Chapter 34 #2
“I like having friends in high places,” Bowers said with a shrug.
He tossed the baseball bat to the side. It rolled into the hallway where it wouldn’t get in the way.
Neither of us were going for the bat when we had our guns.
“Badge won’t matter much, once they reward me for killing you.
Then I’ll go after the rest of your brothers.
Take them out like the fucking garbage they are. ”
“You’re not going to live long enough to enjoy those rewards,” I warned him.
He chuckled then hacked out a cough. I considered my options. Time was running out for Devyn. Hell, time was running out for us too. We weren’t going to be able to stay in this house much longer.
Sirens caught my attention and I wondered if they were for the ambulance—they’d better be—the fire department, or the cops. Either way it wasn’t looking good for Bowers. “You’re not getting out of here,” I told him. “Even if you get through me, my brother will be outside waiting for you.”
I was stalling, trying to come up with a damn plan.
If I shot him, he’d shoot too. Maybe he’d miss.
But we were standing pretty fucking close to each other.
This dumb bastard was well trained and even a first time shooter could hit someone from just a couple feet away.
If I dove at him I’d just end up leaking blood all over this nightmare fueled hellscape.
At least then Dev wouldn’t have to cremate me. It’d already be done for her.
There wasn’t a good option. We were at a stalemate. Just waiting to see who passed out from smoke inhalation first. Since I was taller, and bigger, it was probably going to be me since smoke rises and all that shit.
Movement out of my periphery caught my attention. I tensed, waiting for the perfect moment.
Bowers must have seen something, too, because his head turned to the right as Devyn came staggering out of the hallway, swinging that bat at the detective with every ounce of her strength.
I didn’t hesitate. Bowers didn’t have time to twist his gun toward Devyn because I jerked my gun a little to the left—to make sure I didn’t get anywhere near my girl—and unloaded my magazine into the left side of his body.
Devyn, smart woman that she was, gave up on the attack as the bullets started flying and flattened herself against the wall.
I hurried over to her, pausing just long enough to double check that Bowers was dead, before shoving my gun into my waistband and pulling her into my arms. “Are you okay?”
She coughed as she tried to answer. Her eyes were watering, tears tracking through the soot on her face.
Fucking dumbass. Stop talking and get her out of here! I mentally scolded myself.
Scooping her into my arms, I got her out of the house. My adrenaline was slamming through me so when two figures met me at the porch, I tensed again, wishing I’d picked up that fucking bat.
Two sets of arms locked onto either side of me and guided me off the porch. “Shit, we heard the shots,” Toxic said as he and Butcher took some of the weight off, helping us down the stairs.
My muscles relaxed as I realized it was the Tucson bikers. “Took care of the fucker who started the fire. Cops aren’t going to be happy about it.”
“Why’s that?” Butcher asked.
“Fucker was one of their detectives.”
“Shit,” Toxic said. His eyes dropped to Dev. “Maybe we should get her over to the ambulances.”
People were everywhere. There were firefighters running toward the house with hoses.
Cops were standing around arguing with more firefighters about needing to clear out the house since there were shots fired.
I ignored the chaos and took Dev straight over to the ambulance.
“She’s pregnant,” I told the first EMT I found. “Fix her.”
The look on his face could only be described as baffled at my order, but when I scowled at him he jerked and turned toward Devyn. He put an oxygen mask on her and started taking her vitals.
“You’re not in the best shape either,” he said while working, glancing at me over his shoulder.
I had to wait until I finished coughing to answer him.
“Just worry about my wife and our son.” I ordered.
I didn’t bother to explain that Devyn wasn’t technically my wife yet.
Just like I hadn’t mentioned it earlier when Relay had called her his sister-in-law.
She was mine. Therefore, she was my wife.
It was just the way that kind of thing worked for us.
Looking over my shoulder, I saw Relay watching the guy like a hawk. He was making sure he did everything he needed to in order to ensure Devyn was okay.
I looked back at the EMT, he could read the demand in my eyes. “Hey, her pulse is strong, that’s good. Trust us to do our job.”
I relaxed slightly—only slightly. The way he had said that to me, the tone, the steady eyes, he was a veteran, and knew what he was doing. I nodded and stepped back to give him space to work.
“So…there’s nothing left to take care of in there?” Butcher asked, looking disappointed.
“No,” I replied. “He’s dead. No one else was in there.”
“I’ll go to the hospital with Devyn,” Relay said, stepping up next to us. “Sophie’s already on her way. Why don’t you two go sit with her?”
“Who’s Sophie?” Butcher asked with a scowl.
“Her sister,” I explained.
His scowl deepened. “So…there’s no one left to kill?”
This guy reminded me so much of Relay it was almost funny. The worry for my old lady and baby kept me from laughing, though. “How about this? Anyone looks at her wrong,” I pointed to Devyn, “and you can take them out.”
Butcher grinned while Toxic looked at me like I was insane. “What are you-” Toxic broke off as Butcher started walking away. “Butcher! No!” He looked back at me. “Why would you say that? You can’t say that to him. That’s too open ended. Like, it’s up to his interpretation now.”
Whistling floated back to us and Toxic’s eyes widened. “No! We’re not whistling that tune right now! Butcher!” He shot me a look that was absolutely a wish that I’d drop dead, then hurried after his friend.
That would keep them busy at least. I could still hear them arguing as they walked away.
“I was supposed to kill someone,” Butcher complained.
“Can you not say that so fucking loud? You’re going to end up in handcuffs, then jail, and I’m going to have to explain to your old lady and our president how that happened.”
I shook my head as Butcher and Toxic disappeared in the direction of their bikes. Looking at Relay, I arched a brow. “That’s exactly what you sound like, you know.”
“Fuck off. It’s your fault I didn’t get to kill Bowers.”
“He was mine to kill,” I replied in a low voice. We didn’t need the damn EMT overhearing us or we’d end up in that jail cell right next to Butcher.
“Yeah, yeah. You’re going to be stuck here giving statements for hours.”
“I know,” I said with a sigh. I slipped him my pistol. Best not to have the murder weapon on me while talking to the cops. “Appreciate you going with Dev. I’m going to call Dr. Natalie. See if I can get her to meet you at the hospital. I want her checking out both Dev and our boy.”
“I’ll text you any updates I get.”
Leaving him, I walked back over to where Devyn was sitting on the back of the ambulance. She started to lift the mask away from her face. “No, leave it,” I told her. I cupped her cheek. “Someone has to stay here and deal with the cops. And you need to go to the hospital.”
She started to shake her head.
“You’re going, Dev. I want you and the baby to get checked out. And your sister is already there.” She probably didn’t realize it, but her entire body was shaking. I hoped to fuck it was just the adrenaline.
The mention of the baby was enough to change her mind, but hearing that her sister was also there had her shoulders sagging. “Is she okay?” she croaked out through the mask.
“She had a pulse and was breathing when I brought her out of the house,” I told her.
“She’ll be fine.” Sitting next to her on the tailgate, I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in for a side hug.
The shaking was starting to subside. The EMT was still probing at her, so I couldn’t get a proper hug.
“You saved my damn life,” I said in a low voice next to her ear.
“You saved mine,” she said, just loudly enough I could hear her through the mask.
“Aren’t we both a couple of damn heroes?
” I grinned down at her even though it was eating me up inside that she could have been killed.
There was a burn on her left arm and soot everywhere, but she was breathing.
She was here with me, talking to me. As long as she and the baby were okay, I was good, too.
As much as I wanted to say fuck it and go with her to the hospital, I knew the cops would blow a gasket.
No one needed that right now. And I also knew that Relay would make sure no one even looked at Devyn sideways.
The way he was glowering at the EMT was proof that he was going to be hell for anyone who didn’t treat Devyn like a damn princess.
I kissed her on the temple and forced myself to step away.
Ignoring the two cops who’d come over and were staring at me, I watched as they loaded my entire world onto an ambulance stretcher and waited for my brother to climb in the back of the vehicle with her.
Once they closed the door and the sirens started up, I turned toward the police officers waiting to hear what the hell had happened.