by KJ Dahlen
“I didn’t have a choice,” Justin tried to tell him.
“Don’t give me that shit. You did have a choice!” Grizzly replied. “You could have stood your ground and not made that call but you made it anyway. You chose to make the call.”
“They would have killed my old man.” Justin grunted. “What would you have done in my position?”
“You should have told him to get the hell out of there. He didn’t have to stay and let this go on.”
Justin shook his head. “If he would have left, they would have hunted him down and shot him in the street. Neither of us had a choice.”
“Every single day you wear that badge, you have a choice. To pin it to your shirt or not. You chose to pin it on, then you have to remember the oath you took. You turned your back on that oath and now, you’ll face the consequences.” Shaking his head Grizzly added, “You and your dad have no honor. How the hell can you be a man and have no honor?”
“How can you say that to me, man?” Justin cried out. “I hated what they made me do. But I couldn’t risk my dad’s life!”
Grizzly stared him. “Sometimes, you have to take a stand no matter what. A man has to stand up for what he believes in and sometimes, he takes a hell of a hit but at least he took a stand for something.”
Teddy glared at her mother. “If Ethan dies, you’ll go down for his murder. Think about that while you sit here in chains.”
“When Darren gets out of prison, he’ll hunt you down and kill you both for killing his son,” Reva swore. “He’ll make you pay for what you did.”
“He’ll never get off death row, bitch,” Grizzly informed her. “I’ll make it my mission to see him get the needle in three months. He’s got no chance of any appeal. He’s getting desperate now and he knows he’s doomed. He’s nothing more than your regular everyday coward. Only now, he’s got no hole to crawl into anymore.” He put his hand on Teddy’s back and ushered her out of the cell area.
They listened to Reva swear and scream at them but they never halted in their steps. Then when they closed the door, the silence was welcomed.
“Damn, she’s just exhausting isn’t she?” Teddy commented.
“Oh yeah, she is that.” Grizzly grinned.
Chapter Eleven
Teddy went back to the Infirmary to sit with her dad. She just sat there holding his hand as Patriot finished up. She noticed he had an IV in his hand but he hadn’t been cleaned up yet. She looked over at Patriot and asked, “Can I wash him up a bit?”
Patriot nodded.
She got up and went to get a basin of warm water. Grabbing a wash cloth, she began wiping the dirt, grime, and blood from his skin. She used a gentle touch and soon his face was cleaned. Once he was cleaned up, they could see the bruises and cuts better.
Tears ran down her cheeks as she began cleaning his shoulders, chest and arms. His right arm was in splints and he hadn’t woke up yet.
She sat down in her chair, laid her head on his shoulder, and sobbed for a moment.
Grizzly came up behind her and gently lifted her from her dad. Then he sat down and held her close. “Come on Teddy girl, please don’t cry, you’re breakin’ my heart here.”
She nodded and wiped her tears away. “This man taught me not to cry. He always said, tears don’t do you any good, just face whatever it is you gotta face and be done with it.” She shuddered. “But grandpa would say, sometimes you just got to cry. Tears wash away the pain and they clear your mind so you can get on with life.” She looked up at him and asked, “I know you guys are planning to bring Logan down. When do you plan to go?”
“Why do you want to know?” Grizzly frowned as he arched a dark brow at her.
“Because I want to go with you.”
“No way. I won’t allow that." Grizzly glared at her. “This is a police matter, so the MC that are bounty hunters will be going in along with the Marshals.”
Teddy smiled. “But you forget, I am a police officer.”
Grizzly shook his head again. “I forbid you to go. I need to concentrate on what I’m doing and if I have to worry about you that would take away my concern for what I have to do.”
Teddy shook her head as she raised a brow at him. “You are so cute.” She ran her finger down his cheek. “Thinking you can forbid me to do anything. That’s almost funny.”
Grizzly growled. “You’re my woman and I can tell you what to do.”
She shook her head. “I can’t just wait here and wonder what’s going on there. I have to be there too. I’ll stay out of your way but I have to be there to see this finished.”
“We’ll discuss this later,” Grizzly promised.
“No discussion necessary,” she assured him. Looking up at him, she turned her head to view the others in the room. “This has to end soon. Please make it soon. Too many people have already shed blood for this cause and if you don’t stop it, many more will continue to die for nothing.”
“We plan on it,” Gunner told her.
Teddy laid her head on Grizzly’s shoulder and closed her eyes. She raised her hand and laid it over his heart. She could feel the thunder beating in his chest and it gave her comfort. She raised her eyes without lifting her head and studied her father laying there. She prayed he’d wake up soon and be okay. Well, as okay as he could be. She needed him to get through the next few days and she needed him to live. She refused to think that Levi and Reva would win this round.
Grizzly brushed his lips over the top of her head and looked over at Gunner. His eyes got hard and he knew what he had to do next. He had to go against a man with strong ties to the cartel. He had to stop the madness going on in McAllen, something that never should have been allowed to get started in the first damn place.
Gunner nodded back as if he knew what was on Grizzly’s mind. They were going to war and Gunner had to believe they would win this battle.
Much later in the day, Grizzly found Teddy sleeping beside her father’s side. She’d been here since they brought him in this morning, except for time she spent with her mother. She hadn’t eaten anything all day and it was time to fill her belly, he decided.
He gazed down at her face. He could see her exhaustion and worry, then he looked over to her father. He seemed to be breathing better and his color was returning. His sleep was more natural now and Grizzly knew he needed to rest to heal. He laid his hand on Teddy’s shoulder.
She jumped and looked over at him confused. Then she gasped and turned her head to look at her father. Seeing he was still asleep, she crumbled a bit.
“Come on, babe. You need something to eat and drink. He’ll still be here when you get back.”
“But he’s not awake yet,” she argued. “I want to stay until he comes around.”
Grizzly squatted down to be eye level with her. Brushing a stray strand of hair out of her face, he said gently, “Teddy, you need to eat something. You need to be at your best when he does open his eyes. You can’t be strong for him if you don’t eat something soon. Look, his color is returning and he’s breathing better. He’s healing some and will continue to heal as he sleeps.”
She turned to study her father and after a couple of minutes, she nodded. “Ok, I’ll go with you but after I eat, I want to come back here and wait with him.”
Grizzly didn’t say anything just held out his hand. When she took it, he led her away.
When they got to the main room, everyone went quiet. Their conversation just stopped when they noticed she was there.
Teddy pursed her lips. She knew they were hiding something. She glanced at Grizzly but he wasn’t talking either.
When she sat down, DeeDee came out with a plate of food and set it down in front of her. A burger with fries, a salad, and fruit.
Teddy looked down at her plate and groaned. She did feel hungry but she knew she couldn’t eat this much food.
Grizzly sat down next to her and set a cup of coffee down in front of her. He stared at the plate of food and shook his head. “DeeDee th
inks you need to eat apparently,” he quipped.
“I can’t eat all this,” she grumbled.
He shrugged. “Eat what you can, and I’ll finish the rest.”
Teddy began to eat but she could feel every eye in the room on her and it was making her uncomfortable. Grabbing a French fry, she nibbled on it while trying to overlook their stares. “So what did you guys decide to do?” she asked idly.
Grizzly shifted in his chair and swallowed hard. “What do you mean?”
Teddy put down the rest of her fry and turned to glare at him. “You guys suck at being subtle. Just tell me what’s going on. Don’t hide it from me, just fucking tell me.”
Gunner shook his head. “You got a mouth on you, did you know that?”
“Yeah, I’ve been told that before. And just like those times, I could give a flying fuck.” She snarled. “So tell me what your plans are?”
“We’re going after Logan Riggs,” Boone stated.
“ I know that, but when?” Teddy wanted to know as she looked around at all of them. "That's the main thing here. When?"
“Soon.” Gunner nodded at her.
Frustrated at these vague one and two word answers, she asked, “How soon?” she gritted out between her teeth. Getting information out of these men was like pulling teeth out of a gator’s mouth, she thought to herself.
“Very soon and that’s all I’m saying. This is club business and none of yours,” Gunner stated flatly.
“The hell it isn’t!” she barked back at him. “It is very much my business.”
“Not this time sweetheart,” Grizzly countered. “This is between the club and the Marshals. You got no say in this at all.”
Teddy just stared at him for a moment, then she got up and walked out of the room.
Weston just shook his head. “Well, hell that went over like a lead balloon didn’t it?”
Grizzly shrugged his wide shoulders. “She’ll get over it.” He needed her to not be there when this all went down. He wanted Teddy to stay safe. He was determined to protect the woman whether she damn well liked it or not.
Weston barked a laugh. “You don’t know her at all do you?”
“What do you mean?” Gunner asked the older man.
Weston shook his head. “That girl is as stubborn as a mule. Once she makes up her mind, dynamite can’t change it. She’s a lot like Theo in that respect, but he did raise her didn’t he? One thing about Theo, he always did hate to be told what to think and what to do. He always did things his own way and they always worked out for the best. He taught her that same as he did his son Ethan.” He shrugged. “But then none of you actually knew the man did you?”
“We know his reputation,” Gunner stated in defense.
Weston shook his head. “His reputation means diddly squat. You should study his actions if you want the truth. Many a time, he went against orders from above to get the bad guys and it turned out to be the right way. His methods were instinct and were mostly always right.”
Gunner shook his head. “That’s all well and good but if we’re going to move on this, we don’t have time to do that now do we?”
Weston nodded. “No, you don’t but don’t you dare dismiss Teddy. Number one: she won’t let you. Number two: that would be a serious mistake on your part if you did.”
“Is that a threat old man?” Gypsy asked.
“God, no.” Weston shook his head. “I’m just pointing something out to you.”
“Whatever.” Gunner dismissed the old man and looked around the room. “So we leave tonight. Get there in the morning, then study his layout, using what we know from Ethan and Weston. Then at dawn the next day, we make out move.”
Weston didn’t say anything but the look on his face sure did.
Boone had been watching him and called him out on it, “What’s wrong with our plan, old man?”
“Your plan is fine but you’re giving Logan too much time to get his men into place. Logan will know the moment you get to town. He has people scared enough of him they will call and tell him the moment you guys arrive.”
“We can’t just hit him up,” Gunner argued. “We need to know what we’re dealing with here, before we make our move.” Shaking is head he snarled, “I’m not willing to put my men in danger when they don’t have to be.”
“I’m not suggesting you do that, young man.” Weston glared at the bikers. “But you want surprise on your side and if you give him a full day to get ready? Well, the surprise will be on Logan’s side.”
“What do you suggest then?” Gunner asked.
“I know a way to watch him without him knowing I’m even there. I’ve been watching him for years and he’s never seen me. Believe me when I say that because if he had seem my old ass, I wouldn’t be here. He would have hunted me down and left me dead in the desert a long time ago.” He took a drink from his mug. “Where the hell do you think I was a couple of weeks ago when Ethan called me? I was on my way to check on Logan. I wanted to give him the most up to date information I could give him.”
“Ok, so what do you think we should do?” Gunner stared at Weston.
Weston grinned. “I was hoping you would ask.” He snickered at his own joke. As if they wouldn’t ask. “This is what Theo would have done.” Weston then laid out his plan.
The men were all silent for a few minutes.
Gunner thought about it for a moment before he could see the wisdom of it.
He only made a small change or two before everyone was on board.
Then Grizzly got his boss on board too, and they all agreed to meet in Laredo the next morning to get them in the know about their plan.
They planned to catch Logan short on men with no cartel backup to help him.
Teddy brushed her dad’s hair back. “Daddy, please come back to me,” she whispered. “I still need you. Levi is dead. I took the shot to end his miserable life. I tried to do what he wanted me to do but I just couldn’t. I know I told you that before and that I’m babbling right now but if I don’t, I might just fall apart. The man I was telling you about before? He told me I have no say in what they plan to do. He told me it was club and Marshal Business and none of mine.” She paused then shook her head. “I didn’t know how a heart could shatter but mine did in that moment. I know he thinks he’s protecting me but I’m full grown and I don’t need his protection. I can think and act for myself.”
“I know you can baby girl.” Ethan slowly opened his eyes and looked at her. “I taught you how to do that but he doesn’t know you well enough to trust that. But you need to consider something here, every once in a while you have to let the man protect you.” His eyes held pain but they also held resolve.
Teddy grinned. “You’re back! Thank God for that. I thought I’d lost you.”
“I thought you had too, baby girl.” Ethan grunted. “Damn, I hurt all over. I must be getting too old for this shit.”
Teddy giggled. She just felt happy to hear his voice again.
“I’m glad you didn’t take that first shot honey.” He looked over at her. “My life isn’t worth his.”
Teddy nodded. “I looked into his eyes daddy, just like you and grandpa taught me. I couldn’t find anything in them that said he was a bad guy. Then I closed my eyes. I still took the shot, but I didn’t kill him. I just couldn’t.” Teddy licked her dry lips, as she now felt nervous about telling him what she had to tell him next.
Ethan could see it and he told her, “Just say it girl, don’t sugarcoat it.”
Teddy nodded. “They caught Reva red handed. They have tons of proof of her part inn all this. She’s in cuffs sitting in a cell.” These guys are bounty hunters and they plan on turning her over to the Marshals for her role in what happened.”
“Good enough for her. It all comes back around, like it should. That’s what your gramps always said. She earned everything that’s comin’ to her.” Ethan closed his eyes and rested easier on his pillow. “I’m tired, Teddy girl. Think I’ll just take a
nap now.”
Teddy smiled. “Ok daddy, you rest, I’ll be here when you wake up.”
Chapter Twelve
When Teddy woke up the next morning, she was alone in the big bed. Her whole body ached from the passion of last night and she smiled when she remembered the night before.
They had come together four times and each time was better than before. They started out slow and gentle the first time. Then he woke her up a short time later and even though it was short, it was oh so sweet. Then she woke him up for a coupling that neither one could deny. The last time it was slow and easy again and in her exhaustion, she hadn’t felt him leave the bed. She looked over to the window and saw the dawn chasing away the shadows of the night.
She stretched her arms over her head and sat up. She frowned as there seemed to be something missing. Then she realized what it was. It was too quiet. There was no hum of voices coming from the main room. Granted, the door was closed but you could always hear something. But this morning, there was nothing but quiet.
She pushed the covers off and scrambled to get dressed. Then she ran for the door and throwing it open, she rushed down the hall.
Weston sat there with a cup of coffee, along with three or four of the others, but the main group of men weren’t there and neither was Grizzly.
She made her way over to the table and joined Weston.
He took a moment to pour her a cup of coffee from the pot on the table. When she sat down, he pushed the cup toward her. “They left this morning around four a.m.” he told her.
“They left me behind on purpose,” she said softly.
“Grizzly did leave you a message if you care to hear it.” He stared at her.
Teddy nodded as she picked up her cup.
Weston took another sip and said, “He said to tell you he was sorry but he didn’t want you anywhere near the trouble. He said people were going to die today and he didn’t want one of them to be you.”