by Lila Rose
Dallas, Trevor and Saxon laughed. I blushed.
Mum.
“Oh, God, we have to call Stoke. Malcolm poisoned Mum. Oscar’s at the hospital waiting for her. He’ll take her. We need to warn them. Now!”
“You’re probably too late,” Malcolm taunted.
“Calm, child,” Mrs Cliff uttered. I looked to her, gasped and ran to her side to see her flip her phone closed. “I had Lan on the line. He knows. Hopefully, their dealing with him now.” She tried to straighten, I helped her and saw her flinch and wince. She looked to Dallas and Trevor and said, “’Bout time you two idiots got here.”
“What you want done with this before we take you to the hospital?” Dallas asked.
“He’s mine,” Saxon said. He went over to Malcolm, punched him in the stomach and while he was doubled over Saxon grabbed Malcolm’s hair pulled his head up and hissed, “Told you, you would pay.” He let his head drop and said to Dallas, “Billy will be here soon. He’ll take him to the compound.”
It was then Josh came running into the kitchen and said, “I’m starving that game is freakin’ awesome. I swear even with the headphones on the gun shots sounded like it was happening in the house.” He stopped looked about and uttered, “Oh, shit.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Malinda
My body was tingling. I could feel more, but my eyes still wouldn’t open or my mouth wouldn’t scream what I wanted to say. My man needed me.
“Take her to the end room,” a female voice said. The trolley I lay upon moved on further. I heard a curtain open and close.
“This one is weird,” a woman said.
“You can say that again. We’ll get her changed into a gown and then take her blood to run some tests.”
I felt everything, but I couldn’t do anything. My body was stripped bare. The coolness in the room swept over my skin and then something was placed over me. My arms were pulled through and I was pushed to the side where I felt someone’s fingers at my back doing up ties. I hated hospital gowns. They were uncomfortable and still flashed things no one should see. I was thankful they’d left my underwear on; however, they’d taken my bra, so the girls were swinging free. A blanket was thrown over me and next, a needle was jabbed into my arm, I cursed through the feel of blood being drawn from my body.
“Did you see her man out the front?”
“No, is he nice?”
“He’s hot, but it’s taking the two men with him to keep him out there. Poor guy wants to see his woman.”
“Why don’t they let him in?”
“They’re worried he’ll just get in the way with the way he’s acting…”
“Damn. Okay, go run those through. We need answers and now—who are you?”
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
Oh, shit.
Oh, damn.
Fuck.
It was Oscar.
“Both of you back the fuck off her. I need to take her.”
“You can’t do that. We need to find out what’s wrong with her.”
Oscar chuckled. “Easy, I had someone put a homemade roofy in her teabags, where it numbs the whole body, but the little bitch is still awake on the inside. Isn’t that right, you fucking whore.” I felt his hand on my face, running over my lips and down my cheek. “We’re going to have a blast together.” He laughed.
“Y-you need to stay away from her,” the one who had taken my blood said.
“Afraid I can’t do that.”
Movement spun around me and then two gasps sounded.
“Back the fuck off or I’ll shoot you both. I’m taking her.”
No, no, he can’t do this. Move, you stupid body, move, scream, fight.
“Do not be silly and budge from that spot,” he ordered. The blanket that covered me was thrown from my body.
God, no, please, no. Yell for Declan. Yell for help. Please, help me. Don’t let him take me. Get my man. My man will save me.
An arm was forced under my neck and another, which held cold metal—the gun?—was slid under my legs. I was picked up from the bed.
“Get back. Jesus, fuck, you can’t go out there and say anything.” He placed my useless body back on the bed and I heard him walk away.
“No, we won’t say anything. We’ll stay in this room.”
Oscar snorted. “Yeah, right.”
“No,” one screamed. Then there was a thump, something crashed to the floor.
“Don’t please,” a nurse begged. There was a scuffle, slaps, grunts, another thump and something else fell to the floor.
“Now you won’t say anything.” He chuckled.
Oh, my God, what had he done to them?
“Fucking stop the tears. They’ll be fine. I only kill stupid bitches like you,” Oscar said, and again he lifted me from the bed. “Jesus, even when you’re like this, you annoy me. The world will be better off without you in it…after you’ve told me what you know and I’ve had some fun with your body.”
My stomach churned. Not only from his words, but from the touch of his skin on my bare legs and neck.
“Coast is clear, lucky you,” he mocked and started to walk out of the room, and from the sound of his shoes on vinyl flooring, down a hall.
“Hey…w-what are you doing?”
“Fuck,” Oscar hissed. He turned and said with confidence, “I was told to take this patient to another room.”
“We have wheelchairs for that and she should have already been on a bed that could also wheel her.”
“Whoops, didn’t think of that.”
“Are you new here?”
“Sure am. First day on the job. Look, she’s getting heavy. I need to keep going.”
With all my strength and mind, I forced my arm to move. Fuck! I managed an inch of movement and that was it.
Oh, God.
Would I ever see my kids again?
Declan?
Tears ran down my face.
“Is she okay?”
“Look, dickhead, does she look okay?” With that, I felt Oscar turn once again and start forward. The doctor or nurse, whoever that guy was said nothing more.
Dooming me to my fate.
Stoke
The waiting was killing me and I was sure my brothers had enough of fighting me back to a seat after I tried to run for the goddamn doors again, and again.
“Don’t make me sit on you, fucker,” Dodge hissed. He was seated beside me instead of Blue, who I accidentally gave a bloody nose to when I elbowed him in the face, fighting my way into the hospital.
Stupid. I was being stupid, overreacting.
But fuck, until I saw Malinda, until I knew she was okay, I was living on the edge of releasing my demon inside. It wanted to claw its way out and hurt anything and everything was keeping me from my woman.
“Fuck, brother, remind me never to get a woman if this is how crazy we act,” Dodge complained.
“I can’t wait for your turn, dickhead,” Killer said from the other side of me.
“Ain’t happening if you turn into a pussy like this.” Dodge laughed.
Turning, I grabbed him by his tee and threw him to the ground. Sneering down at him, I demanded, “Is it being a pussy when you see someone you love drop to the ground and you don’t know why? You see tears fall from your woman’s eyes while her body is still, not moving in your arms and you can’t do anything about it. If that’s being a pussy, then I don’t give a fuck.”
“Learn to shut the fuck up, Dodge,” Killer said.
“Shit, yeah, all right. I get it. Don’t kill me, man.”
Their talking was pissing me off. I knew they were doing it for my benefit but it didn’t help.
Shit. Nothing would help until I had my woman.
My eyes were to the ground. I was leaning forward, ready to bolt, or throw up. I leaned on my knees that bounced up and down, from my feet on the vinyl floor and my sweaty hands were clasped tightly together in front of me.
Tilting my head to the sid
e as heavy pounding footsteps caught my attention, my cousin came running around a corner.
“Let him go,” Lan yelled.
I bounced up to my feet, ready to take anything on.
Killer grabbed one arm, Dodge the other. But it was Killer who said, “Fuckin’ hell, Stoke, get a grip. You ain’t doing Malinda any favours acting like this.”
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath.
He was right. I knew it, but logic wasn’t my friend right then.
“No,” Lan barked and still yelling words that sliced a knife right through my heart. “Let him the fuck in there. Go, Stoke, find your woman. Oscar is here somewhere.”
“Fuck!” I roared and ran for the emergency doors, security men tried to get in my way, but I barrelled through them. The doors hit the walls as I pushed them wide.
“Malinda?” I screamed.
“Sir, you can’t be in here,” a nurse said.
“Woman, I’d advise you to give us his woman’s room and now,” Dodge ordered.
Lan came through behind us. “We need Malinda May’s room and now. We have reason to believe a criminal is in there with her.”
“That’s ridiculous,” an older woman laughed.
I turned to her and skewered her with my gaze. “Fuckin’ tell me now,” I yelled.
She paled and uttered, “Down the hall to the left, room 205.”
I ran for it, my brothers and cousin at my back. Everyone got out of the way, some screamed, some gasped, hell, some even cursed. They all looked scared, but I didn’t care.
I gripped the curtain, and with my strength, instead of pulling it aside, I pulled it from its rails and it drifted to the floor. I stepped in and yelled, “Motherfucker.” Two nurses were knocked out on the floor, bruises already showed on their foreheads.
“Dodge, stay here with them,” Talon ordered. Where he came from, I didn’t have a fuckin’ clue. I turned and started running again.
What caught my attention was a male nurse shakily raise his hand, and with a finger, he pointed toward a hallway. When I turned, I saw at the end a Goddamn motherfuckin’ exit sign.
Pulling my gun from the back of my jeans, I strode down it.
“Let me go first,” Lan said.
“No,”
“Cousin,”
“No,” I barked.
“Let him do this. He needs to do this,” Killer said.
“Fuck, I’m a cop. I should be the one. He can get into shit over this.”
“Can he?” Talon asked. “As far as I see, you’re the only cop here.”
“You can’t ask this of me.”
“Enough,” I snapped and pushed the exit door open.
My eyes searched the area. It was a huge-arse loading dock with trucks and shit everywhere.
“There,” Talon pointed.
Just beyond a truck, I spotted a car, only the back of it was visible. When I saw it, my blood boiled and then pumped faster through my veins. “Oscar,” I rumbled low as Talon sent out orders. I didn’t listen. I started down the steps and headed straight for the man who was about to die.
He had Malinda’s limp form in his arms as he struggled to open the back door.
“Oscar,” I roared.
He spun, nearly dropping Malinda to the concrete ground. “Back the fuck up or I kill her.” He slid her from his arms and sat her propped up against the car in seconds. The movement would have hurt her if she had been awake. Oscar then took aim at me. I didn’t flinch. I didn’t think. I just kept my fast pace toward him.
“Stop,” he yelled.
“You dare take my woman? You dare take her from here and harm her? You say nothing and do nothing more. You hear me, fucker?”
“I. Will. Kill. Her! Even before you get to me.” He switched the gun from me and pointed it at my woman’s head.
My body locked. I stood frozen. “Leave her and you won’t be harmed. Leave her and stay the fuck away.”
He snorted. “I’m not fucking stupid.”
Looking over Oscar, I smirked and said, “No, you’re wrong. You are stupid to think I’d be out here on my own.”
A shot was fired. Oscar went to his knees. He raised his gun to me with wide panicked eyes and fired. I dove to the left, my body landing hard.
Killer showed up beside me as I tried to sit up. “Don’t fuckin’ move. You’ve been hit. I need help here. Stoke’s down,” he yelled.
Not a-fuckin’-gain. Christ.
“Malinda?” I asked.
“She’s fine. Talon’s taking her inside.”
“Good.” I grinned, and then like a girly man, I passed the fuck out.
Epilogue
Stoke
One Month Later
I was lying awake in bed with my woman at my side. My mind was busy thinking of the time I nearly lost her. I woke every morning thinking she’d been taken from me, and it fuckin’ hurt. It took me sometime to calm my heart and realise my woman lay at my side, her head always up against my arm or on my chest. Her arm always flung over my stomach.
Fuck. I hated and loved how I woke. I hated it because it put fright into my body and mind. But I loved it when the fog in my brain cleared and I felt her against me.
When I woke after my operation to remove the bullet from my shoulder, I opened my eyes and saw my woman standing at the end of my bed with her hands on her hips, scowling down at me. Christ, she looked beautiful, even in the simplicity of jeans and a cashmere jumper. Her hair was down around her shoulders. Her eyes were glaring at me, but they shined the gorgeous green just for me. I smiled; she growled.
“Next time you save me—though, I really hope there won’t be a next time—you will not risk your life in doing so. It was a jerk move, no matter what you were going through.” Her breath hitched; tears filled her eyes. “If…if anything were to happen to you…I couldn’t recover from it, Declan Stoke.” She swiped her tears away. “Never do that to me again. I love you too much, so much it scares me.”
“Come here, love.”
“No, I’m still angry with you.”
“Malinda, come here.”
She bit her bottom lip to stop it quivering.
“Love, please. You scared me, too. I need to feel my woman.”
She sighed and walked to the side of the bed. When she was close, I reached out, tagged her hand and pulled her onto the bed with me. Thank fuck, she chose to the side my good arm was.
She tried to scramble off, but I wrapped my arm around her waist and tugged her down to my side.
“I’ll hurt you.”
“Fuck, no, you won’t,” I growled and planted my nose into her hair, taking a deep breath. “I thought I’d lost you. It killed me, love. Killed me.” Nipping her neck, I added, “You’re mine.”
“Yes,” she sighed contently.
“We’re gonna get hitched and I’m gonna fill your belly with my seed. I want more kids with you, love. I want one of our blood, even though I see Josh and Nary as mine already. I want more. I’m moving in, selling my house and putting a ring on your finger, and there ain’t shit you can do about it.”
She harrumphed. “Well, I guess it’s good I agree then.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, it is.”
She got up to her elbow and looked down at me. “You see them as your kids?”
“Yeah.”
“I love you, Deck.” She smiled with new tears in her eyes.
“Love, you were made for me and so were your kids. I fuckin’ love you all.”
“Good, but don’t think you’re getting out of a good talking to about what you did.”
Jesus.
That was when I found out my woman had been awake on the inside. She heard everything and was petrified outta her mind. Not for her safety, but for mine. She went on to explain the kids had their own kinda shit go down at Beth’s house. Which explained why moments later, I got a new goddamn roommate, and Mrs fuckin’ Cliff was wheeled in, her bed parked next to mine.
The week in hospital had me seriou
sly contemplating suicide.
The whole day was busy with visitors, nurses and doctors. I didn’t get a chance to find out until later, when Mrs Cliff was asleep and I rang Killer, what happened with Oscar.
Lan had been the one to shoot him in the leg. As Talon took Malinda inside and Killer stuck with me, Lan and Dodge loaded up Oscar into that car and took off.
Apparently, they had left me a surprise for when I got out and I couldn’t wait to delivery payback before we handed him over to Anthony. What surprised the shit outta me was that Lan was allowing it.
Which meant…shit, I was grateful and prepared to let him in my life more, even if he had a thing for my woman.
Killer also said that Malcolm was still in a holding cell at the compound. Beth had told me in more detail all about Malcolm’s little visit. The little shit wanted to take my girl again. He deserved what he got, so I told Killer to let Saxon do with him what he wanted, but then he had to hand him over to Lan. At least Lan would then get something; seemed the little mongrel was in cahoots with Oscar.
A week later, once released, I went to the compound and got to see Saxon’s handy work, and hell, it made me proud of the bugger. Lan was leading Malcolm out. After sending my cousin a chin lift, I looked to Malcolm to see he had a split lip. At least five fingers were broken, plus his face was swollen and he was limping as Lan dragged him down the hallway.
“Have fun in jail, dickhead,” I sang. I hoped he’d get his arse virginity taken by some huge motherfucker.
I kept walking and opened the next door. I took in what greeted me in the small concrete room. Killer, Dodge, Dive and Talon were standing around, and in the middle of the room sat Oscar on an old kitchen chair.
“‘Bout time you got here,” Dodge said.
“Shut-up, fucker. I had to heal.”
“You’re still an ugly shit. I thought you were getting a facelift.”
I snorted out laughter. Dodge the fuckin’ wanker.
“Let’s get this done. Anthony wants him this afternoon,” Talon ordered.
“My pleasure.” I smiled.
Oscar glared up at me, silent the whole time until I moved toward him. “I’ll get away and I’ll find your whore and cut her so bad you won’t want to fuck her.”