Phoenix smiled and shook his head. “Not at you. He’s pretty fucking pissed at Luke, for hiding you away, and at me, for not telling him where you were hidden, but he’ll get over it.”
I took a seat on one of the barstools and propped my head in my hands. “Why did you come? I mean, I know it was to tell me about Copper and my brother, but why?”
“I love my family. I couldn’t have you thinking Copper was a bad man, and I certainly couldn’t have you thinking Annabelle was married to the same kind of man. Plus, you’re family, whether you like it or not, and I felt like you needed to be aware of how much danger is circling around you.”
“Thanks, I think. I’m sorry, this is just a lot to take in. I just, what am I supposed to do now?” I asked, hating the desperation in my voice.
“Stay here, do what Luke tells you, and wait,” he said simply.
“But what about Copper? And my brother? What’s going to happen to him?”
“Your brother can’t be released from custody without blowing his cover, but all charges will be dropped once the club has been dismantled. Copper will be fine. He’s a big boy and can take care of himself. Now, I’ve got to get going. I have a very pregnant wife at home, and I don’t like being this far away from her,” he said with a proud smile.
“How is she? I can’t wait to meet her,” I blurted.
“She’s good. Getting bigger every day, but I’ll deny ever saying that if she gets wind of it. I can wait for you to meet her because she’s going to kick my ass when she finds out I knew about you for weeks and didn’t tell her.”
“I’ll tell her it was my fault. That I didn’t want her to know about me until my life wasn’t such a mess,” I offered.
“I appreciate the offer, but it won’t save my ass. I knew and didn’t tell her; it doesn’t matter the reason. Don’t worry about it. After spending almost two decades apart, we don’t stay upset with one another for long.”
We said our goodbyes, and I made sure to check the locks on the doors and windows after he left. I wasn’t sure how he got in, but I’d be damned if anyone else snuck in on me. Which was why Luke was beating on the door hours later. I may or may not have barricaded all entry points.
“What the hell, Layla?” Luke asked.
“Sorry about that. I didn’t want anyone else surprising me.”
His eyes widened. “Anyone else? Explain.”
Well, shit. Phoenix didn’t tell me to keep his visit a secret, but he didn’t say it was okay to tell either. “Uh, I assumed you knew. Phoenix Black showed up a few hours ago.”
Luke snorted. “Why doesn’t that surprise me? Well, what did he have to say?”
Double shit. Was I supposed to tell him? I assumed he was already aware of the information Phoenix shared. Maybe he wasn’t. “Um…”
Luke sighed, “Let me guess. He told you about Aim’s real identity and his involvement in the undercover operation?”
I exhaled in relief. “Yes, and he wanted to make sure I was aware of the potential danger.”
Luke nodded. “You shouldn’t be in any danger as long as you stay here and don’t use any kind of electronics.”
“Speaking of, how long will I have to stay here?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Could be a few days, could be a few weeks.”
A few weeks? I wanted to talk to Copper now, not a few weeks from now. What would things be like between us then? Phoenix said he wasn’t mad at me, but I know I upset him by not trusting him. All because of my stupid father. If he wasn’t already dead, I’d kill him myself.
Chapter Thirty-One
Copper
My head was pounding and my whole body ached, particularly my shoulders. I tried to roll to my side and couldn’t. That had my head shooting up, despite the pain, and opening my eyes to total darkness. I tried to wriggle around, and that’s when I realized I wasn’t lying in bed but rather hanging from the ceiling, by chains.
Mother.
Fucker.
At least my feet were somewhat touching the floor.
No need to panic. I’d been in worse situations before and come out fine. I just needed to bide my time until I figured out how to get out of this mess or the cavalry showed up. And I knew they would. It was just a question of how long it would take for them to realize I was missing and find my location.
The sound of movement nearby caught my attention, and I automatically dropped my head and closed my eyes. I didn’t want anyone to know I was awake yet. Unfortunately, that plan backfired, because I didn’t see the fist to my gut coming. My head shot up again, and I heaved in a pained breath.
“Oh good, you’re awake,” a disgustingly familiar voice crowed.
I said nothing as I glared at Asp. I expected him to look haggard and stressed, but he looked calm and calculating, leaving me with an uneasy feeling.
He grinned, “I can see the wheels turning. Figured it out yet, Copper?”
No, motherfucker, I hadn’t, but I wasn’t about to tell him that.
He cackled like a maniac. “I’ve always loved story time. Do you? Most people do. So, let me tell you a little story. I think you’ll enjoy it.”
I don’t know if he paused for dramatic effect or what, but it felt like it took him hours to start talking. I was looking forward to the distraction because the ache in my arms and shoulders was growing by the minute.
He laced his hands together and tapped his chin with his index fingers. “Hmm, where should I begin?”
I rolled my eyes. “At the fucking beginning, where most people do.”
He threw his head back and laughed. I watched him closely. He was clearly insane, and that did not bode well for me.
“I never liked doing things the same as everyone else. So, I think I’ll start at the end.”
He paused and stared at me as if he was waiting for my agreement. Seriously? I was fucking hanging from the ceiling. It didn’t matter if I agreed with him or not.
He huffed in annoyance at my lack of response, but finally started talking. “I’ve known about Aim’s undercover work for quite some time, probably from the very beginning. It’s the only reason I haven’t killed that rat bastard. I’m not going down for murder. I’m not going down for shit. By the time they figure it out, I’ll be long gone.”
Well, I can’t say I saw that coming. Looks like we all underestimated Asp. It didn’t matter. I just needed to stay alive and keep him talking until the club arrived.
“What will they figure out?” I asked.
“That Aim is an idiot, and they can’t pin shit on me or anyone else in the club.”
What? Of course, they could. Hell, my club even had proof of their gun running. Not to mention kidnapping Layla and bombing my clubhouse. I didn’t ask, but I was sure Tiny and Coal could attest to their clubhouse being full of drugs. But it wasn’t in my best interest to argue with him.
He cackled loudly before plowing his fist into my gut, again. “Whenever there’s a problem with the club, who does everyone direct their attention to? The President. Not the VP. Not the officers. Just the President. So, I created some situations to keep the focus on Aim and not what I was really up to. I knew you fuckers didn’t kill my brother and sister, but it was easy to point the finger at the Blackwings. Everyone was running around talking about how they didn’t want a war with the big, bad Blackwings and worrying about how to keep the peace while I was busy selling off stolen guns and wiping out the club’s funds.”
Fuck. It was never a good sign when your captor started spilling all their secrets. It meant only one thing; he wasn’t worried about me telling anyone else because he was planning on killing me before I had a chance.
“Now, let’s have some fun. I have another surprise for you,” he said with an evil glint in his eyes.
He nodded to a man standing guard by a door. Seconds later, the door opened, and my heart exploded in my chest. Layla and Annabelle were shoved into the room before the door slammed shut again.
“Su
rprise!” Asp shouted and threw his hands into the air.
Layla gasped and started toward me, but Asp put his hand out and roughly stopped her. “I don’t think so, bitch. You stay right there and don’t move.”
Layla’s eyes shot to mine, and I gave a slight nod, hoping she understood I wanted her to listen to him. Fuck. This was bad. He had to know Phoenix would be coming for Annabelle, and the feds would be after Layla the second they realized she was missing.
“Now, me and my insurance policies have places to be. Story time’s been fun, but we’re at the end.”
With that, he raised his gun and fired one shot directly into my chest. The last thing I heard were the screams of Layla and Annabelle.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Layla
“Noooo!” I screamed at the man who just shot the love of my life.
I tried to run to Copper, but the asshole with the gun yanked me back by my hair and threw me to the ground by Annabelle’s feet.
Annabelle grabbed her stomach and bent forward moaning in pain. “Damn it,” she cursed.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“Gun in my boot. Two shots. Don’t miss,” she whispered. She continued clutching her stomach and groaned loudly. “Oh, I think the babies are coming!”
I moved closer to her and reached into her boot. When my hand wrapped around the cool metal, I didn’t think about what I was doing, I just did it. I pulled the gun free, turned around, and shot Asp in the fucking face. Then, I turned and shot the bastard standing by the door.
“Get his gun,” Annabelle yelled over her shoulder. She was beside Copper holding pressure to his chest.
I picked up Asp’s gun and ran to her side. “I need you to figure out how to get him down while I hold pressure on his chest. Maybe Asp has the key in his pocket.”
The last thing I wanted to do was dig through Asp’s pockets, but I would do anything for Copper. Dropping to my knees beside what was left of Asp, I began searching for the key. Moments later, I had a set of keys in my hand as well as a cell phone.
I quickly placed a call to 9-1-1 and put it on speaker before I stood on a chair and started trying to unlock the cuffs around Copper’s wrists.
“9-1-1, what is your emergency?”
“My boyfriend has been shot in the chest. I don’t know where we are. We were kidnapped by a psycho. He needs help. Now!”
“Okay, ma’am. Is your boyfriend conscious?”
“No, he isn’t. We’re holding pressure and trying to get him down. Please hurry,” I screamed frantically.
“What’s your name?” she asked.
“Focus on the cuffs. I’ll talk,” Annabelle said. “My name is Annabelle Black. My husband is Phoenix Black. His cousin, Copper Black, is the one who was shot. We were kidnapped by the Vice President of the Disciples of Death, Asp, who is now dead. Please call my husband. Also, call Luke Johnson with the FBI. He is working on this case. And please send another ambulance. I’m pregnant with twins, and my water just broke.”
Just as Annabelle finished speaking, I unlocked the cuffs and fell to the floor with Copper. There was no way either of us could hold up his bulk, so I did my best to cushion his fall using my own body.
“I need you to hold pressure. I can’t get down there to do it,” Annabelle managed to say through panted breaths.
“Shit. Shitshitshitshitshit!” I screamed. “I don’t know what to do!”
She held her stomach and wiped the sweat from her brow. “Hold pressure on his wound and make sure he’s still breathing. Don’t worry about me. I won’t drop the babies before help gets here.”
I turned back to Copper and tried to keep him from bleeding to death right before my very eyes. He was so still and so pale. “Please, Copper. Help is on the way. Just hang on a little bit longer. I’m sorry I left. I’m sorry I doubted you. I promise I won’t ever do it again. Just, please be okay. Please,” I pleaded through my tears. “I love you, Copper. I need you.”
A commotion outside had me tensing. “Hand me that gun,” Annabelle said between pants. I did as she asked and continued to hold pressure.
“Ma’am, the police are outside the building. Is it safe for them to enter?” the woman on the phone asked.
“We don’t know. The two in the room with us are dead, but we don’t know if any others were around,” Annabelle answered.
“Okay, as soon as they have secured—” the woman was cut off when the door damn near flew off its hinges as Phoenix entered the room followed by a leather-clad army.
“Doll face! You okay, baby?” he asked Annabelle as he ran to her.
“Help Copper,” she gritted out with her arms wrapped around her belly.
“Baby?” he asked.
“Her water broke,” I supplied as I stood from my crouched position to give the paramedics room to work on Copper. “She’s in labor.”
“All right, let’s go,” he said and scooped Annabelle into his arms bridal style.
I startled when an extremely large hand landed on my shoulder. “Come on, Layla. Let’s get you to the hospital,” Batta said.
I nodded. “Okay, just one second.”
I leaned over the stretcher the paramedics were strapping Copper to and placed a soft kiss on his pale lips. “I love you. Please be okay,” I whispered and quickly stepped back.
Batta led me to an SUV and helped me into the passenger seat. As he started to pull onto the street, I finally took in my surroundings. “Where are we?”
Batta snorted. “The Disciples of Death’s warehouse.”
“How did you guys find us so fast?”
“Aim had the warehouse wired to help with the undercover investigation. Once he shared that information, we had our tech guys tap into the feed and saw Copper hanging from the ceiling. We didn’t know he had you and Annabelle until Phoenix called and told us. By that time, we were already on our way.”
“You knew he had Copper, but not me and Annabelle?” I asked, feeling a bit confused.
“You were supposedly at the safe house, so we had no idea you were missing. When Annabelle didn’t return from her doctor’s appointment, it didn’t take Phoenix long to figure out something was wrong. He started making calls, and one of those calls was to Luke. When Luke couldn’t get in touch with the guards at the safe house, they put two and two together.”
I was suddenly pissed. “So, you guys waited for Phoenix to get here before you attempted to rescue your President?” If they hadn’t waited, my man might not be knocking on death’s door.
Batta pointed to the left, and I followed his finger. “See that helicopter over there? That belongs to Phoenix’s Road Captain. They flew here. We saw them landing as we were coming down the road with the cops hot on our tails. We wouldn’t have waited for Phoenix, and he wouldn’t have wanted us to.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed. I’m just so damn worried about him,” I said and then burst into tears.
Batta reached over and grabbed my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “We all are, sweetheart.”
We rode the rest of the way in silence. I couldn’t stop replaying Copper getting shot over and over in my mind. The way his body jerked when the bullet entered his chest. The spray of blood that hit the wall. The way his body slumped. The blood pooling on the concrete floor below his feet. The paleness of his skin. The coolness of his lips.
“We’re here,” Batta said, bringing me out of my continuous nightmare.
I stepped out of the SUV and immediately clutched my side as a sharp pain seared through my left torso. I bent forward and cried out in pain.
Batta was in front of me in a flash. “Layla, what’s wrong?”
“My side,” I gasped out. I tried to straighten, but it hurt too much. Hell, it hurt to even breathe.
I did let out a piercing scream when Batta unceremoniously scooped me into his arms and sprinted into the hospital. “Help me! She needs help!” he bellowed.
Splint materialized out of thin air. “What�
��s going on?”
“Something with her left side, man,” Batta said.
I felt hands tugging at my shirt, but I was more concerned with trying to breathe than anything else.
“Yo, I need a stretcher! We’ve got a woman with rib fractures and severe dyspnea, possible pneumothorax,” Splint shouted.
Seconds later, Batta gently placed me on what I assumed was a stretcher, and they started to wheel me away. I met Batta’s eyes and mouthed, “Copper,” before he was out of sight. At his nod, I closed my eyes and succumbed to the pain.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Layla
A bubbling water sound woke me. When I opened my eyes and glanced around the room, it all came back to me in a rush. I knew I was in a hospital, but I wasn’t sure why. Copper was the one who was hurt, not me.
I tried to sit up and moaned in pain. Batta appeared beside the bed and eased me back down. “You’re okay, Layla, but you can’t get up right now.”
“Copper?” I croaked.
Batta picked up a hideously ugly pink cup and placed a straw at my lips. While I took a few sips of ice water, he told me, “He’s still in surgery. They said it’ll probably be two more hours before he’s out.”
“Is he going to be okay?”
Batta grimaced. “We don’t know. They took him straight to the OR when he got here, and they wouldn’t give any kind of prognosis when they called out and gave Phoenix an update.”
“Annabelle?”
Batta smiled softly. “She’s just fine and so are the babies. They were a little early and are in the NICU, but, from what Phoenix said, they were expecting that.”
“Can I go see her?” I asked, hopefully.
Batta shook his head regretfully. “No, sweetie, you can’t go anywhere until they remove your chest tube.”
“My what?” I shrieked and immediately regretted it.
Splint, who I didn’t even realize was in the room, answered, “Something punctured your left lung and caused it to collapse. They put in a chest tube to drain the air from around your lung so that it can re-inflate. You also have two fractured ribs on your left side, though neither of them caused your lung to collapse because they aren’t displaced. From what the doctor said, you had a small puncture wound about two inches above your broken ribs. We’re guessing you landed on a large nail when you and Copper fell.”
Copper (Blackwings MC - Devils Springs Book 1) Page 18