“Ali,” I croaked out. Sebastian stared at me from the other side of the office, obviously sensing my distress. “What’s going on?”
“I need you to come get me and my son. We’re in Pittsburgh and I need someplace to hide.”
I tensed immediately. “Hide from what?”
“Slasher.” My world bottomed out just like that. She was with Slasher? What the hell had happened? “Please, Chris, I’ll explain everything when you get here. We’re at the bus station on 11th St. Please. I need you, Chris.”
I could hear the desperation in her voice, but I hadn’t missed that she had a son. Was it Slasher’s son? And why the hell had she gotten mixed up with him? It didn’t matter why. I couldn’t let her live in fear of Slasher. I wouldn’t let another person fall prey to him.
“I’ll be there in an hour. Stay out of sight and I’ll call you back on this number when I get there.”
“Okay,” she said quietly.
I didn’t say anything else before I hung up. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her that I loved her. I always had and I always would, but that was seventeen years ago and I had no clue what she had been up to since then or if she even felt the same way. All I knew was that I wouldn’t let her down.
“Everything okay?” Sebastian asked as he walked toward me.
“A girl I used to know needs a place to hide out. She’s in Pittsburgh, so I’m gonna go get her and her son.”
“Who’s she running from?”
My jaw clenched, hating that I had to tell Sebastian this. “The Blood Devils.”
“Fuck,” he whispered. He ran a hand across his jaw and picked up the phone. “Ice, get Jules and meet us downstairs in ten.”
He hung up without another word, motioning for me to follow him.
“I can take care of this, Cap.”
“I know you can, but if the Blood Devils are involved, we’re not taking any chances. You have no idea if they followed her or not. You could be walking into a trap.”
I followed him out to the elevator and we headed down to the level where all the guns were stored. Five minutes later, Ice and Jules walked in, seeing us gearing up and did the same.
“I want to take two vehicles. Let’s load up both and get on the road. I want everyone wearing vests and bring one for her.”
“She has her son with her.”
He nodded and tossed an extra at me. He picked up several handguns, magazines, and pulled on his shoulder holster. I did the same and attached my ankle holster. I had no idea if she had taken the proper precautions when coming here, but I wasn’t about to show up unprepared. It took us another five minutes to load up the SUVs. Most of them were already stocked, so it was a matter of making sure we had everything we needed. I rode with Cap while Jules and Ice rode in the other vehicle.
We hadn’t even made it five minutes down the road before Cap started in.
“So, you gonna tell me the story finally?”
I shrugged. “I’m not sure this has anything to do with it.”
“How could it not? It’s the Blood Devils.”
I sighed and ran a hand across my jaw. “I was dating Ali when I was seventeen. She was the one, I knew it from the moment I met her. I was going to take her away from our crappy town and start over, but then my brother got involved with the Blood Devils and I couldn’t leave. I knew that he was doing some nasty shit to make sure that I had food and clothes. I wanted to join and help him get out.”
“You don’t get out of a gang like that,” Cap said, glancing over at me.
“I know that now, but I was seventeen and I wanted to help my brother. Anyway, when I decided to join, I told her that it was over, that I never wanted to see her again. Then I went to meet with Slasher. He was waiting with my brother and another guy. My brother had been stealing from them and they wanted me to kill him. That was supposed to be my initiation.”
“Did you do it?”
“No. There was no way I could kill him. He was all I had left. I watched as they beat the shit out of him and then put a bullet in his head. They told me that was what would happen to me and Ali if I ever told. I walked away and that was the last I ever heard from Slasher.”
“Slasher is the leader?”
“At the time he wasn’t. He was just an enforcer. I have no idea what he is now.”
“How the hell did she get wrapped up in their shit?”
“I don’t know, but she has a son. I hope to God he’s not Slasher’s kid.”
My mind drifted to the first time I met Ali. We were just little kids, but I knew right away that she was the sweetest little girl I would ever meet.
I walked into school, embarrassed because Mom had forgotten to do laundry for the past two weeks. My already too short pants were filthy with grass stains and they hung loose on my lanky frame. I was tall, but way too skinny. Mom didn’t care if my pants didn’t fit. My dad had left us a few months back and she ceased to care about anything to do with my brother or me.
Kids shoved me and laughed at me as I made my way to my locker. All I had for a backpack was a plastic bag I used from the grocery store. I unloaded the few school items I had been able to scrounge up and debated hiding out in the bathroom for the rest of the day. There was a pretty strawberry smell drifting toward me and when I shut my locker, I saw a pretty girl standing next to me, smiling at me. At first, I thought maybe she was smiling because she was laughing at me, but then she held out her hand and introduced herself.
“Hi, I’m Alison. What’s your name?”
I stared at her hand and then glanced down at my filthy one. She didn’t seem to care, though. She slipped her fingers through my hand and grasped my hand tightly.
“Chris,” I said quietly.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m new to this school. Do you think you could show me around?”
“Sure,” I said hesitantly. She would learn soon enough that I wasn’t the kid to be seen with. But as we walked around the school, she just talked to me, telling me about where she was from and how excited she was to start at this new school. Being in the seventh grade, now was really the time for her to make friends with the right crowds. I was not in any of those crowds.
“Look, you seem really nice, but if you keep walking around with me, kids are going to make fun of you.”
She looked at me strangely. “Do you not want me around you?”
“It’s not that. You seem nice, but all the kids make fun of me. I just don’t want you to get picked on.”
“Well, you’re the first person that’s been nice to me, so I think I’d like you as a friend.”
From that day on, we were inseparable. She ignored all the people that made fun of her and acted like it didn’t bother her. She would pack extra food in her lunches to share with me. She had noticed that I never really had a lunch. We would usually start walking home together, but I went to the trailer park and she went to a nice subdivision on the other side of town. I never wanted to leave her side, but no matter how many times she asked me if I wanted to go to her house to play, I always turned her down. I was too embarrassed to show up at her house looking the way I did.
Ali became my best friend over the years. My only friend, really. And by the time we made it to high school, I hoped that one day she could be more than my friend. I was sure that I didn’t deserve her, but when I finally worked up the courage to ask her to go steady with me, I was relieved when she said yes. For so many years, she had been my whole world, and I had just walked away from her one day.
We drove the rest of the way in silence and when we got close, I gave Ali a call and let her know we were almost there. We drove around for a few minutes, checking to see if there was anything suspicious. When we didn’t see anything, Cap parked and Ice pulled up alongside him, rolling down the window.
“Jules and Chris will go get Ali and her son. We’ll stay here on standby. Keep your eyes open.”
Ice nodded and I got out of the SUV, joining Jules on the sidewalk. We
walked down to the edge of the building where they were hiding beside the dumpster and what I saw nearly killed me. Ali was on the ground, curled up in pain. Her face looked like it had been bashed in with a baseball bat and her son was hovering over her protectively.
“Ali,” I said, kneeling down beside her. “What the fuck happened?”
“We need to get out of here,” she gasped in pain. “I think I saw one of them.”
Jules immediately straightened and pulled out his phone, calling Cap and letting him know.
“I’m gonna pick you up, okay? Try not to make any noise.” I turned to the kid, who looked about fifteen or sixteen. “Stay with Jules and do exactly as he tells you.”
The kid nodded and reluctantly stepped away from his mother. I put my arms under her and cradled her gently against my body. She whimpered softly, but didn’t cry out in pain. Jules pulled out his weapon and guided us back toward the SUVs. I watched the shadows as best I could, but if we were attacked, I was fucked. I couldn’t carry her like this and shoot a weapon.
We were about half way there when we heard the voice.
“There’s the kid!”
I spun around to see where the hell they were and that’s when I saw four of them with guns aimed in our direction. Jules was already shoving the kid on the ground and aiming at the group of Blood Devils. The first shot hit a little too close for my liking, but they obviously weren’t very good shots. Still any gun being fired was dangerous. I set Ali down, none too gently, and pulled my own weapon, hovering over her. I fired off a few shots, hitting one before the others took cover. Jules got in a better position and took out another.
Cap came screeching up in the SUV along the curb and opened fire to give us cover. I hauled Ali up over my shoulder and took off for the SUV. Jules was running behind, dragging the kid with him. I flung open the door and shoved Ali inside, climbing in behind her. The kid came in behind me and Jules slammed the door, running for the other vehicle. I lowered the back window and fired at the last two guys, hitting one while Cap took out the other.
Cap threw the truck in drive and we peeled out of the deserted bus station and headed for Reed Security. I knelt over Ali on the seat, hearing that she was wheezing badly and gasping for air.
“Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Cap, get Pappy on the phone. I think I punctured Ali’s lung!”
Cap dialed Pappy quickly, barking at him that we had an emergency.
“Alright, Chris, get the med kit out. Inside is a chest tube insertion kit with everything you’ll need.”
“You want me to stick a chest tube in her?” I asked incredulously.
“Just shut the fuck up and listen or she’s gonna die from lack of oxygen or her heart will give out from the pressure.”
I was shaking, but I took a deep breath and pulled myself together, grabbing the kit and opening it up. Cap pulled over in an empty parking lot and got out, sliding the front seats forward for more space. I laid out all the equipment and wiped the sweat from my forehead.
“Alright, grab the hand sanitizer and wash your hands as best you can. Then put on a pair of gloves.” I did as he said and snapped the gloves in place.
“What’s next?” Cap stood outside the door, having done the same thing and waited for instructions.
“Use the wipes to sanitize the side of her body by her ribs. Cap, there’s a syringe and a bottle with the local anesthetic. Get it ready for him. Chris, you need to pull up her shirt and locate the 4th or 5th intercostal space. That’s below either the fourth or fifth rib. That first rib is hard to find, so it’ll be about nipple high. You want to aim for the lower end of the space along the anterior axillary line.”
“What the fuck does that mean, Pappy? I’m not a fucking doctor,” I yelled as vomit rose in my throat.
“Calm down, Chris. I’ll walk you through it. Follow the edge of the front of her shoulder down to the side of her breast. That’s the anterior axillary line. Don’t go too far back toward the midline, which will be the line right down the middle of her armpit. Got it?”
I counted her ribs, not sure if I had gotten the first or not, but I went with the fourth one down and felt the inside space. “Okay, I think I found it.”
“Alright, you’re going to want to give her the local anesthetic. Don’t be stingy. You don’t want her in pain.”
Cap handed me the syringe he had filled and I inserted the needle, hoping to God that I didn’t hurt her even more.
“Okay, done.”
“Good. Now, Cap, you need to find the tubing. One end is flared and gets gradually bigger. The other end connects to a Heimlich valve, which is a plastic piece that looks like a pencil point on both ends. One end is blue. That blue end connects to the bigger end of the tube. There should be an arrow directing you. Get that ready. Chris, you need to grab the catheter with the cannula inside, which is the tubing with a needle covered in plastic. The cannula isn’t sharp, but inside that is a stylet. That’s the needle. It’s sharp and pointy.”
“Got it.” I grabbed the tubing and made sure I had everything.
“Okay, grab the surgical blade and make a skin nick where you’re going to insert the tube.”
I picked up the blade and squeezed my fist tight before putting the blade against her skin. I saw her kid staring at me out of the corner of my eye, which only made this more difficult. I pressed the blade lightly to her skin, only applying enough pressure so that I could insert the tube.
“Okay. What’s next?”
“Put the needle inside the tube that fits tightly over it and then put that inside the catheter. You want to hold the tube in your left hand by the ribs, stabilizing the chest tube, and hold the needle with your right hand with your thumb pushing at the back of it. This is very important,” he said urgently, “because if you don’t press the needle into the tubing, you’re going to be trying to shove that inside her without a sharp end.”
That kind of flew over my head, but I got the gist. Hold the sharp stick inside the blunt stick.
“Now, you want to hold it perpendicular to the space. It’s not going to slide right in, but as soon as you feel it give, stop pushing.”
I took a deep breath and held the needle against her skin, saying a quick prayer that I didn’t kill her. I pushed, feeling the needle tearing through and then the moment it was inside, I stopped pushing immediately. “I’m in.”
“Okay, pull out the needle and put it aside. Make sure you don’t stab yourself.”
I pulled it out and set it aside.
“Now, push the needle covering tube in just a centimeter or so. You need to confirm that you’re in the plura. Take a syringe and attach it to the end of the tube and you should be able to aspirate air easily.”
I nodded and took the syringe that Cap handed to me, hooking it up to the tube and pulling it back, relieved when I was able to get air. “We’re good!”
“Okay, push the catheter in a few more inches and then remove the tube.” I did as he said. “Cap, hand him the tubing with the Heimlich valve. You want to attach it and make sure the stop cock valve is open. It’s a little port looking thing that has a lever to open and close it.”
I attached it made sure the valve was open. “Done.”
“Okay, look at the Heimlich valve. You should see some fluttering in there when she’s breathing.”
I looked at it, not seeing what he was talking about. Fuck, I had screwed it up. “I don’t see it,” I said urgently.
“It should be when she’s breathing out.”
I looked again and there it was. I blew out a breath and nodded, then realized Pappy couldn’t see me. “I see it.”
“Good. You need to secure that line. Put the petroleum gauze over it and tape it down.”
When it was done, I sat back for a moment staring at Ali. Suddenly, I didn’t feel so good. I shoved the kid out of the way and jumped from the SUV, emptying the contents of my stomach onto the pavement. My whole body shook and I wasn’t sure if I was going to pass out or no
t.
“Stick your head between your legs,” Jules said as he walked over to me. I did as he said and felt myself slowly starting to breath normal again. He handed me a water as he continued to keep an eye on our surroundings. When I felt like I wouldn’t throw up anymore, I went back to the vehicle, noting that Cap had cleaned up and gotten her secure in the back seat.
“What’s your name, kid?”
“Axel.”
I instantly hated it. It was exactly something Slasher would name his kid. “You’re riding in the back of the other SUV with Ice and Jules. We have to get your mom to the hospital.”
He nodded reluctantly and followed Jules back to the other vehicle. I took a seat in the front with Cap and leaned my head back against the seat, closing my eyes. That had been a little too intense for today. I could handle bullets and I could handle being the one that was almost killed, but to watch the woman I still loved struggling for air and having to try and save her life was more than I could take.
✯✯✯✯✯
Since Ali was stable, we took her to Kate’s clinic where she could get x-rays. Hunter met us there so that Kate had another pair of hands if necessary. I stayed in the waiting area with Ice, Cap, Jules, and Axel as we waited to find out how she was. It took longer than I expected and I was getting impatient, waiting around for them to tell us anything. I didn’t even give Axel a second thought after Ali was taken back. All I could think about was how she had suddenly come back into my life.
When Kate finally came out, I rushed over to her, eager to know how Ali was.
“You did a good job placing the chest tube,” she smiled. “It looks like the she’ll be fine without surgery. A large portion of her lung collapsed, though, so she’ll need to keep the chest tube in for a few days to allow her lung tissue to expand again. She should be fine within a few weeks. I’ll have her do some breathing exercises to make sure she’s expanding her lungs enough in the meantime. Where will she be staying?”
Whiskey: A Reed Security Romance (Reed Security Series Book 7) Page 3