Captivate Me (28 page)

I can’t fucking breathe. My chest hurts so fucking badly as each mile passes. I can’t lose Tanner. I fucking can’t. She’s my everything. Losing her would be like losing myself, and I can’t fucking do that.

“I love you,” Tanner tells me, wrapped around my body. I know she’s scared, and while I wish I could take that fear away, nothing I say will make it better. Doesn’t mean I won’t try.

“Love you, too, babe. I’ll be back in a couple days.”

She sniffles into my leather as her body gives silent shakes. My gut twists.

“Just come back safe,” she says, pulling away from me and looking into my eyes. My woman, my everything. “Need you back here.” Her whisper is soft as she lifts up onto her toes and puts a chaste kiss on my lips.

“I’ll be back.” And I will. I’ll walk through fire to get back to my girl.

“Okay,” she says as I kiss her one last time then load up on my Harley.

She watches me the entire time, brushing her tears away and standing up a bit straighter. There’s my girl. Strong, determined, loving. I need her to stay that way until I get back.

That was not a goodbye to my woman. Never goodbye.

I pull the throttle and move.

“Are you okay?” Pops asks through the phone, and tears well in my eyes.

I let the small bit of relief that he is okay fill my soul, but I would much rather he was in my arms, holding me tight.

I turn away from the crowd of people, answering, “Yeah.”

“You don’t sound okay.”

“It’s good to hear your voice.”

“Same, babe. We’re takin’ off here in about ten. We’ll get there as soon as we can.”

“Okay.”

“Need an update.”

I blow out a breath. “Doc’s in there workin’ on them. Princess just has a flesh wound that she made sound like she was going to fucking die only to distract Ransom so she could take him down. Coop’s okay, hanging in there. Tanner, Shaina, and Derek are the concerns. I’m waiting to hear from them. Dagger and Mearna are in church with Doc working on them. Bella’s eyes got burned a bit from the flash grenades, but she’s coming around. The doctor is going to check her again in a bit.”

“Your father still there?” he asks.

I look at the door my dad just exited from. “He’s outside with the Clayton guys who returned. They’re taking care of the men.” I try to hide the hurt, but Pops knows me so well he hears it.

“I’ll be there soon, and I’ll make everything alright.”

I let out a huge breath. “How’s Breaker?”

“Not good, but we’re getting him home.”

I choke back the tears that want to form. They are of no use right now. Besides, I’m stronger than that. I will be the strength for everyone here, just like always. Still, my heart breaks for him. I know he’s not my flesh, but these boys are mine. Having one hurt so badly that he may not make it crushes my heart. To lose one would hurt everyone, and I hate it.

“Be safe.”

“Always.”

The call disconnects, and I stare at the screen.

“Ma?” Coop says.

I look up to see Princess carrying him without a stitch of pain showing in her expression
. Damn woman takes a bullet and keeps on moving.

“Hey, little man.”

“Youz otay?”

I shake my head.

“I need to go in and help. Will you take him?” Princess asks.

I hold out my hands for my boy, wrapping him up tightly and burying my face in his neck, trying to get myself together.

It’s been hours since Doc started working on Derek, Tanner, and Shania. Princess has been in there, but that was after she gave her boy lots of hugs then gave him to Ma.

The little guy, Coop, talks a lot. Now, sitting in Ma’s lap, wrapped in her arms as she rocks him, he’s as quiet as can be.

Doc brought in two other doctors with him, one wheeling in some equipment I’ve only seen in hospitals. They’ve been behind the
church
doors as Angel calls them. She says it’s a big deal, because only members go in there. However, they needed somewhere clean with a flat surface. The fact that the table in there is big enough for three people to be operated on is beyond me.

Neither Dagger nor Mearna has been out, either.

My vision is hazy, but it’s coming back slowly. The burning is there yet nowhere near as bad as before.

I just feel so damn useless. If I get up and move around, I bump into things and only make a bigger mess. So I sit and wait, which is the worst thing for me to do because my heart is breaking.

Yes, Buzz is hurt, but he’s okay. Breaker, though, isn’t. I pray they get here soon. I don’t know what I can do, but having them here is better than having them so damn far away.

The clubhouse front door bursts open, slamming against the wall with a loud crash.

I jump, turning that way, only seeing a giant, fuzzy figure.

“Where is she?” Rhys calls out in a scary as hell voice.

“Church,” Ma replies.

Rhys stomps to the doors, throws them open, and then slams them shut.

“Dammit,” Ma says.

I can feel her distress from over here. She’s putting all of this on her when it’s really on the crazy asshole her father drug out of here earlier.

I wish I could take her pain away and wrap my arms around my man.

“You do not fucking die on me,” I growl at my brother for the second time in the last few minutes. I had to start compressions on his chest because he wants to flat-line on me. Not. Fucking. Happening.

“You son of a bitch. Start fucking fighting.” I breathe into his mouth then press on his chest again before I get a faint heartbeat on the portable monitor the doctor gave us.

“Fucking hell!” I yell, falling on my ass next to him, my legs no longer feeling useless.

“You are not fucking dying. Do you hear me, Breaker? Shaina fucking needs your ass.
I
need your ass. The fucking club needs your ass. You knock this shit off right now,” I demand, hoping like hell he can hear me, even just a bit.