by Sam Crescent
She nodded. “I get that. Are you going to go and say hi to Sasha?”
“I heard the little tank can see now.”
“Tank? Devil, I mean it—”
“I’m not being mean. After everything she’s been through, she’s still fighting. She’s like a little tank, don’t you think?”
“There you go saying all nice words, and making me fall for you all over again.”
“That’s me.” He kissed the top of her head. “So, I was thinking after all this shit is over, and the kids are off school, we all go out. Family holiday. Hell, we’ll even take Ripper and Judi, and Paul.”
“A family holiday? Are you sure you can cope with that?”
“It’s not about coping. It’s about needing it. I need this, and I need you.”
She rested her head against his chest.
“Yes, of course yes.”
“It’ll also work for us to have Ripper and Judi. We can dump the kids on them, and I can have my way with you, that doesn’t require a PG-13 rating.”
“Shut up.” Lexie’s gaze gave her away.
She was as hot for him as he was for her.
“You can count on it.”
“Hey, Dad, did you catch the bad guys?” Simon asked.
“Showtime.”
Devil entered the hospital room, and pointed at his son. “Why are you in Tab’s bed?”
“She has bad dreams.”
“Oh, you do know that it stops when you get out of the hospital?” Devil asked.
“You sleep with Mom all the time.”
“That’s because your mom and I are married.”
“Then I’ll marry Tabitha. She’s going to be my girl, anyway. It’ll be cool.”
“Son, you’re not marrying. You’re not even ten.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Lucky for me, it doesn’t have to be fair.” For the first time in his life Devil was thankful for government rules.
“I’m sorry, Devil, the nightmares were bad. I dreamt of bullets and stuff. It was scary.”
Why did Tabitha have to be so sweet? She was Tiny’s daughter, for Christ’s sake. She should be a bitch, a horrible little brat, like Tate. No, Tiny had to have a sweet daughter.
“It’s okay, sweetie, I hope he chased the demons away.”
“He did, and he told Gavin what for as well, which was really funny.”
His son was going to get himself hurt one of these days.
Eva and Tiny came in ten minutes later, carrying a bag full of goodies. Devil watched as they handed Tabitha a bear, and then an action doll to Simon. His son was very sweet.
Kiss-ass.
Devil could see his son as a teenager right now, worming his way into Tiny and Eva’s good graces.
The doctor came into the room, and let them know that tomorrow Simon and Tabitha could be discharged. They were healthy, and providing they rested at home, they were good to leave.
Tiny and Devil followed the doctor out of the room.
“We want them to stay here,” Tiny said.
“I can’t authorize that.”
“You’ve said providing the kids rest. They’re kids, and resting at home isn’t an option,” Devil said.
They were not going to have their kids at home while the threat outside was still apparent, especially ones who needed to rest. Simon and Tabitha were injured, the others were in school, and those who weren’t didn’t have an old injury.
After convincing the doctor, he made sure that Tabitha and Simon could stay in another week.
The Skulls and Chaos Bleeds crew were slowly being discharged. Sally because of her leg, was staying in the hospital, as was Sophia, and Sasha. Murphy, Phoebe, Fighter, Alex, Sunshine, and Mia were being discharged within the next twenty-four hours. The brothers who were injured were staying at The Skulls’ clubhouse. Those that weren’t, were going on a hunting party.
“We’re going to be heading out soon,” Tiny said. “Are you coming?”
“Yeah, I’ve got to go and see Pussy and Sasha.”
“Send her my love,” Tiny said.
Lexie waved at him.
Holding his hand up, Devil made his way back toward Sasha’s ward. He left the children’s ward and made his way toward Sasha’s room. Standing at the doorway once again, he looked inside.
Just once he wanted to go an entire year without visiting a fucking hospital. The fact he could go from one end of the hospital to another without checking the signs of where he was going pissed him off.
Sasha looked toward him and frowned. Pussy, following her gaze, stood. “Devil.”
“Sorry I didn’t get the chance to be here earlier. Business to attend to.” Turning his attention to Sasha, he nodded. “Hello, Sasha.”
“Hello, Devil. It’s nice to see you.”
“I bet you wished you held out for me, don’t you?” He held his arms out giving her a little turn. “I’m hot stuff.”
She chuckled. “Nah, I like my man just fine.”
“I’m sorry for what happened.”
“I’m … not. Does that make me weird? I can see, and I’m actually happy about that. It makes me weird, doesn’t it?”
Devil held his thumb and finger together. “A little bit.”
He took a seat in the spare chair on the opposite side of her. “So, every time you hit your head you’re going to suffer like this?”
“You’d think that. I don’t know. The doctor has said I’m a unique case. I’m happy. I won’t be a liability anymore. I hated that for you, for all of you.”
Devil gritted his teeth. Seeing Sasha like this, even with her eyesight, hurt him. He liked the young woman. Hell, she’d made Pussy settle down, and anyone who could do that was a stellar woman in his book. “Sasha, it wasn’t just about the club that I said that. Your … condition, it scared me. If you couldn’t help us, what if we couldn’t help you?” he asked.
“You cared?”
“Of course I cared. You were part of my club the moment Pussy claimed you. You’ve been my concern, for a long time, Sasha.” Tears filled her eyes. Devil leaned forward and took her hand. “I care about everyone in my club. I may not show it. I may be an insufferable ass, who acts like a selfish prick, but I’m not. Every single man, woman, and child in that club belongs to me, and I make sure I protect them. No matter the cost.”
****
Lacey entered the basement of the clubhouse. Ned was visiting Sally, and Lacey was about to head on over there. First, she wanted to see how her man was doing. He tried to hide it, but she knew he got hit hard when they were defeated.
“I thought I’d find you down here,” she said.
Whizz was hard at work typing on three different keyboards. The pictures on the boards were moving faster than she had ever seen.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Nothing. I don’t want us to waste our time with nonsense. We’ve got to find him now while he’s retreating. We can’t let him get strong again. What if he has a stash of cash I don’t know about? What if he’s been storing it in a safety deposit box, or some shit like that?”
Lacey moved up behind him and stroked his neck. She had to touch him. With all the crap going on, it had been a while since they had been close. “You’re putting a lot of pressure on yourself.”
“I’m not. I’m putting the right amount of pressure. Fuck, this man killed Happy, injured our club, and Chaos Bleeds. He also took our daughter’s leg, Lacey. I’m not going to sit back, and watch him get happy. I can’t do it. We’re ending him now.”
“Sally’s going to get better.”
“Every time I look at her, I’m going to see my failing as a father.”
“How?” she asked. “How did you fail?”
“I didn’t hunt hard enough, fast enough.”
“Whizz, you’ve been at this nonstop. The only reason you’ve been able to make a breakthrough is because of Gash. You know who Andrew is. You were chasing a fucking ghost. Do not beat yourse
lf up about this. The whole of the club would tell you exactly the same thing, and you know it.”
Whizz paused, and the basement went silent. Lacey stared at the man who had proven to her that love really could conquer everything. She loved him more than anything in the world. He was her sole reason for surviving. If it wasn’t for Whizz, she wouldn’t be part of The Skulls, nor would she have two wonderful children. They were adopted, but they were there. No one else wanted them, but she and Whizz did. She had a home, a family.
Cupping his face, she forced him to look at her. “You’ve done everything, Whizz. There’s no blame here. Not from you, or anyone else. One man ordered that attack. That’s where the blame lies.”
“She’s so scared,” Whizz said. “She doesn’t want pity from anyone.”
“Sally’s strong. We’ll get through this.”
She rested her head against his.
“Love you, Lacey.”
“Of course you do. I take your code, and actually make sense of you. Who wouldn’t love me?” She tried to make a joke. “When was the last time you slept?”
“I can’t sleep right now. I’m too wired.”
“If you keep on going without any sleep, you’ll make a mistake, Whizz. Don’t make mistakes. Rest.”
“I can’t, right now.”
“You will.” Lacey kissed his lips. “I’m going to the hospital.”
“I might not be here when you get back,” he said.
“I’ll always be here, and you better come back to me.”
“I will.”
****
Death made his way toward the swings where his woman, Brianna, sat. She looked so beautiful, staring up at the sky. When he opened the gate, she turned those pretty eyes toward him.
“I thought I’d find you out here,” he said.
“It’s so peaceful. It’s hard to believe that just a few days ago, there were guns going off, and people dying, people hurting.”
He took a seat beside her, reaching out to take her hand. “With all the crazy shit going on, I haven’t come to talk to you, or to see how you were feeling.”
“I don’t know what you mean? We sleep together every night.”
“You were taken by Andrew. You’ve got the brand on your skin, the one that has been covered by ink.”
She averted her gaze, staring at the ground. “There hasn’t been a lot to say.”
“He hurt you. Is this hurting you?” he asked.
Brianna bit her lip. “It’s not hurting me. This is … I think it’s closure. He’s been part of my life for so long, even after Gonzalez, and everything. It’ll be nice to walk down the street, and not wonder if he’s there, watching, and waiting for me. Does that make sense?” she asked.
“Perfect sense.”
She shrugged. “How is Jessica?” Brianna asked. “I’m not the only one he tried to ruin.”
“She belongs to Snake. I’ll talk to him about it soon. I wanted to come and see you. See how you’re handling everything.”
“I’ll be happier when he’s dead and gone. That man has destroyed many women, and I’m tired of him being there in the recess of my mind.”
****
“What are you thinking about?” Snake asked.
Jessica was standing outside of the hospital, staring up at it. Her arm was still in a bandage. She glanced behind her and smiled. “Hey.”
“I’ve been looking for you.”
“I caught a ride here. Sorry.”
“What’s going on in that head of yours?”
“Not a lot. I’m just thinking about the unfairness of it all. You know?”
“Andrew?”
“Yeah. The brand, the pain, he’s hurt so many people, and has gotten away with it.”
“Not for much longer.”
“How do we know that?” she asked. “I should be in there helping, and I can’t because of this stupid arm.”
“Jessica, you’re injured.” He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her temple. “You’ve got to learn to rest.”
“I don’t know how to rest.” She rubbed at her temple, sighing. “I’m not used to being like this.”
Snake held her tightly against him, and she gave herself up to the pleasure of being in his arms. “You’ve been strong a long time. It’s time you let me be the strong one.”
“But I’m much better at it,” she said.
He laughed. “That you are. I prefer being a goofball.”
She leaned back and stared up at him. “I missed you last night. You didn’t stay after you came for Spider.”
“Paris is in there. She’s hurt pretty bad. The doctors have her in a medically induced coma to help her deal with the pain.” Snake kissed her shoulder. “I miss home.”
“Yeah, Fort Wills is great, but most of the time we visit, we’re either in the hospital or in the clubhouse. It would be nice to actually see what the town has to offer.”
“It would.” He kissed her cheek, and she just knew he wanted to ask her something. “Jess, baby,” he said.
“What?”
“How are you holding up?”
“I’m pissed. Not only did the son of a bitch brand me, he’s now shooting at us. Then he has the fucking audacity to come to the hospital to try to hurt us?” Jessica shook her head. “I tell you, if I ever get my hands on him. He’s going to die a very slow, a very painful death, and while it’s happening, I’m going to laugh. We should probably film it as well so we get more pleasure out of it.”
“Bloodthirsty.”
“Too damn right, I am. Fucker deserves to pay for what he’s done. His death can’t come too soon as far as I’m concerned.”
Chapter Twelve
One week after the shooting
The funeral had been a sad affair. The Skulls’ Nomad Chapter had turned up in town, and now the clubhouse was so full people were camping on the back lawn. There were several who hadn’t been able to make it. Sasha and Pussy were still in the hospital, but the good news was the doctors believed Sasha could be released in a couple of weeks. Sally was being discharged in a couple of days. Her leg needed time to heal, but she didn’t want to stay in the hospital all day. The club would be taking turns to take her to the hospital for her appointments.
Sandy stood outside with the club, drinking some beer as she listened to tales that were told by the Nomads, Adam, and Twisted.
Happy had been well loved, and he’d be missed.
Stink walked up behind her, gripping her hip. “You okay, baby?”
“Yeah, I will be. I hope so. I don’t know. After a funeral, and with the guys here, it all makes it real. Any news from Whizz?” she asked.
“Andrew is keeping a low profile.”
“What about his little sidekick? Spider mentioned he had one, as did that girl. Russell, they said.”
“It’s hard to go on one name. Whizz has run his name through several databases. A lot of names have come up, but it’s about going through each profile to try to find the right person.”
“Sounds like a cop problem.”
“Lucky for us, we have Whizz and Lacey. She can’t cook, but she seems to be able to find people. Whizz has her reading through the profiles while he monitors security footage in a twenty-mile radius of the house that went bang.”
“Why doesn’t he do it on a twenty-mile radius of the clubhouse or the hospital?” she asked.
“Why would he do that?”
“He’s after the two clubs. It would make more sense of him being close to us.”
“Andrew also needs to be secluded. His face has been posted up.”
“So we find the sidekick, and we find Andrew.”
“Needle in a haystack.”
“Yeah, his sidekick could be anyone.” She took a sip of her beer, and when there was a cheer for their fallen, she raised her bottle.
Stink did the same.
After her first one, Sandy went to juice. It wasn’t the time nor was it the place to get drunk.
M
usic started to play, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Hello, husband.”
Stink wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her close. “Hello, wife.”
“This has been a rather interesting courtship, don’t you think? she asked.
“It has certainly been long for the two of us.” He took possession of her lips.
With Stink’s arms surrounding her, all of her worries fell away. “Thank you,” she said.
“What are you thanking me for?” he asked.
“For not giving up on me. I imagine it would have been really easy to do. You waited for me, and I think that has to be the nicest thing that anyone has ever done.” He leaned forward, taking possession of her lips.
“You can count on it always.”
“Now, I know we’re honoring the dead, but I knew Happy for a while, and I know he’d be upset if we didn’t raise our drinks in another kind of toast,” Lash said.
He stood up on the wall, staring down at them all. Stink pulled her into his arms, wrapping them around her, and holding her close.
“We have all come together for something bad. Andrew. He took Happy from us, and we will make him pay. First, I want to offer up a huge congratulations to Stink and Sandy. Guys, you’ve made us wait fucking years for this moment. You deserve each other. I don’t know what took you so long, but it’s a good job that you both finally found the will to actually be with each other. Love you both.”
Sandy chuckled, accepting kisses from those closest to them.
“To Alex and Sunshine for their baby girl. We can see her right now.”
She looked behind her to see the happy couple together, with Sunshine holding the little bundle.
“Welcome to fatherhood, Alex. Trust me, you’re going to love it, and possibly hate it. I think we’re all looking forward to what the future can hold. Also, to my little baby girl, Chloe. She’s going to be spoiled rotten, I can feel it. Angel, you’re mine, and if I don’t get into heaven when I’m dead, it’s because I’m living it now.”
There was a round of applause at his speech.
“I also want to say a special call out to Sophia and Sasha. Both are strong women, and knowing we didn’t lose them, makes me a better person.”
Another round of cheers.
