by A P Foote
Sitting up I gaze out of the window just in time to see the paramedics load Clyde onto the stretcher and haul him into the ambulance.
At least he’s still alive… for now.
Dalton
They took them. Kat, Cass. I watched helpless behind the fucking safety of forest while my brother was arrested, Kat refusing to let Clyde die, and her being thrown around like a rag doll for it. Even if I’m still on the fence about him, she cares for him. They slammed her into the ground, against the truck, and then that fucking pig slapped her. Who does that?
This deal was bad from the start and she knew it. But she did it for him. And now here we are, sitting in the waiting room of a hospital that reeks of rubbing alcohol sterile air and assholes in scrubs.
“Is there anyone here family of Clyde, there’s no last name.” The twenty-seven of us that fit in this tiny room stand, the doctor gives us a profound expression, also irritation. “Blood relation?”
“I am,” says a blonde woman, with sun kissed skin, tight jeans hugging her hourglass figure with jeweled slides and a peach long sleeved blouse. She could be his sister but even with her youthfulness she would still have to be much older than him.
“You are?” the doctor asks, watching her intently.
“I’m his mother, Angela.”
His mom? I didn’t think he had a mom, she sure as hell never spanked his ass when he was a kid if she was around.
The doctor speaks in hushed whispers, keeping his voice low so none would overhear. Reading his lips is an epic fail, they’re too small to form any coherent words unless he’s to project his voice.
He finishes explaining to her, walking away shortly after finishing. She turns to us, her vibrant blue eyes boring into me. “Dalton?”
Being trapped in her stare makes me uneasy, she’s intimidating as hell, way more intimidation than Clyde. She approaches me, keeping me locked in her stare. “Clyde’s going to be fine, he’s still not out of the woods, but they expect him to make a full recovery.”
She keeps me pinned, not saying anything, just… staring. “That’s good, that’s… great.” I breathe a sigh of relief, not for me but for Kat. She won’t admit it but she fucking loves that guy. She always has, there’s no denying it. But she must feel strongly for my brother and I as well, she didn’t just choose him she chose us all.
“Why is Kat in jail?”
Oh, straight to the point huh?
Kat
My legs hurt from pacing this fucking box. Clyde’s face is stuck in my head, not the good stuff either. The blood pooling around his mouth, his tanned skin fading to a zombie gray color.
He was losing too much blood, and that little bit of time between when they ripped me off of him and the paramedic arrived could be the difference between life and death. All I can do is hope and fucking pray the got him to the hospital on time.
Where’s Cass? He should be in the holding cell beside me.
They took him directly to the back when we strode in, whereas they just tossed me in here like bad lettuce.
There’s a god-awful buzzing sound when the heavy steel door across the room slides open. A guard walks in, following behind him is a familiar face. Camden?
My hands grip the bars keeping me contained, good thing too because if they gave me access to this guy, I’d tear his throat out.
“Kat.” He nods, stepping way too close for… his comfort. But he doesn’t know that.
I’m feeling twitchy, should I or shouldn’t I give him an up close and personal experience with iron?
“Where’s Cass?” I question, my heart beating against my throat, my hands clamming up from the fire driving my hate.
“He’s being released as we speak.” Mr. Aqua eyes winks, a small smile creasing the corners of his mouth. My disheartened laugh bubbles out, turning my back at the fucking betrayal seeping in.
Just when I thought… well fuck what the hell did I think?
Another buzz irks my nerves, the locks on the door to my cell release, and the unwieldy door slides open, a brief reprieve from my claustrophobia.
“You ready to go?”
His words stun me. Leave? I just killed people, got a man stabbed. They found drugs, a few guns and god knows what else in that place, and they’re letting me go?
Facing him my eye twitches, I squint to hide the reaction. “What do you mean?”
He looks around, keeping his smile in place. “You’re free to go,” he states, stepping to the side of the cell, holding his arm in the direction of freedom.
“Why?” I question his intentions.
He steps inside with me this time, dipping his head close to mine. “Does it really mater right now? Go home, and don’t come back here. I’m watching you; I’m always watching you,” he whispers, his minty breath wafting over me.
Whatever the reason is I can deal with it later. Right now, Clyde needs me. They all need me, and that last thing we need is to be caught with our fucking pants around our ankles… again.
I nod, brushing past him but his hand wraps around my bicep, stopping me from proceeding. “Watch your back, know who you can trust.”
Those statements, I’ve heard them before. He releases my arm. “Go.”
Where have I heard that?
Later. I need to find Cass and we need to get to the others. The desk sergeant hands me a clear bag with my cell, wallet and keys sealed in.
“Your transportation is in the parking lot, make a left and I’m sure you’ll find it,” she says with an expression that’s a non-expression. The people in this town are fucking weird.
Double panned sliding doors open, the sun has set and the Washington, winter air’s sticks hard, pins and needles is what it feels like against my skin.
“Kat!” I hear my name called and turn in the direction of the voice to see Cass perched against the bikes. They better not have fucked with my shit.
My hands dive into my hoodie to hide from the cold as I make my way across the barren parking lot to Cass who’s waiting. He leaves the bikes meeting me halfway, wrapping his arms around me, pulling me close against his body. A rare occurrence for him, considering he hasn’t really shown affection since we met, especially when he was being sketchy.
“I’m sorry,” he says into my hair. His hand lifts my shirt, kneading the tips of his fingers into my flesh. “I should have never lied to you.”
“It’s okay, I get why you did it. If I wasn’t attached, I would have killed you. Consider yourself in my good graces,” I breathe, my hand caressing the back of his head.
“Let’s find the others,” he states, letting me go. We hop on the bikes and peel out in the direction of the hospital.
Ten minutes later we pull into the hospital. We’re a little worse for wear but with what we just went through its to be expected. The club’s bikes are lined in the front, where we also park.
We hurry inside, and the nurse at the front desk tries to intercept us but I breeze past her. This hospital is a maze, but the signs help guide us to the waiting room. Dalton’s sitting by Nix who perks up as soon as we walk through the door.
“Jesus Christ, I thought you were done for lass.” Nix laughs, standing to greet me.
“You can’t get rid of me that easy.” I smile, accepting Nix’s welcoming hug. He lets go rather quickly, Dalton filling his spot. He holds me for quite some time, unwilling to let me go. “How is he?”
“He’ll be fine, the blade nicked his stomach, filling it with blood but they fixed him up. He’s not out of the woods but they expect him to make a full recovery.”
“Oh, thank god.” Tears spring to my eyes as I run my hand over D’s shoulders, missing the feeling of his body next to mine.
“One more thing,” he admits.
“What?”
The hallways in this fucking place are a disaster. I have no clue how this place is still operational.
We have a big fucking problem. Clyde’s mom is back and that can’t be good. And a man who Dalton d
idn’t catch his name.
153, 155, 157…159.
My hand slides against the wall, gripping the doorframe to help me slide in over the threshold without face planting into the ground.
Taking the corner a little fast and even with the help of the door I still manage to crash into the wooden door that’s wide enough open to fit a hospital bed through.
The light inside the room is dim, and two strikingly intense faces look up from their perches on the plastic couch.
“Hello, Kat.”
“Hey, Kitty Kat.”
I’ve just seen a fucking ghost. The color drains from my face, my heart stops beating even though I’m still standing upright, and nothing but complete and utter confusion fills me.
“Dad?!”
To Be Continued...
About the Author
Hi, Ashley here. I’m a newish Author from Florida who’s been a stay at home mom for the last four years. Writing has always been my dream since I was a little girl and I decided one day I was going to make that a reality.
I was never really good at anything growing up. I’ve done everything from Softball, cheerleading, ice hockey, figure skating, band, chorus, and pottery. But none of that really stuck until I started writing for our middle school newspaper. Reading came next and from then on, I was hooked. I just couldn’t put them down.
It wasn’t long after that I knew what my passion in life was. Writing and sharing my stories with readers and other authors who are just as passionate about them as I am.
You can find out more information about any upcoming work of mine and connect with me as well as other readers and authors at the links below:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/APFOOTE
https://www.facebook.com/groups/footeswarriors
Web site: https://www.apfoote.com
Other Books: Revelations the Nephilim Series Book 1
Legion the Nephilim Series Book 2