“Fucking hospital ain’t worth shit,” I mutter, holding back from telling her how I really feel about hospitals and doctors.
“It saved your life,” Enzo reminds me.
After suffering a heart attack, I learned a thing or two about the politics surrounding our health care system. Learned more when they tried to kick Linc out on his ass. After a bomb went off at our clubhouse blowing it to bits, the kid suffered a spinal injury that resulted in him losing feeling in both legs. He needed several surgeries and extensive physical therapy in order to walk again. He also didn’t have fucking medical insurance which was a deal breaker in this fine institution. Not willing to let the kid I swore to protect go out like a pauper, I took a mortgage on my house—a house I owned free and clear.
Linc got the help he needed, and I got a two-thousand-dollar monthly payment. But the kid is walking which is more than I can say for my son. Still, I gotta bite my tongue and have faith that these money hungry motherfuckers abide by the oath they took to heal and save my kids life.
“Well, let’s pray they do the same for your brother,” Patty says.
I couldn’t take this shit anymore. It was time to demand someone give us a fucking update.
Drawing in a deep breath, I glance at my shoulder and the mass of blonde hair covering it. Lady hasn’t left my side since she stumbled into this sterile room and saw my miserable mug. Woman even donated blood knowing she wasn’t a match.
Stretching my arm across the seat, I cup her shoulder.
“Lady,” I call, running my hand down the length of her arm.
“Hmm?”
“Like your scent on me but I gotta get up.”
Her eyes snap open and she lifts her head from my shoulder. Tucking her hair behind her ears, she straightens up and takes in her surroundings before brushing my hand off hers. I swear to Christ the woman hates to be touched. Makes me wonder if anyone’s ever handled her properly. If my kid wasn’t fighting for his life and I didn’t smell like a fucking gas station, I might’ve been more inclined to ask her.
“How long was I out for?” she asks, keeping her eyes pinned to her lap.
“Not long. Look, you look exhausted, Lady. Go home, get some rest. I appreciate you being here,” I say, rising to my feet. She lifts her chin and crosses her arms as she stares up at me.
“I’m not leaving until we know your son is going to be okay,” she snaps.
Reaching behind me, I cup the back of my neck.
“Suit yourself,” I say before turning around. I’m about to make my way towards the nurse’s station when I spot a detective and two blue and whites heading straight for me. “Ah for fucks sake,” I growl, taking them in. To be honest, I’m surprised they’ve waited this long to fuck with me.
“Alfonse Scotto?” the pig in the three-piece suit questions.
“Who's asking?”
“Detective Gallo with 79th Precinct,” he replies, flashing his badge. “This here is officer Grimm and his partner, officer Connors. We understand your son, Nico was shot inside your home this afternoon. We’d like to ask you and your other two sons some questions.”
“You people got some fucking nerve,” I grunt. “I’ve been sitting here for six fucking hours waiting for someone to tell me if my son is going to live or die and you come parading in here looking to interrogate me.”
“Sir, we just left your house. It’s come to our attention that your niece is also missing.”
I knew Yankovich had taken Kelly and if my son wasn’t under the knife, I would be hunting that cocksucker myself. Instead, I had to put my faith in Linc and pray he and the club found her.
“So, instead of busting my fucking balls why don’t you find who put a bullet in my kid’s chest and took my niece.”
“We also have a deceased paramedic and your whole club seems to be missing,” he says, exasperatedly.
“Seems like you got your work cut out for you,” I growl. Patty moves to my side and crosses her arms against her chest.
“Do you have any leads?” she asks.
“Patty—”
“I want to know who did this to my son,” she interjects.
“No, that’s why we’re hoping Mr. Scotto will cooperate with us.”
“He wasn’t there,” Enzo reveals.
“Jesus Christ,” I seethe, running my fingers through my hair.
“We found Nico at our father’s house. There was no one else there,” Frankie tells them.
Patty moves to stand between the boys, hanging on their every word, like she’s fucking Sherlock Holmes and is going to crack the case. My blood pressure flies off the fucking charts as Enzo continues to fill in the blanks and I glance over at Maria, expecting her to join in on the circus. Instead, I find her staring at me.
“Nico was conscious and able to tell us that whoever shot him also took Kelly,” Enzo says.
“We saw the blood at the house,” Gallo reveals, meeting my gaze. “We’ve deemed it a crime scene.”
Great.
“Your brother had to be in bad shape when you found him and instead of calling an ambulance right away, you took him to Pipe’s Garage,” Gallo continues, turning his attention back to the boys. “Any reason why?”
“That’s enough,” I shout, moving to stand in front of my sons. “You want more, call my fucking lawyer. Your precinct has the number.”
“With all due respect Mr. Scotto, like I already said, I have a dead paramedic on my hands, a missing girl and a bunch of outlaws looking to pull some vigilante justice—”
I might be the lone wolf in this story but that doesn’t change the core of my existence. I ain’t no rat and while my place within the club is questionable, my morals remain intact. These pigs aren’t sincere. They could give a fuck less that Yankovich broke into my house, shot my kid and took Kelly. A fucking piece of shit, kidnapping rapist isn’t a high priority for them but the Satan’s Knights, we’re a fucking ticket to a promotion and the key to the city.
“I don’t give two fucks what you have,” I sneer. “They saw their brother bleeding like a pig on the living room floor and panicked. They came to the garage because I was there. What happened after that is a fucking blur to all of us. Now, I don’t know what happened to your paramedic and to be honest, I don’t really give a fuck either—”
“Al,” Maria calls.
Ignoring her, I continue.
“As for my club, you motherfuckers seem to have a hard-on for us—”
“For crying out loud, Al!” Maria hollers, stepping around me so that she’s in my face. “Turn around,” she orders, pointing behind me. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Patty turn first. Grabbing my hand, she squeezes it as I look over my shoulder, spotting the team of surgeons walking towards us.
My eyes focus on the surgeon leading the pack and I watch as he pulls the bandana off his head, noting he looks as exhausted as the rest of us. Aside from that, his face remains neutral, and he comes to a halt in front of us.
“Mr. and Mrs. Scotto?”
Neither, Patty nor myself, correct him.
“How is he?” I question hoarsely.
“He’s critical but stable,” he reveals. The instant the words leave his mouth, I squeeze Patty’s hand and breathe a sigh of relief.
“Oh, thank you, God,” Patty cries.
“We were able to remove the bullet and repair the damage, but it was very extensive. A half of an inch to the left and that bullet would’ve punctured his heart. As you know, he lost an extreme amount of blood and he’ll probably need another transfusion.”
“We’ll give more blood,” Frankie offers next to me.
“Right now, we have what we need,” the surgeon continues. “He’s on a ventilator and we’re moving him into ICU. The goal is to remove the vent after twenty-four to forty-eight hours, but you need to keep in mind his body has suffered an incredible trauma.”
“When can we see him?” I ask.
“We’re moving him into ICU now but only one p
erson at a time.”
Turning to Patty, I release her hand and move her hair over her shoulder.
“You go first,” I tell her.
Nodding, she keeps her attention pinned to the doctor.
“Thank you,” she rasps.
“He’s not out of the woods yet,” he warns in response. “But we’re optimistic. I’ll have a nurse come and get you once he’s settled into the intensive care unit,” the doctor offers.
Releasing Patty’s hand, I extend it towards the surgeon instead. I may have my opinions about doctors and hospitals in general but, I give respect where it’s due, and this man saved my kid’s life. The surgeon looks at my hand for a beat before slipping his inside and giving it a firm shake.
“Thanks, doc,” I say hoarsely.
With a nod, he releases my hand and turns around. My eyes follow him and his team out of the waiting room before I turn to Patty. Naturally and with ease, I pull her into my arms and give her a reassuring hug.
“He’s going to be okay,” I say against her hair. “Made it through the worst.”
“Mr. Scotto,” the douchebag detective calls behind me.
“For fuck’s sake, you’re still here?” I mutter, pulling away from Patty.
“We’re going to want to speak with your son when he’s up to it.”
“The kid is barely out of surgery,” Patty admonishes at my side. Before I can tell this guy to go fuck himself, he reaches into his suit and produces a card.
“We’ll be in touch,” he says, holding out the business card. Taking it from him, I keep my eyes pinned to his and rip the card in half before letting the pieces fall to the floor.
“I’d be careful how you play this one, Mr. Scotto.”
“Thanks for the advice,” I ground out, crossing my arms against my chest. Once he gets the drift that the conversation is over he reluctantly turns around. Flocked by the two street cops, he makes his way towards the door and I turn to Frankie and Enzo.
“I’m going to use the restroom before the doctor comes back,” Patty announces.
Giving her a nod, I bring my attention back to the boys.
“It’s been a long day. Why don’t you guys go home and get some rest. You’re not going to be able to see him, anyway. Hell, I’m not even sure Patty’s going to leave his side to allow me to see him.”
“Will you call us if he wakes up?” Frankie questions. The poor kid looks like he’s about ready to pass out. Laying a hand on his shoulder, I give him a nod.
“Of course.”
“I’ll call an Uber,” Enzo says. “I’ll make the driver drop Frankie off, then I’ll go grab you a change of clothes and head back here.”
“I can take you guys home,” Maria offers, meeting my gaze.
“Thanks, Mrs. Bianci but Frankie lives in Staten Island,” Enzo replies.
“Perfect,” she says, turning her attention to him. “I have work in an hour and it’s on the way.”
Not sure I heard her correctly, I step closer.
“You have to go to work now?” I question, forcing her eyes back to me.
“Well, I was going to call out if we still hadn’t heard anything but now that we know he’s stable, I’m going to go in.”
“You still at Rab’s Bowling Alley?” I question. The owner is an acquaintance of mine. Back in the day he and I used to play on a league together. I haven’t spoken to him in a dog’s age but still, I’m sure if I called him and asked him to give Maria the night off he’d do it. However, she might grind my balls in a food processor if she found out.
“Tuesday through Saturday,” she replies. “So, what do you fellas say?”
“Well, if you don’t mind and you’re sure it’s not out of the way…”
“I’m sure,” she smiles. “But we gotta leave now. I gotta get the smell of gasoline off me,” she adds cheekily as her eyes find mine. Before I have a chance to reply, Frankie tosses his arms around my neck.
“See you later, Dad,” he says.
“Later, kid,” I say before releasing him and pulling Enzo in. “Love you guys.”
“Love you too,” Enzo says. “I’ll call you when I’m on my way back.”
I give him a tip of my chin and slice my eyes to Maria, watching as she digs into that tremendous bag of hers and pulls out her car keys. Enzo and Frankie start for the door and she turns to follow but before she can take a step, my hand closes around her wrist.
“You’re just going to leave like that? Without a word?”
Glancing over her shoulder, her brown eyes peer back at me and for a second I’m fucking taken back. Blame it on the exhaustion but those eyes… she can do more with those eyes than most women can do with their entire body.
“I’m sorry,” she says, turning to face me. Placing a hand on her hip she cocks her head to the side. “Goodbye, Wolf.”
My kid comes out of surgery and all of a sudden, she’s back to calling me, Wolf.
“Lady, you just spent six hours sitting next to me waiting for my son to get out of surgery.”
“And I’m so glad he made it through. I’ll be praying to Saint Anthony for a speedy recovery. You’ll keep me posted, won’t you?”
I don’t know why her nonchalance bothers me or why I feel the need to keep her with me for a little while longer. Maybe it’s because I know once she walks out that door, I’ll be alone and forced to face reality. That makes a shit ton more sense than admitting I might miss her company or the scent of her fucking perfume.
“Yeah, I’ll keep you posted,” I tell her, releasing her hand. “I’ll send up a smoke signal when Nico wakes up.”
Truth is, this will burn out just like it did when it was her daughter lying in this hospital. She’ll go back to her life and I’ll go back to mine. The only difference being, back then we had a reason to run into one another. Now, I’m not sure where I stand with my club or if I even want to be part of a brotherhood that robbed so much of my life. That’s a hard pill to swallow for a man like me. I’ve lived so much of my life believing if a brother stands behind you, you protect him and if he stands beside you, you respect him. I don’t know what happens when a brother stands against you never mind the entire club.
“A simple phone call will suffice,” she calls.
“Need your number to call you,” I point out.
She laughs, catching me off guard.
She’s got an amazing fucking laugh.
“On second thought, I bet you’re great at blowing smoke,” she quips before turning on her heel. I remain rooted in place as she walks away from me. Reaching the door, she pauses and gives me another glance.
“See ya around, Wolf,” she says softly. “Hopefully the next time I bump into you the circumstances will be different.”
“Yeah,” I agree.
“Although, the scent of gasoline is starting to grow on me,” she adds with a slight quirk of her lips.
For a mouthy broad, she’s got a personality.
A great laugh and killer fucking eyes too.
“Later, Lady.”
Until next time.
Chapter Four
After my shift at the bowling alley, I went home and barely made it to my bed before I passed out. This morning when I woke up, I was instantly reminded of the events from the previous day and instead of hitting the coffee pot like I usually do;do I called the hospital to see if there was any change in Nico. The operator didn’t give me much information other than he was still in the intensive care unit.
Admittedly, I was tempted to call Wolf. Just because the man didn’t have my number, did not mean I didn’t have his. Not too long ago he started growing tomatoes and fresh basil. I don’t know if he dispersed it amongst the club or if he singled out Riggs, but my soon-to-be son-in-law started receiving a supply of produce and since my daughter wasn’t much of a cook, Riggs would bring it to me and I would make fresh tomato sauce. If you’ve had sauce made with fresh tomatoes than you know canned just don’t cut it afterward and I started houn
ding Riggs for more. That’s when the smartass told me he wasn’t in the business of dealing fruits and vegetables and supplied me with Wolf’s phone number.
I never used it though. Maybe it’s a pride thing or maybe I just have a problem asking anyone for anything. After my husband left me, I decided I would rather struggle every day of my life than give any man the power to say, ‘you wouldn’t have that if it wasn’t for me.’ Even if it was just a bag of tomatoes and a bushel of basil. Instead, I sucked it up and bought some cans of Tuttorusso.
However, if I had called this morning, I wouldn’t have asked him for anything and yet, I still couldn’t bring myself to dial his number. Mainly because I was still reeling over how much I learned about Wolf after spending six hours with him. Being around the club as often as I was, I knew the basics. I knew he was married three times and had a son with each wife. I had met all the boys before and they were always very respectful. I even remember pointing that out to him at my grandson’s first birthday and the response he gave me then surprised me. He told me that he had nothing to do with how well they turned out that he gave all the credit to their mothers. It was an honorable thing to say and very rare for a man like him to admit. Then yesterday, I saw him interact with Nico’s mother and I was blown away. Sure, they had their differences and Patty was bitter for what had happened to her son but anyone watching them could tell they had respect for one another and maybe even a little bit of love. It was refreshing to see and made me wonder more about the man beneath the leather vest and the relationships he had with his other two ex-wives.
I’m ashamed to admit, I drew my own conclusions about the man without knowing him. I let society sway my first impression of him. Yes, I was thankful for what he had done for me when Lauren was in the hospital but at the end of all of that, I only saw him as a biker. A man who chose to defy the law and take the easy way out. Someone who had a filthy mouth and drank too much. A man I assumed had questionable morals and not a lick of class. I was too jaded by my own streak of bad men to think any street guy, whether he be a mobster or a biker, was worth knowing.
When my daughter first fell in love with Riggs, she told me the Satan’s Knights were some of the best people she had met in her life. Maybe she wasn’t wrong. Nevertheless, as great as they might be, that doesn’t change the fact they left Wolf alone in his time of need. I thought it was odd when I first bumped into him and noticed he was by himself and it was reaffirmed when the detective showed up. Hearing that the entire club disappeared sparked my curiosity and, also heightened my need to protect my daughter. If Riggs was in some kind of trouble, I needed to make sure Anthony kept her and those babies safe. I suppose there are perks to your son being a former mob enforcer after all. Or at least there would be if he answered his phone.
Riding The Edge Page 4