I couldn’t believe the bloodbath I walked into.

The bedroom floor was streaked with blood and Chester lay panting on the ground, bleeding from his hip. I ran to the window and looked out, shocked to see Riot and Slade moaning and writhing on the ground outside.

“What the fuck!” I shouted.

I grabbed a towel from a nearby chair and pressed it into Chester’s bleeding hip.

“Hey, boy,” I whispered to him. He was scared, his eyes wide, his heart racing. “It's okay, you’re okay. I promise, Chester. I love you, boy. You’re going to be just fine.”

Daisy was standing behind me, softly crying as she watched from the doorway.

“Come here,” I said. She put Alex in his crib and ran over to me, kneeling beside me. I placed her hands on the towel. “Put pressure on his wound. Don’t let go. Did you call the cops?”

“No,” she replied, sobbing. “My phone fell in the pool. Your land line doesn’t work…”

“Fuck,” I replied. That phone had been there when I moved in and I never bothered to actually have it turned on, since all I used was my cell. It didn’t matter now, though. “Who did this?”

“Luke,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m so sorry, Jason. I’m so sorry…”

“Who the fuck is Luke?” I asked.

Riot and Slade were stirring now, moaning and trying to get up. I jumped out the window and kneeled next to them on the grass.

“What the fuck happened?”

“Fucking Luke Sullivan happened, that’s what,” Slade muttered, shaking his head and wincing.

“Who the fuck is Luke Sullivan?” I asked again.

“What the hell, man? You live under a goddamned rock or something?”

“Goddammit, Slade, I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”

“Luke Sullivan is the fucking MMA champion of the world and for some reason the asshole really wanted inside your fucking house, Bones.”

“Oh. That guy? I’m so fucking confused,” I shook my head, inspecting the cuts on his face.

“Be still!” I shouted as he moved his head, wincing again.

“You’ll be alright,” I said. “A small cut, but I think your nose is broken.”

I looked Riot over and slowly he sat up, his hair and beard streaked with blood.

“You look like you fought a fucking tiger,” I muttered.

Riot shook his head, spitting blood on the ground beside him.

“What a fucking powerhouse,” he said.

“Fuck that guy!” Slade shouted, then winced in pain again. “He just got lucky. And I’m not fucking done with him, you can bet your sweet ass on that!”

“We gotta go,” I said, lifting Riot to his feet.

“Sullivan left,” Slade said.

“Don’t mean he isn’t coming back.”

“Good! Then I won’t have to go looking for his sorry ass to rip it apart,” Slade sneered.

“I gotta get Daisy and Alex somewhere safe. And Chester….”

“What happened to Chester?” Riot asked.

“He shot him.”

“Motherfucker!” Slade said. “I’m gonna kill that Limey bastard!”

“Not if I kill him first,” I growled, rage ripping through me. “First, we need to get you both some medical attention.”

“We’re fucking fine,” Slade growled.

“Your nose is broken.”

“Ain’t the first time and ain’t gonna be the fucking last.”

“Fine. I gotta get Chester to the vet. The bullet hit his hip, I think he’s going to be okay.”

Daisy appeared at the window, her face streaked with tears, her face as white as a cloud.

“Should I call the police?” She said, her lips quivering. “I’m so sorry. I should have pressed charges against that asshole a long time ago. I’m ready to do it now. He needs to go to jail. He wants Alex.”

Riot and Slade exchanged a glance and shook their heads.

“Nope,” Slade said. “The cops can’t stop a man like him. All they’re going to do is ask for his fucking autograph and a selfie. He might have gotten lucky today, but this battle is just beginning. We can take him.”

“Let’s go to the clubhouse,” I said, looking them over. “Do you need a ride?”

“Ain’t the first time I’ve ridden with a fucking broken nose, either, Bones. We’ll be just fine.”

“Stay close,” I said, walking back around the front of the house with them. “Let me pack up Daisy and the baby and we’ll be right out.”

“I gotta take a leak, man,” Slade said.

“Bro, I think you already did,” Riot said, pointing to a wet stain on Slade’s jeans.

“For fuck’s sake,” he muttered.

Riot tried not to laugh for about two seconds, but it was no use. He burst out laughing, as Slade walked inside the house ignoring him.

I ran in behind him, catching up with Daisy in the hallway.

“Daisy, grab Alex and pack up your stuff, we’re leaving.”

“Where are we going?”

“Somewhere safe,” I said, pulling her shaking body into my arms. “I should have taken you there a long time ago.”