“We should get back,” she breathes heavily.
Keeping quiet, I nod and take hold of her hand. The walk back is silent, and I remind myself I’m here now and she’s with me. She’s safe.
“How’s your mom?” Harper asks Leo as we come to a stop by the chairs.
He looks up and at first, he stares me down, I raise my chin, daring him to come at me for disappearing with her for half hour. I’ll go at him for letting her run out into the night after Ellis.
“She’s going to be fine, the nurse is patching her up.”
“Yeah, dad’s in there with her, he did his nut when he heard what happened. He wants to see you,” Luca tells her as a nurse comes out the room.
I’m not leaving her side, so when she turns to knock on the door to Alannah’s private room, I go with her.
“Come in,” we hear Cas grunt.
I throw open the door and Harper walks in first, holding her arms around her stomach.
“How you doing, Aunt Lana?” I ask.
It’s been a while since I’ve called her Aunt, but during times like these, it comes out naturally.
“I’m fine,” she smiles as Cas full out growls.
“Why did you run out? You should know better than that, you looking to be hurt again?” he snaps at Harper.
A part of me wants to step in front of her and shield her from Cas’ anger, but she needs this shit to sink in. She can’t be running off after men like Ellis.
“I went after Luca,” she shrugs through her repetitive answer.
“What was you hoping to achieve? What did you think was going to happen?”
Something is shifting in the room and I can’t work it out. Harper can barely make eye contact with him. I thought they were getting on better now. Unless this is her knowing she is in the wrong? I mean, I haven’t seen this side of her, all of our fights have been her arguing she is right.
“It’s done and she’s fine. Let’s leave it alone now, she knows how shit is going to go from now until we have him,” I say, squashing the thick silence in the room. “Don’t you, babe?”
She nods and leans into my side. I wind my arm around her and Cas watches us from next to Lana’s bed.
“Has she told you what she wants?” he asks, and she tenses beside me.
“I was going to when we got back to the club, I haven’t had the chance.”
Perhaps we should have done more speaking rather than fucking in one of the private rooms.
“What?”
“She wants to kill Ellis,” Alannah murmurs and Harper relaxes.
Leaning away from her, I ask, “Is that why you ran out after him?”
“No, I was running after Luca and I’m getting sick of saying it. We’ll talk about this when we’re alone.”
“You’re damn right we will.”
“For now, I’m staying with Lana and everyone but Sparky and Rick will stay here and we’ll deal with the cops, thanks to Ellis they’re going to be asking questions we don’t want to answer. Let everyone know they’re to ride as one and lock the place down when you get there. I’ll call in the morning with further instructions.”
We’ve been dismissed, and I grip onto Harper’s hand as I give Cas’ order to everyone.
Dad sighs, not wanting to stay, and slips into Lana’s room with Rick. One of our vans are pulling away when we all step out into the night and I’m guessing the prospects have collected our fallen brothers.
If I squeeze Harper’s hand any tighter, I’m going to hurt her, I can’t help it though. I need her close to me, I need her safe.
My eyes scan everywhere as I head for my bike. Leo does the same and Luca stays close to him. Slade is the first to bring his bike to life and pulls up beside me.
“She should go back with Leo and Luca in the truck.”
I shake my head without thinking about it.
“She stays with me.”
That’s it.
Nothing else is said.
He doesn’t argue with me.
Until she is behind Lost Souls doors, she stays with me.
“This fucker wants Leo and Harper, but he won’t stop at taking us out, no one stops, no one veers off, we ride as one. Let’s go,” Slade hollers.
Brothers are ready to go in seconds and our eyes are everywhere. The roads are mostly clear and none of us hold back. The roads belong to us tonight and we ride them hard.
I usually love riding like this with my brothers, not tonight, I feel sick and anxious.
I lost focus on the way to the hospital, the trip felt like five minutes. The ride home is a different story, it feels like it’s been hours when we turn onto the last road to the clubhouse, and one by one, each of us slow sensing something is wrong.
It takes a minute to work it out, the place is in darkness. It shouldn’t be at this time. With the events that happened at the hospital, the place should be lit up like a Christmas tree.
Slade slows so much, he comes to a stop and we follow suit. Leo pulls the truck up beside us and kills the engine.
Slade pulls his phone out and makes a call.
“Zach? What’s going on?” he asks, and then puts it on speaker.
“Sorry to disappoint you, daddy. Zach can’t come to the phone right now; can I take a message?”
“Who the fuck is this?”
It’s Ellis.
I know his voice and Harper recognises it.
“This is the guy who decides who lives and who dies. Tell me, who shall I shoot first?”
Cockiness oozes from him and Slade growls down the line.
“This place is mine now, the Lost Souls days are over. All you have left to do is decide who will die, every man and woman and child in this place, or Leo. Send me him and Harper and I’ll let them all go.”
The line goes dead and no one utters a word. Silence creeps around us and settles in.
I look from Slade to Leo. They both are speechless.
“What are we going to do?” I ask.
“We’re going to pray no one dies tonight,” Slade chokes out.
I don’t know how the near future will play out, but it will be over my dead body Harper will walk in there.
Harper
India and Rayna.
The twins.
Zach and Nina.
Aunt Kristen.
Pope.
Kyla and Victoria.
JJ’s mom.
My mother.
They are all in there and at the mercy of Ellis.
God help us all.
Her Crazy Life: Sons of Lost Souls MC Novella 3.5 Page 11