Chapter 27
Crusher
“Okay, so Carnage Tats is fucking booming, the net gross has increased by five percent, though the new receptionist just isn’t going to fucking cut it,” Cage explains as he sits back in his chair.
“Is she still hitting on you?” Crash asks with a frown, and Cage winces as I tilt my head.
“Worse, bitch was getting herself off on my tattoo chair when I walked in with Drew, CJ, Angela, and Willow who begged to see my tattoo room. My wife, fuck, she nearly killed Nene,” he admits, and I wince.
“She fired?” I confirm, and he sighs but nods.
“I’ve put feelers out for a new receptionist and even though my wife is busy as fuck with the kids and her ballet studio, she’s programmed it so her phone will ring when the office phone rings and she has the appointment book on her at all times.
It won’t cut for long,” he explains and I nod in understanding and mention, “I’ll speak to Alexiana, see if she can help. ”
He gives me a grateful smile and asks, “How is she doing?”
I snort, “Well, she hasn’t tried to break my dick again, so that’s a bonus,” and everyone chuckles. I sigh, “She’s doing okay, she starts her classes in two weeks, and Kayden is thriving at school, though he’s interested in the hockey team now, so we’ll see how that goes.”
“Hockey?” Blaze asks as he pulls a face, and I grin wide but nod and confirm, “Yeah, hockey and according to Tray, who I am eighty percent sure coerced him into watching a game at school, he’s fucking good and was made for the ice.”
“Like his mama,” Trick adds, and I nod because yeah, just like his mama.
“And when are you next on shift?” Cage asks as he brings up his spreadsheet on the only other laptop allowed in church, Trick’s being the first.
“I have one day off right now, then I’ll be on five day shifts, two graveyard shifts at the firehouse then off for seven,” I explain and he types everything down before looking at Trick who adds, “I’m on shift for the next three days then four graveyard shifts before four days off along with my wife and Belle who is still on probation for stabbing me in the hand,” and Cage nods and so does Crash who is still icing his girl out for that incident.
Belle blames everyone, mainly Trick and Kodi, for why she missed the surprise wedding and took her anger out on Trick in the ER. The woman is lucky to even still be at the hospital.
I’ll be surprised if Crash even claims her now…
I sigh as Dad mutters, “Who would have thought we’d have two medical professionals in the fucking club.”
Blaze reminds him, “You tried forcing your son into mechanics,” and Dad sighs but doesn’t retort because it is the truth.
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes,” Dad says, and I sigh, “Can we not please?” because I can’t deal with this shit.
I want to win my wife back, she’s slowly listening, slowly beginning to lean on me again. I can’t focus on Dad and his fucking twenty years too late guilt.
I swear, every church the old timers have been a part of lately, and I’m beginning to see why. Normally, they only attend once a fucking month.
Seeing that I’m at breaking point, Cage asks, “Bones, Carnage Motors, still fully booked?”
“It is,” he confirms, and Trick adds, “What about your plan?” and the man smirks, making us tense.
Oh shit.
“Still looking to be in place,” he adds without saying anything more, and I wince while the brothers look at him skeptically.
Eyeing him, Cage asks, “Blaze? Carnage Angels Strip?”
“A pain in my fucking ass,” he grunts, and I smirk, causing him to give me the middle finger, but I put my hands up in defense.
“It isn’t my fault you tried some kinky shit with Bambi.
” I state, and he groans while the brothers raise a brow, and I grin wide when he points at me and threatens, “Don’t you fucking dare, or I’m going to Alex and telling her about all the fights you had while she was gone, giving every single detail! ”
The brothers look at me with a raised brow to see if I’ll fold, but you know what, fuck it, my wife loves me, and maybe if she knows how much I struggled without her, she’ll lean on me a little more.
“He allowed Bambi to tie him up, but the bitch swallowed the key and then tried to stick a butt plug up his ass. That is about the time when I heard him screaming,” I admit and Blaze drops his head while the room bursts out in laughter.
“Does your wife know you were at the strip club?” Bones asks, and I nod and admit, “I called her as soon as I got off work to let her know I had to see my brother, and her exact words were, ‘if you’re not home within the hour, then the trust you want will be fucking buried,’ and I nearly didn’t make it. ”
“How did you explain only just making it?” Trick asks out of curiosity, and I grin widely.
“Well, I showed her proof of course,” I say, and the room howls in laughter while Blaze glares at me and mutters, “I hate having a younger brother,” and my laughter follows.
I must admit, it was funny as fucking shit.
Trick opens his mouth, most likely to take the piss out of Blaze, but everyone freezes as an alarm rings from his laptop, and I don’t hesitate, recognizing it instantly.
I jump from my seat and run out of church, making Chaz jump.
Instead of grabbing my phone, I run through the common room, everyone confused as the brothers follow behind me, Trick calling, “Immediate lockdown, Scar, get everyone back here, starting with the women and kids!” and Cage adds, “Aiden, follow us in the club truck!”
***
I skid in front of the ice rink not even eight minutes later, breaking all the speeding laws, and I run towards the front doors just as a gunshot echoes and true fear hits me for the second time in a space of three months.
I roar, “Alexiana!” and run inside, not stopping, several boots echoing behind me.
Another shot goes off, and I run inside the rink as everything fucking slows down.
My wife's mother is lying on the floor, her eyes open, dead, a man smirking down at her. Another man holds a gun up towards the ice and my wife, lying on it, blood pooling beneath her, and I roar out again, gaining their attention.
The fat one freezes as Crash tackles him to the ground, punching him several times while a man a few inches shorter than me, looking rough, quickly turns and lifts his gun. I grab mine and beat him to it as I shoot, not once, not twice, but three times as I run past him.
One bullet hits his shoulder, another hits his heart, and the last one hits his mouth.
His body drops, but I pay no mind as I hear another gunshot, knowing Crash killed the other man as I run onto the ice, slipping slightly as I go to my wife.
Please, please, please!
I slip beside her before gently lifting her, and her head lolls to her side, a nasty bruise already forming from where she's hit the ice. I choke seeing a bullet wound in her arm, and I shout, “Trick!” knowing I can’t assess her, I’m not in my right mind.
The man skids beside me and mutters, “Fuck, I hate the ice,” before he checks my wife over, looking at her arm first, and he sighs.
“It’s through and through, it didn’t hit anything,” he rasps before checking her pulse, and he relaxes. “Pulse is strong, hitting her head most likely knocked her out, but I need to run some tests, let's stabilize the bleeding and then try and get her off this fucking ice.”
A sob works its way up, and I can’t help but let it release as I hold my wife closer to me. My body shakes, seeing her lying in her own blood just like I did with my son…it is too much to fucking handle.
Trick grips my shoulder in support while I let my emotions out, the struggle to breathe too fucking hard.
I nearly lost her again, but this time, permanently.