bekka
Tiff held me by her side, away from the danger. I’d tried to run to Tyler as soon as the truck arrived. Rusted out, sporting a really bad paint job and blackout windows, its arrival could only be one thing—bad. Seeing them race through the parking lot like they were driving one of those cars from Fast and Furious, we gasped. The driver had no control over the metal piece of crap, which scared me and the girls. Next to us, I was half-aware of Nix pulling out her phone and giving a play by play of what was unfolding in front of us.
While I watched, helpless, a man bashed Tyler across the face and then pointed his gun at him for the longest time. From where we stood across the street, the few words I could make out from their exchange sounded like Tyler tried to convince the guy not to kill him, and I became hopeful, but it was short-lived. When the air cracked with sudden gunshots, I screamed so loud my throat pinched. It wasn’t until I saw him move, and groaning in pain, that I stopped. He was alive.
My eyes were locked on Tyler when the club burst into flames behind him, seconds before the rusted piece-of-shit truck peeled out of the lot and vanished.
“Tyler,” I cried, pulling against my friend. “Let go of me, Tiff. He needs my help.” The panic had risen so fast in me that I was having a hard time breathing.
“Not a chance, love. You stay right here with me.” Much stronger than me, it was nothing for her to hold me back. Fighting her was a waste of energy. Tiff had no intention of letting me go.
I watched Tyler get up cringing in pain. His jeans were darkening in two places and I realized it was blood, and that he’d been shot twice. How he could walk with bullets in his legs baffled me. The pain had to be excruciating and my whole being ached to take care of him. My place was right next to him until the paramedics arrived. Me, his girlfriend. I tried to get out of Tiff’s hold again. Fighting against my friend wasn’t fun at all, but it was even worse when Val got involved. I wanted to be with Tyler.
Nix had called 911 ages ago it seemed. They were on their way, I knew, but weren’t getting here fast enough. Same for me, I couldn’t get to my man’s side fast enough.
“Tyler, don’t move,” I called out, begging him, “Stay down or you’ll hurt yourself more.”
He looked around and I saw his mouth move before he covered his head and face with his hoodie and limped through the entrance. Flames engulfed his form as I yelled, “Tiff, he’s going in. Let me go. Tyler!”
Had he lost in mind? Did he think through walking into a flaming building? Adrenaline must have played a role in his decision. Yes, our friends were in there, but they would find a way out. We all knew the club like the back of our hands. It didn’t make sense for Tyler to go in, he was only putting himself in more danger. We had to trust our men, though. They were all together and they would figure it out.
“The guys are going to use the back door. They’ll be out soon. They know their way out even through the darkness,” Val was saying while crying for Miles. “I can’t lose him. Or any of them. Come on, guys,” she urged.
Unable to stay away any longer, we ended up crossing the street. My car was parked around the back, by the door we were hoping they would use. We got as close as we dared, the fire growing stronger by the minute.
Kyle came out first, followed by Miles and then Levi.
“Tyler is in there,” I cried.
“He went in?” Levi asked.
I nodded and said, “From the front,” and Levi was running back inside in a flash. “Tyler.” Hopeless, I kept calling his name wanting him to come out to me. “Come back to me.”
The fire trucks arrived then, and began analyzing the situation. Miles and Kyle were trying to catch their breath; they didn’t seem okay at all. Tiff and Val were trying to give them the care they needed, of course, but we were limited with what could be done right now. A fireman walked toward us.
“The paramedics will be here in less than a minute. Is there anyone inside?”
“Yes, two men,” I said.
He called his team over and they took down the back door entrance as we explained what we knew. Levi appeared, followed by two firefighters who were carrying an unconscious Tyler. For some reason, he had a laptop clutched in his hands.
“Oh, my god, no.”
“He’s alive, Bek, he’ll be okay,” Levi choked out then pried the laptop from Tyler’s hands. He’d been gripping it tight, with all his strength. “Don’t worry, brother, you’ll be okay.”
My attention remained on Levi as he was placed on a stretcher, too, and an oxygen mask slid into place to help him breathe. He tried to say something, but kept coughing. The paramedics radioed for backup. Miles had a deep cut on his forehead, which was bleeding. A lot. His baby blue t-shirt had more red than blue on the front of it, and Val was freaking out. I’d never seen her this way. As I tried to catch my own breath, Tyler was moved into the back of an ambulance.
“You should go with him, Bekka,” Nix said, and I waved at the paramedics who had been about to close the doors.
“Wait, I’m coming with you.” I scrambled into the rig and sat next to Ty, then cried all the way to the hospital.
My love was covered in blood and soot. Watching him struggle with his pain reminded me of a scene straight out of a thriller movie. I hated that this was our reality, but prayed he stayed alive.
We couldn’t get to the hospital quick enough.
* * *
While Tyler was having emergency surgery, we convened in the waiting room. Miles had gotten stitches on his forehead and now sat in a wheelchair, dosing off. He’d lost a lot of blood and would need to rest, but he refused to go home. So, here he was, napping in a hospital wheelchair. I felt bad for him. How much more pain could he handle waiting to hear Tyler was out of surgery and safe?
“Val, you should take Miles home. He needs rest.” Miles lifted his head at my words, and they both shook their heads at me, refusing. Fine…
No staff, not a single nurse or doctor, had been out yet to give us any news. Good or bad. Time turned into eternity while I was left with my thoughts.
I couldn’t remember how many shots I’d heard fired, but I was sure I’d seen evidence of two hitting Tyler. Everything happened so fast, I wasn’t certain, though. Maybe the guy missed the first time so he shot him a second time. I had all kinds of scenarios coming to mind. Even Tyler’s death, which I chased from my thoughts right away. Melody needed him, and so did I. Dying now wasn’t an option for Tyler.
How would I explain this to my parents? They hadn’t been pleased when I started working at the club, and even less so when I started dating the club owner. We’d fought over it. While I understood their concern, Tyler wasn’t a bad man. He wasn’t into drugs or alcohol. So he liked to party and have a good time; he was always responsible. With time, my parents had changed their mind and grown fond of Tyler. They appreciated everything he did for Melo and me, and could see the love he showed me every chance he got. I knew, however, that despite how they felt about Tyler now, my father would remind me of his beliefs.
“Clubs and bars always draw the wrong people, or end up in trouble with the law.”
Tyler had gotten involved in this nightmare because he was trying to be a better man for me. The Black Shakers had been a reputable place up until he started spending less time there. If it weren’t for me, his club would still be open.
“I have to call my parents. They’re looking after Melody, and I doubt I’ll be able to pick her up tonight.”
“We can help, Bek, if you need us. Tyler will probably be asleep for several hours after the surgery. You’ll be able to go home and rest for a bit. If you want, I can pick Melody up and keep her for the night. It’ll give you more time before facing your parents,” Val offered.
I nodded. She had a point; I didn’t have the courage to face them tonight. They’d lecture me as if I were still a teenager, and I didn’t have the strength to endure their harsh words. Not when Tyler’s condition remained unknown.
I could have dated guys from school and had the picture-perfect college years—get good grades, have just enough fun, and fall in love with a classmate—but as soon as I’d met Tyler, I knew. He was a dark angel always dressed in black, and while moody, his heart was made of gold. Pure gold. I couldn’t get him out of my head. He smiled for me, and it made me feel like I mattered. It’s all I needed from him. Being apart from each other pained me.
After a while, Miles started to have a headache, and since he was due for more pain meds they gave in and headed home. They were going to pick Melody up on their way. I was thankful I would have more time before having to deal with my parents. At least face-to-face.
Of course, Mom called. They’d seen the fire on the news and heard the rumors about it being arson. She also asked why I hadn’t come to pick up Melody myself, which made me feel guilty, but I didn’t let the bad mom feeling get too deep.
“Tyler was there when the fire started, we were all there, but he got hurt. They are taking care of him now.” For all of our sakes, I tried to avoid the details, but expected she would ask questions anyway.
“What happened? Are the rumors true?”
“I don’t know about the rumors, Mom, but he’s alive, which is where I’m focusing now.”
She sighed. “Are you safe at your house at least?”
I didn’t know after what had happened with the Porsche and now the club, but I wasn’t going to tell my mother that. “Yes, we’re safe.”
“You see, this is exactly what we were trying to warn you and your friends about. You may love the man, but his living brings all type of bad people.”
“Right now isn’t the time for teaching lessons or getting me to admit you were right. We have a child together, Mom. Tyler’s fighting for his life.” My voice had raised, and people were watching me. “Listen, I love you, Mom,” I tried to calm down, make my voice smoother, “but I’ll call you back once we’re home.” With a press of a button, the call ended.
Nix gave me a hug, and it brought me to tears. “We’re here for you, you know that right?” She’d had her share of issues with her parents, too. In fact, Nix hadn’t spoken to her mom or dad in a long time. While her mother had forbidden her to be with Levi, mine had only warned me to be careful… many times. Overall, we had a good relationship, but this situation with the Sullivans had proven them right, and I hated it. So damn much.
It didn’t change how much I loved Tyler, though. My man was hardworking, talented, devoted, proud, loving, et cetera… I had an endless list of what I loved about him.
“The family of Tyler Wright?”
Jumping out of my seat, I walked over to the meet with the doctor, and my friends followed close behind. He wasn’t smiling at all.
“Me.” Oh, god, I was so nervous. “I’m his girlfriend.”
“Mr. Wright is out of surgery. He had two bullet wounds on his left leg. One required more attention. The area is bandaged, and will require constant care to keep clean and prevent infection while healing. We also had to proceed with a blood transfusion because of the amount he lost.”
“But he’s alive and breathing?”
For the first time since he’d arrived in the waiting room, the doctor gave us a small subtle smile. “Yes, he’s alive, but he needs to rest. We are keeping him sedated for the night. He was very agitated when he woke up in the emergency room.”
“Can I see him?”
“He’s being monitored in recovery tonight. I suggest you go home and rest. He most likely won’t be up until tomorrow morning, but we can call if he regains consciousness before then.”
I wanted to cry, but he was alive and okay. That was enough for now.
It wasn’t until much later that night that I made it home. Tiff and Kyle drove me home by way of Val and Miles’ place to get my daughter, who slept through all the transitions, thankfully. My car was still at the club, well, what was left of the club. I had no idea how much of the building would be salvageable. There were still firefighters and police cars on site when we drove by. The car seemed fine, but was within the investigation perimeter, and messing with the investigation didn’t seem like a good idea, so we’d left it.
This whole situation had gotten out of control, and Tyler had lost everything. Everything. He would no longer be able to renovate his building to transform into offices. It broke my heart for him.
Leaving the hospital without seeing him was hard. After watching him beaten and shot, I wanted to spoil him, hold him close to me. Maybe kiss him two or three times too. There were so many things I wanted to say to my man, like how I loved him and wanted him home with us. I’d take simply looking into his grey eyes and enjoying the life in them.
I’d been so scared of losing him tonight.
The next few days were going to be filled with police reports and dealing with insurance companies. We hadn’t had time to finalize the insurance claim on Tyler’s Porsche, and now we had far much worse to deal with. I had no idea how to plan the next step because this was a nightmare!
Tyler was always the one saying he would handle things. This time, he needed to heal and I had to deal. And I had no idea how bad or for how long he would hurt, or what orders the doctor would give him.
Relax, girl, one thing at a time, I told myself, then. As the doctor suggested, I should try to get some sleep.
I took Lord out into the backyard, where he took care of business fast, thank god. Back inside, I checked and locked every door and window, and then made myself a bed in Melody’s room. Loneliness sucked. Seeking the comfort of a baby, rather than an adult, didn’t seem right, but I needed to be with her.
Today ended up being way too hard. It would give me nightmares for days to come. Maybe months. We’d started it cleaning the club and preparing for our next big adventure, but ended it facing gunfire, arson, and the hospital. Lying down on the small mattress we had for our guests with Lord by my side, I looked at the crib and thought about what I would tell my daughter once she was old enough to understand.
Being involved with criminals, like the Sullys, would bring nothing positive to our life. In my head, it made us look bad. Our interaction with them was a black mark on our record, even if we hadn’t done anything wrong. Unless protecting our belongings was wrong, that is.
Relying on lessons from therapy, I closed my eyes and tried to clear my head. Breathe in for four seconds… exhale for four seconds. It relaxed me right away, and I fell asleep.