She shook her head. “I am not marrying you. So, I guess death it is.”
She didn’t even give him a chance to say another word. Raising her guns, she fired, while at the same time, dove behind a dumpster. If she were going to die in the middle of a back alley, at the hands of Franco and his crew, she sure as hell wouldn’t be going down without a fight.
A bullet ricocheted off the dumpster and when there was a small break in the firefight, she stuck her head and arm out and fired off three rounds.
Five bullets gone, nine left.
While she’d hit her targets, she didn’t have enough ammo to go around. The two clips in her 9mms would only last so long. Another round of bullets ricocheted off the side of the dumpster and hit the side of the building that was at her back.
Fuck! Where are the fucking cops? she wondered. How could they not hear this shit? The fire was only a few blocks away.
She should have known better. She should have hid the second she heard Franco’s voice, but stupidly, she had to enter the alley. And that decision would lead to her demise.
Steph fired off a couple more rounds and tried to peek out to find any glimpse of Franco, but he was gone. So was Williams. While that took two people off her survival list now, it still wouldn’t be enough to save her.
She ducked back behind her spot, pissed at herself. She did not want to die in a filthy back alley. Taking a few deep breaths, she tried to quickly come up with a plan to get herself out of her current situation.
Moving to the other side of the trash bin, she peered over the edge and saw that her bike was still standing where she’d left it. And an idea struck. If she could just make it over there, she might be able to save her own ass.
She heard a noise at her back and turned to find someone coming around the corner. She fired off a shot and watched him drop to the ground. “Fuck you, asshole!” she shouted. “Not today!”
She popped both clips from her guns and quickly calculated what she had remaining. The odds weren’t in her favor, but Steph had been in worse situations during her years with the club.
Slipping one handgun back into its holster, she palmed the other. “Okay.” She blew out a slow breath. “You can do this.” She pulled her key from her pocket.
She didn’t give herself time to overthink it. She hopped to her feet and took off for her bike, lobbing bullets on her way. She ducked behind a stack of pallets and covered her head when the Holston crew returned fire.
She gritted her teeth when a searing pain sliced across her left arm. She groaned. But she refused to look at it. Looking would cause panic, and Steph didn’t have time for that. Checking her clip again, she popped it back into the gun and as she stood and turned, she fired off several more shots as she ran.
Hopping on the back of her bike, she jammed the key into the ignition and fired it up just as the last bullet fired from her gun. Kicking it into gear, she cranked on the throttle and shot off like a rocket straight toward the men who were shooting at her. She smiled as they scattered like roaches. But the glee quickly vanished as another bullet hit her in the thigh.
Her bike wobbled for a second, but she quickly readjusted. Ducking low to make herself a smaller target, she shot out of the alley and onto the street. Gunning the bike, she blew through a red light and didn’t look back.
She knew she had to get somewhere safe, but going home wasn’t an option. If her parents or the club saw her right now, a war would break out in the city, and in the clubhouse. There was only one person she could call. But first, she needed to find shelter and figure out a way to dress her wounds. Then, she’d just have to pray that he would get to her in time. If not, all she’d done would be for nothing.
Chapter Eighteen
Rafael
He stood at the stove, frying up his latest catch, still wondering what was going on back at the clubhouse. Several times today, he had called Diesel wanting an update, but there was nothing. Or at least, that’s what he was being told. He’d tried to call Stephanie more than a dozen times, and each time, it went directly to voicemail. He had no idea where she could be, and the worry was eating him up inside. The woman was going to be the death of him.
He turned over the fish fillet and set the spatula on the small table next to the cast iron stove. Walking over to the small fridge that he had installed, after purchasing an even smaller generator, he pulled out the canister of instant coffee. He would have preferred the real stuff, but living in the middle of nowhere, in a cabin without electricity, made some things more difficult. He already made plans to talk to Tinker about upgrading the place if he intended to stay there much longer. As of now, that was up for debate.
As he walked back over to the stove to put water on to boil, his phone rang. He rushed over to it, hoping it would be Diesel or one of the others with an update on Stephanie. However, when he glanced down at the screen, his heart leaped into his throat.
“Stephanie?” he asked, in place of a greeting. “Where are you?”
“Raf…” Her voice sounded breathless which caused warning bells to go off in his head.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Where are you?” He looked around for his keys and snatched them off the small dining table that sat against the back wall. “Stephanie?” he repeated her name when she didn’t answer.
“I… I’ve been shot.”
He stopped dead in his tracks. Fear gripped his throat and cut off his ability to draw in any oxygen.
“Rafa, I need help…”
“Wh…” He cleared the lump from his throat. “Where are you?”
He listened as she rattled off the address. He ran over to the stove, yanked the fish off the burner, and slammed the heat vent closed, killing the fire inside. He didn’t even wait to see that it went out. If the place burned, then so be it. He’d build Tinker a new one.
“I’m on my way, baby,” he told her. “Just keep talking to me. Okay?”
Rafa ran out the door, tossing the frying fish and skillet into the nearby river, then took off around the cabin and hopped into the car.
“I’m sorry,” she muttered. He could tell she was losing strength. Her voice had gone to a mere whisper.
“You have nothing to be sorry about,” he told her.
“But… I… I do,” she argued. “I wanted you. I… I wanted us. But I was… too scared.”
“It’s okay, Stephanie,” he choked out. “We’ll have that. We’ll fix this. Okay?”
“I… I do think so.” He heard her cough.
“Baby, where were you shot?” he asked as he drove down the long driveway. He bounced side to side in his seat as the rough gravel road played hell on his car’s suspension.
“Arm and leg,” she answered, “but I… lot of blood.”
His heart was beating out of his chest. The fact that she wasn’t speaking in complete sentences had sweat saturating his skin while fear crawled along every nerve ending. Rafa felt helpless.
“I’m not… gonna make it,” she muttered. “Just called… say sorry… and love you.”
Tears clogged his throat. He couldn’t lose her. Not now. “Please, baby. Stay with me. You can’t give up, Stephanie. Do you hear me?”
But the line was silent.
“Stephanie!” he yelled her name into the phone. “Please! Baby?” But she didn’t respond.
It would take him over two hours to get to her, and he knew if she was this bad, he’d never get there in time. So, he had to do something.
Looking down at his phone, he pressed a few buttons and added a call to the same line. He waited while it rang. “Come on…. Answer the damn phone.”
“Yeah?”
“She’s hurt!” Rafa screamed into the phone. “And I can’t get to her in time.”
“What?” Diesel asked, fully alert. “Who?”
“Stephanie!” Rafa answered. “She’s been shot. You have to get to her.” Then, he said, “Stephanie? Baby, your dad’s on the phone. Please, say something!”
; “Steph?” Diesel said. Rafa could hear the fear in the other man’s voice.
“Daddy?” Her voice was so faint that Rafa could barely hear her. “I lo… you, Dad.”
“Stephanie!” The urgency in Diesel’s voice tore at Rafa’s already tattered heart. “Where are you, kiddo?” The man’s voice cracked on the last word.
She muttered out a few words, but they were unintelligible. Rafa quickly relayed the information that she had previously given him. He listened as Diesel screamed out the address and gave the order for them to hurry up. While it would take Rafa hours to get to her, they could be there in a matter of minutes.
“Baby,” Rafa said, “I’m going to talk. I just want you to listen. Save your strength. Okay?”
“Mhm.” He heard.
“They’re coming,” he told her. “They’re gonna get to you. You’re going to be fine.” He prayed that was the truth.
He continued to talk. He told her about his drive, about the trees, about the sun. He rattled on and on about everything and nothing. He hoped his voice was enough to keep her fighting. He couldn’t lose her. The world couldn’t lose her either. Stephanie was a light. She was the type of person who brought smiles and happiness to those around her and he had deeply missed that in his life. She was fun and exciting. She was love. She was everything good in his world, and Rafa knew he’d never make it without her.
Tears streamed down his face as he told her of all the places they would visit once she was better and healed. He told her how badly he wanted to build a life and family with her and how much he was looking forward to their future. He continued to profess his love, not caring that her father was still on the phone, listening to every word.
It seemed as if the minutes ticked by like hours. Time seemed to still.
“Rafael?” Diesel interrupted. “They’re almost there. Do you hear that, Steph? Doc, Gunny, and Alex are almost there, sweetheart.”
Relief rushed through him. He felt a moment of dizziness from the quick shift of emotion. However, that wasn’t to say that his fear had lessened any. That feeling wouldn’t leave him until he was finally able to lay eyes on her. And even then, it probably still wouldn’t leave him. Not until she was healed and back to her normal self.
But he pushed that aside, and mustering a bit of joy into his tone, he asked, “You hear that, baby?”
But she didn’t say anything, not even a mumble.
“Stephanie?” Diesel called her name.
“Baby?”
But still, there was only silence.
He looked down at his phone to make sure her call was still connected. It was there, but she wasn’t.
“Stephanie!” Rafa yelled. “Baby? Answer me. Anything. Please!”
But nothing…
“Shit!” Diesel cursed.
Rafa heard him yelling in the background, but his brain couldn’t compute the words. All he could think about was losing her. His world started to shake on its foundation. Like an earthquake, it rattled everything that was holding him together.
“Baby?” He couldn’t stop the quiver in his voice even if he wanted to. “Please…”
Again, he was met with only silence.
The dam broke on Rafa’s emotions and a sob ripped from him. “Stephanie!” he yelled into the phone. “Damn it! Don’t you dare fucking leave me! Do you hear me? Don’t you fucking dare!”
“Rafa?” Diesel yelled. “Stop.”
“No!”
He couldn’t. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. He was the one who did the sacrificing, not her. He’d spent four years, praying every day, that one day they would be together again. He’d begged and pleaded with his God to one day bring her back to him. And for what? To lose her all over again. Rafa didn’t think so. Not now, and not like this.
He jammed his foot on the gas pedal and watched as the speedometer rose. If she were leaving this world, then so would he. He couldn’t lose her again. He just couldn’t. His heart screamed out for hers. His soul dimmed at the thought of never seeing her again.
He watched as the road ahead made a sharp turn, but instead of slowing down, Rafa pressed the gas even more.
I’ll be right behind you, baby…
The turn raced toward him.
In this life or the next, we’ll have each other…
The trees in the distance rapidly grew closer. There was no turning back.
“We got her.” Doc’s voice came across the line. “She’s alive, but barely.”
Rafa's foot instinctively slammed on the brake. The tires squealed as he closed his eyes against what would inevitably come. And in his last few seconds on earth, he cursed himself for another idiotic decision and prayed that she would eventually forgive him for all the pain he’d caused her.
Chapter Nineteen
Stephanie
Several days later…
She woke up to the faint sound of a machine beeping. She was still alive. The thought had her visibly sighing in relief. She honestly hadn’t thought she would make it. After she had finally put some miles between herself and Franco’s crew, Steph had barely made it to her parents’ old house. She remembered stumbling off her bike as it fell to the ground and fighting to coordinate her limbs as she climbed the steps and unlocked the door. There, she collapsed to the floor, unable to go any farther. And, in a last-ditch effort, she’d called Rafa hoping he would be able to get her help. If not, she had at least wanted to say goodbye. She hadn’t wanted to die alone. She remembered listening to his ramble. His voice had brought her comfort, especially in those final moments.
Blinking her eyes open, she groaned at the light that shone in her face from the opened window curtains. The sun was high in the sky and shining directly into her room.
“Hey, kiddo.”
She turned her head to see her mom and dad standing next to her, both with worried expressions on their face. She couldn’t blame them. Getting shot to hell hadn’t been in her plans.
But you know what they say about those, she thought to herself.
“Hey,” she croaked, her mouth was incredibly dry, and her throat felt sore. “Water?”
Her mom and dad shared a look before her dad said, “Let me go ask Doc if you can have some.”
“Doc?” She looked around the room.
At first, Steph had thought she was in the hospital, but as she took notice of the deep burgundy walls and the dark cream-colored curtains that hung on either side of the window, it finally hit her. She was not in a hospital.
“Where am I?” she asked.
“In the guest house,” her mom answered. “You were in bad shape.”
Steph saw the tears building up in her mom’s eyes. “I’m so sorry,” she mumbled, finding it harder to talk.
“Doc was afraid to move you too far,” her dad explained. “So, they brought you here.”
Steph nodded.
“I’ll go ask Doc about that water,” he told her. “Be right back.”
“Thank you.”
She watched as he left the room, then turned to her mom. She hated seeing her upset and knowing that she was the one who caused it. “I’m so sorry, Mom.”
Her mother waved a dismissive hand. “Doesn’t matter,” she replied. “You’re safe now and that’s all that I care about.”
The door opened and Steph smiled stiffly as her dad and Doc both walked into the room.
“Hey, Chica!” Doc said. “How are you feeling?”
“Thirsty.”
“Your dad has some water for you,” he chuckled. “You gave us quite a scare. I think I have a few new gray hairs now, thanks to you.”
“Glad I could help,” she croaked.
She allowed her dad to help her sit up. With her arm in a sling, it made things a bit more complicated. A shooting pain in her thigh caused her to wince.
“Easy,” Doc warned. “The arm will be fine soon. It was just a graze, but it’ll be sore for a while. The leg…” He rocked his head from side to side. “That will take
a bit longer. Bullet went through the muscle. A through and through. So thankfully, no digging.”
Steph sipped from the cup that her dad was holding. The cool water tasted like heaven to her desert-dry mouth and throat. “Thank you,” she told her dad, her voice stronger. She turned to Doc, “Anything else?”
“A blood transfusion or two.” He shrugged. “But other than that, nope. I’m just glad Rafael called when he did, and we were able to get to you in time.”
“Speaking of…” She glanced around the room again but didn’t see him there. “Where is he?”
“Everyone in the room shared a look that she couldn’t decipher. “What?” she asked, feeling a bit nervous. When nobody immediately answered, she repeated herself a bit louder. “What? Tell me.”
“Honey.”
She looked at her mom, and fear clawed at her gut. The look on her mother’s face told her that she wouldn’t like the news. Steph started to shake her head before her mom even answered her.
“There was an accident,” her mom continued. “Rafa was trying to get to you…”
“No.” She didn’t want to hear anymore.
“Honey…”
“No!” she said louder.
“Stephanie!” Her dad raised his voice. “He’s not dead. Calm the hell down. Your heart rate is off the charts.”
He wasn’t dead? Had she heard him correctly? If he was fine, then where was he? Why wouldn’t they tell her?
“He’s in another room,” Doc finally said. “He totaled his car, but he’s alright. Few bumps and bruises. Some cuts and scrapes. That sort of thing. Oh, and two broken ribs. He’s lucky to be alive, though. And so are you.”
“Why not just say that to begin with?” she asked. “You scared the shit out of me!”
“Mhm,” her dad replied. “I know that feeling.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “So, you take ten years off my life… as payback?”
“No,” Diesel smiled.
But she didn’t believe him. Asshole.
Capturing Stephanie: Devil's Henchmen MC Next Generation, Book Three Page 9
