28. Dax
DAX
Cam got behind the wheel with Wes taking the co-pilot spot, leaving me to snuggle between Void and Sprocket while Cognac was right behind me.
Now that we were alone, the women safe, and I wasn’t about to be blown up, I sagged against Void.
Sprocket took my hand, threading our fingers together, and squeezed it.
“Tell me he’s alive,” I whispered, not having the strength to say it any louder. “I know Cam said he was being patched up, but he’d know better than to tell me that when I was already wanting to punch her.”
“I don’t know, little demon. We left right away to track you down, your black knight is the only one who can answer that,” Void explained as he looked right into the rearview mirror at Cam.
He took a moment to clear his throat before answering, which made me close my eyes, knowing I couldn’t hold back the tears if he told me I’d lost Eagle.
Anger can only block out so many emotions, and love was so closely tied to hate, it wouldn’t be hard for it to boil over. “Tell me, please, just spit it out.”
“Picasso told me he went into surgery to get the bleeding to stop, but they felt confident he’d make a full recovery.
He was wearing a bulletproof vest, beautiful…
it saved his life. The hit in his side got him in the weak spot where there wasn’t any covering.
He’s bruised and beat to hell, but he’ll be fine,” Cam shared, his voice soft as he spoke, knowing how fragile I was at the moment.
My instinct was to shove all my emotions away to keep them hidden because emotions were weak, but I wasn’t sure I could do that. Void shifted so I was tucked under his arm and his lips brushed my temple. “You’re safe with us, no one will judge you.”
With that reassurance, I turned my face into Void’s chest and let the tears fall silently as relief flooded through me.
Eagle was alive, we were all alive. Nothing had gone right on this job, but we’d managed to make it through this with a few new scars, but they didn’t win.
The Mad Dogs didn’t come out of this unscathed, and Marco would know that I was starting to make my moves against him.
My anger wanted me to go after Marco right away, but I knew cutting his legs off now that I’d chopped his arms off would make it easier.
Dealing with the De Leóns would take more work and finer planning since they’re in New York and have more eyes on the city, making it harder to sneak in.
The Mad Dogs were muscle and movers of their goods, but the De León’s were a power all their own that got backing from Macro to keep them secure, but they didn’t crumble without him.
What I needed to do was deal with the here and now.
Get Cognac patched up, check on Eagle, then head back to the compound to deal with that situation.
They couldn’t have gotten that big of a jump on us.
Wes set up more security there that would alert him to anything going on or approaching in mass like that.
Sitting up from Void, I wiped my face on his shirt sleeve before kissing him, showing my thanks.
Now that I’d purged that emotional buildup, I could get back in the game.
“I need a cell phone. Hopefully, one that will get me in touch with Gator,” I stated, looking at the guys beside me.
A phone appeared next to my head, followed by Cognac’s grinning face. “It’s already ringing.”
Snatching the phone, I put it to my ear just in time for Gator to answer. “Cognac, what the hell are you calling me for? Don’t you have a rival crew to take down?”
“Gator, it’s Dax.”
“Oh… hey. Everything okay?”
“I need you to listen closely to me and don’t ask any questions until I’m done speaking,” I said, pausing to make sure he understood.
When silence followed, I grinned, knowing that Tilly had trained him well on top of him just being a smart guy.
“Shit went sideways with the Mad Dogs. They set a trap for us. We’re dealing with things here, but I discovered they sent a group to attack the compound.
With the upgrades Wes put in, you should be able to have a decent heads-up when they arrive.
I’ll have my people on their way, wearing a pink marking on their arms so you don’t kill them, thinking they’re a Dog.
Eagle got shot but will be fine. We might have to leave him behind for this battle, but I’ll be coming with the others via helicopter as soon as we can. Do you have any questions?”
“Do you know how many?”
“The man I had the conversation with wasn’t helpful on specifics other than to say they called people in from all their crews, half came to deal with us, and they sent the rest to you.
My best guess, maybe a hundred or a little more, but prepare for the worst and survive to tell your kids the story,” I answered.
There was a hesitation at my last comment, but he pushed past it to ask another question. “You’re really coming in a helicopter, or was that just a figure of speech?”
“Running a criminal empire gets you a few perks, Gator. We’ll see you as soon as we check in with Eagle,” I shared, grinning as I hung up and dialed Brian’s number.
“Dax?” he questioned as he answered. Pre-emptively, I had him put all the guys’ numbers in his phone for a situation like this, I needed him to answer me.
“The one and only. Things okay there at home base?” I inquired, curious if Toad had lied and they sent people there as well.
“All’s quiet, should I be expecting company?”
“No… well, not as far as I know. What’s the status of the second wave?”
“Once they heard about the bomb, I sent them to the ranch so they would be out of the way but close if you needed backup. Where am I sending them?” Brian asked.
I could have hugged him at that moment for being the perfect underling.
“In the garage is a stash of pink bandanas. They need to tie one around their arms and head to the Phantom Saint’s compound.
The Mad Dogs sent a wave in their direction as well and could use the backup.
I’m dealing with a few things here, but can you send the helicopter to…
” I paused, looking at Cam for the name of the hospital.
“Valley Hospital,” Cam said. “They have a helipad, and I’ll alert them to us needing to use it when we get there.”
“You hear that?” I asked Brian.
“Yup, must be nice having an FBI agent to help you around the red tape,” Brian teased. “Anything else you need, boss?”
“Make sure the bird has everything we need for six people,” I added, thinking we might be running low on ammo. “I’ll call you if I need anything else.”
Done with all the planning I could do, I looked up to find we were pulling into the loop near the emergency entrance. “Guess we should leave the guns here in the car, huh?”
“Your call, but it might make things go smoother if you do,” Cam suggested.
Glancing at the others, I could tell none of us gave a rat’s ass if things went smoothly or not. “Yeah, I think I’m keeping at least one of them. We never did figure out who the mole was. They could still be slinking around somewhere.”
“Speaking of, do you want me to call my dad?” Cam questioned, pulling out his phone.
“Might as well. We’re going to need all the help to rid the world of these bastards, and I’ll feel better knowing there’s someone with their eyes open for a backstabbing cunt,” I muttered as I crossed the threshold of the hospital.
The woman at the counter looked up from her computer with a blank face, clearly waiting for me to be a bitch to her while the room was full of waiting people. “How can I help you?”
“I’m looking for Enzo Rossi, he was brought by ambulance with a gunshot wound. His brother, Teo Rossi, should be with him as well,” I said.
“What’s your relation?” the woman asked as she glanced at the guys behind me.
I tugged on my jacket, showing her the FBI logo on it. “My partner, and I need to speak with him.”
As the woman looked like she was going to argue with me, Cam came up resting a hand on my shoulder and flashed his credentials.
“One of my team should be there watching the room. We just need to ask some questions and get one of our undercover agents looked at before we have to head off and track down the men who set off the bomb.”
Under Cam’s attention, she totally changed and smiled up at him. “Of course, Mr. Rossi and his brother are on the third floor, room 328 in the ICU wing since it’s more secure as he recovers from surgery. As for your other agent, I’ll have a nurse come grab him shortly. Which one is it?”
“Juan, could you please come over here,” Cam called out.
Cognac’s head snapped around faster than a snake striking at the sound of his given name.
“This lovely lady…” Cam paused and glanced at her name tag, “… Sally is going to have a nurse come out and look after you in a moment. We’re going to check in with the victim, Enzo, and his brother before we head back to the field office to regroup. ”
With a subtle wink, Cognac leaned on the counter and flashed Sally a panty-dropping smile. “You guys go on, I'll be in good hands with Sally until they come to stitch me up.”
While I knew it was all an act, I didn’t love the giggle it produced out of Sally.
Cam all but shoved me in front of him as he headed for the elevators, telling the others to stay here with Cognac.
All of us going up would cause too much fuss, and we needed to get to Eagle, or I was definitely going to shoot someone.
“Smart of you to wear the jacket. Hides the blood and makes you look official,” Cam commented as the doors closed, and he hit the button for the floor we needed.
“Didn’t seem to work with Egger,” I grumbled as I wondered if he’d slept with her.
Cam shifted so he was standing in front of me, backing me into the corner of the elevator. “Why should I or you give a rat’s ass what she thinks?”
“Don’t push me right now, Cam. I'm not in a forgiving mood,” I growled as his hips locked me in place against the wall.
Cam let his nose run along the side of my face as he brought his lips to my ear. “Did you think a woman like that could ever hold my attention when I’ve had you? Oh, my queen, you rule my soul, and no one else is ever going to take it from you.”
His words set fire to my skin, even though I knew now was absolutely not the right time for this.
We have shit to get done, and sex wasn’t on that list, but he made it so tempting to just take what I wanted from him right now.
Typically, after events like today, I’d go to a bar and find someone meaningless to fuck and burn off all the adrenaline, but being physical with any of my men wasn’t something I could use too carelessly.
The elevator dinged, letting us know we’d reached the third floor.
Cam was reluctant to move but settled for a searing kiss as he cupped my jaw before stepping back, a promise of what he was offering bright in his eyes.
Shaking my head, I clenched my jaw and exited the elevator, taking in the signs to find where we needed to be. Turning left, we walked in silence until we reached the entrance to the ICU where another woman, a nurse, was sitting at the desk just outside the double doors.
“Hello,” I greeted with a smile, taking a note from Cam. “I don’t know if Sally from ER called up or not, but we’re with the FBI and had a few questions to ask Enzo Rossi in room 328.”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, she did call up. All we ask is you keep it brief. He just woke up from surgery and is extremely agitated, something about his wife being taken. Do you have information for him about that? It might help to calm him down and make him more receptive,” the nurse informed us.
“His wife… yes, we do have news for him on the matter,” I managed to get out without laughing. Leave it to Eagle to blow things out of proportion to get his way.
The nurse nodded and hit a button under her desk. “Head through the doors and to your right. The room is at the end of the hall… one of your agents is posted outside the room.”
“Thank you,” Cam said with a nod, ushering me ahead of him. “What does that bastard think he’s doing calling you his wife,” Cam muttered as his hand slid around the back of my neck.
Grinning, I looked over at him from the corner of my eye at the grimace on his face. “Like anyone would just look for a girlfriend you share with six other people? Nah, saying I’m his wife makes perfect sense, and if I needed to stay, it would be an awesome cover story.”
“Doesn’t mean I have to like it. You either marry all of us or none of us,” Cam stated with finality.
We were at the room before I could say anything more, but I held my tongue so Cam could deal with the agent.
It turns out it was as simple as flashing his credentials and nodding at each other before he entered the room.
The room was dim, with only the light from the window lighting the room with Eagle center stage in the hospital bed hooked up to wires and an IV.
He looked battered and tired, but as we entered, he groaned, kicking out a foot. “I thought you said you would let me sleep and not poke me again.”
“Pretty sure it’s your job to poke me, but if that’s what you’re into, I’m sure I could come up with a solution,” I mused as I scanned the room looking for Picasso, but all I saw was an abandoned chair near Eagle’s bed.
The idiot better not have left and come to find us because if he left Eagle here alone, I was going to skin him alive.
Hearing my voice, Eagle’s eyes popped open, and he tried to sit up but only got inches off the bed before swearing and falling back. “Goddamn fucking bullshit! Hellcat, if that’s you, you better get your ass over here right now so I can turn it bright red for allowing yourself to get taken.”
That was good enough for me to know he was going to be alright.
I set my hip on his left side since he’d been hit on the right and grabbed his hand, pulling up so I could kiss the back of it.
“You’re the lucky one, Pres. If you’d died on me, I’d have brought your soul back just so I could light it on fire and kill you myself. ”
“God, I love you,” Eagle muttered as he pulled me down to kiss the hell out of me.