Rocco all but pushed everyone out of the way as he sprinted out of his gate. He sprinted past small clusters of people, and ripped his shoes off of his feet as he approached airport security. He hurried through the checkpoint and slipped his feet back into his shoes. Rocco reached into his back pocket and dragged his finger across the screen. He fell into a steady stride as he held the phone to his ear.
The phone rang three or four times before Clyde answered, “Have you made it?”
“Just got off of the plane. How soon can you be here?”
“I’m sending a car for you. I use this guy every so often, and he’ll be sure to be somewhere in a pinch.”
Rocco ran his tongue over his lips and said, “How is she?”
“About the same, a little pale. I’ve been sneaking food to her when I can but she hasn’t exactly had an easy time since she’s been back. Meish has stayed out of there.”
Rocco sighed and said, “Okay. Make sure that everything is clear. I’ll be there soon.”
Clyde said his goodbyes and gave Rocco a basic description of the car that he’d be looking for. Rocco moved outside and stood off to the side, away from throng of people that were hurrying into the airport. He narrowed his eyes, and impatiently scanned the curved road in front of him for the sedan that Clyde mentioned over the phone.
He watched as three more groups of families headed into the airport. An SUV drove out of the airport driveway, and a navy sedan pulled up behind it. The window rolled down to reveal a balding man that was approaching forty. A smile emerged from behind his salt and pepper beard, and he said, “Are you Mr. Garrett?”
Who is this guy? How did Clyde end up hooking up with a guy like this? Rocco nodded. “Yeah.” He moved towards the car and unlocked the door. He slid into the back seat. Rocco pressed his back against the leather seats and said, “Do you know where we’re going?”
The driver met eyes with him through the rearview mirror. “Clyde told me that I’m bringing you back to the Chasing Spirits Motorcycle Club.” The driver moved his hands over the steering wheel and swung the car into traffic. “He sounded kind of panicked. I’ve never been to a motorcycle club before, is it true what they say?”
Rocco rolled his eyes and said, “It depends on what you’ve heard ‘them’ saying.”
The driver moved deeper into the city. The late evening Chicago traffic was beginning to pick up, and other drivers on the road were in no mood to wait. Car horns blared, and the guy ahead of him stuck his head out of the window.
“Come on, move it!”
Rocco redirected his attention to the driver and said, “It’s as rough as you make it. My club used to be a bit more… gentle. They weren’t like this before.” Although, Meish might not have turned on me if I hadn’t brought Hailey into the picture to start with. Rocco shook his head. The good memories he had of Meish would have to become a permanent part of the past. It was one thing to wreak a little hell to get your way throughout the city before, but the things that Becca and Hailey have been through were a part of something much darker that Rocco had never seen before.
Rocco shook his head. “You’ve just gotta find the right club. I don’t know if this scene is for me anymore.”
The driver nodded and said, “Clyde seems less enthused about the whole deal these days,” he chuckled and said, “he acts like someone’s holding a gun to his head. I’d just quit and move onto something new if I were him.”
Rocco snorted. You could certainly try to quit the Chasing Spirits before, but Meish isn’t in a place to accept resignations. Rocco lowered his eyes to the floor of the sedan. The lining on the floor was the expensive kind of lining that Rocco remembered seeing in a couple of Meish’s luxury cars.
The driver whipped the car into a narrow alleyway, and Rocco recognized the backs of the signs that hung off of the buildings in the area. They were approaching the back of the Chasing Spirits Motorcycle Club. Rocco inhaled, and wrapped his fingers around the door handle.
The car came to a stop just outside of the back entrance. The driver whipped his head around and said, “Good luck in there. I hope that work’s not too bad.”
Rocco nodded his thanks to the driver and opened the car door. He slid out of the car and his shoe immediately hit a dense puddle of water that had been sitting inside of a pothole. Rocco waved goodbye and stuck his hands in his pockets as he hurried towards the back entrance of the club.
Rocco leaned against an off white, metal door. The sound of music thumping throughout the building could be heard faintly. Rocco reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed Clyde’s number and pressed it to his ear. Rocco’s heart sank when his ears were met with, “You’ve reached Clyde Schuster. I’ll give you a call back when I have an opportunity.” The line disconnected and Rocco threw his fists against the door.
His hand flew to the door handle, but when he jiggled it, the door stayed in place. I don’t have my keys to the club!
“Shit!” Rocco threw his foot against the door as hard as he could. A burst of pain shot through this right foot and a new rush of rage flowed through his body. “Fuck!”
His back pocket began to hum with a phone call. Rocco reached into his pocket and held his phone to his ear. “Clyde?!”
“I had to get to the bathroom. What’s up? Have you made it into town yet?”
“I’m at the back entrance of the club. I don’t have keys to get in.”
“I’ll let you in, I’ll be at the back entrance in a few minutes. Rocco, when you get in, you need to head straight for the spare room. Hailey is in there, I’ll be at the front desk.”
Rocco nodded and within moments, Clyde pulled the door open. Clyde stepped to the side as Rocco rushed in, and he said, “Be quick!”
Rocco nodded and rushed into the halls. The music that played in the lounge rooms on the other side of the club echoed throughout the club. Rocco hurried towards the spare room. Clyde’s hand shot out and landed on his shoulder. “Rocco,” he whispered, “here.” Clyde lifted up his shirt and pulled a small pistol off of his waist. He set it in the middle of Rocco’s palm and said, “I know that you didn’t have a chance to get yours. Be careful leaving the city.”
Rocco closed his fingers around the gun and said, “Thanks, Clyde.” Rocco turned his gaze to the door that waited down the hall. His feet propelled him forward, and he twisted the lock on the other side of the door.
Rocco pushed the door open to reveal Hailey’s crumpled form. She was slouched against one of the walls, her head lolled to the side as if it were going to disconnect and roll off her shoulders. Rocco looked over his shoulder before rushing forward. “Hailey!” He hissed.
Hailey weakly lifted her head and her eyes widened. “Rocco! You actually came.”
“Of course.” He slipped his arm underneath her arms and they moved towards the door. “You need to get moving, Clyde risked his neck to help me get you out of here.” Rocco moved forward and Hailey nodded. She paused and straightened her legs. She snatched a hair tie off of her wrist and twisted her hair into a low bun that rested at the base of her neck.
Hailey followed Rocco into the hall. She kept her head low as he led her through another hallway that led to the back entrance. The last time that I went through this back door, Rocco dragged me in with the help of some of the goons from the club. Hailey inhaled, and followed him outside.
The cool wind and the small trickle of rain that was beginning had hardly brushed her cheeks before Rocco’s mangled yell rang throughout the air. Hailey whipped her head towards him in time to see him desperately moving backwards.
Meish lumbered forward and cracked his knuckles. “Are you kidding me, Rocco? You don’t have the balls to tell me that you want her back? You couldn’t come to my face.”
Rocco’s hand flew to his chest where Meish had thrown his fist before. His chest ached and he inhaled a painful breath. Rocco jumped to his feet and said, “Fuck off, Meish. I’m done with the club, I’m done with the game. I just want to get out of here.”
Hailey’s eyes nervously darted from Rocco’s steely expression to the snarl that was forming on Meish’s lips.
“Seriously, Rocco? Do you think that I’d just sit back and watch you leave the club? It doesn’t work that way.”
“Get the fuck out of my way, Meish,” Rocco growled.
Meish’s expression melted into a sneer so fierce that Hailey was certain that Rocco would have spat on him and it wouldn’t have elicited a physical response that compared to this.
Meish reached behind him and pulled out a pistol. He raised it, and it sat in the air between them. Hailey’s head swirled as Meish said, “It was never going to be so easy that I just let you get away.”
“Then, what do you want?” Rocco asked, his hand slid towards his waist and he narrowed his eyes.
Hailey blinked the rain drops out of her eyes, the water burned as it pelted her face and skin. Her mouth fell open as Meish’s arm pivoted and the barrel of the gun was aimed at Hailey.
“W-what are you doing?” Hailey’s hands flew in front of her stomach and she narrowed her eyes as she watched Meish’s eyes roll over her.
“I should have done this before, could have saved me an assload of trouble.” Meish said, he pressed his finger against the trigger.
A bone chilling scream was ripped from Hailey’s chest and her arms flew out in front of her. Rocco’s shoes slipped against the slick pavement beneath his feet. There was a burst of light as Rocco threw himself in front of Hailey. The bones in Hailey’s knees popped and she fell to the floor.
Meish chuckled and scraped his foot against the pavement. He slipped his gun into his waistband.
Hailey’s fingers were bright red with Rocco’s blood. With wide eyes she slid herself out from underneath him. A few feet away, Meish leered with at her with a lusty look in his eye. Hailey pressed her hands against Rocco’s body, until she felt the cold steel of what she hoped to be a pistol.
Please, please. Hailey whipped the gun off of his waistband and pointed towards Meish’s chest. Meish’s eyes widened and he said, “What the hell are you doing?!”
Hailey jumped to her feet and pointed the gun at Meish. She narrowed her eyes and said, “You’re not going to hurt anyone else.”
“Hailey, you better watch your-”
The bullet sailed through the air and landed in between the folds of Meish’s chest cavity. A thin stream of blood gushed out of his chest, and he fell to the ground. Hailey watched as Meish’s blood was collected with the rainwater that rushed through the alleyway. It poured down the drain with the rest of the water. She whipped her head towards Rocco and screeched, “Rocco!”
Hailey’s knees connected with the pavement and she jammed her index finger into the crook of Rocco’s neck. A faint pulse throbbed underneath her fingertips and Hailey screeched, “Clyde! Clyde! Clyde, please!”
She pressed her palms into the bullet hole on his arm, and Rocco groaned weakly. Hailey turned towards the door and screamed, “Clyde! Clyde!”
Rocco’s blood slid through the cracks in between her fingertips, and Clyde burst through the door.
“Hailey, what’s—Rocco!”
“Meish shot him,” Hailey said, she forced her palms into Rocco’s arms and swiveled her head towards Clyde. “I don’t know what to do, he’s bleeding out!”
“I’ll call an ambulance!” Clyde slid his cell phone out of his back pocket and pressed his phone to his ear.
Clyde’s distressed yells turned into a low mumble as Hailey leaned over Rocco. Tears blurred her vision, and the bright red color of Rocco’s blood was the only thing that broke through the murky picture.
“Rocco, Rocco, come on, please. Hold on.”