Master (Chaos Bleeds Book 8) (2 page)

“You don’t know that.”

“We all know that!”

Lash waited for Gash to hand him back his crutches before releasing him. Tears were in Spider’s eyes. “He’s going to be hurting her, every chance he gets. This is what he does. We can’t pretend otherwise, so don’t try. That’s exactly what he’s doing. We don’t have a clue how to stop him.”

“We will,” Gash said.

“Until then, Paris is being hurt, and we’ve got to deal with all the shit he’s going to throw at us. People are dying, and we’ve got to wait?”

“There’s nothing else we can do right now. We’ll get him, Spider, and you’ll be there with all of us, ready to kill the fucker, got me?” Lash asked.

Spider sighed.

It didn’t matter how many times they talked, none of them were going to get what they wanted, not today, not tomorrow—there was no limit to the trouble that surrounded them.

****

Sandy was exhausted, and once again the hospital was full of The Skulls and Chaos Bleeds. They really needed to stop doing this, coming to the hospital. It was more of a home than the clubhouse was. She didn’t know if she should be happy about that. The hospital had welcomed her back with open arms like always. She’d wanted to take a break from being a doctor, but being with The Skulls, it made it impossible to have a break from saving a life. Being a doctor that took a break was impossible. Every other week they seemed to be in some kind of trouble.

She was already in scrubs with her black hair pulled up into a band. Ever since Lacey had joined the club, she’d brought with her the enjoyment of experimenting with dyeing their hair. Even Angel had changed her hair color, much to Lash’s annoyance.

Sophia was stable, and had been operated on to repair the damage to her lung. The bullet had gone through, deflating her lung. Operating on her friends was starting to take its toll. Sophia was her friend. All of the old ladies were her friends. This was so fucking hard, and she didn’t want to keep going through it. This was the life she wanted, though. The Skulls were her family, and she would stand by them for the rest of her life.

Rubbing the back of her neck, she made her way into the main waiting room, which was covered with Skulls and Chaos Bleeds members. This had hit the club hard, and she was struggling to hold it together.

Gash was there, and he seemed to have taken the lead for The Skulls. Lash was with his woman, and so was Tiny. Alex was in surgery. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Stink getting to his feet. Ripper had also come forward as the guy for Chaos Bleeds.

“Sophia’s stable right now. I’m going to go and check on everyone, and I’ll bring you updates.”

“Does Lash know?” Gash asked.

“No. I’m going to go and tell him. Everyone is at different places within the hospital. I’m doing my best, but like everything, it takes time.” She smiled at each of them, taking a breath, and stepping away. “I’ll be back with more information.”

She moved toward the door, and Stink stopped her. “How are you doing?”

This was what made it hard for her to turn Stink down. He was always concerned about her. She’d never known a guy be so totally caring about her. Her life had been about being the pussy of the club. She’d fucked many guys in her time, and at nearly forty years old, she truly didn’t know if she was settling down kind of woman. Stink never looked at any other woman. She couldn’t even be sure if he’d been with another woman since he’d taken her in. He didn’t care about the past, and he only ever saw the future. How could she not love a guy like that? Stink was one of a kind. Most of the time he seemed to be overlooked by so many, but that wasn’t true.

A few years ago she had stopped being club pussy, but Tiny hadn’t kicked her out. She was as much part of the club as anyone else.

Her loyalty had been shown many times over the years, and she loved all of the club. They were her friends. They were her family.

“I’m doing okay.” She took another deep breath, trying to prove that she was more than fine.

“You don’t have to pretend for me, Sandy. This is me.”

“I’m trying not to fall apart right now. Crying won’t help.”

“I know. I know.” He went to hug her, but she shook her head, taking a step back, holding onto the door. She really couldn’t handle it right now as she struggled to hold it all in.

“I can’t right now, and if you let me, I’m not going to stop. I’ve got to stay strong right now, and I won’t be strong if you hold me.”

Stink nodded. “I’ll be here.”

She forced a smile, and left him alone, going through the door. Next stop for her was the children’s ward. Out of all the places to go the children’s ward was the worst. One of the things she hated about being a doctor was death. When it came to children, death was even worse. They’d not had the chance to live, and for Sandy it had always been hard to say goodbye to young patients. Many a night she had gone home in floods of tears, wondering why the hell she’d become a doctor in the first place. Simon and Tabitha, they were two sweet children that hadn’t been given the real chance to live. Sally was also there as well. She was still considered a child even though she’d been through her own kind of hell. Sally had been adopted by Lacey and Whizz, who couldn’t have any children of their own. Sandy really felt for Lacey. For all of Lacey’s faults, there was one thing Sandy couldn’t fault her on and that was her ability to mother.

Outside the door, Sandy washed her hands in the anti-bacterial solution, and entered. She nodded at the nurses and staff as she passed them by. No one stopped her.

“The Skulls and Chaos Bleeds kids, where are they?” she asked, stopping at the main desk in the room.

“Over there,” the nurse said.

Sandy made her way down the far corridor and saw the large room that was big enough to fit two patients. On one bed lay Simon, on the other, Tabitha. Eva and Tiny sat by the bed of Tabitha holding her hand. Devil and Lexie were next to Simon. They knew they didn’t have to worry about their other babies. It was why being part of The Skulls and Chaos Bleeds was so good. There was always someone willing to help. They were all a family at the core.

“What’s going on?” Sandy asked.

They all turned to her.

Tubes were hooked up to both children, and Sandy found herself collapsing against the doorframe. “Fuck!” This was not a sight she ever wanted to see. Simon and Tabitha, they were good kids. Their affection for each other was truly startling, and at times, Sandy found herself wishing she’d had that growing up. Then she’d look toward Stink, and she’d see it in his eyes.

“Simon stood in front of Tabitha, took a bullet, but it went straight through,” Devil said.

“They were both hit with the same bullet?” Sandy asked.

“Yeah. Fuck, Tiny, these are our kids. I’ve got a man who is at the end of his fucking patience. Spider is losing his shit. This shit can’t be happening for much longer. Andrew, he’s got to go, and we’ve got to hit him hard. This is just a distraction. He’s keeping us busy.”

Tiny nodded. “We’re going to pay him back. Andrew is going to know what real pain is like.”

Sandy entered the room and picked up Simon’s chart. She forced herself to keep on going, to keep on moving. The only way they survived was to keep on moving forward. She read through the transcripts seeing that he’d been in surgery to repair the damage the bullet had caused. There was also a note of a concussion, and Simon needed to be checked on every few hours. She did the same to Tabitha, seeing the young girl had the same problem. Staring at the two kids, Sandy wondered what it was that connected them. From when they were kids, they’d gravitated to each other, always by each other’s sides whenever they had the chance. Even during the fight between Devil and Tiny, the two kids had found ways of contacting each other. Their determination rivaled most marriages.

Ever since they were babies, there had been this hold that gripped the two. Everyone saw it, but no one understood it. It was just there. Tabitha and Simon were convinced they were going to be together, married, and she’d even heard them both planning it. No matter how many times their parents thought this would go away with age, it never did. If anything, the connection between the two had only gotten stronger. She had to wonder what it would be like for them when they reached their teenage years.

“They’re stable,” Sandy said, letting out a breath.

“What’s going on?” Tiny asked.

“Sophia’s stable at the moment, but she got shot, and it pierced her lung.”

“How is that possible?” Lexie asked. “She was checking on the kids.”

“The bullet hit the window, and got her,” Sandy said. “There’s, um, there’s a lot of our people in the hospital. I’m going to go and check on them. I’ll be back soon.”

“How is everyone?” Devil asked.

“They’re down in the waiting room. It hasn’t been a good day today.” She did her best to smile, but once again, she couldn’t find a reason to. Today was not a good day. “Happy died,” she said, looking at Tiny. “We had a lot of loss today.”

Before the tears threatened to take over, she left the room and held her stomach as she made her way toward the older section of the children’s ward. Standing at the window she saw Sally lying in a bed with Whizz and Lacey on either side of her. Lacey had been injured with a grazed arm, so a few stitches, and she’d been discharged. Sandy knew it wouldn’t take Lacey long to be by Sally’s side.

“You’ve got to go see Daisy,” Sally said.

“Daisy will be taken care of. She knows we love her,” Lacey said.

“She’s younger than me. Please, just, for me, go see her,” Sally said. “She must be frightened, and I can’t stand the thought of her being frightened. Please.”

“I’ll stay with her,” Sandy said, entering the room.

“Are you sure?” Whizz asked.

“I’m sure. Please, Daisy’s younger than me. I get it. I’d be with her myself, but I can’t leave.”

Whizz and Lacey both left the room, and Sally released a sigh.

They turned back at the door. Sally smiled at them, and Sandy took a seat. “What’s going on?”

“They’re so worried about me, and I’m not used to having someone worry about me. It gets a little overwhelming at times. Kind of scary.”

“Don’t be scared. They love you. What happened?” Sandy asked.

Sally removed the blanket, showing off her bandaged leg. “Bullet went straight through my thigh, just above my knee. I can’t feel it right now. I heard the doctor say that it shattered my knee or something. I don’t know, I was a little out of it. I’ll have one hell of a scar though. Makes wearing skirts trouble.” Sally forced a laugh.

“You look scared. What’s up?”

“I heard them talking, and they repaired my knee as best as they can.” Sally looked down at her thigh. “They could take my leg. I mean, I could have imagined the whole thing, but I see the way they looked at me. I don’t think I was imagining much.”

“What?”

Sandy grabbed the file and read through the damage that had been reported around her knee. Sally kept on talking, and Sandy listened as she read.

“It’s bad, isn’t it?”

“Sally?”

“Just, please tell me I heard it right. They could take my knee, but it’s a last resort, right?”

Sandy sighed. “It’s a last resort, but, Sally, you could be in pain for the rest of your life.”

“I don’t want to lose my leg. Please make sure they don’t take it. I like my leg.”

“Honey.”

Sally shook her head, tears spilling from her eyes. “I can’t do this. I can’t have no leg, and I can’t—I’m not strong enough to survive that!”

“You’re strong enough.”

“I’m not. I’m really not. I can’t do this, Sandy.”

Sandy got to her feet and pulled Sally into a hug. Just as she was about to speak, there was a knock on the door, and then Steven entered. “Is this a bad time? I just wanted to check in.”

Holding her hand up to stop, Sandy shook her head. “No, it’s not a bad time. I’ve got to go check on the others. Everything will be all right, I promise.” She pressed a kiss to Sally’s head, and left Steven to deal with that.

Coward!

There was a reason she had never had kids, and one of those reasons was how helpless she had just felt.

Chapter Two

Stink sat in the waiting room chair, sipping his coffee as he listened to Miles read. There was a selection of toys, and all of the kids were sitting in the circle the clubs had created, playing. It was moments like these that Stink wondered why the clubs had gone their separate ways. They had always gotten along beforehand. Then something stupid had been said, by Tiny no less, and everything had fallen apart. He hoped nothing like that happened again. They were much better as friends than as enemies. Stink didn’t even want to think about them being enemies.

“I heard you and the good doctor have a thing going on?” Sinner asked. He was a Chaos Bleeds member.

“You heard right.”

“She’s a hot piece of ass.”

“I’m not going to hurt you in front of the kids, or while we’re in the hospital, but you continue to talk shit about my girl, and I
will
hurt you.” Stink wasn’t afraid of a fight. He’d proven himself over the years.

“I heard she was a club whore.”

“Again, I won’t forget your shit. Be careful.”

Sinner held his hands up. “Just thought I’d use this time to talk, seeing as we’re going to be here a while.”

“Are you an asshole on purpose?”

“Nope, that is my job,” Dick said, taking a seat beside him.

“Am I just the unlucky one today?” Stink asked.

“Nope, you’re the only one not looking freaked out,” Martha said, coming to sit on Dick’s knee.

Stink was freaked out, but over the years of being part of The Skulls, he’d come to see that reacting on his feelings never helped anyone. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

“Look around you, everyone is freaked,” Sinner said. “Even I’m finding it fucking hard. Kids are hurting, our women, and our men are all in pain.”

“We’re in the safest place for them. Now, I’m listening to Miles read, so I’d appreciate it if you didn’t interrupt him.”

Stink leaned forward, but Sinner, Dick, and Martha stayed with them. Hours passed until Sandy finally came toward them, and she actually had a chart in front of her.

Gash got to his feet as did Ripper.

“Everyone is doing okay at the moment,” she said. “I’ve got a list of everything that is going on. First, Sunshine gave birth to a little girl. Alex should be waking up soon. He got a bullet to the thigh that they had to remove. The anesthetic should be wearing off soon. He’ll be grouchy, but that is his personality, so yay.

“Phoebe is doing okay. Her vitals are good, but she had a bullet to the shoulder. Murphy and Fighter are doing okay. Each had a gunshot wound to the stomach. The damage has been repaired, but they need to be checked to make sure there are no leaks with the repair job.”

Tate sighed in relief, bending down to hug her Simon. “Thank God.”

Sandy nodded, going back to her list. “Blaine will be out tomorrow after they’ve ran some tests. The bullet took his ear, but the doctors are hopeful of no permanent damage. Curse is fine, only a few stitches needed. However, Mia lost a lot of blood, and needed a transfusion. She’s doing okay but needs to have an eye kept on her.”

Each person she spoke about left Stink more relieved. They had lost a couple of people, but it seemed they were mostly injured.

“Sally,” Sandy said, and stopped, licking her lips. He saw how hard this was for her. “She’s, um, they may have to amputate from her knee down. The bullet caused too much damage. They have repaired as much as they could in an attempt to keep her leg, but it’s not looking good. The risk of infection is too high.”

“Fuck,” Gash said.

“Yeah, she’s not handling that well.”

Lacey and Whizz leaned against each other, and he saw Daisy between them. “We’ll go to her, take Daisy with us.”

Stink watched as Anthony rushed over and hugged Daisy tightly to him.

The Skulls kids were fucking weird.

“Steven is with her now, but you’re going to need for her to go through with this.”

“What about Simon and Tabitha?” Ripper asked.

“They were both shot and have suffered concussions. We’re waiting for them to wake up.”

“Sasha? What’s going on with her?” Brianna asked.

Once again Sandy looked sick. “She lost a lot of blood, and … she’s not waking up.”

“Is she dead?” Death asked.

“No, she’s not dead, and she’s also not brain dead. Her mind is showing activity, but she should have woken up by now. The doctor who treated her head wound before believes there may be an underlying condition. We’re running tests to make sure.”

“If anything happens to her, Pussy won’t be the same. It’ll kill him,” Death said.

“Keep an eye on her.”

“What about Angel?” Gash asked.

“She’s having contractions, and the doctors are trying to ease them without inducing labor.” Angel still had another six weeks to go before she gave birth. “That’s it for now.”

Many of them may not have died, but they had lost a great deal. He couldn’t imagine being in Sally’s position right now.

Stink moved forward, taking hold of Sandy’s hand, and leading her away from all of the questions. She didn’t need this now.

He walked into the bathroom, he shut and locked the door.

“Breathe, it’s okay. You’re okay. It’s just us.”

“It’s not okay. I’m not okay. I can’t give them all the answers they need. I can’t save them.”

“I know. It’s not your job, okay? All you have to do is take care of them, help them, that’s it. You’re not God, nor are you a miracle worker.”

Pulling her to him, Stink held her tightly before she finally let go. As a doctor she had the training to keep all the fear and all the panic at bay. Once that was over, only a shell remained, and he was determined to break through that shell she’d created. He was not going to allow Sandy to be forgotten.

“The bullets, Stink, they’ve hurt our friends, our family. I want to kill him.”

“We will.”

“Sally’s going to lose her leg, and she’s going to need to practice with a prosthetic. She’s only just getting her life back, and already part of it is being taken away. Tabitha and Simon, what if something goes wrong? Sasha, she’s blind, and she’s not waking up. They believe there is pressure building on her brain. There’s so much that can go wrong, and I can’t fix everything.”

He pulled away, cupping her face. “Look at me.”

Her eyes were full of tears, and seeing them was breaking him apart. “I can’t help them.”

“You’re not God, Sandy. You’re not God. You don’t control who lives and who dies. You’re Sandy. You’re a doctor who helps. You’re helping.”

She nodded.

“No one can do what you can do. You’re strong.”

Sandy shook her head. “No, I’m not. I’m weak.”

Stink slammed his lips down on hers. It was not the appropriate time, and probably not the response she was looking for, but it was all he had. Those moments of the bullets firing had nearly killed him. He hadn’t been near Sandy. He’d been near Eva, and so had taken her down just before Tiny reached them.

“I thought I’d lost you,” Stink said. “I was scared one of those bullets had taken you away from me.” He let his own tears show.

“I’m not good enough for you, Stink.”

“You are, and I’m going to prove it to you.” He wiped away her tears. “You’re one of the strongest women I know.”

She forced a laugh. “I’m not. I know a lot of stronger women who have faced a hell of a lot more than I have. I’m not strong at all. I couldn’t survive the loss of a child. Angel and Charlotte have been through that. Fuck, Lacey can’t even have kids. They’re strong women, Stink, not me. I just fuck.”

He pressed his hand against her chest. “You have faced more horrors within these four walls than any of The Skulls and Chaos Bleeds combined. You keep your shit together, and you don’t fail. That, to me, is strong. You’re a strong woman, and together, we’re going to help our club, our family to make it whole.”

“I want to kill him, Stink. I want to plunge a knife into his cold chest, and watch him bleed. I want him to beg, and only feel pain as I hurt him some more.” She’d been staring off somewhere past his shoulder. “I took a vow to do no harm to anyone, and yet I want to murder, and I intend to enjoy it when it happens.”

“I’ll make sure your vow is never broken.” He kissed her lips. Sandy was a good woman. No matter what Andrew did, Sandy wouldn’t be able to take his life. There were two clubs, though, that were planning on it. Between the two of them, Andrew was going down. They were together now, fighting against him. They would win. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Don’t lie to me.”

“I’m not going to be fine right away, Stink. You know that better than anyone.”

He kissed her temple. “Don’t try to hide this from me. The club, we’ll get through it together.”

“He’s not going to stop though. This is just the beginning.”

“It’s the beginning, and we’re going to fight. He caught us unawares, but none of us are going to make that mistake again.”

She opened her mouth to speak, and then closed it again. “What?”

“Andrew attacks anyone. Men, women, children, there is no end.”

“You’re afraid?”

“Aren’t you?”

Stink nodded. “I am. Andrew is a deranged bastard, but we’ve got Gash.”

She licked her lips, and shook her head. “Even with him, Gash didn’t know this was going to happen. Gash is not deranged. He’s vicious, two different things. We don’t know what he’s doing to do next, and it scares me.”

“I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

“I don’t care what happens to me. It’s everyone else, including you.” Sandy stared at his chest, and she ran her hand across the lapel of his leather jacket. “I can’t lose you, not now.”

“I’ll be careful.”

“Promise?”

“Yes. I love you, Sandy.” He’d been in love with this woman since the first moment he saw her. At the time he’d been enjoying club pussy, and had refused to sleep with her. Sandy had never tried to garner his attention, or his affection, but she’d gotten it without even trying. He loved her. She was part of his life, and he was never going to let her go.

She never told him that she loved him, but he could wait.

Sandy was skittish. Push too hard, and she’d run.

Stink had waited a long time, so a few more months, even years wouldn’t matter. He wasn’t going anywhere, and neither was she.

****

The words were on the tip of her tongue, yet Sandy couldn’t say them. It wasn’t because she didn’t feel them, because she did. She loved Stink. He’d become her whole world, and she found herself seeking him for comfort. At night, she lay in bed and wondered if he was thinking of her.

Her whole life had been about finding pleasure, not caring where it came from. She never needed sweet words, chocolates, flowers, or a steady relationship. In The Skulls, she’d found friends, loved ones, a family.

Being with Stink the past few years, she had found herself yearning for something she believed at one time she’d never need. She’d witnessed so many relationships fail through cheating or death. Being a doctor, she’d seen many people become inconsolable at the thought of being alone, without their loved one.

Even in The Skulls, she saw the rare kind of love that was only supposed to happen fleetingly, or at least so the good books say. Angel and Lash, their love was so strong, so powerful that it made her envious of what they shared. The moment Angel walked into a room, Lash searched for her. He couldn’t go long without touching or kissing her, the slight caresses carrying a huge meaning of his love as he did. It was hard not to wish for something like that.

She could go on with each couple, even Tate and Murphy. That woman was a first class bitch, and yet she’d seen the way Tate melted when Murphy was near. For the right man, Tate’s bitchiness ceased to exist. Sandy hadn’t believed it, and even questioned Murphy. He’d simply told her that no one knew the real Tate, the one he loved.

Leaving the bathroom, Sandy felt better, whole, like she could handle anything that was thrown at her.

“Where was Celia?” Sandy asked.

The young sister had been put in their care after Andrew dumped her. Paris, the older sister, and the one Spider was trying to hunt, was still missing. Celia wasn’t a problem. She missed her sister, but she’d accepted them and their care.

“She’s back home with Millie and Baker. They’re taking care of her, and keeping an eye on the clubhouse.”

“I’m going to go do my rounds. I’ll see you back at the clubhouse?”

“None of us are going to leave until Devil and Lash come down. We’ve got to regroup, and be strong.”

“We can’t leave them in the hospital alone,” Sandy said. “It’s too easy to get to them.”

“Exactly. The Skulls and Chaos Bleeds will be here until everyone has been discharged. Including me, I’ll be here for you.”

She nodded. “Thank you.”

“Go on. Go save some lives.”

Sandy turned, and left the two clubs to wait as she made her way back into the hospital. The first ward she got to was the emergency room where Jessica, Snake’s old lady, was bandaged up.