Chapter 9

Caden

I'm getting dressedand looking forward to spending the day with my mate when my phone rings. I'm about to hit ignore and just call whoever it is back later when I see that Jude is calling me. He never calls me and my gut tells me that it's important.

"Hey, man. Now isn't the best time," I answer, and he sighs.

"I know, but it's urgent."

"What's going on?"

"It's the Midnight Rebels," he grits out, and I can hear what sounds like an ambulance siren in the background.

"What did they do now?"

"They took a few shots at some of our recruits."

"Is anyone hurt?"

"One," he says solemnly, and I swallow hard.

"Bad?"

"Not sure," he says grimly. "I've heard that he was shot and that the bullet just grazed him."

All at once, I'm back overseas on my last deployment. I can almost smell the blood, sand, and gunpowder in the air.

I blink, trying to pull back from those memories and focus on what Jude is saying.

"Can you get to the hospital? I'm headed to the clubhouse to debrief everyone there. Then I'll meet you at the hospital in a few minutes."

"Sure," I agree. "I'll head there now."

I don't need to ask which hospital since there's only one nearby. My wolf paws at me, reminding me of my plans with my mate, and I close my eyes.

She'll understand. We'll make it up to her.

He growls at me, and I try to ignore him and the nagging feeling that something is wrong as I finish the call with Jude.

"Be careful, Caden. I'm not sure where the rest of the Midnight Rebels are."

"Did it seem like a planned attack or just another fight that broke out when they saw us?"

"I'm not sure. I only saw the aftermath. Just be safe."

"Will do. I'll keep an eye out for them," I promise.

"Good. I'll see you soon."

We hang up, and I turn to see Astrid coming out of the bathroom. Her hair is still a little damp from our shower together this morning and her skin has been scrubbed clean. She looks like she's glowing, and I hate the idea of leaving her, especially so soon after we've been mated.

"I have to go," I tell her as I pull on my boots.

"Go? Go where? I thought we were hanging out today?"

"We were, but something has come up. It's MC stuff," I tell her as I lace up my shoes and push to my feet.

"MC stuff? Right now? We just made all those plans for today, and I thought…," she says, trailing off, and I can see the hurt shining in her pretty eyes.

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry, Astrid. One of our members was hurt; shot by the Midnight Rebels. I need to go check on them. You shouldn't leave here. I'm not sure what's going on with the Midnight Rebels MC, and it's not safe out there."

"I'm not a biker or part of the Devil's Pack MC," she says, crossing her arms over her chest.

"They know that you're with me, and I wouldn't put it past them to use you to get to me," I explain. "Please, just stay here where I know you'll be safe."

"So, I'm stuck here? Until when?" She demands to know.

"Until I get back. Until I'm sure that it's safe."

I lean over to her, kissing her quickly.

"I'll make it up to you. I'll call you later," I promise her, and then I rush out the door.

I'm anxious to check on the injured men. Ghosts are chasing me right now, and I know I won't be able to relax or think straight until I see the MC recruits with my own eyes.

A lot of the recruits are new, but I've still grown fond of them over the last few weeks. They all seem like good guys, and more than half of them are like me and are ex-military.

My wolf is pawing at me, trying to get me to go back to Astrid, but I ignore him. We need to deal with the Midnight Rebels, or she'll never be safe leaving the house.

So?My wolf asks, and I roll my eyes.

She'll want to leave the house,I point out to him, and now it's his turn to roll his eyes.

We could change her mind.

We're not going to keep her hostage.

We could make her like it,he argues, and I go back to ignoring him.

We're making a mistake,he tells me, and I grit my teeth, praying that he's wrong.

I don't see any of the Midnight Rebel MC as I head to the hospital and pull into the parking lot. There are already a few motorcycles lined up out front and I park next to them and hurry inside.

As soon as I do, I spot Marshall, one of the MC's oldest members, and I jog his way.

"Any updates?" I ask him, and he looks grim.

"Not yet. I just got here."

"Who was it?"

"Kincaid from our MC and I heard that he tore one of the Midnight Rebels up pretty good. Nurses said it looked like a bear attack," he says, giving me a look.

"Good," I whisper and Marshall grins.

"I know. I figure that Kincaid can't be that hurt if he was able to do all of that, but we still probably won't hear anything for a little bit," he tells me, and I give a tight nod.

"I need to call Jude."

We both head over to some chairs in the surgery waiting room. I know that in a little bit, this place is going to be filled with bikers. Luckily for us, it just seems to be members from our MC right now.

I call Jude but get his voicemail. I'm guessing that he's on his way here, so I sit back and wait, trying to be patient.

Inside, I'm fighting with my ghosts and worried for the men who are back in surgery. As I sit there and wait, there's also a tiny part of me that is worried about Astrid. I hate being away from her and I just hope that she's safe while I wait for any news.