by Wilder, L.
Danny didn’t speak. He simply lowered his head, cowering like a wounded animal. That’s when I noticed his blood-soaked shirt. It didn’t look like the blood had come from him, which left me wondering who the blood belonged to. I was just about to ask him when Shotgun appeared in the doorway, and like Danny, he was covered in blood. “Need help getting Rafe out of the truck.”
“What the hell’s going on?” Viper roared.
“That dumb motherfucker shot him!” Shotgun snarled.
Without another word, he turned and raced back towards his truck. Viper turned to Lynch and ordered, “You stay here with him. Menace, you go get Doc.”
Menace nodded, then ran out of the bar while Viper and I went out to help Shotgun with Rafe. We found Rafe in the front seat, and a surge of adrenaline rushed through me as I noticed he had a bullet wound to the chest and another in his lower abdomen. His head was leaned back, and his white t-shirt was now completely drenched in blood. Unbuckling Rafe’s seatbelt, Shotgun whispered, “All right, brother. It’s time to get you inside.”
Rafe was pale and clearly weak as he raised up and looked at Shotgun. “You can stop with all that worrying shit, brother. I’m gonna be fine.”
“I know you are,” Shotgun argued.
“And another thing”—Rafe winced as Viper helped Shotgun carefully lift him out of the truck—“it ain’t your fault that dickhead shot me. No way you could’ve—”
“Enough of that,” Shotgun interrupted. “You need to save your strength.”
“I told you to stop that shit. I’m not dying. Damn.” Rafe grunted as they started towards the door. “It’s just a flesh wound.”
I rushed over and opened the door for them. Once they were inside, I started to follow them but stopped when Shotgun looked over to me and said, “Gonna need you to go get the girl.”
“The girl? What girl?”
“Says she’s Danny’s sister. She’s still in the back, and be careful,” Shotgun warned. “That one’s a live wire.”
With all the commotion, I hadn’t seen anyone else in the back seat, but I took his word for it and went over to the truck. I opened the back door to find an extremely pissed off red-headed beauty sitting there with her arms bound behind her back and duct tape covering her mouth. She was wearing a pair of blue scrubs, and her hair was pulled back, revealing the clearest blue eyes I’d ever seen. They were beautiful, not just because of the color, but because of the fire hidden behind them—the kind of fire that could burn straight to one’s very soul. Damn.
Delilah
We all have those memories that are stronger and more vivid than others. They often rise to the surface when we least expect it—maybe in a dream or if we’re having a bad day. For me, that memory had always been the day my mother finally got the courage to leave my father. I was only eight at the time, but even then, I knew the significance that day held. My father had never been one of those loving, doting husbands, nor was he a caring, understanding father. He was rarely even home, too busy gambling our money away instead of giving much thought to his family—and when he was, he’d be nothing but controlling and abusive, especially where my mother was concerned. She’d tried to make the best of it, doing everything she possibly could to make him happy and shielding us from the wrath of his uncontrollable temper. Unfortunately, as the years passed, it’d gotten harder and harder to please him, and even though she’d done everything she could to prevent it, his anger eventually became directed at my brother, Danny. It seemed like it was fine for my dad to beat the hell out of her, but the second she discovered that he’d put his hands on my brother, she was done. She had us pack our bags, and we headed to my grandmother’s house.
My grandmother had been in a nursing home for a month, so Mom decided that we could stay there until she was able to get back on her feet. The house wasn’t anything fancy, just an older three-bedroom home with room after room of antique furniture and tiny holes in the walls from where she’d hung our pictures all over the house, but I’d never felt so much at home as I did there. I could almost feel my grandmother’s presence watching over us as we settled in and slowly turned the place into our own. Without even knowing it, she’d given us a chance at a fresh start—one without fear or regret. There was no more tiptoeing around my father, watching our every word or being quiet as church mice. We were finally free to breathe, and it was wonderful. I couldn’t remember ever being happier than I was in that little house.
As I’d gotten older, I made a vow to myself to make the best out of the second chance my mother had given us. I graduated from college, earning a degree in health care, and had gotten a job at a nursing home, busting my ass in hopes of making my mother proud. I’d always hoped that my brother would do the same. Sadly, he hadn’t. He didn’t seem to care about anything, much less making anyone proud. I hadn’t realized how bad things had gotten with him until the day he almost got us both killed.
* * *
I was just about to get off work when my mother called my cellphone. Normally, I wouldn’t answer a call during work hours, but I’d already made my rounds and was gathering my things to go home. “Hey, Mom. What’s up?”
“Have you heard from Danny?”
“No. Why?”
Her voice was laced with concern as she replied, “I’ve been trying to get ahold of him for weeks, but he hasn’t returned any of my calls.”
“You know Danny. He’s probably just running around with his buddies or something,” I tried to reassure her. “Who knows? Maybe he actually got a real job.”
“I don’t know, Delilah. It’s not like him to go this long without answering my calls or texts. I’m really worried about him.”
I knew what was coming. She was going to ask me to go see about him. I’d been working all day, my head was pounding and my feet were aching, and the last thing I wanted to do was go check in on my big brother. Before she could ask, I suggested, “You know, you could just go over to his place and see if he’s there.”
“I know and I would, but he gets upset when he thinks I’m meddling in his life.” Knowing I’d failed, I cringed and waited for her to turn the tables on me. “I know you’re busy with work, and I really hate to ask ... but could you go over there and check on him?”
“Yeah, I’ll stop by his place on my way home from work.”
“And you won’t tell him that I sent you?”
“No, Mom, I won’t tell him.”
“Thank you, sweetheart. I knew I could count on you,” she replied, sounding relieved.
“I’ll call you when I know something more.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
I hung up my phone and slipped it into my bag. After I grabbed the rest of my things, I headed up front to find Janet, the lead nurse, to let her know I was leaving for the day. As luck would have it, I found her sitting at her desk, working on the next week’s schedule. She was deep in thought and hadn’t realized that I was standing in front of her until I said, “Hey ... I’m calling it a day.”
“Oh ... before you go, Carla has an appointment Tuesday afternoon.” Janet was in her late forties, heavy-set with jet-black hair that she colored way too often. Her makeup was a bit overdone, but she was still a pretty lady with a warm personality to match. She’d always been very kind to me, always treating me and the other nurses with nothing but respect, so it was impossible not to like her. She gave me a slight smile and said, “I was hoping you’d be able to work late on Tuesday?”
“Sure, I can do it.”
“Great!” She smiled. “I’ll put you down.”
“Sounds good.” I turned to leave, and just as I was about to step through the door, I turned back and said, “Have a great night. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“You too.”
I got in my car and started towards Danny’s apartment. It wasn’t anything special, just a one-bedroom with barely enough room for a bed and a sofa, but I had no idea how he paid for it. He hadn’t had a real job in months, so I cou
ld only assume that my mother had been helping him out—which aggravated me to no end. Danny was more than capable of taking care of himself, and he certainly didn’t need our mother giving him handouts. The thought was weighing on me as I pulled up to his apartment complex. I got out of my car and took a quick glance around but didn’t see his truck in the parking lot. I was beginning to think I’d wasted a trip until I spotted his Dodge pickup parked a couple of blocks down the street. While that seemed a bit odd, I didn’t stop to think about it. I wanted to check on him as quickly as possible, so I could get home and unwind for the day. I made my way up to his door, then knocked and waited for him to answer.
I hadn’t been standing there long when I grew impatient and knocked a second time, only harder. I was almost positive that I’d heard him moving around in there, so I shouted, “Danny! I know you’re in there! Open the stupid door!”
“Delilah?”
“Yeah! Who else would it be?” When the door flew open, I only got a quick glimpse of Danny’s pale, panic-stricken face before he turned and rushed down the hall. “What’s wrong?”
“I’ve run into a little trouble.” I followed his voice into his bedroom and was surprised to see that there were various bags spread out across his bed. “I’m gonna have to get out of town for a little while.”
“What are you talking about? What kind of trouble?”
“I don’t have time to talk about it, Dee.” He shoved the rest of his clothes into one of the duffle-bags and zipped it up. “I’ve gotta get out of here while I still can.”
“You can’t just walk out of here without telling me something, Danny,” I fussed. “What have you gotten yourself into?”
He turned and grabbed a handgun out of his closet, carefully slipping into the back of his waistband. “Nothing that I can’t handle.”
“What the hell, Danny!” I screeched. “You need a gun to ‘handle’ the situation?”
Before he had a chance to respond, there was a knock at the door. The blood drained from Danny’s face as he muttered, “Fuck. They’re here.”
“Who?”
“You need to get out of here, Delilah ... Now!”
Panic surged through me as I heard him cock his gun. “Where the hell am I supposed to go? We’re on the third damn floor!”
Whoever was standing at the front door started pounding on it as they shouted, “We know you’re in there, Danny. Open the goddamn door before we knock the motherfucker down.”
“Oh, my god, Danny! Who is that?”
Without answering, he grabbed me by the arm and shoved me into the corner. “Stay here. Don’t move until I come to get you. Understand?”
I nodded, then watched as my brother stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him. Moments later, I heard the front door open and then booming voices filled the small apartment. Hoping to figure out what the hell was going on, I leaned towards the door and tried to listen to what they were saying, but with all the screaming and shouting, I couldn’t understand a word. I was a nervous wreck and nearly hit full-blown panic mode when I heard one of the men shout, “Put that fucking thing away, Danny.”
Remembering that he’d gotten a gun out of his closet, I quickly opened the door and found my brother with his gun aimed at two menacing looking men wearing biker vests. I knew Danny rode a motorcycle with a group of friends, but I’d never seen these guys before. They were much rougher, meaner looking, than any of the guys Danny rode with, and if their fierce expressions were any indication, they were pissed that Danny had drawn his weapon. I was just about to call out for him to stop when he snarled, “Already told you ... I didn’t have nothing to do with that shit.”
“Well then, you shouldn’t have a problem discussing that fact with Viper.”
“I ain’t going nowhere with you two. Now, get the fuck out of here!”
“You know damn well we aren’t leaving here without you.”
When the guy on Danny’s left took a charging step forward, Danny pulled the trigger, firing two shots and hitting the guy right in the chest. I held my breath as I watched the man flail backwards and hit the ground with a hard thud. The room fell silent as we all stood there in complete shock and horror. Unable to control myself, I mumbled, “Oh god, Danny ... What have you done?”
When he turned to look at me, the second man used the opportunity to lunge towards him, tackling him to the ground. The gun flew from his hand, and a fight ensued. While Danny tried to fight him off, he was no match for the tattooed angry beast, and it wasn’t long before he was rendered completely helpless. Even after Danny quit fighting, the guy kept hitting him, over and over, and after one hard blow to the jaw, he was knocked unconscious. Fearing the guy might kill him, I rushed towards him, pushing him with all my might as I shouted, “Stop! Get the hell off him!”
“Holy shit!” The guy gave me a firm shove, forcing me off him. “Where the fuck did you come from?”
I should’ve been terrified of the guy. He was three times bigger than me with biceps the size of tree trunks, but I was too worried about my brother to care what he might do to me. I could almost feel the adrenaline surging through my veins as I lunged towards him once again and shouted, “Get off him!”
“Back the fuck off, lady.”
“I will as soon as you leave him alone. He’s already unconscious. If you don’t stop, you’ll kill him!”
“Would serve the motherfucker right.” With that, the guy stood up, leaving Danny still sprawled out on the floor, unconscious. He was out cold, bruised and swollen, but I was relieved to see that he was still breathing. “There. I’m off the piece of shit. Happy now?”
“No, I’m far from happy,” I grumbled as I glanced over at the man Danny had shot. “Doesn’t look like your friend is all that happy either. You might want to call an ambulance or something before he bleeds out.”
“Rafe!” I watched as he rushed over to the man. “You all right, brother?”
“Yeah, it’s just a flesh wound,” Rafe answered as he clung to his wounds.
“You sure about that? You’re losing a lot of blood.”
They both looked up at me like I’d lost my ever-loving mind when I stepped towards them and said, “Let me at least see what you’re dealing with.”
“Fuck that! You stand over there and keep your fucking mouth shut.”
I should’ve done what he said, but Danny’s life was on the line. If Rafe died, they would more than likely kill him or he could end up in jail for murder. Neither of those seemed like a good option, so I pushed, “I’m a nurse ... I can help if you let me.”
“I told you to keep your fucking mouth shut!”
“Come on, Shotgun. Won’t do any harm for her to have a look.”
Rafe and Shotgun weren’t your typical nicknames, but as I stood there watching the two men interact with one another, I realized there wasn’t anything typical about either one of them. Shotgun looked far from pleased as he glanced over to me and ordered, “Fine, but make it fast.”
Hearing his fierce tone made me regret my offer, but considering the present situation, I had no other choice. I went over and knelt down beside them, carefully lifting his t-shirt so I could get a better look at his injuries. While it looked pretty gruesome, the wound on his abdomen was just a deep graze, slicing the guy’s flesh just above his hip with an angry black burn. The second bullet, on the other hand, had actually pierced through his upper chest next to his shoulder. Needing to get a better look, I asked, “Can you lean forward so I can see if there’s an exit wound?”
Rafe nodded, then grimaced as he lifted himself up, giving me better access to his back. After just a few seconds, he asked, “How’s it look?”
“You got lucky. The bullet went straight through, but you need to get to a hospital.”
“Not a chance.”
“What? Why not?”
“’Cause I fucking said so,” he snapped.
“Fine. Do what you want, but we need to slow down this bleeding.”
I got up and rushed to the bathroom. After I grabbed a couple of towels, I hurried back into the living room and offered them to his friend. “Here, use these to apply pressure to the wounds.”
Glaring at me like I’d been the one who’d pulled the trigger, he jerked the towels from my hand and placed them on Rafe’s chest, doing his best to get the bleeding under control. “We need to get you back to the clubhouse. You think you can walk, or do you need me to—”
“I can walk, ’Gun,” Rafe interrupted. “Just gonna need you to get me to my feet.”
I watched silently as he helped Rafe up. Once he was standing, Shotgun turned his attention to Danny. He gave him a hard kick to the side as he growled, “Get up, asshole.”
“Hey!” I scolded as I rushed over to Danny, shielding him with my body. “What’s your problem?”
“And what the fuck is it to you?”
“He’s my brother.”
“Your brother?” he asked sounding surprised.
“Yes, my brother!” I looked down at Danny, giving him a gentle shake as I asked softly, “Hey ... Are you okay?”
Without giving him a chance to answer, Shotgun asked, “You got any idea what kind of trouble he’s gotten himself into?”
“No, I have no idea, but I seriously doubt you killing each other is going to solve anything.” I gave him another nudge as I pleaded, “Come on, Danny. Wake up.”
His eyes finally fluttered open, and he groaned when he found me kneeling next to him. “You were supposed to stay in the bedroom, Delilah.”
“Guess she didn’t want to miss out on the party.” Shotgun reached down and grabbed Danny by the arm, jerking him to his feet. He yanked his hands behind his back, and as he bound his wrists together with a zip-tie, he snarled, “Let’s go, Danny boy. We have some business to tend to.”