When I see a bunch of Harleys pulling up, I scream for them to stop.
Before the guy has time to put it in park, I’m already climbing out of the vehicle.
If the rest of the brothers are here, it has to be Trigger and Stacey.
I run up to the paramedics and they are working on someone. Once I get close enough, I can tell that it’s Trigger.
I let out a sigh of relief that he’s here, but it turns to horror when I get a good look at his injuries. They don’t waste any time getting him on the stretcher to rush him to the hospital.
Tears are welling in my eyes watching, but I’ll head to the hospital after this.
I look around for Stacey and, as the fire fighters are trying to get the flames to go down, I hear Torch start screaming.
“She was with him! Where is she?” he yells, his face going red.
“Sorry sir, there was only the man outside,” a guy tells him with a grim look on his face.
Torch looks at the burnt down house in horror.
I gasp, and a sob escapes me.
No. No. No.
I scream “Stacey!” and try to run toward the house, but someone wraps their arm around my waist halting my movements.
The voice whispers in my ear. I automatically know that it’s one of Stitch’s brothers. “She’s gone. Look at that house. No one could have survived that.”
I break down crying and feel my body go weak.
She’s gone.
I look up when I hear Torch give out an agonizing scream. It’s a sound that I have never heard from anyone before. It’s a sound that I will never forget.
“STACEY!” he yells in pain.
Prez tries to comfort his son, but Torch pushes him away.
I can see the pain on every bikers’ face as they all glance at the old house.
The flames are almost out and one of the firefighters looks at the fire chief and shakes his head.
I can feel everyone’s pain from seeing that head shake.
I can’t stop myself from sobbing.
It’s all my fault.
If I hadn’t have come here, then she would still be alive.
Chapter Nineteen
Trigger ‘Colton’
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
I feel myself slowly wake up.
I hear voices around me. It takes a few minutes laying there with my eyes closed before I remember everything that happened. It all comes rushing back like a bad nightmare.
I remember Vince lighting the house on fire. I also remember trying desperately to get Stacey out of there before she demanded that I go without her. I remember her dying before my eyes.
I also remember rushing out of the house only to collapse outside and hear the house finally cave in.
After that, everything went black and I don’t know how I got here. I can tell from the machines that I must be in the hospital.
I feel a weight on my left hand and realize that someone is holding my hand.
My fingers grip whoever is holding me, and the soft gasp followed by my name lets me know that it’s Sophie.
I feel tension leaving my body knowing that she’s here. That means that the fucker never got her.
When I open my eyes, I see the face of my woman with tears running down her cheeks.
“Colton,” she says in a soft voice like she can’t believe I’m awake.
“Wa..water,” I say, my mouth feeling incredibly dry.
She hands me some water and helps me drink it as I take a couple small sips.
When she backs up to take the seat beside the bed and resumes holding my hand, I notice other people in the room.
I’m in a room with Shield. I don’t know how that happened, but I would imagine that the brothers made it that way. They probably intimidated the staff until they were able to put us together. That, or Olivia helped to get us a room together.
There’s quite a few brothers and their Old Ladies in here. When my eyes meet Prez’s, I can see questions and pain in his eyes.
I nod my head at him so that he knows I’ll talk after the doctor checks me over. He nods back and presses buttons on his phone. I have a feeling that he’s calling Torch. I don’t know how I’m going to face him after everything, but he deserves to know what happened.
The doctor tells me that everything will be fine after a lot of rest and some medication for some wounds that got infected while I was being held. I will be fine, but I need to take it easy.
Everyone looks at me when he shuts the door. I feel Sophie grip my hand tightly. Torch has now made it to my room.
“Tell us,” Torch says in a strained voice. When I look at him, you can tell that he’s broken.
I clear my throat.
“Stacey asked for help with a present she got you. I went to help her haul it to your place. That’s when the fucker hit us, and we rolled. I blacked out after that and woke up in that house. I was tied up by my hands and feet and Stacey… she was chained to the wall.” I have to clear my throat a few more times as emotion overcomes me.
“Fuck,” Torch lets out.
I tell them about being stuck there for days and watching Stacey as she bled out slowly before my eyes. How Vince splashed gasoline all over the house before setting it on fire. I let them know that I tried my hardest to save Stacey, but she took her last breath and told me to tell Torch that she loved him and for him to be happy.
