by Jenika Snow
Kink looked at Tobias, who stared up at him with his now cold, lifeless eyes. The man had shown no fear, and in fact almost seemed like he was embracing death. If he had been anyone else Kink might have respected the hell out of that attitude, but as it was, and because of what this bastard had done, Kink couldn’t care less. He turned his head and spit out a mouthful of spit and blood, felt his jaw ache from the right hook that asshole had given him, and moved away from the bodies. Now that this was over with, well, for now at least, Kink just wanted to get back to the clubhouse and be with his woman and his daughter. He looked at Marx who had moved closer.
“You think there are more of these hacks walking around?” Marx stared at him and grinned.
“There is always more, man.” Kink looked back at Tobias one more time. “And it’s never over with, not for us anyway.” There was a noise from a backroom, but when everyone turned to look that way the sound of a gun going off echoed through the room. Kink had his gun out and trained on the dark entryway in a matter of seconds, he saw another man in a dark robe—the same as the once living cult fuckers. Without thinking and only reacting, Kink fired off a shot. The guy went down with a bullet to his head, like the rest of his cult brethren. The weird silence that filled the room had Kink turning and staring at the men behind him. They were all staring at the same thing … Lucien. Kink looked at the President, saw the other man holding his thigh, and then saw the blood starting to seep down his pants and cover the floor.
“Fuck, the bastard got me,” Lucien said on a snarl, and removed his hand from his leg. The blood spread even quicker, and Lucien covered his thigh again. “Fuck.” And then he went down.
Chapter Fourteen
Cookie held Callie, and although she was exhausted, it was mainly from having to listen to the young woman cry for the last two hours. She looked down at her sweet, sleeping face, and reached down to push some dark hair away from her face. Even as she slept Callie’s pain could be seen and felt.
“How is she doing?” Tatum said and moved up to sit in the chair across from her. It was going on five in the morning, and the sun was just starting to rise over the mountains in the horizon.
Cookie shrugged. “Okay now that she is sleeping, but I can’t imagine how she’ll handle this in the days, weeks, hell, years to come.”
Tatum nodded and grabbed the blanket that was over the back of her chair. She moved over to Callie and placed it over the girl. Tatum might have been well into her forties, but she was gorgeous with this long blonde hair she kept braided a lot of the time, and this curvy body that said she took care of herself.
Cookie was sitting on the leather couch with Callie sprawled out beside her, with her head in her lap. Harlem was sleeping on the other couch across the room, and Kendra was lying beside her. After Callie had broken down after saying her mother had died, Molly and Adrianna had tried to comfort the young girl, but she’d seemed inconsolable. Finally Molly left to go upstairs to take care of a crying Dakota. That was when Cookie had brought the girl close to her, wrapped her arms around Callie, and just held her. No one had done something like this to her when she was Callie’s age, and it felt good to ease someone, even for a small moment.
“I know Callie and her mom weren’t close, and she wanted to leave Sarah because they didn’t get along, but I can’t imagine losing my mom at such a young age, and in a horrific car crash either.” Tatum had lowered her voice to a whisper, and the empathy on her face was tangible.
Cookie looked down at Callie and nodded at what the other woman had said. Once Callie had been able to speak through her tears enough to tell them what had happened, Cookie had found out that Sarah and her boyfriend Dale had been driving home from a party. Dale had been drunk, lost control of the car, and went through a guardrail. Then they had crashed into a ravine, and died instantly. At least there was that one solace for Callie in knowing her mother hadn’t suffered. But they hadn’t been able to get a hold of Kink, and although now was not the time to bring this up to Kink, this was something that couldn’t have waited.
Cookie looked down at Callie again, and just as she was about to push more of Callie’s hair away Molly came rushing down the stairs, Adrianna right behind her, with frantic looks on their faces.
“What’s wrong?” Tatum was up and moving toward the other woman. “Shit, we don’t need any more bad news.”
Callie stirred and slowly woke, and then shot up and started breathing hard. “What’s the matter?” She looked back and forth, still slightly sleepy and confused. Cookie rubbed her back, trying to ease her. Callie looked over, her eyes red-rimmed and swollen, and her face slightly puffy from crying. “I had a dream, one where there was so much death and blood.”
“It’s okay.” But that was a lie. Cookie knew this situation was about to get worse before it got better. Molly moved over to the front door, opened it, and wrapped her arms around her waist.
Cookie stood, but kept Callie close to her. “Molly, what happened?” She stepped up beside the other woman and glanced outside. The sun was rising about the mountains now, but there was no comfort in the light and warmth, not right now at least.
Molly turned toward Cookie, glanced at Callie, and then said, “Lucien’s been shot.”
Cookie felt Callie tense, and then lean into her, as if she couldn’t stand.
“Is he d-dead?” Callie asked softly, and if Cookie had any second thoughts about the girl wanting Lucien, she didn’t have them now. Because this wasn’t about Callie being worried about a man she cared about as family. Cookie could hear that clearly in the other woman’s voice. Callie’s emotions were as clear as day, and when Cookie looked at Molly she saw the club nurse looking a little confused, as if she could tell there was a little more behind Callie’s statement than just those spoken words.
Molly shook her head and swallowed. “No, honey, but I don’t know how bad the wound is. They called in Malcolm’s dad, and the doctor should be here soon.”
“My dad’s okay? The other guys, too?” Callie asked softly.
“As far as I know.” Molly turned and faced outside again. The sound of the gates being opened by two prospects, and of tires squealing on the concrete as the two vans sped up to the house surrounded them almost ominously. Molly, Adrianna, and Tatum were already out the front door and racing toward the vans, before Cookie led Callie outside. She wanted to rush to the guys, make sure they were okay, that Kink was okay, and hold him tightly. But Callie had a death grip on her, was shaking, and she knew the girl needed a stable post right now. Cookie seemed to be that for her right now, and she wasn’t going to abandon her.
“Oh God.” Her heart slammed hard against her ribs, and sweat bloomed along her forehead as she watched all these bikers pile out of the vans. She didn’t know many of them. But her main focus was on Kink. He was one of the guys who helped lift Lucien out of the back of one of the vehicles, and a gasping sob left Callie.
“We need to go to them,” Callie said, but didn’t move.
“I know, honey, but right now we’ll be in the way. They need to take care of Lucien, and I have no medical training to help in this.” She looked at Molly who stopped off to the side looking worried as hell. “Molly, do you need an extra set of hands?” Cookie might not know what the hell she would be doing, but she could hand stuff to her if need be.
Molly shrugged, rubbed the center of her chest, and then moved over to them. “I might, but I need to assess Lucien, see how bad it is, and hopefully get him stable. The doctor should be here any minute, but stay close, okay?”
Cookie nodded, and Adrianna moved closer to them.
“What if he dies?” Callie pulled away and stared at Cookie with these huge blue eyes. The young woman probably felt the world on her shoulders right now. Cookie knew she felt that way right now. This girl loved the President of The Brothers of Menace. That much was clear. It wasn’t about knowing him her whole life. It was about a hell of a lot more than that.
“It’ll be okay,” A
drianna said. “It has to be okay.” Cookie wrapped her arm around Callie’s shoulder, pulled her in tight, and tried to give her the comfort she needed. Kink scanned the grounds almost frantically, and when he stopped his gaze right on them, there was this relief that could be clearly seen. Callie took off toward him, but she stopped when she was a foot from all of the other guys. There was just too much going on right now. With the yelling, action, and a lifeless Lucien in the guys’ arms, everything seemed to happen slowly. But at the same time everything seemed to be speeding up faster than she could even comprehend.
“Callie, I need you to wait over there while we get Lucien taken care of, okay sweetheart?” Kink said in passing, and then he looked at Cookie once more. There was this pain, this hardened expression, and this violence that still covered his face.
Cookie went over to Callie, embraced her again, and stared at the men as they took Lucien into the oversized garage. The sound of an approaching car had her looking behind her and seeing a flashy looking SUV pull to a stop behind the vans. The doctor, she assumed, took off toward the garage with an oversized bag in hand.
“Come on, just in case they need us.” They both all but ran toward the garage, and she yelled over her shoulder when she saw the girls that had been inside of the house open the back door. “Stay inside, and start making some breakfast for the guys.” She saw Kendra holding Dakota, and was thankful he was in safe arms right now. Cookie let go of Callie and went into the garage. They had Lucien up on a stainless steel table, and had everything off of him. Seeing a man as strong and powerful as Lucien lying there naked and vulnerable, with a bullet hole in his leg, shook Cookie to her core. Blood seeped out of him and started to pool on the table beneath him. Reality crashed into Cookie, and she pushed Callie away from it all. Fortunately, the young girl didn’t object.
“I need everyone out except the nurse, and a few of the guys that can help hand supplies to me,” the doctor yelled out, and all of the men started coming toward her. Cookie moved out of their way, and when Pierce grabbed her arm gently and steered her out as well, she glanced behind her and saw that Kink and Malice had stayed behind.
“Come on, there isn’t anything for us to do in there besides get in their way.”
She knew Pierce was right, but she didn’t want to leave. She wanted to help, even if she didn’t know anything about this shit or saving someone’s life. The guys didn’t go far though. They stayed over by the back of the clubhouse, smoking and glancing at the garage. The sound of yet another approaching car had Cookie glancing up from where she had buried her head in Callie’s hair. A white van came right up to the garage, turned around, and backed up toward the door. The young man she had seen briefly yesterday, Malcolm she thought his name was, got out of the vehicle and moved toward the so fast it seemed to happen within seconds. He started carrying medical equipment, and even a cooler inside of the garage, and then it was back to everyone waiting.
“This is fucked up, man,” Pierce said to no one in particular.
“This is more than fucked up,” Tuck said and inhaled from a joint he was smoking.
“What if he doesn’t make it—”
The look Tuck gave Rock was enough to shut the man up. “We aren’t even going to go there. He will make it, got it?”
Rock shook his head and turned his back on them. Cookie led Callie over to the side of the clubhouse, and both of them leaned against the wall. She didn’t know how long they stayed like that, but it felt like an eternity. Finally the garage door opened, and Kink, Molly, and the doctor stepped out. They were covered in blood, and Cookie’s pulse started beating frantically again. Callie took off toward her father, and he embraced her tightly. After several moments Callie finally let go, said something to Molly, and the other woman took her into the garage. Kink watched his daughter go, and this strange look covered his face. But he turned, held Cookie’s gaze, and then smiled softly. She took off, not caring what anyone else said, and only acting on her instincts. She flew into his arms, crying for the first time in what felt like forever. She cried for Lucien who was hurt, cried because she was happy the other men were okay, and cried harder yet that Kink was holding her so tightly she could hardly breathe. It felt good to have him with her, felt good to let her anger, frustration, and most of all sadness leave her in this physical way.
“Baby, you doing okay?” Kink asked right beside her ear.
She nodded, knowing that her voice would be choked up. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and allowed herself to loosen her death grip on him. He was hesitant to let her go, and she smiled at that. “I’m okay. Are you and the other guys doing all right? Lucien is okay?” She hated asking, because she didn’t know if she wanted to know the answer. She may have only been a part of the club for a few weeks, but they had kind of become her unofficial family.
He nodded and cupped her cheek. “I think, but I’ll let the doctor go into that.” He leaned down, kissed her hard and passionately, and then leaned back and rested his forehead on hers.
“You’re trembling, Kink.”
He nodded and kept his eyes closed. “I know, baby.” He kissed her again, more softly this time, and moved her so she was positioned at his side. The other guys had moved forward, but they seemed to all be waiting for something.
The doctor cleared his throat and wiped his hand on a rag that one of the bikers had given him. The whiteness, or lack thereof, from the rag, startled her. There was so much blood.
So much.
“Lucien looks like he’ll survive,” the doctor said, and there was this collective sign that came from everyone. “The bullet was lodged in his thigh, but that is what saved his life. The bullet nicked his femoral artery, just barely, but if it had gone straight through he would have bled out.”
“He needed blood?” Tuck asked. “I assume since it looked like he was bleeding a geyser back there.” There was this uncomfortable silence that stretched between everyone.
“Yeah. I had Malcolm bring me the supplies I needed. Lucien’s hooked up to a bag of type O negative, and although it is considered the universal donor blood type, there could be a rare reaction, and knowing the luck of the club lately that would be the case. I’m going to watch him closely for the next twenty-four hours.”
“What the fuck does that mean about the blood?” Tuck asked with a bite of hostility in his voice.
“Easy, man. The doctor is doing all he can, okay?” Kink said. Right now they need to keep their heads together.
“Since I didn’t know what his blood type is, type O negative is the best option.” The doctor sighed heavily. “Listen, right now it’s touch and go, but I’ll stay with him for the next twenty-four hours. He’s still unconscious, but his prognosis looks good right now.” The doctor looked back at the garage and then glanced at the cabin. “I’m sorry, but that’s all I have right now.” The doctor looked at Kink. “I’m going to head inside and get a place set up downstairs for him.”
“I’ll go with you,” Tuck said, and led the doctor inside.
“I should go check on Lucien again,” Kink said, and gave Cookie a kiss on the forehead before turning. Cookie reached out and grabbed his forearm.
She glanced at the cabin, knowing Callie needed a little time in there. “Kink, come inside and let me help you get cleaned up.” Even though neither of them said anything about it, Cookie could see the Kink knew she was referring to Callie being inside. “Just give her some time. She had some really bad news today.”
God, she didn’t want to be the one that said it, because after all that had happened that was the last thing they needed. But then again this news was big, and Callie needed to be the one to tell her father about her mom dying. Just as they went to go back inside Callie and Molly came out. Callie, surprisingly, wasn’t in tears. “Go to her, Kink. Callie needs you right now.”
Kink kissed her on the forehead, and went over to his daughter. He embraced her, but even from the distance Cookie could see that Callie was talking
almost frantically. She waved her hands in fort of her and then burst into tears. Kink embraced her, stroked her hair, and Cookie’s heart broke at the sight of such a strong, masculine man, looking over at her with this hollow expression in his eyes. She turned away, knowing that they didn’t need an audience, and ushered the rest of the guys inside. “Come on, I think the girls were making something to eat.” And right before she went inside she looked over her shoulder and saw one tear slide down Kink’s cheek.
Chapter Fifteen
Five hours had passed since the guys had come back to the clubhouse. They had eaten breakfast in near silence, but then again Lucien was lying unconscious in the next room. He had gone through a pint of blood, and so far he hadn’t had any negative reactions, which was a step in the right direction. No one knew how long he’d be out, but they were thankful he was alive. This life was screwed up in the worst kind of way, but then again they put themselves in this situation. It was in their blood, in their DNA.
Kink looked up at the loft, and although he couldn’t see Callie or Cookie, he knew they were up there sleeping in one of the rooms. He sat at the bar, looking down at the shot Tatum had set in front of him. After Callie had told him about Sarah and Dale dying in that car accident he had called a buddy he knew on the force. Finding out the grisly details wasn’t what Kink had been going for, but then he had found out they had both been drunk. That didn’t make the situation any less horrendous, but it could have been even worse with other people being involved in the accident.
Fuck, what a shitty day. He took the shot and tossed it back. The alcohol burned, and it wasn’t even noon yet, but he didn’t care. He needed something to numb the pain, to take away the ugliness that surrounded him. It seeped into his life and was sucking the life right out of him.
The front door slammed opened, and Cain walked in, looking fierce, big, and pissed off. He scanned the room, stopped when he saw Kink, and moved swiftly over to him. “What the fuck happened, brother?” Cain was forty-five, but right now he looked old and tired, ready to kill someone, but most of all worried.