"That's my phone, can one of you check it?" I call out to either Ducky, Nails or Nova while I take apart Red Light's bike. The smell of leftover pizza clings in the air as the night drags, but I like nights like these.
Nova chucks the football back at Ducky as he heads over to where my phone is. "That's weird."
The edge in his voice makes me stop what I'm doing. "What is?"
Soon his phone pings along with the others. Nova pulls it out and his brows crease. He looks up at Nails who looks at him with Ducky shouting, "What the hell?!"
I quickly make my way to Nova who holds my phone up for me to see an unknown number texted me.
Your package has been delivered.
"Mine says the same thing," Nova states, suspicion pulling at his eyes.
"Check around the shop. Be careful and make sure not to touch anything if you find it," I order. All of us search the area for a good hour coming up empty handed.
Ducky's patience is at ground level zero as he yells, "Somethin' ain't right I know it!"
My phone rings. My blood runs cold at Ace's name flashing on my screen. "What's wrong."
"Adonis! I've tried calling dad but he's not answering. I didn't know who else to call. Georgie's in the ER and they won't let me see her. All they'll tell me is that she was dropped off here in bad condition. Adonis, I'm freaking out. I had night class and Lashes had a date. She was staying at my place but decided to go check out the art department. She texted me saying she was getting something to eat and when I called she wouldn't answer. Then I got the call from the hospital. I don't know what happened." At the end of her almost hard to follow explanation she's crying.
My hand grips my phone so hard it cracks and then goes dead. Without hesitation Nova dials Ace. "Ace, yeah, he broke his phone. We're on our way."
I grab Red Light's bike and throw it. It had all been a setup, a distraction and I played right into their hands. I go straight for my bike. All the guys follow as I rev my engine to life and book it to the city hospital.
The ride is filled with me chastising myself. Once I get there, I don't even have the patience to wait for the automatic sliding doors to fully open as my shoulder collides with one and cause it to pop out. Ace jumps up as soon as she sees me with the others in tow. Lashes is pacing back and forth as Ace rushes over to me with a tear-stained face.
"They haven't let me in to see her yet. They won't tell me why either." She begins frantically.
I go straight for the desk. "Why can't she see her sister?" I point back at Ace as the older woman in front of me rolls her eyes.
"Listen, she's being taken care of." The doors going back into the rooms open behind me as a nurse brings someone out. "As soon as she can see her we'll let her know and—"
Violent screaming interrupts her and everyone turns to see Georgie in a hospital gown down the hallway going into the rooms. She's kicking and clawing at a bunch of nurses. "No! No! Let go of me."
"Georgie, sweetie, please stop. You're going to hurt yourself even more!" a nurse pleads.
I gun it for her without thinking and slam past the doors that are about to shut on me. Ace and everyone darts after me.
"No, sir, all of you, none of you can be back here," a nurse tries explaining, but I move around her and gently grab Georgie from the guy trying to manhandle her, glaring at him. I swiftly bring her into me.
"Tater Tot, it's me. It's okay," I say into her damp white gold curls. "I've got you."
She calms and her heavy breathing starts becoming slow and steady. Another nurse clad in purple scrubs comes running over with a bag of needles. I glare at her. "You were going to sedate her? She hates needles."
All the nurses are panting like they have run a marathon. All because of the pixie in my arms. One of her small hands fastens onto my coveralls.
"We have to get an IV going and she needs x-rays," a blonde haired nurse says calmly.
"X-rays for what?" I ask.
Looking at her colleagues she doesn't say a word but points to Georgie's limp arm, then ribs and then her head. Pulling Georgie away and looking down at her causes every vein in my body toburst. Her left cheek has a large bandage taped on it that has blood seeping through the gauze and scratches all over her bruised face.
When I see her wrist, all bent and obviously broken, I take a deep breath. First, we need to get her taken care of. She's peering up at me as if in a daze with bright red rimmed eyes. "My head hurts."
Bringing her to me, I kiss it. I look back up at the nurses. "Take care of her."
Georgie latches onto me with her one arm. "Don't leave me."
A hand clamps on my shoulder and Nova hands me his phone.
Meet outside to discuss your damaged package.
A low growl escapes my lips. I hand Nova his phone back and bury my face into her curls at the crook of her neck, whispering, "Who the hell did this to you?" She stiffens and I slide my hand gently up her arm and rest it on the other side of her neck. "Who, Tater Tot."
She turns her lips, tickling my ear with them. "Dallas..." she pauses and gives a dry swallow, and Red Light."
Nodding I look up and motion Ace to come over. Burying my face in her curls again I say to her ear, "Ace will stay with you until I get back, okay?"
"You're going to kill them aren't you?" she whispers back so softly I know no one hears her.
I don't answer. I breathe in her apple scent and press my lips against that drumming vein at her throat and she gives an appreciated sigh like I gave her a strong dose of morphine.
I don't care that everyone's watching.
My mouth moves along the side of her neck causing her to tilt her head back with another heated sigh. My thump lays right under her chin as my palm cups her soft skin and my index finger touches right behind her ear.
Angling my face towards hers, I nudge my nose against her little one as those apple red lips wait for me, as if they're whispering at me to kiss her. My heavy ones fall onto her perfectly soft and supple ones. I kiss her lazily, enjoying every sweet taste of her. Her cool against my warmth ignites that fire in me once again and I heat her up with each kiss as all the beeping and annoying hospital sounds fade away.
The second those slender fingers of hers travel in my short beard, I give a low groan. I take her breath each time we part and breathe her in with each soft languid kiss. If I could deepen it and open up that sweet mouth for my taking like I've imagined since our first kiss, I would, but I have business to take care of. Most of all, she needs to let the nurses and doctors help her. I take her top lip one last time and slowly pull away but keep my forehead on hers.
"When you're nervous just think of that," I whisper to her huskily. With her soft eyes still closed she nods against my forehead and it physically hurts me to pull away from her and hand her over to Ace, who's staring at me with wide shell shock eyes. "Take care of her."
Saying nothing else, I leave with the other guys close behind while a nurse clears her throat saying, "Come on, sweetie, we need to get you fixed up."
Another nurse whispers animatedly, "Did anyone else just suffer from an insane hot flash or was it just me?"
Lashes is the only one to have stayed in the waiting room and leaps up. "I just talked to my dad. Him and TreeTrunk. They got the messages too and are on their way. The club's going to be here soon to make sure she remains safe."
I touch Lashes' shoulder. "Keep an eye out here, okay?"
She nods and I look over to Nova who gets the unsaid order and stays behind with her, but not before throwing me my cut. I hand it over to Nails as him and Ducky follow me out of the ER.
The prickling sensation nipping at my skin makes me turn to a dark hidden spot in the parking lot. Ducky and Nails feel it too. I shove my hands in my pockets and purposefully take long and patient strides as they step in with my pace.
My last step lands me right in front of five Silencers joking around and leaning against their bikes. Red Light has a new shiny one. Dallas, who's still healing from my beating, stands crossing his arms over his chest.
Red Light blows out a puff of smoke then drops his cigarette on the ground snuffing it out and all joking immediately stops. Tension coils around us but I keep my hands shoved deep in my pockets.
"You've got your war."
Red Light pulls out another cigarette. "It's unfortunate..." he pauses, putting it between his lips then lighting it, "that she had to be the memo. Pretty thing, I can see why you want her."
His lighter flicks shut and my expression sets in stone. "Was it you or Dallas who broke her wrist."
Red Light doesn't bat an eyelash. "I did, but Dallas was the one who slashed her cheek with my switchblade. Don't worry though, it will be a small scar compared to yours."
My fists clench in my pockets and the movement doesn't go unnoticed. "You did that on purpose?"
He smirks. "Like I told her, yin and yang."
"You have no idea what you've started." Ducky chuckles out threateningly. "We're soldiers, not some whiny brats."
Red Light's mouth twitches at the threat. "We're prepared."
"Tell me does your president know what you did?" I ask.
Red Light flicks his cigarette. "He knows."
"You know what he'll say," I retort. "You drew blood, now it's time to return the favor."'
"Pay up," Nails demands behind me.
"That's only if she's someone's Old Lady," Red Light counters. "Only then does that happen and whoever the old man is gets his chance."
"She is." I rumble out. "She's mine."
Red Light's bravo disappears.
Cobra, a big bald guy who's their Enforcer, steps up and looks me square in the eyes. "That's that then. We've got the war, but you touched Salvation property." He turns his eyes to me. "Give him blood."
"What?" Red Light bellows out, knowing it's going to be either him or Dallas. "Cobra, are you serious?"
"But nothing!" Cobra snaps. "You did this without us knowing, without our consent. Now the price must be paid for that."
"But I got you, your war. I got him his war!" Red Light barks furiously.
Cobra looks Red Light in the eye. "You know the law kid."
Red Light and Dallas look at each other. Dallas shakes his head, but Red Light turns to me with survival mode in his eyes. Dallas is new blood, barely a brother so Red Light throws him under the bus. "Before you choose, you should know I did you a favor and stopped Dallas from raping your Old Lady."
My eyes narrow and slide straight to the dead man, pointing at him I growl out, "You."
Cobra takes out his phone, setting a timer. "You have ten minutes. Then we have to scatter before the cops come."
Swiftly I'm on Dallas and yank him by his stupid pretty boy collar. "You won't be breathing by the time that clock runs out."
"Anything goes?"
I chuckle menacingly at him. "Nothing's going to help you, pretty boy."
He squirms but tries to act like it's a shrug. "I was just wanting to get even after you trying to piss on what's mine."
I roll my shoulders back and crack my neck. "I barely touched Dana and you two were done. You..." I rumble out, "Tried to do the unthinkable to my Old Lady."
My hand lets go of Dallas and Red Light looks relieved, until my eyes set on him. "Don't look too comfortable. I'll repay you."
I go over to where Ducky and Nails wait with my cut in hand. I slide it on and Dallas flips out a switchblade. "The same one I used on her."
My mind flashes with the things I'm going to do to him with that knife.
"So, she's yours now," Ducky states knowingly, disrupting my thoughts.
I stop and look back at him. "Duck, she's been mine the first moment I laid eyes on her at that gas station. I've just been fighting it."
Ducky gives a small smirk. "You mean eye."
I smirk back. "Shut up."
"Make sure to watch your right," he counters.
Shaking my head, I step in the middle of the circle that's formed. "Hope you do better than last time."