“911, what’s your emergency?” the dispatcher asks.
“We’ve been attacked! We have a man shot; we need an ambulance immediately.”
“Ma’am, please calm down. Is the assailant still there?”
“I don’t know! I’m not going outside to check either,” I miserably groan out.
“Tell me about your casualties,” the woman drones.
“Listen, lady,” I calmly state. Where this false, calm façade has come from, I have no freaking clue, all I know is, that someone better get their ass rolling this way AS-motherfucking-P. “Could you just send paramedics our way, now!”
“They’re already enroute, but I need to know what kind of danger they may be facing when they arrive.” The woman’s tone changes to a more sympathetic one.
“The shooting has stopped, that’s all I really know and can tell you, ma’am.”
“Good, that’s good. Emergency responders are less than three minutes out. I need you to stay on the phone with me until they arrive.”
“Yeah. Fuck that.” I don’t say another word to her. I simple place the phone in the cradle and hang up the call.
Not even five seconds later, the phone begins ringing again, but I ignore it. There’s too damn much that needs to be done.
My family needs me.
Shamus
As soon as Gray is hauled away, you can hear sirens and see the flashing of red and blue lights racing down the road.
Perfect fucking timing.
I stay outside of the gates to wave the emergency vehicles in as Gunner and Texas escort Malice to the outside bench and help him sit down. The three ambulances that have come have to maneuver around the car that’s blocking the entrance. There are several police cruisers that come barreling down the road. It’s a good thing we have the chief of police in our back pocket. Ashworth is a good man who likes the way we assist in keeping the crime wave down. You won’t find drugs being sold in our town’s schoolyards, there isn’t prostitution on the street corners, we’ve taken down all of the pimps and drug dealers.
Nothing illegal, outside of our activities, goes down in this town. Ashworth turns a blind eye to what we do, as long as we help him with everything else. We do a lot of charity runs and hold benefits to help the town’s domestic shelter and children’s hospital. If we weren’t around anymore, the town’s economics would crash and crime once again would plague the streets.
As soon as I’m done helping the paramedics make their way into the gates of the compound, I glance over and Ashworth’s personal car pulls up.
He rushes out of the car and heads in my direction. “What the fuck happened here, Shamus?”
This is a man we’ve entrusted with man club secrets, so I don’t hesitate in giving him the low-down. “We rescued a few women from a skin trader, this is retaliation.” There, that was short, sweet and to the point; anything else, I need Gunner’s permission to share.
“Holy fuck, was this going on in my town?” Chief Ashworth inquires. His tone is laced with unadulterated appalment.
“No, we found out that Stella’s sister was captured as a teenager off of the streets. We initially only were going in to get her out and happened to pull not only her out of it, but her daughter as well as two other women. Needless to say, the fucker’s not happy with us digging into his money maker.”
“Is it over now?” Ashworth questions.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think so. This was just the first wave,” I answer him. “This man,” I point to the driver since Gray is nowhere to be seen, “is one of his goonies. He has an entire fleet of men in his pocket. Until the head is cut off the main honcho in question, we’re possibly going to be seeing more of this sort of thing.”
“And you know who this man is?” Ashworth quizzes me.
“Sure do,” I reply to him.
“Good deal. I’ll expect you and your men to take care of it.” He pats me on the back and walks away. My mouth is opening and closing like a damn guppy fresh out of the water. It’s not every day a lawman basically gives you permission to ignore the law and take care of things your way.
I’m pacing the waiting room of the surgical wing. Ella is tightly wrapped around me and Star has been on the heels of my feet since the moment she set eyes on me. My princess screams at the top of her lungs every time I go to put her down, so I’ve just kept her with me at all times.
Cameron and Stella are surrounding Charlee, trying to comfort her in the best way that they can. Jessia and Amara are busy corralling the kids, but even their worry can be felt by us all.
Charlee is usually the strongest female a man could meet, but the prospect of losing Country has devastated her. If Country doesn’t come out of this still breathing, I fear we may lose Charlee as well. She’ll never emotionally recover from his loss.
Those two have a love story that has stood the test of time.
It’s been hours since Country and Malice were taken back for emergency surgery, and my patience is waning. I want to get back to the clubhouse and put a beating on that motherfucker, Gray.
With each minute that passes that my friends, my brothers, are underneath a surgeon’s scalpel, my anger grows by leaps and bounds.
I look around and see Gunner clenching and unclenching his fists as he stands at the door, waiting for word to make it our way about the outcome of our family’s prognosis.
They have to make it! I will accept nothing less.
Zero’s demise is already too much for us to bounce seamlessly back from. He was Pops’ right-hand man once upon a time. His death is going to wreck poor Pops.
I can’t believe we have to plan a funeral for one of our own because some sick
