Everyone moved out of the way as I got closer, sheets had been put down on the van floor and with the help of Doc I slid her onto them.
As much as I didn’t want to leave her, I had to check everyone else was okay, she was in better hands than mine at the moment anyway.
Not moving far from the van, I looked around and took everything in.
“Is there a casualty count? Who’s wounded?” I asked no one in particular.
Slade came up beside me and began spinning off information.
“Three dead from the nomads, and five wounded including myself – nothing too serious, Doc patched us up until we can get back to the clubhouse where he has more supplies.”
Looking at his arm, I saw the bandages wrapped around his bicep. Wounded I could deal with, but even one dead was one too many.
“I promise you all now brothers, a night like this will never happen again. For those of you who can’t ride, you’ll travel in the vans, whoever came in the vans and can ride will ride your bikes back.” I said, loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Let’s get movin’, we ain’t gonna wanna be here when the cops come and find their extra income are riddled with bullets.” I finished.
“Where’s Michael?” I heard someone ask.
“Hunter shot him, he’s dead.” I told everyone to stop any more questions.
“Let’s go.” I boomed.
Chapter Twenty-One
Cas
The ride home didn’t feel as long as the ride there, having Alannah back helped. It’s very rare you see a brother break down and cry but Sparky didn’t try to hide it. Once the Doc couldn’t do no more for Alannah in the van, he made her comfortable as he possibly could and I was on one side of her and Sparky the other, each holding one of her hands. The last time she came around, Doc managed to get some pills down her throat to help with the pain.
Sparky held her hand in his and didn’t stop the tears running down his cheeks. If I was insecure I would have been jealous but I know how close they have always been, I always used to think they would end up together because of their closeness, it was mainly his bike she would ride on the back of, and on party nights he would spend his time with her instead of finding his dick a home for the night. I asked him once what he thought of her and all he said was, she was his sister and that was that.
“She’s comin’ home brother.” I choked out.
“I swear to god you better not let her outta your sight.” he warned.
“I’m not fuckin’ plannin’ on it, she’s gonna be by my side mornin’, noon and night.” I promised him and to her at the same time.
An hour from home, I called the clubhouse and made sure they were ready for the extra visitors that would be bedding down for the night, and my room was cleaned and medical supplies were ready for when we arrived.
“We got a lot of shit to sort out Cas.” Sparky said, he looked tired and run down.
“We’ll all get some rest and pick it up tomorrow.” I told him, not looking forward to any of it.
The prospect drove as close to the clubhouse as possible and opened our door.
Between Sparky and I, we lifted Alannah and carried her through the clubhouse bar and up to my room. The club girls gasped as we passed them and they saw what Alannah had been through. Satisfied with the fresh sheets and tidied room, we laid her on the bed and let Doc take a closer look at her.
Alannah woke to Doc feeling her head, she barely had her eyes open before she was thrashing about on the bed, screaming the place down around us.
Doc jumped away and I took his place.
“Lana, it’s me, Cas.” I soothed, she was terrified, and she wouldn’t look at me.
I gripped her chin and slowly she opened her eyes, still whimpering.
“You’re safe, I got you.” I told her.
She took in her surroundings frantically before looking above her head and then down to her arms gripping my tee. As if she didn’t believe she was free, she checked above her head again.
“It’s okay, you’re home, you’re with me, you’re safe.” I repeated.
I felt her relax and her face scrunched up in pain.
“I hurt.” she cried.
“I know you do baby, Doc was checkin’ you over, see if you need to go to the hospital.”
She loosened her grip and dropped her arms to the bed.
“Let him check you over, he ain’t gonna hurt you.” I promised, kissing her gently on her forehead.
I went to move so Doc could carry on with his assessment but Alannah snatched my hand in hers, she didn’t have to ask, I moved up the bed to give Doc the room he needed and kept her hand in mine.
Everywhere Doc touched her she cried out, I didn’t shed one tear when I first saw her tied up, I didn’t shed a tear when I saw how bad she was in the van but hearing her in pain knowing there wasn’t a fucking thing I could do about it, the tears began to come. Just like Sparky I didn’t try to wipe them away.
“Nothing’s broken, she’s very badly bruised and the cuts on her head and face aren’t deep enough to require stiches. Given what she went through, she could’ve been a lot worse.” he said, gathering up the left over medical supplies, “Give her these every four hours and these if she needs them in between. I got to go see the walking wounded out there.” he said, handing me two different bottle of pills.
“Let her rest, one of the best remedies for the human body is rest.” he added before walking out and down the hall.
The Doc had only given her a dose of pain relief ten minutes ago so I kept my eye on the clock and set my phone alarm for four hours’ time.
I doubt she would wake in the next couple of hours and as much as I didn’t want to leave her, I knew she was safe enough here for me to take the quickest shower of my life and wash away her blood and others I felt dried onto me.
First, I found one of the club girls and asked her to fetch me a bowl of soapy, warm water and clean cloths and have it ready on the bar in ten minutes, it was going to be bad enough for Alannah to see her injuries, she didn’t need to see the blood encrusted on her as well.
Fresh out of the shower and in clean sweats and a long sleeved tee, I made a bee line for the bar, I had my back to everyone as I tried to gather the soapy water and cloths and a shot of whiskey that was pushed on me. I didn’t want to lose myself in alcohol just yet but man, I needed at least a shot of something hard.
The sound of applauding from behind me increased and got louder, I turned to see what the hell was kicking off now and was dumbstruck when I saw each and every brother facing me. What the fuck?
I was about to ask when Oak came and stood next to me, he slung his arm around my shoulders and cheered with everyone else.
“Brothers please, some quiet.” he yelled, after a minute he had his silence.
“Not only were we betrayed by a man who was our brother but a brother who was our president.” He began, pausing to take another swig from his bottle, “He not only led us to believe one of our own had turned against us, but he used a woman for his own needs. We buried Micky with dis-respect when all along he deserved retribution! You’ve all seen what happened to Alannah, we lost three of our brothers tonight as well Billy who Michael sent to his death knowin’, no, hopin’ it would end the way it did and all because he lost his sense of brotherhood and of family.”
Everyone whispered their agreement and carried on listening, “Michael got greedy, and we ain’t greedy men, all we want is a few dollars in our pocket, a drink in our hand, a woman in our bed and the road beneath our bikes.”
Everyone erupted into agreement throwing fuck yeah’s and hell yeah’s about.
“For a while now, Castiel Jackson here has proved he can guide and lead us, I trust him with my life, I trust him with all yours’! Is there a brother here against Cas becomin’ president of our mighty fine fuckin’ club?” he bellowed.
Nobody disagreed, I looked around at all my brothers and there wasn’t a single face that oppose
d my new position.
Shit! The last time I felt like this I had been made vice president. They trust me not only with their lives, but with their families and their club. I couldn’t find any words to say apart from to stand rooted in place with my mouth hanging open, not very presidential like at all.
I recognised Sparky hand Oak my cut, it had been wiped clean of blood, he took it and faced me, holding it out for me to slip my arms in.
Once it was in place I looked down at the new patch in place of my VP one and instead it said President.
Oak raised my arm in the air in his and shouted out, “Our president!”
That was it, the whole place shook from every brother that could move, man hug each other, jump and cheer.
I was passed around the room, being congratulated, told how well I executed tonight’s’ rescue plan, how much I deserved the position and how much I had their loyalty.
“Told you you’d make a fuckin’ great president.” Sparky said, slapping me on the back.
“Fuck off, you didn’t know I would be president then.” I laughed, remembering when he said it in the van.
“I fuckin’ did, once you stripped Michael’s cut, I knew it would be you who took over.” he said, seriously.
“Thanks brother.”
“This calls for a celebration.” someone shouted from somewhere in the crowded bar.
I stood near the bar and raised my hand for them to be quiet.
“I ain’t gonna get all soppy on you fuckers but I just wanna say thanks, not just for havin’ faith in me to make me your president but for tonight, you’re all what brotherhood is about, we all had each other’s back, we lost four members but we will never forget them and along with Micky, we will show them the respect and love in the send-off they’d be proud of.” Each who had a drink and it was most of them raised their glasses and bottles in the air, “The shit with the Ghost Riders is over and as your president I swear to you, we’ll bring this club back to its glory.”
It took a full minute for them to quieten down again and I carried on,
“I’ll celebrate when my old lady is here to celebrate with me, but tonight brothers, drink and party without me, you deserve it, if it weren’t for you fuckers I wouldn’t have been able to bring her home.”
I raised the glass of whiskey I had managed to keep hold of in the air,
“To the Lost Souls!” I yelled, necking the shot of whiskey still in my hand.
I escaped as the crowd grew more boisterous, grabbing hold of the soapy water which was surprisingly still warm and slipped away back to Alannah.
I closed the door quietly behind me and locked it. Alannah hadn’t moved from when I left for a shower, I didn’t intend on being this long but fuck me, I never expected what just happened. Sure, if I had the time to think about it I might have saw it coming but this changed everything. I still answer to my brothers but I never needed their permission for nothing, no doubt about it, Alannah is coming home to the club, where she should have been from the start. Sitting on the edge of the bed I set about cleaning the blood of her face, careful not to touch the butterfly stitches she had in place.
Hunter should be glad he is dead and hopefully burning in hell because it looked like her face was moving in all different colourful bruises and I wanted to hang him by his arms and beat the shit out of him myself.
Satisfied I removed as much of the blood as I possible could, I cleared away the red stained bowl of water and threw the blood soaked cloths away. She was positioned dead centre of my bed, I didn’t want to accidently hurt her by lying with her so leaving the room for less than a minute, I found a chair and put it as close to the bed as possible.
I meant what I said earlier, until she was well enough not to leave my side, I’m not going to leave hers.
I turned out the light and turned the small lamp on, taking my seat in the chair I watched her, sometimes peacefully, sometimes whining in her sleep, I wiped away more tears that had sprung from my eyes and knew how lucky I was to have her back, not only from the Ghost Riders but back in my life. It was a long year waiting for her but we got there and she is mine, definitely mine.
After a couple of hours there was a knock on the door, I jumped up and answered it before they woke my girl up.
It was Pope.
“Can’t this wait till morning?” I asked him, pulling the door to behind me.
“Thought you’d like to know, I burnt them all to a crisp, they’ll be lucky if they can identify any of them. I moved Michael’s body, burnt it in an unmarked grave and buried him, no comebacks on us.” he said, yawning.
“Good, get some sleep, you look like shit.” I said, yawning myself.
He turned to leave but quickly backtracked.
“How is she?” Meaning Alannah.
“She’s gonna be alright.” I smiled.
He nodded and left for his room.
I slumped into the chair again and closed my eyes, I was fooling myself to think I could stay awake. I was exhausted, physically and mentally.
Tomorrow’s a new dawn and I need to be ready for it.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Alannah
Pain woke me, I opened my eyes hoping to see Cas but all I saw was the soft glow of light and darkness behind it. Was coming home a figment of my imagination? Had I imagined being saved to take me away from the pain of Hunter?
The thought of my imagination playing tricks on me petrified me. I heard movement and couldn’t help screaming, no, I can’t take much more.
“No, please, no more.” I begged as I felt hands on me.
“It’s me babe, Cas.”
I barely heard him, I couldn’t stop sobbing, my body relentlessly shuddering, knowing I was in Cas’s arms couldn’t stop it, I was safe yet I didn’t feel free.
“I got you babe.” he repeated again and again until my sobs ebbed away and my body melted into his.
His phone shrilled from his bedside table causing me to jump out of my skin.
“It’s okay, it’s just my alarm, it’s time for you to take your meds.” he said, leaning back on the pillows.
He reached for the glass of water and a bottle of pills, I took them without hesitation.
“No one is ever going to touch you ever again, I fuckin’ promise you.” he swore.
I went to stroke his cheek but my arm ached from my shoulder to my hand.
“They were…animals.” I said, shakily.
I’m sure there was a harsher word or phrase to describe them but I couldn’t think of it right now, then it dawned on me I don’t remember coming home.
“How did we get out?”
His face transformed into something I didn’t want to understand.
“Maybe you should get some rest first, we’ve got plenty of time for talkin’ when you’re better.” he said, staring at my hand he was holding, stroking it lightly.
Now I really want to know.
“Tell me.”
He sighed heavily and looked at me.
“What do you remember last?” he asked.
I thought back, it was hazy but I remembered Uncle Michael and how guilty he looked then nothing.
“Hunter was next to me and then I woke up here.” I told him.
“Maybe it’s better if you don’t know?” he urged.
“Please. I want to know.”
“All Hunter wanted was Michael, he wanted to fight him one on one without me or Sparky jumpin’ in, so…he knocked you out, kicked the crates and left you to hang.” he said in a rush.
I lost my breath, instinctively I held my throat. It felt sore when I swallowed but on the outside I couldn’t feel anything. For god knows how long I was tied there I was terrified Hunter or one of his men would watch me hang, always tensely awaiting for it to happen. And it did happen, I just wasn’t conscious to see it myself. I gasped for breath, not only because of what happened to me but because I could be dead now and Cas would have seen me leave him.
“I’m…so…sorry.
” I said, in panted breaths.
“Calm down Lana, breathe and then tell me what the fuck you got to be sorry about.” he said, rubbing at my shoulders, that made it worse, I flinched away from him, he took it the wrong way and backed away.
“Don’t go, it hurt when you did that.” I told him, my breathing returning to normal.
“Shit, I didn’t think, sorry.” he mumbled, moving back closer, “Now tell me what you got to be sorry for?”
“Because you had to see me like that, you must have thought I was dead?”
“Fuck Lana, that shit wasn’t your fault. We had you out in seconds, I wasn’t lettin’ you leave me.”
His tone was ferocious, tears fell down my cheeks, he really does love me.
“What happened after?”
I had stayed strong throughout my ordeal, for some reason I needed to know how it ended.
“Hunter and Michael got into it, I missed most of the fight as I was concentrating on gettin’ you free, by the time we knew you were alive the fight was pretty much over.”
My heart was thumping, why did he stop? What wasn’t he telling me?
“Who won? How’s my uncle?” I asked.
“No one won. They’re both dead.” he said, not sugar coating it either, not that I care about Hunter.
Although, how does both of them being dead work? He saw my confusion and spoke,
“A lot has happened in the last day babe. I’m not goin’ to hide anythin’ from you because I don’t want to have secrets between us.” he said.
Something very bad has happened, I just know it.
“Being my old lady just bumped you up to the MC Queen. I’m gonna need you by my side like never before and to understand what’s goin’ on, you need to know the truth. It’s gonna hurt you, and you’re not gonna be able to talk about it to anyone but me.” he paused, I waited for him to speak again but he was taking his time.
“Just spit it out Cas.”
Biker Bait: The Lost Souls MC Series Page 17