by Jayna King
I fell to my knees. "Krystal, baby. Oh, my God, Krystal."
She was motionless, her beautiful face marred by a splash of blood that I desperately hoped belonged to the man on the ground next to her. I put my hand on her chest to see if she was breathing, and when I felt her chest rise, I nearly lost control. She was unconscious, but she was alive.
I stood up. "I need help over here. Call an ambulance right away."
No one seemed to be paying any attention at all, and as I scanned the parking lot, I realized that there were more people that I could count at a glance, lying injured or dead on the ground. Blood, spent shells, and glass covered the ground between the bodies, and I realized that everyone else was already preoccupied. Bending back down to take Krystal's limp hand in mine, I fished my phone out of my pocked and called 911. I gave the operator the address, told her that we would need multiple ambulances and lots of medical attention, and I hung up, ignoring her pleas for me to stay on the line and give her more information.
"Krystal, can you hear me?" I asked, frantically searching her face for some sign that she was aware of what was going on around her. She was silent, but I pressed my fingers to her wrist to feel for the pulse that meant that she was still alive. I had to believe that, somehow, she'd live and that everything would be okay.
Chapter 15
Krystal
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Before I opened my eyes, I could hear a bunch of voices I didn't recognize. I heard machines beeping, and I heard at least two women using a bunch of words that weren't quite distinct enough for me to understand. Before I tried to open my eyes, I realized that I had the worst headache I'd ever had in my life.
"Look, she's finally awake," said one of the women.
I could hear people stirring in the room, and I could pick out Sable's voice.
I opened my eyes to find blinding light, and it took me several moments of blinking while my eyes watered before I could actually see anything. I tried to lift my hand to cover my eyes, but something tugged at my wrist and kept it motionless when I tried to move my arm.
I searched for Sable's face, and I saw her come into my range of vision, though her face was still a little blurry.
"Where am I?"
"Oh, honey, you're in the hospital. You have no idea how good it is to hear your voice and see you awake."
"How long have I been asleep? What happened?"
"Do you remember anything?" Sable looked worried.
"Yeah. Bits and pieces. I remember meeting Luis and his men. I remember Mark and his agents pulling in ... but I don't remember much after that." I tried to lift my head and couldn't. "My head hurts so bad. Where's Luke? Is he okay?"
"Calm down, honey," Sable said, putting her hand on my arm. "Luke is fine. He's been here every minute since they brought you in, and I just sent him home to take a shower about an hour ago. I expect he'll be back any minute, and he's going to be so happy to see you."
"So what happened?" My mouth felt dry, and I was having trouble keeping my eyes focused. "Can I have something to drink?"
"Let me ask the nurses. I think they've just gone to find the doctor. Let's get her to explain everything to you." Sable hurried out of the room.
I managed to lift my head enough to look at my arms, one of which had an IV in it, held in place by what looked like half a roll of tape. My other arm was strapped to the bed beside me. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why I'd been restrained, but knowing that I couldn't move was seriously starting to freak me out when a woman in purple scrubs and a white lab coat entered the room, followed closely by Sable.
"Krystal, it's good to see you awake and alert." She loosened and removed the restraints on my arm without the IV. "We had you strapped in so that you wouldn't wake up and pull out your IV. I know it's disorienting to wake up this way." She smiled down at me, and I felt instantly more at ease. "I'm Doctor Weaver. You gave us all quite a scare."
"What happened?" I asked, swallowing to moisten my throat.
Anticipating my needs, Doctor Weaver held a styrofoam cup with a straw to my lips. "Just a tiny sip to start, Krystal. Too much could make you sick to your stomach."
I gratefully took a small drink.
"Well, my dear, you came in here with a gunshot wound to your thigh and a pretty serious concussion."
I'm sure my eyes got wide as saucers as I struggled to look down at my legs. I hadn't even realized that I'd been shot.
"The gunshot wasn't serious. The bullet passed through clean as a whistle, and you've only got about eleven stitches to remember it by. The concussion was pretty bad, though, so we sedated you to let the swelling go down before you started moving around. You're going to need to take it easy for a good long while. Let that handsome fiancé of yours wait on you hand and foot."
Doctor Weaver's wink brought a smile to my face, and I realized that even smiling hurt.
"Other than needing to recover from the concussion, you're going to be just fine."
I inhaled sharply as I remembered something, and I cast a panicked look toward Sable.
Doctor Weaver must have been a mind reader. She turned to Sable. "May I ask you to excuse us for a moment? I want to take a look at Krystal, and I want her to have a little privacy."
Sable left the room and closed the door behind her.
I looked up at the doc and opened my mouth to speak, but she didn't give me a chance.
"As far as we can tell, the baby's just fine, Krystal." She patted my free hand. "You're nearly seven weeks along, and everything looks normal."
"Did you--" I hesitated. "Does anyone know?"
"Since your fiancé didn't ask, we assumed that he didn't know. That will be your happy news to tell when you think the time's right. He's a good man, Krystal, and one thing's plain for all the world to see: he loves you dearly. He hasn't left your side for more than a minute since you came in here Sunday afternoon." She made a few notes in the computer before turning her attention back to me. "I meant it when I said you need to take it easy, Krystal. Brain injuries can be tricky things, and swelling can resume and become critical before you even know what's happening. I'm going to keep you here overnight, and we'll see if you're fit to leave tomorrow sometime. We clear?"
"Yes ma'am." I couldn't keep the smile from my face, though I knew from the way I felt that my face probably wasn't a pretty picture. "Thanks so much. For keeping the secret and for taking care of me."
I was going to say more, but the door opened abruptly, and I saw Luke walk inside.
He rushed toward me. "Baby, it's so good to see you awake. We were all so worried, and I'm so sorry that you got dragged into this mess."
The news that our baby was healthy had brightened my mood considerably. "Besides a killer headache, I think I'm fine," I said. "Doctor Weaver told me that you should ... how did you put it ... wait on me hand and foot."
"With pleasure," he said, turning to the doctor. "How is she?"
"She'll be fine, but I was explaining that she needs to be very careful. We do occasionally see patients regress after head injuries. She needs to keep still while her body heals itself, and she needs to take it easy for a couple of weeks if she can."
"No worries," Luke said with a smile down at me. "I won't let her lift a finger."
"Well, I'll let the two of you catch up. I have other folks to see."
The doctor left the room, and I couldn't help but grin up at Luke, stopping immediately after I realized that it made my face hurt. "Luke, tell me what happened."
He sat down in the chair next to the bed and kept hold of my free hand. "It was a mess, Krystal. I never thought I could be so worried about someone as I was about you. Doctor Weaver was afraid they'd have to bring a surgeon in if the pressure on your brain got any higher, but we were lucky, and the swelling started to go down."
"But what happened with Luis? At the storage place? Is Zeno okay?"
"You don't need to worry about that right now, baby. Just take care of your
self."
"Luke, you have to tell me. Worrying like this can't be good for me. Tell me what happened. I can handle it."
He studied me, finally deciding that he'd give in. "Krystal, it was a mess. As soon as the agents got out of the cars, the gunfire started. I still don't know who shot first, but Luis was the only one of the cartel who wasn't hit. He and two of his guys are in jail. Three of his men are dead, and the other two are touch and go." He sighed.
"And us? Is Zeno okay?"
"Krystal, Zeno's dead."
"Oh, my God. If I'd gone right there like Luis told me to, he'd still be alive." Tears started to fall, and I leaned my head back against the pillow. "Oh, my God, it's all my fault."
"Krystal, it wasn't your fault at all. The medical examiner said that he'd been dead since the night before. Singer said that Luis picked Zeno up at his house after he got home from the clubhouse Saturday night. He was already gone when Luis called you. There wasn't anything you could have done."
I stared at the ceiling, listening to all of the noise in the hallway, and I just couldn't believe that Zeno was gone. "He was a good man, you know," I said without looking over at Luke. "He'd made some mistakes, but he was a good man. He and Moses both were, and now they're both dead."
"I know, baby."
"The Savage Sons are poison, Luke. They're ruined the lives of nearly everyone in the MC. Joker's in jail and Moses and Zeno are dead. I don't want you to be next."
Luke reached out and brushed my cheek with his finger. "That's not going to happen. I won't let it."
"There's nothing you can do about it, Luke. You tried to get rid of Joker, clean things up and get the MC to go more legit, and look what happened. Moses tried to make things right, and look at how he ended up. There's no happy ending for you if you stay in the Savage Sons."
"Calm down, baby. I'm not going anywhere. I believe that things will get better. There's that saying about the darkest hour being just before dawn. We've hit rock bottom, for sure, but we can head upwards from here. I'm gonna make this MC one that I'm proud of. I know I can do it."
I decided to let the matter go for the time being. "So Zeno is dead. What else happened?"
"Honestly, it was awful. Johnson was grazed by a bullet, and Chuck was knocked out before Luis' man grabbed you, but he seems to be fine now. Other than that, the Sons came through okay. We all dropped to the ground right away, and most of the fire was concentrated among the feds and the cartel. It was chaos, and all I could think about was getting to you. When I saw you lying on the ground, I felt like my world was coming to an end. I've never been so happy to see someone awake as I am right now."
I was glad that the rest of the guys from the MC were okay, but I had no intention of giving up until Luke was out of the club altogether. I didn't plan to press the issue right them, but I knew that I'd have at least one ally. "Where's Sable?" I asked.
"I'm sure she's just outside. She's been here the whole time."
"She said the same of you. So I guess the two of you have had time to catch up?"
"We have. And thank you for telling her Moses’ and Maria's story. She's through with Joker, and she has an appointment with an attorney later this week to file for divorce."
"She's a good woman, your mother."
"Agreed. I'm glad I found her. Even given everything that's happened, I think it was the best thing I could have done, leaving Arizona for Colorado."
"I know I'm glad you did."
Luke went out into the hallway to get his mother, and I put my free hand on my still-flat belly. There was life inside me. Luke's child. The wonder of it still stunned me, and I had a feeling that Luke was going to be as happy as I was. I had known for a couple of weeks that I was pregnant, and I hadn't kept it from him because I was worried about how he'd react. I'd just wanted the moment that I told him to be free of the mess that had invaded our lives. I wanted to look in his eyes and see the happiness that I was sure would appear, and I wanted to be able to enjoy bringing the child of our love into the world.
I would wait a little while longer to share the news, I'd decided.
Chapter 16
Luke
Thursday, October 17, 2013
I felt strange just walking up to the federal building in plain sight. Previously, I'd been so careful to keep all of my dealings with Singer and Tanner a secret that it was almost unsettling to know that I didn't have to cover my tracks any longer. Everyone in the Savage Sons knew that I had to wrap things up with the case against Joker, and they were more than happy for me to supply the information that the DEA would need in order to go after Don Roberto's cartel in Mexico. Revenge was revenge, whether you delivered it yourself or used a messenger.
"Thanks for coming in so early, Luke," Tanner said as we sat down in the conference room. "Coffee? Water?"
"I'm good. Thanks."
Singer's attitude toward me had shifted significantly since he'd realized that the clusterfuck at the storage center had given him the biggest case he'd likely ever see in his entire career. He needed me, and we both knew it. I didn't plan to be a dick, but I was going to enjoy his deference, and I was going to get what I wanted out of him.
"Luke," he began. "We need a number of statements from you, and I expect that we're going to need several days to get everything recorded, written up, and signed. Can you clear a few days for us?"
"Happy to."
Singer and Tanner both set about organizing the enormous stack of files on the conference table, and I watched while they prepared to get down to work. It struck me that all of the dirt, blood, and tears that permeated the stories I'd be telling over the next few days weren't likely to be reflected in those neat manila folders that were labeled with names, dates, and locations. There was real pain felt by real people that would never be set right, even after the FBI and the DEA had tracked down everyone they planned to and prosecuted them.
I knew that my participation wouldn't make everything right, but it was the best I could do.
Singer opened one of the manila folders. "So here are the things we want to accomplish."
He handed me a printed copy of the matters they wanted to discuss, and I read the list aloud. "Roberto Cartel -- Don Roberto, Luis Rodriguez, Manuel Lopez. Savage Sons MC -- Daniel Hall, additional members to be named. Current status of MC's activities." I put the list on the table. "Makes sense. There are two issues I want to address before we begin, though."
Singer took the cap off his pen and prepared to make notes. "Shoot."
"First of all, there won't be anyone else in the Savage Sons who'll face prosecution for what they've done in the past."
Singer and Tanner looked at one another, and I could tell that they were prepared for my objection.
Tanner fielded the matter. "Luke, we understand that you want to protect the people who you think weren't as bad as your father was, but you have to understand our position here. We've spent enormous resources on this case, and the arrest of a single man isn't a lot to show. My boss is going to be so far up my ass on this, you won't believe it. I have to be able to give her more than just Daniel Hall."
"I hear what you're saying, but I'm not budging. I'm going to give you absolutely everything that I have first-hand knowledge of with regard to Joker, and that's enough to put him away for a little while. If you agree to forego prosecution of any of the other members, I have one member of the MC who will testify to enough stuff on Joker to put him away forever. That's the deal."
"Luke, you don't have a whole lot of room to negotiate here. We appreciate your assistance, but we can build this case without you if we have to." Singer narrowed his eyes. "Don't forget that your behavior hasn't been exactly exemplary. Do you really want us to go into the details of what you were doing in Mexico?"
He didn't scare me a bit. "Look, Singer, if you have me, then charge me. Otherwise, if you want my help, you're going to have to give a little." I decided to try my appeal on Tanner. "Kate, you suspect that the Sons were involved in
a number of illegal activities before I joined, and I suspect that you're right. But here's the thing: they're done. There's no one cooking meth. There's no one running hookers. And that's not going to change. I have a final hearing in a couple of weeks for the license for a legitimate, legal business, and that's how the MC is going to bring in the money we need. The Savage Sons ain't ever gonna follow every direction just because someone has a badge and a little authority, but we're going legit. If you tried to prosecute the Sons for shit they've left behind, then what are you really accomplishing? I'll tell you -- nothing."
Tanner and Singer exchanged looks once again.
I turned to Singer. "And as far as the DEA's cases, I'm handing you a fucking gold mine, and we both know it. You're about to shatter a cartel -- single-handedly, as far as anyone else knows. I'm going to give you names, addresses, and an eyewitness account of stuff that you'd never have without my cooperation. Think of the difference you'll make if you shut down the river of coke that's coming into the country from Don Roberto. You're even going to get the head honcho himself. You'll get the credit for every one of these arrests, and I'm giving it to you. I'm doing it because these fuckers belong in jail, and I'm doing it because the Savage Sons don't. I want immunity for them."
Tanner sighed. "Can you give us a minute? I'm going to need to make a phone call."
I stood up. "Take your time." I left the room, and I knew I'd won. I'd talked to my attorney before the meeting, and he'd told me that the feds could do pretty much whatever they wanted, and that there wasn't some oversight committee that would bust them for not prosecuting someone in this instance. All I'd needed to do was convince Tanner and Singer to consider it, and I had.
The door opened, and Singer stuck his head out. "Come on back in."