Chapter 6 Jason
JASON
Igently pull my shirt away from Ari’s shoulder, and the bleeding still hasn’t slowed. He groans when I push back against him, and his body sags.
“Ari.” I beg while pushing him to sit upright where he started to slump. “Please stay awake.”
“I’m trying, Sweet cheeks.”
Ari’s voice is fading, showing me that his body is about to give up.
He’s been beaten to a bloody pulp, so much so that his eyes are almost swollen shut and his face is just about unrecognizable.
When he first walked into that cell, I had to fight everything in me not to break down and cry just at the sight of him.
But even with that, he fought like hell to try to get me out. He even took a bullet for me.
Ari’s head rolls back on his shoulders, and he’s getting heavier on my side.
“Babe, please wake up.” I’m afraid if he passes out that I’ll never be able to wake him up again, and I can’t lose Ari.
The weight of them insinuating that the rest of the guys and Kira are dead is already tearing me apart.
Ari doesn’t seem to believe it, but I can see the pain in his eyes. “Ari, Baby, please.”
“It’s okay,” Ari answers, his voice barely a whisper. “I’m just going to close my eyes for a second.”
“No. No, you’re not.” I push him to sit up fully, making him hiss in pain. “You can’t close your eyes. You have to stay with me.”
Ari shakes his head like he’s fighting off the fatigue. “I’m here, Sweet cheeks.” Ari reaches up to touch his nose and winces when he makes contact. “Motherfuckers broke my nose. It hurts.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t touch it, then.” Ari turns to look at me and even with his swollen eyes, I can tell he’s glaring at me. “I’m just saying.”
“It’s good to see you haven’t lost your sarcasm. How’s the heart?”
I can’t tell him the truth. He has enough to worry about.
But it’s irregular, beating out of my chest one minute and slowing to dangerous levels the next.
I’ve dealt with this since I was a kid, and it's easily managed with medication, but one missed dose can throw it all out of whack. I don’t even know how many I’ve missed at this point.
Add in the fact that they gave me something so I would pass out, and it’s not looking good. “It’s okay.”
“Don’t lie to me, Sweet cheeks. How bad?” How the hell does he do that?
“I’ll be fine. It’s a little off.”
Ari grabs my wrist before I can stop him, holding his fingers over my pulse. “That’s way too fast, Jason.”
“I’m aware,” I say softly. “But there’s absolutely nothing we can do about it. We need to worry about you.”
“The next time someone comes in here, we make a run for it. We don’t stop until we’re outside these walls.”
“Then what?”
Ari sighs. “That, I don’t know yet. The outside will be guarded too.”
Before I can reply, chaos erupts outside of our cell, making me jump. People are yelling, and I can hear boots pounding against the floor. A loud boom splits the air, and I look at Ari in alarm. “What is that?”
“I don’t know,” he answers, slowly getting to his feet. He puts his ear against the door, listening. Gunshots erupt, and he comes to sit beside me on the bed. He grabs my hand, squeezing, trying to comfort my shaking limbs. “I think they’re here.”
“Who?”
Ari smiles slightly. “The team.”
Please, please, please, let it be them. With our luck, it’s some other enemy attacking, and we’re stuck in here.
The gunshots get closer, and my shaking intensifies.
I hear the tell tale sign of the lock being slid free, and Ari gets to his feet, swaying a little.
The door opens, and I see the gun first. I bite my lip to keep from making a sound, and then I see a white skull mask.
“Holy shit,” Ari breathes.
They lift the mask, and I’ve never been so happy to see Tyler in my life. I jump from the cot and run into his arms. He wraps his arms around me, breathing heavily. “Is it really you?”
“It’s me,” Tyler answers. “Goddamn, Gramps. You look like shit.” Yep. He’s definitely here.
“Thanks, asshole.” Tyler kisses the side of my head and moves over to Ari. Ari grabs the back of Tyler’s neck and pulls their foreheads together. “I’m so happy to see you, Pretty boy.”
“Same here.” Tyler pulls back and quickly runs his eyes over Ari. “What’s the damage?”
Ari doesn’t even get a chance to answer before his knees buckle. Tyler grabs him before he hits the floor, his eyes flashing to me. “They worked him over really badly, and he got shot in the shoulder.”
“Through and through?”
I nod. “Yeah. I’ve been keeping pressure on it.”
“Good boy. Come on, Gramps. We need to move.” Tyler slings Ari’s arm over his shoulder while I do the same, and we make our way slowly to the hallway. I stop dead in my tracks when I’m met with AKs and masks. “It’s okay. They’re with us.”
We start moving again, and the rest of the team surrounds us, staying on guard. I have so many questions about everyone else, but I know now isn’t the time. We need to move quickly, and it’s hard enough with Ari barely staying on his feet.
“I’ve got him,” someone says at my side. “It’s Axel.” I nod, and he gently takes over helping Tyler as he uses his other arm to move me behind them. “Stay there, and stay vigilant.”
We get ten more steps before three guards step into our path.
Several shots are fired to take them out, making me cover my ears.
The more we walk, the more guards appear, but the team is ready.
Shots are being fired off from everywhere.
Someone slips a jacket over my shoulders from behind and puts their arm over my shoulders.
My head snaps up, and I know without asking who it is. “Gavin,” I whisper, my eyes filling with tears. I’ve thought for days that they were all dead, and now they’re here, saving us.
“It’s me, Baby.”
I have to admit that the masks are creepy as hell, but I know they’re necessary. “Keon and Kira?” I finally ask.
“Kira is safely tucked away with Chelsea, and Keon is in the hospital.”
“Is he okay?”
“He will be.” His arm tightens around my shoulders. “It’s so good to see your face.” He digs into his vest pocket and hands me something small. “Put it in your ear. Someone wants to talk to you.”
“I would say the same, but…” I trail off waving at his covered face and Gavin chuckles. I push the little device into my ear and hear some chatter.
“Jason?”
“Kira,” I gasp. “Holy shit. I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“You too. I just wanted to say that I miss you, and you’re safe with them. Oh, and my brother is there somewhere.”
“Uh, your brother?” I haven’t had the chance to meet Kane, but I’ve heard the stories, and he isn’t going to be happy about Kira starting the relationship that she has. “Should I be worried?”
She laughs. “You’re the only one that shouldn’t be.”
“That’s comforting,” Tyler says dryly. “Although, your brother is fine as fuck.”
“Eww. Tyler!”
“I mean, he is,” Gavin agrees with a chuckle.
“Truth!” a female voice comes through, and I immediately recognize the smoky tone.
“Hi, Les,” I say.
“Hey, Jason. So, when I said we should hang out again, this isn’t what I meant.”
“I want to go back to you agreeing Kane is hot,” another male voice chimes in.
“Come on, Ryder. You can’t honestly say that when you look at that man, your cock doesn’t get hard.” That voice I’ve heard before, but can’t place it.
“Gage,” someone growls, and I can’t help but laugh.
“What’s the matter, Zaney baby?” Les purrs. “Can’t take a little Daddy competition?”
“He is like the Ultimate Daddy,” Tyler chimes in. “Daddy of all daddies. Just, bend me the fuck over right now.” If their goal is to distract me, it’s working. Even though the conversations are hushed, they’re still funny as hell.
“Stop!” Kira giggles. “This is so gross, and their husbands are right here.”
“No disrespect,” Gavin replies. “Just stating the obvious.”
“He’s right here too.” That voice is deep, and thickly Russian.
“Oh, shit,” Kira gasps, and then cracks up laughing. “Hi, Kane.”
Tyler looks over his shoulder and even with the mask I know his eyes are huge. “Uh, hey, Kane.”
“We’ll talk about this later,” Kane replies, and comms go completely silent.
The group in front of us rounds the corner, and I freeze. Their tactical gear is different, and they aren’t wearing masks. They’re wearing black helmets that look eerily close to the ones like the guys who grabbed me.
“It’s a long story,” Gavin says, urging me to start walking again.
Now that I look closer, several of them are different.
I’ve already figured out that the Saviors wear skull masks, and the mystery group wears helmets.
There’s several others scattered between with black masks and their hoods pulled up, which I’m guessing is Les with her guys.
I shake the negative thoughts away because I know if we were in danger, the team leading us would react.
Ari’s legs buckle again, and Tyler grunts. “Come on, man. We’re almost there.” Blood is soaking the back of his shirt, and his arm keeps slipping off Axel’s shoulders.
“Fall back,” Kane says into comms, and Gavin jerks me to stop. He pushes me behind him and raises his gun. “Incoming.”
I grab the back of his shirt, trying to get my heart back under control.
I hear Ari groan in front of me, and I know that we don’t have much time left.
Gunshots erupt around us, and I’m being shoved into one of the open cells with Gavin guarding the door.
A sharp pain rips through my chest, making me gasp and clutch it.
Gavin spins around, ripping his mask off.
There’s so much worry in those blue eyes that I want to reassure him, but I can’t get my mouth to form the words, just a pained whimper.
“What’s wrong?” Gavin asks, sitting me gently on the side of the cot. “Baby?” Gavin puts his fingers against my neck, checking my pulse and curses under his breath. “We need to get Jason out of here now,” he says into comms.
“Clearing a path,” Tyler answers, and the sound of the gunshots echo loudly down the hallway. “Move, move, move!”
Gavin slings his AK behind him and scoops me up in his arms. I keep one hand clutched against my chest and wrap my other around his neck. “I’ve got you, Baby. Just a few more minutes.”
The rest of the team surrounds us, but we start moving much faster now. I tried so hard to hold it together so we could get Ari out of here, and now they have to worry about both of us. “I can walk,” I whisper.
Gavin quickly looks at me. “That’s not happening. I could barely feel your pulse.”
I can feel my heartbeat still beating sluggishly, and in truth, if I don’t get it under control soon, it will stop beating entirely. Not that I’m going to tell Gavin that. Instead, I kiss his chin and try to make myself as light as possible.
“We’re clear out here,” Les reports. “Zane and Ryder are on their way to get a ride.”
“Abraham.” Ari’s voice comes out as a rough whisper, and it breaks my heart all over again. “We have to get Abraham.”
“Everyone that didn’t run is dead,” Les answers. “I don’t know who I’m looking for.”
“He was wearing a suit, not a uniform,” I answer through gritted teeth.
“We’ll stay behind and search,” Kane replies. “Get them out of here.”
We finally make it to a waiting room area and someone pushes the main door open.
Darkness greets us, and a car comes to a screeching halt in front of us.
Zane and Ryder jump out, opening the back door for Gavin.
Tyler and Axel help Ari in while Gavin climbs in with me still clutched to his chest. Tyler jumps into the driver’s seat, pulling out with a squeal of tires.
I don’t miss the panicked look that he gives Gavin in the rearview mirror.
I adjust myself on Gavin’s lap and grab Ari’s hand. It’s limp and cold to the touch.
All I can do is hope that they got to us in time.