Chapter One
Canto struggled to his feet and he ducked low, almost crawling to where his sister was laying.
Ironman set his rifle aside and crouched on the floor, checking Lilly’s wounds. She had a blood stain high on her chest, more so her shoulder but at least there was only one hole. She groaned as he scooped her up in his arms and lifted her, walking down the hall toward the Infirmary.
Canto got to his feet and followed them down the hall.
Titus looked over at Jep. “Who was out there with a gun?”
Jep looked up from the monitor and swallowed hard.
“As soon as Ironman opened the door, her Uncle Tomas stepped out of the trees with a rifle to his shoulder and got a shot off. Had Ironman stepped out he would have probably been shot right in the heart,” he told them quietly.
“She took the bullet that would have killed him.”
Boomer strode over to the monitor and looked down at the area by the trees.
“Well, that sonofabitch isn't gonna get a second shot.” He grabbed his phone and sent a text to his son Tracker, who was up on the roof, ‘see red and shoot.’ Then he took a red laser light and moved closer to the front window.
When he spotted the man standing just inside the tree line he flashed the light and held the light over his chest.
Suddenly, the crack of a rifle shot could be heard. The man’s eyes widened and he fell first to his knees then to his face. A puff of dry dirt rose up and when it settled it covered the man. Gunshots continued from other areas of the outside.
After the bullets stopped the brothers stood up on the roof and several brothers cautiously came out of the clubhouse. They spread out. Some went outside the gates and began combing the woods for anyone still breathing.
They found four still alive and after they took the guns away from them they tied their hands together to haul them toward the clubhouse. But they also found almost a dozen bodies. They kicked their weapons away and lined up the dead. Jep took photos of them so they could identify them.
Ulysses combed the area again looking for anyone they missed. He paused beside a huge tree and found drops of blood on the ground. Holding his weapon, he kept searching the area for another body.
He went around the tree and found a bigger spot of blood. He raised his head spotting a body three trees over and he approached it carefully. When he reached the person he noticed it was a woman. And she was covered in blood, her own blood. He rolled her over on the ground.
She groaned in pain at being moved.
“Hang tight little one,” he whispered. “How the hell did you go and get yourself shot? I wasn’t aware the Sanchez group used women to fight their battles.”
The woman whimpered in pain. “They don’t.” She opened her eyes and they nearly glowed with a startling green. “I had to be here today.”
Ulysses sat back on his heels and just stared at her. Her long dark hair looked messy and her green eyes blazed in her face with rage. “Why?” He asked. “Why did you come here?”
“I hoped to see this finally end. I saw them fall one by one, so I thank you for that.”
Ulysses shook his head. “Why would you thank me?”
In obvious pain, the woman curled up into a fetal position. “Because if you hadn’t stopped them they would have sure as hell stopped you.”
He shook his head then gathered her into his arms and picked her up. He carried her back to the clubhouse.
Titus looked up and asked, “What the hell?” he growled.
Bouncer and Boomer looked up as their eyes went wide.
“What did you find Ulysses?” Bouncer asked.
Ulysses shrugged. “She said she came to watch all of this come to an end. Not quite sure why but she said it needed to happen.” He looked down at her and added, “She must have caught a stray bullet. It got pretty crazy there for a little while.”
“Take her down to Pyrite and have him take a look at her.” Bouncer nodded down the hall.
He carried her down the hall and entered the Infirmary. Ironman was there with the doc and Lily.
Pyrite was just finishing up taking the bullet out of Lily when he looked up. He closed his eyes briefly then asked, “Can she wait?”
Ulysses shook his head. “She’s bleeding something fierce, doc.”
“Tell her to just hang on then. I need to close this wound first,” Pyrite told him. “I’m almost done with Lily here then I’ll look at her.” He nodded at the next bed in the room.
Ulysses carried her over to it then gently laid her down.
The woman groaned again. By this time her face looked truly pale and she wouldn’t or couldn’t open her eyes.
In a couple of minutes, Pyrite came over while wiping his hands on a towel and paused looking down at her.
“Where the hell did you find her?” He could see she was covered in blood and had a bullet wound in her upper shoulder.
He grabbed a pair of scissors and began cutting her shirt to see the wound better.
His cut opened the whole shirt and when Pyrite cut the front completely he exposed her front from belly button to shoulder.
Ulysses growled and grabbed a small towel to at least cover her front.
Pyrite shook his head. “Sorry man, but I had to see to see the wound and I don’t usually look at women except to determine the injury.” He took her vitals and shook his head. “From the looks of this she’s been bleeding a while.”
He went on to clean the wound area then frowned. He gently turned her over and froze.
Ulysses growled deep in his chest as the room was quiet.