by K. Renee
“Church.” He doesn’t say more than that and, with a click, the line goes dead. Looking at Trix’s face, I can see the love she has for me shining through. If I didn’t have her by my side right now, I don’t think I’d make it through this shit. The lies and betrayal are too fuckin’ much. She doesn’t know that she’s saved me on more than one occasion.
Sighing, I kiss the top of her head and roll her over to her back. “I’ll be back.”
“You’re not leaving, are you?”
“Naw, we have church. There’s a threat on you. Have to figure out the plan. I’m going to have a prospect outside the door until I get back.” Her body stiffens and her eyes search me.
“Why is someone after me?” she asks, sounding frightened.
“I killed his brother when I was eighteen. Now, he wants revenge.” Her gasp fills the room, and I look over to the kids to make sure they are both still sleeping. “Everything is going to be fine. I won’t let anything happen to you. You’ve been through enough the last year.” Her arms wrap around my neck, and she pulls me down for another kiss. She kisses me almost like it’s going to be the last time.
“I love you, baby. You are my angel.” I run my fingers softly down her cheek.
“Love you, Elec,” she whispers, closing her eyes. I lean down and kiss her once more before getting out of bed and getting dressed.
Shooting a text off to Romeo, I tell him to have a prospect outside my door in case someone else gets into the clubhouse while we are in church. By the time I’m dressed and about to walk out the door, I see the look on her face. Although she doesn’t like the shit I do for the club, she understands that it’s part of the territory.
Trix has never made me out to be something I’m not, and I am sure to let her see all aspects of me. She’s seen the anger, the rage, the hurt, and the happiness. Even through everything she still loves me.
Walking out the door, I shut it softly and see one of the prospects coming towards me. “Don’t let anyone in or out of this room.” He nods his head and stands in front of the door without a sound.
Making my way towards church, I watch as the rest of the men start to make their way inside. It’s a little after five a.m., and most of these fuckers aren’t morning people. I take my seat and wait for the doors to close.
When Prez takes his seat, the doors shut and the gavel is slammed down on the table. “Thanks for comin’ in early boys. You know I wouldn’t be pullin’ your asses out of bed without a good reason at this time.” He looks around the room at us before he continues. “As most of you know, Easy E has been nomad for the last year and a half. I’m bringing him back into the fold as a patched member now that his shit with Ro is done. No bitching or grumbling against it. I’ve already made my decision.” The room stays silent. No one will go against his ruling.
I didn’t even know he was going to bring me back. I sure as hell didn’t ask him to. I made my decision almost two years, and I was fine with staying nomad.
“I also invited Tarak to sit in with us this morning because he’s got some helpful information about what we are about to go up against. I’ll let E fill you in on what happened after we brought back his daughter.” Prez nods to me and I sit up a little straighter. All eyes focus on me and my mind crashes through the images of Mica and the blood that sprayed all over me as Romeo slit her throat.
My eyes shoot over to Tarak, and he’s looking down at his hands. “We spoke with Mica earlier, and she finally gave up the identity of the other person behind the attacks on me and Trix. His name is Allen Gloscal. I killed his brother Sam when I was eighteen. The charges were dropped because I claimed self-defense, and Tarak testified at the trial in my defense by saying he came after me and I stabbed him because of it.” When no one says anything, I continue.
“Mica was convinced to help Allen get revenge on me by getting Trix out of the picture. I guess Mica has had some crush or something on me, and it didn’t take much to convince her to do it. She killed Tina and tried to frame Trix for her murder, which I took the fall for.” I look over at Tarak and, this time, he’s watching me.
“Mica mentioned that she hoped he kills Trix. I’m assuming that she is the target of his plan, but I’m not ruling out my kids either. They are going on lockdown until we can deal with this shit.” My hands grip the chair as I think about that bastard. I don’t know what his plan is, but I won’t let him follow through with it.
“Tarak, what do you know about this fucker?” Prez says from the head of the table.
He clears his throat, and looks down at his hands, before he speaks. “My senior year, I started dealing for him. I got hooked and snorted more than I was selling. When Sam found out about it, he threatened to tell his brother and I knew that it would lead to me being killed. I tried to hide my habit from E, but he figured it out and promised he’d help. E dragged me to an abandoned warehouse one night, swearing that he’d set Sam straight and was going to help me get clean.”
I watch as he picks at something on his jeans. “When Sam showed up, he was pissed that we were stealing from him and was going to make an example of me. He reached for something, but E stabbed him before he come at me.” He stops talking and turns his focus on the ground.
The room is silent for what seems like forever. “A few months after I got clean, Allen found me. He said he knew about what we did and that he’d make us pay. I sat on pins and needles for the next year, but nothing ever happened, so I let it go. I thought that maybe he let it go too, but apparently not.”
Everyone’s attention turns back to Prez. “Retribution is what this asshole is looking for, and we aren’t letting him take one of our own for that. We will protect what’s ours.” Heads around the table nod and Mirror looks at me.
“You sure he’s coming after your ol’ lady? If I were him, I’d go after your legacy.” I look at Prez and he nods in agreement.
“Hit you where it hurts,” Prez says, before looking back over at Tarak. “What do you know about where they hang out?”
“Last I heard, a warehouse just outside of town on Millsaw Road.”
“I want a fast and hard strike. I want us to take their whole damn operation out. Let’s make a goddamn statement not to fuck with us. He’ll regret ever coming after one of ours.”
Once a majority of the plans were made, Prez released us and told us to rest up. He wants us to strike before they have time to strengthen their defenses. Me, I just want this shit over. I don’t want my girl to constantly be looking over her shoulder, wondering when someone is going to strike. I don’t want my shitty decisions to come back on my kids either.
We all watched Stavros pay for the sins he committed when he took the place of Trix. When he came back, he wasn’t the same man as when he left. He was almost dead when we finally found them. I won’t put my beautiful Trixibella through that. The pain of watching someone she loves almost die. No fuckin’ way. I want to end this shit before it gets that far.
Allen has been holding a grudge for far too long, and it’s about time to end that shit. When I get back to my room, the prospect is still in the place I left him.
“No one came near the door. Your ol’ lady tried to come out to get some food for the kids, but I sent Mikey to go get them what they wanted. He should be back any minute.” I nod my head and dismiss him.
“Thanks,” I reply, opening the door to my room.
Walking inside, giggles fill my ears and I see Blade come running at me. “Daddy!” he squeals, wrapping his arms around me.
“Hey, kid.” I lift him up, and he wraps his arms around my neck, squeezing me tightly enough to choke the shit out of me. Walking over to where Trix is changing Bex’s diaper, I press a kiss to the side of her neck before going over to the bed to have a seat. As soon as my ass hits the mattress, Blade is trying to do some WWE move that knocks me over.
“Who’s been teaching you wrestling moves?” I ask, tickling his sides. He bursts out into a fit a giggles before I’m able to get up on my knees. Leaning
down, I tickle him more and he starts to scream and kick his legs in excitement. And here I was hoping to get a damn nap in.
“Unck Tavlos,” he squeaks. Of course that’s whose been teaching him that shit.
We wrestle for a good ten minutes before there is a knock on the door. When I go to get up, Trix stops me and tells me to keep wrestling with Blade. She sets Bex on the bed behind me before walking towards the door. I watch from the bed as she opens the door and I see the prospect's face poking in.
He’s been hanging around for the last year. He’s a little older than me, but we’ve never had a problem with him. He seems like a good guy. He keeps his head down most of the time, and cleans up our messes without a complaint. His eyes meet mine, and I see something flash in them. Bex grabs my shirt, and tries to pull herself up, just as I hear Trix yell something, and then I hear it.
Bang.
Both kids freeze, and Blade grabs his sister, as I jump up from the bed and take off towards where Trix is falling to the ground. The gun is pointed at me now and I run full force right into him, knocking us both out into the hall before he can pull the trigger again.
I don’t hear the screams as they fill the air. The only thing I’m thinking of it the bastard I’m straddling, letting my fists fly into him without regard of what I’m doing to him. I keep hitting him, blood pooling all around us. Arms wrap around me, and I’m being pulled back. I fight with whoever has a hold of me. The blind rage I’m in keeps me fighting, not caring who the fuck it is that’s trying to stop me.
“Elec.” My heart stops for a second when I hear her voice floating in from the haze around me. The darkness I was just in starts to evaporate and, soon, I stop fighting. “Please, Elec, stop.” Her voice breaks and, when I focus on her, I see the blood seeping through her shirt. I pull out of someone’s grip and run to her. I fall to my knees next to her and Stavros. My hands go to her body and she winces.
She’s still on the ground and, when I look over her shoulder into the room, I see the scared expressions on the kids’ faces. “Stavros,” I whisper. He looks over Trix’s shoulder and sees the expressions on their faces, too. He gets up and tells Ro to stay with us until the doc shows up. He makes his way to my kids and shuts the door behind him.
They don’t need to see this shit and they don’t need to know the type of man I am deep down. I won’t ruin them. I can’t ruin them. They are too pure to be consumed by something so dark. I hear Blade screaming for me through the closed door. Looking back down at Trix, I focus my attention on her. “Where are you hit?” I ask.
Her hand slowly moves down to her side and tears fill her eyes. “He was going to shoot…” she trails off. A tear slips from the corner of her eye, and I hear more commotion going on in the bar area.
“Let the doc through, assholes,” someone yells from out there. I see the top of her head as she pushes past the men watching the scene in front of them. When she reaches us, she kneels down and starts to pull Trix’s shirt up to examine her.
Trix’s hand is in mine as I watch the doc poke and prod her. She winces every time the doc puts too much pressure near the wound. Instead of watching, Romeo looks over at the guy on the floor a few feet to our left. He reaches out and feels for a pulse. When his eyes meet mine, he shakes his head no. Standing up, he makes his way towards the other brothers.
That motherfucker is lucky he’s not alive still. I would slowly torture the fucker for shooting my girl, if he was.
The room starts to clear and Trix’s hand gets clammy. She’s having trouble breathing as the doc pulls the bullet from her side. “E, I need you to grab this vein right here. She’s losing a lot of blood and I can’t stop it on my own.” I release Trix’s hand and do exactly as the doc says. I hold some tweezers in my hand while she continues to dig into of Trix’s side.
“Elec,” Trix whimpers. My eyes meet hers, and she looks almost like she’s about to pass out.
“No, I need you to stay with me, babe,” I demand. She tries to nod her head, but it barely moves.
“Just protect them,” she says on a harsh breath. No, there is no way she’s leaving me. No fuckin’ way. Not after everything we’ve been through.
“Trix, baby, I need you to keep your eyes open. You aren’t going anywhere. We just finally figured this shit out. I’m not losing you yet.” Anger is starting to fill my veins and, when I look up, I see Tarak standing close by. My eyes meet his and he looks regretful. He thinks this is because of him, which yeah I blame him for part of it, but not all of it. He brought that bastard into our lives, but I was the one who killed his brother.
He wanted redemption, looks like he just might get it. “Here, hold this with your other hand. I need to get as much blood out of the wound as I can.” The doc hands me something that looks like a branding iron before taking gauze and stuffing it into Trix’s wound.
“Ahh.” Trix screams out in pain as the doc puts pressure on her wound. Her eyes roll back in her, and her body goes limp against the floor.
“Trix!” I yell. I’m frantic, but I never release the things the doc wanted me to hold. Doc reaches across and puts two fingers to her throat, waiting a few minutes before she nods her head.
“The pain is probably what caused her to pass out. She’s still breathing, and her pulse is getting a little stronger.” The doc continues to work on her, and I just watch as the love of my life lies on the ground in a puddle of her own blood.
She took that bullet to protect one of us. It could have been me, Bex or even Blade who took that bullet if she didn’t get in front of it.
By the time the doc gets the bullet out, and her stitched up, it’s been three hours. The blood that I was soaked in is now dried. My hand keeps going to Trix’s throat to make sure she’s still breathing. “E, I want to move her somewhere more comfortable. Do you guys have an extra room that’s clean?” I look up at Romeo and he nods his head, motioning to us to follow him.
Picking Trix off the ground gingerly, I follow him with the doc right on my heels. She’s got an IV of something in the air as she keeps stride with us. Ro opens the door to Stavros’s room and I walk her over to the bed and gently set her on the bed. “Stavros wants you guys to use the room as long as you need. He’s got the kids.” I nod my head and, when I go to say thanks, a lump in my throat keeps me from saying anything.
He nods his head in understanding and closes the door behind him. The doc hangs the bag above the bed on some nail that was holding a photo up. She sets the photo on the table next to the bed and when I look at it, I see Harlyn and Stavros smiling. It is a few years old, but I know why he keeps it. He doesn’t want to let their memory fade. I’d be the same damn way if it were me in his position.
The doc pats me on the shoulder before telling me that she’s going to head out. “I’ll stop by to check on her in a few hours, but I have rounds I need to make at the hospital.” I nod and watch her walk out of the room.
A knock a few minutes later doesn’t even get a response from me. The only thing I can do right now is watch her chest as it rises and falls with each labored breath she takes. The door opens, and I see Romeo stick his head in the room. “Brought you guys some clothes. I’m sure you want to get out of the bloody ones.” I nod, and he sets them on the bed. His eyes travel over her body before he swallows audibly. “You holding up?” he asks, not taking his eyes off her.
“Yeah. Thank you for everything.” I have to clear my throat as soon as the words leave my mouth.
“You really do love her,” he states, almost like he never believed me when I said it before.
“Yeah. I have for what seems like the whole damn time I’ve known her.” He doesn’t say anything more than that. He takes one last look at her before he turns and walks back out the door.
I spend another twenty minutes watching her before I get up to shower. Once I wash my body, and scrub the lingering blood off my skin, I shut the water off and dry off. Once I’m dressed in a pair of sweats and a plain white tee shirt, I
grab a rag and wet it with warm water. I need to get the dried blood off her too.
Walking to the bed, I take a seat next to her body and pull her shirt up enough so I can clean the blood off her skin. I slowly take my time, making sure that she is free of any blood before I change her into a tee shirt of mine. Leaning back against the wall next to her, I watch her. An hour later, I hear a slight knock before the door cracks open. “You guys decent?” Stavros asks.
I chuckle to myself and tell him yeah. I watch Blade come into the room hesitantly. His eyes land on his mom before they turn to me. Tears well up in his eyes, and he starts to rub his nose that looks just like his momma’s. I wave him over and he comes willingly. I help him on the bed, and he takes a seat next to me. His eyes never leave his mom. “Is Momma okay?” he whispers.
Stavros brings Bexley to me, so I take her from him and pull her against my chest. Her small arms wrap around me and, for the first time since that door opened and the shot was fired, I feel like I can breathe. I was so damn scared of losing everything. In the blink of an eye, I almost did. Losing Trix would ruin me.
“Sorry, man, they wanted you.”
Looking over at him, I nod my head in understanding. “Don’t worry about it. I’m glad they are in here with me now.” I swallow the lump in my throat before I say anything else. “How did you do it?”
He shuts the door, shutting the outside noise out. “Come back from almost dying, or losing the love of my life?” I watch him take a seat on the chair across the room from me.
“Both, I guess,” I shrug.
“Losing her the first time was harder than this time. She’s been halfway out the door since I dragged her ass back. I knew better than to assume she wouldn’t run again with the shit we went through. My only advice is to love her through it. When she wakes up, don’t give her the option to walk away.” He sighs and runs a hand through his hair before continuing. “Most of all, do it for them.” He motions to the kids who both have their eyes on Trix’s still body.