by L. Ann Marie
“The feed for the girl is looped. It’s the same thing as straight shot.” He nods and moves aside for VP.
“Same setup.” He looks at Danny.
Geek clicks in. “The whole third floor is going to go up. There’s not enough time to stop it.”
Danny goes to the door and the pussy starts yelling. I look at Pres. “You shouldn’t be here, Pres. You should bring the boy down and stay with the kids away from this building.”
VP nods. “He’s right. Need you out of here. Somethin’ happens least the MC keeps goin’.” He smiles. Fuckin’ VP.
Pres looks at Danny and I know what he’s thinking. Thank fuck he doesn’t say it. He throws him chin and fixes the boy’s shirt, then lifts him up, telling him he can go home soon. I watch him leave, then tell them, “Less than ten.”
VP nods and pulls his gun. “Get us in, balls are next.”
“No! Flip the switch, down for her up for him.” Danny drags the pussy over to the door and VP flips the switch. I hold my breath as Danny walks in. He doesn’t even hesitate. I look at the feeds and start closing up the computers. I put them in the bag still running but closed so I can get to a truck.
“Digs!” I jog to the room, stepping over the blood and pussy.
Walking in, I see the girl. She’s cowering in the corner. There’s blood on her where no little girl should have blood on her. VP walks out and we hear the shot. I go to the little girl, talking softly. ”We’re going to take you home. My name is Digs. The scary looking guys are keeping us safe. They’re here to help keep us safe so we can take you home to your mom and dad. Do you want to get away from here and see your mom and dad?” She nods. I put my hand out and she shies away, then finally takes it. “I need to pick you up so we can leave fast, okay?” She cries but nods. I lift her gently. She doesn’t weigh anything. Danny gives me a shirt to cover her.
VP sticks his head in. “Three minutes.” I wrap her and cradle her in my arms. I kiss her head and take her out. As I’m walking over the pussy, I hold her head against my chest so she doesn’t see. In the kitchen I tell Danny to grab my bag. I don’t stop and head out the door, then down the stairs. Pres has the road clear and I don’t see anyone around, so I walk toward the empty lot, talking the whole time. At the edge of the building I see Cleanup and two SUVs. The door opens and Pres gets out and comes toward me. An explosion rocks the ground, so I move us to the edge of the brick building. Pres moves with us. The girl starts crying harder. “This is Pres, he’s our President. The Brother that has us helping the little boys and girls get back home. He has helped a whole bunch of kids get back home already.” When it seems that everything is clear we start walking to the SUV. Tiny gets out and walks toward us, then he falls. I run to the SUV, pushing Pres in front of me.
Me: “Sniper, shooting from high. Tiny’s down.”
Rich: “Get Pres in the SUV!”
Me: “Roger.” I feel like I’m hit with a sledgehammer on the right side of my back. “Uuuhh.” I stagger but make it to the SUV standing and I still have the girl in my arms. I hear more shots and expect another jolt but it never comes. Dave pulls Pres in and reaches for the girl, but she screams. A girl sticks her head out and puts her hand on the girl.
Rich: “Digs, what’s happening?” I stand the girl up in the SUV and hang onto the door.
Me: “Pres is clear. I need to get to Tiny.”
Rich: “C1, get a truck between the sniper and Tiny.”
Dave: “HS T2, move to the street side and cover Tiny.”
I stand listening and take a breath. Fuck, my back hurts, but I turn and go back to Tiny. The truck blocks us and I bend. “Brother, where did you get hit?”
He turns and I scan his body. His leg is hit. I pull my belt and wrap it around him. “Fuckin’ pussy hides and shoots like hitting fish in a barrel.” He’s pissed.
I want to laugh, but he’d deck me. I hand him the end of the belt. “Pull until it’s as tight as you can stand it.” He does and I flip the buckle in the hole, then nod. He drops the end and turns to stand. He’s got another shot in his arm. It won’t hold him. “Hold up, Brother.” I slide my cut off and hook it on my belt then pull my shirt and rip it to wrap his arm. My back doesn’t like the movement, but I get him squared.
Me: “LP2, I need help getting Tiny up. He needs transport to the hospital ASAP for a leg wound bleeding too fast.”
Rich: “LP1, VP, I need a check. HS12, assist Digs with Tiny.”
I hear the Roger, but not Danny and VP checking in. We get Tiny in the truck and it takes off. I hear yelling across the street and follow it. Dave tells Rich that I’m walking the wrong way. I sign to him I hear VP. He tells Rich and everyone’s voices calm. They made it out of the building. I round the corner and laugh. VP has a pussy duct taped to the railing at the front stoop of the building. He’s taping a rifle to the next railing down. Danny runs over and hands him some shoe laces that he tied together. I just stand and watch horrified then amused as VP runs the laces through the trigger then around the pole and over to the pussy. “Move and you shoot yourself.” He ties the lace to the guy’s foot then pulls his gun. “Shot my Brother.” He shoots the guy in the leg just where Tiny got hit. He must have seen it.
Danny shoots the guy in the arm and his foot moves. I step on it. “Move it and you’ll take a shot to the head.” He stops moving and I step back and look at VP, then at Danny. “Glad you made it.” They throw chin.
“Good fuckin’ job gettin’ Pres clear,” VP says. I throw him chin.
“How is your back?” Danny asks as we start walking back.
“Feels like someone took a sledgehammer to it,” I tell him, knowing Tiny isn’t around to throw a tampon at me.
He fuckin’ laughs. “I’d say that’s pretty accurate.”
VP stops at the lot. “You ridin’ home or in the truck?”
“Riding, but we need to get the kids home.” I’m already thinking of the whirlpool tub.
“Pres got PD and liaisons on the way, didn’t you hear?” VP asks.
“Was fuckin’ busy,” I tell him. Danny laughs. Shit, I hope he isn’t going to kill me for that. I look at him and I’m relieved he’s smiling. If I wasn’t in pain I’d sag with that relief. Since I don’t think I can do that right now, I keep walking to the SUV.
Pres gets out and starts yelling at them for not answering or letting anyone know they were clear. VP waits for him to finish. “Was fuckin’ busy.” I hold my laugh in.
Danny’s pissed. “Every fuckin’ time you walk into my OPs you’re fuckin yelling like we planned for all this. No one knew there were all these kids here. No one knew the building was set up with a fuckin’ obstacle course of explosives. Instead of yelling about what we didn’t do, you should be saying good fuckin’ job for what we did do! You got eight kids out, every one of them in one piece. We didn’t lose anyone and we shut down another fuckin’ moneyed operation. You’re fuckin’ welcome and you’re not invited to my next OP. Go crash someone else’s party and yell at them. Me and my team are going for a beer.” He walks around the SUV and opens the door. PD and Fire are pulling in. I need to get the hell away from here.
I walk to my bike and look around for my bag. It’s on the ground on the other side. I look at it but know there’s no way I’m bending down for it. Lyrec comes over and lifts it up. “I’ll take it up to the Club for you.” He hands me a Security shirt. When I can’t pull it down he helps me. “How’s your back?”
“Sore, but I’ll live. Anything on Tiny?” I don’t want to talk about my back.
He laughs. “He said we better not show at the hospital and he’ll meet us at the Club.”
“Is he at City?” Danny asks from behind me.
Lyrec nods and walks away. Danny’s still pissed, making me wonder if he ate today.
I swing my leg over and wait until my vision clears before I start it up. Once I’m settled, it doesn’t feel too bad. Danny’s watching me. I throw him chin and we roll out with Chet and Lyrec.
At the Club I don’t know if I can get off the bike. I was fine sitting forward but straightening hurts like a bastard. I take a minute and breathe, then swing my leg around and clamp my jaw on the moan that wants to come out. Jesus!
Danny is on the side of me. “When I got hit my knees didn’t get the keep moving signal, they kept trying to bend when I needed them to keep me up right. You doing okay?”
He’s not pissed anymore. I look over. “Yeah, just needed a minute.”
“I’ll get some ice when you sit down. It helps.”
I take a few steps, then a few more. At the stairs I hold the banister and pull myself up the next step. That wasn’t so bad. We walk in and everyone cheers. I head right for the bar, but Danny pulls me to a table in the back. “We need to get the vest off and some ice on you. You don’t want that happening at the bar.”
He’s right. I pull my cut and drop it on a chair. Danny helps me get my shirt over my head, then pulls the Velcro on the vest. Holy shit, I’m seeing stars again. I hold on to the table top to stay straight. Danny lifts my T-shirt and whistles. “Leave this on, I’m going for ice.” He walks away and I’m thinking if I tried to get it off he’d come back and find me on the floor.
I sit and find a position that works, then relax. Someone turned the news on and I see Paul from PD. Pres is standing on the side of a group of men. When he sees the camera he steps out of view. I don’t see the kids but hear about reuniting and smile. We got them home. The bar gets loud and I don’t hear anymore, but Danny’s back with ice and an ace bandage. I sit forward and moan. He puts the ice on me and wraps the ace bandage right around, holding it in place. “That ought to feel good for a while. When you get home put heat on it.” I throw him chin. He tries to hand me two pills and slides a beer over.
“I need to get my bike home,” I tell him, taking the beer but not the pills.
He laughs. “You’re not riding it home. I’ll get someone to bring it to Security so they can get it topped off and ready for the next OP. You won’t be riding for a couple of days.”
“Fuck. My first time and I’m out for a few days. Bet you wished you’d taken someone else.” I swallow the pills and look around. I see Geek coming toward us. He’s not saying anything, so I look at him, wondering if he really is thinking that.
He’s watching me with that intense look in his eye. “You stopped me from blowing us the fuck up twice. You found the schematics, got us into the rooms with the kids, talked a little girl into getting out of the house, covered the girl and Pres, then got Tiny stabled and transported to the hospital. Who the fuck do you think you are, superman? You even shot feet.” Geek cracks up while he sits down.
“Putting you with Danny was a fuckin’ smart move. IT on the OP is what saved those kids. HS training is a bonus I don’t think everyone expected. Nice job, Brother,” Geek says seriously. I throw him chin, thinking about that. Usually he runs up to the sites to catch the feeds and guide them through. He worked the remote link today, staying right here at his office. It feels good knowing I didn’t fuck anything up and I did shoot feet. I feel like one of them for the first time since all this started. I smile and Danny laughs. Thank God Chet and Lyrec come in and everyone cheers, pulling our eyes to the door.
Chet brings my backpack over to us. “You killed it today, Brother.” He slaps my back and I see stars.
“He took a shot to the back, asshole!” Geek yells at him.
Chet looks at me, then at the ace bandage. “Fuck, I didn’t see that, Brother.”
“Covering Pres,” Danny says. Chet throws me chin, puts the backpack on the table, and walks away.
My vision clears and I take a sip of my beer. Danny takes a call and Geek pulls the computers out of the bag. “We need to get you a better mobile setup,” Geek says.
“I thought about that when I was hunting for the cord for the tablet. The backpack is easy to ride with, but I need a better way to get at shit fast.”
He nods. “I’ll get you setup for it before you go out again. I need your laptop. I’ll send a Prospect over with it tomorrow.” I nod, thinking I won’t need it until then anyway. He looks at Danny. “Tiny good?”
“Yeah, they’re sewing him up now. He’ll be about an hour.”
Geek stands. “How long before he’s riding?” He nods toward me.
“Couple of days. He won’t be a hundred percent, but he won’t stay down either,” Danny says, making me smile.
Geek looks at me as if he’s running options in his head. “I’ll send you some work. I need a college checked out.” I throw him chin and he walks away.
Pres and VP come in to more cheers. Pres gets swarmed, but VP comes right over to us. A Prospect runs more beer over. “Took a shot meant for him today. First OP and did everythin’ right. Good fuckin’ job.”
I throw him chin feeling that hit me. “Thanks, VP.”
Pres sits and looks at Danny. “I shouldn’t have reacted the way I did. Your team did just what they were supposed to and kept my ass alive while doing it. It’s a good team and was a great OP. Even with the surprises it ran good.”
Danny throws him chin. “You can’t keep showing pissed, Ben. There’s times when I can’t answer. Chet and Lyrec were hunting down snipers.”
Pres nods and I feel funny sitting here for this, but I’m afraid if I try to stand I’ll fall across the table. “Would’ve been more than one shot Digs took for you,” VP says. I look at him. He’s watching Pres.
Pres looks at me. “Thanks for shielding, Brother, and thank God for fuckin’ Kevlar. I can’t lose any more Brothers.” I throw him chin.
Danny laughs. “Superman here needs a couple of days.”
“Anything,” Pres says and I know he means it.
“I know Tiny’s not here yet, but I need to get home while I can still walk.” They laugh at me, but I don’t give a fuck. The pills are kicking in, so I’m feeling brave.
Pres calls a Security Brother over and tells him to get me home. Danny puts my shirt and cut in the backpack and hands it to Balls. He pulls the ace bandage and ice off me, then helps me stand. “Good fuckin’ job today, Brother,” he says as I start walking. If I thought I could, I would have thrown him chin, but I just keep walking and throw him a wave.
On the way I think of what Penny is going to say about all this. Fuck.
Chapter Twelve
Penny
I open my eyes and smile. My face is on Digs’ chest then I remember his back and sit up fast. “Whoa, babe, you’ll hurt yourself.”
He’s half asleep worrying about me? “I didn’t realize I was on you. Are you okay?”
He smiles, pulling me to him for a kiss. “I’m fine and about to be fuckin’ excellent.” I kiss him, then smile. He pulls the tie out of my hair and runs his hands through it. “Love your hair, Pen.”
I smile, but I need it trimmed and I know he likes it long. Since he’s in a good mood, I bring it up. “I need it trimmed,” I say softly.
“Trimmed?” I can’t tell if he’s mad.
I look at him a little nervous. “The layers in it need to be trimmed so it’s not so heavy.”
“You need me to take you? Is it in the city?”
I smile. He’s not mad. “No, I can drive my new car. It’s just downtown.”
His eyebrows draw down. “You were asking? You don’t need fuckin’ permission, Pen. You need your hair trimmed you get it trimmed. I would hate if you cut it all off, but it’s your fuckin’ head carrying it around and dealing with it every day.”
Oh dear! “I didn’t want to make you mad. I just wasn’t sure how you would react.”
He sits up and I move back. “I’m not your fuckin’ father! If I were you, would’ve never gone through what you did. You do what you need to do and don’t have to ask my permission to do it. If I don’t like it, I’ll deal. If I get pissed, you’ll know, but do what makes you happy. Fuck!” He gets up and I know he’s stiff. He has a big bruise around a black circle on his back. “Going
in the tub. Geek’s sending work for me while I can’t ride.” He walks to the bathroom and closes the door.
Holy Moses, he’s mad, but at least he didn’t slam the door. I start shaking then growl. No! He’s right. He doesn’t want a kid to make all the decisions for. I told him just a few days ago that I wasn’t a kid and then do this. Darn it all to heck! I growl again, then run to get dressed. I wash and brush my teeth in the other bathroom, then head downstairs. I cut up fruit while I’m talking to the receptionist at the Center. Anita will call me back, so I find the hair cutters app and schedule my appointment for the first one when they open. That wasn’t so hard and I did it without anyone helping me. I call Wendy in to open the store for me today. She’s printing a big church order and would be there anyway. I’m getting excited. I leave the fruit and a note, letting him know where I’ll be, then run out the door with my travel mug.
I drive to the water first and park, pulling my notebook out. I write a list of what I can do and what I should ask about. I want Anita to look at it to make sure I’m not going to drive Digs crazy with my babyish need for his approval. I want to make him happy, but I don’t want to drive him away with neediness. I’m just realizing there is a fine line to those.
When I’m done I put the book down and think about all the decisions I already made and he was happy with them. All the furniture and bedding came yesterday and I showed CJ where I wanted everything. We went and got little things at the store and made it look a little more homey. I decided to wait for Digs to go to Amanda’s to pick art for the walls, but everything else is finished. We even got all the craft boxes emptied. CJ got a Prospect to haul everything away so Digs didn’t have a huge job when he got home. I chose everything and he liked it. He liked that it was all done and that he didn’t have more work, especially since he was in pain. I did that! I nod like I need to convince me, then stop. I need to do more. I think about my list and put it aside until I can see Anita.