Wild Cards

by R. C. Stephens

  As I held the cold metal in my hand and aimed the revolver on my mark, the blood flowing through my veins frosted over. I felt cold and empty. I had no choice but to pull the trigger. Like a hunter he had cornered me, and like a wild animal I was trapped. I tried to leave quietly. I tried to start a new life but it was never in his plans. I was never really free. The walls of my throat thickened. I had tried so hard to be good. All I wanted was a family, to be loved, and to give love, but he would never allow it. He tried to make me into something I wasn't. I lived the facade for too long.

  I inhaled a sharp breath, and it felt like a knife slicing through me. Justin gasped but he didn’t make a move on his gun.

  “I order you to shoot him, Justin, I am the boss, you answer and listen to me,” my father demanded. I pulled back the trigger, but a gun went off and it wasn’t mine. It hit my father in the chest and he fell backward, hitting the ground. Joe had shot him from his position on the floor. I needed to get to Vicky but before I did, I looked down to my father and pulled the trigger. I closed my eyes, knowing I’d never missed my mark, I'd been trained not to. As the bullet left the revolver, I opened my eyes, I'd hit my target spot on. I fell to my knees as the air was sucked from my body. The bullet landed in his heart. There would be no chance of survival that way.

  “Luc, get Vicky,” Joe hollered from the floor, he was losing lots of blood. I stumbled over to the chair that Vicky was tied to, and using my bad hand I released the ties and removed the gag from her. It looked like she was shot in the leg. I ripped off my shirt and tied it over her wound and lifted her up on my good side. I was bleeding badly myself, and the pain was piercing through me. I felt like I could faint, but I knew I needed to get her help. I needed to call an ambulance. A moment later I heard police and ambulance sirens, and I walked out of the room with Vicky in my arms. As the ambulance pulled up two paramedics got out.

  “Please help her, she’s been shot. She’s pregnant,” I cried out. The paramedics moved quickly, getting a stretcher out of the back. My heart was beating so fast. Vicky closed her eyes and I wanted to fall to my knees. “Please help her,” I said, as tears fell relentlessly from my eyes.

  “Yes, sir, we have called a helicopter, the victims will be airlifted shortly,” the paramedic replied.

  “Sir, you’ve been shot, you need to lie on the stretcher,” I heard another medic say, but everything sounded muffled. I’m dying …I’m dying and Vicky…I needed to get to Vicky…

  I felt dizzy but I saw police walking by, there were flashing red lights everywhere and deep down I was praying. I was praying that she would be okay. I lifted up to get off the stretcher. I succumbed to dizziness.

  “Is she okay? I need to get to her…” I mumbled.

  “We are assisting her, sir, she is receiving an IV, please lie back down,” the paramedic urged me back down on the stretcher. I had no strength to fight him.

  “She’s pregnant, she’s pregnant…” I felt like I was yelling.

  “It’s okay, sir, thank you for telling us,” the paramedic responded. I grasped my shoulder tight. I needed pain relief.

  A helicopter arrived hovering in the sky. It created a brisk wind as it landed on the other side of the parking lot.

  “We will take you and the girl on the first copter, the other men will be airlifted shortly,” one of the paramedics explained.

  “Okay her brother…Joe….Joe…” I continued to scream.

  “Calm down, sir, we will be getting the other people on helicopters as soon as possible,” the same medic continued. Then he poked my good hand and inserted an IV.

  “Her pulse is weak,” one medic shouted out. I pulled to get up but they had strapped me down. Oh no…oh no… then everything went blank.

  Chapter 31

  Luc

  I’m running fast. I need to get to Vicky. It’s nighttime; we are in a forest. My father has her. He’s running away with her. I need to get to her. I need to save her.

  “Why isn’t he waking up?” I heard a voice ask. I shook my head back and forth.

  “Luc, it’s Bryce…Luc,” he was calling out to me. It’s Bryce; he was here. Where am I? I opened my eyes. Bryce was standing above me.

  “Hi.” He smiled. I felt disoriented, but I thought it was only a dream. I was covered in sweat. I pulled to sit up and pain radiated through my arm.

  “Ahhh,” I screamed out and fell back down.

  “Luc, relax, everything is okay. Vicky is okay.” Bryce urged me to lie down. I took a long breath. Vicky is okay! “Luc, Vicky was shot in the thigh, she lost some blood, but she’s okay. She woke up from surgery already. She was asking for you…you are okay too. The bullet was three inches away from your heart. You are one lucky bastard,” Bryce chuckled. He looked worn and tired. “Doctors said you carried her out of there and held on to her until you knew she was safe. Thank you, Luc.” Bryce’s eyes squinted and they looked a little red.

  “I need to go to Vicky,” I mumbled. I still felt woozy but I was not asleep anymore. I remember what really happened.

  “Let me call the nurse and tell them you’re awake. You will have to be in that arm sling for at least six weeks while you heal. The doctors told me,” Bryce explained and then he turned around to leave my room. I needed to get to Vicky, I needed to see her to see if she was okay and the baby.

  “Mr. Lebaum.” An older nurse walked into the room. “I understand you want to see your wife.” She smiled kindly and I looked over to Bryce. He must have told her we were married. “We usually don’t allow patients to see each other, especially straight out of surgery, but I will wheel you over to her. Just lie in the bed and try not to move,” she said as she pulled my bed out of the room. Bryce followed us, holding on to the IV rod.

  “Luc?” she breathed out with a faint smile.

  Hearing her voice completely undid me. She was my everything, the only good in my life. She was the one that pulled me out from the darkness. My father had been wrong. I was destined to live my life with an angel, while he was destined to hell.

  “Vicky,” I exhaled. “Are you okay? Please, tell me you are okay…”

  “Yes, Luc, we are okay. I was lucky the bullet hit my leg, it skimmed the bone, it didn’t penetrate.,” she explained. I held my hand up to my chest and took a breath. Wait a minute!

  “We?” I asked with excitement in my tone.

  “Yes, Luc, the baby and I are good. This is not the way I wanted you to find out, but…” she trailed off. I wanted to hop out of my bed and kiss her feverishly, but I was in too much pain to move and she looked the same. I reached out my hand and she took it. Holding her hand in mine, I never wanted to let her go. I already knew about the baby, but hearing it from her lips made me delirious. She laughed and it made my heart feel warm.

  A man in a white coat entered the room. “She has still lost blood and she may feel weak for a while. We will be keeping her for observation for the next forty-eight hours. She needs fluids, she was dehydrated, and we also want to keep an eye on her leg make sure there is no infection,” he explained.

  “Thank you, doctor.” I smiled. I’d been worried sick about Joe too. He really saved us out there. “Do you know how her brother is doing? Joe Molino.”

  “Let me check with the nurses.” The doctor smiled and exited the room. Vicky lay in the bed with a frown on her face. I didn’t know how much she remembered or if she could recall which way the bullets were flying.

  The doctor walked back in the room. “He’s in surgery, bullet wound to the abdomen. He’s lost a lot of blood, but it looks like the bullet didn’t hit any major organs, so he should be fine. I think they are sewing him up now, but he may have to be in the hospital for about a week.”

  I also wanted to ask about Justin but I hated saying my family name. “And my brother, Justin Blanchard. Is he okay?”

  The doctor turned back to the nurse’s station and a few moments later he returned. “Yes, he is out of surgery, bullet wound to the shoulder like you. He wil
l be in a sling for a while.” I didn’t ask about my father. I already knew he was dead.

  “Thank you, doctor.”

  “Okay, Mr. Lebaum, I should be getting you back to your room,” the nurse added.

  “Can’t I stay here with my wife?” I asked and Vicky’s eyes went round. Bryce stood off to the corner of the room, chuckling.

  “No, sir, that won’t be allowed.” She frowned and then I had to release Vicky’s hand.

  “I will stay with her, Luc, don’t worry,” Bryce cut in.

  The nurse rolled me back to my room. At least with my father dead, I would have real freedom. I would be able to raise my child without looking over my shoulder. I kept on repeating that idea in my head. After living in a chamber of hell for most of my life, it would take time for me to truly believe I was free and that Vicky was safe.

  Chapter 32

  Two weeks later

  Vicky

  As we stood around my papa’s grave at the cemetery, the priest gave a long speech. I had Luc standing on one side of me and Bryce on the other, both of them were holding my hand. Joe was standing beside Luc, in a black suit and black sunglasses. As the priest delivered his sermon about heaven and returning to dust, my mind felt hazy. These past few years had been like a whirlwind and attending my father’s funeral made my heart feel heavy. The only difference today was that I knew if I fell apart, I would have my loved ones to stand by me and help me by holding all my broken pieces together. Joe and Luc seem to have bonded over my kidnapping disaster and you would think they were brothers from birth. Luc had molded effortlessly into our family and into my heart so quickly.

  As the casket lowered into the ground, I took long deep breaths. Having Luc beside me meant everything. He pulled me out of the depths of hell. When I met him I was a lost broken girl on a self-destructive path. My tears had remained silent, ripping me apart slowly from the inside as I found random hook-ups to fill the void I’d been feeling, or numb the pain; I am not sure which. Loving Luc freed me from the chains that held me captive. The chains of abandonment: feeling that I needed to be alone my whole life because I didn’t trust loving, the fear of being abandoned again. I knew now that he would never leave me; never abandon our child or me.

  When the funeral was over we all got into our cars and headed back to my parents' vacant house. The pregnancy had me feeling tired and nauseous all the time, and the new wound to my upper thigh meant that I was also limping. Despite my sadness over Papa’s passing, I felt more whole inside than I had in a long time.

  ***

  “Bryce, can I make you some tea or coffee?” I asked, standing up from the kitchen table. All of us had walked back in here feeling solemn and we all took a seat at the kitchen table.

  “I’m good, Vicky, you sit down and I will make you something. I called the local deli and spoke to a lady named Marie…” he began.

  “Yes, she was just at the funeral,” I responded.

  “I ordered a bunch of food, it should be here shortly. You need to eat and keep up your strength, that’s my grandchild you’re carrying.” He smiled.

  “Thanks, Bryce, I do feel wiped out right now. I feel sick twenty-four hours a day,” I huffed, wondering when the feeling of nausea would subside.

  “We need to take you to see a doctor for a check-up,” Luc cut in, as he lifted my hand in his and held on to it. I looked into his eyes and he stared back lovingly.

  “Yeah, Vick, what are your plans now?” Joe cut in. “I was put on a temporary leave because of the bullet wound, but I still need to go back to Mexico to get Eva and Nelly.”

  “Don’t worry, Joe,” Bryce and Luc cut in. Then we all glanced at each other and began to laugh. Although, Joe was cursing while laughing because it hurt his abdomen.

  “We’ll take care of her,” Bryce smiled to Joe.

  “That’s my baby she’s carrying in there,” Luc said, reaching over and rubbing my stomach. Something about his gesture felt intimate, and I blushed as Bryce and Joe watched Luc doting over me.

  “I have to leave, Vicky, but I will send the jet back whenever you need it,” Bryce said.

  I looked over to Luc. I didn’t know what his plans were, but I couldn’t get out of Thunder Bay fast enough. “What do you think?” I asked, looking over to him. Joe and I decided that we should sell the house. The place had become filled with too many painful memories.

  “Whatever you want, pretty girl,” Luc grinned. I felt sore and tired but when Luc gave me that panty-dropping stare and called me ‘pretty girl,’ he got my panties in a twist and I wanted nothing more than to ravish him in that moment. It was only a slightly inappropriate time with my father and brother around.

  “I’m ready to go back to New York, if that’s okay,” I replied biting my lower lip.

  “Of course,” Luc replied.

  “I can speak to a local real estate agent and have them take care of the sale of the house,” Bryce offered.

  “That would be great Bryce, thank you.” I smiled, standing up from the table. As I stood, all three men stood along with me, and I broke out into a fit of giggles. Having these three large men doting on me was just plain funny. “I’m going up to pack my things.”

  Joe stood up and followed me to the stairs. My big brother had been keeping some pretty big secrets in his time away from home. I may have been shot the night I was kidnapped, but I still remember him coming through the door and pointing the gun at Luc’s father and brother. He was bustling with self-esteem and assurance. He knew exactly what he was doing with his gun, and the way he shot Luc’s father saved me from getting shot again. When he came to my hospital room and admitted that he was working for the Drug Enforcement Agency in the United States, I was floored and worried, but it was a life that was making him happy. I didn’t want to be a sore tooth for him.

  “Do you need help packing?” he asked, as we made our way upstairs to the main hallway.

  “I’m good, Joe.” I smiled, heading into my room. He followed me and leaned against the doorframe watching me.

  “Things are a little complicated with Eva. I need to heal first before I go to get her,” he explained hesitantly. I knew there was so much more he was hiding.

  “I can’t imagine Joe.” I rolled my eyes.

  “I can’t give you specifics, Vick, because it’s classified,” he said.

  My hand flew to my mouth. “You want to tell me that Eva is somehow connected to the drug trade?” I asked, feeling sick and flabbergasted.

  “It’s complicated,” he shrugged his shoulders while his hands stayed in his dress pant pockets.

  “To say the least,” I shook my head from side to side. “Come and stay with me in New York, until you are feeling better. I feel like it would be good for us to use this time together, and you can pretty much have the place to yourself. Nessa is there but I spend my time at Luc’s, he’s one floor above me. It wouldn’t cost you rent and it would be awesome.”

  He stared at me blankly then shrugged his shoulders. “Okay.”

  “Okay?” I shrieked.

  “Yes, relax yourself, okay.” He smiled and I threw my arms around his neck and gave him a big hug.

  “Thanks, Joe.”

  “I’m going to pack, I will leave with you. I wouldn’t mind seeing your father’s jet.” He smirked, but I could tell that saying the word ‘father’ hurt him. He had accepted Bryce and he liked him but it didn’t dissolve the pain we both felt over Papa.

  I continued to pack in my room. I suddenly felt like I couldn’t get back to New York fast enough. I hadn’t been in touch with Nessa all week, she must be worried sick and I had come to like the routine I fell into in the short time I was there.

  ***

  Luc

  I stayed in the kitchen to talk with Bryce a bit. We hadn’t had a chance to discuss what happened at the motel.

  “How are you holding up, Luc?” Bryce asked.

  “I’m good.” I nodded. He continued to look at me square in the eye, like he
knew something was eating away at me. None of us that were at the motel that night mentioned anything to the cops, but after Joe shot my father, I intentionally shot him one more time and aimed for his heart. No matter how bad my father had been to me growing up, and no matter how much he may have deserved his end, it didn’t help the guilt that sat heavy on my chest. I ended his life intentionally. I did it to protect my new family, because I knew with him alive, they would never be safe. I wasn’t charged for shooting my father, it was considered self-defense, but it didn’t ease the guilt.

  “Luc, Joe told me,” he said assertively. He knew what I did. Shit! What he must think of me.

  “I didn’t have a choice, Bryce. He shot Vicky in the leg, and I couldn’t tell where she was shot. I only saw her blood and I lost it. I knew in that moment he would have to die, or else he would keep on coming after us. When Joe shot him, I knew he didn’t aim to kill, he just managed to get him away from Vicky. In my mind it was a temporary fix so I made sure I ended it. I fucked up, but in that moment I didn’t think I had another choice. I knew Vicky was pregnant. I couldn’t have my father in this world with a child of mine roaming around, my child would have never been safe.”

  “Luc, if you would give me a minute to say something.” He placed his hand on my shoulder. I stopped my rambling. I didn’t know how to make this okay. I wanted to marry his daughter. I didn’t want him to think I was a monster. I took a deep breath.

  “I’m trying to say thank you, Luc. Thank you for taking care of Vicky and thank you for making that ultimate sacrifice for her. I agree with you. As long as she was with you, she wouldn’t be safe and neither would my grandbaby. You did what you had to do to keep your family safe. You did good, son,” he said, extending his hand to shake mine. I extended my hand and Bryce grasped me in a hug. My eyes began to tear. His acceptance meant everything to me and made the burden of guilt I carried a little easier.