Chapter Twenty
Rory
“REMEMBER THAT TIME TANNER PUNCHED Bates in the face and told him to suck his dick when the sheriff pulled him over?” Raider snorted beer out his nose he was laughing so hard at the memory. “Spent three days in jail because of it, and made like two g’s from playing poker with some of the guards.”
“Remember the time…”
That was how all the conversations seemed to start tonight. From the moment we had walked through the doors of Hannigans’, everyone had been talking about Tanner and Warden. They were remembering the hilarious antics Matt’s brother had gotten into and all the good times they had shared with the two fallen brothers.
Having only ever attended my mother’s funeral, I didn’t really know what to expect tonight. I figured it would have been held at a church and people would stand up and talk about the two men who were now gone.
Instead, Matt had surprised me by pulling his motorcycle into the parking lot at Hannigans’ along with everyone else. Music was playing loud and proud, while everyone laughed and had a good time. Food was lined up inside on the bar top, a buffet of what Raven had told me were all of the two fallen brothers’ favorite dishes. They were celebrating the life of their brothers, not mourning them.
I had never seen the MC brothers look so dressed up before. At least, by their standards. They all wore button-up shirts under their cuts, with jeans that looked newer compared to the distressed ones they all tended to wear on any other day. But this day was different. Today they were saying goodbye to two of their own.
Oddly enough, that seemed like a better way to say goodbye to someone than standing over a casket and sobbing because my heart was broken at the loss of someone I cared about.
The bar was overflowing, and it was nearly impossible to talk to anyone over the roar of music and laughter, but somehow, they did. I stood beside Matt because he wouldn’t let go of my hand long enough to even get my own drinks. He sent someone to get him a fresh beer and a glass of wine for me whenever we needed a refill.
Bash, whom I’d only seen a handful of times throughout the night, appeared out of the crowd with Spider and Hawk on either side of him. “We got a new lead,” he said in a deadly serious voice, and I saw a switch flip inside of Matt.
“You’re sure it’s legit?” he growled at his cousin as he released my hand.
“It’s worth looking into,” Hawk said with a shrug.
Spider tipped his head toward the door. “Let’s talk about this outside, man.”
“Yeah.” Matt dropped a kiss on my lips, barely looking at me. “Get something to eat, babe. I’ll be back in a little while.”
Without looking back, he followed the other three out the door, and I had a sudden bad feeling. Something told me that whatever was going on, it involved what had happened to Tanner. I understood Matt’s need to avenge his brother, but I didn’t want to have to go to another one of these damn memorials, next time for him.
I wasn’t hungry, but I figured Matt would be when he came back inside. There was a long line at the buffet, so I grabbed a paper plate and waited.
“Hey, Rory. We’re on our way out,” Flick called as she came up to me with Max on her hip and Jet right behind her. She paused long enough to let me kiss Max’s cheek, but he hid his face in her shoulder, making her roll her blue eyes. “This little monster is cranky, so I’m going to take him back to the clubhouse and attempt to get him to sleep.”
“Ah, poor little guy.” I kissed the top of his head, loving the smell of his baby shampoo. “Don’t be mad, Max. Auntie Flick will give you cuddles.”
He lifted his head and frowned at me, then pushed me away. “My Flick!”
Flick laughed, and Jet muttered something I didn’t completely catch about little cockblockers. I hid my grin as she gave me a wink.
“We’ll see you later,” Flick said as they moved away. “Tell Matt we love him.”
“I will,” I promised. “See you later.”
A few other people came up to me as I was waiting in line. Quinn and Raider came to say goodnight, and Willa stopped long enough to ask me if I had seen her husband. She looked better than she had before she had been hospitalized, but she hadn’t said what the doctor had diagnosed after all the tests they were supposed to do at the hospital.
“He’s outside with Matt, Bash, and Hawk,” I explained. “Club business.”
“Oh, well, I guess I’ll let him stay a little longer. I’m tired and wanted to head home. If you see him, tell him I’ll be in the bathroom, okay?”
“Sure. No problem. Are you feeling okay?”
She shrugged. “Nothing a little rest can’t cure,” she said with a smile, but there was something in her eyes that made me wonder what was going on with her.
Willa left, and two sheep in front of me soon pulled me into a conversation as we began to fill our plates. Everyone was still having a good time, laughing and telling “remember when…” stories about Tanner and Warden. I had been sad when Matt told me Warden didn’t have any biological family left, but hearing all these people telling stories about him, seeing their smiles and hearing the affection they had for the man, told me that maybe he hadn’t had any blood relatives, but he still had a family who had loved him.
“Get down!” a deep voice roared over the music.
Suddenly, everyone was dropping to the floor, and without even thinking about it, I followed suit. The music was cut off abruptly, but people were screaming in fear while the brothers all rushed outside. I didn’t know what was going on, couldn’t make sense of anything at first other than the fact that I was now on my stomach between a crying Aggie and some other woman whose name I couldn’t remember. My plate of food was gone, spread over the floor along with everyone else’s.
I lifted my head, looking around for any sign of what was going on.
What sounded like a vehicle backfiring suddenly drowned out everyone’s screams, and my breath froze in my throat. The noise came again and again, rapidly back to back, and I knew exactly what it was. Someone was shooting at the building. The windows were breaking from the bullets, sending glass flying in all directions, making people scream in surprise and pain.
Matt! The thought hit me in the gut with the force of a wrecking ball. Matt was out there!
No, please, no. Let him be okay.
Fear had made my vocal cords freeze up, so I didn’t scream along with everyone else. I ducked my head back down as the sound of more bullets echoed from outside, and I prayed that Matt had a gun.
“Momma!” Lexa’s frightened squeal could suddenly be heard over everyone else’s. My head snapped up, my gaze going to where I had heard the little girl.
Dread filled my stomach when I saw the beautiful little dark-haired girl standing by one of the windows. The pretty pink dress she was wearing was now covered in blood, most of which was on her left arm.
“Lexa!” Raven screamed, but I didn’t have time to figure out where she was in the chaos.
Another round of bullets started raining through the windows. There was no time to think about what I was doing as I jumped to my feet and started running toward the girl. I reached her in a matter of seconds, and I grabbed her well before Raven could reach her. Tucking Lexa close, I fell onto my stomach with her underneath me just as a handful of bullets flew over my head.
“Momma!” Lexa screamed at the top of her lungs.
“Lexa, I’m coming, baby,” her mother called out, and I chanced lifting my head to find Raven crawling toward us.
She reached us quickly, her face a mask of fear and rage. “Where was she hit?” she demanded as I lifted up enough so she could pull her daughter from under me.
“I think it got her in the arm.”
“Fuck,” she bit out. “Shit, thank God Flick took Max with them.” Her fingers were shaking as she pulled the dress over Lexa’s head so she could check the little girl’s arm. There was blood pouring from the back as well as the front of her arm. “Through and through,” she said, sounding relieved.
“Momma, it hurts,” Lexa sobbed.
“I know, baby. I know.”
Wrapping the dress around the wounds like a tourniquet, Raven grabbed my hand. “Hold this. Don’t let go.”
I nodded. “She’s going to be okay?”
“She will be fine,” Raven assured me, but her voice scared me almost as much as the bullets still flying by us did. “Stay with her. Protect her with your life.”
“Where are you going?” I cried as she got to her feet.
“Protect her,” she commanded and made a mad run for the door.
“No!” Lexa screamed and tried to get free when she realized her mother was leaving her. “Momma, come back!”
I tightened my hold on the dress and covered Lexa’s little body with my own once again, afraid more bullets would start flying. I had no idea what was going on outside, but all I could think was that Matt was out there somewhere.
Matt could be hurt.
Matt could be shot.