by Cara Carnes
“I’ve got you, Jesse,” Nolan said. “She’ll be okay. Head wounds bleed like crazy. You know that.”
He glanced at Ellie’s mom, realizing he’d freaked out right in the middle of a conversation with the woman. She’d likely been terrified. Still was. “I’m sorry, Ms. Travers.”
“Don’t be.” She looked at Riley when she approached. “I wanna see my girl.”
Jesse turned his attention back to Ellie, who’d only been moved a few feet as the doctor continued his assessment. Tests.
Why wasn’t she waking?
“The doctors and nurses are with her right now,” Riley said. “Let’s go back in and see to you. Ellie wouldn’t want you worried. She’s gonna be okay.”
Nomad police appeared and swarmed around Medina, who’d already raised his hands and begun speaking. The man had saved Ellie.
Riley had saved her.
Jesse should have been there.
“This isn’t on you,” Nolan said. “None of this is. The man snuck in through a side entrance. HERA didn’t flag him as a problem because he was a part-time employee at the hospital. Riley cleared this room and all the others before she took position to watch over Riley and her mom. She did everything by the numbers.”
Phil Perskins would pay for this.
Jesse woodenly followed the gurney. A couple nurses tried holding him back, but Levi and Brooklyn were there. Talking. His mind didn’t process the words. None of them mattered.
Ellie wasn’t awake yet.
Her blood was on the hospital floor.
“You should eat.” Riley shoved the untouched tray of food closer.
Jesse glanced at the offering, then returned his attention to Ellie. Six hours in surgery. The procedure had lasted longer than he’d expected, but she’d pulled through.
The doctor expected mild traumatic brain injury, but they wouldn’t know until she woke.
Which would hopefully be soon. Soon was a screwed-up word. It’d been a day and a half.
“Mom’s gathering troops to haul you out of here. You should shower and clean up before she wakes,” Riley said. She dragged a chair closer to the bed on the other side and sat. “You look like hell. Ellie will worry if she wakes and sees you like this.”
He didn’t want to leave her alone, but Riles was right. Ellie would have enough to worry about when she woke. A shower would do him wonders, and a debriefing would as well.
“Call if you need to leave,” Jesse ordered.
Riley pulled an electronic tablet from her purse. “I’m not going anywhere. I just started a book I think Ellie will enjoy.”
Jesse headed out of the room before he changed his mind. The hospital had been more accommodating than expected, given the sheer number of Arsenal personnel who’d drifted in and out of the facility. They’d commandeered a small waiting area near Ellie’s room.
Nolan and Dylan glanced up from their seats. Sol and Levi were stretched out in two corners of the room. The latter had become Jesse’s constant shadow, more so than he’d already been.
“Oh, there you are.” His mom shuffled forward and touched his bearded face. “The nice nurse said there’s a shower down the hall you can use to clean up.”
“Why don’t you go sit with Riley, Ma?” Nolan rose. “We’ll sort Jesse out.”
He didn’t need sorting, but remained quiet because he needed a debrief and some time away from his well-meaning mother. He noted her slight limp as she made her way out of the waiting room.
“She needs to rest,” Jesse growled.
“She will once Ellie is awake,” Dylan commented. “You aren’t the only one worried.”
“Debrief.”
Dylan reached down, grabbed a duffel from the seat, and headed toward the bathroom, Nolan with him. “Shower while you debrief.”
Jesse avoided showering around others most of the time, but he didn’t have the energy or patience to give a damn today. His big brothers had already seen the damage.
The bathroom was larger than expected, with a full walk-in shower and handlebars at the back. He shucked his clothes and tossed them in a pile and got to work.
Silence ensued a few beats, but Nolan recovered first and tossed a bottle of liquid soap his direction.
“A low-level thug named Benny with a local gang called the Nomads shot Ellie’s tire. The girls found him on camera. Benny’s address is nearby,” Nolan said.
“Anything else on the bastard Medina shot?”
“Low-level thug with a group based out of San Antonio,” Dylan said.
Jesse stilled. “Not the same crew as the first attack?”
“No.” Nolan’s jaw twitched. “A different one. Southside Raptors. Mary and Vi are digging. Texas Rangers are taking the lead on investigating Phil for the traffic stop on Ellie. Tying him to this will be a problem. So far he has a rock-solid alibi. He was buying drinks for everyone at the Sip and Spin when the hospital attack happened. And the footage of the first incident is excessive force at most at this point.”
Jesse grunted. The attack was planned. A second crew meant it was a far more coordinated effort than he’d first suspected. “Why more than one crew?”
“That’s the question of the hour. Add in the third crew at the Sip and Spin, and this shit sandwich is getting hard to chew,” Dylan said. “The girls are digging. They’ll figure it out.”
They always figured it out. He kept his back to his brothers. The less they saw of his groin, the better for everyone. His gut clenched. It hadn’t gotten any easier—letting others see the damage done during his captivity.
“Marshall wants us to extend the investigation. Maybe this isn’t Phil,” Nolan said.
Phyllis and Herman Perskins had money—enough to keep their precious son out of the slammer until enough evidence was gathered against him. Jesse would rather put a bullet between his eyes, but that’d be too quick.
Too painless.
“Herman is a grade-A loon,” Jesse commented. “They’re after the CD she got from Phil. He has to be involved.”
“Did the nurse say anything more?” Jesse asked.
“Nothing useful. We found her boy wandering a back pasture outside Marville, near the gin,” Nolan said.
“Sinclair is worried,” Dylan said.
Doctor Sinclair had two settings—worried and more worried. Jesse had avoided conversations with the woman so far, but he had to admit he wouldn’t mind having a few minutes with her. “I’m fine.”
“You’ll be better when Ellie wakes and we get her home,” Dylan said.
Home. He had no business wanting to make The Arsenal her permanent home, but he couldn’t let her go. “Thanks for the update.”
Jesse took his time showering off the hospital stench after they left. He hated the antiseptic smell burning his nostrils and the way sickness and death clung to his skin. Desperation. Pain.
Fear.
He’d woken alone in the hospital the first few times after his own rescue. Unsure where he was. If he was even alive.
The pain.
Jesus. He still remembered the violent burn and constant stabbing sensations as Levi and the rest of the team carted what was left of him out of that hellhole. Levi had kept what was left of his dick and balls clean.
“Let me die.”
“Not happening, Mason. You didn’t stay alive for me to give up on you now. My name’s Levi, by the way. Figured you’d wanna know since me I’m gonna be up close and personal with your dick until your medevac arrives.”
“Don’t bother. It’s gone.”
“We don’t ever give up. You know that, Mason.” Levi grinned down at him. “I’m getting you home to Ellie.”
“Ellie?”
“She’s your girl, right? You keep talking to her.”
Jesse forced the memory back as he shut the water off and towel-dried himself. No good came from going down that road, but a part of him refused to turn away. Ellie had almost died.
What if Sinclair was right? What if he cou
ld salvage a relationship with Ellie? Maybe he’d ask Sinclair or Logan about…
No.
That’d wait.
Right now he needed to get dressed. The sooner he got back to Ellie the better. He didn’t want her waking alone. Nothing was worse than waking up in pain with no clue where you were.
He eyed the electric razor.
I like the new look.
Ellie’s confession from a couple weeks ago halted Jesse’s movements. He ran his hands along his jaw. He’d leave scruff for her.
Disinfectant. The stench filled Jesse’s nostrils. Pain radiated from his groin and along his left leg, but it was different than before. He floated, as if shrouded from the worst of the pain.
Yes.
He sank deeper into the hazy fog consuming him.
Beeps. Voices. The foreign sounds didn’t belong in the hole. He breathed deeper and smelled…
Clean.
No urine stench. No shit.
No blood.
He flexed his fists and fought the confusion clouding his mind. Something had changed.
The rescue. Levi.
Jesse jerked awake with a gasp.
Freedom.
His throat felt as though it’d been rubbed raw. Tubes stuck out of both hands. A heavily bleached white sheet covered him. Pain. He closed his eyes and inventoried the sensation.
Light blinded him a moment.
Jesse’s eyes burned as tears seeped from them. A hospital. That stubborn son of a bitch and his team had gotten him out.
He blinked until his vision cleared enough to assess his surroundings. His pulse pounded wildly. He was free, yet terror gripped him hard.
Get out. Get out. Get out.
He pulled at the tubing. Beeps sounded around him.
Get out. Get out. Get out.
A metal rail prevented a simple roll from the bed. Jesse didn’t understand why, but he was still in danger. His mind screamed the fact, even though his body refused to cooperate.
Pain exploded as he impacted with the floor. Okay, that wasn’t smart.
“Get the doctor!” a female voice shouted. “He’s awake!”
Jesse crawled and scurried beneath the edge of the bed. The darkness swallowed him up. Maybe they wouldn’t see. He curled into a ball, but the movement knifed pain along his left leg. The fuckers had hurt him while he was asleep.
“Fuck.”
Jesse froze. A growl rolled from him. Levi. They’d gotten him and his team. “Leave them alone!”
“Mason, look at me,” Levi ordered.
The man was on all fours and peering into his hidey hole. Jesse uncovered his head and blinked until the man unblurred.
“You remember me.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement. “You’re safe. You’re in Germany. We tracked down most of your brothers. They’re spread all over hell’s half acre, man. Leave it to you to have five brothers in spec and black ops.”
Brothers.
Jesse tightened. “Not secure.”
“You are. I swear you are secure, Mason. I have your six until your brothers arrive. My team and I took leave.”
Leave. They had his six. Jesse grunted. Strangers.
No.
Brothers in uniform.
They’d carried him out.
He’d survived.
Jesse jolted awake when something grazed against his arm. Nolan stood nearby, concern on his face. “What’s wrong? Is it Ellie?”
He glanced at the bed. She rested peacefully. Vitals were good.
“Benny Vale was taken into custody but has already made bail. I figured you’d want to come along as I pay him a visit.”
Benny Vale. It took Jesse a few heartbeats to recognize the name of the man who’d shot Ellie’s tire. He rose, then froze. What if she woke while he was gone?
As if sensing the dilemma, Nolan took two steps outside and motioned. Riley and their mom entered. Both carted large bags of paraphernalia as though they were settling in for a long stay.
“You go see to business so our girl’s safe when she wakes,” his mom ordered. “We aren’t going anywhere.”
“You shouldn’t be here so much. It’s not good for your recovery,” Jesse argued.
“I’m where I want to be, son. Ellie is the reason I’m up and about as well as I am. I’m almost fully recovered because she saw to me while she was tending her own mom and everything else.” His mom’s eyes watered. “I need to do this, Jesse. I wasn’t there for you when you woke. I need to be here for her.”
Jesse’s heart swelled as he looked at his sister and saw the determination there. They had his back like they always did, but this was more.
They had Ellie’s back.
He nodded and kissed both women goodbye before following Nolan to the truck. The intercom rang the second they were in motion.
“Vale’s got a small place a couple blocks south of the grocery store,” Zoey said. “He’s been running with the Nomads. Talk about a lazy name for a gang operating out of Nomad.”
Jesse couldn’t help but grin. The woman was so unlike Mary and Vi. The fresh, often gut-wrenchingly open dynamic she had with the team was the touch needed to balance out the intensity of the Quillery Edge.
“Southside Raptors hit her in the hospital. Nomads hit her on the side of the road, and Devil Horns are circling in Marville. Let’s get some answers before they make their move on our girl,” Zoey ordered.
Nolan clicked the connection off as they pulled up outside a small house at the tail end of a long row. Large dogs barked and ran freely within yards cordoned off by fences too small to contain them if they chose to leap over and attack.
Jesse didn’t bother knocking. Let the fucker call the cops. He kicked the door in and entered with his gun drawn. Nolan swept to the other side.
The asshole cowered behind the sofa. Nolan hauled him to standing. The house was three rooms grouped together with thin walls separating them. Jesse swept the rest, then returned to loom in Benny’s personal space. The man puffed up like a swollen puffer fish facing off against a shark.
“You fucked with the wrong woman, Benny,” Jesse said. “You’re gonna tell us what the hell is going on and what Phil’s endgame is.”
The man’s bravado crumbled beneath the rage within Jesse’s voice. “I don’t know nothing. And I don’t know no Phil.”
“Let’s hope that’s not true, Benny,” Nolan said as he grabbed the man’s neck from the back and squeezed. “We get very, very cranky when people don’t have answers.”
“Did you tell the police who hired you?” Jesse asked.
“They didn’t ask,” Benny said. “My attorney took care of it.”
“Right. Like your stupid ass could afford anything more than a one-dollar candy bar,” Nolan commented. “You running with the Nomads?”
“What if I am?” Benny sneered. “They’re gonna fuck you up for messing with me.”
“That so?” Jesse took the final step and loomed in Benny’s personal space like he belonged there.
Wedged between Jesse and Nolan, the man whimpered.
“Who hired you?” Jesse asked.
“I dunno. Some rich mark from Marville. Said there’d be a connection to a bigger gig if we proved ourselves,” Benny said.
“Yeah? You got a name?” Nolan shoved the man onto the sofa. “Talk.”
“I was a lookout for the meet, but I heard most of it.”
“Where?” Jesse asked.
“Some water tank between Resino and Marville.” Benny shrank backward when Jesse sat on the coffee table. “I don’t want no part of this shit, man.”
“You know anything about the Devil Horns and the Southside Raptors?” Nolan asked.
“Yeah, they’re horning in. Paco is pissed, said the bastard didn’t say nothing about competition for the gig. Now he’s pissed at me for fucking it up and not getting the CD.”
“You saw the guy who hired y’all?” Jesse leaned forward and rested his elbows on his thighs. When the man nodd
ed, he continued. “This is how it’s gonna go, Benny. You’re gonna have a conversation with the Texas Rangers when they arrive in a few minutes. You’ll tell them everything you know about the bastard who hired you and your crew and the crews in San Antonio. Anything about everything. You hear me?”
The man nodded.
Nolan held out his phone. “That the man?”
The guy nodded. “Yeah, I seen him.”
“Is there another meet planned?”
“Yeah. Tonight. Same place. All the competition is supposed to be there,” Benny said. “I-I heard you’ve got someone out there who skins people for fun.”
Jesse chuckled. The rumor mill was apparently good for something after all. “We’ve got more than one. Skinning isn’t anything compared to what I’ll do to you if anything else happens to my girl.”
The man gulped. Jesse rose and left the house. Zoey would coordinate with The Rangers.
Nolan clapped him on the back and held out the keys. “Go. I’ll hitch a ride with The Rangers out to the hospital once they’re done here.”
“Thanks, man.” Jesse ran his hand through his hair. “She’s gotta be okay.”
“She will be.”
“I want lead on the meet tonight,” Jesse said.
“You know that won’t happen. You can pick which team takes lead and you can be secondary, but that’s the most I see Mary and Vi agreeing to.” Nolan crossed his arms. “You talk to Sinclair about this?”
Jesse shook his head. The shock of seeing Ellie so pale and bandaged up had brought too much to the surface. “She didn’t deserve this, man.”
“No, she didn’t. He’ll pay, but we do this by the numbers. The bastard is going down.”
One way or the other, he’d pay. Jesse wouldn’t stop until he did. He got into the truck and headed back to the hospital.
12
Pain. Ten million hammers pounded inside Ellie’s head. Nausea. Her stomach heaved.
“It’s okay, Peanut. I’ve got you. Let it all out.”
Jesse. She opened her eyes and peered up at him as he swept her hair back.