by Ana Rosso
I knew I was very close to the end because I was bleeding out. I couldn’t feel the pain anymore. I was numb. My eyes were getting heavy and I couldn’t keep them open. I just hoped I could see my dad again and be with him. I missed him so much and if I couldn’t be with who I wanted to be with—Leslie and Damon—then I hoped I could be with him.
For a moment I could have sworn I heard Damon’s voice but of course it was wishful thinking. I knew that because after a moment I couldn’t hear it anymore.
Suddenly everything stopped.
No more agony.
No more pain.
Nothing else.
Damon
Two days. Two fucking days of no sleeping. Two fucking days of listening to my daughter cry and call for her momma. Two days of not knowing where my woman was and what type of torture she was enduring. Two days of not knowing if she was still alive.
I was on edge and I tried to avoid everyone. Gina tried innumerous times to come close to me and offer to take care of Leslie for me. Every time I had the same answer for her, NO. I knew she was in the middle of this clusterfuck. I knew somehow this was her fault but I didn’t know how to prove it. The problem here was because she was the daughter of a late brother, I needed definite proof before I could go accusing her of anything. In other words, without evidence, she was untouchable. I was sitting on one of the couches at the clubhouse watching Leslie play with her doll, when James came to me.
“I think you may want to see this,” he turned and started walking to his cave.
When I got to his room, I saw a picture on his computer screen that left me speechless. It was Sarah and Muerte. They were having a coffee in a shop across town.
When we rescued Sarah her hair was short and dark. When she started hanging out with Lyra they went to town one day and Sarah changed her hair color. She came back blonde with a blue streak on one side. That was exactly how her hair looked in the picture.
“What the fuck does this mean? That picture has to have been taken not too long ago.” I clenched my fists.
“I took this off of a security camera across the street from the café.” He was still typing on his keyboard as fast as he could.
“So how is this going to help us brother? We already know she was implied in all of this shit and now she’s dead. She can’t tell us anything.”
“Take a closer look. Don’t you see the resemblance?" I looked again and noticed it. “I started searching and found out that Sarah was Muerte’s sister. That’s how they found out Lyra was here with us. Her real name was Ariana Sanchez and his name is Hector Sanchez. Now that I have some real names, I’m going to see if I can find any properties or anything tied up to them. Brother, if there's something out there, I’m going to find it.”
“Thanks, brother, let me know what you find out.” I walked out of his room and went back to the bar where my dad was sitting with my daughter on his lap while she was coloring on a paper.
“James is checking on something. I’m going to take Leslie home with me for a while and see if I can give her a bath.” I didn’t wait for his response before I picked up Leslie and walked out of the club.
“Papa Pwetty me tirwed." I was taking her out of the bathtub and she could hardly keep her eyes open.
“You want to go to Grandma Cora?” I asked her, hoping that she’d say yes.
“No Papa, I want momma. Go get me momma.” Her eyes were so full of sadness, it broke my heart.
“Grandma Cora is making cookies for you. You help her while I go and see if I can find momma for you. Okay butterfly?”
After leaving Leslie at my ma’s, I walked back to the club. The wait was killing me. I was on edge. We spent two days running up and down looking with no luck. We put feelers everywhere and I personally called every marker I was owed. I felt so powerless. I couldn’t wait to be face to face with the mother fuckers who took my woman. I have killed to save my brothers or myself but this time was different. It was self-preservation, this time I was consumed by rage. I will kill any mother fucker that put their hands on my woman and I’m going to fucking enjoy it.
“Damon, I think we got it!” James yelled from his doorway.
“Bring the info to the chapel. Church in five,” my dad yelled and went to make a call.
When he entered the room, he looked at all of us with a very determined face.
“Okay first, James tell us what you got,” he said while he took his seat at the head of the table.
“About a month ago, Muerte bought an old building that used to be a paint store in Port Angeles. He used one of his aliases to buy it. There hasn’t been any movement there until three days ago, when a moving truck was seen leaving the back parking lot of the place.”
I tensed. I really hoped she was there and it wasn’t too late.
“Okay. Ghost, you stay here with two prospects and the women. Nobody, and I mean nobody, goes out or in until we come back. The rest of you guys suit up, we're going to get our girl back. Do not leave anybody alive. These fuckers are paying for what they have done.” dad stated.
“Before we go I need to ask for discretion. Don’t say anything about where we are going. Nobody outside of this room can know, especially Gina. That bitch is in this somehow. I swear she’s going down. When we get there Muerte is mine. He’s going to fucking pay. Understood? I’m going to fuck up whoever gets in my way.” I wasn’t actually asking.
“You still think she has something to do with this?” Leigh asked.
“I know she does. I just have to prove it.” I stood up before my dad dismissed the table.
I was on the way to my room to get ready when I saw Gina in the hallway. I didn’t have time for her and I just wanted to grab her by the neck and force her to tell me the truth, I knew she was smarter than that. I couldn’t let her know we could've found Lyra because she could call to alert them. So without saying anything, I passed by her.
“Any news?” she asked.
“Nope.”
“Please let me know if you need me for anything. I can help with your girl. I can also help you release stress if you need me to. It will be like old times,” she smiled.
“Need to go to town to buy some things for Leslie, but thanks anyway.” I needed to walk away or I was going to kill her with my bare hands.
We all rode in formation to Port Angeles. The whole time I was mentally preparing myself for what I would find or not find. We were shooting blind because we didn’t have any confirmation she was there but it was the first strand of hope in almost three days and I was planning to grab and hold on to that hope with all my might.
It was dark and we were planning to use that to our advantage. We had a solid plan. Everybody knew what to do. Rescuing people is one of the things we do best. We parked our bikes one block down from the paint store and walked the rest of the way. The place was dark and silent on the outside but when I looked to the roof, I realized there was a security camera close to the back door. I took my cell out and immediately called James. After telling him to run interference with the camera signal, I went over to my dad.
“We need to wait for James’ call. He is messing up the security camera in the back,” I whispered to him.
After five minutes, which seemed much too long, James finally called and then my dad gave the signal for everybody to proceed.
We separated around the property and I went to the back with Alex and Leigh. I tried the door but it was locked from the inside. When I looked up, I saw a broken window. Alex boosted me up and I grabbed the window frame and pulled myself up. I entered through the window on the second floor of the building. It was deserted but I could hear voices coming from below. I walked down the hall and tried every door but all of them were locked. When I was about to go down the stairs I heard a piercing scream. The front door was busted open and all hell broke loose.
There were bullets flying and smoke everywhere. Ghost threw a smoke bomb and we used it to our advantage. I covered my nose and without waiting for th
e smoke to dissipate, I ran down the stairs to the area where I heard the screaming come from.
There was only one door. I kicked it and the first thing I saw was Muerte pulling his pants up. FUCK, the asshole touched my woman! Without thinking twice I put a bullet between his eyes. He fell backwards against the wall. I ran to the bed and my heart sank. Lyra was tied up and her eyes were closed. Blood was oozing out of her left thigh and the right side of her chest. He had stabbed her twice. Her face was all swollen. One of her arms looked broken and she had hundreds of cuts all over her abdomen. I went to her and called her name but she seemed almost dead. After I untied her, I slowly picked her up and held her tight.
“Somebody call 9-1-1!” I was losing her. I could feel it.
She was like a rag doll. I held her in my arms and whispered in her ear, “Baby, everything’s going to be okay. I got you. Leslie’s at home waiting for you. Please hang on for us. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you. Come on, sweetheart. Stay with me. I love you.” Her skin was a grayish color and her breathing was shallow.
With her in my arms, I went to my knees and cried. I didn’t make it on time. My angel was dying and there was nothing I could do.
I felt someone at the door and turned with my gun ready to shoot. Alex put his hands up in surrender and moving slowly, he started coming my way.
“Brother, it’s me. We just called 9-1-1 and they are on their way. We need to move her outside to be able to get rid of the bodies. We contacted our guy on the force and he is the one coming but you never know. Let me help you.”
“Stay the fuck away from her! Don’t come any closer!” I yelled.
I knew he was trying to help and I was being irrational but I couldn’t think about anybody else putting their hands on her right now, even knowing everything he was saying was the truth.
I took off my cut and my T-shirt and wrapped her in my shirt the best I could. With her limp body in my arms, I walked out of the room.
Outside my dad and the boys were tying up whoever was still alive. When I was almost at the door I recognized Kevin. He was close to my dad and he was on his knees.
“Take him to the clubhouse and lock him up. Put a brother on him but don’t touch him. The mother fucker is mine.” I was shaking with rage.
My dad looked at me and nodded. I was out the door when the ambulance arrived. They put Lyra on a stretcher and started working on her. They shocked her two times before they could get a heartbeat. After they stabilized her the best they could they wheeled her to the ambulance. The paramedics tried to keep me away from her but I forced myself inside the rig. We lost her one more time on the way to the hospital. Through all of this, I kept her hand in mine and I cried.
Lyra
All that bullshit you hear about white lights at the end of the tunnel and beautiful skies with butterflies are fucking lies. After you die you still feel the pain and you still feel the shame. Believe me I know because that was how I felt. I wanted to see Damon but I didn’t want to at the same time. How do you explain to the man you love that somebody else put their filthy hands on you and in you, then expect him to still see you the same way? You don’t. But I knew I didn't have to tell him anything because I knew I was dead.
I was lying here and waiting. Waiting to see my dad. Waiting to see angels. Waiting to be transported to that place. I waited … and waited. After what felt like an eternity, I saw it. It was the bright light but it was strange because I could only see it in the back of one of my eyes at the time. Like I said, pure bullshit. As soon as I was able to speak to someone in charge, I was going to let them know about the false propaganda they gave this place.
Suddenly I heard voices I knew. It was Damon and Lucas. It sounded like they were arguing. Oh no please, are they also dead? Did they find me somehow and Kevin killed them? Please God, don’t let that be true. Leslie couldn’t lose both parents at the same time. Wait … something is beeping. What the fuck? Nah, it’s not beeping anymore. Now I could only hear silence. Yes, finally. Oh shit, what now? I felt a strange current going through my body and the voices started again. This is a very strange place. Yup, false fucking propaganda. Eventually I fell back into a black abyss.
I didn’t know how much time had passed, but suddenly I wasn’t numb anymore. Actually, I was in a lot of pain. My eyes started to open and I looked around. I could only see white walls. I turned my head and the vision in front of me took my breath away. In a corner was Damon sleeping. He was so beautiful. His face had a couple of days’ worth of stubble on it. He looked sexy as hell but very tired. I tried to talk but I couldn’t. Something was lodged in my throat. Desperation took the best of me and a machine started making an awful loud sound. The door opened and two girls came running to my side. At the same time someone got in my face and when I was able to focus I realized it was him. My beautiful man.
“Shhh, beautiful. It’s okay. You're safe and everything is going to be fine,” he said as he stroked my hair.
That was the last thing I heard before I was pulled into the black abyss again.
It was very dark when I opened my eyes again. The thing in my throat was gone but it felt like I had swallowed glass. I tried to talk but nothing came out of my mouth. I scanned the room again and what I saw this time brought tears to my eyes. On a little couch was Damon, but this time he had Leslie sleeping in his arms. One of her hands was tangled in his hair and the other one had his beanie in it. I wanted to wake them up. But I was too ashamed. I was too filthy. I spent the next couple of minutes watching them from afar, until I fell back asleep.
I woke up this time to find a pair of blue eyes looking at me and I smiled. Leslie jumped out of bed and ran to the door. She pulled it open and yelled at the top of her lungs,
“PAPA PWETTY, momma eyes awe open! Momma is no swlepping!” Then she turned around and came running to me.
I tried to raise my hands to tell her it was okay. That papa will come soon but I couldn’t. Both of my arms were in casts. I was desperate and started crying. How am I going to talk to my daughter? I needed my hands.
When Damon ran through the door and saw me like that, he turned and yelled, “Nurse, I need somebody here right fucking now!” He walked to my side and very gently grabbed me by my shoulders.
“Love, take it easy. Everything is fine.”
“No.” My throat was killing me but I didn’t care. “I can’t talk to Leslie. I need my hands and please don’t touch me.” He took a step back.
“Sweetheart, you've been touch and go for two days. Just rest. Everything will look better in a couple of days.”
The door opened and a nurse walked in. I tried to focus on what she was doing. After checking my vitals, she gave me some water and told me the doctor would come to talk to me soon.
When she left, he came to me and put his hand on mine. The feeling that ran through my body was pure fire.
“GET THE FUCK OUT!” I couldn’t even look him in the eyes. I felt so dirty.
He took Leslie in his arms and he left the room as soon as the doctor and two nurses came in. Seeing him leave broke my heart but it was okay. My heart doesn’t count anymore. The important one was his and I knew the only way to keep him away from this shameful situation was by pushing him away. Besides, I had to do it before he did it to me. I knew he was going to eventually tell me he didn’t want me anymore. Bikers are like cavemen. Their pussy belongs to only them and mine wasn’t good anymore. I had to be strong and send him away because if it happened the other way, I wasn’t going to be able to handle it.
After the doctor checked me and left, the door opened and Damon came back alone.
“Water please,” I whispered. I sipped some while avoiding his eyes. When I finished I found the courage and asked, “Where’s Leslie?”
“She went down to the cafeteria with my ma, she wanted to bring you some cake. So we don’t have too much time. Why can’t I touch you, sweetheart? I know everything must be hurting but there was a different meaning in your words.
” God this was so hard.
“I’m dirty. They did awful things to me. There is no way you're going to want me anymore and I get it. I’ll find a place in town and you can still see Leslie every day, if you want.” Big fat tears were running down my cheeks.
He took my face very carefully in his hands and looked me dead in the eyes. I tried to avoid it by closing them.
“Eyes, babe.”
I opened them expecting to see disgust in his but I found something completely different. I found sadness and understanding and love all wrapped together.
“Lyra, I fell for you on day one. I’m furious because I failed you. I didn’t protect you. I killed the men that did this to you and after hearing you saying that, I just want to bring them back to life so I can kill them again. But I love you. I love you with all my heart. I’m never letting you go. You got that?” Then he kissed me.
Oh God. Why did it have to be so hard? I love him with all my heart but I had to let him go. I was filthy but he didn’t want to understand it. I was hurting so bad right now, physically and mentally. I didn’t have the strength to argue with him. Turning on my side was the best that I could, dismissing him.
Twenty minutes later, Leslie came back with chocolate cake and told me about all the dolls her Papa Pretty got for her. Then at eight Cora took her home. When they were gone, Damon pulled a chair close to the bed and sat in silence. He watched a movie while I pretended to be asleep. I wasn’t ready for a conversation yet. I didn’t even know if I would ever be.
I spent two more weeks in the hospital before they allowed me to go home. I crashed a total of three times from the moment the paramedics got to me and rushed me to the hospital. Both of my arms were broken. I had lost a lot of blood but thankfully the knife didn’t hit any major organs. I was black and blue everywhere and I had three broken ribs. It could have been worse and thankfully, according to the doctor, I was on my way to a full recovery.
