What Might Kill Us

by M. N. Forgy

  I drop to my knees, skittering along the sand to get to her. She stands up on her knees, blood pouring down her arm as she points a gun at Alvaro who has a stunned expression on his face.

  “I’ll die before I’ll ever go with you,” she seethes, and pulls the trigger. Her body jolting backwards from the recoil. Álvaro’s face goes blank, shots continuing to fire around us as my men and Alvaro’s boys have it out. I scoop up Anahi’s body, jogging between Bobby, Kane, and Felix who are protecting us.

  I head to Kane’s truck and fling open the back door, placing her inside. We’re getting out of here and we’re doing it now.

  Not asking for permission I rip her shirt open looking for the source of blood dripping down her arm.

  “Where were you shot?” I mumble trailing the warm blood. She hisses, pulling the shirt over her shoulder. A nasty graze slicing into her silky skin.

  “You were just grazed, you’re going to be okay,” I inform her, her face on the edge of panic and scared.

  “Move over!” a voice sounds behind me. Glaring over my shoulder, Simone looks at me with a concerned face.

  “I went to college for medical, I can help,” she informs, her face sympathetic. My eyes fall to her left hand that holds a bat with screws in it.

  “What were you planning on doing with that?” I lift a brow amazed by the creativity.

  “Kane won’t let me have a gun, so I had to come up with something,” she shrugs. She hands it to me, and lifts her brows in waiting. Palming the bat, I step away from Anahi and this time it’s me who is waiting.

  Glancing upward I find my boys striding toward us. Their shadows of the night ominous and unforgiving as they leave behind three lifeless bodies on the ground. The smell of gunpowder lingering in the air.

  “We need to get going. Someone might call the gun fire in,” Bobby states.

  “What about the drugs? My president ain’t going to be too happy if I return empty handed,” Felix informs, crossing his arms. I flick my eyes toward Anahi in question.

  Simone wraps up the grazed arm as Anahi rests her head back on the headrest, her eyes closing.

  “His room is on the other side of the motel. Room 121. In his bathroom, under the sink there’s a hole,” she whispers. Telling us almost too much betrayal for her to handle.

  Lights dance across us, grabbing our attention. The black SUV runs over the dead bodies and drives off like a bat out of hell. Dust and sand paving its trail.

  “Fuck that can’t be good,” Bobby whispers, running his hands through his hair before running toward the bodies.

  Was there someone else in the truck they missed?

  “Fuck!” he yells, throwing his hands outward in anger.

  “What?” I narrow my brows waiting for him to tell me who the fuck just drove off in the SUV.

  He lifts his chin, worry lines filling his forehead.

  “Alvaro is missing,” he informs grimly.

  “Goddamn it, Bobby! Didn’t you check to see if he was dead?” I step away from Anahi and Simone, my face turning red from the rookie mistake one of my best men just fucking made.

  “He had a gunshot to the chest and wasn’t moving,” Kane informs like it was a no brainer. But the motherfucker is very much alive, and now on the loose.

  “He’s not going to just let me go. He’ll come for me again, and he’ll bring help,” Anahi states, a tear slipping down her cheek.

  Leaning into the cab of the truck, I thumb it away and take her chin in my hand.

  “He isn’t touching you as long as I’m around. You hear me? Never again.” I tilt my head to the side, my voice serious.

  “Let’s get the drugs sorted out, then get on the road before we have bigger problems.” Kane pats my shoulder, indicating we need to get our asses in gear before the pigs show up. “Go get them, I ain’t leaving her side with that nut job out there.”

  “You got it, Prez,” Bobby says, leading the way.

  Sitting in the back of the pick-up I watch Bull ride his motorcycle beside the truck with Bobby on the other side. I feel important having them escort me back to the club. Curling my knees up under my chin, I ponder on what the club will be like and who will be there.

  I wonder what kind of food they have in LA, and where I will be staying. What will I do when I get there?

  My forehead suddenly wrinkles with worry. I’m getting ahead of myself.

  None of this even matters with Alvaro out there. I glance out the window, staring at Bull. His hair blowing in the wind, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.

  Will Alvaro bring my Uncle Benito?

  Simone turns around in the front seat, resting her chin on top of her hands.

  “How ya doing back there?” she asks nicely. She’s so pretty, dark features that could hypnotize anyone. I look down at myself, feeling very insecure right now with blood staining my skin and what’s left of my torn shirt open

  I shift in my seat, swallowing the lump in my throat.

  “I’m okay,” I mutter, not realizing how dry my throat is. The pain in my shoulder starts to throb, a searing pain radiating down my arm. I wince, biting my bottom lip to push through it.

  “You don’t look okay.” She tilts her head to the side in question.

  “She was just shot, Simone. What the fuck do you expect?” Kane huffs, shaking his head as he drives us.

  Simone rolls her eyes and turns around in her seat.

  “We’ll be there soon, Anahi. Just hang in there,” Kane informs, looking at me in the rearview mirror.

  Laying down in the back seat I close my eyes, images of Alvaro behind my eyelids.

  He’s out there, and will find me. He did last time, and he will again.

  Tears begin to fill my eyes. What he said to me with a gun pressed to my head I’ve realized how far he’s gone mentally. He’s unrecognizable. He’s not even considered a monster by definition any more.

  He’s what nightmares are made of.

  Hours later my shoulder begins to warm and I’m met with an unbearable headache that causes me to become dizzy. Grabbing onto the door, my fingers search for traction as I sway with the truck.

  “I think I need some water or something,” I mutter, feeling unstable. Simone turns in her seat.

  “What was that, babe?”

  “Water,” I croak, not feeling like myself. I feel feverish, but I’m freezing cold.

  The truck veers off the road into a gas station parking lot, the sound of motorcycles right behind us. As soon as the truck comes to a stop, I open the door needing air now.

  “Why’d we stop, we only have a few more hours,” Bull asks frustrated.

  “Something is wrong with Anahi,” Simone hollers from the window.

  Bull climbs off his bike, his brows furrowed in worry.

  “I’m fine,” I assure, stepping from the cab. My knees buckle and I fall to the black asphalt. Maybe I’m not fine.

  “Jesus!” Bull grabs me by the midsection, helping me to my feet. Simone jumps from the truck, her face in a state of worry.

  “I just need water,” I mumble, my eyes rolling in my head as my arm throbs painfully.

  “You need more than water, she needs a fucking doctor!” Simone adds hysterically, gathering attention from bystanders.

  “Simone, get back in the damn truck and shut up!” Kane orders.

  “We need to get her to the club, and now,” Bull places me back in the truck, laying my head on his leather cut.

  “Kane, run in and get her some water. Simone, get back here and keep an eye on her. Once you get the water, give it to her as she needs it, don’t let her drink too much too fast,” Bull orders, and Simone climbs over the backseat to be with me.

  I try to object, not wanting or needing their help. I don’t want to be a pain in the ass, but my stomach objects and I roll over on my side trying to keep from puking.

  Simone grabs my hand, comforting me.

  “Just try and sleep, we’ll be there soon,” she whispers, and I
groan in pain.

  The truck door opens, the hot sun pounding on my face unbearably. My shoulder aches and feels hot and irritated. Lifting my hand to shield my eyes from the light I wince in pain, realizing I used the wrong arm.

  “Easy, darlin’,” Bull rasps, tucking his arms underneath me.

  “You said Doc was on her way, Bobby?” Bull questions, his tone more than concerned. Doc?

  “Yeah, she just pulled up,” I hear Bobby answer.

  “Oh my God, who is that?” An unrecognizable female voice shrieks. ‘”What is wrong with her?” I lift my head to see where the female voice is coming from, but everything spins.

  “Just get the fucking door, Dani,” Bull orders, his tone firm.

  Quickly I am rushed inside, the walls seem to pass in a blur, voices of concern from all directions, but I can’t place them.

  I’m laid on a bed, the smell of old whiskey and cigarettes strong. Staying still things begin to come into focus, like the half-naked posters on the wall.

  “Jesus Christ, Bull,” a blonde female scorns as she looks me over.

  “This is Doc. You can trust her, she’s going to help you,” Bull informs me.

  “What happened, I need details,” Doc demands.

  “She was grazed in the shoulder, but something is wrong. She ain’t acting right.” Bull paces, his hand running in his hair.

  The beautiful female places her hand on my forehead.

  “She’s got a temperature,” she mutters. Her hands are cold as she pulls the ripped shirt that Simone used as a tourniquet off my shoulder.

  Her eyes widen, before she schools her features. “It’s severely infected, she’s going to need antibiotics, and I’m going to need to scrape some of the dead skin off too.” Her eyes meet mine.

  “What’s your name, sweetheart?”

  “Anahi, my name is Anahi,” I reply, teeth chattering.

  “Nice to meet you, Anahi. I’m Doc, I’m going to do my best to take care of you, okay.” She musters a smile for my benefit, and I close my eyes and nod. The pain becoming almost too much to handle.

  “Just fucking do something!” Bull roars. His voice is laced with so much care it’s hard for me not to be attracted to it, even in the state I’m in. Suppressed feelings I’ve tried to protect for so long are becoming cumbersome, causing my wall of bitterness to crumble for this man in leather.

  It thrills me, yet terrifies me.

  I hear the doctor huff and when I open my eyes she’s sticking a long needle into my arm. My eyes widen, nervous of what she just injected me with.

  “W-What,” I fall short on my thoughts. My body instantly feeling fuzzy, the pain subsiding in my shoulder to a tolerable level, But my eyes becoming incredibly heavy.

  “Don’t fight it, Anahi,” Doc orders. I blink a few times, not wanting to be knocked out. I need to be alert. What if Alvaro comes for me?

  A strong hand cups my face tenderly, right before my eyes level with Bull’s.

  “Do what she asks. I’ll be here when you wake up, okay?”

  Feeling safe that Bull is by my side I close my eyes, letting the darkness take me.

  Smoking a cigarette, I enter the chapel needing a quiet place to think. The room is dark as I take a seat. The chaos muffled from the thick walls and closed doors.

  Bringing Anahi here has everyone in an uproar. People want to know who she is, where she is from, and why I brought her here. Pinching the bridge of my nose the doors to the room opens with a creaking sound and Dani steps in, her dark hair spilling down her shoulders, and a black shirt that is way too tight for my approval. She’s my daughter, but that doesn’t stop my guys from looking at her. You’d think because she is married to Shadow the guys wouldn’t even look her way, but they do. Even with two kids she’s still beautiful.

  “Dad, what are you doing in here by yourself?” she asks, crossing her arms with a concerned look on her face. Sometimes I think she’s the fucking parent instead of me.

  She gets that from her momma. A woman I chased off long ago because she wasn’t down with my lifestyle. At least Dani came out of that train wreck.

  Snubbing my cigarette out in the ashtray, I exhale the smoke.

  “Trying to process everything is all,” I muster a fake smile.

  She sits in a chair beside me and rubs her forehead anxiously. I can see it, she’s about to say something that is going to piss me off.

  “Dad, who is that girl?” she finally asks.

  Running my hands through my hair, I growl in frustration. What is Anahi to me? She’s not my old lady, but I’d be damned if I let her go. I don’t love her, but I feel something for her.

  So what does she mean to me?

  I can see why Alvaro is obsessed with her.

  She gets in your head, and you can’t get her out. You want to be with her, keep her to yourself because the thought of any other man so much as looking at her makes you crazy. I feel undone, and unfocused when I’m with her and when I’m without her.

  “I don’t know,” I whisper honestly. I know it’s a vague answer, but I just don’t fucking know what this feeling is in my chest. I haven’t felt it before.

  “You don’t know and you brought her here?” her voice high in skepticism. My eyes snap to hers, my brows furrow inward.

  “I know who she is,” I raise my voice, but really I don’t know who she is. Not like I want to. “I just… I don’t know what her place is here.” I tap my knuckles on the table and shake my head.

  Dani’s eyes widen, her mouth parting like she just figured some mystery out. If that’s the case, I’d like her to clue me the fuck in because I can’t figure shit out.

  “You like this girl,” she says with disbelief.

  Flicking my eyes to her, I scowl.

  “So what if I do?”

  “How old is she?” Dani scoffs with disgust, acting as if I’m fucking a child instead of a woman. I hate how protective she is all the time. I am the parent, I’m supposed to be the one who is controlling.

  I growl in frustration, done with this shit. “Dani, we are not having this conversation.”

  She stands, rubbing the back of her neck anxiously.

  “Well, I don’t trust her,” Dani replies like a spoiled brat.

  “I didn’t ask you to, Dani. But it doesn’t change that she’s staying here and you’ll either get your head around it, or you won’t. I don’t really care either way,” I state with force. My blunt response making her pissed off.

  Her face contorts in anger, before rushing out of the room.

  I sit back in my chair, stressed to the fucking max and aching for a drink to ease it all.

  Waking up I feel sore all over and my head feels like it’s smothered in a thick fog I can’t seem to shake. I’m not sure where I am for a second, or what is going on until I see Bull lying on the end of the bed. I sit up, my movement causing the bed to squeak and wake him.

  He drags his hand up and down his face, his eyes trying their hardest to focus on me.

  “Are you okay? Do you need something? Want me to get Doc?” he asks a series of questions quickly.

  Blinking rapidly I rub my forehead, trying to pinpoint one question to answer but can’t.

  I smirk, the fact he cares so much not lost on me. I’ve never had someone do what Bull has done for me. I’ve grown very fond of this man. I wish I knew if it were love, but that emotion is a feeling I’m not familiar with.

  “I’m fine,” I mutter, answering all of his questions at once. I notice my shoulder isn’t throbbing as bad and I don’t feel feverish like before which causes me to glance over at my shoulder.

  “The Doc gave you some powerful antibiotics. She said you had a pretty bad infection and she had to dig out a few shells,” he informs me.

  My eyes widen. “I was shot?” I ask in disbelief. I thought I was just grazed.

  “Yes. A shotgun has a series of bb like bullets, and two impaled your shoulder while the rest scraped past. Grazing it pretty badly actu
ally,” he informs.

  I nod, not sure what to say as I look around the room. Really seeing it for the first time.

  Aside from the bed, there’s a dresser with drawers pulled out, clothes hanging out almost everywhere. A torn leather chair sits in one corner, another chair you’d normally see at a dinner table in the adjacent corner. It smells in here. Like a cross between teenage boy and Bull.

  “Sorry about the room, darlin’,” Bull adds, noticing me looking the room over. “When I left, my head wasn’t in the right place.”

  I tilt my head to the side, remembering how angry and unapproachable he was when I first saw him. Looking at him today, it’s as if another man sits before me.

  “Bull, what happened?” I implore softly, looking up under my lashes. Needing to know more about this man in leather and tattoos. What could break such a strong guy?

  He sighs, a grave mask of dour crossing his face.

  “I once loved a woman and she was killed by a gang in retaliation. I blamed myself for not being there more for her,” he shrugs and then pins me with dark eyes. “A gang that I believe you work for.”

  My chest constricts and I can’t help but rub at the unbearable ache stabbing me in the chest.

  “Me?” I ask weakly.

  “Yeah, the green bandana is where I connected the dots.” He scoots close, tucking his hand behind my head with force. “Is there anything else you can tell me about this Benito guy?”

  I shrug, not sure what he really wants me to say. I don’t know much about my uncle unfortunately.

  “What about a man named Augustus?” he continues, and all the blood in my face drains. I can’t breathe and it feels like someone upped the temperature in the room.

  “I think I may need to lay down…” I give a nervous laugh, and touch at my suddenly throbbing head looking anywhere but at Bull.

  Suddenly the door is opened and Doc walks in.

  “Oh, you’re awake,” she replies; surprised. Grateful that she entered when she did, I smile in appreciation that the conversation was cut short.

  I think I have answers for Bull, but I’m hoping they’re wrong. I won’t speak a word of them until I know for sure, for what I know will surely tear us apart and I want to be with Bull. The truth will not set Bull free, in fact, it will imprison us both in a realm of hell neither of us are prepared for.