“Are you okay, Charlotte?” I asked, concerned.
“Oh, God, when is the sickness going to go away? Can you stay with Shiloh, please? Oomph. Oh, Lord—” Then there was the clatter of Charlotte’s shoes making a mad dash for the other side of the room.
“She’s gonna throw up,” Shiloh told me deadpan, which brought a loud, deep chuckle from Darth, who had been silent the whole time since we arrived, but I felt his presence not far from us, from Shiloh.
“Yes, Squirt. I got the impression that was what was happening. Come on, let’s keep looking around. Your mummy will catch up,” I said and started walking slowly again.
“Come on, Darf. Let’s show angel lady the kids playroom.”
Chapter 20
DARTH
I kept one eye on Shiloh and the other on the door Teach had disappeared behind.
An uneasy feeling started to form in the pit of my stomach. Years of deployments taught me to go with my gut, and the closer we got to the playroom, the more anxious I became. I looked at Shiloh, who had already let go of Memphis’s hand so she could play with Apollo. She took off at a dead run, the dog right behind her, racing for the room already filled with all her favourite toys.
“Squirt, hang on. Wait for us,” I yelled out. Quickly taking Memphis by her hand, I rushed us after the little girl who owned me, heart and soul.
“She is hard to keep up with. I hope my baby has a little less energy than its cousin.” Memphis huffed, but my attention was on the doorway Shiloh had just passed through.
“That she is, but I wouldn’t have her any—” The rest of my sentence was cut off by a frightened scream, the growl of a dog following closely behind.
Without another thought, I picked Memphis off her feet, threw her over my shoulder, and ran for the playroom, my heart beating out of my chest upon hearing my girl scared.
“Darth, what is going on? Why is Apollo barking?” Memphis cried out, her arms wrapped around my waist tightly, holding on despite not understanding what was going on.
I knew. I knew exactly what was going to happen. Quickly, I tapped Memphis on her hip three times, and her body tensed immediately. Then I received a tap on my back in return. The woman was smart, very smart.
I made it to the room and stopped dead in my tracks, my mouth going dry at the sight of what was before me.
“Hello, Vader. Welcome. Please put down the woman, and join me.” Rogue stood in front of me, holding a crying Shiloh against his legs with a large bowie knife pressed to her chest. Her tears gutted me.
“As you can see, Vader, I’m not above killing the sergeant’s kid. Now let’s see your weapon, nice and slow,” Rogue ordered.
There was no way I was going to risk him going nuts and hurting Shiloh or worse. So I gently put Memphis on her feet, and her whole body shook with terror. She may be blind, but she sensed the danger we were in.
“Do not hurt her, Jerry. If you do, it will be the last thing you ever do,” I said menacingly as I reached around to the back of my jeans, pulled out the Glock, and tossed it across to the arsehole.
“Good boy. That’s what you do well, isn’t it, doing as you are told? Whatever that bastard stepson of mine says, you do it. You are nothing but a fucking lapdog for them,” he spat at me, each agitated move he made, causing Shiloh to cry out.
Inside, I was screaming, desperate for her to be in my arms, but outside, I was seething. How dare he fucking come here and threaten what was mine. He took my beautiful Vegas from me, but I will be fucked if he would take Shiloh, too.
“Tell you what, fuckhead. Stop hiding behind the little girl, and be a man. Seems to me you’re the lapdog here, not me. After all, aren’t you the one getting women and corrupt cops to do all your dirty work for you? You do know that Callie got herself arrested, right? She sang like a fucking canary, rolled over and gave them everything on you,” I taunted him, never once taking my eyes off Shiloh and the knife that was slowly being lowered from her body. Encouraged by this, I kept talking. “How much courage does it take to point a rifle at a woman and child from a distance? Or blow up an office, killing an innocent woman? Let the girl go, and fight me like the soldier you once were. Or are you too scared?”
I knew that speaking to him like this was playing a dangerous game, but my only objective was to keep Shiloh safe. I was at a major disadvantage since Memphis wouldn’t see the danger coming at her, so I needed to get them together. At least then I could stand in front of them because the last thing I wanted was to choose which one I would have to protect, leaving the other unprotected. The only hope we had was Charlotte. Was she aware of what was going on and had she called my brothers for help?
“You think you can take me, corporal?”
I grinned at the madman who took the love of my life away from me, the hatred I had for the prick speeding through my veins.
“I know I can, old man. Your days as our mentor are well and truly over. You mean nothing to me and are the enemy now. Let the kid go so I can beat the ever-loving shit out of you.”
My fists balled tightly by my thighs as Rogue pushed Shiloh roughly across to me, and she stumbled from the force, falling to the floor. Her yelp of pain had Memphis calling to her. Even in all the terror, my road captain’s wife showed her strength, her courage, and her love for my Shiloh.
Without letting Rogue out of my line of sight, I quickly reached out with my hand.
“Come on, Squirt. Come to me, baby girl.” I kept my voice soft but firm.
Shiloh always listened to all of us and knew when we meant business. She took a minute to scramble to her feet and launched herself at me, her trust in me never wavering because never once had she had cause to. She climbed up my leg and wedged her body against my chest and between my arms, her sobs tearing at my heart. All her life, I had been able to quieten her where my brothers could not. The bond between the raven-haired princess and me was unbreakable, and the second I looked into those blue eyes on the day she was born, I’d vowed I would protect her with my life.
“Darf, he hurt me. The bad man hurt me. Hurt him back, Darf,” she said with a growl.
I grunted and squeezed her tight to me, closing my eyes as I breathed in her scent. Strawberries. She fucking loved to smell like her favourite berries.
“Anything you say, Squirt. Now go look after Memphis. She is scared and needs you to hold her hand, okay, baby?” I pressed a kiss to her temple before turning and putting her next to Memphis.
“Stay out of the way, and if I say run, you run,” I ordered and waited for Shiloh to be out of the way before turning back and facing Rogue. I shook my head when I saw the coward was pointing a gun at Memphis and Shiloh. My blood boiled. How fucking dare he?
“Killing your woman was a mistake, Vader. That bomb was meant for Deck, but I wish the filthy stripper had gone to hell with your whore,” Rogue yelled at me.
His words fuelled my rage, and I lunged at him. My quick movement startled him, and a shot rang out, then seconds later, a bloodcurdling scream came from Memphis, and Shiloh, too, cried out. Rogue aimed the gun behind me with his finger on the trigger.
“Shiloh!” I roared.
Her pleading me to hold her echoed in my ears and heart as I put myself in front of her and Memphis. In my peripheral vision, I could see blood staining the pants Memphis wore, blood seeping between the fingers of the hand she had pressed to the wound as she hissed and sobbed. All I could think was Creed was going to lose his shit. Apollo was growling madly, his instinct to protect as he pushed against her.
In the distance, I heard the beautiful, heady sound of thunderous Harley exhaust pipes, and I smiled big. My brothers were coming. Charlotte had done exactly what I knew she would.
“Looks like you are shit out of luck, prick,” I informed him happily.
Rogue knew he would never win against Booth and my brothers, so this was it—his reign of terror on the Wounded Souls was coming to an end.
“So is the kid.” The words were quiet, evil
.
Almost as if in slow motion, Rogue pulled the trigger, and acting on pure instinct and the fierce love I had for Shiloh, I took one step to my right and stood in the path of the bullet. I was shot over in the sandbox twice during my military career but never had I experienced the searing pain I felt now. I roared out, and the feral sound echoed around the room. The impact of the bullet hitting me knocked me backwards, and as my feet came out from underneath me, I hit the floor with a thud.
“Darf. Darf. Memphis, Darf is bleeding,” Shiloh cried, her voice sounding so far away.
As much as I wanted to reassure the little girl and calm her, my tongue wouldn’t let me form the words. I looked at Rogue, who wore a wild expression on his face. The bikes were silent now, and I heard pounding on the front door. The evil bastard must have locked it when he arrived.
“Sorry, Vader, but at least you get to be the hero one last time.”
“Booth… will… fuck you… up,” I managed to get out, the metallic taste in my mouth telling me shit was not going well for me.
“Look forward to it—if he can find me, that is.” With a salute, Rogue took off for the back door, leaving the girls and me.
“Oh, my God, Darth,” Charlotte screamed from the other side of the room. She ran over to me and fell to her knees in front of me.
“Careful, Teach,” I admonished her. If Deck saw her do that, he would be furious.
“Darth, what do I do?” she cried.
“Pre—pressure on the… wound. Memphis… see to Memphis first,” I ordered her. The hot feeling was now gone, replaced with cold. Nothing could be done for me now, so she needed to look after Memphis.
Charlotte scrambled on her knees over to Memphis and spoke to Shiloh as she ripped part of the shirt Memphis was wearing and deftly tied it around the bullet wound.
“Go cuddle, Darth, Shiloh. Mummy will be there soon.” Teach told Shiloh.
Suddenly, I heard an engine and the sound of splintering wood, indicating my brothers were breaking down the heavy front door. When Deck and I renovated the building, we re-enforced all the doors to protect the women, never thinking for a minute this sort of thing could happen.
“Darf, is you okay? Please, don’t leave me like Ve-Ve did, Darf.” Shiloh’s little arms wrapped around my neck as her tiny body weight flung across my chest.
I took in a shuddering breath and locked this moment in my mind—the feeling of having Shiloh holding onto me, comforting me, and her sweet voice saying my name.
I leaned my head against hers and waited, soaking up Shiloh’s scent.
“Shiloh, let Mummy help Darth.” Charlotte made her way back to me after she tended to Memphis.
I held up my hand.
“Leave her, Teach. There is… nothing else that…” I coughed uncontrollably, blood trailing down the sides of my mouth.
“No, no, no, no,” Charlotte cried out. She pulled off her top, leaving just her tank top, and pressed it to the wound on my belly. There was no pain anymore. I couldn’t feel anything.
Shiloh removed her arms from around my neck and placed her hands on either side of my face.
“Don’t go, Darf. Youse can fix it. Youse fix me when I gets an ouch,” Shiloh cried, tears streaming down her sweet cheeks. Charlotte, knowing what was happening, was crying, too. I smiled at my girl for the last time.
“You have been the best part of my life, Squirt. Every time… you watch Zeke… I will be there. When you are… are a big girl… I will be there.” Talking was becoming harder and harder, but I could not leave my baby girl without saying the most important words I hoped she would never forget.
“The day you were born was the day I found out what real love was,” I whispered in a shallow voice. In the background, I heard Deck calling for his woman and daughter, Creed’s desperate shouts for Memphis, and the others yelled for me. The girls were safe now. The relief detail had arrived, and my job was done. My heart wanted to be with my Vegas. There was no living if she were not by my side.
With one last effort, I turned my head and pressed my lips to Shiloh’s palm. Then I closed my eyes.
Chapter 21
CREED
“Jesus, mate, this is the best paint job you have ever done.” Mannix came up behind me and clapped his hand on my shoulder as he admired the tank I just put the last coat of clear paint on.
I leaned back and took in my work, feeling incredibly happy with how it turned out. When I first had the idea to change the paintwork on my bike, I was excited. Once upon a time, I would never have even considered replacing the memorial to Lila. Hell, I never let anyone touch my bike. My bike was a homage, a constant reminder of what I had lost, but that time was over now. I had a second chance to live a proper full life with Memphis, to be a father, and I was taking that gift and running with it. Memphis had healed so much for me, and now I needed to do some healing on my own. The first step—my bike. This did not mean I was going to put Memphis behind me on the bike. I might have healed my heart and fallen in love again, but taking responsibility for a pillion passenger again? No, I could not do that.
When I started the project, I really thought it would be hard to sand back the paint and slowly remove the painted image of Lila’s face, but it wasn’t. With each pass of the sandpaper, I felt the weight of her death leave my shoulders, and the guilt no longer shadowed my heart. Then, when I outlined the angel wings that represented my beautiful Memphis, I felt nothing but genuine relief and happiness that such a strong and courageous woman took a chance on a bloke like me, and that she loved me so deeply and so completely.
I smiled, and Mannix stared at me for a few seconds then shook his head.
“Gotta say, brother, it is fucking good to see you happy again. After that fucking horrible year when everything went to shit for all of us, happiness just seemed like an untouchable dream. Now look at all of us,” Mannix said in awe.
He was right about the gloom that settled over most of us that year with Shiloh’s arrival the only bright spot. I was done with, as the princess would say, being broody. Memphis was my pot of gold at the end of the dark rainbow. Mannix, too, found his forever. When he’d resigned himself to a life of a whole lot of nothing, Rainn and their unborn twins pulled him into the light just like the rest of us with our wives.
The only black cloud was Darth. I saw him struggling to live without Vegas. Shiloh was with him constantly, but even she had trouble igniting the spark in him. It was time he and I sat down and talked about his grief. I better than anyone understood, but I also knew the effects of living with that grief and not asking for help. I did not want Darth to go through life like I did, and nearly succumb. The best thing for me and my healing apart from Memphis was the visit I made to the cemetery in the early hours of this morning before Memphis woke. It was a place I knew very well. I used to spend most of my downtime there, and I would sit with my back against the marble headstone of my first wife, talking to her. This morning was no different, other than the subject matter.
Hey, sweetheart. I haven’t been here for a while. My life has taken a turn I never saw coming, but fuck, Lila, it makes me so happy. For years, I stopped living because you did. How could I possibly be happy without you by my side? Losing you that day was the worst day of my life, and I blamed myself for having you on the back of my bike. I should have taken you home and made love to you all night, celebrating our baby. But I didn’t, and you died. Then something happened, and I married Memphis, and, sweetheart, it was the best thing that could have happened. We are having a baby, which scares the shit out of me, but fuck, it also makes me the happiest man alive. So is Memphis. I love her so much, Lila. It is a different love than what I had for you. I’m older this time, seen loss, felt the darkness, and I don’t want to be that man anymore, Lila. I want to live, be happy and live to be an old man with my angel. I will always love you and will never forget what we had, but Memphis has my heart now. I won’t be back here for a while, sweetheart, but please know you have a piece of me
, and you always will. I have been given this second chance, and I’m going to treasure it.
On the ride back to the compound after, I felt everything slip into place. I was no longer broken or stuck in the darkness, and Memphis was my reason.
“I love Memphis more than I thought possible. The way I love her— Goddamn, brother, my heart beats in time with hers. I’m so fucking gone over her I could rival Deck in the romantic shit.”
Mannix went to laugh when a roar from the compound hit my ears. I rushed out of the paint shop, Mannix hot on my heels. Deck, Booth, and Steel were sprinting towards us with looks on their faces ranging from fierce anger to pure fear, and instantly, my blood froze in my veins. Memphis. Holy fucking shit, had something happened to Memphis?
“Let’s move. Charlie called and said Rogue has Darth, Shiloh, and Memphis at gunpoint at the dance school,” Deck shouted on the way to his bike, his face white with fear. Without a word, I tore off for my car. I jumped into my car, my mind only on my woman and getting to her. Memphis must be frightened out of her mind. Being blind, she would be the easiest target for that fucker to go after. If anything happened to her… if Rogue hurt her… the thought was not worth considering. No fucking way was I losing her. Please, God, don’t make me go through it again.
———
“The fucking door is re-enforced. There is no way we are going to kick this in and not break a fucking foot,” Booth yelled, his fists hitting the door in frustration.
Deck roared as he kicked and kicked at the thick wooden door, desperate to get to his wife and daughter.
“The back door?” Steel suggested, but Deck shook his head.
“It’s exactly the same. We made this place like a fortress to keep people from doing exactly this thing.” He groaned and put his hands on his head in defeat.
His Angel: The Wounded Souls Series Page 14