CHAPTER 13
SKINNY
“Hey, girl,” I say, rubbing Cinder’s head where she’s laid it on my lap. I know she’s getting older and that we’ll be losing her soon, but I’d been burying my head in the sand. My girl was slowing down and struggling to walk from our house to the clinic every day.
I’d taken to driving her in my truck because I didn’t have it in me to leave her behind, not with knowing that our time together was short.
I’d had ten, almost eleven good years with her as my constant companion, and I didn’t know what I was going to do without her.
It seemed the bigger Josie got with our babies, the slower Cinder got.
Cleo pushed open the door of my office and ambled in, bumping her head against Cinder, who huffed a sigh but walked towards her bed and climbed in, doing her usual circle before lying down.
Cleo wasted no time in snuggling up to her friend.
It always amused me to see the two of them together, but they seemed to have formed a bond from the day they’d met, more than likely because they were the only two animals free to roam around the clinic.
I went back to looking into some background checks that Reaper had asked me to do and was deep into them when my phone rang with an unknown number. I almost didn’t answer it, but something told me I should.
“Hello.”
“Are you Skinny?” a terse female voice asks.
“I am.”
“Oh, thank Christ, yours was the only number that wasn’t covered in blood.”
My chair shoots back as I leap to my feet at her words.
“Who’s hurt?” I demand, already walking out of my office and up the stairs, leaving the door open for Cinder and Cleo.
“Jill, I’m bringing her in. She demanded that I bring her here instead of to her family. She keeps asking for someone called Blaze.”
“He’s a brother,” I tell her as I run past Josie and towards the town where I know Blaze is working in the shop. “Where do we need to meet you?”
“Oh, I’m coming to you. I’m coming in hot because the plane got hit, so it’s going to be a rough landing. I’m travelling with several children and Jill, who is severely injured. She’ll need some medical care.”
“Fuck,” I growl, turning towards what I know are Josie’s footsteps.
Despite being eight months pregnant, she’s hurrying towards me, a big first-aid kit in hand, though not as quickly as before.
Chase comes running out behind her, catching her up and taking the first-aid kit from her before grasping her elbow and supporting her.
Knowing that she’s being looked after, I hurry to find Blaze, asking the pilot, “Do you have the coordinates?”
“I do. Just get here quickly.” With that, she signs off, obviously needing her attention focused on getting the plane landed.
Running into Blaze’s store, I rush into his office, making him look up in surprise. “Jill,” I pant, “she’s hurt. Come on.”
I turn and run back out of the shop to where Josie and Chase are waiting with Bond and Cairo.
“We need to get to the airfield. Jill and another woman, piloting a damaged plane, are coming in. They’re coming in hot and may have to crash land.
Several children are on board with Jill, who is injured.
Someone needs to get hold of Bull and Rogue. ”
Bond turns away and does that. Ignoring Blaze, who is standing and shifting his feet impatiently, I turn to Josie and say, “Can you get a room ready at the clinic for her? I don’t know what shape she’s in, but apparently, it’s bad.
I’ll take Chase with me to stabilise her, and can you let Jett know? ”
“Got it,” Josie agrees. Rising to her tiptoes, she kisses my cheek and waddles back to the clinic.
“What do you know?” Blaze asks tightly.
“Nothing, brother,” I reply, jogging towards my truck, with Chase and Blaze following. Jumping in, I take off, wheels spinning and kicking up dust as I hurry towards the landing strip. Behind me, I can see Bull, Rogue, Cairo, and Bond following on their bikes.
Slamming on my brakes, the vehicle I’m driving slides a little on the loose gravel before it comes to a rocking stop.
We hear the plane before we see it, and it’s not looking good.
There’s a plume of smoke billowing out and trailing behind it.
It comes closer and closer before the pilot finds the airstrip and slows down to land.
Blaze vibrates beside me as we watch the plane bounce a few times on the runway before coming to a stop.
Chase and Blaze are up the stairs as soon as they lower.
It’s not a huge plane, likely a six-seater at the most, with no registration numbers on the hull.
Inside the plane, we can hear children crying and a woman speaking soothingly.
Blaze appears in the doorway with a pale and bloodied Jill in his arms and a white-faced Chase following behind him.
Blaze’s face is hard with tension as he hurries towards us.
He says nothing. I toss Bond my keys to drive them as I’m the only one who has spoken to the woman who piloted the plane. It’s best I stay.
I fill Bull, Rogue, and Cairo in with as much information as I can. When the crying in the plane subsides, I call out, “You can come out. Blaze has taken Jill to the clinic, and we’ve called her family.”
A little head appears, followed by another as they walk down the steps. We can tell they are boys, but they can’t be more than three years old. A woman walks down the stairs behind them, followed by a dark-haired teenage girl.
Cairo’s entire body goes rigid with tension as he breathes out, “Alice.”
We’re all perplexed; he obviously knows her, but how? We’d never heard of her, and I’ve known him since just after we finished basic training.
“Who the fuck is Alice?” Rogue asks in confusion.
“My wife,” Cairo replies darkly.