30. ‘Ash’

THIRTY

Making our way up a mountain while trying to be quiet and stealthy is an oxymoron. My God, there are so many people involved and going up from so many different directions. Not sure how Ollie is keeping track of everything but apparently, thank God, he is. From what I heard from someone, Freak was able to manage the check-in from one of the brotherhood so the farmers were allowed to continue on their way up the mountain to clear brush off the path for safety and fire prevention. Not sure who came up with that idea, but it’s a damn good one.

Just as we hit a steep spot, I see Ollie reach for his pocket. He lifts a hand then answers his phone. From where I am, a few people back, I can hear someone screaming but can’t make out a single word. Before any one of my brothers or I can ask Ollie what’s up, he hits the button to disconnect, shoves the phone in his pocket, and starts to run up the overgrown path. Something’s wrong. I’ve got a really bad feeling in my gut so I follow him, running to try to keep up with him. I know my brothers are also following because I can hear them.

It’s like a domino effect because now you have in our group alone fifteen grown men running up the side of a mountain. When I look to my left, I see a bunch of Ollie’s folks also sprinting toward the top. Motherfucker, what did my father do this time? Why can’t he just die already? As soon as that thought goes through my mind, I push it out. No, I don’t want to be like him at all. Even though he’s a heartless prick, I don’t wish him dead, too easy of an out for him. Prison for the rest of his life, totally yes. With my mind spinning out of control, I trip over a huge tree root and almost face-plant, except Rue grabs my arm, holding me up.

Just when I don’t think I can keep running, Ollie comes to a sudden stop. Once again, he grabs his phone and listens for a second, then turns and when I see his eyes, I know it’s Brenna. Fuck. Before I can even ask Ollie what’s going on, I feel someone run past me with a couple of men behind the first person. When I realize who it is, I take off like a bat outta hell. Shadow is sprinting in front of Panther and Avalanche, with two other men from their ranch pursuing her. I need to put in more time at the gym or something. Thought I was in pretty good shape.

Suddenly, I see Shadow dive and slide to a complete stop. She looks behind her, throwing her arm up. Immediately, Panther and Avalanche stop dead right where they are. Unfortunately for them, I can’t stop so I head-plant right into Avalanche’s back. All I hear is a soft oomph. Damn, he’s like a brick building, that’s gonna leave a bruise. He turns, looks down at me, then pulls me in front of him like I’m a doll or something.

“What’s going on, dude? Everyone is running and sprinting, has there been news?”

“Don’t know, my job was to stick to her like glue. Shadow makes that difficult but we do our best. I don’t ask questions.”

I nod then turn to look at Panther, who has eyes on his woman. Her head is going from the left to the right then up and repeat. Something catches her eye because she slowly walks deeper into the woods. I can hear her sniffing and taking in deep breaths. When she turns to Panther and points, I don’t know how, but one minute he was right there, the next he’s gone. Then I see him deep into the woods and he’s looking down at something. He kneels down and reaches for something then gets back on his feet and makes his way back to our group.

“Your instincts were right and fast. I was just picking up the scent and you already had it. About twelve feet into that wooded area is a hole about seven or eight feet deep. There are remains of a body that was burned. No, Ash, it’s not a female but a male. Happened recently, within the last hour or two, still steaming. When I did a quick search with my eyes, there are a few mounds out there, so I’m guessing this is one of their burial spots.”

“The smell hit me in my throat, Panther. I know the scent of death, that’s why I stopped and had you look since you’re the best tracker.”

I hear Avalanche clear his throat but doesn’t say a word. Shadow smirks his way.

“Why are we running around on this mountain?”

Shadow looks my way with those icy-blue eyes of hers.

“Ollie got a call, the farmers made it through and one of them, a Johansen, saw Brenna. Then his phone went dead. We are almost there, so no more questions, my sister is in danger up there.”

Shadow sets the pace as she continues toward the top. Looking to my left, I see Ollie and his brothers have caught up with us, so as a group we ascend through the overgrown brush. I don’t know why but I start to pray that Brenna is okay, my father hasn’t lost more of his mind, and no one else is injured. Yeah, asking a lot, but Mom always says squeaky wheel gets the oil, though not sure that applies to praying but I’m beyond desperate.

I can see the top from where we are. It’s really steep now so we are back to walking. I think I can hear the farm machinery but it could be wind or an airplane, I don’t know. Shadow throws her arm up and we stop. She motions for Ollie and he hurries to her side. They go back and forth, him shaking his head until she gets in his face. Ollie’s brothers, Orin, Oliver, Bennett, and Brooks rush to stand at his side. Shadow is not letting up but before anyone can say a word, we hear it loud and clear. Gunshots. Then it’s like every farm machine up there is being pushed to the limit. Everyone starts to run the plan out the fuckin’ window.

When I finally reach the top, it’s utter chaos. Obviously, Ollie’s snipers have been busy because three-quarters of the Thunder Cloud Knuckle Brotherhood who were there are dead on the ground, either with shots center mass or a bullet between the eyes. The ones still breathing are being corralled between the farmers and their implements. Off to the far side are bunches of women, all ages, looking really rough and spooked. I see Wildcat, Rebel, Glory, and Peanut rush over to them. Some of the Intruders head over to the brotherhood being held in place by the farmers. They’ll take care of them.

My eyes are skimming the area looking for Brenna or even my dad. When I see something on the ground about ten feet from a bunch of picnic tables, I squint to try and see what it is. That’s when Shadow yells and takes off screaming as she’s running. Then I hear Ollie’s roar of utter pain, right before he calls out Brenna’s name. All of the O’Brien men race after Shadow. Pushing my way through Panther and his men, I hurry to where they are at. Shadow is on the ground with Reed while Ollie is on the phone. As I get closer my heart stops dead in my chest. Lying on the ground is Brenna, perfectly still, pale as a ghost. Her own hands are holding her chest and I can see blood flowing over her fingers. Reed is pulling the backpack off his shoulders. How the fuck didn’t I see him carrying it? Then I hear Ollie shouting into the phone.

“Tank, I don’t give a flyin’ fuck, get that goddamn helicopter up here now. Yeah, it’s Brenna and she’s got a gunshot wound to the chest. Lost a ton of blood, Reed is checking her out now. I’ll have Rue start a smoke fire so they can find us. Hurry, Tank.”

I kneel next to Reed to watch him move Brenna’s hands to get a look at her wound. He presses on both sides of the hole in her chest then looks to Shadow, who immediately presses her own hands onto Brenna’s chest. Reed grabs the backpack and starts throwing shit on the ground. Hearing someone behind me, I turn to see Yoggie rushing to Shadow’s side. He grabs what I think is an IV and wipes down Brenna’s arm with an alcohol pad before he puts a thick band around her upper arm. As he’s doing that, Reed is checking her eyes and listening to her chest.

“Son of a bitch, sounds like her right lung collapsed. She’s having difficulty breathing. Someone straighten her head and let’s pull her body so she’s lying flat. I want you to put this under her head. Best I can do right now, don’t have any oxygen. Yoggie, what you got?”

Reed and Yoggie go back and forth while the ex-military person completes the IV. I feel the intensity before I even look her way. The fear and struggle on Shadow’s face has me reaching over and putting my hands on hers pressing down. I don’t know why I do it, she doesn’t need my help but something on her face made me do it. Yoggie looks down, pushes both of our hands aside, leans in, and puts his head down on Brenna’s chest. He’s there for a second or two then pushes her to her side.

“Reed, think she’s experiencing a form of atelectasis. Probably has some blood or mucus behind the collapsed lung, but she’s really struggling to breathe. She has to be on her side or else she’ll drown in her own fluids. Where the fuck is that copter, for Christ’s sake? Shadow, grab some of those gauze pads and put pressure on that wound, best you can. Reed, I’ve got saline running into her, got any pain meds?”

Reed pulls out a zippered pouch, opens it, and there are those medical bottles that doctors stick a needle in and draw out so much for a shot. Then I hear it off in the distance. I turn and see the smoke coming through the trees slightly.

“The helicopter is coming. Reed, how are we gonna get her there? Can she be moved?”

Reed looks my way for a second then concentrates on what he’s doing. Yoggie is the one who answers.

“We’ll use a blanket to put her in, then we’ll carry her to the pickup site.”

Shadow again has her hands on Brenna’s chest. Yoggie is monitoring her breathing and checking her air passage, while Reed injects whatever he concocted into the IV. As soon as he’s done, I see Avalanche holding up a blanket, not sure where he got it. He puts it on the ground where Reed was, and very carefully, we move Brenna onto it. Between Reed and Yoggie, they tell each of us where to hold the blanket. Shadow is placed in the middle on one side and I’m in the middle on the other side. Yoggie is at her head, Ollie at her feet. Panther and Avalanche are on opposite sides. Malice and Half-Pint finish up the sides. On Yoggie’s word, we slowly lift her and start off carefully toward the sound of the helicopter. Avalanche and Panther are chanting while Yoggie softly counts off our steps.

In no time at all we are in a field loading Brenna onto the helicopter. There is a pilot and one guy manning a huge gun. Where the fuck did Tank get this from? I think to myself. Then the pilot looks out at us.

“We got to get moving. Most I can fit in here is maybe two maybe three, if one is small.”

I so want to go with, but fuck, Ollie is her brother and Shadow is her chosen family, not to mention Yoggie and Reed have medical backgrounds. Without a thought Shadow jumps into the helicopter and goes right to Brenna and presses onto her chest again. Reed looks at me then pushes me toward the helicopter. Yoggie jumps in and reaches out, offering me his hand. I grab it and step into the beast of a copter. Shadow points across from her so I sit there. She grabs my hands and presses them down on Brenna’s chest. Yoggie is checking her stats and the pilot tells us to hang on. Then he lifts off, and fuck, I pray to God he can fly this all the way to the hospital because the way he’s flying right now is scaring the ever-lovin’ shit out of me.