Chapter 29
Brewer
After spending time with Makenna in my arms and on my lips, I relinquished her to go pick up Ana from school. I was excited to see that little girl again. It astounded me how she had worked herself underneath my skin so badly. Now that they were going to officially be in my life, I needed to talk with Diesel about how to keep them safe through all this. I knew Knox and Grave were essentially stationed home, but that was because their women were pregnant. And even then, Grave lived out in the middle of damn nowhere while Knox and Monroe had moved into the wooded area surrounding Redding. They were shielded from all the bullshit in town and were still able to get to the crew whenever we needed them.
Something told me the best option for Makenna and Ana would be to get them out of town until further notice.
A knock came at my door just as I closed my eyes. I didn’t really feel like talking with anyone, but I figured it was probably one of the guys. I already missed Makenna. I wanted her back in bed with me. So, the soonest possible distraction needed to be taken up so my mind wouldn’t wander about how I was trapped in a hospital bed and how badly I wanted Makenna’s body next to me.
It was probably Rock anyway. And that asshole’s face always cheered me up.
“Come on in,” I said.
“Knock knock.”
I looked over and watched as Mick appeared.
“I figured you died,” I said with a grin.
“Nope. Mom again,” he said.
“Shit. What happened now?” I asked as he shut the door.
“My sister called a few days ago in a panic. She damn near had the entire town searching for her this time.”
“Where did you find her?” I asked as I watched Mick sit down.
There was something off about the way he was walking.
“In the back of a restaurant trying to order her mother’s meatloaf at a damn burger joint,” he said.
“I’m sure the guys have already ridden you about this, but let me join the ranks. You need to get a judge to rule in your favor to take over medical decisions for your mother. Your sister can’t take care of her any longer.”
“Trust me, I know. And I think she knows this time, too. I hate that I wasn’t there though to put bullets in the eyes of those assholes that stormed your place.”
“I take it Diesel already sent you over there to fix it up?” I asked.
“You really trashed that thing. Didn’t your mother teach you to take care of your shit?”
I chuckled as Mick slouched in the chair.
“Yeah, I got it all fixed up. The carpet was a real doozy, though. I had to replace parts of it.”
“Thanks for doing that,” I said.
“We all know the only shit you can fix is cars,” he said with a smile.
“And I do it well, too.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Like I got shot by a fucking bullet.”
“So, about as good as you can be.”
“From the details the guys gave me and the fucking carnage you left behind at your place, I’m surprised you got out of there alive. Are you going to even ask what I did with the bodies?”
“Trust me, I don’t want to know right now,” I said.
“Good. Because I don’t want to talk about it. I’m serious, though. You’re lucky.”
“You’re not going to let up on that, are you?”
“Nope. You call me lucky all the damn time. It’s about time you had some of that luck rub off on you. So how long are you supposed to be in the hospital?”
“A couple more days. They want to make sure nothing’s going to get infected before they discharge me.”
“Well, your house is fixed up to go back to. Though some of your furniture is missing. I repaired most of it, but some of it was beyond repair,” he said.
“I really appreciate you doing what you did. And it’s probably a good thing you weren’t there anyway. You’re a shit shot.”
“So, the guys keep telling me,” he said with a grin.
“Don’t worry. Guys who fool around with numbers aren’t supposed to be good with guns.”
“It’s why I’m the cleanup crew.”
“We should get you a jumper uniform. With your name stitched on it and shit. It could zip up the front.”
“I’d kill you,” he said.
“But it would be the sweetest sight,” I said through my laughter.
“Brewer?”
“Yep.”
“I’m really glad you’re all right.”
I turned to look at my comrade and saw concern dripping from his features.
“Thanks,” I said.
“Knock fucking knock.”
I rolled my eyes as Mick stood to his feet.
“Rock always did enjoy making an entrance,” Mick said.
“Trust me. I’ve known him for years. It’ll only get worse,” I said.
“Well, I’ll leave you guys to it. I wanted to come in here and see you before those drugs took you under again.”
“Thanks, man. Appreciate it. Come on in, Rock!”
“Your best friend is here. Everyone can settle the fuck down now,” he said as he walked in.
I eyed Mick carefully as he turned to leave. Something in my gut told me to keep an eye on him. I couldn’t pinpoint why and I didn’t have time to dig for it. My mind was clouding over with the drugs again and I felt sleep clawing at the back of my mind. I watched him move away from the chair before he turned to Rock, embracing the man with a clap on his back before he started walking away.
And that was when I caught it.
The limp in his left leg.
“The hell happened to you?” Rock asked.
“I tripped over my feet running into the burger joint after my mother,” Mick said. “Fucking messed up my knee.”
“Get it checked out since we’re in a hospital,” Rock said. “I know way too much about knee injuries. That shit will fuck your world up.”
“I’ll get it looked at if the pain doesn’t let up come tomorrow,” Mick said.
“Suit yourself,” Rock said with a shrug.
But my eyes were clued into his jeans. There was the smallest blood splotch near his ankle. Even I knew what it was through the drug-induced haze. And as my eyes worked its way up his leg, he turned to me and waved.
“See ya soon, Brewer. I’ll come back later on tonight,” Mick said.
And I got the perfect glimpse of his thigh. Which had another small dark splotch on it.
Blood.
In the two places where I shot that fucker in my home.
I closed my eyes and replayed the moment. I saw the boot in my guest bedroom doorway from underneath the bed. Black boots with navy blue laces.
I opened my eyes and took in Mick’s feet as he limped out the door.
Black boots with fucking navy-blue shoe laces.
My head spun. My heart thundered in my chest. I heard my heart monitor rising steadily as Rock’s hands came down onto my shoulders. He leaned me down onto the bed as my eyes stared up at the ceiling. I replayed that moment in my head over and over again.
One shot to the left ankle. Shot up. One shot to the left thigh. Blood trail.
Mask.
No voice.
“Brewer. Can you hear me?” Rock asked.
Hands were all over me as my eyes rolled into the back of my head. I felt my body shivering. I felt people poking me with needles. But I was helpless to the shock that flooded my veins. My hands curled up into the sheets of the bed as my breathing became erratic. That moment kept flashing over and over again.
Black boots. Navy laces. Ankle. Thigh.
Black boots. Navy laces. Ankle. Thigh.
“I need a crash cart!”
“Get his robe open.”
“Brewer!”
“What the fuck’s going on?”
“Brewer!”
“I was just in there with him. What the hell’s going on!?”
That voice. That slimy, good-for-nothing, bullshit little fucker. No wonder he hadn’t shot me with those bullets at such a close range. He didn’t know how to fucking shoot a damn gun. Suddenly, everything slid into place. As my body wrenched off the bed as my spirit hovered over my form, looking down on the doctors from above, my subconscious mind sorted everything out.
How the case to get Knox out of jail almost unraveled.
How those bastards found Everly’s house and shot it to shit.
How they found her in the cabin in those woods.
How those fucking idiots knew about the plan before they came storming into my home.
Mick was the rat. Our fucking Treasurer and the man who had cleaned up the home he decimated was our fucking rat.
I was going to wring that bastard’s neck if I got out of this fucking hospital bed.
THE END!
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She lied to me.
The minute I see Gavin for the first time, I know he is mine.
Piper told him his daddy was in jail.
I should be angry with her.
But with that stethoscope draped around her neck,
I know she’s not as bad as I want her to be.
She was just trying to protect him.
From my life, my club, and the bastards that are trying to kill us.
She has every reason to be worried,
But no one will touch my son.
Or my girl.
She may have left before,
But this time, I know she’ll stay.
Because we both want the same thing.
A family.
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