I turned away and blindly started walking away from the scene that would be forever burned into my brain. I lifted a shaking hand to wipe away a stray tear, thinking I needed to let the office know I wouldn’t be in to oversee any of the ongoing work on my current cases for the day. I would be a liability in my current condition. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to focus on anything other than how things had gone so wrong with Shot.
My head jerked up as I heard a shout. It came from across the way, where Kody was standing in front of the diner.
Too late I realized she was shouting a warning.
Between one blink and the next, a man moved from between two cars parked in front of the motel and was standing directly in front of me, almost as if he’d been waiting for me to appear.
I gasped in shock at his sudden appearance and at his actual appearance. It looked like half of his face had been melted off. The right side was a mass of healing and scarred skin as if he’d recently been in a horrible fire. He honestly could’ve passed for someone wearing a Halloween mask well out of season. I’d seen some pretty bad things in my line of work, but he was enough to shock and surprise.
I lifted a hand and started to apologize for nearly bumping into him when I caught sight of the gun in his hand. A hand which was also horrifically scarred and mangled. It made me nervous the way his hand shook.
He didn’t speak. I had no idea if it was because he couldn’t or because he wouldn’t. Not that anyone would’ve been able to hear him over the screaming. It took a second to realize the sound was coming from me as he pointed the menacing-looking pistol directly at my face. If he pulled the trigger there would be no survival.
There would be nothing.
Facing an armed assailant was about the only thing that had the power to distract me from my imploding love life. My mind was suddenly racing while trying to put the pieces of what was happening together: like who he was and why he was there, and, most important, why did he have a gun pointed at me? Then I heard my name called loudly in the middle of this bizarre nightmare. I turned my head to look at Shot, because there was no ignoring the panic in his voice.
The man with the scars also took his intense focus off of me and moved the gun slightly.
A second later the disfigured man pulled the trigger and I screamed so loudly I was certain my lungs were going to pop. I swore I felt the breeze created by the bullet as it whipped past my face. The sound was absolutely deafening, but the explosion of pain I expected wasn’t nearly as severe…for a moment. I was lifting my hands to uselessly ward off what was happening when I suddenly had no control over my body. I was letting out a breath of relief that the gun that had gone off in my face hadn’t killed me, when a blaze of agony suddenly burst across my entire back, knocking me swiftly to the ground. I fell gracelessly in a heap, the metallic scent of my own blood tingling in my nose almost instantly. My cheek hit the asphalt and I knew the impact should hurt, but I didn’t feel anything. Couldn’t feel anything.
As I struggled to breathe, everything seemed too loud, too bright, too much. My vision started to waver and get blurry around the edges. I barely saw the boots of the scarred man, standing in front of me as another pair raced into the corner of my vision.
I wanted to ask for help. I wanted to push to my feet. I wanted to plug my ears because the noise happening somewhere above my head was incredibly loud. I also wanted a warm blanket because I was freezing and shivering uncontrollably. I thought I was cold when Shot opened that motel room door, but I had no idea just how cold a person could be when their life started to leak out of them.
There were more agonizingly loud pops and voices yelling over my prone form. I felt shaking hands touch my hair and stroke over my face. The touch was followed by a woman’s voice shouting my name over and over. I tried to focus on her, but my body wouldn’t obey anything I told it to do. I managed to get my eyes open for a brief second and saw Kody bent over me. She was crying and looked hysterical. Even though my mind was foggy, I wondered where Shot was. The tiny piece of my heart that wasn’t crushed still wanted him when things were going really wrong.
I wanted to look around and make sure he was okay, since it sounded like there were bullets flying everywhere. I desperately needed to know he wasn’t also lying on the asphalt, covered in blood and being sucked under by an indescribable pain the way I was.
I was so tired. And so cold. It sounded like a high-budget action movie happening around me, there were more and more gunshots. More voices screaming all kinds of obscenities and calling my name. Suddenly there were sirens. But it was too hard to keep track of it all. I hurt so badly I just wanted everything to go away.
I couldn’t keep my eyes open, no matter how hard I tried. I felt like a very heavy weight was tied around my consciousness pulling it down into a deep, dark hole. There didn’t seem to be an end to the free fall. I was sinking fast. The blackness got bigger and more vast until it eventually took me over and everything both inside and outside of me went deathly quiet and scary still.
My very last thought before I couldn’t think, or feel, or hear anything else, was that I really hoped Shot was okay.
Chapter 21
Shot
You find anyone who knew Jed Coleman made it out of that fire alive. And when you do—” I curled my hand into a fist and exhaled a deep breath “—you make them pay.” I looked at Top’s somber face and waited for him to nod in understanding. “Anyone involved in keeping the fact Jed was still alive and his whereabouts from us is going down. No exceptions.”
I was issuing death warrants for anyone who had a hand in putting Presley in the hospital.
Top nodded and dragged a hand down his face. He looked haggard, like he’d aged ten years in one day. He was tired of seeing me get shot, and I couldn’t blame him.
When I saw Presley go down it felt like time stopped.
Nothing mattered but getting to her and making sure she was still alive.
I didn’t care about Top taking out Coleman.
I hardly noticed that Ashby had exited the motel room behind me as I chased after Presley. I didn’t register she also had a weapon and was taking aim from behind me. I didn’t acknowledge that Case and Hill had jumped into the fray with weapons drawn. All I could see was Presley and the blood spreading across her back before I, too, was knocked to the ground and blacked out. I wasn’t aware I’d gotten winged by the bullet Coleman fired until after they’d loaded Presley into the back of an ambulance and rushed away from the scene.
The shootout that took place in the motel parking lot was going to leave a mark on all of Loveless for a long time. And ultimately, Top was the one who finally put an end to Jed Coleman’s quest for revenge. The protective detail I’d had on Presley had called Top the minute she showed in the parking lot of the diner. My guys knew she was supposed to be at work and out of the way while I tried to bring down her nemesis. Top and a couple of the other members had shown up seconds after Jed Coleman took his shot. I was eternally grateful he’d been aiming at me instead of Presley. I was also lucky Top had pulled the trigger before Coleman got another round off.
No one involved when the bullets started flying made it out unscathed, but some of us had wounds that were worse than others.
“You sure you’re okay to bail on your hospital stay? You don’t look so good.” Top scowled at me as I struggled to get into the clothes I’d asked him to bring me. “You were practically in a coma a couple of hours ago. You know you’ve got a severe concussion. You’re gonna fall off your bike if you try and ride up to Austin right now.”
He wasn’t wrong.
But Presley was barely clinging to life in a hospital an hour away, and that was where I needed to be. That was the only place I wanted to be. She had been life-flighted to Austin at the same time I’d been rushed to the local Loveless emergency room for treatment. Of course, I’d fought being taken in, but ultimately lost the battle when Top told me it wouldn’t help Presley any if I bled to death.
The bullet Jed fired at me had missed its intended mark. I’d turned at the sound of Ashby Grant shooting at Presley from behind me, so the bullet meant to hit me right between my eyes had winged the side of my head instead. It’d skimmed my temple and taken off the top of my ear. I was lucky, all things considered, but the impact was enough to knock me out and rattle my brain pretty significantly. The doctors were worried about my brain swelling and wanted me to stay in the hospital a few days for monitoring. Not happening. I had to be where Presley was.
It would haunt me for the rest of my days that Ashby’s aim had been so much better.
Presley had taken a bullet in the back. I didn’t know how extensive the damage was, but before I passed out I knew there was a lot of blood. Too much blood. And she hadn’t been moving. I’d been unable to get many more details, but I planned on being filled in on my way to the hospital in Austin.
My ride was due here any minute.
I put a hand on the rail of the hospital bed as the act of sitting up made the room start to spin around me. Top swore and called me a stubborn bastard just as Case Lawton appeared in the doorway of the room.
“You ready to go?” The gruff question was met with bristling hostility from my VP.
“What are you doing here?” Top’s drawl was extra heavy when he was angry.
Case gave the other man a look and inclined his chin in my direction. “Taking him up to Austin, since he can barely stand. If Presley pulls through she’s going to want to see him. If she doesn’t…” Case’s deep voice trailed off and I noticed his normally tanned complexion turned very pale. “We’ll all need to be there to say goodbye.”
I growled involuntarily at the thought of her not making it. That wasn’t a possibility I was willing to consider. She was strong. She was a fighter. She wasn’t going to leave me. I didn’t care if I had to make a deal with the devil, or if I had to start praying to the highest order. She was going to be okay, she had to be.
“Why are you taking him? All you’ve done is warn him to stay away from her.” Top turned to me. “Are you sure this isn’t some bullshit setup, Shot?” He scowled at the sheriff. “I don’t trust this guy.”
Case snorted in Top’s direction as I rubbed my forehead, which was wrapped up like a mummy’s. My head was killing me and my vision wasn’t so great. I also felt like I might throw up any second, but none of that was stopping me from getting to Presley.
“I’m taking him because I owe him. He wouldn’t have been in that motel room with that sociopath if it wasn’t for me. Presley wouldn’t have been hurt if it wasn’t for my plan. I was the one who urged him to keep quiet about what we had going on with Grant. I’m the bad guy here, not Shot. Despite how smart she is, my sister seems to be in love with him, so anything that’s going to help her turn a corner right now, I’m willing to do. If she makes it, I won’t get between her and your president again.”
Case was the one who stopped Ashby after she shot Presley.
As soon as he and Hill heard what was going down with Presley over the live feed, they’d rushed out of the room where they were monitoring things. Only bullets started flying, so Hill’s focus had been on keeping Kody safe as soon as he caught sight of her. This left Case to face off with the woman who’d tormented his family and murdered his father in cold blood.
Top told me the sheriff had handled the situation in a far more professional and rational manner than either of us would have. According to him, Case gave Ashby the opportunity to surrender. It was clear her long reign of terror was over. There was nowhere else for her to run, and no one left for her to harm. Instead of surrendering quietly, she’d taken aim at Case, leaving him no choice but to take her out. Top had noticed the movement of her gun at the same time the sheriff had and also got a shot off. Case’s shot wasn’t lethal. My VP’s was.
It was all over…except Presley’s life was still hanging in the balance.
“Let’s go.” I wasn’t sure how much longer I was going to be able to remain upright, and all the energy I had I would need to reserve for begging Presley to forgive me once I knew she was going to be okay.
Top frowned and turned so he could point a finger at Case. “If you let something happen to him on your watch, you’ll have the entire club ready to rip you and your town apart, Sheriff.”
Case made a sound that was somewhere between a growl and a grunt. “Anyone ever tell you threatening a law enforcement officer isn’t a good idea?”
Top smirked. “All the time.” He switched his gaze back to mine and gave a curt nod, letting me know he would handle business while I waited to hear if the woman who had my heart was going to break it or take it with her. “When you get back, shit will be taken care of. Do what you need to do the next few days and don’t worry about the club.”
I nodded and the room immediately started to spin. I needed to hear those words before I followed Case out of the hospital. I needed the assurance that something would go the way it was supposed to, because nothing else had.
I needed to brace myself against the wall, then reluctantly hold on to Case once we left the hospital. My steps were unsteady, and my head felt like it was going to split into two. The nausea was growing and I ached all over. I’d definitely seen better days, but at least I was awake and aware. I wouldn’t complain about any of the discomforts until I knew Presley was going to pull through and see another day.
“Tell me how she’s really doing.” I wanted the order to be impossible for the other man to ignore, but even I could hear how weak and wobbly my voice sounded.
Case sighed and reached up to pull his Stetson off. He threw the hat toward the back of his county-issued SUV and turned to look at me with tired eyes. He looked as haggard as I felt.
“Not good. Believe it or not, you guys are going to have matching scars. The same bullet that hit you when Coleman fired, skimmed the side of her head in an almost identical spot as yours. But, for her, that’s the most minor of injuries sustained. The bullet Grant fired lacerated one of her kidneys and nicked her liver. She lost a ton of blood and went into shock. She was in surgery for hours and barely pulled through.” He swore quietly and curled his fingers around the steering wheel, clenching it so tightly that his knuckles turned white. “We were all pretty optimistic that a corner was turned, but then her surgeon told us that her remaining kidney is showing early signs of chronic kidney disease. Not totally unexpected considering what her mother went through, but it means she needs a transplant. The sooner the better.”
“Jesus.” The throbbing in my head intensified and my rolling stomach lurched dangerously. I closed my eyes and rubbed my chest where I swore I could feel my heart shattering into a million painful pieces. “She can’t catch a break, can she?”
Case grunted his agreement. “The entire family got tested to see if any of us are a match. Well, all of us except Kody.” He made a sound. “Did you know that she’s pregnant?”
I shook my head and felt my expression shift to slightly shocked.
“You can’t be a donor if you’re expecting. I thought she was going to faint when she had to explain to us why she couldn’t get tested. It sucks that such happy news had to come out during a life-or-death situation. Hill didn’t look happy about the timing at all. I’m sure they wanted to share that with the family on their own time in their own way, but it is what it is. One of us who did get tested will gladly donate if at all possible. Since we’re all only half siblings the probability of being a match is less likely. I left to come and get you before we got the results back, and I haven’t heard from anyone, so they must still be waiting.”
“What if one of you isn’t a match? What happens then?”
Case shook his head, steely eyes locked on the road ahead of us. “We look for a donor outside of the family. We look until we find someone who can save her.”
“And if that fails, she goes on the national waitlist and probably loses her life before a donor becomes available.” I bitterly bit out the
worst-case scenario. I wasn’t going to let that happen. “The Sons of Sorrow have chapters all over the U.S. There are thousands and thousands of members. If I need to go to my old man and force him to make every single patched-in member get tested for a match, I’ll do it.” It was honestly the least my old man could do for me.
Case blew out a breath. “Hopefully it won’t come to that. The sooner we have a solution, the better. She’s hanging in there, but just barely.”
I put a hand on my stomach and closed my eyes so I could rest my bandaged head against the window.
“Case, how did you stop yourself from putting a bullet right between that woman’s eyes? After everything she’s put the people you love through, how did you restrain yourself?” I was honestly curious. How could anyone have that much integrity? That much self-control.
He chuckled but it wasn’t a happy, joyous sound. “Do you think I didn’t want to kill her? That’s all I wanted to do. But my job isn’t about revenge, it’s about justice. I wanted her to have to answer for everything she did. I wanted the world to see who she really was. I wanted my sister’s name cleared and justice for her mother.”
“That is one major way we are very different, Sheriff. I just wanted her gone.”
Another painful-sounding laugh came from the driver’s seat.
“We aren’t as different as you’d like to believe, Palmer.” I winced at his use of my real name. “You were alone with Grant several times. I know what you’re capable of. She could’ve gone missing, never to be seen again, despite all the work we put into drawing her out into the open. You knew it was important for Presley to clear her name. You knew she needed closure on her mother’s murder. You were willing to give her that, instead of just taking Grant out. That’s what justice ultimately looks like.”
Blacklisted Page 22
