42. Chapter 42
My arms burn like fire from where the shards of glass ripped through my shirt and skin when the asshole broke the window and then tried to pull me out without making sure all the glass was cleared. I don’t think any are deep though, because I can only see small little dribbles of blood coming out of the wounds. Not to mention my scalp stings from him trying to pull me out by my hair.
Thank God I wasn’t alone, because if I had been, I’m sure I would have been taken and who knows what would have happened then.
I cling to Colt as he runs toward the gate. Bullets bounce off the cinderblock wall and I duck my head.
“Just hang on tight, Mary. I’ve got ya and won’t let them get you,” he says and surprisingly, I believe him.
Footsteps approach and I can’t stop praying that it’s our guys and not anyone who’s attacking us. A shadow falls over us and I take the risk, glancing up. Bear and Dragon are holding up some sort of shield and I wince as I hear the bullets hitting it, just waiting for them to tear through the metal of the shield.
“It’s bulletproof, Mary, you’re safe,” Colt says between his ragged breathing and a part of me is, once again, ashamed of my weight and the extra burden I’m giving him.
They follow us as we clear the gate and then around to the back of the building.
“Get her inside and with the others,” Dragon grits out and then they’re gone.
Since Colt’s hands are busy holding me, I reach out and open the door, wincing as the action pulls on my bad arm and shoulder that’s wrapped around Colt’s neck. He heads into the kitchen right as the door not too far down the hallway opens up and Doc comes out, his hands bloody. He riffles through the kitchen and then heads back into the hallway.
“Colt, take me to Doc,” I say as I push on his shoulder.
“No, I have to get you into the panic room with the others.”
Conflict is apparent on his face, as I’m sure he’s guessing what my intentions are.
Narrowing my eyes, I grip his chin as I do my best to stare him down, even though I’m looking up at him because of the positioning, and put all the steel I can into my spine and my voice.
“If you don’t set my ass down on a chair in the room Doc’s in so I can help him, I will beat your ass even though I’m crippled. Whoever is in there got hurt because of me and I will not let them suffer more when I could have helped. The women are in the shelter and the only other one that has medical knowledge is still out there. Take. Me. In. There.” I force myself not to focus too much on Patch still being out in the open and possibly hurt. If I dwell on it too much, I’m probably going to break down.
His lips thin and for a moment, I think he’s going to dump me in the panic room and ignore me, but then he turns on his heel and heads down the hallway after Doc. We find the room easily since Doc didn’t close the door all the way, and I can’t contain my startled gasp when I see Phoenix lying on the bed with a couple of gunshot wounds and what I think are little pieces of metal in his arm and thigh.
“Take me to the sink,” I order Colt and it’s then that they both notice us in the room.
“Get her to the panic room, Prospect,” Phoenix grits out.
I turn my glare on him as I soap up and wash my hands and arms. Doc’s holding… whatever they call those tweezer-like things to pull out bullets. He stares at me in shock, like he can’t believe I’m back here offering to help him, his hand holding the tweezer-things above one of Phoenix’s wounds.
“Can it, Phoenix. I’m helping Doc patch you up. Colt is doing what I ordered him to do. You got hurt because of me, so don’t you dare think of punishing him for this. I’m going to be Doc’s second set of hands whether you like it or not, so just sit back and try not to move so you don’t fuck up Doc’s work or injure yourself further.”
Once my hands are dry, I grab some nitrile gloves, slip them on, and then point to the doctor’s chair. “Sit me down on that and then help me slip that gown hanging on the wall on over my clothes,” I tell Colt and after he does as I ask, I grab his cut. “Make sure my man makes it back inside the compound safely. Please,” I half ask, half tell him.
His eyes soften and he gives me a chin lift, then his gaze lifts to Doc.
“Make sure to check her arm later. Fucker was yanking hard on it,” he tells him and then he’s gone.
“Before you say anything Doc, my arm is just slightly sore, but in comparison to what’s going on out there, it’s pretty fucking small. So, tell me what to do, Doc.”
Instead of telling me what to do, they both just stare at me with a weird look on their faces.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that? We’ve got work to do and we need to get Phoenix patched up. I’m betting he isn’t the only one that’s going to need your attention today, so let’s get to it.”
Both of them blink a few times and then seem to shake themselves.
“Fuck, you fit right in, Mary,” Phoenix says softly as he leans his head back down on the pillow and I breathe a small breath of relief when I see some of the tension in his body relaxing. It’ll make things easier for Doc if his body’s relaxed and not strung tight. “But Doc is looking you over after me, whether you like it or not,” he says, using my own words against me. “Our women and children come first, you know that, and I won’t be having Patch cussing our asses out because we didn’t take care of you right away.” His lips kick up slightly in the corner and I can’t help but huff slightly and shake my head.
These men.
Then again, I wouldn’t have them any other way.
Doc gives me a nod of what I think is approval before tilting his head to the cabinets behind me. “Second drawer right behind you, grab the suture kit. Drawer above it, grab the gauze, tape, and scissors. Try to use mainly your left arm until I can take a look at your other arm.”
Spying a second tray already set up and has other sanitized utensils on it, I snag it and use it to set everything on and then wheel back to Phoenix’s other side.
All in all, Phoenix and Devil were the only two that were seriously injured, though Patch’s injuries are right behind theirs. Both of them had multiple bullet wounds, both direct and grazes, as well as shrapnel injuries. Patch had several bullet grazes, all on his right side—two in his bicep, his side right under the ribs, and two on his thigh; the palms of his hands have several gashes, a couple of them deep, from the glass when he got out of the truck; and several other gashes on his forearms that we think are from when he protected me when the window was busted out. Drae, Ryder, Beast, and Punisher each had to have a bullet dug out and a few grazes stitched up. A handful of other guys had grazes, but other than that, we got lucky.
The assholes that shot at us? They weren’t as lucky, I think to myself as I help Doc as he finishes up bandaging the last of Patch’s injuries. Thor, Phoenix, Smoke, Reaper, Devil, and Python have crowded in the room with us.
“Bear said they found two guys trying to crawl to the highway due to their injuries. Fuckers didn’t even bother to take them with them when they hauled ass out of here,” Thor grunts out. “They found five others dead. They scouted around and found spots where they’d been camping and watching the gate, but they couldn’t tell how long they were there.”
“Did we get the three that tried to grab Mary?” Patch asks and Phoenix gives him a curt nod before turning to Smoke.
“Any word that the cops got wind of this?”
Smoke shakes his head. “Nothing so far on the scanner.”
I frown at that. “Should we be preemptive and talk to Sam and Brady? If Stephan was behind this, he could send some of his goonies out here and try to nail this on us. Or they could try to nail us for some other asinine reason.”
They’re all silent and I worry that I’ve overstepped. I could kick myself for speaking up out of turn. Fuck, are they going to be pissed at me now? I’m berating myself silently when Patch’s fingers lift my chin to make me look up at him.
“Whatever the fuck just went through your pretty head, throw it out the window, Siren. We’re just trying to figure out if we should contact them or not. With Stephan being a cop, this complicates things. Normally, we try to handle as much shit like this by ourselves.”
Swallowing, I nod.
“And don’t you dare say ‘I’m sorry’. This is on him, Siren. Not on you.”
I stare at him in shock because I was about to say that very thing. Smiling softly, I shake my head. “I just don’t want you guys to be wrongfully accused is all. I’ve seen Stephan pull that kind of shit on people who have tried to help me and the kids before, and he’s literally destroyed them and then went even further by destroying their families. After the first time, I never asked for help again, but still, I had to witness it two other times because nurses have contacted the authorities before on my behalf. Of course, they didn’t realize at the time that the police were corrupt, but they soon found out.”
All of the guys curse and I notice more than one muscle ticking in their jaws as their eyes blaze with anger. Thank fuck that anger isn’t directed at me, because I don’t know what I’d do if it were.
When their curses die down, I lick my lips, and take a deep breath. “If you guys want, I can look at them. Both the ones you captured and the ones that died and see if I recognize any of them. It wouldn’t surprise me if Stephan pulled some of his friends in from previous towns we lived in to help him out. Especially if Diego decides he’s more trouble than he’s worth.”
All of them frown at my words.
“I don’t want you to see that, Siren. It’s not pretty.”
I scoff and shake my head, even as my stomach rolls. “I know it won’t be pretty, but let me just tell you that it wouldn’t be the first dead body I’ve seen and I’m not talking about πατ?ρα? (dad). Stupid ass that he is, one of the ways he liked to make sure I ‘stayed in line’ is that he’d take me with him when he had to ‘take care of business’ for Diego. I’ve watched brains splatter around abandoned warehouses more times than I can count. Of course, that was after having to watch him torture them for hours. Seeing a few more dead bodies isn’t going to make a lick of difference. If it could help us figure out who was behind this, then yes, I’d like to help you any way that I can.”
Frowning, I look up at Smoke. “But if we did go to the cops, wouldn’t they want to look at your security footage? They’d see you taking those guys… wherever it is that you took them.”
Smoke gets a mischievous look in his eye. “They won’t see jack shit. I know how to make things not come back at us. Those five never made it to our clubhouse.” He gives me a pointed look and I grin. “For that matter, I already know four of the five guys. I ran their faces through my program, but I think it would be a good idea to have Mary take a look at their pictures. Who knows if these fuckers have more than one alias?”
Patch sighs and reaches for my hand. “Pictures only.” He pauses and makes sure I’m looking at him. “Even if you have seen them, I don’t want you to see more.”
Giving him a small smile, I turn back toward the others when I hear a rustling sound. Smoke moves the trash I hadn’t thrown away yet off the little tray I’d been using and sets down his laptop. His fingers fly over the keyboard and after a few moments, he turns the laptop toward me.
“These assholes are the ones Bear found dead.”
Nodding, I look through all five pictures. My chest tightens as I recognize all five of them and the memories threaten to bombard me. Some of them were my abusers, and others are guys that Stephan and Diego worked with.
“I know all of them. On the right is John Hart. Then it’s Aiden Anderson, Logan Reyes, Matt Finch and Scott Pierce. Aiden, Logan, and Matt were part of the last crew Stephan used back in Credence when he had to do work for Diego. John and Scott were street thugs, also from Credence, that Stephan used to intimidate people into doing what he wanted them to do, which was usually to cough up money for protection or some other BS.”
Smoke makes note of everything and then flicks to a different set of pictures. One of the pictures has me squeezing Patch’s hand so hard that he cups my cheek and turns me away from the screen. His eyes are filled with worry as he rubs his thumb across my cheek.
“What is it, Siren?”
“One of them was in the pictures sent with those letters. Leonardo Adams.” Pausing, I turn back to the pictures. “He’s the one in the middle. Jack Huxley is on the right, then it’s Brendan Creed, Leo, Liam Gray, and Daniel Cassidy. When we were in Credence, if Kristoff, Wolfe, or O’Malley weren’t available, he’d call in Leonardo and his crew to beat me when he thought I’d ‘misbehaved’ or had done some other grievance he’d thought up. Sometimes Leo was there with Kristoff and the others, like that time in the picture, but not always. Brendan and Daniel are part of Leo’s crew. I recognized their voices when they were trying to pull me out of the truck. Jack and Liam are new guys under Lawrence, Stephan’s main street thug in Credence. If they were here, then Lawrence most likely was too, but it looks like he got away.”
Once again, Smoke makes note of everything I say, and then he frowns.
“Mary, I’d like to see if you recognize this voice.”
Confused, I nod and he clicks play.
My blood runs cold as I hear the voice that comes through the speakers.
“Get that fucking biker scum! I want his head on a platter for what he’s done!”
He was here .
Outside the compound.
Shooting at the building my kids were in just so he could try to get us back.
White-hot anger fills me at what he could have done.
“Stephan,” I grit out as I ball my hands into fists. “He could have hurt or killed my kids or Patch or any of you with this stunt! Not to mention he could have hurt one of the ladies. Oh my God, if he hurt Mae or Levi or the babies, I’m going to skin him alive,” I seethed.
Patch hisses in pain as he sits up and I spin toward him, trying to stop him from moving.
“Luke Morgan, don’t you dare move another muscle! You don’t want to rip a stitch, ruin all of Doc’s hard work, and make him redo everything,” I hiss at him, but the jerk just chuckles and cups my cheeks in response.
“Knew you were perfect for me, Siren.”
Frowning, I’m about to ask what he means when his thumb traces my lower lip and I feel myself melting into his touch.
“You’re perfect for me and you fit in so well with everyone here. Hell, you’re still injured yourself and you’re about to go to war to protect our family and the club.”
My eyes burn, but thankfully, they don’t spill out this time. I’m really tired of crying. I never used to cry this much, but I do think Patch is right that I’m finally working through all of my emotions now that I’m free of Stephan’s grasp. “Of course I would. I’ve come to love everyone here. They’re my family just as much as they are yours.”
Patch’s hands tighten on me and heat flares in his eyes. I’m vaguely aware of the others leaving, but I can’t pay attention to that when Patch touches me like this. His eyes rake down my body. When desire flares in his eyes, I realize I’m probably flashing him since I’m leaning toward him wearing a v-neck shirt and am still sitting on Doc’s rolly-doctor-chair.
“Fuck, I’m trying really hard to be a gentleman, Siren, but I’m hanging by a thread here.”
“Maybe I don’t want you to be a gentleman.”
“Fuck,” he growls before his lips slam down on mine. I know I should be scolding him since he practically launched himself off the bed and is now kneeling in front of me, kissing me like he’s trying to devour me, but I can’t. Not when he’s touching me like this and kissing me like his life depends on it.
I’m not sure how long we kissed for when we’re interrupted by a knock on the door.
“Necking time is over, cops are on their way,” someone’s muffled voice comes through the door and Patch curses as he rests his forehead on mine.
A second later, the door opens and I pull back, looking over my shoulder to find Smoke at the door.
“Right as I was going to make the call, Thor’s phone rang. Sam, Brady, and Dixon are on their way. Not sure if any others are coming with them or not.”
I frown. “Did someone hear the shots or explosion and call it in?”
Smoke frowns in return. “They didn’t say, but there’s not a lot of people around us—it’s mainly forest, farmland, and wild fields. The land we don’t own, the owners know not to come anywhere close if they hear that shit. They also don’t run their mouths on anything they happen to see and they are compensated for that.”
Sighing, my body slumps and on instinct, I lean into Patch, but at the last second, I pull back a bit so that I don’t put too much weight on him. “If I’m honest, I’m going to bet Stephan had someone anonymously call this in to try and pin you guys with those guys’ deaths.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll take care of everything, Mary. Come on, since Patch can’t lift you right now and the fact that your chair is riddled with bullets, I’ll carry you out to the main room.”
Patch hisses as he gets to his feet and I glare at him, silently telling him to be careful. His lips kick up, but then his face darkens when Smoke picks me up and I roll my eyes. Though, I’m still surprised that these guys can carry me around so easily. While a part of me is ashamed, another part of me revels at how strong they all are, and while I’m in love with Patch and wouldn’t do anything with anyone else, it’s definitely nice to have so much eye candy around.
Smoke sets me down on the couch, and then I hear a stampede coming down the hallway. I spin around, wincing slightly as I accidentally bump my broken leg on the coffee table, worried something else is wrong. My body sags in relief when my kids come barreling into the room, their little heads frantically look around, and when they see me and Patch, they all race toward us. Not surprisingly, Bastion’s right on their heels. The kids have fallen head over heels in love with Bastion and I’m sure we’ll be getting a dog at some point as a result.
“Wait,” I call out as I put my hands out, hoping to stop them before they throw themselves at us. “Patch got hurt today, so you have to be careful.” Thankfully, they all skid to a halt.
Cassie’s little chin wobbles as she looks over Patch, the trembling worsening when she sees the blood and bandages. “Daddy got hurt? Where all are you hurt?”
Carefully, Patch lowers himself to the couch. “Most of the injuries are from when the window on my truck was busted and I tried to shield your mom. Also, some are from when I had to climb out the window,” he says as he shows them his forearms and hands.
Ash frowns. “But what about this?” he asks as he gently runs his finger over the bandage peeking out from under the arm of Patch’s shirt. Patch hesitates, and I get why he might not want to tell them the truth, but I hope he still does.
“A few bullets grazed me. Two of them hit here,” he says as he points to his right arm, “another got my side, and there are two more on my right thigh.”
Isaiah’s and Cassie’s eyes fill with tears, whereas Ash’s face darkens as he clenches his fist. His gaze cuts to mine and I know he has questions, but he won’t voice them in front of Isaiah and Cassie. He never does.
“We can talk later, Hawk,” Patch tells Ash, “but right now, I just want you three in my arms.” His voice is rough and thick with emotion. All three of them go willingly to him and he kisses their heads as he whispers to them. My heart feels like it’s going to burst at seeing them like this.
Movement has me looking up, and my body sags in relief when I see Levi and Mae unharmed, their men surrounding them.
“You’re both alright,” I say right before a sob rips out of me. They both come round the corner of the couch and Levi sits down next to me while Mae sits down on the coffee table after scooting it closer. We all embrace as we cry, though Levi’s trying really hard to hide that she’s crying.
After a few moments, a phone buzzes and I look up as I wipe my eyes.
“Drae says the cops are here and it’s not just Sam, Brady, and Dixon. There are some guys by the names of Shyvers and Wilson as well,” Thor says, his voice hard and icy, though I don’t know why. Then the names register and I groan.
“Shyvers and Wilson are as crooked as can be. Like Stephan, they both hate the club with a passion, but I don’t know why.”
Someone chuckles darkly as they walk up to us and I look up at Bear in question when he stops next to Thor.
“Probably because they’re still pissed they never made the cut back in the day. Both of their granddads and old men were in a club that we took over years ago. They were some of the very few that we let stay and the rest, who didn’t want to go clean, were told to get the fuck out. Shyvers and Wilson thought that since they had family in the club, they could do whatever the fuck they wanted. That they were a shoe in. Well, they took it too far by trying to force themselves on a couple of hangarounds and Poseidon, the previous president and Thor and Dragon’s old man, tossed them out on their asses. They’ve held a grudge to this day, especially since they were practically disowned by their families because of what they did.”
“They’ve been trying to bring us down ever since,” Dragon grits out.
“Come on, let’s go meet them and see what they say,” Thor says and Patch kisses each of the kids before having them slide off his lap.
“Stay in here, Siren.”
Clutching his hand, I tug on his cut. He carefully bends down and kisses me.
“Be careful and be safe. They’ll try any trick they can think of to make you incriminate yourselves.”
“Don’t worry, Siren. We’ll handle this.”
He gives me one more quick kiss and follows the guys outside.
“How about we get you all set up in the game room with a movie?” Mae asks as Elvira comes forward with Lindsey, but the kids all but cling to me instead.
Cupping Cassie’s cheek, I kiss her forehead. “I don’t know what those men will try to do, but I’d rather you three not be out here for that. Can you please go with Mae and Elvira? We’ll come get you when we’re done, I promise.”
“Pinky promise?” Cassie asks with tears in her eyes. I’d really rather cuddle them all close after what’s happened today, but I don’t want them to witness whatever lies those two will spew. I already know just me being here will throw gasoline on the flames, but I have no idea what seeing the kids will make them say or do.
Hooking my finger around hers, I smile. “Pinky promise, Angel.”
My chest tightens as all three of them hug me and place a kiss on my cheek before going with Mae and Elvira, Bastion trailing behind them like the protector that he is. I watch them disappear down the hallway and release a shaky breath.
I can do this, I tell myself. I can deal with these assholes and not let them get under my skin.
The clubhouse doors open and my stomach plummets at the smug looks on Shyvers and Wilson’s faces, and they do nothing to hide their lecherous looks as they practically eye fuck Levi and me. After a moment, recognition dawns in their eyes as they stare at me, and I repress a shiver at the dark looks that cross their faces.
Fuck, what are they going to try to do or say?