“We’ll follow you,” he tells me.
I slide in behind the wheel and set my phone up with the directions.
“If you fuckin’ die on me, I swear I'll dump you on the side of the road.”
His laughter is strained. “I ain’t got time to die, brother. Who's at the club with the old ladies?”
“Luca left Max, King, and Warren. I left our prospect there for extra measure.”
“I’m pretty sure the prospect is one of Hopper’s men.”
Frowning, I glance over at him then back on the road. “Our prospect?”
“Yeah. Call one of Luca’s guys and tell them to keep their eye on him, but don’t make anything obvious. I'll deal with it when we get back.”
I put the call in to King and bring up the directions back onto the screen when it’s done.
“What was your plan, anyhow, back there in the bathroom?”
“Clean myself up, then get help.”
“How the fuck did you get to the gas station?”
I've got to keep him talking, awake.
“I didn’t want to die. Holly believes in me to come home, I couldn’t let her down.”
I take the last corner, and the clinic comes into view. It's rundown and there are undesirable types hanging around out front.
Luca parks and runs over to Leo’s side as I bring the van to a stop by the entrance.
“You still with us, brother?”
“Yep, not gonna last much longer.”
“Stop talkin’ shit. Come on.” He helps him out and I jump out and run around the van, helping to carry him inside. No one outside gives a fuck as Leo drips blood over the sidewalk.
“What’s going on?” a doctor asks rushing over. “He needs to go to the hospital!”
Luca and I ignore him and carry Leo through the clinic as Angel opens treatment room doors looking for an empty one.
“He only needs stitches, doc. You fix him up, I'll donate ten grand to your clinic,” Luca tells him, leaving no room for any other answer than, okay.
We dump Leo on an examination table, and I step out of the room while Luca stays with him.
On my way outside, I stop in the bathroom and wash Leo’s blood from my hands and arms. Outside, I walk over to the prospect.
I take out a few bills from my wallet and pass it over. He takes it and asks, “What do you need?”
“Go find a store and grab Leo a clean shirt and hoodie.”
I light a cigarette as he off up the street.
“A doctor’s gonna help him?” Angel asks joining me.
“Yeah, Luca’s in with him now.”
“You reckon he’ll make it?”
“Fuckin’ hope so.”
“He didn’t look good, Zach. Fuck, imagine if we didn’t stop for gas.”
Sighing, I say, “We don’t have to, we did, and he’s with a doctor. He’s gonna be fine.”
I should have called Nina and checked in but I’ve put it off.
Mom will want to add her opinions, and I don’t have the patience to listen.
So I smoke and wait, hour after hour. The prospect returned an hour ago with a new shirt and hoodie for Leo and took it into him.
I’m halfway through my smoke when Leo limps out and over to the van with Luca at his side.
Dropping the last of my joint, I ask, “What now?”
Leo smirks. “Now we go kill every Hog fuck we can get our hands on.”
I open the door for him and Luca helps him up onto the seat. He passes him a bottle of what I assume are painkillers or antibiotics and slams the door shut.
“You drive with him. I trust my prospect but he’s my brother and you’ve known him for years.”
I nod and wistfully glance over to my ride before taking my seat behind the wheel.
Moments later, Luca and his chapter ride into traffic and I pull the van out driving behind.
“Hopper must think he’s got one right over us.”
“He was certainly enjoying it before I played dead. It was all the fucker’s Christmases rolled into one. Thank fuck you were at your mom’s, can’t begin to think what we would have done if you were with us.”
“Your mom called me back to the club, it wasn’t until Hopper called I managed to get a trace on you all.”
He readjusts himself into a more comfortable position, not that he’s got many options in the small space, and admits, “I can’t second guess him, he’s too unpredictable.”
“There is one thing you got right.”
“What’s that?”
“You were right to move the club to act on the attack. We would have been sitting ducks if not.”
He nods and asks, “You got any cigarettes on you.”
I pass him over the pack and my light. The van becomes filled with smoke and I lower the window.
“Did you see Holly around the club before you left?”
“Yeah, she was pretty busy with the kids and my cousin. Rayna’s turning into a stubborn little thing.”
“You’re tellin’ me.” He snorts. “Jay’s been worried about Harper, hoping someone will be giving her her meds.”
“If she’s taking them, they’re not working, but your mom and old lady are watching her.”
He finishes his cigarette and tosses the butt out of the window. He leans his head back and closes his eyes. I settle on the road and for the first time in the last few days, I can see us coming out on top.