Soldiers of Chaos- Chaos Abounds: Book 1 in the Soldiers of Chaos series (35 page)

She didn't have to brace, he pulled her pistol out of his pocket and aimed it at her. "Don't fucking move another inch you stupid cunt." The slit in his cheek seeped more blood with each movement of his jaw. That was some fucking ugly gross shit. She stared at him not moving from her ready stance. "Drop the fucking knife or I will shoot you and it won't be a kill shot either." His eyes burned with hatred. He pointed her gun at her knee and his finger tightened on the trigger. She couldn't fight him with a blown out knee. Nikki dropped the knife but kept her fighting stance. "So sweetheart tell me what works better for you being whipped and caned or being cut and shot?" The malicious glint in his eye had her thinking he knew a lot more than he should about her scars. Who the fuck was this guy? "How do you know about that?" "You're boyfriend has enemies in many places Nikki and bringing you down is like an extra bonus for them. Think hard bitch, think real hard about who would want you in the ground." She didn't have to think hard. Somehow the guy was linked to Bridges. Suddenly the door to the warehouse flung open. Lenny turned his attention to the door firing off a few shots. She took the window of opportunity and charged at him slamming her shoulder into his back sending them both sprawling onto the floor. The gun flew out of Lenny's hands and skittered across the concrete. He pushed up knocking her off him and scrambled for the weapon. Nikki jumped onto his back and wound her arm around his throat sinking in a choke hold. Lenny hit out at any part of her body he could find punching and hitting at the legs she'd wound around and under his hips, scratching and hitting the arm she’d wound around his throat. She just tightened her hold and zoned out the only thing registering in her mind was squeeze. He fell onto his side in an attempt to shake her loose but she was too far in. Squeeze. His body went limp in her hold and she released him quickly going for the gun. She whirled around keeping the gun trained on him then she looked towards the door.

Trace. Oh god. He was bleeding badly a bullet wound in his upper chest, one in his stomach and another in his thigh. She forgot the unconscious man on the floor and rushed to his side. "Trace." His eyes were closed and his breathing erratic. "Fuck. Trace." His name came out on an unruly sob. "Hey baby girl" his weak voice brought more tears to her eyes. "Don't worry the cavalry is on its way." That's when she heard the sweet, sweet rumble of her brothers riding to the rescue. She'd never been more thankful for that noise. Trace's eyes closed and his breathing hitched and wheezed. Her heart nearly stopped. He was going to die and it was all her fucking fault. "God Trace" her sob echoed around the empty space. She gripped him desperately tight as if her hold would keep the life in his body "Don't you fucking die on me Trace Deveraux. You hear me?" He couldn't die; she wouldn't survive if he did. His breathing hitched and wheezed again "I love you Nikki." He was not going to do this. He was not going to do this say goodbye crap. Her tears flowed freely down her face and she knew she couldn't deny him the declaration she owed him in return. "I love you too. I always have." It was the truth. His answering smile was a weak upturning of those beautiful lips and it made her heart ache in her chest. "Which is exactly why you can't leave me ok? I love you and I need you." "Ok baby girl" she could barely hear his reply as the roar of choppers closed in on them.

A noise sounded across the room. Nikki whipped around to see Lenny knife in hand charging towards them. In the instant before she brought her Glock up the feral hate in his eyes struck a chord within her. She aimed for the solid mass of his chest but then a shot sounded from across the space followed by two more. Lenny went down forward momentum bringing him crashing to their feet three bullet holes in his back. Nikki brought her gun and her eyes to where the shots came from. Movement stirred the shadows and she glimpsed a silhouette. Cole?  The sounds of shouting and pounding boots neared the warehouse door and the silhouette disappeared. She turned back to Lenny's fallen form and unloaded a round into his skull as Tex fell upon them. Tex looked down at his brother "Fuck, Trace." "He needs an ambulance now" her voice sounded as desperate as she felt. She kept her hands pressed to the wounds on his chest and stomach. "Be quicker if we take him in the van." Tex yelled at several of the brothers to help carry Trace to the van. "I need to go with him" she desperately tried clinging to Trace as they lifted him. Please don't fucking take him away from me. "We're not taking him away from you Nikki but we gotta get him to the hospital and you need to put this on" He thrust his jumper at her. She hadn't realised she said the words out loud. She brought her face up to look at him. "Shit Nikki your face" Tex's voice was rough with concern as he took a moment to check her over. "I'm fine" she pushed his hands away and pulling on his jumper she raced after the Trace's departing form.

She jumped into the back of the van taking his bloody limp body from her brothers. King was already issuing orders to burn the bastard warehouse to the ground. Tex jumped in beside her and she heard Slick's voice from the front "Hold on." He gunned the engine and the van lurched forward away from the mess behind them. Tears continued to roll unchecked down Nikki's face as she watched the man she loved struggle for breath. She hadn't been lying when she said she loved him and needed him. He'd been the one to show her how gentle love could be, how soothing and how beautiful. If he died because of her she'd never forgive herself. "He's gonna be alright Nikki" Tex's voice was strong and sure, a statement no doubt in that at all. She raised her eyes to him a second time only his were on his friend, his brother cradled in her arms. She could see the determination there, the determination not to let this man leave them and the love of a brother. His eyes came to her and that love turned fierce in those whisky brown eyes of his. He wasn't letting either of them go.

The van came to a screeching stop and Tex slid out of the van hefting Trace into his arms he ran through the glass doors with Nikki hot on his trail. This situation was fucked big time "I need help here he's been shot." Nurses came rushing forward with a gurney "Page Doctor Phillips now." Tex placed his brother's body on the bed his big hand squeezing Trace's in a solemn I love you brother gesture. His heart soared in his chest when he felt a slight squeeze in response. No bullet could stop Trace Deveraux and he knew it. The man was an unstoppable force in their lives and he there was no way Trace would ever leave Nikki. Nikki pushed passed him trying to follow the gurney surrounded by nurses down the hall. He grabbed at her pulling her to him as she struggled against him. He saw the doctor meet them halfway along the hall and then they disappeared behind the doors. "Stop it Nikki they're gone. He's gonna be ok." She was sobbing openly now. This was the second time she'd broken down in a week and it killed him. She was always so strong nothing touched her for more than a few moments; at least that's what he had thought till Sheila died. The things she did in that room, he just couldn't reconcile that with the girl cradled in his arms sobbing her heart out. We all did extreme things when we were pushed to breaking point, god knows he'd done things he never thought he'd do and he'd punished himself for them in all manner of ways including denying himself the love of the beautiful broken woman before him. He couldn't let her continue to do that to herself. He pulled her face up to look at him. Even covered in blood, snot and tears she was beautiful. "He's strong Nikki he'll survive this no worries. Plus he wouldn't leave us alone, he wouldn't trust me enough not to take advantage of you if he was outta the picture" her watery smile stilled his heart. God he loved this woman. "Now let's get a nurse and get you sorted." He flagged down a nurse and sent Nikki off to get that nose looked at.

They sat in Trace's room in silence. Nikki barely left his side except to use the bathroom which was in his room anyway. The bullet in his leg was just a flesh wound. The bullet in his stomach by some miracle had missed everything vital. The one in his chest had punctured his lung causing it to collapse. The doctors had explained using a whole heap of medical jargon Tex hadn't understood that they managed to repair the damage and he should make a full recovery within a few weeks. He'd never doubted it but he'd seen the relief in Nikki's face when they'd delivered the news. God, her face. It was swollen both her eyes dark with bruising but nothing was broken and every time he looked at it he wanted to go back and shoot that bastard himself. Not just for her injuries but for the pain and guilt so clearly written there. Then the cops had started showing up. That was the problem with hospitals they reported shit like gunshot wounds. The other brothers had managed to fend off the uniforms till Alex and Rachel showed up. At which point they told their rehearsed story of a mugging gone wrong. And wasn't that a fun conversation Nikki was emotionally drained and had lost it with Alex when he pushed her for the truth. Tex knew Alex would do whatever it took to protect Nikki and if that failed Rachael would do whatever it took for both Rock and, or the cash they slid her. He looked over at Nikki who was slowly drifting off in the chair she'd pulled close to Trace's bed, her fingers intertwined with Trace's as he slept. He missed her and the quiet little world Nikki, Trace and he had created in their house. Ever since Sheila's death she'd been avoiding being alone with them or they'd been stuck in the clubhouse surrounded by everyone drinking and partying and all the crap that was raining down around them. He needed it back desperately and so did she. Her eyes finally slid closed and her body relaxed into sleep. Tex closed his own eyes listening to her soft breaths fill the room. He remembered what it was like to fall asleep with her in his arms listening to her breathe. He was gone for her, totally and utterly gone. They were all screwed.

A soft knock on the door stirred him from his wallowing. "Yeah." Brodie entered the room "How's he doing?" "He's fine." "And Ace?" "Physically she's fine. The rest?" He shrugged "no idea." Brodie nodded. "I found her phone on a box inside the warehouse" he held it out for Tex "it was on an active call when I picked it up but when I spoke no one responded and the call ended. Display said Sir, nothing else." Sir? Tex took the phone from him and glanced over at Nikki. Who the hell did she call? More importantly why the hell hadn't she called them? They
'd had to rely on info from Slick.  And Trace he just had to go racing off without giving them time to regroup and head out alongside him. Tex might've thought Trace was a damn fool for it but he couldn't say he would've done anything different. When it came to Nikki's safety everything including rational thought came second. "Thanks man I'll see you later." Brodie nodded in response and left. "Brodie still there?" Trace's quiet croaky voice drifted across the space. "Nah brother he's gone" Tex crossed the room to Trace's side. "She still asleep?" Trace whispered the question. "Yeah." "He said the ID for the call was Sir, right?" "Yeah." "BDSM." "What?" Maybe the drugs hadn't quite worn off yet because he had no idea what Trace was talking about. "The marks she's been coming home with it's a sex thing right, BDSM. Sir, her Dom maybe?" Now he was following. The guy who she'd been letting beat her. The thought of anyone hurting her especially intentionally had him wanting to crack skulls. They'd had rough sex before, he was a hard and fast kinda guy he liked to spank ass and use his teeth but he'd never mark her the way this guy had. The bruises on her ass and the backs of her thighs made his skin crawl and his insides burn with anger. "Given he was on the phone to her I'm thinking he might also be her contact. Slick said he could trace her phone." This just got worse as they went along. Who the hell was this guy? "Shit. I think maybe it's time we have a chat to Slick." Nikki stirred beside them and they both turned to her. Her eyes began to flutter open. Conversation over.

"Hey baby girl." Nikki started at the sound of Trace's voice leaping to her feet. God he's awake. She looked down at his pale face those deep ocean blue eyes filled with love as he stared up at her. Guilt overwhelmed her causing her eyes to tear up. "Trace. I'm so sorry. I didn't want anyone else to get hurt and I thought if I just confronted the bastard I could end it and." Trace's finger covered her lips stopping her little rant. His face was soft and full of forgiveness "Shush baby girl. Doesn't matter, you're alive, I'm alive. King is gonna tear shreds off you so we don't need to add to that shit."
And deservedly so. She could've got someone killed especially with Lenny's attack on the clubhouse. She nearly had gotten Trace killed. She opened her mouth for another round of begging forgiveness but Trace ploughed ahead in his croaky voice "I love you baby girl and I know you feel the same.  You'd take a bullet for me and more. I'm just glad I'm here to experience the mountain of grovelling you're going to have to get through to make it up to me." The flirty cheeky grin on his face made her heart ache. She'd come so close to losing someone she loved deeply because she couldn't see passed this ugly black monster living inside her.

She was a selfish fucking bitch and this shit was over. She knew deep down in her gut this self-destructive path she was on needed to stop before she really got someone killed. Trace and Tex would follow her anywhere even if it meant indescribable pain and torment. They'd do anything to prevent her from getting hurt or hurting herself and they didn't need the bullshit she was dragging them through. "I'm gonna need a nurse when I get out of here and I have the perfect outfit for you all picked out in my head. In fact I've sent Brodie down to the nearest adult shop to pick it up for me. So I hope your bedside manner is as good as I remember." Even with three bullet holes in him he couldn't help himself which was one of the reasons she loved him. "Now come give me some love I need someone to kiss my booboo's better." She smiled at the cheek of him and leant forward to give him exactly what he requested. Cheeky bastard even got some tongue in before he pulled back short of breath. She'd have to find another way to feed the monster inside her and she'd have to find a way to end shit with Cole. Tex found her other hand and laced his fingers with hers. She looked up at him seeing the love he had for her reflected in his face. This thing with the three of them was moving far beyond the sex they'd all played it off as in the past and she had no idea what to do about it. What she did know is she'd have to find another way to feed the monster inside her and she'd have to find a way to end shit with Cole.