Zipper kicked Ink again, but Ink was too far gone to even lift the gun again. He felt Zip touching his hand and when he realized what he was doing he tried to fight. That bastard was taking his wedding ring.
“You son of a bitch Zip.” Ink mumbled.
“She was mine first you bastard and she will be mine last.” Zipper jerked the ring off and left Ink feeling hollowed out.
Ink’s eyes rolled closed, but Jazz’s voice brought him back around.
“I’m so sorry. I tried to get you away from her an easier way, but you wouldn’t listen and honestly it pissed me off.” She looked back at Zipper. “He has our son Ink. I had to protect that boy. I may be a shitty mother, but I’m all he’s got. I’m so sorry. Hang in there, those sirens will be here soon.”
Then she jogged over to the van and Ink watched the tail lights in the darkness.
Cold crept over him like a fog, bringing darkness with it. Slowly it settled over him like a blanket made of ice. It should have frightened him, but it was oddly comforting the way it held him. Death was like an embrace, and ethereal embrace…
“Angel.”
If there was a heaven he would be with his Angel. If there was a hell she would be gone.
Four
Angel had known something was wrong. She had been on edge since the day Ink left, but tonight had been horrific. She had tried to call him although she knew he wouldn’t pick up. She had known.
She looked up at the bed where he lay so still under the white sheet. The machines made constant noise and reassured her that he lived, but he looked so lifeless. The doctors said that he had a good chance and that he was strong, but he looked so pale, so weak. Nothing like the strong man she knew.
He had pulled through surgery and now all they could do was wait. Someone had stabbed him, cutting into his liver and some of his intestine. There were other injuries from the accident, a concussion, collapsed lung, dislocated shoulder, and several fractured ribs, a burn on the inside of his leg, so many bruises and cuts. Angel’s head ached from going over the possibilities in her head. The doctor suspected that he had also been severely beaten, kicked. Someone had wanted him to suffer.
Angel looked up when her father walked in. He looked so tired. He had flown with her in a little plane as soon as they had gotten word that Ink was in the hospital, but he hadn’t rested any more than she had and it showed on them both.
“The rest of them will be here in a few hours. I can sit with him if you want to sleep.”
“No, I’m fine daddy, you sleep. Once they get here I know you’ll be busy.”
He shook his head and ran his fingers over the cross tattooed on his forearm.
“Do you know anything yet?”
He shook his head. “Just that Jazz was with him when he left the motel yesterday morning. She’s in the wind.”
“Do you think she did this to him?” Fury burned in Angel’s belly. Ink was never anything but good to that shank.
“We don’t know anything yet. May not until he wakes up, but I think she had a hand in this. Spec said Ink had sent in a test saying he didn’t trust her.”
“When?”
“Few hours before this happened. He called for help too.”
“I’ll kill her myself.” Fury boiled in Angel’s gut. It was hot and sickening and it made her understand how Shadow had done the things he had done.
“You won’t have to.” Preach ran his hand over Angel’s hair and pulled her against him. “That’s my job princess. You let me take care of this for you.”
“He has to wake up daddy.” Angel felt a lump in her throat. How could Ink be so broken? Why would anyone want to hurt him? He never hurt anything.
“He will princess. Don’t give up on him. You need to talk to him. Let him know you’re here. Bitch at him. Call him a pussy. Anything to get him to open his fucking eyes.”
Angel closed her eyes. There was so much between them right now. She didn’t know what to say to him or how to begin.
“Where is his bike? His stuff? I want his cut daddy.”
“I know baby girl. It’s not going to be pretty Angel. You don’t have to do that to yourself.”
“Please. I want his wedding ring. I want to keep it safe.”
Preach nodded and called the nurse. He told her Angel wanted Ink’s things.
The ring wasn’t in his things. The nurse said she would check again, but no jewelry other than the bars that been in his brow and the rings from his ears. His jeans and shirt had been cut away from his body, but the paramedics had honored his colors. They were covered in blood.
It broke Angel’s heart to see the stains. He had suffered so much on the side of that road and Angel wanted Jazz to suffer more, ten times more. She saw something sticking out of one of the pockets and pulled it out. It was a blood stained picture of a little boy. The boy looked just like Ink. She turned it over and the the name Noah was written on the back in a looped scrawl.
Her hand shook as she held the picture out to her father.
“What is this?”
“The reason he was taking that woman home. He was bringin’ back his son. Spec knew. He told me everything a little while ago.”
Angel felt her heart break. He had kept it from her, but he had trusted her to understand. He knew her.
“Let all that shit go now princess. It don’t matter right now. That man loves you and I know you love him. That baby and Cat, they need their daddy.” He pointed to Ink. “Tell him that. Make him hear you.”
Angel just nodded and reached out to take Ink’s hand. It was warm and so still that it broke Angel’s heart a little. Those hands had fought and bled for his club. They had held her in passion and in comfort. They had held their child and held his bike in the road.
“I can’t lose him daddy. I can’t.” Tears clogged her throat and threatened to choke her.
“Then don’t let him go. Lord knows he’s never been able to tell you no. Beg if you have to. Cry. No man can stand the tears of the woman he loves.”
Angel wiped her face and moved to sit on the side of the bed. She laid Ink’s still hand on her round belly and stroked the back of it gently as she started to talk. She knew when Preach left, but she didn’t stop talking in a soft, soothing voice, telling Ink how much she loved him, needed him. She told him about how much Cat loved him and how her life would be empty without him in it. She told him about how his baby girl had asked about him a hundred times every day since he’d rode away from the clubhouse.
Then she uttered the words that might break her. She told him how happy she would be to have Noah come home. How she wanted her girls to have a big brother and how she would love him as her own.
She had no idea how long she sat there telling him of her love, talking about the past and how she fell in love with him, but when her mother touched her hand the room was dim.
“Come on baby. You need to rest and eat something. Mina is here. She will sit with Ink. You know Mina will take good care of him.”
Mina stood at the foot of the bed, her eyes rimmed red from crying. Eyes that looked so much like Ink’s it almost broke Angel’s heart.
“He loves you Mina. You know that right? He loves you like you are his sister.”
Mina wiped her face and nodded. “I love him too. I would have been so lost without him. He gave up so much for me.” Her voice broke on a sob. “How could anyone do this to him?”
“We’ll find out Willa, I promise you we will.” Mina’s husband, Tommy, stood by her side with his arm around her.
Angel met Tommy’s eyes. He and Ink were not the best of friends, but they were brothers and that outweighed any petty differences they may have had in the past.
“We will figure this shit out Angel. Spec has been in contact with Ink the whole time. He has some idea as to what’s going on. Let us deal with this and you take care of him and that baby.” His eyes were as hard as stone when they met hers. “You trust us to take care of this for you. We all love him and you and
it don’t fucking matter what the shit either of you did in the past. Right here, right now, that’s what matters.”
Angel nodded. “Thank you for telling me that Tommy.”
Angel allowed her mother to lead her from the room and into the waiting room.
It looked like so many others she had waited in. Waited for news of the brothers. How many times, how many nights had she waited and worried in rooms like this? This life was full of unknowns and unanswered questions. How could she live like this? How could she raise her children in a world like this?
“Aww hell.” She felt herself pulled into familiar arms, against an impossibly wide, familiar chest.
Moose was not one to show his caring often, but it was there and when it really mattered he let down his guard enough to offer it. He held her and she felt her body shaking with sobs until her legs wouldn’t hold her. He supported her and sat with her on an incredibly uncomfortable sofa. He offered her comfort in the only way he knew how and when she was able to look up she saw that the room was filled with the brothers and their women. Every one of them offering her support just by being there.
Bambi handed her a cup of coffee that smelled good and tasted better.
“The kids are with Viki and Ginger stayed back too. Some of the other girls will help, but I hate leaving those babies with a bunch of shanks. Viki is sweet at least. Jack stayed to keep watch. If you ask me he has a thing for the little clubhouse mouse.”
Angel let a small smile curl her lips. Bambi knew how much Angel loved the club gossip.
“I always figured Jack would end up with Jazz….” Nikki’s eyes rounded. “Sorry…”
“Where did you get this coffee?” She asked because it was the only thing her mind could focus on. She knew the kids would be safe with the club. That is what they did, they took care of their own and Nikki hadn’t meant anything by her comment.
“Law and Shad cursed about the coffee and left. They came back with one of those fancy ones with the individual little cups you put in them for the flavors… They said if we were going to be stuck here then we needed something better than that piss to drink.” Lindsey settled in a chair and blew on her own cup.
Angel couldn’t help the little grin on her lips for the second time. These men didn’t know how to do this. They hated not having control over everything or being able to fix it all so they fixed the things they could. It meant the world to her.
“Wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t have a feather bed in here before morning.” Nikki said as she sat on the floor at Angel’s feet.
Angel couldn’t focus on anything. She ate when her mom handed her something because the baby needed food and she drank her water, but all she wanted to do was get back to Ink.
“Honey, I know how hard this is. I know. You need to take care of yourself. He will need you to be strong when he gets out and he will be ill as all hell.” Bambi said with a roll of her eyes when Moose looked wounded. “You were like a big ole bear after you got out that time. I wasn’t sure I could handle you.”
Moose settled down by his wife. “Guess you got a look under my sheet and decided to stick it out...for the perks.” He sent Angel a wink.
“Perks my ass.” Bambie quipped.
Moose pulled her into his lap and kissed her neck. “I can perk your ass if you want me to sweetheart.”
Everyone laughed. The tension was broken for a moment and Angel felt the love of her family. They were her world.
She finally made her way back to Ink’s room to find the nurse checking him over. She wanted to smack her hands away, but the woman looked up with a bright smile.
“Hi, you must be Angel, the wife? I’m Lauren and I’ll be Jonah’s nurse tonight.”
She held her fingers to his wrist as she watched something on the screen of her computer.
“If you need anything please just let us know at the nurse’s station. There are extra pillows and blankets in the top of the closet.”
Angel studied the woman closely. She didn’t trust anyone with Ink, but the pretty dark haired nurse seemed harmless.
“Thank you Lauren.” Angel moved to Ink’s side and ran her hand over his bruised brow. “How is he?”
Lauren offered her a sweet smile. “He’s doing really well. His lungs sound better than they did when he came in.”
“You were here when he came in?”
Lauren nodded. “He looks much better now.”
She tugged his bandage away from his side and examined his wound. Then checked his ribs.
“The doctor wasn’t sure he would be able to do much for him, but your man is a fighter.”
“Did he wake up at all? Say anything?”
Lauren reached across and squeezed Angel’s hand. “Just Angel, he said it several times. The doctor thought he was hallucinating until we were told that Angel was his wife’s name.” She patted Angel’s hand. “Talk to him. He needs to hear your voice. I can come back in a little while to bathe him. I saw how many visitors he has. Just don’t overdo it. He needs to rest and he needs to know you are close. Make sure all those boys out there stay on their best behaviors. Some people are a little nervous having them here.”
“They won’t do anything to cause trouble if no one bothers them.”
“I know. My old man rode with the Kings out in Arizona back when I was little. I know the rules for the most part.”
“You the reason his colors were so well taken care of?”
“My brother worked his accident. Knew what those colors meant. He made sure things were taken care of.”
“Was he wearing a ring? His wedding ring is missing.”
“No, but that finger was dislocated and badly bruised. Looks like someone may have taken that.”
“Who the fuck would take his wedding ring?” Angel felt her anger spike again.
Lauren smiled at her again. “You can buy new rings. Can’t buy a new man. They don’t make men this strong, he called for you when he was fighting for his life that matters.” She finished checking him over.
“When will he wake up?” Angel’s heart fluttered at the thought of him asking for her.
Lauren gave Angel a sad smile. “That’s up to him.”
Angel thanked the nurse and sat back in her spot on the bed. He just had to wake up.
“That was some interesting shit.” Law spoke from the corner where he had been sitting and almost scared Angel to death.
“You are a sly bastard Lawless.”
“I’m watching my brother. Should have been with him. I’m chewing his ass when he wakes up.”
Angel saw the pain in his eyes. This man, ice cold, was hurting.
“He’s going to be alright Law.” Angel believed it.
“He damned well better be.”
Law looked away.
“Did you know about any of this Law?” She had to know.
The muscle in his jaw hardened. “No. Fucking nothing.”
He looked back at Ink lying still and pale on the bed. “We could have lost him Angel. How could he do that? How could he fucking do that shit to you?”
Angel slid her feet to the floor and walked to where Law was now standing. He gripped the window frame so tightly his knuckles went white.
Angel touched his arm.
“Law.”
He turned and his eyes were over bright.
“I don’t have many friends Angel. Not anymore.”
She felt the pain of loss in that second too. Ace had meant the world to all of them. His loss was still like an open wound.
“You have us all Law. We would all be right here if that was you in that bed. Just as upset and heartbroken. We love you.”
Law shook his head.
“We all do. Nikki. Do you question her too?”
He shook his head. “No, that shit pisses her off.”
“Yeah, well it pisses me off too and you know I’m a hell of a lot meaner than she is.”
His mouth twisted and his head tilted in that way that he did.
“Maybe so Angel cakes, but I don’t need to be on your good side to get off.”
Angel smacked his chest. “You are a bastard Law. I don’t see how she stands you.”
He grinned. Angel’s heart started beating again. She didn’t know how to handle these strong men being so broken.
“She wouldn’t know how to live without me.”
Angel knew how that felt. Her eyes wandered back to the bed.
“I love him so much Law.” She whispered.
Law, the man that was made of ice, pulled her into his arms and pressed a kiss to her hair.
“He loves you too sweetheart. He will be alright.”
Angel let herself be held, comforted by this man, a man who loved Ink as much as she did, one that was feeling the same betrayal the same heartache.
“Fuck this. We know him. There was a reason for this shit and you can’t tell me he knew about any of this shit. He was set up and that pisses me off.”
Angel smiled against his chest. Mad Law was better than that sad Law.
“Then why don’t you get pissed off and figure this shit out?”
He pinched her chin and grinned.
“I’ve got this shit.”
Five
It had been three days. Ink had been responsive in some ways, but refused to open his eyes. Angel was exhausted.
“You need to rest honey.” Bambi said as she rubbed Angel’s stiff back.
“I can’t leave him Bambi. I can’t. I can rest when he wakes up.”
“This is ridiculous Angel.” Lizzie, her sister demanded. Lizzie was a nurse and she hadn’t stopped fussing about how Angel needed to take care of herself and Angel had reached the end of her patience.
“Kiss my ass Lizzie. I know how much sleeping you did when Rider was in the hospital.”
“I wasn’t pregnant!”
“I’m not leaving him.” Angel demanded. She was getting tired of everyone treating her like a child.
“You are a stubborn idiot Angel. This isn’t good for that baby!”
“Why don’t you go then? You go on and rest.” Angel insisted as her anger rose. “This baby is just fine. She is getting everything she needs and it’s not like I’m doing any heavy lifting. I am sitting here, just like I would be sitting anywhere else. What difference does it make to you?”
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