by Kay Marie
“Be safe,” Cali replies.
“I’ll do my best.” I walk out front to where the SUVs are parked.
“Still waitin’ on Hollywood and Sketch to get out here then we can go,” Bull says as I walk up to the group of brothers. Ten minutes later, we’re loading up in the SUVs and we’re headed out. There’s fifteen of us, so we’re taking three SUVs. It’s a bit of a tight fit, but it’s the easiest way. The place these fuckers are staying is about thirty minutes out. The good thing is, the building is pretty secluded. Which makes it better for our plan. We park our vehicles a couple of blocks away, hidden by some abandoned buildings. Before we walk toward their building, we go over our plan one more time.
“Alright, Ratchet and Rascal, you two will go to the front of the building. Thor and Saint, you’ll go to the back. When y’all get our signal, you’ll toss the grenades in. Team two, you’ll go around back and take your positions. Team one will take there’s around the front,” Trigger repeats our plan. We’ve gone over the plan every day this week. It’s been drilled into our heads over and over again. “Tech will cut the power and give the okay to go. We got intel there’s only six of them in there, but be prepared for more. You can never be too sure. Make sure your walkie talkies are on and your earwig is in. Let’s do this and get back to the clubhouse.”
We all take our positions and wait for our signal. A couple of minutes go by and the lights around the building go out.
“Go, go, go,” Tech shouts in our ears. I watch as Ratchet and Rascal each throw two grenades and take off running toward us.
BOOM! BOOM!
The grenades all go off. Gunner leads half of us into the building. We pan out checking for any survivors. A few shots go off behind me. I turn around and there’s a dead cartel member on the stairs.
“I count four dead in here,” Gunner calls out. Shots ring out at the back of the building and we take off toward where it came from. Raze is holding Saint up, while Diesel has his gun trained on one of the cartel members and there are three others dead on the floor. Two we didn’t plan for.
“Where’s he shot,” Thor asks about Saint.
“In the side, it was straight through though,” Raze tells him. Gunner and Ratchet come walking in.
“What’s the cartel’s issue with the Savage Menaces?” Ratchet asks with his foot hovering over a gunshot wound on the guy’s leg. The guy spits at him and Ratchet drops his foot onto the wound. His scream rings out. “Tell me!”
“You killed our informant. You killed the Ghost. Jefe wants your club to pay,” the man cries out.
“You killed one of our men over that rat bastard Ghost?” Ratchet shouts. The guy nods his head and Ratchet shoots him in his head.
“Building is clear. Let’s light it up and get the fuck out of here,” Gunner says. Trigger and Thor hang back to get the building set on fire while the rest of us go back to the SUVs. Rachet tells Bull everything that happened and what the cartel member said.
“And we just killed eight more of their men. This isn’t the end of this shit.” Bull sighs. “It’s only the beginning.”
Almost a week has passed since we took out those eight cartel members and there hasn’t been any retaliation. Bull is convinced they’re waiting for us to let our guard down and forget about them before they come after us again. Today is Thanksgiving, and since everyone has been on lockdown, we’re having a huge clubhouse feast. All the women have been working their asses off all morning trying to prep everything for all of us.
When we sit to eat, we take a moment of silence for Buster. A couple of tears fall down Cali’s face. Emma and Minx are on either side of her while I sit across from her. I’m glad she’s continued to stay. She has so much support here.
About halfway through eating, my phone buzzes. Glancing at the screen, it’s Sammi, a girl I’ve slept with a couple of times who happens to be a nurse. I hit ignore. A minute later, it buzzes again. I excuse myself from the table and walk down the hall to my room as I answer.
“Hello?”
“Shade, I’m sorry to bother you on Thanksgiving,” she says. “But there’s something you need to know.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Cali
Shade comes back into the room after taking a phone call and goes straight to Bull. I tense as he whispers something to Bull and they both leave the room. I keep eating but I tune out the conversations around me.
“Cali.” Emma nudges me. “Are you alright?”
“Huh? Yeah, I’m fine.” I smile at her.
“You did a great job with the turkey,” Minx tells me.
“Thank you. It’s honestly super easy to cook one,” I laugh out. Bull comes back out and walks straight to me.
“Can I steal you for a minute,” he asks. I nod, stand, and walk with him to his office. Shade is sitting on the couch with his head in his hands.
“What’s going on,” I ask.
“Come sit,” Shade says, patting the spot on the couch next to him.
“Before we tell you this, I need you to stay calm. No matter what,” Bull tells me. Getting anxious, I clench my fists, digging my nails into my palms.
“Okay,” I draw out. Bull nods his head at Shade.
“I got a phone call from a friend, who happens to be a nurse,” Shade says. “She got a new job at a hospital in Killeen.”
“What does this have to do with anything,” I question, glancing between Bull and Shade.
“There’s a John Doe there who looks identical to Buster. He’s in a coma and from what she said, he has been since he arrived at the hospital,” Shade tells me.
“H-How can you be sure?” Tears spill down my face.
“She sent me a picture. He looks a little rough, but I want to go there and find out if it’s actually him,” he explains.
“I’m going with you,” I state.
“Cali, there’s a chance it might not even be him,” Bull tells me.
“I don’t care. I’m going. I need to see for myself,” I say. Shade shrugs his shoulders.
“She might as well come with,” Shade says to Bull. Bull sighs.
“Okay, but,” Bull says, “take Rascal and Buzz with you. They can follow on their bikes.”
“Sounds good to me,” Shade responds.
“I’ll pack the four of us some food to take with us in case it is him. I’m not leaving him,” I tell them.
“Be prepared for it to not be him. I don’t want you getting your hopes up,” Bull says.
“I get that, but I have to have faith it is him. He is without a doubt my soulmate. I won’t believe it’s not him until I see him for myself,” I say with as much confidence as I can. Truth is, if it’s not actually him, it will shatter my world all over again. I guess we’ll find out soon.
“I’ll go tell Rascal and Buzz to be ready in twenty,” Bull says and walks out of his office.
“Why don’t you go get a backpack with some clothes,” Shade suggests. “If it’s him, we’ll stay the night there.”
I walk over to Buster’s room, grab a backpack and pack some things. I pack an outfit for Ryan, in case it’s him and he needs clothes. In the bathroom, I grab my brush, toothbrush, and toothpaste. When I’m done, I head back out to the main room. Shade, Rascal, and Buzz are all waiting for me by the bar. Minx runs up to me as soon as she sees me.
“If it’s him, give him a big hug for me, please.” She hands me a couple of bags of Thanksgiving dinner leftovers.
“I will,” I tell her. She wraps her arms around me and squeezes me.
“Please text me if you need anything at all,” she adds.
I walk over to the guys and we head outside. Shade puts all four of our bags in the trunk of his car while I climb in the front seat, placing the bags of food in the back. Rascal and Buzz climb on their bikes and turn them on, the engines roaring to life.
The closer we get to Killeen, the more nervous I get. It takes us over an hour to get there with the way Shade is driving. He parks the car and we get out. I stare
at the hospital while Shade texts his friend to tell her we’re here. Rascal and Buzz walk up behind us.
“Let’s go. Sammi is going to meet us in the lobby in five minutes,” Shade tells us. I’m frozen in my spot, heart racing a million miles an hour. Shade glances over his shoulder and stops. I’m not following him. He says something to Rascal and walks back to me.
“You’re not backing out on me now, are you?” he teases me. My eyes go from the hospital to him.
“What if it’s not him?” I stutter out.
“We’ll cross that bridge if and when we get to it,” he tells me. “For now, let’s get in there and see what we’re working with.”
I nod my head and together we walk toward the hospital. Walking through the doors, Rascal and Buzz are standing there talking to a woman in scrubs.
“Sammi, this is Cali, Buster’s Ol’ Lady,” he introduces us as soon as we walk over to her.
“I’m sorry we have to meet under these circumstances,” Sammi says.
“Yeah, me too.”
“Come with me. I’ll take you right to him,” she says.
Shade follows Sammi, while I follow him with Rascal and Buzz walking behind me. Sammi leads us to the ICU and stops at the waiting room.
“Only two visitors are allowed in there at a time, so two of you will have to wait out here,” she tells us. Rascal and Buzz instantly sit. Sammi nods her head in approval and continues through the doors. We stop at ICU room number seven.
“This is him,” Sammi says, and stands off to the side. “Take as much time as you need.”
I stare into the room, afraid to go in. Shade gently grabs my arm.
“We go in together,” he whispers. We walk into the room. I walk right up to the side of the bed. I gasp and my knees buckle. Shade is right behind me holding me up and tears are pouring down my face.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Cali
I’m up with the sun. I tried to sleep in longer, my body needing the rest, but I’m ready to get back up to the hospital. I don’t want him waking up with no one around him. I gather my clothes for the day and go into the bathroom to shower. I close the door without turning the light on so I don’t bother Shade.
Turning the light on, I take a good look at myself in the mirror. The bags under my eyes have become much more pronounced in the past few weeks. I turn the shower on and hop in. I let the water hit my back for a couple of minutes. I bask in the serenity of this moment. I hurry through the rest of my shower. Once I’m dried off, I decide to blow dry my hair.
“Couldn’t sleep in either,” Shade asks as I walk out of the bathroom.
“No, too anxious to get back to the hospital,” I tell him.
“I understand that. Let me get a shower in. Then we can grab some breakfast and go,” he responds. He messes with his phone, probably sending out a text to Rascal about our plans. While he’s in the bathroom getting ready for the day, I check my phone. Two new texts, both from Minx.
From Minx: Did y’all make it there okay? Is it him?
The second one was sent after we got settled in the hotel room.
From Minx: Shade messaged me. Don’t hesitate to tell me if you need anything or if there’s anything any of us can do for you.
Tears form in my eyes. I’ve only just met these people, but they treat me like they’ve known me our whole lives. They treat me like family and I’m so thankful for all of them.
To Minx: I’m sorry I haven’t responded. We’re going back to the hospital after breakfast. I’ll text you and give you an update later.
We go to breakfast at a little diner near the hospital. Rascal and Buzz tag along too. Shade and I rush through breakfast.
“What the fuck race are y’all runnin’?” Rascal laughs at us.
“I’m in a hurry to get back to Buster,” I say honestly.
“Well, y’all go on ahead. We’ll finish, pay, and meet you over there,” he replies.
“We’ll see y’all over there.” Shade climbs out of the booth.
“Thanks, Rascal,” I tell him as I stand. At the hospital, we go straight to the ICU rooms. As we’re about to walk into Ryan’s room, a nurse is walking out.
“Hi! You must be Cali and Shade,” the girl says to us. “I’m Jenna. Sammi told me everything when I came in this morning.”
“Nice to meet you. How’s he doing today,” I ask her.
“He seems to be doing well. It’s kind of a waiting game at this point,” she tells me. “The doctor believes he could wake any moment. I recommend you talk to Buster a lot. He may not respond, but we believe he can hear us when we speak to him. Having loved ones talk to him could help encourage him to wake up.”
She smiles at us and moves aside so we can walk in.
“Please let me know if you need anything or have any questions. I’ll be here all day,” she adds.
“Thank you, Jenna.” I walk into his room and sit in the same spot I sat last night. I hold his hand. Shade stands next to me.
“Hey brother, we’re back.” A small smile forms on his face. “You’ll have quite a few visitors throughout the day today, so get to waking yourself up.”
I turn on the TV for some background noise, making sure the volume is pretty low.
“Look, babe. Avengers is on.” I laugh. We both loved Marvel comics as kids. When the movies came out, we would always go watch them together.
“I’ll be right back,” Shade says. He leaves the room for a few minutes.
“Rascal and Buzz are on their way. I talked to Jenna and she’s going to let us have four people in the room at once,” he tells me when he comes back in. “That way, you and I don’t have to leave, but everyone else can still come in and visit.”
“That’s great!” Shade wasn’t joking when he said there were going to be some visitors today. It seems like everyone from the clubhouse came to visit, making for a bit of an exhausting day.
Three, close to four, weeks later, Ryan still hasn’t woken up. Today is Christmas Eve and Minx and Raze are the only ones at the hospital with us. Minx and I are sitting on either side of Ryan’s bed while Raze and Shade are sitting off to the side talking about club stuff. I’m holding Ryan’s hand like I do every day when he squeezes my hand, making me gasp.
“What is it,” Minx asks. I’m staring at our hands. “What happened?”
“He squeezed my hand,” I tell her. His eyes are fluttering open. He stares right at me. “Shade, go get Jenna.”
“Sólnyshka.” His voice is hoarse. Tears are running down my cheeks.
“Hi,” I squeak out. The corner of his mouth turns up, giving me his sexy half-smirk. Jenna quickly enters the room.
“Well, look who’s awake,” she says with a smile. Minx moves out of her way so she can check his vitals. The only time he takes his eyes off of me is when she needs to check his eyes. “Everything checks out well. I’ll go get the doctor.”
“Come here.” He pats the spot on the bed next to him.
“I don’t think that’s allowed.” I laugh.
“I don’t care,” he says. I climb onto the bed next to him and he wraps his arm around me, pulling me close to his side.
“Do you remember what happened,” Shade asks him. He nods his head.
“I remember everything,” Ryan responds.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Shade
Cali would have collapsed as soon as she saw him if I hadn’t been standing right behind her. As soon as she’s steady on her feet, she leans into the side of the bed, staring at his face.
“It’s him,” she says through tears. “He’s alive.”
“He is.” I can’t stop the smile stretching across my face. We may not be blood, but we’re brothers regardless. Shit wasn’t the same when we thought he was dead. None of the Riders were themselves, myself included. Cali runs her fingers down Buster’s arm, stopping at his Savage Riders tattoo. I can only imagine how she’s feeling right now. He might not be able to talk to us or interact with us right
now, but he’s alive.
“They say people in comas can hear you when you talk to them,” Sammi says from the doorway. “The doctor thinks having loved ones around and talking to him could help, so don’t be afraid to talk to him.”
I move a chair behind Cali so she can sit. She scoots it as close to his bed as she can and sits on her knees.
“It’s okay to touch him, right,” Cali asks, her cheeks turning pink.
“Yes, you can,” Sammi responds. Cali grabs Buster’s hand and I walk over to Sammi to give her some space.
“I’ve only been working here for a week, but as soon as I saw him and saw his tattoo, I knew it was him,” she tells me. “When no one had been to visit, I knew something was wrong.”
“Thank you for calling me,” I whisper to Sammi. “We’ve thought he was dead for the last three weeks.”
Cali is whispering to Buster and it makes me smile. I turn to Sammi.
“I don’t imagine we could crash here tonight, could we,” I ask.
“As much as I would love to let you, I can’t.” Sammi gives me a sorrowful expression.
“That’s alright. We’ll stay as long as you’ll let us, then we’ll go crash at a hotel,” I tell her. I shoot Rascal a text.
To Rascal: It’s him. We’ll need to get a hotel for a couple of nights.
From Rascal: On it.
“Cali, I need to call Bull real quick,” I tell her. “I’ll be right back.”
“Okay,” she calls back to me.
I walk out of the room and down the hall a little way before calling him. He picks up on the second ring.
“Talk to me,” Bull says.
“We’re at the hospital. It’s him,” I tell him. He lets out a heavy sigh. “The doctors believe he’ll make a full recovery, it’s only a matter of time.”
“Do y’all need anything? Need anyone else to come up there,” he questions.
“No, we’re good. They have him in an ICU room so we’ll have to leave for the night. Rascal is trying to find a hotel for us for a couple of nights. We’ll come back first thing in the morning,” I explain to him.