Another brother shot, multiple times, lucky to be alive. Gunner and Chatty were ambushed by someone. Hanger thinks it was Deuce or one of his men, and ordered an abrupt ambush on The Four Kings.
Daphne didn't want me to go because she was afraid it would set me back, but I assured her that I would be fine. I've been taking my medication religiously, and I'm in a much better state of mind than I was six months ago.
Demon is sitting in the back of the van with me, antsy as fuck and ready to shed blood. Me, I'll be staying in the van in hopes they find Tink alive. The van comes to a stop, the back doors open, and Demon scurries out, ready to go. My brothers grab extra guns, ammo, and other weapons. They’re loading up in case they need the additional ammunition.
I wait silently, watching out the van doors with my pistol in hand in case one of those cunt bastards tries to escape. Gunfire ensues, it sounds like Fourth of July fireworks. I close my eyes for a moment and take a few deep breaths. "I'm okay," I tell myself. I count to ten and refocus on my duty: make sure no one escapes and to wait for Tink.
I'm not sure how much time has passed, but the shots are starting to die down. I look around the door of the van. Demon is running toward me with a naked bloody body in his arms.
He reaches me in seconds and lays an unconscious Tink on the floor of the van. "Is he alive?" I ask quickly, placing my fingers on his neck, checking for a pulse. Demon nods, his eyes glued to Tink. A glimmer of sorrow flashes through his dark eyes, but it's gone and replaced with hollowness.
I find a pulse, barely, but it's there. I open my bag that I brought and begin cleaning his deep wounds. The rest of my brothers gather at the back of the van. They speak to each other, but I'm solely focused on Tink.
The van starts up and we begin the ride back to Wichita from Topeka. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I call Jacey to get Sierra's number.
I immediately call her.
"Hello?" She answers on the second ring.
"Sierra, it's Doc. I'm gonna need your help."
She’s quiet for a few seconds, I only hear her deep breathing. "What do you need?"
"Two IVs, feeding tube with food, morphine, and a couple bags of O negative blood."
"Jesus, Doc. What's happened?"
"I can't tell you. Just meet us at the clubhouse in a couple hours."
"I'll be there."
* * *
The van comes to a screeching halt in the compound parking lot. I open the back door, jump out, and pull Tink into my arms. Sierra runs toward me, but I don't acknowledge her as I rush him to my old room. I lay him on the bed, Sierra comes in behind me and closes the door.
"Oh my God!" She screeches. "He needs to go to the hospital!"
"Did you bring the stuff I asked for?" My eyes cut to hers.
"Yes, here." She holds out a couple bags for me.
"Go back to the van and get my bag," I instruct. She may be a doctor too, but I'm in charge here.
She leaves the room returning a couple minutes later. She hands me the bag and I take out the alcohol and gauze pads. I hold out some for her to take. "Get the IV for the blood transfusion set up. I'm going to continue cleaning his wounds and stitching them up."
It takes hours front to back, but I finally thread the last stitch through his flesh. The blood has started entering his body, his color is returning–which is a good sign–and I check his temperature. It’s normal. He'll be unconscious for a while, so when the transfusion ends, I will insert the other IV and start his doses of morphine.
Upon further examination, I found trauma and wounds that are far more devastating than the slash marks covering his body.
"The best we can hope for is he lives. It's going to be touch and go for a while, and I hope that he doesn't get an infection."
"Doc." Sierra shakes her head. "The shit that's been done to him..." she trails off.
"I know." I blow out a deep breath.
"They cut him open and used wire bristle brushes on the open wounds." Her eyes are wide as her mouth opens and closes. "Who does this to a person."
My eyes dart to hers. "You can go now. I'll stay with him." I ignore her question because the truth is, we do shit like this. The same men she is trying to help, only this time, it was one of ours that got hurt.
"Are you sure? I mean, I can stay if you need me too."
I look down at Tink. "No, he won't be waking up anytime soon. If I need anything else, I'll call." My eyes drag up to hers. "Thanks, Sierra."
She nods once, and the corner of her mouth tilts up. "You're welcome." She leaves me alone with Tink. I pull my desk chair over to the side of the bed and wait for the transfusion to finish.
* * *
It's been two days sitting with Tink. I haven't left his side, but I did call Daphne and let her know I wasn't going to be home. It's been two days of me sitting in this quiet room, thinking, and putting more and more together.
Standing up from my chair, I leave the room and go in search of Hanger. Finding him in his office, I knock on the door and enter.
Hanger stops what he’s doing and gives me his attention. "How is he?"
"Same." I sit in the chair across from his desk.
"We need him to wake up and see if he talked." He runs a hand over his face.
"You think Tink is the rat?" My brows furrow.
"I don't know what to fuckin' think, Doc. My best friend was shot and almost killed."
I cut him off. "There was no almost for mine." I point to my chest. "Mine was shot and killed! You want to place blame on a young kid, why? Because he's a new prospect? You don't want to face the fact it might be one of our own and we don't fuckin' know who."
"What grounds do you have for suspectin' one of ours? One of our brothers!" His voice rises and his fist slams on the desk.
"The ambush, the fact they knew Gunner was coming back, what car he would be in, that Tink was undercover, the fact Deuce is always two fucking steps ahead of us. Just think about it, Hanger. Someone has got to be feeding him information."
His eyes bore into mine. "Let me know when he wakes up." He gets up from his desk and storms out of his office.
I release a deep sigh. I don't know what more has to happen for him to fucking realize that one of ours has turned.
Walking out of his office, I go back to sit with Tink.
Later that night, Tink starts thrashing in his sleep. I jump up, turn the light on, and notice beads of sweat on his forehead. Placing my palm against his skin, he's burning up.
I quickly check his wounds and several on his back have been ripped open from his frantic movements. One looks angry and red. An infection has set in, I turn him completely over, and begin to clean the seeping blood on closer examination I find a tiny piece of wire I missed the first time.
Fuck!
Grabbing my phone, I call Sierra.
"Hello?" She answers groggily.
"Sierra, he's thrashing, has a high temperature, and an infection has set in."
"I'll be there soon."
After the call has ended, I throw my phone down and get back to cleaning Tink.
Sierra busts into the room right as I'm finished re-stitching his wounds.
"I went to the hospital and grabbed more supplies. I also brought antibiotics to help with the infection and a sedative in case he starts thrashing again."
"Thanks." I run a hand over my tired face.
She lays her hand on my shoulder. "Why don't you go lay down and get some sleep. I'll stay with him."
"I'm staying."
"If you need anything, call me."
I nod but keep my eyes on Tink's still body.
Two weeks have gone by since we rescued Tink. Gunner got released from the hospital and has a decked-out wheelchair. Tink has stabilized, the infection is gone, and after a few more rounds of re-stitching, he is finally beginning to heal.
Daphne was incredible through my being gone while I stayed with Tink. She started coming to the compound to visit and bringing Zane with her. She would bring me fresh clean clothes and food to eat.
If I thought I couldn't love her anymore, I was so fucking wrong. She makes me fall harder and deeper every single day. There's no hitting bottom, there's no end, and there is no stopping the love we have. Our souls have been connected since the day we met and will forever be.
She will always be forever mine.
I walk into Runaway Tattoo, past Audrey with her usual greeting, and find Daphne sitting behind her desk. "Hey!" She smiles up at me.
"Hey!" I mirror her. "I want a tattoo."
"Okay." She laughs, stands, and sways over to me. Her lips touch mine softly at first until I deepen the kiss, leaving her breathless.
Her eyes flutter open when I pull back, and she looks up at me through her thick black lashes. "Come on. Do you know what you want?"
I follow her lead, grinning behind her. "Yep." I plop down in the chair, and she gazes at me, waiting. I pull the ring out of my pocket and hold it out between my thumb and finger. "I want this tattooed with the question, ‘Will you marry me?’” Daphne stares at me only blinking several times, but not saying a word. "Babe?"
"Huh?" She still stares at me in her catatonic state.
I grin. "You gonna give me an answer or keep me waiting?"
"You don't want the tattoo?" Her eyes fill with tears.
I shake my head and chuckle. "No."
"Oh my God!" She finally moves. She comes over to me, gives me a short sweet kiss, and says, "Yes! A million times, yes!"
My arms wrap around her waist. "Shit, woman, you had me worried there for a minute." I smile.
"I was in shock. I was not expecting that." She laughs. "But... you know what I am expecting?"
My brows furrow. "What?"
"A baby."
Now I'm the one frozen in place, blinking and staring.
"Devon?"
"Like you are expecting me to knock you up?" I ask the stupid question.
She doubles over laughing. "Nope. You already did."
"I'm going to be the best husband and father I can be. I promise."
She cups my cheeks with her hands and stares into my eyes. "You already are."