Chapter 13
Rider
The moment gunshots popped off I was behind a bike with Zoey. I was not going to let her get hurt. I was not going to allow the asshole moves of some bullshit rival gang hurt her in any way. I instinctively reached for a gun on my hip as my body covered hers, growing painfully aware of the fact that I didn’t have anything to defend myself.
But all the gunshots were coming our way, and I had to deflect them elsewhere.
I told Zoey to stay put then did the only thing I could. I hopped from bike to bike, drawing their fire with risky moves. Bullets were bouncing off reflective surfaces and shattering windows. Embedding themselves into bricks as I ambushed as man men as I could. I had their necks in the crook of my arm. I had their faces underneath the heel of my boot. Every man I came into contact with was disarmed and blacked out within the blink of an eye.
I could hear people shouting at me to get back. Yelling at me to get behind something and take cover.
But I wasn’t having it.
No one was going to hurt the only family I’d come to know.
I don’t even know when I got shot. It was sometime between the last man I took out and the time they started taking off like the pussies they were. All of a sudden, there was this searing ache in my shoulder. I could feel a warmth cascading down my arm as well as breaching the back of my shirt.
The bullet had torn through right through my rotator cuff.
Which meant it had torn right through my new leather cut.
I laid there on the ground, the world spinning above me. I could feel the pavement slowly growing warm and wet as I laid there, trying to figure out what to do next. The rumbling of the pavement was fierce as The Red Horsemen drove away, and I heard Colt shouting my name.
The panic in his voice told me it was serious.
Before I knew it, someone was lifting my head. My eyes were heavy, and my body felt like it was floating away. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get them to pry themselves open. And I knew enough from my combat days to know that wasn’t good. I had to stay as alert and as conscious as I could until I could get medical attention.
Could I even go to a hospital when I was part of a crew like this?
“Just look at me,” a voice whispered. “Just open your eyes, Rider.”
The voice was so sweet, yet full of so much despair. I felt the warmth of someone’s body underneath my skull, and it dulled the throbbing pain I was experiencing. I smelled a certain perfume that seemed familiar, and I felt something wet dripping on my forehead.
I managed to open my eyes and found myself face to face with the eyes of an angel. Zoey’s face came into view, her wild red hair fluttering down towards me as tears dripped down her cheeks. Why was she crying? Why did she look so scared? Was she hurt? Was she scared?
If she was hurt, I was going to kill the bastard who hurt her.
The moments that passed by were a blur. People were gathered around me, and something was pressed into my shoulder. I felt a searing pain shoot through my arm and rob me of my breath. I could hear Zoey’s voice penetrating the crowd, pleading with me to do unspeakable things.
Like, stop bleeding?
“Not sure I got control over that,” I said. “Sorry.”
“I can take it from here.”
“I’m not leaving him.”
“Zoey, look at me. Why the fuck do you think we call him ‘Doc’?”
There were so many voices swirling around my head. I felt dizzy. Tired. Nauseous. I knew Colt was talking and I could hear remnants of Zoey’s voice through her sobs. But the voice I heard the most was Doc’s.
“All right, kid. I’m gonna have to move you, and it’s not gonna be fun. On the count of three.”
That fucker didn’t even get to one before arms hoisted me into the air. I cried out in pain, my voice peeling from my throat and shattering the walls around me. Holy hell, there was no bullet I had taken on the battlefield that sucked as much as this one did. I felt my body being moved. Being whisked away as the smell of the bar wafted back underneath my nose. Chicken grease and stale beer permeated the room as I heard the crashing of glasses and the stumbling of feet.
I heard table legs scraping across the floor before I someone took off my jacket and started tearing at my shirt.
“What happened?”
I screamed out in pain as vodka was poured all over my shoulder.
“Rider. Rider. Open your fucking eyes and look at me.”
I fluttered my eyes open, my teeth biting into my lower lip as tears crested my eyes. I was staring into the eyes of Colt, his body trying to block what Doc was doing as a numbness began to take over my body.
“Talk me through what happened,” Colt said.
“Are you… are you ser-?”
Another shrieking cry left my throat as Doc moved my shoulder around.
“Sorry kid, but it isn’t gonna get better. I got someone comin’ to help, but she’s about ten minutes out still,” Doc said.
“Distract yourself. Tap into that military strength. Tell me what happened out there,” Colt said.
“I-I-I… uh… well… I was out… side. The Zoey was, too. We heard… I heard… the motorcycles were coming. And I knew… it wasn’t our guys. Couldn’t have… have been.”
My teeth were chattering as the pain grew more and more intense. One sensation blurred into another, and I could feel myself being pulled under.
“Snap out of it, Rider. Why could it have not been our guys?” Colt asked.
“Because… we were all here. A-a-and Zoey was there, then you guys came out. Then I pushed her behind me t-t-to… to try and… and… uh…”
“Protect me,” Zoey said.
I felt her hand slip into mine as tears started falling down the sides of my head.
“He was trying to protect me,” Zoey said with a sniffle.
“What the hell was all that bike jumping?” Colt asked.
“Distraction,” I said. “All the guns were… were pointed at… at the… at the… bike. The bike. That Zoey was… was behind. Um. Uh. Th-th-they kept shooting, so I drew…”
“Come on, Rider. Say it,” Zoey said.
“I drew the f-f-fire,” I said.
“All right, kid. I’m not moving you until we get some shit into you that’s gonna help with that pain. We won’t be able to do anything else,” Doc said.
“How far is this fucking asshole?” Colt asked.
I squeezed Zoey’s hand as best as I could, gritting through the pain as I looked over at her. My eyes studied her, taking in the tears barreling down her cheeks. She looked so sad. So desolate. So helpless as she sat there beside me. Zoey brought my hand up to her lips, kissing each of my knuckles as Colt started at us.
I lobbed my head over, watching as my friend’s face morphed from confusion to a blank stare to anger.
“Colt, not now,” Zoey said.
“What the fuck was that?” Colt asked.
“Not. Now,” Zoey said.
“I-I-I… like your… um… she… I’d like to…”
I couldn’t get the sentence out. I wanted to ask Colt’s permission. I wanted to formally ask him to take his sister out on a date. I wanted things to be okay. I wanted to be a part of this crew and be a part of Zoey’s life. I didn’t want to have to choose. I didn’t want to lose my family and the woman that had captured my attention.
“I’m here. I’m here. Where the hell is this guy?” an elder woman’s voice rang out.
“He’s over here,” Doc said. “Get this kid some fucking medication.”
I felt someone unraveling something, and I braced for the pain. The needle going right into my wound was agonizing. My eyes rolled into the back of my head as my legs shook. I wasn’t sure how much more of this I could take. But as the numbing solution kicked in and the lidocaine numbed the skin around the entry and exit wounds, it became easier to breathe.
Easier to speak.
Easier to formulate my thoughts.
“Okay, kid. Here’s what I’m gonna do. I’m gonna stitch you up real good, butcha gotta keep your arm in the sling I’m gonna give ya. I’ll load you up with pain killers and give ya some antibiotics to take, so ya don’t get infected. Take them. I don’t give a rat’s ass if you don’t develop an infection right off the bat. Take them and don’t ask questions. You got me?”
“I hear you,” I said breathlessly.
“Good. I’m gonna be movin’ your arm around a lot, but you shouldn’t feel anything. Pressure, sure. But no pain. If there’s pain, tell me. Imma numb you up good through this.”
“Thanks,” I said through gritted teeth.
Zoey laced her fingers within mine as the doctor started jerking me around. I rolled my head back over to Colt, his eyes darting between myself and his sister. I was ready for anything he threw my way. I was ready for him to strip me of my prospective status or for him to tell me his sister was off limits. I was ready for him to start yelling and screaming and cursing me out for being a complete and utter asshole for fucking around with his younger sister.
But instead, his anger morphed back into a stern look.
“Thank you for protecting my sister,” Colt said. “That better be only a taste of what you’re willing to do to protect her.”
“I would’ve taken that bullet for her had it come even close,” I said.
“And if you hurt her in any way, for any reason… intentional or not… you’ll have to answer to me. And that shit isn’t fun.”
“I promise you; she’s safe with me. Always.”
I held out my good hand to Colt, and he clenched it tightly. He pulled my fist into his chest, tapping it twice against his heart. The Fallen Reapers had a sign. A signal they had adopted when things got tough and one of the brothers needed comfort. Someone would take their fist, curl it up, and then the stronger individual would tap it twice against their chest. It was a sign of mutual respect, a sign of sincerity, and a sign that shit was gonna get better.
Colt was trying to transfer some of his strength to me.
“You shouldn’t feel this, but I’m gonna numb ya up a bit more down here. I’m gettin’ down into the sinew of your arm, and I’d rather be safe than sorry. Grit your teeth just in case.”
Colt and Zoey both gripped tightly against my hands as I clenched my teeth. There was a pinch and a bit of dull pain but is disappeared immediately once the medicine started filling up my tissues. I could feel the man tugging, slowly stitching me closed before he turned me onto my side. A through-and-through bullet was a bitch to sew up, but she seemed to be doing a pretty good job of it.
I’d have shoulder problems for the rest of my life, but at least I still had my arm.
“Zoey?” I asked.
“Yeah, Rider?”
“Would you like to come over to my place tomorrow night and eat take out with me?”
“Are you really asking me that now? When you’re on your side being stitched up?”
“Hell of an ask, if you want my opinion,” Doc said. “That’s a man’s proposal of a date.”
“Figured I could get us some sodas, since I’m probably not drinking beer anytime soon. We could order some Chinese. Or maybe some pizza. Or subs from that place up the… the road. Dinner in and a movie? Whaddaya say?”
“I think you’re crazy and you should focus on being stitched up,” she said.
“I think that rejection was more painful than the gunshot,” I said.
“It’s not a rejection. I just… want you to breathe and focus on one thing at a time.”
“Come on, guys. The man’s almost done here,” Doc said. “Let’s give them their space.”
“A few more stitches and you’re good to go,” Colt said. “I’ll talk to Sheila and make sure I get your antibiotics and pain pills.”
“Okay. Yeah. Thanks,” I said breathlessly.
“Come on, come on, come on. Let the kids breathe,” Doc said.
I felt Colt drop my hand, my body moving with the stitches as the strange woman saving my life pulled the last one through my skin. I felt it a bit, wincing as she tied it off. She wiped me down with iodine and wrapped gauze and shit around my shoulder, then slowly helped me upright so I could think straight. The room was still spinning a bit, and I felt Zoey’s hands on my naked chest. Her eyes were studying me as Doc’s friend put me in a sling, my arm resting on the fabric as it hung uselessly in the air.
But the only thing I could focus on was Zoey’s hands. Her warm touch against my skin. Her fingertips curling into my strength. My eyes locked onto her as the rest of the guys made their way to the bar, ordering a round of strong drinks to drown out the shit that had just taken place.
“So?” I asked. “Whatcha up to tomorrow night?”