He frowned when he saw Radar and Sassy on the footage, heading towards an outcropping of rock just inside their fence line. The fucker had to be hiding in the rocks.
He had to get men out there. They needed the bastard in their dungeon.
It didn’t take him long to re-direct the patrols in the area and send brothers out with strict orders to bring the fucker in alive.
Two ambulances arrived along with far too many fucking pigs, it was an absolute madhouse. Scar silently watched as the trauma doc who came with the ambulance stabilised Jagger then looked up and gave the paramedic a look it wasn’t hard to interpret. His brother was in trouble.
“We need a life flight. I can keep him stable but he’s bleeding internally and it’s too high a risk taking him in the ambulance.”
He watched as Jagger was carefully lifted onto a backboard and strapped down. He had lines going into him and a mask was over his face helping him to breathe. The doc kept working as they waited for the chopper.
While he had been ordering men and patrols to find the fucker, the pigs had cordoned off the scene and Penny and Bakkies had been loaded into the ambulance and were being transported to hospital. Hawk had refused to allow them to be taken away in the morgue van that had arrived at the scene.
Rider had tried to get into the ambulance with his old lady but Bulldog and Ice had held him back. As the ambulance drove away his brother stood in the middle of the dirt road staring down at his bloody hands, his face pale with shock and sorrow.
Scar’s gut tightened and ached for Sunny as she realised it might soon be her left standing with blood covered empty hands.
Sinking to her knees next to Jagger she grabbed hold of his free hand. The doc gave her some space but not much.
“You hold on and fight, baby, fight like hell. I can’t lose you now that I’ve found you. When you open your eyes again I’ll be there, waiting for you.” She whispered then kissed him on the temple.
And then it was time to get out of the way as the chopper came in low and fast. The road had been cleared and the pilot set down, the doors opened and organised chaos ensued.
Their brother was lifted, carried to the chopper and slid inside. The doc joined the paramedics on the chopper and the last view he had of Jag was both docs crouched over him as the door slid closed.
A small cold hand slid into his as he watched the chopper speeding away towards the hospital. Looking down he saw it was Sunny who held his hand.
“I don’t want him to die. He’s not allowed to die, not now, and not any time in the future either.” Her voice was soft but determined. “I need to get to the hospital.”
Scar nodded. What else could he do? His brother’s life was now in the hands of the gods.
“Hawk will see to it that you get to the hospital. I need to take care of the teams looking for the bastard who did this. We have to find him before the pigs do.” Scar muttered as he let go of her hand and started to move away.
He was about two steps away from her when Rider slammed both hands onto his naked blood covered chest. His brother’s shattered eyes met his, tears running freely down his cheeks.
“Find him, Scar. Fucking find him.” He demanded in a broken voice before Hawk slung an arm around his shoulders and led him and Sunny towards the waiting cage.
Scar looked down at the blood on his chest, Jagger’s blood and Penny’s blood, beautiful, innocent Penny’s blood. Throwing his head back he howled his sorrow to the sky but the minute his head dropped back down he shut it all down and focused on what his brother had demanded from him.
Find the bastard who had done this.
Looking around for the dogs he realised they were still in the veldt. He had seen them taking off towards the fence line after Jagger had ordered them to find the fucker but they haven’t returned. Looking around he checked to make sure he wasn’t being watched then slipped away and followed their trail into the veld.
It was easy to do because the dogs had cut a trail through the wet grass and the brothers who had gone after them had widened it slightly. He ran at an easy pace, his firearm in his hand as he tracked them, knowing they had to get this done before the detectives that had been called in reached the scene.
He followed the trail and then ran up to the strangest sight. A man dressed in khaki fatigues lay on the ground, Radar on his chest, his teeth clamped tight around his throat. Sassy had him by his left arm and was growling and pulling it away from his body. His right was shredded and lay useless and bleeding heavily by his side.
Walking through the ring of silently watching men he stopped next to the bastard on the ground. A rifle with a scope lay a few meters away and a few steps from it lay a hunting knife. There was blood on the blade which meant one of the dogs had been stabbed.
“Radar, heel.” His voice was quiet but the dog immediately let go and stepped away.
The fucker drew a gurgling breath and Scar smiled. Not a nice smile.
“Sassy, heel.” Her eyes met his and for a second he thought she was going to ignore him, but then she let go and daintily walked over to stand next to Radar.
Both dogs were alert and ready to attack, all it would require was one word from him.
Glancing back the way he knew they didn’t have much time before the pigs arrived.
“Get him to the dungeon before the pigs start sniffing around. I’ll lay a trail out of here to make it seem like he got away. And while you’re at it I want a report on how the fuck he got through the fence. I’ll be at the clubhouse when I’m done here. Call me if you find anything.”
He looked at Beast who stood over the downed man. “Don’t let Rider end him too soon, brother. We need to crack his head open and extract every single bit of intel he has in there.”
“We’ve got this, brother. Go. Keep us updated, okay?” Beast gave him a hard look and Scar gave a quick nod.
Ordering the dogs to heel he turned to leave. Refusing to look at the bastard on the ground, because if he did he would fucking kill him. With the dogs at his heels he followed the route the bastard had used to get to the rocks. He was good, but Scar was better.
Buzz was waiting for him in an ATV when he got to the fence line. He silently got in while the dogs jumped onto the back seat.
“Any word on Jag?”
“He’s in surgery. They lost him once on the flight but managed to get him back and he was rushed into the operating room. No word as yet. Your old lady is at the hospital with Sunny and the other old ladies.” Buzz gave him the update quietly as the ATV took off.
“Fuck.”
“Ja, exactly that.”
Back at the clubhouse he gave his report to Sin because his Prez and VP were with Rider at Bulldog’s house.
“If it’s okay, brother, I’d like to go to the hospital.”
Sin gave a quick nod. “Take Adder with you and use a cage. No one are on bikes for the next few hours until we’ve got this shit cleared up.”
Scar beckoned the prospect over as he turned and stalked towards the door. The man fell in next to him without a word.
“We’re heading to the hospital. There’s a small SUV in the garage, bring it over.”
The new prospect didn’t say a word, just ran for the garage.
The waiting room outside the surgical unit had hard faced leather wearing men lounging in the chairs or leaning against the walls. Everyone straightened as soon as he walked in. His old lady came right to him and he opened his arms and pulled her against his chest. She cried quietly and he held her through it, stroking her back soothingly. At least he had pulled on a tee before heading to the hospital, but underneath his kutte and tee he could still feel the imprint of Rider’s blood covered hands.
“Any word?” He asked softly and Chris shook her head.
“Where’s Crash and did anyone fetch their grandmother?”
“Sammy is with Sunny and Aunt Beryl, they’re the only ones who’ve been able to keep him calm. Kahn has gone to fetch their grandmother, no
one wanted to give her the news over the phone. She’s too fragile right now. I offered to go but Hawk said no and sent Kahn instead.”
Scar tightened his arms around her. “It’s too dangerous out there right now, baby.”
“Did you find him? The man who killed Penny? Did you find him?” She had her mouth tight against his ear while she whispered her questions and he gave a quick nod.
Standing with his old lady in his arms he leant against the wall in the waiting room. While they waited his head kept on bringing up the image of Rider in the middle of the road with Penny clasped to his chest, his head thrown back howling his pain to the gods who hadn’t listened to his prayers.
No matter how he tried he could not get it out of his head.
Would never in his life forget that moment.
The moment his brother’s heart was shattered into a million pieces.
Kahn walking into the waiting room supporting an old lady had them all straightening. Crash’s broken voice had all of them clenching their teeth trying to contain their emotions.
“Ouma!” He stormed to her and wrapped the small frail old lady in his arms, his body bending almost double over her.
They watched as her small wrinkled hands patted his back and she soothed him. His shoulders shook as he cried on her shoulder.
“Sammy, you know how stubborn your brother is. He won’t let a little thing like a bullet get him under. He’s going to be fine.” She soothed quietly. “Come on now, my boy, let’s have a seat. My old legs need a rest.”
Crash gradually pulled himself together and led the old lady to the chair he had been sitting in, making her comfortable next to Aunt Beryl.
His old lady gently loosened his arms around her and went over to crouch in front of the grey haired old lady who smiled sweetly. They exchanged a few quiet words and hugged before she came back to him.
“Ouma du Plessis is the strongest woman I’ve ever met. They are lucky to have her.” She said as she snuggled into his side.
Scar gave a soft hum of agreement.
The door opening had them all turning towards the scrubs clad man and woman walking towards them.
“Family of Ryan du Plessis?”
“That’s us.” Crash said as he and Sunny helped his grandmother up and slowly walked her over to the doctor. Scar and Chris followed and stood behind them, waiting.
Everyone was tense and worried.
“Mr du Plessis made it through the surgery. We lost him on the table but were able to bring him back. His condition is stable but critical. The bullet entered his back in a downward trajectory, caused massive internal bleeding, damaged his kidney and perforated his intestines. We were able to repair the damage to both the kidney and intestines. We will be keeping an eye on his kidney function and are cautiously optimistic that he will regain full function without further intervention. Our biggest worry right now is infection because of the perforated intestine. The abdominal cavity has been cleaned and we had to remove the damaged part of the small intestine. It shouldn’t cause him any problems in the future. He is being kept under sedation for now. Our prognosis for his recovery is as I said cautiously optimistic. The next few hours are critical.”
“Can we see him?” His grandmother asked in a wavering voice.
“He is in recovery at the moment and will be moved to ICU shortly. I’m afraid only family will be allowed and we’ll be keeping it to two visitors at a time.”
The old lady nodded. “I understand. The boys and girls here are his family too but for now the three of us will be his only visitors. This is his wife and his brother and I’m his grandmother.”
The doc nodded. “I understand. The sister will be back to collect you once they’ve got him settled in.”
The doc turned to leave and the old lady reached out and caught his elbow. He turned back with an enquiring look on his face.
“Thank you, doctor. Thank you for saving my grandson. He’s a good boy, the very best kind of grandson a grandmother could ever wish for.”
He gave her a kind smile and a little nod. “Your grandson is a fighter, Mrs du Plessis. He proved that by surviving. Keep that at the forefront of your mind as we go through the next few hours.”
And with that he turned and left.
A ripple of sighs went through the gathered brothers.
The news wasn’t good but it wasn’t bad either.
Now all they could do was wait.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Dom
Staring at the message on his phone he dropped his head back and groaned long and loud. These deaths were going to be on his conscience for fucking ever. Unfortunately Mitch found out about Bart’s plans too late to give him more of a warning, but still. He felt responsible because he was the one who had made the decision to let Winifred go, to give her enough rope to hang herself. He had her, he bloody well had her and he let her go.
And look what his decision had cost them.
The life of a young wife and mother, the life of one of Hawk’s men and it had left another seriously wounded.
He knew what had happened today was going to push their plans forward.
Losing one of your men was a gamble they all took but losing one of the women you’ve sworn to protect? That was so much worse.
“We’re going to have to move ahead with the plan.” Gideon sat in the chair across the desk from him, a concerned look on his face.
Dominick nodded in agreement, even though he would have liked more time to prepare.
“Do it. Send out the message. We take her remaining contacts out tonight.”
Gideon smiled, a predator’s smile he had seen on his friend’s face a million times before, but this time it was more. They were so close to getting what they’ve been working for. The total annihilation of the bitch’s network.
“Mitch has to move fast and bring that bitch of hers in before Hawk snatches her up. Celestine Brentwood has been raised alongside the Harrisons and has been working for Winifred for several years, she’ll have information we need to move ahead.”
Gideon nodded. “Already done. He’s watching and will snatch her as soon as the opportunity arises.”
“Good.” Dominick sighed. “And now I have a call to make that might end the goodwill between us and the Iron Dogz MC.”
Gideon nodded with understanding as he walked out, leaving Dominick sitting silently behind his desk.
What was he going to say to the man who had become an ally and lately a friend?
Bracing himself he picked up his phone and made the call.
“Hawk.”
“I’m sorry for the losses you have suffered today, Hawk. I wish I had known sooner so I could have warned you. My operative wasn’t aware of the hit until he overheard the bitch talking to the old bitch on the phone and by then it was already too late.”
Hawk’s pissed of growl set his teeth on edge.
“They are going to pay and pay dearly, Dom. Penny was pregnant, so it’s not just her they killed, they killed her baby as well.”
Everything inside Dom froze. “Jesus fucking Christ.”
“Jagger is fighting for his life right now. There’s going to be retribution for this, Dom. I’m done with the Harrisons calling the shots. We’re going after them across the fucking world. I’m pulling in markers with clubs here and in other countries. We’re going to hit them and hit them hard, here, in Europe, the UK and in the US. Their time has come and they are going to pay dearly.”
“I agree.” Dom waited a second before he continued. “We’ll be hitting her local network tonight, taking them out, permanently. Unfortunately I need the old bitch alive. There are events coming up that she has set in motion but we need more information to stop them from happening. I need her alive to use her biometrics to open the files we’ve found. There are failsafe’s built in that my people can’t bypass. I’m sorry to do this, Hawk, but we can’t eliminate her. Not yet anyway.”
Silence, total silence until that cold rough voice
spoke in his ear.
“You do realise Rider isn’t going to rest until he’s exacted vengeance for the death of his wife and child? And as a club we’ll be taking his back no matter the consequences.”
“I know, Hawk.” Dominick wiped a hand over his face and made a decision. “What I’m about to tell you stays between us. You can’t tell anyone, not even your woman. Do I have your word?”
He could swear he heard Hawk gritting his teeth.
“You have it.”
Closing his eyes then opening them and focusing on the view of the ocean outside his window Dominick quietly filled him in on what they’ve uncovered.
“There are plans in place for a coup, Hawk. She is going to try and overthrow the government to take over the country. And by what we have found so far there’s a good chance she will succeed because she has the backing of corrupt politicians and high ranking officers in the military and in the police force.”
Silence.
And then came the explosion he had expected.
“So fucking tired of this bitch. Fine. For our country and our people I’ll stay my hand and the hands of my brother…but not for long. We find her, we’ll hand her over but…Rider goes along for the ride. Do we have a deal?”
“We do. I’ll be in contact soon.”
The phone went dead and he gently placed it on the desk.
And so your final game begins Winifred, he thought silently to himself.
A game they will make sure she loses.
Hawk
Standing on the lawn in front of Bulldog and Suzy’s house he looked through the window at his brother as he held on to his daughter as if she was his lifeline, and he felt like ignoring the agreement he had just reached with Dom. That baby girl was the only thing that kept Rider from completely losing his mind and going on a revenge driven rampage.
Penny and Rider had fallen in love when they had been very young teens. What they had was real, real love. His brother had never stepped out on his girl, not even when subjected to intense provocation. A lesser man would have given in, and Hawk counted himself as one of those lesser men until he met his little bird, but Rider never did. He loved Penny with everything inside him, even going as far as putting himself in jeopardy with his club for his woman. He loved his club, loved his brothers, but his little family always came first. Always.
A Touch Of Grey Page 24
