2. Camile
CAMILE
The air is punched out of my lungs and my knees buckle.
Ace notices and he catches me before I fall.
Jack shot, Ghost gone.
No, no, no. This can’t be happening.
I feel like I can’t breathe. Is he dead? Is Jack dead? And what about Ghost? What’s happened to him? Where is he? Is he still alive?
These thoughts tumble through my head all at once, so I can’t make sense of them, or bring my mouth to form the words. I cling to Ace’s forearm, trying to stop the world from spinning. Utter terror fills my chest at the possibility of Jack and Ghost no longer being a part of this world.
It suddenly dawns on me that Jack and Ghost aren’t the only ones to worry about. Rook is covered in blood, and I don’t know where it’s coming from.
My brain starts up again, as if it’s a system that has come back online. I find strength in my legs to stand upright and let go of Ace’s arm.
“Oh, my God, Rook. Are you hurt?” I rush to him. “You’re covered in blood.”
He looks down at himself as if only just realizing it. “Jack’s,” he says in a monotone. “It’s Jack’s. I’m just sore.” He indicates to two men who seem in a bad way. “We wiped out, oil on the road. Some of the men are hurt.”
My head spins again. Oh, no. Oh, God no.
“Fuck.” Ace is pale next to me.
“Is he dead?” My words are hoarse whispers. “Is Jack dead, Rook?”
“No.” He shakes his head. “It’s bad, but he’s alive.”
Relief surges through me. He’s alive. He’s alive.
Rook continues. “He’s been medevacked to the hospital. The paramedics on scene said he needs surgery. That’s good, right? They only do surgery if they can save you.”
Rook is scaring me because he seems to be trying to convince himself.
“Listen, we need to get a war room convened now,” Saul says. “The injured men need to be looked at, either here, or taken to a clinic. But we can’t stand around talking out here.”
I become aware of all the other bikers standing around us, a few of them leaning on their friends for support. For a moment, it had only been me and Ace and Rook, trapped in a bubble of the possibility that we’d lost two of our own. But now I see how much bigger this is. The whole club is involved.
Saul is president right now, I guess. If Ghost were here… but then I remember Rook said he’s been taken.
“What happened to Ghost?” I take hold of Rook’s hands and look up at him imploringly. “You say they took him. Where? Who?”
“They grabbed him and pushed him into one of their cars and drove off. We were taken by surprise. There was oil on the road. I memorized the plate, so we can try to track them down.”
“Okay, let’s wrap this up right the fuck now.” Phoenix steps forward, calm and in control despite what he’s just been through. “Ace, Rook, Big Mike, Saul, and Zoo. Let’s call Church. Just us, though.”
“And me,” I say quietly.
Phoenix scoffs. “Lady, absolutely not. You’re the entire fucking reason for this, if my suspicions are correct.”
I flinch at his words but stand my ground. “Exactly why I should be in the room.”
“I want her there,” Rook says.
Saul looks to Phoenix and shakes his head.
“Technically, I can’t let her out of my sight,” Ace says. “Sorry. Jack’s orders.”
“Don’t play games, Ace,” Saul snaps.
“Not playing games. If you think for one minute Jack would want her left alone, especially right now, you’ve lost your damn minds.” He shoots them a meaningful look, conveying something I don’t understand.
Saul sighs. “Fine. The girl comes, too. Everyone else, please go back to your homes, and stay inside. Or gather in the bar, but keep safe. I want four armed men on the gates, and at least another three or four walking the perimeter.” He taps Zoo on the arm.
“Can you gather everyone’s cell phones? Then bring them to the meeting? ”
“What?” one woman says indignantly.
A rippled murmur of outrage passes through the group.
“We need everyone’s phones. Sorry.” Saul is calm but firm.
As Zoo starts to gather the phones from the crowd, we head to the clubhouse, through the bar. Saul takes out a key and unlocks the door to Jack’s office.
I walk in, and Jack’s familiar and sexy smell hits me. I bet he was here earlier. Maybe he even keeps some aftershave in here, because that musky scent grabs me by the throat, and I work to swallow down my sob.
Damn it, Jack, you can’t die on me. Not now. I’d never get over it.
“I still don’t think she should be here,” Saul says. He looks at me, and it’s not with anger, but simply thoughtful. “There’s clearly a leak, and she might be it. I ought to at least take her phone.”
The next moment, Ace has Saul by his collar and shoves him up against the wall. “Take that back! She would never, and anyway she’s been with one of us all the time. I swear, Jack will have your balls for suggesting this.”
“What the fuck, Ace?” Phoenix hauls Ace off Saul and shoves him into a chair. He points at him and snaps, “Stay.”
“I’m not a dog,” Ace snarls.
“Then act smarter than one.” Phoenix pinches the bridge of his nose. “Goddamn it.” He kicks the filing cabinet and starts to pace the room.
“What do you mean there’s a leak?” I ask, looking between the men.
Rook sinks into a chair and looks at me with those gorgeous bright blue eyes of his. “Someone knew we were coming. That was no normal oil spill from a vehicle. That shit was all over the road, right at the worst bend. Then we were ambushed, so yeah. Someone planned that.”
“Maybe the Revenants?” Ace says, almost hopefully.
“No way. This was not them. This was guys in big vehicles, like I said, with blacked out windows and fucking machine guns and Christ knows what,” Rook states.
“We need to get all the footage from as many local security cameras we can, and call Normie and ask him to reach out to his contacts in the police. Anything we can find on cameras on the highways or back roads can help. Plus, the cops can run this plate number for whatever it’s worth.
I doubt it’ll be real. Does anyone have a way we can access flight logs?
See what private planes have come in and out locally?
I doubt they fly American Airlines, right? ”
Rook is so calm and in control, and it strikes me that he’s stepping up and taking charge.
“The cartel,” I say softly in response to what he’s saying. “It’s my fault. All my fault.” Tears sting my eyes, but I won’t cry in front of everyone, so I blink them back.
“What can you tell us about these men?” Phoenix demands. “Anything you can give us, Camile, could help.”
“I don’t know anything, not really. I mean other than the family name of Sanchez, and I already told Jack and the others that when we first brought Ledger back here.
Plus, Ace tortured Ledger and got what information he could out of him.
They used to do business with my father, but then it went wrong.
I guess we became enemies, and they started to carry out raids against our businesses.
I had no idea they’d become powerful enough to do all of this. ”
“Could they know what happened with Ledger?” Rook asks, looking around. “Is there anyway they’d have found out we were the ones who took him?”
Phoenix purses his lips. “It’s possible. Someone could be talking, which is why we need the cell phones.”
No one had believed the cartel would come all the way here and hit an MC.
Ledger said he was working alone, and I believe he was because why else did he need the help of absolute idiots like the Numbnuts and the hired hang-arounds from the Revenants?
Those men weren’t under his control, and they did things he didn’t approve of.
If he’d had access to the cartel and their men, he’d have used them.
“None of this makes sense,” I say. “Ledger was here without his family’s help, at least initially. I’m convinced of that.”
“Same,” Ace replies. “I can assure you, he was very thoroughly tortured by me.”
“Sure fucking was.” Big Mike shoots Ace a faintly disgusted look.
Phoenix crosses his arms over his chest, making his biceps bulge. “Right, but the facts remain, either the cartel is after us, or a totally unheard-of enemy has decided to attack for no reason. Hear hooves, think horses not zebras.”
The door pushes open and Zoo strides in, holding two large plastic bags which he puts on the desk.
“That’s most of the phones, and I have the passcodes for them all written down and stuck to the backs.
There are only a few people’s phones we don’t have yet.
A couple of guys and two ol’ ladies who are all at work.
We’ll get their phones when they return to the compound.
Of course, there’s also some of the sweetbutts who aren’t here. We might need to pay them a visit.”
“I need to see Jack,” I blurt.
Everyone turns to look at me. I feel awful because I care just as much about Ghost, and Rook, who looks like he might shatter. But right now, Rook has his brothers with him, and we don’t know where Ghost is. I don’t know what else I’m supposed to do to help find him.
I can be there for Jack.
“I’m going to the hospital.” It’s not a question, and I’m not asking permission. I am going, and none of them can stop me.
“I’ll go with you,” Ace says. “Listen, Mike, why don’t you come with us, and we can grab Tank, and Zoo.
We can’t risk going alone, and we need to be armed.
Phoenix, Rook, Saul, you guys investigate all of this.
I still say the best thing to do is find where the fuck Ghost is, arm ourselves to the max, and go bring him back in a show of massive force.
We need to prove to whoever has done this that they can’t mess with us, and most of all not on our territory. ”
“That gets my vote, too,” I say, though I’m not actually sure I get a vote.
“Mine as well.” Rook’s jaw is set firm. “Those bastards deserve to die.”
Phoenix nods. “Fine, then, let’s get on with it. I’ll see if I can get into the cameras. I’m not as good as Ghost at hacking shit, but I’m not bad. Saul, can you go through the phones?”
“Absolutely,” Saul says. “You guys message when you arrive at the hospital.”
Ace touches two fingers to his head in a salute gesture, and we leave the office to head for the bikes.
They’re all parked outside of the clubhouse, and the men talk in low voices for a moment as I climb on with Ace, wrapping my arms around his middle and pressing myself as close as I can to his back.
Tank takes out his phone, which Saul had thoroughly checked before returning it, and types something before pocketing it and winking at Zoo.
Twenty minutes later, and my head is spinning. We’re about two minutes out from the hospital, and I can’t believe the number of weapons the men have on them. How they think they can get them into a hospital is beyond me.
We park in the lot nearby and jog over the small access road to the main entrance to the building.
“Okay, you’re not getting in there with those weapons,” I say.
Tank grins. “Yeah, we are. I have a sister who works at the desk here, and she’s on shift today. I’ve already messaged from Zoo’s phone. She’s going to wave us through and distract the security guard.”
God, they have tentacles everywhere. I’m only just beginning to truly understand the power of the club.
True to his word, Tank greets a pretty and surprisingly petite blonde woman, and she waves us through via a turnstile. Thank God this place is too small for heavy security.
“Take the stairs,” she says, her voice low, “and keep that shit hidden. Be quick. Nigel, the guard, is taking a leak, but he won’t be long. Jack is on floor five, room seven, but he’s in surgery right now.”
My heart lurches at the thought of Jack being under the knife, but I push my feelings down. I’m here for him, and for that I need to be strong.
When we step out onto the floor, there’s a nurses’ station right in front of us, and a corridor that goes left and right, with rooms off it in either direction. Right next to the nurses’ station, on the left, is a room with a sign on the door that reads “Visitor Lounge.”
“Whoa.” The nurse looks up from her files and frowns at the sight of all the big bikers standing there. “Can I help you all?”
“We’re here for Jack McGrath.” Ace offers her his panty-dropping smile, but it doesn’t work.
“You can’t all be here. No way. This is too many people. He already has his next of kin.”
My heart drops at those words. Shit, why hadn’t I thought of that? She’s my friend, but I doubt Vani will want me here. Of course, they called her. God, I’m so stupid.
“You have to leave,” the nurse states firmly.
“No, we’re staying,” Ace says. “Tank, Mike, you guys go down to the cafeteria or something, but I’ll stay here with Camile.” He looks at the nurse. “Happy? There’s only two of us now.”
She sighs but nods. “You can wait in the visitors’ room. Mr. McGrath is still in surgery. We’ll update you when we know more.”
“Thank you,” I tell her sincerely.
Bracing myself, I push open the door and walk in to find a red-eyed Vani, with Zane by her side, and Saint looking out of the window.
I wonder where Lex is, but then Vani looks up and sees me.
She pushes up from her chair, and I rush to her, opening my arms to hug her.
My natural affection for her overrides anything else.
But she shakes her head and steps back. “What the hell are you doing here, Camile?”
“I… Jack… he’s hurt.” I finally manage to say stupidly.
“Hurt? He could die.” She whirls on Ace. “What the hell happened? He got shot! I know it must be to do with her.” She points at me without looking. “She’s brought nothing but darkness to my father’s life and trouble to the club.”
“Vani, you don’t mean that,” Ace says. “You’re just upset.”
“Don’t tell her what she is feeling.” Saint turns from the window and crosses his arms.
I don’t want a fight, so I grab Ace’s arm and pull him to sit with me as far away from Vani as I can get.
I speak quietly. “Let’s just wait here until we find out any news.”
He nods at me.
Trying not to let Vani’s words hurt, I sit and wait.
Please God, let him live.