Suddenly the small door slammed open with a clang and two men dived inside. Wrench started shooting and I saw one of them jerk back and lie still. The other rolled behind a tool chest and fired at Wrench. Bullets were flying but Wrench didn’t shoot back, he was starting to slowly sink down from a crouch to his knees and then he very slowly toppled over.
Oh God. Ohgodohgodogodohgod.
“Wrench is down. Oh sweet baby Jesus, Wrench is down.”
I didn’t hear what Ice said because in the next breath I was on the move. I ran out of the bathroom then slid along the painted cement floor to Wrench. I crashed into the wall then dragged Wrench to safety. I took his place, slipped the safety off my weapon and waited.
Dylan and Dagger’s training kicked in as I slipped my backpack off, dug out my make-up mirror and carefully sneaked it around the wall to take a look. The bastard at the door was getting ready to move. I watched and waited for him to commit. As soon as he did I dropped the mirror, popped up and shot him twice in the chest then ducked back down again.
He was most probably wearing a vest but two bullets to the chest will take him down for a minute or two. I cautiously looked around the wall. He was down but starting to move. I didn’t have long.
Turning I ripped my hoodie off and shoved it over the bleeding wounds to Wrench’s abdomen, took his arm and folded over the hoodie. I was hoping the weight of his arm would keep it in place.
“Almost with you, Blue. I’m coming around the bottom corner right now. Hold on, baby. Fuck, just hold on for me.”
“I’m here, Ice. I promise I’ll hold on.”
I heard the bastard out there scrabbling to get up and peaked around the corner.
“Lie still or so help me I’m going to put a bullet in your head.” I barked at the bastard on the floor. He instantly stilled.
“Push your gun away from you, shove it as hard as you can, no sudden movements.”
He did as I asked with a groan and it was then I saw the blood underneath him.
“Now just stay right where you are and don’t fucking move.” With a groan he pushed his hand over his side and lay back.
I was just about to move towards him when the two bitches the Iron Dogz had been searching for came strolling through the door as if they were at the mall.
I dropped down and groaned. I bent towards where I had wedged my phone against the wall.
“Your fucking ex and her best buddy just strolled into my workshop. If they so much as breathe on me I’m going to shoot them.” I whispered to Ice.
He didn’t answer. Shit.
“Hey, bitch, we know you’re in here. I’m here to deliver the promise I made you. A pity Gray isn’t here to watch, I’m sure he would have enjoyed it. But no matter. I’ll do this one on my own. I’m going to slowly cut you open and pull those little bastards out of you.”
The bitches laughed hysterically and then I heard it. The thunder of a lot of bikes shook the workshop. It didn’t please the bitches and a huge sigh of relief burst out of me.
“I thought you said you arranged something to keep them occupied somewhere else. You fucked up, Jane. The bastards are here. Now I’ll have to hurry and not take my time like I planned.”
“Don’t be fucking stupid, Emma. There’s no time to play with the bitch now. We need to get out of here while we still can. We need to leave, now. If they capture us there’s no way we’ll ever see the light of day ever again. Leave her, she’s not important. The organisation is all that’s important.” The one called Jane tried to reason with the crazy bitch.
“No! She has to die. Those little bastards have to die. Gray is mine. I’ll never let him go. Never!”
“Jesus, Emma. It’s too late. I’m going, and if you’re not right behind me I’m leaving you here. Fuck your fucked up plans. I have plans for my life and it does not include dying today.”
I was stunned. The bitches stood there and bitched at each other as if they weren’t in the middle of an attack on me and my business. The quiet squeak of a boot on the painted floor came from behind me. I flipped around and he was right there behind me. A tall, slyly grinning man. As I lay on the floor I shot up at him at virtually the same time as he shot at me. My shots were low, hitting him below his vest and I think in his junk. He dropped like a stone. Curling into a moaning ball.
I hurt. So much. My chest hurt. My arm was numb and my gun lay useless next to me. Breathing in short pants I rolled and picked it up in my left hand and swallowed down a painful groan.
Thank you, Dylan, for teaching me how to survive.
Pushing with my legs I slowly slid backwards. I knew she was going to come for me and I would be ready. Pushing my back up against the wall I glanced down and groaned. I was bleeding but I had nothing to push against the damned hole just below my shoulder.
“Baby, I’m hit.” I whispered. “Please hurry.”
I waited and waited and then she came creeping around the wall. She was barefoot which was why I hadn’t heard her. She grinned when she saw the blood on my chest. Stupidly she stood and slowly strolled towards me, her hand with her weapon hanging loose against her side.
Stupid, stupid, stupid. I smiled up at her. Holding my gun tight against my thigh, I waited for my opportunity. She was so close there was no way I was going to miss.
“Look at it. Lying at my feet, bleeding. I told you he was mine. You should have walked away while you could, bitch.” She gloated.
“He was never going to be yours you stupid bitch. He will always belong to me. To me and our children.” I tasted blood in my mouth, let it fill my mouth then spat it at her. My tongue ached where I had bitten it when the bastard shot me.
Blood and spit splattered over her white pants and she screamed with rage.
Who the hell wears white when they go out to kill someone? This bitch was truly off her damned rocker.
“Look what you did to my pants, you bitch! Do you have any idea how much they cost? They are Versace! Now they’re ruined. I’m going to kill you for this.”
“I dare you to try. I guarantee you’re not going to succeed. Get out while you still can, Emma. The cops are coming and my man will be here any second. Run, run far, far away. But know that there’s nowhere you can hide. They will find you and justice will be done.”
She laughed, the bitch fucking laughed.
“You have no idea bitch. You thought Sparrow died because of a random drive-by, but he didn’t. Jane and I killed him. It was so easy. He came walking out of the bar and it was like shooting fish in a barrel. Bam! Bam! Bam! And he was dead.”
My heart stuttered in my chest. No! No! Please God no! Why?
She laughed at me. “Look at you, all weak and helpless, just like he was.”
Unspeakable sorrow turned into red hot rage. “Sparrow was never weak and helpless you crazy bitch. If I have to come back from the dead I will avenge him. You are going to die, you useless piece of human waste.” I hissed at her then pointed at the ceiling. “Everything you said and did is being recorded. Video and sound. So keep talking bitch. I love every single second of you incriminating yourself.” I smiled up at her. “Don’t you just love it when the bad guys fuck themselves up the ass?”
Her shocked eyes shot around the workshop before they came back to me. She slowly started to lift her arm, bringing her weapon up. “You are going to die, but first I’m going to shoot those little bastards inside you and then I’m going to watch as you bleed to death.”
She was talking too much and the gun fight outside sounded like the third world war had broken out.
I heard the thud of boots hitting the floor and the bitch jerked upright, forgetting about raising her weapon. Her eyes were on whoever was coming towards us.
“You move one fucking inch and I am filling you up with lead, bitch.” I heard Ice snarling at her and grinned. My man had arrived.
“Gray, I did this for you. For us. We can have the world at our feet. I have to kill her, she took what was mine. Those babies belon
g to me, not her.” She said in a whining little voice. “I have to kill them so we can start over.”
I watched that gun hand of hers. I didn’t trust her at all.
“Never going to happen. River is the mother of my children, my old lady, and the love of my life. You are nothing to me. Nothing at all.”
It was becoming harder and harder to hold on to my damned weapon. It was becoming too heavy.
Then I heard Hawk’s cold voice and what he said and the way he said it made me shudder.
“You’re not dying today, bitch. You have a come-to-Jesus talk scheduled with the Crow. You are going to give us the information we need before you die.”
Two shots suddenly rang out. She fell with a high scream and lay writhing on the floor. Her gun lying forgotten next to her as she moaned and cried. Men came out of nowhere and had her cuffed and gagged in an instant. Her white pants were turning red and she was quickly patched up and carried away. Holy shit.
I felt very sure she wasn’t going to enjoy what was going to happen to her next. No, not at all. And I didn’t care. She killed my son’s father and for that she had to suffer for a long damned time. My heart felt broken all over again, it felt as if I had lost him all over again. I didn’t know how I was going to deal with it. So instead I looked around for my man.
I stayed aware long enough to smile at Ice as he thudded to his knees next to me.
“Is Wrench okay? He kept them away from me for as long as he could.” I asked softly.
The entire right side of my chest ached horribly.
“The paramedics are here, baby. Don’t talk, just stay still, okay?”
Slowly turning my head I watched as paramedics streamed towards us. My eyelids were becoming too heavy and my vision was starting to blink in and out. Shit.
“Love you, Ice, Ice, baby.” I whispered.
Ice started shouting for help.
Then it all faded to black.
I woke up to beeping machines and light that was way too bright. Slowly turning my head I blinked at the people scattered around the room. Ice sat in a chair right next to my bed, holding my hand. Mum sat with her head on Dad’s shoulder in chairs on my other side. Dagger, Jinx and Lake were sitting on the floor with their backs against the wall. All of them were fast asleep. It was strange to see Lake anywhere near a biker.
Judging by the light in the room it was late morning and I was so very thirsty. I tried to move but the ache in my chest became a stabbing pain and I moaned softly. I tightened my fingers around Ice’s hand and he immediately jerked awake. His eyes were on my face. He looked terrible. I think the word for it is haggard. He looked haggard, troubled and sad. Why was he sad? Was Wrench okay?
“Baby.” He whispered as he stood, leant over me and kissed my forehead. “How’re you feeling?”
“Thirsty.”
He reached for the button lying on the bed next to my hand and pushed it.
“Calling the sister to come check on you before I give you any. Okay?”
All I could do was give a faint nod.
“Wrench?”
My man hesitated and the sadness increased. “Not good, Blue. They had to take him back into surgery earlier. He started bleeding internally. Hawk, DC and some of the brothers are with his family in the surgical waiting room. Krissie and Mari left a few minutes ago to see if there’s any news yet.”
The door opened and the sister came in with a smile.
“It’s good to see you awake. Let me have a quick look at you.”
“She’s thirsty. Can I give her some water?”
“Certainly. You came through the operation really well, Ms Anderson but don’t overdo the water, just a few sips.”
Ice reached for the clear plastic cup with a screw on top and a straw sticking out the top. He slipped the straw between my lips and I sucked the beautiful wet stuff into my mouth. But three sips were all I could manage.
Licking my lips I asked the question that had been hammering at my brain since the moment I woke up.
“My babies. Are they okay?”
The sister lay a hand on mine and smiled. “They are doing well. See this here?” She pointed at a graph on a machine next to the bed. “These are their heart beats. And they’re perfect. We are monitoring them just as a precaution. The three of you came through the surgery with no problems.” She patted my hand. “I’m going to go call Dr Strauss and Dr Henry to let them know you’re awake.” She said as she left.
My hand slid down over my bump and Ice’s immediately covered mine.
“Our boys are fine, baby.” His thumb stroked over my fingers. “You’re a bit battered but with some physical therapy you will be as good as new.”
“What happened to that murdering bitch?” I whispered.
“Club business, Blue. But you won’t have to worry about her ever again. It’s been taken care of.”
Damn. That sounded ominous. I hope she suffered before they ended her.
“Did you get Jane? She was there with her.”
Anger sparked in his eyes. “No, she got away. We have no idea how she managed it but she was gone when the fire fight was over. I think she used the general pandemonium as a cover to make her escape. We’ve got the brothers searching for her and we’re close baby. Much closer than we’ve been before. And that’s all I’m going to say about that shit.”
He leant over and kissed me softly. “I’m more interested in how my woman is doing.” He whispered against my lips.
The smile came without any effort. “I’m good, just worried about Wrench.”
There was a groan from the region of the floor as Dagger pushed himself up off the floor and came towards the bed. Ice stepped to the side to allow him access to me, but not very far away. Dagger bent over me, kissed my cheek and ran a hand over the top of my head.
“Don’t fucking scare me like that ever again, Rivzie. This shit has aged me about ten years.”
He muttered as he moved around the bed to stand behind mum and dad who had woken up with all the whispering that had been going on. Mum immediately started crying as she stood and carefully hugged me. Dad blinked as he took his turn.
“We love you baby girl, so very much.” Dad said softly.
Mum couldn’t stop crying and Dagger threw an arm around her, pulling her into his side. Lake and Jinx had woken up as well and I got more hugs and cheek kisses.
And it didn’t take Lake long to let his asshole side out. Not long at all.
“This would never have happened if you had stayed away from bikes and these damned bikers. This entire mess is their fault. I hope you’ve learned your lesson and you’ll now distance yourself from the bastards.” He snarled angrily.
Closing my eyes I sighed. “The only asshole here is you, Lake. None of what happened was their fault. It was that crazy murdering bitch’s fault. She did it all. Not Ice or Dagger or their clubs.”
But of course Lake wouldn’t let it go. “Wrong. She was a part of their club and his ex. Therefore it was their fault. Years ago I warned you about the way these people operate. But of course you didn’t listen and now we once again have to deal with biker bullshit. At least this time no one has died, not yet anyway.”
I gasped at his insensitive comment.
“You say one more word to upset my woman and you and I are going to step outside and settle this shit.” Ice threatened through clenched teeth.
“You can try, motherfucker.” Lake swore viciously and I heard mum draw in a shocked breath.
“You will stop this right now, Lake. You’re upsetting your sister. Not another damned word.” Dad took his arm and drew him away from my bed.
“Dad, don’t. You know bikers only bring death and heartache. Don’t let her do this again. She’s been hurt more than enough already.” Lake pleaded softly.
“Son, we both know where this is coming from. Am I sad both of my children lost people they loved because of violence? Definitely. It nearly broke your mum and my hearts to see the two of you su
ffering. But what happened to you and what happened to River are two completely different situations. You need to deal with the past and stop blaming the biker community for what happened. You are letting the past rule your life. It’s been years, Lake. It’s time to see someone to help you deal with it. Because, son, you haven’t dealt with it at all.”
Lake didn’t say a word. He just stared at the floor but I could see the muscles in his cheeks move as he clenched his teeth. His blue eyes were blazing when he looked up but they softened slightly when he looked at me.
“Sorry, River. I need to leave. I’ll come back later.” With that he was out the door.
“I’m so sorry, Ice.” Mum whispered and then she dashed out after Lake.
Like she has always done. He was her boy and she would always try to fix things for him. I’m not sure she could fix things this time. It was very obvious my brother was still suffering from events in his past that had changed his life drastically.
“I’m going to take those two home. See you later, sweetheart.” Dad kissed my forehead and then he was gone as well.
“What the fuck is his problem with bikers? He’s been fucking strutting around here all night pissing everyone off. I ignored his shit but now he has pissed me off.” Ice gritted out.
Dagger shook his head as Jinx fell into the chair mum had been sitting in. And for the first time I heard what had happened to make my brother hate bikers.
“It’s ancient history. When he was seventeen he fell for the daughter of the VP of the Rebel Rogues MC. The VP and his wife were separated and she moved to Pretoria with their daughter. The Rebel Rogues are a small club. Just some brothers who formed a club for the love of riding and freedom. Unfortunately they came to the notice of a gang running drugs who wanted their turf. There were some threats exchanged and the Rebel Rogues told the gang to piss off. They took Millie, the VP’s daughter, and when the club got her back she was barely alive. The fuckers gang raped her, stabbed her multiple times and dumped her outside the clubhouse gates. She died a day later. The bigger clubs joined the Rogues in dispensing justice after they heard what had happened. Not a single gang member survived to face the law.” Dagger explained. “What happened to his girl is the reason why Lake hates bikers.”
Lost And Found In Blue (Iron Dogz MC Book 2) Page 27