Road to Destiny (Scorpio Stinger MC Book 5) (6 page)

“No,” I screamed, my voice sounding like that of someone else. “No, it can't be. Cobra can't be dead.”

“What the fuck do we do? There are snipers out there. Snipers who will kill us all.” Logan was shaking from head to toe. Surfer boy’s tan had disappeared in an instant.

Pandemonium broke loose, and everyone started yelling at the same time.

“What the fuck, Ryder?” Razor looked to me for answers as if I’d just pulled the fucking trigger myself.

I glanced around the room. It wasn’t just Razor—all eyes were on me. I stood frozen to the spot, my brain ready to combust. “We’ve got to get Cobra, Mia and the kids to safety.”

Ox had appeared out of nowhere. He groaned. “How? How are we going to do that and not get us all shot?”

There wasn’t time to fuck around. Every second counted. “You all stay here. I’ll go out. You cover me, Ox. Hammer, call Summers and tell him what happened. Logan, get the other boys. Lexi, stay calm and keep Jade in the bedroom. You all got that?” A thunderstorm brewed inside me, waiting to explode into action.

Lexi grabbed my arm. “No, Ryder.” Tears streamed down her face, her mascara streaking her cheeks. “You can't go out there. Those fuckers will kill you too.”

Razor stepped forward and pulled Lexi off me with a growl. “Let Ryder go. He knows what he’s doing.”

I wasn’t as sure as Razor of that, but I’d take my chances. Somebody had to do something, and I guessed that someone was me. Fueled by adrenaline, I charged the door and ran to the gate as fast as my trembling legs could carry me.

T
he second Lexi came into the room, her face a mess and sobs rattling her thin frame, my gut turned inside out. Whatever Ryder wasn’t telling me was playing havoc with my mind, and I feared for the worst.

“What’s wrong, honey?” I shot off the bed, my head spinning from getting up too fast.

She stood there with black panda bear blotches of ruined mascara, her lips quivering and raw fear in her eyes. I’d never seen her that distraught, and I’d seen my cousin in pretty bad shape before.

“Ryder,” she croaked, her voice catching in her throat and her arms wrapped around her body as tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Lexi,” I yelled, losing my shit when she just stood there like a fucking zombie. I lurched forward to grab her, shaking her by the shoulders. “Where is Ryder? What the fuck happened?”

She doubled over and threw up all over her shoes, then collapsed onto the bed, sobbing as if somebody had died.

Oh my fucking God.

“Lexi. Jesus, talk to me. Did something happen to Ryder?”

Lexi stared at me, her lips trembling violently and her whole face screwed up in pain. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out.

The long, cold fingers of dread gripped my insides and squeezed until I was about to pass out. Something grave and ghastly must’ve happened and there I stood, powerless and terrified, my breath coming in short sharp pants as I tried to keep breathing while a million scenarios played through my mind, all of them involving Ryder and a lot of fucking blood.

I should have listened to my instincts. I should have refused to come to the godforsaken damn club. The place was fucking cursed.

“There’s been a shooting.”

“Oh God, no! Ryder—”

Lexi shook her head from side to side. Her eyes were wild. “No, not Ryder. Cobra, Mia, and the kids. Outside the gates. There’s blood everywhere, said Logan. I’m not sure if Mia and the kids are okay, but Cobra’s been shot in the head.”

Relief flooded my insides that it wasn’t Ryder, yet my mouth went dry and my pulse quickened as horror filled me.
How could this be happening? Didn’t we come here to be safer?

Lexi’s eyes were wide and her body trembled. “But Ryder . . . he went outside to help them. I’m so scared. What if Ryder can’t stop the shooter?”

My hand flew to my mouth. “What? Why would Ryder do such a crazy thing?” My knees went weak, and I flopped down onto the bed next to Lexi. Knowingly walking into danger was insane. “Oh God, what if he gets shot, too?” A mixture of fear and panic swept through me. “I’ve got to stop him.” I rubbed my stomach as a bitter taste rose to my mouth and I fought the urge to vomit. “I can’t deal with losing Ryder. The babies need him. Fuck, I need him.”

As I moved to get up from the bed again, Lexi bolted upright and grabbed my wrist. “No, wait. Ryder said for me to keep you here. In the room. We’ve got to hide.” The fright in her voice and in her eyes was so overwhelming I wanted to throw up. But I had to push through. This wasn’t the time to be weak.

I have to know if Ryder is safe.

I jerked my arm away out of Lexi’s grip. “Like hell am I staying here and not knowing what’s happening.” Pushing my own fear aside, I reached for my phone and hastily scrolled through my contacts list. “I’m calling Harrison. He’ll know what to do and send his team to help us.”

“Ryder told Hammer to call Harrison. I’m sure he’s already on his way.”

“Well I’ll call too, just in case Hammer couldn’t get through.” The call went straight to voicemail. I grimaced as I scrolled again, looking for Savage’s number, and hit the green button. Within three rings, Savage’s deep voice came down the line. I nearly cried with relief.

“Jade, are you okay? Harrison just spoke to a dude from the Scorpio Stingers. We’re worried about you.”

“Savage, I’m not sure what’s happened, but I’m scared,” I choked out.

“We’re on our way. Stay away from the windows. One of us will come and find you when it’s safe. You alone?”

“No, I have Lexi here with me. Please hurry.” I couldn’t keep the panic from making my insides churn. My voice hitched. “Ryder is in danger, and I think Cobra got shot and maybe even Mia and the kids. I’m not sure.”

“Stay safe until we get there, Jade,” Savage commanded in a stern voice.

“We will.”

As soon as I hung up, I made my way to the door. My heart pounded in my ears and my head was spinning, but I didn’t let that stop me.

“Where are you going?” Lexi asked in a high-pitched voice.

“I’m going to see where Ryder is. I’ll go crazy if I have to sit here and wait.”

“Jade, you can’t. Didn’t you hear what Savage said? We’ve got to stay here. That’s what Ryder told me, too.”

“Screw that. If Ryder gets hurt, or even worse, killed . . . oh God, I don’t even want to think about it.” I held my fingertips to my quivering lips to still them. “This is life and death stuff, Lexi. And like hell am I sitting here biting my nails and feeling sick while shit is going down.”

“Um . . . you have two very good reasons to stay safe. Both Harrison and Ryder will be mad as hell if something happens to you or the babies. You’ve got to listen, Jade.” Her eyes pleaded. “You’ve got to stay here with me.”

I considered her words for all of five seconds. She had a valid point, but not knowing was so much worse. Ryder would stop at nothing to save his best friend and brother, even risking his own life. But things were different now. It wasn’t just about his biker family anymore, and I couldn’t help wondering if Ryder would think of that.

The thought of coming second to the club riled me. I wasn’t jealous of another woman because I knew Ryder only had eyes for me, yet his allegiance to the club, to Cobra, and to his brothers, ran far deeper than what even I understood.

“Lexi, I’m going to take my chances. Maybe Ryder will need me, and I want to be there when he does. Wait here till Harrison or Savage comes for you, okay?”

With legs that felt as if concrete had been poured into them and a heart as heavy as stone, I made my way to the club room. At least one of the other boys would be able to fill me in on the situation.

My throat burned, and tears welled up behind my eyelids. I simply didn’t want a life without Ryder.

C
obra’s limp body sat like a crash dummy squeezed between an airbag and the seat that was covered in blotches of red, blood dripping down the black leather. Mia was in the same position, but except for the blood that had splattered onto her—Cobra’s blood—I couldn’t detect if she was bleeding, too. A low moan escaped her lips. At least she was still alive.

My gaze flew to the back seat, following the cries of terror and agony. Both kids were still strapped into their safety chairs. The fear and anguish on their little faces speared my heart.

“It’s okay, kiddos, everything is going to be okay,” I said, my voice cracking. As if they could detect the lie, their cries became even louder and more distraught. As hard as it was to just leave them there, I had to focus my attention on their father.

The crunch of glass under my boots sounded eerie as I leaned over Cobra to check if he was still breathing. Every muscle in my body tensed, and my chest was so tight that it was difficult to get air into my lungs. “Fuck. Cobra.
Breathe
, you fucker. You can’t die on me now.”

Blood poured from the wound in his head, and his eyes stayed shut. He didn’t move, not even a slight rise in his chest to tell me that he was indeed breathing. I placed two fingers on his jugular to check his pulse, and panic rose to my throat as any sign of life evaded me.

Cobra can’t be dead. He just can’t. It
isn’t
an option.

I wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake him until he responded, but I knew better than that. By the number of entry wounds I could tell that he’d been shot several times, and I had no idea how much damage had been caused to his internal organs.

All I saw was the look of death. The reaper was waiting, calling my brother to the other side.

But I wouldn’t let the grim man of death win. He could just fuck off. I’d learned CPR since Ratbag died and I was sure as hell going to put it to practice to save Cobra. I’d breath for him if he couldn’t, I’d pump life back into his heart. I’d help him
live
. There was no way in heaven or hell I was letting him go to the dark side without a fight.

Mia stirred in the passenger seat. Her eyes opened slowly and fixed on her husband. “Cobra,” she winced, trying to reach for her man but not being able to move while sandwiched into her seat by airbags. “Is he—” The high pitch of her voice was broken with a sob.

“Mia, hang in there. Help is on the way.” It was all I could do to placate her. I couldn’t lie to her about Cobra’s condition because Mia deserved better than that.

Just as I got myself ready to start giving Cobra mouth-to-mouth, a fucking bullet flew within inches from my face and over my head, and slammed into the roof of the vehicle. Whoever had done this was still out there and trying to prevent me from helping my brother. My heart pumped pure dread through my veins. Unadulterated fear sent tremors through my body and my knees shook.

Is today the day I die?

The day we ALL die?

Fuck, no. I wasn’t ready for death. I’d far too much living to do. I wanted to witness the birth of my babies, and I wanted a life with Jade— to be a father and a husband.

Another deafening shot rang out. Looking over to the back, I registered that both Jaime and Isabella’s mouths were wide open and I was sure they were screaming but I couldn’t hear a fucking thing. Strapped into their seats, they wriggled and fought against the restraints to no avail, desperation to escape clear on their little faces.

NO!

Death is not on the agenda today.

I turned my head to check on Mia. Her eyes widened, and she stared at me in horror with her mouth gaping as if trying to say something but failing. It was only when her gaze rested on my shoulder and I became aware of an intense, burning pain that I looked to the left and saw blood pouring down my arm.

“Fuck,” I yelled, shaking as more fear and terror filled my mind and heart. All the oxygen sucked out of my lungs and I could hardly breathe as I crouched down beside the vehicle while trying to figure out where the shooters were hiding.

We were sitting ducks with nowhere to hide. Thousands of images flashed through my mind. Images of me as a child; images of Marianne and Maxwell smiling at me; images of making love to Jade; images that reminded me of a life to be grateful for. A life that could be over before I knew it.

“Ryder,” Mia screamed hysterically. “Oh my God, they’re going to kill us all. My babies, Cobra. Oh God, please no.”

“Mia, try to slide down in the seat,” I commanded, even though it was futile. If at least Mia and her kids got out of this alive I’d be okay with the outcome.

“I can’t,” she groaned. “I’m stuck.” Her eyes were wild with panic.

Not that I wanted to die. Nor did I want to say goodbye to Cobra. But sometimes things were inevitable. Sometimes they were beyond my control, and there was simply nothing I could do to stop what happened.

Like now.

My mind was spinning. We weren’t prepared for our enemies to hit so soon. But I guess that was exactly what they wanted—the element of surprise worked every time. Hell, I should’ve known. It was a tactic we’d used many times over the years.

Before I could even think of what to do next, the sound of sirens approaching cut through the air, drowning out the sounds of the crying children.

Mia exhaled sharply. A flash of hope crossed her face.

“See? I wasn’t lying. Help is on the way.” The tremor in my voice sounded strange to my ears. I tried to smile, but failed.

Being this close to death triggered something inside me I’d never forget. How fragile we humans were. How we lacked gratitude for every day we were granted on this earth, every breath we took.

Within minutes, Cobra’s vehicle was surrounded by cop cars and a heavily armed SWAT team, pointing firearms in every direction, their backs to one another as they formed a circle around us.

Truth be told, I’d never been as happy to see Summers and his gang as I was then. If I believed in angels—and sometimes I did—I’d thank them for saving my ass.

“What direction did the shooting come from?” Savage asked the moment he saw my gunshot wound.

I spun around and pointed to the empty house across the road. “I think from there. It came from behind me. I have no idea how many people are in there. Only two shots were fired, and each of them singly.”