Bound by Ravage

by Ryan Michele

  “You want to get paid, you’ll do what I say!” Aunt CB pulls out a gun—my gun—and points it at Lance. Her hand is steady and knowing.

  Alright, shit’s getting real. Maybe CB isn’t as stupid as I thought, but she damn sure is crazy.

  “Stick your foot in, release the brake, and put it in neutral. Now!” Aunt CB yells at Lance.

  He holds his hands up, fear in his eyes. What a pussy.

  When he reaches in, I slam my head into his, using all my might, causing his head to hit the wheel. He cries out in pain, moving out of the car and holding his nose as blood gushes out of it.

  I prepare for the strike to my face, and he doesn’t disappoint, but this time, it’s two, his hand slipping on the second one from all the blood.

  “You fucking bitch!” he roars.

  Aunt CB puts the gun to Lance’s head. “Do it,” she orders.

  I prepare myself to strike him again.

  I pull at my feet, realizing they are taped to underneath the seat. If I remember right, this car has a lever with a side opening to it. If I could wiggle my legs out, I could get free.

  “Go on the other side, you idiot!” Aunt CB yells, and Lance listens. “I’ll push down the brake; you do the shifting. I don’t know why I picked such a moron.”

  “Me, either,” I grumble, waiting for the opportunity to elbow, knee, or head bunt either one of them. This time, though, they don’t give it to me.

  Keep a straight head.

  I suck in a deep breath and run the scenario in my brain, the entire time pulling and moving my legs, trying to get free. The windows on both sides of the doors are rolled all the way down as the car begins its roll into the lake.

  Holy shit. This isn’t happening. This can’t be fucking happening.

  I pull hard, but the damn tape is too strong. So strong that all it does is rip my skin, but I don’t care. If there’s a chance it’ll rip, I’ll bear through it.

  The car rolls into the water, the liquid coming up over the hood.

  Panic hits. Deep-rooted panic. And no matter how much I try to keep a clear head, I know, deep down, this is my end. I’ll never get to have a home with Deke. Never get to have a family with him and the Ravage MC. Never get to have a happy life after years spent in hell. Never get to maybe have babies or just live.

  Tears well up in my eyes as I fight the tape, not letting a single second take me down in defeat. If they want me dead, it’s going to be a fight, because I won’t give up. Not until my last breath is on this planet.

  The water spills over into the window as the car rolls deeper into the blackness, the moon now giving an eerie glow, but maybe that’s just because my end is here.

  Even when Deke finds out I’m not at work, he won’t know to look for me here. He won’t know that I’m in a car under the water. He won’t know that I need him to help me with every fiber of my being.

  The tears spill over as the water sloshes over my feet, up my calves, and to my knees. It’s coming in at a rush, and fear like no other takes root.

  I never thought I’d be as scared as when my parents died or when Deke was shot. However, this fear is for the future, one that I won’t get to live with the man I love. A life that has been wasted.

  Coldness covers me now from the waist down and is rising quickly. The water is making it more difficult to get my legs free. It’s like an added weight or pressure, restricting me. I hate it. Hate it.

  Jerking back on the steering wheel, I fight, tears falling from my eyes as the water moves up to my chest, then to my chin. I tip my head up, gasping for air, but the water keeps coming like a natural spring, one that’s going to take my life from everything I love.

  I suck in a deep breath as I go under, pulling and thrashing, the force of each movement greatly diminishing from the water pressure.

  My lungs burn, starving for oxygen, as I frantically look around, noting nothing to help me. Nothing around. Nothing.

  Opening my mouth, water rushes between my lips, filling my lungs, and sucking the life from my body.

  My last thought is … Deke, I love you.

  25

  Deke

  I crash my fist into his jaw, making him crumble to the ground.

  “We got it,” Nox calls out, holding his phone to his ear.

  Tonight, I had Nox with me when we went to pick Rylie up, because we had some work to do for the club. When I pulled up and saw an asshole freaking out in the back of Schade’s place, I shook him out; found out someone knocked out my woman and took her. Thank fucking Christ we came early.

  The asshole gave me the model of the car and a partial plate. Then he told me it was a man about Rylie’s age with light blond hair. Part of me was relieved it wasn’t JK. The other part wants to know who the fuck has my woman.

  “Buzz has the car at the lake. We have to go right fucking now.”

  I race to my bike, throw my leg over, and then Nox and I take off like bats out of hell. It doesn’t take us long to get there, but looking around, we don’t see anyone there.

  I turn off the bike and hop off, looking out at the water.

  Bubbles come from about twenty feet from the bank.

  “Don’t fuckin’ move!” Nox calls out, pointing his gun at a huge bush. It’s then I see the glint of a gun.

  Two figures walk out. The man, I have no fucking clue who he is. The woman, though …

  “Where the fuck is she!” I yell, marching up to her as she aims the gun at me.

  A shot goes off, and the woman screams as blood splatters my chest. Nox shot the woman’s hand clear from her body.

  The asshole man with her bends over and pukes right on the spot.

  The aunt screams and cries as I move to the man, kicking him in the gut, not giving one shit if he pukes on me. “Where the fuck is she!”

  He looks up at me, nasty shit hanging from his mouth. “Water,” he groans, falling to the ground.

  I look out at the water and see a couple more bubbles float up.

  “Nox!” I yell, running into the water before diving under.

  Everything is black. Pitch fucking black. I have to pop back up to get my breath. Fear like no other wraps around my heart, threatening to strangle everything out of me. Threatening to take me under the water with Rylie.

  No, this isn’t happening.

  I move toward the bubbles and go under again, hearing splashes behind me and knowing Nox has my back.

  I feel around blindly, hoping like hell I can find her. Needing air, though, I pop back up and turn toward Nox, who has a flashlight. Holy shit!

  “I can’t find her!”

  Nox splashes in the water. “The car. There’s a fuckin’ car here. Find the metal,” he orders.

  I suck in a deep breath, nod, and then we both dive back down. The light glistens through the water.

  I reach out and pray I can feel the metal. Pray it’s there.

  I have no idea how long she’s been under. I have no idea if she’s still alive. But Christ, please let her be.

  She doesn’t know it, but she’s my fuckin’ rock. I can’t do this shit without her. My life won’t be my life without her. Fuck.

  My hand grazes something just as the light hits it. A car. However, I have to pop up and grab air again. Fuck, I’ve come up how many times for air? Shit!

  I go straight back down, pulling Nox with me. Metal hits my hand. The frame of a window. Hair. Fuck, hair!

  Nox shines the light, and we see Rylie, her beautiful face lifeless. Nothing.

  My heart breaks into a thousand pieces as I see her hands are taped. I reach to my boot and grab my knife, cutting her out while Nox holds the light. Then I pull her and find her feet taped, as well.

  With thoughts of hearing Rylie laugh again, I muster all the energy I can and cut her legs from the car, then pull her up as I gasp for breath when we breach the surface.

  With every bit of strength I have, I move her quickly out of the water, Nox right behind me.

  Not knowi
ng how the hell to do it, I start CPR, breathing into her body and pumping her chest with my hands.

  Please be alive. Please be alive. Please be alive.

  Tears fall from my eyes as I watch her with each push on her chest. She doesn’t move. She doesn’t react. She doesn’t breathe. Even blowing into her mouth and seeing her chest rise does nothing.

  I can’t stop. Not when I hear the ambulance. Not when they tell me to back away. Not even when Nox grabs me under my arms and pulls me away. I try to fight him, but every bit of my soul is laying on the ground, in the dirt, having taken her last breath.

  Life is cruel on so many levels. Missed years of my life without my family. Now I’ll miss the rest of it without the woman I love.

  My body gives out as I collapse, all the while watching two EMTs working on pumping life into my woman. Each movement only makes the pain worse.

  Bikes rumble in the background, but all my attention is on my woman.

  When Rylie gasps, I’m up on my feet, running toward my woman. The EMT tilts her to the side as water gushes from her lips and she gasps for breaths.

  I fall to my knees, staying out of the way but close enough to her, dumbfounded, shock on my face, unable to breathe myself.

  “We need to move now!” an EMT says as they load her up. He looks down at me. “Get in.”

  I hop up and move, not wanting to waste a single second.

  I look at my woman. “Love you, Rylie. Fuckin’ love you.”

  I pace the ER, back and forth, back and forth. They lost her once in the ambulance and had to pump life back into her. They talked about brain damage and all kinds of other shit, but all I could focus on were her breaths coming in and out. Nothing else could penetrate. Until now, as I pace, each step agonizing.

  Brain dead.

  This is exactly what I mean about life being cruel.

  “What’s the word?” my father asks, coming through the door, my mother attached to his side. She looks better, but she shouldn’t be here. I just don’t have the energy at the moment to fight it.

  “Still waiting.”

  My mother walks up and wraps her arms around me. Everything inside of me cracks wide open, and while my mother holds me, for the first time since I was a kid, I sob.

  “Rylie Hollister?”

  I dart from the window, heading straight toward the gray-haired man in green scrubs. His face is somber. It scares the ever-loving shit out of me.

  Pure terror consumes me as I feel my family at my back. The entire Ravage MC showed up, all here in the waiting room. All but Rhys, Dagger, and Breaker, who I’m told have the aunt and the asshole. Not that I give a flying fuck at the moment.

  “Yes?”

  “She has no one listed as her next of kin,” he says hesitantly.

  “I’m her man. I need to know she’s okay.”

  The doc peers around at everyone in their cuts, his hand trembling. He better start talking before he ends up on his ass. My patience left a long damn time ago.

  “Right.” He clears his throat. “Ms. Hollister is alive. And I’ll be straight with you, I don’t know how. For as long as it appears she was under water, she’s breathing on her own. However, we did have to shock her heart twice to bring her back.”

  My heart falls to my feet, and my mom grips my arm, giving me comfort.

  “I’m worried about brain damage. We took her in for an MRI, and there appears to be no bleeding on the brain, which is good. But there is swelling, and some of it is significant. We’ve put her in an induced coma to help with the swelling, and we’re pumping her full of antibiotics because pneumonia is very common in cases like these. The next twenty-four hours are critical. Unfortunately, all we can do is wait. If all her numbers stay the same, this is good. We’ll do another MRI and see if there is progress on the swelling.”

  “Christ.” I run my hand through my hair, knowing this isn’t the worst news, but it’s not the greatest, either. “Can I see her?”

  “In about an hour. We’re monitoring her very closely; you need to give us time to help her.”

  I turn away from the doc. “Please do.”

  He leaves as my family comes around me, but I push them off. I need some time, and they give me that, letting me pace. I’m not trying to be a dick to them. I just can’t handle shit right now.

  The door to the ER opens, and my eyes fly to it. Austyn walks in, a timid look on her face. I hear gasps because she’s locked herself up tight in her parents’ home. She makes not one acknowledgement of any of them, however. Instead, she comes directly to me, wraps her arms around me, and holds on tight. I reciprocate, holding on for dear life.

  Machines beep and ping, but it’s the breathing machine I fucking hate. The sounds of the air going into Rylie’s body, then the tick and swoosh it makes as it comes out. Over and over and over again, never stopping. Never a reprieve.

  The worst part about it is how she’s breathing, in a fucking coma.

  The last MRI came back better. The doctor says they’re going to start to bring her out of the coma. This is going to be the tell if she has brain damage. If she comes out and is responsive.

  He once said the word vegetable, and it took my father holding me back from punching the guy. My beautiful woman is so full of life.

  Three of her crazy ass friends came. Even Charlie and Schade made an appearance. I wasn’t in the mood to talk to them, so my mother and Emery did that shit.

  Nevertheless, she’s loved. By so many damn people. I just need her to be able to wake up.

  That’s where we are now. I’m sitting, just waiting for my beautiful woman to wake up. The doc and nurses left just moments ago, taking all the damn tubes from her mouth, and are now watching her like hawks. So far, so good.

  Nox comes behind me and places his hands on my shoulders. I don’t tense, move—nothing. I don’t have the energy to do so. Every bit of it is going to my girl. He’s been here, though, only leaving me briefly, mostly sitting off to the side by the window. Here but not, giving me the support he can without being in my fucking face.

  Having him by my side is much like the days when we were younger. He always had my back before I turned to the other shit. Feels good to have his back again after everything.

  “Brother, do you need somethin’?”

  “Her to fuckin’ wake up,” I reply instantly.

  He squeezes my shoulder. “Know that. She will.”

  A lump forms in my throat. “You so sure?”

  “Damn right. That woman is tough as hell. She’s not ready to go yet.”

  I shake my head and close my eyes. “She can’t be ready.”

  Nox comes around, momentarily stealing my attention from the bed. “She even tries it, you and I go in and get her back.”

  That lump gets harder to control, knowing he has mine and my woman’s back. All I can do is nod as he does the same then moves off by the window again.

  With each second that ticks by, more of the fear creeps in. I want to yell at her, “Wake the fuck up,” but I know it won’t do any good.

  I hate it. Fucking hate this shit.

  Inside, I’m empty.

  Pressure comes to my hand, and I pop up. Relief floods me when I see my beautiful girl’s green eyes and a smile on her lips.

  26

  Rylie

  Two Weeks Later

  I lie on the couch in Deke’s apartment, looking up at the ceiling. If he doesn’t stop treating me like glass, I’m going to hurt him.

  Brewer lies at my feet. He hasn’t left me for any long period of time. He must have his doggie sense and knows that I was hurt and wants to protect me.

  “I love you, but if you don’t stop this shit, I’m going to plan your murder.”

  Deke pulls me into his lap, my most favorite place on the planet. “You love me, huh?”

  Well, hell, guess I just threw that one out there, but I did have a near death experience, even if he doesn’t like to bring it up because it makes him all twitchy. I get it.
Of course I didn’t see me, but I lived it.

  “Yeah.”

  “Good, because I love you, too.” He pulls me to his lips and kisses me softly, yet deeply and possessively.

  Yeah, I love this man.

  One Month Later

  “You sure your mom’s up for this?” I ask, flitting around Deke’s parents’ kitchen, putting out the food for the party that will be starting in the next thirty-five minutes. Emery’s helping and Deke’s supervising again, because he has a dick.

  Asshole.

  “She wanted it, she’s gettin’ it,” he responds.

  Angel’s tests came back, and they came back good. Her remission is something for us all to celebrate. I’m not knocking that one little bit. It’s just that she’s still pretty weak, unable to lift things or exert too much energy at a given time. It’s taken a toll on her body, yet her spirits are damn good. I have all the confidences that she’s fought it for good. However, there’s always that chance, and the doctors say she has to routinely get checked, but I feel good about things.

  Even Deke is lighter, one less thing off his shoulders. Anything that takes the weight off him, I’m more than happy for.

  “Mom gets something in her head, it’s hard to change it,” Emery responds, setting a platter of cold cuts on the table. “She wants all her family around to celebrate this, so we’ll give it to her.”

  I smile. “Right.”

  “How are you feelin’?” Emery asks, and I smile over at her.

  “Wonderful.”

  Never been better is more like it.

  People file in while I deal with guys wanting to start fights. Being the hostess with the mostest isn’t an easy task, but I fight through it.

  Luckily, my brain decided to stay with me after the near drowning. Sometimes, it takes me a few more minutes to remember something, but I can’t complain. The only thing that really gets me, though, is my reflexes aren’t as good. I’m working with Charlie in the gym to beef those up.