Chapter Fifteen. #2
“Yes, Hallie.” Mia Charlotte sounded terrified, but I knew the girl wouldn’t leave me.
It was too dark, and she was scared. Mia Charlotte’s hands smacked me in my forehead and then felt their way over and down.
She found the first stone near my shoulders and pushed it off.
It rolled away easily enough, as did the next three.
“Hallie, I think there’re stones on top of this one,” Mia Charlotte said tremulously.
“Okay, kiddo, you’re doing well. Find the top one and slowly push off me.”
Minutes ticked past as Mia Charlotte obeyed. There was a slight rustle, and we froze, but nothing happened. She removed the next two, and I tried wriggling free. Neither of my legs moved, although my right one felt a tad looser.
We worked together one stone at a time until I heard a rumble.
“Move, Mia Charlotte, now,” I ordered sharply, and Mia fled. Some stones fell onto my back, and I winced at the pain, but the pressure on my legs eased.
I dragged myself forward and swallowed a scream. Agony flooded me, and I knew both my legs were badly hurt. But I sighed in relief; we could escape. “Mia Charlotte, you did it! I’m free.”
“Hallie, I can’t find you,” her scared voice came back.
“Keep talking! I’ll find you.” Mia Charlotte began babbling about anything and everything. Blindly, I searched with a definite limp; I couldn’t put weight on my right ankle.
“Got you!” I cried and grabbed her shoulder.
“Yes!” Mia Charlotte exclaimed.
“Hold my hand tight, kid; we’re going to get out of here.”
We staggered a little way down the tunnel, with me ending up hopping and holding onto the walls for support, but my left leg began seizing. I lasted a minute before collapsing.
“Mia Charlotte, I can’t walk any further. We shouldn’t be far from the exit. Do you think…”
“No! I’m scared.”
I didn’t shout; I could completely understand where she was coming from. “Okay. I’m gonna get on my hands and knees and crawl. Mia Charlotte, climb up.”
With each torturous movement, we got closer to the entrance.
Or at least I hoped we did. It was entirely possible that we were heading deeper into the mine.
I’d no idea how long we’d been here, and I didn’t hold out much hope of somebody finding us.
Mindlessly, I kept crawling, just praying luck was on our side.
I heard a noise and paused. That hadn’t been me. I searched around, seeking a light or something, but saw nothing.
“Hello?” I called. Was someone here to rescue us?
Mia Charlotte was suddenly shoved off me, and somebody grabbed my hair.
“You’re going to die!” Kira screeched in my ear.
Mia Charlotte screamed as I yelped.
Kira smashed my face into the ground. How the hell was she alive? Kira should have been buried under that rockfall. And how had she found us? It was pitch black in here. She has the devil’s own luck.
Fighting for Mia Charlotte and myself, I flipped over, sending Kira into the tunnel wall as Mia Charlotte began crying in fear.
Blindly, I fought Kira as she landed punches; I couldn’t even see them coming.
I reached up and punched where her face should be and hit something hard.
My fingers caught on a strap, and I ripped it away.
Night vision glasses, that total bitch! I flung them away, and now we were on level footing.
We rolled about as Kira shrieked like a wild thing.
Kira appeared in better condition than me and was winning.
Suddenly Kira missed a punch and fell forward, and I took my chance.
With renewed strength, I straddled her and groped around, and my hands clutched a rock.
I brought it down on Kira’s head, repeatedly, until she went still, but I gave her a few more whacks just in case.
A torchlight appeared as I raised my weapon again.
“Hallie?” a voice called.
“Uncle Scythe!” Mia Charlotte shouted with relief. The light hit me, and I couldn’t imagine what the guy holding it thought. I hesitated and then glanced down and smashed Kira one last time. Fuck her.
“Damn! Hallie, I’m Scythe, from the Devil’s Scythe. I’m a close friend of Hellfire. We’ve been out looking for you,” he said.
“Mia Charlotte, come here,” I ordered.
“It’s okay, Hallie. It’s Uncle Scythe.”
“You know him?”
“Yes. He’s my uncle.”
“That’s good,” I replied weakly and collapsed face first onto Kira. I was done.
Scythe
Oh shit. I’d no idea what Rascal’s woman had been through, but Hallie looked like hell.
“Tinker, grab Mia Charlotte,” I ordered as I moved to where the two women lay. The one underneath Hallie had to be the nutjob. She wouldn’t be doing anything for a long time. Hallie had bashed her face in. I just hoped this was Hallie who I was picking up.
“Mia Charlotte, which one is Hallie?” I demanded, pausing.
“That one. See, her jeans are ripped. Hallie was crawling out with me on her back because her legs are hurt,” Mia Charlotte replied. “The one in the dress is the bad Hallie.”
I scooped Hallie up and followed Tinker and Bishop out. Once outside, I winced.
“Christ,” Tinker muttered.
“Bishop, call Hellfire, let them know we found their missing chicks, but Hallie needs a hospital.” I placed her down gently and started checking her over for broken bones. Her jeans were covered in blood and dust, and muttering an apology to Rascal, I slipped them down and hissed.
Yup, no wonder Hallie couldn’t walk. Her ankle was definitely broken, and her legs had been shredded. I’d no idea what had caused these injuries, but Hallie was in a critical state.
“Tinker, is Mia Charlotte okay?”
“Yeah, shaken and scared, but she’s fine.”
“Hallie protected me. The mean Hallie kept trying to hurt her,” Mia Charlotte explained.
“Bear is on his way; I called him first,” Bishop called.
“Good call.”
I brushed Hallie’s hair away from her face. “I don’t like Hallie’s pallor.”
“Ambulance is coming, Prez. Looks like she put up a fight.”
“Leave the other bitch where she is. She’s no problem of ours. The cops can deal with her,” I said.
Bishop and Tinker didn’t argue, and I didn’t expect them to.
Hallie
The hospital’s bright lights stung my eyes.
“Lights,” I whispered. Moments later they dimmed, and King’s worried face popped into view.
“Hallie, I can’t believe—”
“Don’t start!” I ordered weakly. “Mia Charlotte is alive.”
“Thanks to you,” Chance stated, and I glanced around the room. Aside from Rascal, King, and Chance, there were Shee, Celt, Wraith, Bone, and surprisingly, Bear.
“Why are you here?” I asked.
“You saved my baby girl. Whatever you want is yours; I’ll never repay that debt,” Bear replied.
I sneered at Chance. “Wasn’t it my fault that Mia Charlotte was in danger in the first place?”
“No. I lashed out, and I’m sorry,” Chance apologised.
“Why are you all here?” I demanded, unsure what to do with the apology.
“It’s a club thing: a brother, old lady or kid is hurt badly, we all turn up to support them,” Chance explained.
“Again, why are you here?” I repeated.
King laughed and shook his head. “Told ya!”
“Babe, you’re with me, and my old lady,” Rascal said.
“Yeah, I don’t think so, not after what I’ve gone through. That’s way too quick,” I retorted.
Rascal’s face froze. “Do you love me?”
“Yup, I did before, but that didn’t stop you thinking that I’d stabbed you now, did it?”
“Okay. I see. We’ve some work to do,” Rascal stated.
Unamused, I rolled my eyes and stared at everyone who was smirking. “Where’s the bitch?” I asked.
Their faces sobered. “In ICU. You literally bashed her brains in. Kira’s got swelling on the brain, and doctors are saying she’s going to have brain damage. Plus, you did a number on Kira’s face. Nobody will mistake Kira for you again,” King said.
“Good. Kira got what she deserved,” I replied.
“You’ve broken your ankle and have a fractured elbow, multiple lacerations and bruises, and you had thirty stitches down your left leg, babe. You literally sliced it open.”
“Must have done that wriggling free from the rockfall. Guess I won’t be wearing a dress again. Oh well, that can match my face.”
I yawned.
Chance stepped forward. “Get some rest. We’ll make shit up to you, Hallie. You saved my Veep’s baby girl. We’ll never repay that debt, but we’ll break our backs proving you’re one of us.”
“Nuh, huh.” My eyes fluttered closed as I yawned again.
“Sleep, babe, I love you,” Rascal murmured.
“Asshole, you ain’t got my permission. She’s my sister,” King said.
“You starting trouble?” Rascal flared up.
“Oh, I’m ending it,” King threatened.
I ignored them and fell to sleep.