by Sam Crescent
“I’m here to help as well,” Prue said, speaking up. “Zero can’t do much as he’s been shot in the butt.”
The kids started laughing.
Stink cleared his throat and glared at them. “That’s Uncle Zero you’re laughing at. It’s not nice to laugh at other people, and I don’t want to hear any more rudeness, understood?”
The kids went back to eating, and Stink took a drink of coffee. He thought he heard a kid mumble, “but it’s funny.” He couldn’t be sure though.
“How is everything?” Dick asked. He was sitting opposite his woman, Martha.
“I’m fine. I’ll be happier when I can get this shit handled.”
“Andrew has really fucked with us this time, hasn’t he?” Dick asked. It was more of a rhetorical question.
“How is Spider handling everything?” Martha asked.
“He’s still at the hospital keeping a vigil. It’s breaking him apart. I’ve never seen the brother look so lost,” Dick said.
“We’ll find her. We don’t have a choice.” They’d either find her alive or dead. Stink hoped for the former rather than the latter.
****
Angel had been around the whole of the hospital, and now she was at Sasha’s door. Lash hadn’t left her side. She’d spent a great deal of time with Simon and Tabitha. Tiny, Eva, Lexie, and Devil all looked so damn happy that she hadn’t wanted to leave. Sunshine and Alex were happy as well. There was happiness, and then there was sadness. Sally was still in surgery, and Sasha still hadn’t woken up.
The door to Sasha’s room was open, and she saw Pussy sitting on the chair beside the bed. He held onto Sasha’s hand, and he was talking.
“Do you remember that time I took you on the picnic, and we were near the field outside of the library? You asked me to describe how beautiful everything was. It was summer so all the flowers were in bloom. The grass seemed greener than any other time I’d seen it. I’d never known such beauty. The truth was, I only cared about looking at you. I didn’t know if there were daisies or daffodils. There could have been two people fucking right next to us, and I wouldn’t care. You’re my world, Sasha.” He paused, and tears filled Angel’s eyes. “I can’t live without you. There was a time I promised myself I’d never fall in love, but you destroyed that, Sasha. I love you, and I need you. This being asleep is nonsense. Please, wake up, I’m begging you.” Once again he stopped. “Who else is going to listen to me in the shower, or tell me if I’m burning something? I love you, Sasha, and you promised me forever. This is not forever, not even part of a lifetime. I expect you to stick by your promise and give me forever.”
Lash cleared his throat, and Pussy looked back.
Angel wiped away her tears as Lash pushed her into the room. “I wanted to come and see you.”
“It’s fine. Honestly, the more people, the better. The doctor said talking to her might help. I’m just trying to wake her up. I have to say it’s tempting to shake her.” Pussy tried for a joke, but Angel saw how much it was cutting him up.
Staring at the bed, Angel saw the bandage wrapped around her head, and her heart went out to Pussy, and to Sasha. They were so happy, and they’d found each other. She knew that Sasha was nervous about her blindness, and felt like she put a lot of pressure on Pussy. Angel saw that Pussy didn’t care about the stress. He loved his woman more than anything, and would do anything for her.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Pussy took his seat. “It’s not like I can do anything about it. Just keep on talking to her, and hope she wakes up soon.”
“We’ll get the bastard who did this.”
“I know, and when we do, I want my shot at him. I want to fuck him up.”
“We’ll all get our chance. I promise.”
“It can’t come soon enough. All this waiting, it’s just making me hungry, Lash, hungry for revenge.” The way Pussy looked, Angel was pleased she wasn’t Andrew. There was going to come a point when this all turned on him, and when it did, he’d regret every single decision he’d made.
She was oddly not afraid of him. A man like that, he was the worst kind of monster, and like all monsters, they needed to be put down, and that was exactly what The Skulls and Chaos Bleeds were going to do, put him down.
She hated thinking this way, but he deserved it. Angel had tried to find something decent in Andrew, and there was nothing.
Angel stayed with Pussy and Sasha for a good hour. Pussy kept on talking, and only when it was time for her to see her own doctor did she leave. She promised to see Sasha and Pussy again.
Once inside her room again, she climbed onto the bed with Lash’s help.
“You need to go and check on everyone,” she said.
“I’m not leaving you.”
“I’m fine. Whatever the doctor was worried about, you don’t have to worry about me.”
“Angel—”
She held her finger up, stopping him. “I love you, and I know you care. I love you, too. The club, they need to come first right now.”
“You—”
Shaking her head, she pressed her lips against his. “The club was hit, Lash. We were all hit, and as their leader, you need to deal with this. It’s not going to fall on Tiny. You also shouldn’t be letting Tiny deal with this. You’re the leader.”
“You and Anthony, and our baby…”
“Are fine. I’ve got them, and when I get out of here today, I’ll deal with Anthony. We’re a team, Lash. A team that relies on each other. If you fail now, you don’t have the right to call yourself a leader.”
He nodded.
“Your brother needs you.”
“Sophia’s stable.”
“I don’t care. He still needs you.”
The doctor came in then.
“Go, and help him, help the club,” she said, kissing him.
Lash kissed her back with a passion that surprised her.
“Hello, and how are we feeling today?” the doctor asked.
Angel returned her gaze to the doctor and frowned. He was sweating, and he looked really nervous, not exactly comforting for a doctor.
“Are you okay, Dr. Peters?”
She had never seen him sweating or looking so panicked. The sight of him alarmed her. This wasn’t normal.
“Yeah, everything is okay.”
He grabbed her file, and she noted that his hands were shaking.
Dr. Peters was a good doctor, and she had seen him a few times during her last and recent pregnancy. He’d also been the one to assign her to a psych ward after her breakdown from her miscarriage.
This man before her was not what she was used to.
“There has, um, been some problems with some of your tests, and they haven’t come back normally. I have a doctor I need to consult, and I’ll just go get him.”
The hair on Angel’s arms stood on end, and she quickly reached into her drawer, and grabbed the blade that Lash had given her. Ever since she had started training with Gash, and Lash had taken over, he’d been showing her ways of protecting herself. Whenever she was in doubt, they had advised her to trust her instincts, and that was what she was doing right now.
Staring at the door, she watched as a man entered.
She had never seen him before, but he was vaguely familiar. His hair was dark, and his eyes the same. Angel placed her hand beneath the blanket as she looked at him.
“Where’s Dr. Peters?”
“He’s busy, but don’t worry. I’m here, and I’ve been looking through your tests.” He turned closing the door.
Angel’s heart started to pound, and the baby within her started to kick. “I want Dr. Peters back.”
This was not what she wanted.
Flicking the blade open, Angel stared at the man, and really looked at him. He was vaguely familiar, and there would only ever be one reason for that. He was related to someone.
“Hello, Andrew,” she said.
“Well, I have to say I didn’t think the
y’d tell you about me.” He grabbed a chair and took a seat, watching her.
“They didn’t.”
“So tell me, how does a woman like you end up with a bastard like Lash?” he asked.
“None of your business.”
Her heart was racing, but she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of showing that she was afraid.
“Fighting talk, I like it.”
“What do you want?”
“I came to see you.”
“Where’s Paris?” she asked.
“Ah, Spider’s woman. She’s healing. You should be relieved actually. I decided to come and see you rather than take her for another time.”
“You’re a sick man.” This man disgusted her. She hated him, and for Angel, that was a hard emotion to think about.
Andrew chuckled. “I’m just a boy in a man’s body.” He got up, and she quickly moved away, holding her arm away from her so that he wouldn’t see it. “I like playing games.”
“Let Paris go. Be the good man.”
He stood, cupping his face as if he was debating it. “Nah, I don’t think so.” He lunged at her, and using all the training that Lash had shown her, she plunged the knife into his shoulder, screaming as she did so. Andrew pushed her against the wall, wrapping his hands around her neck. “I wonder what Lash will think of you when I’m done.”
Even as he started to squeeze the life out of her, she gripped the blade and twisted it, making him scream.
Suddenly, there was a loud crash, and she looked just as Tate was slamming a chair against Andrew’s back. Pulling the knife from his shoulder, Angel struck him again.
Neither of them were a match. Andrew slammed his fist against Tate’s face, knocking her to the floor, then slammed Angel against the wall.
Angel cried out, cupping her stomach as the pain jolted her entire body.
The screams had alerted staff, and Andrew rushed out. Seconds later, Devil, Lash, and Tiny rushed down. She screamed that it was Andrew, and they went after him.
Suddenly, her water broke, and she was calling for help.
****
Sandy sat in the waiting room with Stink. A lot had happened within a day. Sally had lost her leg, Sasha still hadn’t woken, and Sophia was still in stable but critical condition. Angel had also given birth to a little girl, Chloe. They were waiting for Lash to come and see them. They were all aware of what had happened, Andrew’s visit to the hospital which had put them all on edge.
Stink held her hand, and she gripped his as well. She had to. She was totally shaken by what had happened.
Minutes passed, and finally Lash and Devil came through the doors. Most of the club was here, and they all stood up.
“As you all know, Andrew came to the hospital today. He found a way in, and it would seem that Dr. Peters committed suicide in his office later this afternoon.” Lash ran a hand down his face. “Whizz, he knew when I left. He’s watching us, and he’s watching this hospital.”
“You don’t know that.”
“The fucker was able to get in and out. He got to Peters. Someone who is a computer genius is helping him. Trust me.”
“You want me to go and see?” Whizz asked.
“Yes. I want to know who is helping him, where from, and exactly what he did today.”
“Got it.” Whizz stood, leaving, and heading toward the security room.
Sandy looked around the room, and she saw the anger, the fear, and the determination to beat this fucker.
“We’re hurting,” Lash said. “I get that. We’re all hurting.”
“What exactly do you want to us to do?” Dick asked. “Do you want us to sit on our asses, and wait for the next attack?”
“We don’t,” Devil said.
“Look, I know our people, and our women, our kids are in here. If Andrew is watching the hospital, we can’t talk about it here,” Stink said, speaking up. “We need to talk.” Stink stood up, staring at Lash, both men communicating together.
“Agreed. Round everyone up. We will do this in two shifts. I don’t want any of our own at the hospital. I’m not going to risk it.”
“Good for you, I’m here.” Everyone turned as Ned Walker entered the room, flanked by at least ten other men, fighters.
“What the fuck?” Tiny asked.
“My little girl called me. Told me what was going on, and I’m here, and look who I brought along for the ride.” Ned pointed behind him, and Sandy smiled as she caught sight of Butch. He was the brother who had betrayed the club and made amends but had been sent to Vegas to help The Skulls’ association there.
“Butch,” Lash said.
“Miss me?” He was embraced as The Skulls and Chaos Bleeds hugged and slapped him on the back. It had been a long time since she’d seen him.
“Did you know about this?” Sandy asked.
“No. I didn’t have a clue they were coming.”
“Daddy,” Eva said, rushing toward her father.
Ned opened his arms and held onto his daughter. “I came as soon as you called.”
“I know, and thank you so much for coming. Really, thank you.”
Sandy felt tears spring to her eyes as she watched the reunion between father and daughter. That was something she was never going to experience. Her family was dead. “I came with some reinforcements,” Ned said.
“I can see that.”
“Now, you guys need to go and do whatever the fuck it is that MCs do. I’m here, and so are my boys.”
“Hey, Gavin,” Eva said.
The large man beside Ned greeted her, as did many of the other fighters. Sandy hadn’t seen so much bulk and muscle in one place. Mix the fighters in with the MCs, and it was a large bed of amazing. Damn, would they allow her to get some baby oil?
This was not the time to have her mind in the gutter. She needed to step away from the gutter, and focus on everything else.
Sandy watched as the men arranged to go off and have their meeting. She stayed in her seat.
Minutes later, Stink came toward her. “You’re going again, aren’t you?”
“I don’t have a lot of choice. We need to deal with this fucker.”
She stood, tucking her hair behind her ear. “They probably need me around here, so I’ll do that.”
He reached out, gripping her hips. “Talk to me.”
“It’s nothing. I’m just worried.”
“Ned and his fighters will be here. He’s the only one I trust with you, and with our women. Lash knows what he’s doing.”
“It’s not about that. He came into the hospital, and got past us all. Angel almost died, and Tate’s got a whopping big black eye to prove it. I’m asking you to be safe, for me, please.” She cupped his face, running her thumbs across his cheeks.
“I’m not used to you being worried about me. I kind of like it, and I think I should do it more often.”
“What? Have me worried about you?”
“Yeah, I like it. You should be worried about me.” He leaned in close and claimed her lips. “I love you.”
Kissing him back, Sandy smiled. “I love you, too. Be careful.”
She watched him disappear, and folded her arms around her waist.
“It’s okay, Sandy. We’ll take care of you,” Ned said, placing his arm across her shoulders.
She sighed. “Do you really think we’ve got a chance?” Ned was the kind of guy who gave it to her straight. He didn’t sugarcoat anything. Everything he said and did was for a reason. Eva was one hell of a woman from being brought up with him.
“Andrew, the evil one we all know as Master?”
“You’re in a chipper mood.”
“Nothing like a visit to my daughter and grandkids to make me feel alive.” Ned chuckled. “What you’ve got to remember, Andrew is just a man. He was once an addict, and his anger has been pushed into pursuing revenge against the club. We know who he is. Master was faceless. We didn’t know him. He could have been anyone. Now, we know who he is, what he’s
capable of, and now we can handle him and anything else he throws at us.” Ned pointed toward the doors where both clubs had just exited. “Don’t forget, he’s hit us all hard coming after the clubs. What he doesn’t realize is both Skulls and Chaos Bleeds feed on this. They will hunt him down, they will destroy him, and they’re going to make him wish he was never fucking born.”
Sandy rested her head on his shoulder. “I knew there was a reason why I loved you.”
“Honey, if I was ten years younger that man wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“I bet you still put the ladies in their place, even now.”
“I have been known to try.” Ned winked at her. “Now, I’ve been told a young girl has just lost a leg. That’s got to be tough.”
“Yeah.”
“Come on, Sandy, show me to our wounded so that I can give them a pep talk.”
****
Paris stayed curled up in a ball as Andrew threw another chair against the wall. Russell stood away from the mess, arms folded, clearly waiting for whatever his boss was going to do.
“Fucking, whoring, bitch!” The words were yelled out.
“Are you going to calm down so I can have a look, or are you going to cause more damage?”
“I need stitches.” Andrew sat down on the chair. “All women, they’re fucking cunts. They’re only good for one thing and that is having a dick rammed inside them.”
“What did you expect? You went into the hospital, and that Peters guy pretty much gave the game away. Angel was already tensed and ready. You were too fucking blind to see it.” Russell peeled the shirt away from the wound, which looked ugly. “We’re going to need to get the doctor.”
“Then call someone.” Andrew rubbed his temple. “I fucked up.”
“You think?” Russell shook his head. “This is not going to be an easy fix. Why didn’t you fuck over Sophia, or the one in the coma? Angel’s a fucking old lady, and clearly a fighter.”
“My information was wrong.”
Paris looked over at Lola. The young woman had a black eye and mottled bruises along her body.
It wouldn’t be long before they were thrown into the cells down in the basement. She wanted that to happen.