Lights to My Siren (26 page)

With that parting comment, I stalked back to my bike. Ignoring the anger on the women’s faces, even my sister’s. The men looked like they agreed with me 100%, but that was to be expected. No man wanted to find out that their woman went into a mother-fucking bank with a gunman and four other assailants to help a teller that’d been shot.

I didn’t care if the woman was dying. My woman had a responsibility. And it sure as hell wasn’t to the woman who was injured, but to the unborn life inside of her that depended on her to keep it safe.

I’d been in the down room at the station when I’d looked up at the Breaking News Alert on the television. It’d said that a paramedic had gone in to help a hurt teller during a robbery. The gunman, and leader, had allowed it to happen in exchange for a freaking helicopter.

When I’d heard about the paramedic going in, I just somehow knew,
knew
, that it was Baylee. The girl had no fear, and although she blamed that little tidbit on her ADHD, this time it wasn’t going to fly. She had to learn that she couldn’t do that anymore. Not if I was with her. I couldn’t handle that. My heart couldn’t handle it.

***

Baylee

“You okay?” Luke asked me.

I looked up at my big brother in his SWAT uniform and grimaced.

No, I was anything but okay, and he damn well knew it.

When Luke’s hand came out and swiped a few stray tears coursing down my cheek, I broke down.

Luke pulled me close, and I buried my face into my big brother’s arms, just as I used to do.

Although, the last time I remembered doing it was when my boyfriend broke up with me because my ADHD was too much for him to handle.

“You really pregnant?” My brother rumbled.

A whimper escaped my lips. “I dunno. Maybe. Probably.”

“Why don’t you know?” He asked curiously.

His big arms squeezed me a little tighter before he let me go. His face was soft and open as he looked into my eyes, and I was struck with how very much I loved him.

He’d always been the best big brother. He was so nice. Never complained that I followed him around constantly. He taught me how to drive a standard. Taught me how to change my oil. Took me to and from school. Protected me.

“I’m scared.” I whispered.

“Of what?” He asked concerned.

“What if the baby is like me? What if he or she has the same problems I have?” I mumbled, looking down at my cuticles.

Luke’s blunt finger went underneath my chin and brought my gaze to his. “What if it does? Are you going to love it any less?”

I straightened in indignation. “No, of course not!”

His blonde eyebrows raised at the ferocity of my voice. “Then what’s it matter? Get your head out of your ass and go to him.”

With those eloquent words, Luke disentangled himself from me and left to talk to the Chief of Police.

“I don’t think you need stitches. It just looks bad. The skin was scraped off along your temple, but there is nothing to fix.” Winter explained as I dropped down in the seat beside me.

“What’d Allen have to say?” I asked looking in his direction.

Winter grimaced. “He wasn’t happy that the SWAT team let you go in. He’s pretty upset himself. He told Dillon and Tai to take over the medic duties and told us we were off shift pending investigation.”

I turned in surprise. “But you didn’t go in!”

Winter shrugged my shoulder. “I would have. I was going to until Jack got here and forbid it.”

My insides churned. I hadn’t really thought about it at the time. I’d just reacted. When we’d learned the severity of the injury, not to mention the fact that the teller was pregnant with twins, I hadn’t even considered anything else.

“Sebastian is really mad at me.” I sighed.

A low masculine voice startled me making me jump. “You have no clue.”

Winter and I screeched as we turned to find Loki on the other side of us, leaning casually up against the back doors to the bus.

He was wearing his cut over a black t-shirt, and a faded pair of jeans.

His hair was even messier than the last time I’d seen him, and I could tell that either he’d just woken up, or had just as bad of a day as I had.

“What’re you doing here?” I asked softly.

Loki’s eyes softened at the hitch in my voice. “You scared about ten years off everyone’s life. When Kettle called to tell us what happened, and that Sebastian may need some help, we followed. Caught up to him at the Texas border when your man nearly got himself killed the first time. A car pulled out in front of him and he nearly t-boned it. Then he nearly got sideswiped when he tried to get in front of someone going to slow for his liking. And then he nearly had to lay the bike down when a deer ran out of the woods and crossed the street right in front of him. The man’s lucky as fuck, if you ask me. Driving reckless isn’t the thing to do on a motorcycle.”

My heart stopped in my chest when I thought about all the things that could’ve happened to him on his mad dash over to me.

He could’ve been gone and I never would’ve known it.

“Can you take me to him?” I pleaded.

“Don’t know where he is, darlin’. But there’s no way I’m taking you on the back of my bike. Not after what we heard. He’d probably kill the one that tried. You’ll have to catch a ride home, and then I’ll drive your car if you still want me to. But there’s nowhere I can take you other than the clubhouse or his place. I don’t know where he went. If you want honesty, though, I think you should give him a few days to cool off. Let him come to you.”

Feeling defeated, I nodded my head at him before turning around. “Thank you, Loki. If he asks, I’ll be at home.”

Chapter 20

You flipped the bitch switch, so buckle up and enjoy the ride, asshole!

-text from Baylee to Sebastian

Baylee

“Hey, it’s me. Uhh, I have an appointment in about an hour. It’s in Shreveport. I wanted to make sure it was close to you so you didn’t have to drive so far. It’s at The Women’s Clinic on Center Street. I...” I hesitated. “bye.”

My hand fell heavily against my leg like it weighed a million pounds.

I’d called Sebastian numerous times in the past three days, and he hadn’t answered once.

Deciding I needed to stop denying the truth, I set up an appointment with a doctor that was recommended by Winter for his expertise in high risk pregnancies.

I’d spent the last three days scouring the internet on pregnancies of women who have von Wheelbrand’s disease, and what I’d found scared me to death.

The first time I’d broken down and called Sebastian was after I’d read those articles. When he hadn’t answered, I’d contacted Winter who’d given me the number of Doctor Abrahams.

They’d worked me in the next day, and now it was nearly time for me to go.

I walked into the bedroom and sat on the bed when I contemplated what to wear.

My eyes fell on the leather vest, and the property patch that I’d been so excited to wear the first time I’d laid eyes on it.

I hadn’t worn it in three days, scared shitless that Sebastian might not want me to anymore.

That would certainly explain why he hadn’t even bothered to call me in three days.

Finally, I decided not to wear it, but to take it with me just in case he did decide to show.

I slipped into a pair of yoga pants, a tight black t-shirt that said ‘
I <3 a Marine
,’ and my oldest pair of tennis shoes, before heading out to the living room.

Glancing at the clock, since I was finished, I decided to go ahead and leave now. Maybe Sebastian would actually come, and I’d get a little extra time with him. He was always early.

I knew he wasn’t working. I also knew he was getting his messages. He wasn’t the type of person to totally ignore me. He’d probably read them, but was still too mad at me to respond.

Which was to be expected. In the three days I’d had to contemplate the act, I knew I shouldn’t have done it. I should have trusted my brother and not done it. Should have listened to my gut instinct. But I didn’t, and I very well might have paid for it.

I contemplated my stupidity halfway to Shreveport.

What snapped me out of the funk, rather abruptly, was the sound of my motor coughing and sputtering.

Then I watched in fascination as the little red needle that measured the RPMs on my dash go from white two to the red eight, make quite a spectacular boom, as something under my hood blew, followed quickly by the billowing of smoke from underneath the hood.

“Oh, shit.” I whispered heartbrokenly.

Managing to maneuver my old car to the side of the road and into the emergency lane, I turned the key to the off position, despite the motor no longer running and watched the cars pass me by for nearly five minutes.

In those five minutes, I contemplated my options.

There weren’t many.

Luke was in Canton with the rest of the SWAT team for a team exercise.

Winter was visiting with her sister that was down from up north.

And I didn’t even bother calling Sebastian. He wouldn’t answer, so why bother?

Since I was more than half way there, I decided the best idea would be just to walk to the doctors

I wouldn’t make it in time, but I hoped I’d be able to be seen regardless.

After the appointment, I’d figure something out.

Sighing loudly, I stepped out of the car and was immediately regretted stepping out on this side when an eighteen-wheeler blew past. The wind that came off the truck blew my door closed, slamming my legs between the door and the bottom of the car.

I cried out in pain at the jolt, knowing that tomorrow morning I’d be sporting some pretty lovely bruises.

I walked quickly around the car, grabbed my bag, locked it, and then slammed the door.

Then I thought of something genius and reopened the door; excited for the first time in two days.

The little velvet Crown Royal bag Sebastian had given me rested between the seats of my car.

The chips that I’d won that night at the boats clinked and clanked together as I snatched them up and then shoved them deep into the depths of my purse. Luckily, it was one of those across the chest ones, or I wouldn’t have even bothered bringing it.

I made it about three quarters of a mile before the first person stopped. Once I got rid of him, I moved to the feeder road that ran along the side of the interstate. That saved me for another mile before the next stopped.

After the fourth person stopped, I wasn’t so sure this was the best idea.

I was about to call Sebastian and leave him a begging voicemail when I remembered the leather vest tucked securely into my purse.

Dropping my purse from around my shoulders, I pulled out the vest, fed one arm in, then the other. I didn’t know what it was, but the moment I settled the vest around my shoulders, I felt relief. Like that was where it was supposed to be.

After that, not one single person stopped.

At one point, a man on a motorcycle had started to stop, but as I’d turned to tell him I wasn’t interested, he’d taken off quickly, not even coming to a complete stop.

I’d only seen the dark black helmet and Arkansas license plates before he’d taken off again. He did wave as he left, though.

By the fifth mile, I decided I couldn’t do it anymore. My feet were tired, and I was nowhere near close. I must’ve been crazy if I thought I would be able to get all the way to my doctor’s appointment.

When the gas station with the Arby’s came into view, I took the exit and walked straight to the bathroom.

Once I was finished, I sat down on the bench that faced the gas pumps and watched for a good twenty minutes as person after person, truck after car, passed through the station.

The phone in my pocket started vibrating just as I heard what sounded like hundreds of motorcycles pull into the parking lot.

Scooting to the very corner, I raised my knees until it covered the front of my vest, and watched, wide eyed, as bike after bike pulled up and parked in three of the spots that were reserved for an eighteen-wheeler.

“Motherfucker.” I breathed.

I’d never seen that many bikes in one place besides The Harley Shop’s parking lot.

Jesus, but there had to be at least fifty of them, if not more.

The first wave of men to pass me didn’t even spare me a glance.

Not all of them got off their bikes though. Most of them stayed right where they were while others came in two and three at a time, returning moments later with a drink or a bag of chips.

One had come out with a hotdog while another came out with a plate of the nasty nachos that frequented most gas stations. It wasn’t until they left that I realized that the group that every single one of them that I’d seen were Dixie Wardens.

There was a difference between these Dixie Wardens and my own, though.

According to their jackets and cuts, they came from a different chapter. Where Sebastian’s said ‘Louisiana,’ the others said ‘Alabama.’

I’d thought I’d been pretty inconspicuous as I sat there, but after about twenty minutes I realized I hadn’t been at all.

At first, I hadn’t noticed that they were watching me.

But as the minutes ticked by, I started noticing that they weren’t leaving. They were all just sitting there. Every single one of them. And they were staring in my direction.

***

Sebastian

“Where are you?” I grumbled.

I’d gotten Baylee’s message after we’d attended church.

The annual barbeque was this weekend, and everyone was scheduled to arrive within the next few days.

Every year we chose a different chapter’s location to meet and reconnect.

Although most of the Dixie Wardens saw each other periodically throughout the year, we’d made it a habit to have a scheduled time and place to meet and discuss anything new that had happened over the past year.

This year it was the Louisiana chapter’s turn to host.

I’d been lucky to get Baylee’s call. Normally, when I was at the clubhouse, I didn’t get messages because there was no cell coverage. We had a landline, but stupidly I’d forgotten to give it to Baylee.

She probably thought I was still upset with her, but the events of her fucking up royally and me trying to get everything together for our annual barbeque and getting all our ducks in a row coincided, making it incredibly hard to even talk to her in the last three days.