Chapter 10

10

FOX

" W hat the fuck happened?" I roared as I yanked at my hair, pacing in front of Dahlia's hospital room. "How did a bomb get in my damn truck? Someone is gonna die for hurting my woman."

The explosion had come out of fucking nowhere, and the blast had knocked us both off our feet. I'd scrambled over to Dahlia, only to find her unconscious. She'd been struck in the head by a flying piece of debris. Luckily, Maverick and Molly had been far enough away not to be impacted by the explosion.

I kept it together while we waited for the ambulance, and during the ride to the hospital and through the tests, where they finally determined that she only had a slight concussion and no other injuries.

Then I lost my shit.

"Deviant is on it, Fox," Whiskey grunted. He'd stepped in to handle things since Maverick was busy making sure Molly didn't go apeshit or have a meltdown. She'd been going back and forth between crying and demanding to know who to murder.

"I called Wraith, and he's looking over the device to see if he can find any hints as to who made it or at least where they got the parts."

Wraith had been serving in the Air Force when he patched, working as an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) tech. He'd retired a few years ago and now owned a security company.

"The second you know something," I snarled at Whiskey before storming back into Dahlia's room. She looked paler than usual, making her sexy freckles stand out in stark contrast against her creamy skin. There was a bandage on her left temple, and just the sight of it had anger bubbling inside me again. But I shoved my fury aside and shuffled over to sit beside her on the bed.

A little while later, Dahlia's eyes fluttered, and she whimpered, "Kye?"

"I'm here, baby."

She looked up at me, her expression frightened and confused. "What happened?"

"A bomb was planted in my truck. It went off when I unlocked it with the remote." I recapped what the doctors had said, trying to sound calm while I was a raging ball of fury on the inside. "They want to keep you overnight for observation"—I held up my hand when she opened her mouth, ostensibly to argue with me—"but Blade will handle it. We'll take you home, and he can monitor you there."

What I didn't tell her was that I wouldn't be able to breathe until she was safely locked in the compound. Especially since I needed to know that she would be protected because the second we located the motherfucker who'd hurt her, I was gonna put them in the ground.

It took a couple of hours to get the discharge straightened out, then Jake pulled up in one of the club's big, seven-seater, armored SUVs. We'd occasionally needed them for a run— depending on the item being transported and where it was being delivered.

Whiskey took shotgun while Mav and Molly climbed into the back, then Blade, Dahlia, and I took the middle row. I held her hand with my fingers resting over her pulse—the steady beat was the only thing keeping me calm.

When we arrived at the compound, I carried Dahlia to our room and tried to shut everyone out. However, Molly shoved her way past me, and I gritted my teeth while giving her exactly ten minutes to fuss over her sister.

"Okay, princess," Maverick said, walking toward his old lady while eyeing me like I was a ticking time bomb—no pun intended. "Dahlia needs to rest and spend some alone time with her man." Molly sputtered in protest, but Mav hurried her from the room.

Before I could do anything, there was a knock on the door.

"It's Blade. Brought pain meds for your girl."

"Hang tight, baby," I told Dahlia before stalking out of the bedroom and across the living room to open the door.

I stepped back to let Blade enter, then quickly shut the door before anyone took it as an invitation to visit.

"I'm gonna give her a shot for her pain," Blade explained as we moved toward the bedroom. "You can give her one of these pills every six hours if needed."

I took the bag he handed me and set it on the dresser, my body filled with dread as I asked, "What if she's pregnant? They said at the hospital that it was too soon to tell, even with a blood test."

"It's safe for her to take," he confirmed. "Wasn't gonna give your woman anything that could do harm to a baby when I know you've been trying to knock her up."

"Thanks, man."

"Dahlia," Blade said softly as he padded over to her.

She blinked and struggled to sit up when she spotted my brother.

"Don't sit up," he urged before I could make the demand myself. "I need to check your vitals, then I'll give you meds and let you rest."

My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I pulled it out to see a text from Deviant. He had information, and while I knew I should step out since it was club business, I couldn't bring myself to leave Dahlia alone with Blade even though I trusted my club brother completely.

I walked to a corner by a window and called Deviant. "What did you find?"

"I'm sending you a picture. Let me know if you can ID the guy."

When the message came through, I was surprised my phone didn't crack from my crushing grip. I didn't recognize the man in the photo, but it was apparent he was planting the bomb in my truck.

"Who the fuck is it?" I snarled.

"Some lowlife from a drug gang in Nashville. I already sent a couple of prospects out to grab him."

"You didn't think to run that by me first?" I was shocked that Deviant went around me and sent someone else to do my job. Dahlia was mine, which meant it was my right to track down the person who hurt her and make him suffer.

"He isn't the one you want to hunt, Prez. It's the man who paid for the materials and transferred five grand into the lackey's bank account who you're really gonna want to take down."

I had to admit, he'd made the right call. I couldn't go after both culprits, and he knew I'd want the mastermind. "Who?"

"Cordell DeLuca."

My jaw clenched so hard that my teeth ground together. I inhaled slowly, trying to hold myself together. I was known for being calm and cool under pressure, rarely lost my temper, and could be relied on for being rational. But when it came to my woman, all bets were off. The need to wrap my hands around Cordell's throat and watch the life drain from his eyes, was the only thing keeping me from losing my shit right that moment. I needed to keep my head in the game so I could hunt that asshole down.

And before I did, there was a call I needed to make.

I gave Deviant instructions on what to do next, then walked over to check on Dahlia. She wasn't moving, and for a second, fear clogged my throat.

"The meds will knock her out until tomorrow," Blade informed me when he saw my panicked expression.

Meds. Right. She wasn't unconscious again, just sleeping. Fuck. I needed to handle this shit before I did something stupid.

"I'll come by again in the morning."

I nodded and walked him to the door but stopped him before he left. "I'm riding out tonight. Going after the motherfucker who hurt Dahlia. Make sure someone takes over for you when I get back. Gonna need you to keep the asshole alive so I can make him pay…a lot."

Blade lifted his chin in acknowledgment. He didn't ask if I wanted him to come with me because he knew I'd want him here in case there was a complication with Dahlia's injuries.

After he left, I paced the living room as I put in a call to New York.

"DeLuca," Nic answered curtly.

"I need a favor," I said in lieu of a greeting.

"Most people start a phone call with hello, Kye," he replied dryly.

"Not when they are contemplating cold-blooded murder."

Nic was silent for a moment, then I heard rustling and the snick of a door closing.

"What's going on?"

"I'm calling for your help to find someone. And because we've been friends for so long and I respect you, I'm asking you to let me handle the situation rather than handing it over to you."

"Why would you need my permission?"

"Because I'm gonna kill someone in your family."

Nic sighed. "Cordell?"

"Who else?" I snarled.

"I told Maverick I would handle it. And I am. I located him this morning?—"

"He almost killed my woman, Nic," I uttered in a ragged tone. Then I gave him a summary of what had happened with the bomb.

The Mafia boss went silent again. When he eventually spoke, his tone was lethal and hard as steel. "Women and children are off-limits. Cordell is no longer family. Handle him as you see fit."

"You said you knew where he is?"

"I'll do you one better. Stay by the phone. Next time I call, a package will be awaiting pick up somewhere near you."

"Are you sure? I'm willing to come to New York and hunt the asshole down."

"Unnecessary. It's your right to punish him, but it was me who brought the bastard into your life. Let me help. I wouldn't want to be that far away from my Gianna if it were me."

"I owe you," I replied. It was my way of saying thank you.

"I don't see it that way, but you're welcome."

I hung up and padded back into the bedroom. After setting my phone on the nightstand, I stripped down to my boxer briefs and climbed onto the bed. Curling myself around Dahlia, I reminded myself that she was okay and waited for Nic's call.