by J. L. Leslie
“Lloyd! Lloyd!” I call out his name, rushing to his side. He’s still breathing. I have no idea how that’s even possible, but he’s alive.
I call for an ambulance, praying he’ll make it that long. I know I can’t get him down the stairs and to the car Dax loaned me.
“You’re going to be fine, Lloyd!” I assure him. It doesn’t matter if I’m lying or not. He needs to hear the words.
“Kill me,” he murmurs. “Please.”
“I can’t do that.”
I rush to the kitchen and look for a first-aid kit. I know I have one somewhere. I tear open some of the unpacked boxes and dig around, but don’t see it. I’m still looking when the paramedics arrive with a stretcher. I stay out of their way while they work on him, stabilizing him as much as they can before they load him onto the stretcher.
I follow them downstairs, prepared to follow behind them, when I see Sully pulling in. I sprint across the parking lot to her.
“Get back in the car! We have to follow the ambulance!”
She appears confused, but climbs back in while I get in the passenger side. “What’s happening?”
“It’s Lloyd! He was at my apartment! Oh God, Sully, he looked bad. So bad! He was…he was…”
I’m panicking. I can’t even speak, the words I want to use to describe how mangled and dirty he was won’t come out. Tears fill my eyes and roll freely down my cheeks as Sully keeps a close distance behind the ambulance.
“Katy, I know you’re upset, but what’s more important here is how did he get into your apartment? He was being held in a safe location.”
I wipe away my tears and look over at her. “Being held?” I ask, and then it dawns on me. “You mean the Ravens were holding him as punishment for leaving his post.”
“Yes, you knew that he had to be punished, Katy,” Sully remarks. “And if he lead the Sinners to you, then he’ll be hoping for death. It’ll be better for him than betraying us again.”
He asked for death. He asked me to kill him, but it never crossed my mind that it was from fear of what was to come.
“He was dying, Sully. He was taken to my apartment, nearly beaten to death, and all you’re worried about is what he told the Sinners and the fact that the Ravens’ torture house has been found!”
“It’s not like that, Katy! I’m worried that the Sinners have found you again! We also have the Rykers and Drycos regrouping, and it could’ve been them! The Ravens have all sorts of enemies!”
I turn away from her, refusing to look at her right now. A man’s life hangs in the balance, and she’s worried about the fact that one of our enemies brought him to my apartment. That my new place is compromised.
While I stare out the window, Sully calls Raiden and tells her Lloyd is being brought in. Maybe Raiden will care more about his life than my own sister did.
~Kane~
I have a weight on my shoulders as I drive into Verdana. The club is fucking compromised. Ashley has made sure of that. I don’t know how badly though.
I’m compromised. My family is in danger. All because I fucked some club whore without protection three fucking years ago. I was probably high as a fucking kite, which pisses me off even more. I’m never touching that shit again.
I spoke to Dax the moment I left Brandy’s house. Today is a shitstorm. Katy and Sully are at the hospital with Lloyd, and he’s sending Rob and Pummel over there now. He wants me at the clubhouse. Pronto. He does call his father, Maxwell, and ensure a place for my family.
Brandy and Trevor are leaving with Eli the moment Trevor gets in from work. They’ll be staying in San Diego, close to our chapter there until this shit blows over. I hate the commute it’s going to put on Trevor, but he understands that it’s necessary.
Ashley. I never saw that coming. Never thought she would be the mother of my son. I spent a year in prison. I suppose hiding a pregnancy from me wouldn’t have been difficult. Eli was four months old when I got out. Ashley was doing what she’s always done.
I turn onto Hosford Street, still reeling from the afternoon when I realize the headlights behind me have trailed me since Hillendale. They don’t belong to a car, but bikes. I make another turn, and sure enough, they follow.
Not wanting to prolong the bullshit, I pull into an empty parking lot and get out of the truck. Three against one. I don’t like the odds, but fuck it. I’m not leading them to the clubhouse.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, fuckers,” I grin.
“We like Verdana,” one of them says. “Lots to do around here.”
“The beach is beautiful,” another pipes in.
I crack my knuckles, seeing that they keep inching closer and closer. This is going to fucking hurt.
The first guy lunges at me, swinging his right fist in an uppercut that barely misses my jaw. I slam my fist against his nose, blood spurts, but he doesn’t let up. The other two men waste no time, knowing that coming at me one-on-one will not get the fucking job done.
It’s my life or theirs, and right now, I refuse to go down. I manage to get my arm around the second guy’s neck and with a quick twist, snap the fucker. The crunch it makes almost brings a smile to my face.
One down, two to go.
The moment I tell myself to stay on my feet, I’m knocked down to my knees. The shitkicker to my face causes my vision to blur, and I double over, falling to the pavement. My fists are a bloodied mess, blood pours from my nose and mouth. I cough it up, spitting it onto the ground. The hard steel-toe of the boots slam into my back and I feel the rough pavement scratch against the flesh of my head.
I reach out and grab one ankle, I don’t give a shit who it belongs to, and twist as hard as I can, turning and turning it until it snaps. I scramble to my knees, and that commotion gives me what I need to get my blade out. I fall onto the man, driving my knife into his gut.
Two down.
I don’t see the third guy. I almost wish he’s run back to his fucking president, but that thought is quickly lost when gut-wrenching pain rips through my side. My hold on my knife is almost lost, but I jerk it out of the body I’m hovering over and swing it around me, hoping to catch any part of the man who has stabbed me. By sheer fucking luck, my knife embeds in his thigh, and he collapses to his knees beside me.
I wince as I reach for his throat and slice his fucking jugular. His eyes are wide with shock as his life leaves his body. He falls over onto his friend, and I struggle to get to my feet, holding my hand at my side.
Three down.
I climb into my truck and call Raiden. “Call your dad. We need a clean-up,” I inform her, my breathing ragged as I give her the street. “And I’m coming to you.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
~Katy~
The coffee in my hand has long gone cold. I don’t have the energy to go refill the cup. I rarely drink coffee anyway. I simply wanted the comfort of holding something. Lloyd has been in surgery for two hours. No word yet from Raiden or anyone.
I visited Moses while I was here. He’s still pretty banged up, but said he should be released soon. He gave me props on stabbing Harco. Gabe is dead.
Sully took a call a few minutes ago and hasn’t been back. As much as I hate to admit it, I understand where she’s coming from. Lloyd betrayed the Ravens. He left his post, and he screwed up. We don’t know how the Sinners, if it was them and not the Rykers or Drycos, found where he was being held, but they did. And they brought him to my apartment. We do know that there’s a chance he talked. Being a prospect, he probably didn’t know much, but I have no idea.
Sully rounds the corner, and this time, Raiden is with her. She holds an electronic tablet in her hands and scrolls over the screen as she walks. When they reach me, she tucks the tablet under her arm.
I stand up, immediately asking for news. “How is he? Is he out of surgery?”
The sadness on Raiden’s face lets me know he didn’t make it. I look down at the cup of coffee I’m holding and then step past them to dispose of it.
“I’m…I’m going to Leon’s,” I announce.
I don’t know where else to go. My apartment isn’t safe, and the clubhouse doesn’t feel right unless I’m going there with Kane.
“Katy, wait,” Raiden stops me. “I got a call from Kane a little while ago. He came here.”
I frown, wondering why he would come to Mercy Memorial, but not find me. Surely Raiden let him know I was here for Lloyd.
“Do you want me to take you to him?” she asks, and I nod, still unsure what the hell is going on.
I walk beside Raiden, Sully following quietly behind us, as she leads us to the emergency department.
“I’ll wait out here,” Sully says.
There are several different curtains pulled closed, but Raiden seems to know exactly where to take me. She opens the last curtain up just enough for us to slip inside. I watch her walk to his bedside and check his vitals.
“BP and heart rate are both good. We’ll keep you under observation a bit longer, and then you can head out. Remember what I said about those stitches and if you remember anything about that mugger, let the police know,” she winks and leaves me alone with him.
“Mugger?” I raise my eyebrow at him, and he chuckles, which causes him to wince in pain.
“Why are you so far away from me?” he questions. “Do I look that bad?”
He does look bad. His left check is badly bruised with a gash above his eye. Without seeing the back of his head, I can see scrapes and scratches on his skin. His hands are bandaged, so I know they were wounded as well. His shirt is practically covered in blood, and where there’s a rip, I can see a bandage beneath it.
“What happened to you?” I ask, my voice just above a whisper.
I thumb away the tear that threatens to escape. I’m an emotional mess, and I hate it. I hate seeing him like this. I hate knowing if I’m with him, it probably won’t be the last time. Am I prepared for that? For what I may lose if I continue on this path? Because it could be him. It could be this man who has wormed his way into my heart.
“Come here, Katy.” I shake my head. It’s subtle, but I know he saw it. “Baby, come here.”
I give in, closing the distance between us. He scoots over in the bed, grunting as he does, and I climb in beside him. With his size, we don’t exactly fit. I know he’s partially hanging off the side, as well as I am, but neither of us complains.
“Will you tell me what happened?” I ask him.
“They picked a fight with me, and I won,” he responds.
“It doesn’t look like it.”
“Trust me.”
I nuzzle against him. “You can tell me.”
He chuckles softly. “I know.”
~Kane~
I wake up alone, and I won’t say that I’m not disappointed about that. I didn’t even feel her leave my side. I listen to the soft beeping of the machine and stare at the line going across it, wondering how long I’ve been out.
“Hours.”
The answer comes from a man dressed in scrubs, standing in the corner. I didn’t even see him there. Fuck, I’m out of it.
“When can I get out of here?” I ask him, assuming he’s the doctor or nurse on duty now. I’m unsure what time Raiden’s shift ended, and I’m shocked I’ve been out that long. It feels like I fell asleep only minutes ago. Katy was right here with me.
“You look like you had someone in the bed with you,” the nurse comments, coming to my bedside.
I see that he has on long-sleeves under his scrubs and for a brief moment, I wonder why. It’s April and California. The weather’s too nice for long-sleeves. I start to ask him when he jabs his fist into my side. The curse I sputter is muffled by his gloved hand. How did I not notice those?
“You had a pretty, little brunette lying there with you?” he asks, digging his knuckles against my now bleeding wound. “It’s a shame I missed her. She has something that belongs to me.”
I struggle to breathe, pain nearly overwhelming me. Blood seeps down my side and pools at the sheets. No doubt the stitches Raiden so meticulously sewed are now ripped from my skin.
“Let her know she has two days to bring it to me,” Ford warns.
“Or what?”
Thank fuck. He pulls his hand back and crosses his arms over his chest. Raiden stands with her Glock aimed right at Ford’s chest. She’s not fucking around either. She’ll shoot this motherfucker.
“Two days or I’ll burn this fucking town to the ground to get it. Garnerville too. She’s had long enough,” he replies. “You really planning on shooting me in this hospital, Raiden?”
“If you touch him again, yes.”
He raises his hands in surrender, my blood dripping down his fingers as he does. His eyes cut over to me once before he jerks the curtain back and leaves. I let out a groan and put pressure on my side. Raiden tucks the Glock into a holster hidden underneath her scrubs and goes straight for supplies.
“Asshole messed up my work,” she grumbles, removing my bandage.
“Fucking douche,” I joke and mumble a curse when she applies more pressure. “He has the balls to think he can burn this town down, my son along with it.”
“Maxwell will take care of them. What do you think she has?” she questions me, assuring me her grandfather will take care of my family and doing her best to keep my mind off what she’s doing. “I know she said she doesn’t have anything, but he sure as hell believes she does.”
“If she does, she isn’t fessing up.”
“Dad’s ready to move in on the farm. You take it easy tomorrow. Get all the rest you can. He wants to do this on Monday.”
“I can be ready by Monday.”
“We can’t take any more chances of them just showing up wherever they want to. The bookstore was a fluke. They could’ve easily found our stock. Katy was lucky in Wal-Mart, and now tonight? Ford took a big risk coming here himself. He didn’t send someone else to do the dirty work.”
“Well,” I say, then swallow against the pain before continuing, “he did, but they failed. Maybe that pissed him off, so he decided to bring the message himself. The guy he sent to her job failed and the three men tonight failed also. That would piss Dax off. I don’t blame him for bringing the message himself. Fuck, it didn’t take him long to find out his men were dead though.”
“He probably has the town under surveillance, just like we do. He also knows you’re fucking around with Katy. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought the message to you.”
That, and he knows I have more than just her to lose.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
~Katy~
I tell myself I’m not making a mistake. I put one foot in front of the other, and if I don’t make it out of this, I’m okay with that. After seeing Kane lying there like that, I can’t wait any longer. Things will only get worse. I know that. I know how these people operate.
My footfalls are silent. My own heartbeat rages in my ears. I can hear myself breathing. As I get closer, the faint sound of music drifts from the cabin. The men guarding the place have watched my every move. They know who I am. They know why I’m here.
I reach the porch and my gaze flickers to a dark stain on the wood. Could be blood. It wouldn’t surprise me if someone were shot sitting in a chair right there, drinking a beer.
I steel my nerves. I’ve made it this far, and there’s no turning back. They wouldn’t let me leave now even if I wanted to.
I place my trembling hand on the doorknob and turn it, pushing it open and entering the Sinners’ new clubhouse. The layout is different, but the familiarity is still there. Wiggie and Levi are playing pool. Soco is snorting a line of cocaine off the bar, and I see Chet playing darts with some members I don’t recognize.
The door opens the rest of the way, pulled open by a hand I knew would come to greet me. It’s bloodied, and the man seems to like that fact, a sadistic smile adorns his handsome face.
“I knew my dog would find her way home,” he comments. “For
d Taylor, it’s nice to finally meet you.”
He extends his blood-covered hand, and I stare down at it, unwilling to accept it. “I’m sure it is.”
My voice sounds strong, unwavering. Kane would be proud. He will also be pissed that I came here without telling a soul. Sully took me to the clubhouse, and I closed the door to his room, telling her I was going to bed. Once she left, I slipped out the back door and took the F150 I still had the keys to.
“Let’s talk in my office.”
His suggestion is more of a command, and I know not to defy him. Although I’m willing to die here tonight, I do want to live. I want to get back to Kane. I want to tell him how I feel about him. Seeing him hurt, knowing he could’ve died, made me realize that would’ve gutted me.
I follow Ford through the main room and down the hall. I feel the eyes of the members on me, but I ignore them. I won’t give them the satisfaction of a second glance. When I ran from Mack, I ran from them too. They knew what he was doing to me, and they did nothing to stop him. Nothing to help. No one except for Spencer.
I know they saw me running as betrayal. As cutting ties with the family they said I was part of. I saw it as breaking free.
“I assume you brought me a gift,” Ford says, closing his office door behind him.
I swallow at being closed in the small room with him. He has a good fifty pounds or more on me. He’s about Kane’s size, with short, brown hair and a goatee.
“I don’t, but I know what it is you’re looking for,” I answer and see his nostrils flare with anger.
“Do not waste my fucking time, Katy McGuire,” he warns. “Bring me the flash drive.”
“It’s not a flash drive,” I reply. “Mack wrote everything down in a book. You know, he gave me that book for our one-year anniversary. I read it all the time. I practically have it memorized. Every damn word of it.”