I crash my fist into his jaw, making him crumble to the ground.

“We got it,” Nox calls out, holding his phone to his ear.

Tonight, I had Nox with me when we went to pick Rylie up, because we had some work to do for the club. When I pulled up and saw an asshole freaking out in the back of Schade’s place, I shook him out; found out someone knocked out my woman and took her. Thank fucking Christ we came early.

The asshole gave me the model of the car and a partial plate. Then he told me it was a man about Rylie’s age with light blond hair. Part of me was relieved it wasn’t JK. The other part wants to know who the fuck has my woman.

“Buzz has the car at the lake. We have to go right fucking now.”

I race to my bike, throw my leg over, and then Nox and I take off like bats out of hell. It doesn’t take us long to get there, but looking around, we don’t see anyone there.

I turn off the bike and hop off, looking out at the water.

Bubbles come from about twenty feet from the bank.

“Don’t fuckin’ move!” Nox calls out, pointing his gun at a huge bush. It’s then I see the glint of a gun.

Two figures walk out. The man, I have no fucking clue who he is. The woman, though …

“Where the fuck is she!” I yell, marching up to her as she aims the gun at me.

A shot goes off, and the woman screams as blood splatters my chest. Nox shot the woman’s hand clear from her body.

The asshole man with her bends over and pukes right on the spot.

The aunt screams and cries as I move to the man, kicking him in the gut, not giving one shit if he pukes on me. “Where the fuck is she!”

He looks up at me, nasty shit hanging from his mouth. “Water,” he groans, falling to the ground.

I look out at the water and see a couple more bubbles float up.

“Nox!” I yell, running into the water before diving under.

Everything is black. Pitch fucking black. I have to pop back up to get my breath. Fear like no other wraps around my heart, threatening to strangle everything out of me. Threatening to take me under the water with Rylie.

No, this isn’t happening.

I move toward the bubbles and go under again, hearing splashes behind me and knowing Nox has my back.

I feel around blindly, hoping like hell I can find her. Needing air, though, I pop back up and turn toward Nox, who has a flashlight. Holy shit!

“I can’t find her!”

Nox splashes in the water. “The car. There’s a fuckin’ car here. Find the metal,” he orders.

I suck in a deep breath, nod, and then we both dive back down. The light glistens through the water.

I reach out and pray I can feel the metal. Pray it’s there.

I have no idea how long she’s been under. I have no idea if she’s still alive. But Christ, please let her be.

She doesn’t know it, but she’s my fuckin’ rock. I can’t do this shit without her. My life won’t be my life without her. Fuck.

My hand grazes something just as the light hits it. A car. However, I have to pop up and grab air again. Fuck, I’ve come up how many times for air? Shit!

I go straight back down, pulling Nox with me. Metal hits my hand. The frame of a window. Hair. Fuck, hair!

Nox shines the light, and we see Rylie, her beautiful face lifeless. Nothing.

My heart breaks into a thousand pieces as I see her hands are taped. I reach to my boot and grab my knife, cutting her out while Nox holds the light. Then I pull her and find her feet taped, as well.

With thoughts of hearing Rylie laugh again, I muster all the energy I can and cut her legs from the car, then pull her up as I gasp for breath when we breach the surface.

With every bit of strength I have, I move her quickly out of the water, Nox right behind me.

Not knowing how the hell to do it, I start CPR, breathing into her body and pumping her chest with my hands.

Please be alive. Please be alive. Please be alive.

Tears fall from my eyes as I watch her with each push on her chest. She doesn’t move. She doesn’t react. She doesn’t breathe. Even blowing into her mouth and seeing her chest rise does nothing.

I can’t stop. Not when I hear the ambulance. Not when they tell me to back away. Not even when Nox grabs me under my arms and pulls me away. I try to fight him, but every bit of my soul is laying on the ground, in the dirt, having taken her last breath.

Life is cruel on so many levels. Missed years of my life without my family. Now I’ll miss the rest of it without the woman I love.

My body gives out as I collapse, all the while watching two EMTs working on pumping life into my woman. Each movement only makes the pain worse.

Bikes rumble in the background, but all my attention is on my woman.

When Rylie gasps, I’m up on my feet, running toward my woman. The EMT tilts her to the side as water gushes from her lips and she gasps for breaths.

I fall to my knees, staying out of the way but close enough to her, dumbfounded, shock on my face, unable to breathe myself.

“We need to move now!” an EMT says as they load her up. He looks down at me. “Get in.”

I hop up and move, not wanting to waste a single second.

I look at my woman. “Love you, Rylie. Fuckin’ love you.”

* * *

I pace the ER, back and forth, back and forth. They lost her once in the ambulance and had to pump life back into her. They talked about brain damage and all kinds of other shit, but all I could focus on were her breaths coming in and out. Nothing else could penetrate. Until now, as I pace, each step agonizing.

Brain dead.

This is exactly what I mean about life being cruel.

“What’s the word?” my father asks, coming through the door, my mother attached to his side. She looks better, but she shouldn’t be here. I just don’t have the energy at the moment to fight it.

“Still waiting.”

My mother walks up and wraps her arms around me. Everything inside of me cracks wide open, and while my mother holds me, for the first time since I was a kid, I sob.

* * *

“Rylie Hollister?”

I dart from the window, heading straight toward the gray-haired man in green scrubs. His face is somber. It scares the ever-loving shit out of me.

Pure terror consumes me as I feel my family at my back. The entire Ravage MC showed up, all here in the waiting room. All but Rhys, Dagger, and Breaker, who I’m told have the aunt and the asshole. Not that I give a flying fuck at the moment.

“Yes?”

“She has no one listed as her next of kin,” he says hesitantly.

“I’m her man. I need to know she’s okay.”

The doc peers around at everyone in their cuts, his hand trembling. He better start talking before he ends up on his ass. My patience left a long damn time ago.

“Right.” He clears his throat. “Ms. Hollister is alive. And I’ll be straight with you, I don’t know how. For as long as it appears she was under water, she’s breathing on her own. However, we did have to shock her heart twice to bring her back.”

My heart falls to my feet, and my mom grips my arm, giving me comfort.

“I’m worried about brain damage. We took her in for an MRI, and there appears to be no bleeding on the brain, which is good. But there is swelling, and some of it is significant. We’ve put her in an induced coma to help with the swelling, and we’re pumping her full of antibiotics because pneumonia is very common in cases like these. The next twenty-four hours are critical. Unfortunately, all we can do is wait. If all her numbers stay the same, this is good. We’ll do another MRI and see if there is progress on the swelling.”

“Christ.” I run my hand through my hair, knowing this isn’t the worst news, but it’s not the greatest, either. “Can I see her?”

“In about an hour. We’re monitoring her very closely; you need to give us time to help her.”

I turn away from the doc. “Please do.”

He leaves as my family comes around me, but I push them off. I need some time, and they give me that, letting me pace. I’m not trying to be a dick to them. I just can’t handle shit right now.

The door to the ER opens, and my eyes fly to it. Austyn walks in, a timid look on her face. I hear gasps because she’s locked herself up tight in her parents’ home. She makes not one acknowledgement of any of them, however. Instead, she comes directly to me, wraps her arms around me, and holds on tight. I reciprocate, holding on for dear life.

* * *

Machines beep and ping, but it’s the breathing machine I fucking hate. The sounds of the air going into Rylie’s body, then the tick and swoosh it makes as it comes out. Over and over and over again, never stopping. Never a reprieve.

The worst part about it is how she’s breathing, in a fucking coma.

The last MRI came back better. The doctor says they’re going to start to bring her out of the coma. This is going to be the tell if she has brain damage. If she comes out and is responsive.

He once said the word vegetable, and it took my father holding me back from punching the guy. My beautiful woman is so full of life.

Three of her crazy ass friends came. Even Charlie and Schade made an appearance. I wasn’t in the mood to talk to them, so my mother and Emery did that shit.

Nevertheless, she’s loved. By so many damn people. I just need her to be able to wake up.

That’s where we are now. I’m sitting, just waiting for my beautiful woman to wake up. The doc and nurses left just moments ago, taking all the damn tubes from her mouth, and are now watching her like hawks. So far, so good.

Nox comes behind me and places his hands on my shoulders. I don’t tense, move—nothing. I don’t have the energy to do so. Every bit of it is going to my girl. He’s been here, though, only leaving me briefly, mostly sitting off to the side by the window. Here but not, giving me the support he can without being in my fucking face.

Having him by my side is much like the days when we were younger. He always had my back before I turned to the other shit. Feels good to have his back again after everything.

“Brother, do you need somethin’?”

“Her to fuckin’ wake up,” I reply instantly.

He squeezes my shoulder. “Know that. She will.”

A lump forms in my throat. “You so sure?”

“Damn right. That woman is tough as hell. She’s not ready to go yet.”

I shake my head and close my eyes. “She can’t be ready.”

Nox comes around, momentarily stealing my attention from the bed. “She even tries it, you and I go in and get her back.”

That lump gets harder to control, knowing he has mine and my woman’s back. All I can do is nod as he does the same then moves off by the window again.

With each second that ticks by, more of the fear creeps in. I want to yell at her, “Wake the fuck up,” but I know it won’t do any good.

I hate it. Fucking hate this shit.

Inside, I’m empty.

* * *

Pressure comes to my hand, and I pop up. Relief floods me when I see my beautiful girl’s green eyes and a smile on her lips.