The elevator has only one-floor destination.
Floor nine.
When the doors open, I hear nurses talking and laughing.
A good sign, I tuck my gun in the back of my jeans and wave to them as I walk to Jinx’s room.
“What the fuck is goin’ on,” Dizzy hisses.
“They’re after our weakness.”
Dizzy tries to stay calm, but her eyes widen. “Us?”
I nod. “I’ll be right back.”
I push open Jinx’s door, and Lucy draws her gun on me. “Fuck Pyro. Announce yourself,” she says as she lowers her weapon.
When I make my over to Jinx, her blue eyes are smiling at me.
“The girls tell you what’s happenin’?”
She shrugs. “Good drugs.” Jinx motions to her IV. “Bad day, they upped my meds for the night.”
“Woah,” she murmurs.
“So, you know we’ve got fuckin’ problems, and yet your sexy ass is smilin’ at me as if all is good?”
“She’s fierce.” Jinx nods to Lucy. “I’ve heard the stories, and I knew you’d come, man this is really hitting me.”
If I weren’t so fucking afraid for her safety right now, I’d rejoice in the fact my woman knows I’d move mountains for her.
“It’s serious, Shortcake.”
“And you’re a dangerous guy, Ice. Hey, do you know there’s a rainbow above you head? She giggles, waving her right hand all through the air.
“What the fuck?” I pull back confused and run over to her IV. “Who put this in her?”
“A nurse. You guys said you vetted everyone,” Lucy says while she moves over to look at the IV.
“Turn the drip off,” I whisper to Lucy, not wanting to alert Jinx. “Baby, I gotta take this tape off your arm.”
Jinx’s head falls back against her pillow. “Do as you must.”
She’s so lit.
I pull the tape off and slide the needle out of her arm. “How long was she on the new drip,” I whisper to Lucy.
“Not even ten minutes.”
“They’re in the fuckin’ hospital. Go get Dizzy and drag one of the nurses in here.”
A moment later, the nurse they’ve dragged in is asking what’s wrong while they slam the door shut and lock it. I turn my head relieved to see it’s the nurse Jinx says has the hots for me. “Someone put somethin’ in her IV.” Dizzy nods, pushing the nurse over to us as Lucy starts shoving furniture in front of the door.
“Diz, shut the curtains,” I order.
I put my hand on Jinx’s chest. “I don’t know what they have her own,” I choke out. “Her heart beats are fast, and she’s seein’ fuckin’ rainbows!”
Hot for me nurse runs over to the IV bag and checks it. “It’s a saline drip. Whatever they’ve put in, they’ve put it in through the piggyback, move,” she says pushing me out of the way. “Someone start the shower, cold water, she’s too hot, we’ve gotta cool her off.”
Dizzy takes off to the en-suite bathroom and turns the water on while the nurse uncovers Jinx with quick hands.
“Hit the red panic button on the bed, it’ll alert the nurse's station, and they’ll call the cops. This wasn’t one of our nurses.”
How the fuck does she know that?
“Trust me!”
I hit the button, and she orders me to strip Jinx down into her underwear. “Carry her into the bathroom for me.”
I pick Jinx up, careful not to jar her leg and move into the bathroom where the nurse kicks off her shoes, puts a pager on the sink, and sits at the bottom of the shower. “Hand her to me.” I do as she instructs; then she tells me to open the cabinet for a washcloth and two towels. “Give me the washcloth, then cover her leg with the towels.”
“I’m assuming the barricade is because trouble is here?” I only nod. “Why don’t you go make sure trouble doesn’t find its way in here, so I can get back to my son alive, and I’ll do my best to keep her breathing.”
I don’t do well with orders, but she’s doing everything in her power to keep Jinx alive.
“Don’t open this door,” I growl. “Unless you hear the word, ‘ice,’ on the other end.”
“Here,” she says reaching into her pocket and tossing me keys, “you have to lock it from the outside, I can’t get up to do it.”
As I walk out the door, I take one last peek at my beautiful redhead and then look at the nurse. “Please,” I beg. “Don’t let her die.”
“If I get her cool enough, she’ll be fine. Now go.”
I shut the door and use a key labeled ‘master’ to lock them inside.
“Someone’s on the other side of the door,” Dizzy whispers with her gun trained.
Can’t a man fucking get a second to think?
“They’re after women, if they get in here, you stay back, do you two fuckin’ understand?”
“Pyro, you’ll need us,” Lucy whispers.
Bloody hell. “Give me back up from behind, you don’t want them taken you alive.”
Dizzy’s phone vibrates in her cut, and she takes it out to read a text. “Gunners are in the parking lot. Fox and Seneca are on the other side of the hospital room door.”
“Give me the phone.”
I text a single word to Seneca’s number, a test to make sure a cartel member didn’t get one of our guys. I hand the phone back to Dizzy and move to the door. I knock twice and strain to listen.
“Ice.” I hear, and I exhale, two of our guys are fucking safe.
“Ladies you can lower your guns, we’re safe, but we aren’t leaving until we get the go ahead.”
I knock twice on the door and slide the key in. “Ice.”
“Thank god, she needs saline. We don’t keep fluids or meds inside the suites.”
I read the name on her registered nurse tag, ‘Megan’. “Where're the meds at, Megan?”
Megan reaches up, shuts the water off and she removes the towels from Shortcakes leg. “We need to get her dry now.”
I pick Jinx up and back us out of the room, Megan rushes over dripping wet with a hospital gown and some dry towels when I lay Jinx down on the bed. “Take off her underwear.”
I follow her instructions while she dries Shortcake off and slides the gown over her arms. “Meds?”
“I got this,” she says moving over to the call button and holding it down. “I need a doctor, bag of Saline, Narcan, Antibiotics, IV, and a new piggyback, you gotta figure out a way to get it to me,” she orders into the call button, and it crackles to life. “Cops are here.”
Thank fuck.
“Unbarricade the door, ladies.”
“When the doctor comes in to work on her, he won’t allow you to be in here.”
“Like fuckin’ hell, someone fuckin’ did this to her,” I roar.
“I’ll stay,” she offers. “I won’t leave her side until she’s stable. You can stay right outside in the hall.”
I take Jinx’s cold hand and bring it to my lips. “I’ll be right outside, Shortcake.”
I put her hand back down on the bed gently. “I’m trusting you.”
Megan nods.
By the time I reach the door, the girls have the furniture moved and are waiting for me to open it.
I knock twice.
“Ice.”
I open the door, and we move into the hall as a doctor, and a few nurses push passed me and into the room.
“Braxxon, Krew, and a few of the Gunners have the second in command for the cartel Kingpin at the compound.” Seneca hisses under his breath as cops make their way over to us.
“Go, now, I’m not leavin’ her.”
All four of them leave, and one officer tries to follow them to the elevator and isn’t quick enough; you need a fucking key for that elevator douchebag.
“We have some questions we need to ask you.” An officer, who isn’t on our payroll announces when he reaches me.
Here we fucking go.
∞∞∞
Chapter Twenty-Two
Pyro
I’ve waited three long weeks for this day to come, and I’ve dreamt about all the ways I’m going to torture this asshole. Jinx is safely inside the compound, surrounded by a handful of people so I can do what I’m about to do.
“He’s downstairs,” Braxxon informs me.
“Fanfuckintastic.”
I follow Brax downstairs into the damp basement, my hands already encased with rubber gloves.
“I might be a little while.”
“I’m not goin’ anywhere, brother,” he tells me as he flips on a light. “We’ve kept him fed and watered enough to stay alive, as you requested.”
A wicked chuckle escapes my lips when I get a whiff of stench as we turn the corner. There he is, the Kingpins second in command, all chained up in his own filthy ass mess.
Braxxon hands me a bucket of water and I toss it on the piece of shit. “Time to wake up asshole.”
He sputters awake, jerking around in his chains, cursing in Spanish.
“Tape his mouth for me?” I ask Brax as I dig out which tool I want to use first.
“My pleasure. I can’t stand whiney ass bitches.”
I’ll go for his fingernails first, we already know he won’t speak, even with pain of death. We do, however, know which cartel is after us now, and it was the cops that got us the info. Turns out, they were on our payroll after all.
Scorpion Cartel.
Jinx recovered after they tried to kill her.
They roofied the hell out of her.
They found her because this asshole had a picture of her and Piper from the days they spent in the basement.
I’ve decided not to keep anything from Jinx when it pertains to her. She’s fucking earned the right to know; and when I told her how they knew to target her, she didn’t cry, she wanted me to take revenge.
I already had plans.
I told her those plans.
She added to them.
And I’m about to oblige.
Braxxon unhooks the chain and the guy falls to the floor with a masked grunt.
I find the utensil I want to use and twirl it around my fingers as I stalk my prey. I lean down, taking his taped hands and jerking them to me.
One by one I rip off his fingernails.
I stand, toss the utensil to the ground and find my next tool.
Yes, this will do.
“Tie him off will ya?” I ask Braxxon, he kicks off the wall with a grin. “My pleasure.”
I wait for my brother to finish tying off this fuckers’ limbs before I make my move. “My girl almost lost her fuckin’ leg because of you fuckers,” I say while twirling an ax. “She’s requested you lose yours, and well, I fuckin’ love her,” I say with a shrug and his eyes widen.
I slam the ax down on his right leg, once, twice, and on the third chop it separates. “Yeah, we’re usin’ a dull one, make it more memorable for ya,” I chuckle over his screams behind the tape.
“The tourniquets are to slow your bleedin’, so I can have my fun.”
I keep the ax in my hand as I walk over to the table to grab the adrenaline.
I strut back to him and drop to a crouch with the ax between my legs. “This is to keep you awake, don’t need ya passin’ out before I finish.” I uncap the adrenaline Ripley scored us and jam it right into his chest. I leave the needle in his heart, because like I give a fuck.
I pick the ax back up, stand, and take the other leg off.
I step back. “Shits hard work, brother.”
Braxxon chuckles. “Well, you only have two arms left.”
“There is that,” I agree. “You got his phone, yeah?”
“Yep. Finish your business.”
I make work with his arms, wiping my forehead with my sleeve when the sweat begins to drip down my face.
He’s barely alive and for this last bit, I need him to be.
I drop the ax. “Help me lift him up?” I ask looking over at Braxxon who’s already putting gloves on.
He’s light as fuck without his arms and legs so we lift him to the saw block with ease. Brax steps back and hands me the switch.
I step back and turn on the saw, watching as the board takes his body closer and closer to the saw, his dull eyes, frantic.
When the board takes him to the circular saw, and it begins to rain blood, I fucking smile. I shut the saw off and drop the control. “I feel a little better,” I say with a shrug.
“Let’s get the message across, I wanna go home to my family,” Braxxon says, grabbing a leg.
When they captured this fucker, he brought everyone back. Winter has been on another reinforcement kick. I can’t say I blame her, we now have two babies to protect. At least we know who we’re fighting; now we can fucking strategize the proper way.
We use the assholes limbs, mangled body, and blood to spell a message.
Fuck the Scorpions
Brax takes the number from this guys phone and uses a disposable to send the photo via text message to the number that was frequently dialed.
After the message is delivered, he throws the phone to the ground, takes off his gloves. I take the gas can and tip it over, tossing my gloves, and Brax lights a match. We watch the fire burn for a second before we walk upstairs and out of the abandoned house.
Sniper waits for us in the SUV and when we climb in, he smirks. “Brax tells me I have two brothers.”
I lean my head against the window and chuckle. “Yeah, man, take me home.”
∞∞∞
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jinx
I’m sitting in the kitchen with my leg propped up on a chair while Winter feeds baby Lana and Storm coos over Miracle when the guys come in. I try to lean back, but I don’t get far. Pyro peeks his head in, his green eyes piercing me to the core.
“How was work, dear?” I smirk with a raised eyebrow.
“Bloody,” he says with a wink and a rap on the doorframe.
“Perfect,” I purr. “Use bleach.”
“Fuck it,” he curses. “I love you, Fire.”
I already knew. “I love you, too, Ice.”
I wave him off with my hand. “Bleach. Babies,” I say with a nod, gesturing towards the kids.
“Was that the first time he’s said it?” Storm asks.
“Yep.”
“All bloodied?”
“Yep, and it was perfect.”
And it was.
He did it for me.
“We leave tomorrow,” he yells halfway down the stairs.
“For what?” I ask the room, everyone knows everything around here. “Where we going?”
“Nope. No way. He wants to surprise you.” Winter throws her hands up as Lana enters the kitchen with Akela.
When they are in the same room together, they almost look like twins.
“Ripley’s cramping, but she said it’s time for your meds,” Akela says, handing over my antibiotics and pain pills while Lana grabs me a bottle of water from the fridge.
I don’t know what went down with her and Pyro, but I realize I don’t fucking care. She doesn’t bother him anymore and she’s nice to me, if she keeps it up, we’ll get along just fine.
“Thanks guys.”
I have a realization after I swallow my meds. “He’s taken me to a cabin, isn’t he? He’s taken me on vacation,” I laugh.
“But where?” Winter winks.
“I don’t care, I need a vacation.” I shrug. “And I need him.”
I’ve decided I’m not going to filter my feelings for Pyro for the sake of Lana, I’ve been through enough, he’s been through enough. We’re living our lives, and Pyro said if she isn’t happy here, she can leave.
“I can’t believe it’ll be quiet for a while,” Winter says. “It’ll be nice.”
“You’re telling me, maybe I can finally heal,” I say gesturing to my body.
Winter snorts. “You think Pyro is gonna let you get hurt again?”
Well…. No.
“His little Shortc
ake,” Storm teases.
I pick up a carrot and wave it at her. “You’re lucky you got that precious baby in your arms.”
Every goes silent as Lana leaves the room.
“Don’t worry about it.” Akela says. “She’s my sister, but she made her own bed.”
“I’m not.”
Loyalty is everything to Pyro and he fought way entirely too hard to keep me here.
“Apple,” ZZ says coming into the room. “Give the baby to mom, I need some lovin’.”
“Yeah, not right now,” she chuckles. “Rosey will help you out.”
My eyes widen with shock.
She’s serious.
“You’re only gettin’ by with this darlin’ because I love you, but you’ll need to put out sooner or later,” he grumps and leaves the room.
“Storm, you can’t neglect him just because you have a baby now.” Winter warns her. “He loves you.”
“He says I keep forgetting about him. I don’t intentionally do it, but look,” she gazes down at Miracle, “she’s too cute to put down.”
Winter and Akela look at me with frowns.
This can’t be good.
Well, seems we’re leaving just in time.
∞∞∞
Chapter Twenty-Four
Pyro
I pull into the driveway of the rental cabin I rented us for a week. I would have rented it for two, but Jinx has a checkup next week; and she isn’t missing it.
“You can take the blind fold off,” I instruct her as I turn the ignition off.
I turn in my seat and watch as the blind fold comes off and her eyes light up. “Pyro,” she whispers. “It’s exactly what I pictured.”
I know, I listen to every word out of your tantalizing mouth.
She pulls me to her for a brief kiss, way too short for my liking. “I really gotta pee, babe.”
I chuckle and climb out of the SUV. I walk around the car to the backseat on her side and grab her crutches, she won’t let me carry her, says she needs to strengthen her leg.
I open her door and hand her the crutches. “I’m gonna run up and unlock the cabin, Shortcake.”
“Thank you.”
I enter in the code the real estate agent gave me when I rented the place online and the lockbox opens, and I snatch up the key. I make quick work flipping on lights, so Jinx doesn’t trip on any of the furniture. I rented a one story, I didn’t want Jinx having to crutch her way up the stairs, she does it enough at home.
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