Chapter 24 #2
Lucifer’s right. They hadn’t. Heavy and Creeper were twin brothers who joined the club together right out of high school.
They weren’t ready for something like this.
They’re loyal to a fault and would do anything for the club, seeing as we’re their family.
The only one that counts, at least. We took them in years ago, let them hang around, kept them out of trouble when they were heading down a damn dark path at an early age.
We made them wait until they graduated high school before we allowed them to prospect.
Then they had to spend a longer time prospecting than we typically would have done for others.
Their twentieth birthday, we patched them in.
“That’s good, they’re not ready for what’s about to go down,” Nightmare says from behind Lucifer, his face in the medical bag with his phone shining on it. The man is meticulous about making sure he has everything he might need for worst-case scenarios.
I look at the time and let out a heavy breath. It’s damn near two in the morning, and my woman has been missing since before lunchtime. I need her to hold on a little longer for me to get to her.
Closing my eyes, I do something I haven’t done in my life. I pray.
* * *
Twenty excruciating minutes later, Lucifer pulls down a dirty road. He doesn’t let up on the speed. We’re all ready to get there and get my woman.
I know what he’s doing, and any other time I might have questioned his decision to announce our arrival, but I’m looking to get my hands bloody. Bloodier than they already were. I want the blood of the men who have my woman.
We barely skid to a stop behind the other vehicles blocking the way, when the doors are thrown open, and two men step out, arms stretched, guns in their hands.
Ignoring the gunfire, I sprint around the cars.
The two men raise their guns and attempt to fire at us, but their aim is terrible.
Bullets spray wide, missing their targets and failing to slow our approach.
They seem too cocky as they expose themselves to danger while trying to defend their position.
When I get close enough, I take one of them to the ground in a tackle, having pulled my blade from its sheath once more.
I sink it into the guy’s throat and twist, embedding it in place.
I hear the thump behind me as I get to my feet to see Tormentor dropping the other man’s body, his neck in a discorded position, from my brother breaking it.
Lucifer steps over the body of the second guy and steps into the house like the devil himself has come seeking vengeance.
I step in right behind him and scan the room, finding my sweet little mouse, bloody and bruised, on the dirty ass floor. I ignore the rest of the room, not caring who else is in there. I hear words, but I don’t focus on them. All of my attention is on the woman who holds my heart.
I drop to my knees next to her. I grab my secondary knife and cut the zip-ties on her hands and ankles. I gently pull the duct tape off her mouth as Nightmare joins me and checks for her pulse.
“It’s there, but it’s thready, VP. I hate to move her, but we’ve got no choice. There’s no waiting for an ambulance to get here. I’ll work on her on the way to the hospital.”
I scoop Della up in my arms as gently as I can, and my heart slams against my ribcage when she doesn’t make a sound. Her body feels too light, too damn fragile against my chest. The sight of her beaten face has me seeing red all over again.
“Let’s move,” I growl, cradling her close.
Nightmare stays right by my side as we head back to the SUV. He moves ahead of me as we approach and opens the back door. “Lay her across the backseat. I need room to work.”
I hesitate for a split second, not wanting to let her go, but I know he’s right. With careful movements, I slide into the backseat, placing her head in my lap while Nightmare climbs in from the other side. It doesn’t give him much room to work, but it’ll do for now.
The door is closed from the outside as Tormentor hops in the passenger seat, Lucifer behind the wheel.
“Stay with me, little mouse,” I whisper, brushing a strand of hair from her face. My heart threatens to shatter at the sight of her bruised and bloodied skin. “I’ve got you now. You’re safe.”
Nightmare works quickly, checking her vitals and assessing the damage. His hands move with practiced precision as Lucifer speeds down the road, the SUV bouncing violently over uneven terrain.
“How bad?” I manage to ask, my voice barely recognizable to my own ears.
“Multiple contusions, possible internal bleeding,” Nightmare mutters, not sugarcoating it. “Her breathing’s shallow. Pulse is weak but steady.” He presses gauze against a nasty gash on her cheek. “Hold this.”
I do as instructed, applying gentle pressure while he continues his assessment. Every bump in the road makes me wince, imagining the pain that she’s endured at the hands of those responsible. I should’ve taken my time with them, but I didn’t, I had to get to her.
I keep my eyes on Della, taking in everything, but I hear Tormentor on the phone. He’s talking to Maddox, telling him we found his sister. The conversation is quick and to the point. He doesn’t go into detail. He then makes another call, I don’t pay attention this time.
The fear of how I could have lost her clogs my throat because I know she’s not out of the woods yet.
After what feels like hours, Lucifer pulls up to the ambulance entrance of the hospital. There are nurses and a gurney waiting. The back door on Nightmare’s side opens, and Della is taken from me. Nightmare throws himself at me, keeping me from rushing after them.
“You gotta let them work, VP,” he mutters as I fight to get out, to follow my woman. “They’re gonna do everything possible to save your ol’ lady, Shadow. I swear it.”
The SUV starts moving, making me lose my shit. “Where the fuck are you going?” I roar, fighting Nightmare to jump out.
“Parking this fuckin’ cage so we can get the fuck inside,” Lucifer says, his voice far too calm for my liking.
How can he be so damn calm when they just kept me from following my woman?
A moment passes before Lucifer has the SUV parked.
He gets out and opens my door before Nightmare moves.
I jump out only for Lucifer to pull me into him, hugging me tight.
“You’re my brother, and this shit is rough right now, but remember, Shadow, she needs you to keep your cool.
You go in there, out of your mind crazy, they’ll kick your ass out, and you won’t be able to get to her,” he says, breaking through the haze.
“We’ve got you. Della’s gonna be okay. I’ll bet you all my damn money that she’s gonna be all right. You gotta believe it.”
Breathing heavily, I nod. I need to keep my shit together for Della.
“You good now?” Lucifer asks.
“Yeah,” I croak out.
“Good, now let’s get inside.”
Without another word, I nod, feeling helpless. All I could do now was wait to hear that Della was going to be okay.
* * *
I lost track of time and stopped checking after the third hour. Several times, my brothers took turns making me go outside and have a cigarette in an attempt to distract me or to help calm me down so I didn’t do anything to get myself kicked out of the hospital.
After the first hour, a nurse came out and informed us that Della had been rushed to surgery and gave us directions to the surgical waiting room, where we’ve been waiting since.
Maddox came down to sit with us. I haven’t been able to speak a word. It feels as if I were to try, I’d come unraveled. In the short amount of time I’ve been with Della, she’s become my everything. Without her, they might as well put me down.
“Della’s gonna pull through,” Maddox says, his voice raspy and haggard. “She’s a Meadows. She’s strong. A lot stronger than I give her credit for.”
“She’s gonna be a King,” I tell him. “She makes it out of this, I’m marrying her.”
“Think she’ll say yes?”
“Doesn’t matter. I’ll convince her one way or another.” She makes it through this, I’m going to get the ring, and when she’s healed up, I’m asking her—no questions about it.
“Don’t think you’ll have to do much of that, brother. You ask her, she’s gonna say yes.” It’s good he’s saying that, cause I won’t ask for his blessing. Though it is something I should do. I’m just not.
“Meadows’ family,” the doctor calls as he enters the room.
We all stand, but Maddox and I step forward.
“I’m Della’s brother, and this is her fiancé,” Maddox tells the doctor.
“I’m Doctor Barnett. I performed surgery on Ms. Meadows,” he says, his face giving nothing away. I clench my fists at my sides, bracing for whatever comes next. “She’s stable now. The surgery was successful.”
The breath I didn’t realize I was holding rushes out of my lungs. My knees nearly buckle from the relief at the doctor’s news.
“She had internal bleeding from a ruptured spleen that we had to remove, three broken ribs, a fractured wrist, and numerous contusions. There was also significant blood loss, but we’ve transfused her.”
I clear my throat and ask, “She gonna be okay?” My voice sounding strange to my own ears.
“Barring any complications, I expect her to make a full recovery. She’s young and appears to be in good health otherwise. She’s a fighter.”
“Damn right she is,” I tell him, watching him closely, sensing there’s something else.
“You should know, she coded on the table twice, but we brought her back. She’s being moved to the ICU, where they’ll monitor her for the next day or so.
After that, they’ll move her to another room for a few more days.
If all goes well, then she’ll be out of here in a week at most.” He pauses to take a breath.
“I will warn you, the bruising is significant, and the cut on her cheek we had to stitch up to close it. There is a bandage over it for the time being.”
“Thank you, Dr. Barnett,” Maddox says, shaking the doctor’s hand.
I follow suit, but my heart feels as if it may shatter at the knowledge I did indeed lose her. Twice. But as the doctor said, my woman is a fighter. She fought to live.
She fought to come back to me. I take a deep breath as the doctor tells us someone will be around soon to get us, but only one at a time can be in the room with her and only for five minutes at a time.
Fuck, five minutes, when I get in there, I wasn’t leaving her side.
I wasn’t going to let her out of my sight.