by E. C. Land
“Grab that fucker and bring him in here,” I hear Twister order as I glance around the room. She has to be here somewhere.
As I step back toward my Prez, I notice a large floor-to-ceiling piece of art that isn’t exactly flush against the wall. My gut tells me there’s something behind it.
Reaching for the thing, I pull on it to find it’s actually a door. Well, I’ll be damned. Opening it all the way, I step through only to come to a halt. In the room is my ol’ lady hanging unconscious from a chain.
“Get Dragon. I’m gonna need his help,” I call out over my shoulder as I rush toward her.
Lifting her face, I notice how pale she is. I don’t even want to think about the state of her body right now. I saw all the blood coating her.
“Holy shit,” Ricochet says, moving toward us.
“Hurry up and help me. I need to get her down,” I grumble.
“Hades, you hold her up while I release the cuffs holding her wrists.” I already have her in my arms before he finishes speaking.
“Brother, give her to me for a moment,” Dragon orders.
“Not happenin’,” I snap.
“Hades, I know you don’t want to let her go, but do you want everyone to see her naked body?” Dragon rasps calmly.
Fuck, no, I don’t want that. Glancing down at Emerson, I take a deep breath and hand her to Dragon long enough to slip my cut off. Taking my hoodie off, I slip it over her head, then put my cut back on. Dragon immediately hands my ol’ lady back to me.
“She needs medical assistance ASAP. There’s no way she’ll make it back home to see Doc,” Dragon informs me.
“Then let’s get going,” I say, heading toward the entrance to the room, not wanting to ever look at the place again. If I’m not mistaken, I spotted a wall of terrariums.
“Let’s blow this bitch up,” I call out as I pass by my brothers, making my way toward my truck.
As I get to the truck, Hammer is there waiting. “Climb in. I’ll have them put my bike in the back of the van,” he states.
Nodding, I do as he orders, grateful to not have to let Emerson go.
“I’ve got you, Precious. It’s time to let the pain heal,” I murmur against her forehead.
Hammer gets in behind the wheel and punches it. It’s time for both of us to no longer suffer through this pain. We’ve both been through so much. She’s the key to holding the devil at bay. The one who holds my heart in her hands along with my soul. She is my queen, who I need by my side.
34
Emerson
“Precious, you’ve gotta wake up for me, baby. I need you. Please wake up.” Hades’ voice seems strange. Why does he sound so sad? I’m right here. I want to scream out, but for some reason, I’m still stuck in the dark, my eyelids too heavy to lift.
I end up drifting off again. This time when I hear a voice, it’s my sister’s telling me it’s all gonna be okay. That it’s her turn to be there for me like she should have been all along. We’re supposed to be a team, and her words turn into sobs as she says how she’s failed on her end.
But she hasn’t. She had her own problems to deal with. It’s not her fault that our storms started to brew around the same time. I love my sister, and it’s not her job to look after me. It’s the other way around. What are big sisters for? We protect our families and those closest to us.
I want nothing more than to open my eyes and soothe her, but again my eyelids are so heavy they won’t open. I’m getting sick of not being able to wake up.
I need them to know I’m okay, so they will all stop crying. I can’t handle them all being this emotional. Drifting back to sleep, I swear to myself that I’m going to open my eyes the next time I begin to come to. I don’t like being stuck in my head. It’s too damn quiet. I need my chaotic family surrounding me, my best friend annoying all those around us.
Oh no, I almost forgot. Nora. I hope she’s okay. I need to wake up. God, this freaking sucks.
“You gotta wake up, Emmy. That man of yours is going out of his mind without you. Shit, Em, you know why I claimed you as my little sister? Because I saw something in you I thought needed protecting. Like a big brother should do. You put up a front for most people, but when it comes down to it, there’s a piece of you so vulnerable that I wanted to protect it. Within days, you wormed your way into my heart, and I didn’t want to let you go. I love you, Em. Now wake the hell up.” Ricochet’s words fill my ears and damn it, I’m sure he really didn’t want me to hear him. I smile to myself, knowing I’ll take his words with me as I fall back into a lighter sleep.
I just know the next time I wake up, I’ll be able to open my eyes.
“Come on, baby. It’s time to wake up. It’s been three weeks, and I can’t take it anymore. I need you with me and not in this place. Seeing you in this bed is killing me.” Hades’ voice draws me back to the surface.
This time, I’m determined to reassure Hades I’m okay. Slowly, I open my eyes the slightest bit only to have to close them again due to the brightness of the room.
“Precious?” Hades asks. He must’ve seen the movement of my eyes because I hear the scraping of a chair and feel him hovering over me.
Blinking my eyes open again, I flinch at the brightness of the room, but I’m able to keep them open. The first thing I focus on are the most beautiful set of eyes I’ve ever seen. Giving Hades a weak smile, I lift a hand up to touch his cheek. “Hi,” I croak more than say due to my mouth being dry.
“Hey, baby. Drink this,” Hades rasps as he brings a straw to my mouth.
I never thought water could taste so good.
“Easy, babe. Don’t drink too fast,” Hades says, stopping me from gulping down the entire cup of water. Pulling the straw away from my mouth, he puts the cup down before bringing both hands to my cheeks. “You have no fuckin’ clue how good it is to see them gorgeous green eyes of yours.”
“I think I can guess,” I whisper, leaning into one of his hands.
“I’m never letting you out of my sight again,” he mutters.
“What happened? How did you find me? Oh God, please tell me that monster is dead.” Panic starts to surround me. The fear of being taken. Of Booker doing even more than what he has or worse, finishing what he started before he’d been interrupted.
“Baby, calm down. It’s over. There’s nothing to get worked up over. I’ve got you. Fuck, the entire club’s got you. Even the Iron Vex. No one, and I mean no one, will ever come near you again. Whoever tries will end up with a bullet in their heads. Got me?” Hades says, his firm voice calming me. I take deep breaths, my heart still racing from the beginning of a panic attack.
Unable to speak, I simply nod my head in agreement. “Good girl,” Hades murmurs. “Now, I, unfortunately, have to let the nurses and everyone else know you’re awake.”
I know he’s right, but damn, I don’t want to. I want nothing more than to stay in a bubble, just the two of us, where no one can cause either of us pain.
As Hades sits back in his chair, he scoots in as close to the bed as he can. Lifting a hand toward the side of the bed, he presses the call button. When someone answers, he informs them I’m awake. Not even a minute goes by before the door opens and an older woman walks in.
“Well, you finally decided to join the living again,” she says, giving me a bright smile.
“I guess so. You know, it gets kinda boring being stuck in your own head,” I retort.
“I would suppose so.” The nurse chuckles. “Now, my name is Beth and I’ve been one of your nurses for the past three weeks. Can you tell me how you’re feeling?” Beth asks.
“Umm, honestly, I feel like I’ve been hit by a Mack truck. My entire body is sore,” I tell her.
“Considering the way you came in here, I imagine so. I’ve paged your doctor to let her know you're awake. I’m sure she’ll be here any minute. I’ll tell ya, I wish we had more doctors like her around here.”
“Wait, what? Who are you talking about?” I ask, interrupting her.
<
br /> “Your sister, Dr. Connors. She’s absolutely amazing. I swear the moment she came barging in here demanding she sees to your care, then even started helping the staff where needed. She’s a godsend, I tell you.” Beth goes on praising my sister. I can’t help but smile at my pride for being able to call Steph my sister. She does have one beautiful heart.
“That’s my sister for you,” I say proudly as soon as she finishes talking.
Before Beth finishes taking my vitals, the door to my room flies open, and my sister runs in with her men and Ricochet right behind her.
“Emmy, thank God, you're finally awake,” Steph cries as she squeezes past Beth to get to me.
You’d think the nurse would have been annoyed by being pushed out of the way, but the woman merely chuckled as she stepped out of the room to give us all some time.
“I figured you could hold down the fort while I took a long deserving nap,” I say, attempting to lighten the mood.
“Not funny,” Hades grumbles.
“I agree, definitely not funny, Emmy,” Steph mutters as she steps back. “We’ll get to the family bonding in just a minute. First, let me make sure you’re really okay.” Nodding, I humor her by answering her questions and letting her shine a light in my eyes. She then asks if I can feel her touching my toes. By the time she’s done, I’m exhausted and merely want to eat and sleep.
“Can you get me something to eat?” I ask, glancing over at Hades.
“Emerson, you can’t have anything solid right now,” Steph says before Hades can answer.
“What about Chick-fil-A’s chicken noodle soup?” Hades speaks up.
“As long as she only drinks the broth out of it, then I don’t see a problem with it,” Steph mutters. I know she’d prefer I not, but dammit, I hate hospital food.
“How about you go get it? You can ask them to fill the bowl up with only the broth. I refuse to eat hospital food. It really sucks,” I mutter as my eyes start to grow heavy again.
“Why don’t you all go grab something to bring back for all of us?” Hades suggests.
“Yeah, we can do that. Emmy, you rest, and we’ll be back with food for you both,” Steph says, moving to Dragon and Gadget. They both embrace her while nodding in my direction.
“Glad you’re okay, Em,” Ricochet states as he moves in to give me a hug. “You sure have been missed.”
“Missed you too, Ricochet. I couldn’t ask for a better big brother, blood or not. You claimed me as your little sister. Now, I’m claiming you. Get used to receiving annoying text messages at random times.” I smile as he pulls back, giving me one of his panty-dropping smiles.
“Wouldn’t expect any less from you.” Ricochet laughs. “Get some rest. I’ll come back in a little while.”
Nodding, I watch him walk out the door before turning my gaze to Hades. “Lay with me?” I ask.
“Anything for you, Precious,” Hades says as he climbs up on the bed, drawing me into his arms.
“I missed you,” I whisper, placing a kiss to his chest.
“Missed you more than you’ll ever know. Now rest. I’ve got you,” he tells me.
The brush of his lips against the top of my head is the last thing I feel as I drift off to sleep.
35
Hades
Over the past three weeks, I thought I’d go insane waiting for Emerson to wake up. When we first brought her in, my brothers had to forcibly drag me away from her so the staff could help her.
As I paced the length of the waiting room, I never wanted to rip someone’s heart out as much as I wanted to with Booker. The moment the doctor came out to speak to us, I knew that his death would not be easy.
Emerson’s entire back had to be stitched up due to the severity of the lacerations. Her stomach had to be cleaned and stitched in several places, and they’d administered antivenom after finding a snake bite on her leg.
I don’t know how she survived all that she endured, and I swear on all that I have, I’ll be sure Booker meets a slow-burning death. I won’t stop until his bones are ash. However, it will have to wait until I get my woman home safe and sound.
When Emerson finally opened her eyes, I felt like I could breathe again. She’s my soul, air, all of it.
Now laying on this uncomfortable as fuck hospital bed, holding Emerson in my arms while she rests, I begin to make plans. Plans for our future together. One with her wearing my ring, ink, and name. I want it all with her. I know it will take time for her body to heal, and she will probably be severely scarred.
I’m not even sure she’d be able to get a tattoo on her back. Maybe Burner will be able to figure something out. He’s a genius when it comes to the art of tattooing.
I glance down at Emerson’s face as she begins to stir in my arms. “I love you, Precious,” I whisper against the top of her head while running my fingertips along her side. It’s the only area I dare to attempt to touch without her telling me it’s okay. Granted, I saw them take out the stitches in her back and stomach, but they’re not a hundred percent healed. As it heals, it will be tender to the touch. Even after, it will probably still be sensitive.
“Hades, please. Hades, don’t let him get me. I don’t want him to finish what he started,” Emerson cries in her sleep.
“Shh, baby, I got you. No one will get you,” I rasp, my throat clogged with emotion. I continue to talk quietly, using a soothing tone as she drifts back into a peaceful sleep.
What the fuck did that asshole do to her?
I’m not sure I want to know.
Booker’s going to be sentenced to a life of pain, and I have the perfect thing planned for him. I use my free hand to send a group message to the club. Rage had taken Booker with him, Thorn and Burner not wanting to be away from Cleo for too long. I don’t blame them. She’s getting closer to her due date.
Me: It’s time to begin. Treat him as if he were Prometheus.
Rage: Let the eagle eat his liver.
Horse: You two and your fucking mythology.
Twister: I’ll get the chains. Fuck, I love that story.
Dragon: There’s no rocks near but plenty of trees to use in their place.
Horse: Y’all are sick.
Dragon: Not when the titan deserves it.
Me: Only sick part was when he took my fire.
Rage: Dude, you’re not Zeus. And by the way, he stole the fire to give it to the mortal race.
Me: Don’t give a damn. I’m the lord of the underworld. I’ll be whoever I wanna be. As for the stolen fire, he should have asked instead of stealing, then he wouldn’t have been punished for one of his many pranks against the god of all gods.
Rage: True, but he was just helping us mere mortals.
Thorn: What the fuck are y’all talking about?
Burner: Have you all been smokin’ that purple shit again? If so, give me some.
Me: The only one who will be smokin’ is the one that did me wrong.
Burner: Ahh, okay, I’m on board now. You and Rage with your damn mythology shit. Fuck, get a life.
Thorn: Agreed. By the way, Lynsdey and Ally may or may not have decided to find their way into the shed and took turns hitting him with hammers.
Burner: That’s it, I'm done. None of the women around here seem to get the fact they aren’t supposed to get involved with club business.
I have to bite back the chuckle to keep from laughing as I turn my phone to silent, not wanting to constantly feel it vibrate in my pocket. Knowing my brothers, they will continue their banter.
Leaning my head back, I keep up with running my hand along Emerson’s side. Right now, she’s the only thing that matters. I’ll let Booker enjoy being treated as if he were Prometheus, at least until I get to town. Maybe he’ll realize the error of his ways.
Closing my eyes, I try to relax, but Emerson’s whimpers keep me awake. It kills me that she’s fighting the demons in her head right now. I wish I could do more to help her.
A soft knock on the door pulls me out of my
head. Beth, Emerson’s nurse, walks in. She smiles as she sees me in the bed, holding my woman.
“Now, how did I know I’d eventually find you on that bed holding her?” Beth laughs while moving to the opposite side to check Emerson’s IV.
“At least I waited until she woke up,” I retort, giving her a smirk.
“That you did. I should be telling you to get up, it’s not big enough for the both of you, but I know you wouldn’t listen,” she says.
“What can I say, I’ve never been one for rules.” Chuckling, I glance down to make sure Emerson is still sleeping.
“I believe it,” she says soberingly.
Neither of us says anything as she finishes checking Emerson’s vitals. “You know, within a tragedy, great things can happen. People can choose to release the pain or grab hold of it. I’m sure, without a doubt, your girl there will release all the pain and grab life by the balls. This hurdle may seem big, but I promise you this. As long as you have each other, nothing will be too big,” she says, nodding her head between the two of us.
“Thank you,” Emerson whispers before I have a chance to open my mouth.
“Precious, we didn’t mean to wake you,” I murmur against the top of her head.
“I’ll leave you to it. Vitals are looking good. I’m sure you’ll be able to head home in a day or so. Considering your doctor would be going with you,” Beth states as she heads for the door.
“Baby?” I ask, lifting her chin up so that I can see her face better.
“I was just waking up when Beth came in,” she says quietly.
“You wanna talk about it?” I ask her cautiously, all the while keeping my face blank. Not wanting her to see or even feel the rage that’s been brewing inside me for almost a month.
Sighing, Emerson looks away from me. At first, I thought she wasn’t gonna open up, but she proves me wrong. While the words spill out of her mouth, I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from going after Booker now. By the time she finishes, I’m ready to explode. If we’d been minutes later, Emerson would have been hurt much worse than she already was. As it stands, we stopped the asshole from raping her.
