Chapter 33
BEASTY
“Kim! You’re shot!” I rushed forward, stretching my arms out as Kim glanced down.
“Oh.” He wavered on his feet when he saw all the blood.
I’d seen it during the fight, but with Atlas holding me back and everything happening so fast, I hadn’t realized he’d been shot!
Red leaked from his shin, but there was also a hole and a hell of a lot of blood at his hip. If I let myself really look at it, I was afraid I’d still see it pumping.
He weaved as the color leached from his face.
Lake scooped him up and barked. “Call the Network!”
“They’re already here.” Books had his phone to his ear. “Take him to the office.”
They were? Good. That was good. I didn’t care why or how, just that help was close by. Kim would be okay.
I kept my hand on Lake’s arm as we ran to the office. I feared that contact was the only thing keeping me from bursting into tears. Joaquin took one look at my face then edged ahead to scan doors open. Every several feet, I had to jump over a body and unfortunately, I recognized a few.
Some of the dancers lingered in the hallway, flashing tentative smiles as we passed. I tried to return them, God, I tried, but I had nothing left in me.
In the office, Lake laid Kim on the couch, and stepped back. Pain radiated through my knees as I dropped next to him.
My hands hovered in the air as I got a good look at his hip. His shirt was torn and dark blood stained both it and his pants. There was so much of it, when he shifted, red smears were left on the cushion.
I sucked in a ragged breath. I wanted to hug him, but I was afraid I’d hurt him.
“Beasty.” Kim’s voice was like angels singing through the clouds, except it was filled with so much distress. “Beasty,” he repeated, cupping my cheek and pulling me toward him. He was cold and clammy, but I focused on the feel of his skin against mine.
“You’re hurt,” I whispered, tears making my vision blurry.
“I’m okay. This is nothing.” He dropped his head back against the cushion.
His wounds didn’t seem like nothing, though now that he was touching me, talking to me, I could observe his wounds without the fear of death hanging over his head.
The truth was, Kim was breathing fine, if a little short from the pain. He’d lost blood but he still had a little color to his face.
He’d be okay. I wouldn’t lose him today.
“Doctor’s here!” Books opened the door and a man rushed in with a duffle bag full of medical supplies. Two women were right behind him, wheeling in a narrow hospital bed and various equipment.
I was pushed to the side, as Kim was lifted onto the bed. But somehow, through the chaos, Kim caught my hand. The doctor eyed the contact, but let it go as he and his nurses worked.
They administered a sedative through an IV, and it was barely ten seconds before he was out.
I never let go.
Hours later, the boys and I lounged around the office. We’d showered and gotten food at Lake’s insistence. Strange for him to be that particular voice of reason.
Kim was alert, and the Network staff and all of their equipment were gone. He was tired—we all were—but in good spirits.
Yet, it was like a weird haze had descended over me.
Donnie was in custody—oh shit. Donnie.
"I need a phone. We need to get Desiree here." Atlas handed me his.
I sent off the text without any details. Just asking for her to come to the office. She responded back in seconds with a thumbs up.
"Where’s my phone?" I asked, lowering myself onto the couch next to Kim, glad we’d been able to wash away the blood and grime.
"Why did you message her?" Kim asked, his eyes glassy from meds as he threaded his fingers through mine.
"Desiree wants to be the one to take care of Donnie. I figure she deserves that." Actually, "Where is Donnie?"
Lake, the last one to shower, came out of the bathroom with wet hair and steam billowing into the room. "Parker and Grey are on their way. They have Donnie and the other guy with them."
"What happened?" I traced patterns on the back of Kim’s hand. I needed touch to feel grounded and to remind myself they were here and alive.
The last hour or so, we’d been freakishly quiet while Kim was stitched up.
Luckily, the bullet in his hip had been easy to remove and the one in his shin had passed through cleanly.
They said he’d need to be in a wheelchair for a few days, then crutches for a few weeks, but after that, as long as he didn’t contract an infection, he’d be okay to resume a normal life. Just without any intense exercise.
With the dust settled, I realized I had no idea what happened after Gio and Adrian took me.
Blowing out a hard breath, Lake took the seat on my other side. I blinked as he pulled me onto his lap.
Atlas pulled the hand towel tight around his neck as he leaned against the table, a full-on smirk covering his face. "You're sitting on the next mob boss. I'd say call him Scarface, but he's too pretty for that."
He had to be joking. I glanced down at Lake, but he buried his face against my shoulder.
"Lake? Is that...true?"
He raised his head, and there was not one lick of anything other than resignation on his face. "Unfortunately, yes. And come to find out, it was pointless since those assholes brought you here." He worked his jaw while pulling me tighter against him as if he too needed the reminder.
A knock came on the door.
Atlas opened it, and Grey and Parker strolled in. Parker even whistled like he was having a grand time. I shook my head, I really didn't understand them.
"Where are they?" Lake demanded.
Parker jerked his head to the hallway. "Jorge and the others have them. Where do you want them?"
Lake pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Guy’s next door. He can show them where to go."
The doctors had worked on Guy after Kim. He’d been shot in the shoulder, and pistol whipped to the face, but he was just as stubborn as my guys. He refused to go home and was assisting with the clean up.
"Well, I have news for you." Parker's black eyes twinkled, sending chills down my spine. Anything that made this guy happy couldn’t be good.
Lake looked at him, frown in place.
Grey grunted in amusement behind Parker. "I think these guys are even less impressed with you than Wicked Love was when she first met you."
Parker scowled at his brother. "Enough of that." When he faced us, the edges of his mouth twitched. "We know who the mystery man is."
Lake turned into a stone beneath me. "Who?"
"He's a Fed. My brother, Andre recognized him. He was the least favorite of the bunch he used to work with." Parker leaned his ass against the table like he didn't just blow up our calm.
"You mean all the players aren't off the board?" My words were strangled, and I doubted they made sense to the brothers.
Gio and Adrian were gone. Danny was gone. Donnie was here and soon to be gone. So many people taken out so they couldn't hurt us again, and now this?
I knew when I chased him that he was trouble. But a Fed?
What was I saying? There was still the detective too.
Suddenly, the world didn’t seem as bright as it had a few minutes ago.
"Don't look so forlorn. I have a plan." Parker grinned, shifting on the table as if he was truly excited.
"What's the plan?" Joaquin went to his desk and started rooting through the drawer. He found his deck of cards and with a sigh, he sat down and started to shuffle them.
"You and those fucking cards," Parker griped.
Joaquin smirked. At least someone wasn't as frazzled by this new information as I was.
"The plan?" Lake barked.
"Don't get so testy." Parker rolled his eyes. "You said Valencia was giving you trouble? We're going to frame her for his death.”
"What about questioning him?" Kim spread a hand out across my knee.
"You're more than welcome to question him if you'd like.
Jorge took care of interrogations, under Andre's instructions, and we pulled quite a bit of information from him.
He was assigned to Valencia's case, and this is after he came off of a bad shooting last year.
This was to be his redemption. But then, she started spilling all kinds of secrets about you guys.
" He raised one brow. "And do you know what's so special about you four? "
No one answered.
"Tough crowd," Parker mumbled under his breath.
"Like the detectives who caught you up last time, he thinks there's a connection to me.
" He placed a long-fingered hand on his chest. "We know that they'll never take us down.
But this pendejo doesn't know that. He thinks this is the way for him to get his glory. "
Grey scrunched his nose as he scrolled through his phone, seeming like he'd rather be anywhere else than here.
The Fed must not even know what they looked like, or he’d have taken more photos of them on the street.
"So. Considering Valencia is an issue, she can become a non-issue for you. Two birds, one stone." He raised a shoulder.
"That's it? Just like that? You can frame a woman for his death and no one will be the wiser, despite her claims otherwise?" Even as I said it, so much was starting to make sense. Her showing up at Snatched, trying to get us to talk to her.
Joaquin had been on the money when he said she could be wearing a wire. I bet she had been, for that man.
"How?" Lake's fingers flexed on my hip.
"Glad you asked," Parker said, shaking a finger.
"We're already on it. We have a tech friend planting texts and emails right now.
It's going to be an illicit love affair gone wrong.
There's going to be traces of hair and blood in her trunk, her fingerprints on the weapon, but don't worry, his body will never be found. "
When Joaquin finished shuffling his cards, he set them down. "That's it? That seems too easy."
"When you utilize the Network to its fullest potential, anything is possible." Parker checked his phone. "Now, I'm ready to get home. We've spent enough time away, and I miss my family."
"What am I then?" Grey huffed.