by E. C. Land
“You need to get some rest before you’re so fuckin’ exhausted that you pass out and we’ll have to haul your ass out of here,” Badger grunts.
Inwardly shaking my head, I blow out a breath and run my hands through my hair as I lean back in my chair. “I know, but I’m not leaving her,” I say.
“What if Badger and I stay here with her while you run to the clubhouse and grab something to eat along with a shower. Might be good to go ahead and grab a bag of clothes for Ally as well. Maybe somethings she feels comfort having near her,” Jordan suggests. Glancing over at Jordan, I see the look of determination. She’s not gonna take no for an answer.
“Fine,” I say, hefting myself up out of the chair. “If she wakes up or something happens, call me. I’ll be back in an hour.”
“Brother, you take as much time as you need. I believe you have some business to take care of in the shed,” Badger says quietly.
“Oh, I know I do, and I intend to take care of it, but I figured I’d wait until Ally was out of here,” I say harsher than I meant to.
“Umm, not to get in the middle of club business, but in my opinion, I’d say get it over with before Ally comes home. Maybe even before she wakes back up. That way, one, she doesn’t have to fear anything, like say, for instance, douche canoe escaping by chance. Or her nightmares come back full force,” Jordan murmurs. For a woman who never used to speak around us, she’s changed. Now, instead of shrinking away from all of us, Jordan speaks her mind.
“You know what, you’re right,” I say, nodding my head a minute later. Ally would breathe better, knowing the man who tortured her most of her life was completely out of the picture. “You swear you’ll call if she wakes up,” I ask.
“Promise I’ll call you the moment she begins to stir,” Jordan says as she steps away from Badger and moves to my side of the bed. “Now go because you really stink and no one should be subjected to your unwillingness to take a shower.”
“I don’t stink,” I mutter in protest as I allow Jordan to push me toward the door.
“Badger, you should go too,” Jordan says softly just as I get to the door.
“No, Honey, I’m not leaving. I failed to protect my brother’s ol’ lady once, I won’t do it a second time,” he says. You couldn’t miss the pain in his voice at feeling like a failure.
“You didn’t fail her, brother. Ally would never think you did either,” I tell him as I turn to face him. “Besides, I think I can agree with Jordan you should be coming with. You were there and deserve to have your piece in this as well. No one can hurt Ally again,” I state the truth. Ally will never be harmed again in any way.
I may be pissed at her for putting herself in this position, but at the same time, I commend my woman for having the strength to try what she did.
Badger seems torn before making up his mind. I know he probably feels just as bad as I do for not protecting Ally. I get it, I do, but what I also get is my Firefly would be pissed if she knew just how much he was beating himself up.
“Alright.” He finally relents and nods his head. “Let’s go.”
Nodding my head at Badger in agreement, I turn back toward the door and step through without looking back at Ally. If I did, I wouldn’t be able to leave to handle this. But as hard as it is seeing her in that bed, I’ll be making sure Casimir feels every bit of the pain he’s caused my Firefly. It’s why I asked Dragon and Gadget to grab all the items the asshole used on her.
He wasn’t getting out of having a taste of his own medicine. Not by a long shot.
Exiting the hospital, I instantly spot all my brothers, including Hades and Thorn, sitting on their bikes.
“What the fuck?” I mutter when I’m close enough for them to hear me.
“You didn’t think we wouldn’t be there, did you?” Hades asks, a murderous smile crossing his face.
“Didn’t think you’d want to leave your newborn and ol’ lady,” I grumble as I straddle my bike.
“Well, Emerson would have my balls if I didn’t leave,” he chuckles. “She wants blood the same as the rest of us. Her message to you is to make it hurt.”
“Not to worry, I intend to make him feel every ounce of pain he’s put Ally through,” I growl, gripping the handlebars tighter than needed.
“Just a heads-up, Hammer, Malice, and Axe are already at the clubhouse,” Twister says before starting his bike, cutting off any response I would have given.
“Great, let’s hope they didn’t get the party started before we get there,” Hades says as I nod in agreement. Those three alone are some of the most ruthless men in the club. They have one rule they live by— you don’t fuck with their family. Hammer’s waited years for this and deserves to reap what he wants, which he will.
Shaking my head, I bring my girl to life and follow the rest of my brothers out of the hospital parking lot. It’s time for Casimir to meet the devil he seems to believe he can speak with, the very same one who will make him burn.
And I’ll be the one to send him straight to Hell after each and every one of my brothers have their turn bringing him pain.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Burner
Soon as I pull into the lot at the clubhouse, the first thing I notice is not only are Hammer and his guys here, but Stoney is as well.
Damn, guess the shed’s gonna be crowded wall to wall as we take care of this asshole.
Coming to a stop in front of the clubhouse, I flip the kickstand down and lean my bike on it as I shut off the engine and climb off. “What’s the plan?” I ask Twister as we all head for the shed.
“This is your rodeo, brother. We’re all here to show our support in this,” Twister says as he nods toward all our brothers from both Hammer and Stoney’s charters.
Nodding, I make my way over to Hammer and hold my hand out to him. When he takes it, he draws me in for a hug, patting me on the back. “I couldn’t ask for a better man for my niece. Take care of this fucker, then take care of Ally the way she deserves,” he mutters.
“I intend to give Ally the life she’s always deserved,” I state as I pull out of his embrace. “You ready to do this?”
“Fuck, yeah, I am,” Hammer growls.
Mutters of agreement surround us as I grin. “Then let’s do this,” I say before entering the shed to find Casimir already looking bruised more than I’d left him when I’d beat him unconscious the day before.
“Looks like the party started without me,” I grumble.
“Sorry, brother, we couldn’t let him not get his ass beat more than what you gave him,” Hammer chuckles.
“Fine with me. Doesn’t interfere with what I intended,” I say, shrugging my shoulders and looking from the man with his arms stretched above his head and strapped to the chain in the middle of the room to Dragon. “Did you grab the things I asked you to?”
“Yep, they’re right behind Stoney and Tracker at the workbench,” Dragon rasps, nodding toward the area where he’d placed the items.
“Good. Tracker, would you mind handing me the wooden box? Watch out for the lever,” I say, warning him so he doesn’t raise the nails from the center and stab himself.
“Yeah, here ya go,” he says questioningly as he grabs the box.
“Thanks,” I say, taking it from him. Turning to Casimir, I walk over and place the box right in front of his feet. “Stand on the box,” I command.
“You think I will listen to you, you filth? I only take orders from one person, the Dark Lord, and you are not him,” Casimir spits.
“The Dark Lord, you think he will save you?” I chuckle before looking toward Hades. “Lift up on the chains some.”
Nodding, Hades moves to the chain levy, stretching his arms even more as he lifts him up a good foot off the floor, so I’m able to slide the box underneath him. Once the box is in place, Hades lowers him enough for his feet to touch but keeps Casimir’s arms stretched tight.
Without looking up at Casimir’s face, I focus on the box as I lift the lever u
ntil the nails are completely extended out.
“Holy shit.”
“Fuck that.”
“Damn.”
Curses fill the room as several of my brothers grumble at how the nails are biting into this asshole’s feet.
Standing to my full height, I face Casimir. “How does it feel to have nails piercing the bottom of your feet?” I ask.
“Doesn’t bother me,” Casimir says, gritting his teeth.
“Really, how about this then?” I say as I reach behind Stoney and grab the sledgehammer. Stepping back in front of Casi-boy, I kneel down and slam the hammer down on his feet, impaling both of them on the nail box. Casimir’s screams are music to my ears.
“You know how many times I’ve had to hear Ally cry out in the middle of the night from her nightmares? Or how long it took to get her to even begin crawling out of the shell she surrounded herself with? I’d love nothing more than to keep you alive so you can feel every ounce of the misery you dealt to my woman,” I growl.
“Ally will never be yours. She is a Chosen, and I own her. You will never be able to have what belongs to me. When I am free, I will come for her. I’ll never let her go,” Casimir bellows.
“Free? You really think you will be walking out of here alive? Think again, fuckface. This is your judgment day, and you’ve been sentenced to die,” I say, turning away from him. Glancing around the room, I find Hammer glowering at Casimir. “Hammer, you wanna put the neck cuff on Casi-boy? I think he needs to not be able to speak again. He seems to cry like a little bitch when you hit him.”
“Yeah, someone needs to shut him up before I end him due to the shit coming out of his mouth,” he growls as he walks over to the table and grabs the same device that hurt my woman to the point she can’t talk right now.
When the contraption is secure around his neck, I give the sledgehammer over to Hammer and let him have some fun. He does just as he’s named for, swinging the tool and slamming it into both of Casimir’s kneecaps, shattering them.
After Hammer is finished, he tosses the sledgehammer on the ground. “You took my family from me, my brother, his wife, and stole my niece. You’re gonna burn in Hell for eternity for what you did,” he snaps.
As Hammer walks back to where he’d been standing, I head over to the workbench and grab the cat-o-nine tails looking whip with spikes on the end. With the whip in hand, I move to face Casimir’s back. “Badger, did Ally scream when fuckface here was whipping her?” I ask.
“She wasn’t able to due to the neck cuff around her throat, but I saw the tears welling in her eyes and the clenching in her jaw to stop herself from making a sound,” Badger snarls.
“Then give him what he gave her,” I say, holding the handle of the whip out for Badger to grab.
“This should be you doing it,” Badger mutters.
“You’re the one who was there with Ally when he did this to her and was forced to watch as he tortured her. Your own wrists are bandaged from where you tried to free yourself to get to her. Take the handle and give this fucker what he deserves,” I state.
A minute later, Badger grabs the handle. Stepping back, I give him enough space to do what he needs to do.
Badger snaps the whip against the floor before letting it sail through the air to hit his back. “How does it feel, douche bag? You think it’s okay to beat on women or those smaller than you,” he roars through each snap of the whip. “I hope you rot in Hell, motherfucker,” he mutters as he throws the whip to the ground.
The room is submerged in silence except for Casimir’s groans as I look at each one of my brothers. “This man doesn’t deserve to live, but he also doesn’t deserve a quick death. I say we do what we did with his buddy Booker. Pull out your knives, brothers. Each of us should have a turn at giving this piece of shit pain,” I say as I reach over to the table and grab the knife Casimir left in Ally’s leg.
One by one, each of my brothers steps forward and takes their turn stabbing the man as he groans. I know I’ll be the one to finally end him and I know exactly how I intend to do it. Lifting my hands up, I grip the neck cuff with one hand and the blade with the other. Putting the tip of the knife under the cuff, I slice the thing in half. I want to hear his final screams as I end him.
When the last of my brothers has his turn, Casimir is barely conscious due to blood loss. I don’t care as long as he sees who is going to finish him. I walk around him once more until I’m facing him. Lifting a hand, I grip his hair. “You didn’t just hurt my woman, you killed one of our prospects,” I mutter as I bring the blade up to the side of his neck. “Time to meet your Dark Lord.” With my final words to the asshole, I send the knife straight through using all my strength, severing his head completely from his body.
“I think I’m gonna be sick,” someone behind me mutters as I step back from the headless body.
“You goin’ to drop that head anytime soon,” Hades asks.
Glancing down, I take a look at the head I’m holding, then toss it at the body. It lands with a thud at its feet.
“I’m gonna go grab a shower and then I’m heading back up to the hospital,” I state.
“You think that’s a good idea?” Twister asks.
“Yeah, Prez, I do. It's way past time we get to enjoy our lives without looking over our shoulders, and right now, my life is in the hospital, so that’s where I need to be,” I say before turning and leaving the shed. I hope we don’t have any more problems to deal with that involve death for a long fuckin’ time.
I simply want to enjoy the rest of my life with my family, the ones who’ve always been in it along with the ones who have recently joined it, like my newfound grandmother, Jackie.
That’s all I want. It's what I deserve.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Ally
“Can you please get me the hell out of here? I want to go outside and sit in the sun,” I whisper gravelly, my voice still healing from the damage it suffered two weeks ago. It hurts to talk any louder, but I can at least use my voice now.
“Firefly, you’re still not able to put pressure on your feet, but if you want to go outside, I’ll gladly carry you out there. Besides, I’d come in here to get you. The girls have a surprise for you,” Burner says with a smile on his face.
“I don’t care if you have to carry me to the moon and back, just get me out of this room,” I demand as I sit up in the bed.
“Eager much?” He chuckles as he walks over to me and lifts me gently into his arms. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I take some of the pressure off my back. Although the cuts are healing, they’re still there and hurt if I push against them.
“Not eager, just ready to feel the sun on my face,” I say.
“Well, let’s get you out there.” With a huge grin on his face, Burner carries me out of the room and to the back yard. The smell of the grill going hits my nose before Burner has me completely through the door.
“Surprise!” all the women yell at once.
“Wh-What is this all about?” I ask in confusion as Burner sits me down in a chair.
“We wanted to do something special for you,” Kenny says first.
“Exactly and we all have gifts for you,” Connors says excitedly as she holds out an envelope to me.
“Umm, thank you, but you didn’t have to,” I whisper.
“I know we didn’t, but it’s what we wanted to do. Now, open this before you open any other gifts,” Connors orders.
“Okay.” Shaking my head, I open the envelope and pull the piece of paper out. At the top is the name of the hospital I’d been in. “I don’t know what I’m looking at,” I say, looking up to Connors.
“Well, I do, and this paper here shows proof that your HCG levels are high, meaning you’re pregnant,” she says in her matter-of-fact doctor voice she uses when talking to patients.
“Whoa, hold on, are you saying Ally’s pregnant?” Burner asks in shock.
“Yep, and I’ve already scheduled you guys for an appointmen
t with Dr. Taylors for later this week. The appointment is written on this paper. Congratulations,” she says as she leans in to hug both of us.
“Damn, the next generation just keeps on growing,” Twister states as he wraps his arms around Izzy.
“And it’s gonna keep growing,” Izzy says with a grin.
“Are you pregnant again?” Kenny shouts.
“Geez, what’s up with you and the shouting? Keep it down before you burst someone's eardrum. But to answer your question, yes, I am,” Izzy declares.
“Holy mother, what the hell is in the water?” Kenny mutters. “Horse, I swear to God, you are getting snipped before you knock me up again.”
“Yeah, whatever you say, sweet girl,” Horse laughs, pulling her into his arms.
As everything around us seems to settle down some, I was able to let it sink in that Burner and I are having a baby. Glancing toward his direction, I find him staring back at me with a grin on his face. “I take it you like the idea of me being pregnant?” I ask.
“Fuck yeah, Firefly,” he says before kneeling next to me. “I’d wanted to make this special, but damn Connors had to go and top me on this one. But here goes nothing. Allison Marie Bryce, I love you. When you came into my world, I didn’t think I’d love anyone again, then you went and wormed your way in, claiming my heart as yours. Will you marry me?” he asks as he slides a ring on my finger.
Speechless, I can’t do anything besides nod my head vigorously as I launch myself into his arms.
Chuckling, he wraps his arms around me. “I take that as a yes.”
“Yes, a million times, yes,” I say before kissing him with everything I have.
Life couldn’t get any better than it is right now.
