Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
Nevaeh
I t’s hours later before the police let us leave. I refuse to go home until we have more news on Dice, which is why I’m sitting in the hospital waiting room and sipping crappy coffee as Havoc paces back and forth while he talks on his phone.
I tune him out, needing to stay in my little bubble of safety for a bit longer. A place where my readers aren’t being shot at and where a man I care about isn’t fighting for his life.
“You okay, Tinkerbell?” Capone asks from beside me.
I look at him. His T-shirt is covered in Dice’s blood, and a smear of it across his cheek has me swallowing down bile.
“No, Capone. I don’t think I am. I don’t think I’ll be okay until Dice wakes up.”
He reaches over and takes my hand, squeezing it.
“Is this my fault?”
“Fuck no. How can this be your fault?”
“Because I knew there was a chance that the trouble with the club might follow us, and I came anyway,” I tell him quietly so nobody will overhear us.
“Nobody could have predicted this. This isn’t the work of a man going off the rails, Nevaeh. This is the work of a madman.”
I sigh and look down at my hands. Hands that stroked Dice as he lay bleeding out on the floor. Hands that just hours before signed an autograph for a girl who might never wake up. I don’t try to stop my tears. I let them run down my face and drip from my chin.
Capone curses before he takes my coffee and wraps his free arm around me. I bury my head against his chest and sob until I’m picked up, and I find myself surrounded by Havoc’s scent. It calms me a little, making me feel safer.
“I’ve got you, baby. Let it all out.”
And so I do. Because if I don’t get it out, it will rip me to pieces.
I must doze off because when I come too, I hear Amity’s voice. I lift my head and find her and G sitting beside me where I’m curled up on Havoc’s lap.
“They hurt Dice,” I tell her softly.
“I know.” She tucks my hair behind my ear, her eyes puffy from crying. Neither of us says anything after that. What’s there to say?
And so we sit, waiting in limbo, preparing for bad news while praying for a miracle. The waiting room fills up around us as people come to wait for news and offer their silent support.
Finally, after what feels like days, a voice clears behind us. “Family of Dalton Jones?”
Havoc gets to his feet before gently easing me to mine. He takes my hand, this time drawing strength from me.
“He’s an orphan. He grew up in the system. We’re the only family he’s got.”
This makes more tears fall, but I keep quiet.
The doctor looks at me before sighing. “Mr. Jones was incredibly lucky. The bullet clipped his liver and caused some internal bleeding, which we managed to get under control. He lost a lot of blood, but miraculously, the bullet missed his bowel, which is what I was initially worried about. It’s early, but barring an infection, if he makes it through the next forty-eight hours, then I expect him to make a full recovery.”
My legs buckle with relief. Havoc catches me before I fall, holding me tightly to him.
“Thanks, doc.”
“There was a girl. She was shot in the leg. Havoc was the one who helped her.”
“You put on the tourniquet on her?”
Havoc nods.
“You saved her life. I can’t tell you anything else, but she’s alive, and that’s thanks to you.”
My breath rushes out of me in relief.
“Go home and get some rest. Mr. Jones won’t be up for any visitors for a while yet. I will make sure someone calls you if anything changes.”
“Thanks again,” Havoc tells him before he walks away. “Thank fuck.”
Happy laughs and tears now replace the earlier sadness. There is still worry, naturally, but for now, we’ve been given a reprieve.
“Midas, Circus, I want you two to stay and keep an eye on things.”
“You got it, Pres,” Circus answers.
“Amity, you come on G’s bike?”
“Yeah.”
“You up for driving the truck Dice drove here home? I know it’s a beast, but if you can handle the RV?—”
“No, I’ve got it. Is it at the hotel still?”
“Yeah. We loaded it up before we checked out this morning. Get the keys from Capone.”
“What about the stuff from the venue?” G asks.
I shake my head, thinking about the books and swag I had on display. “Just leave it. I can’t go back there.”
“I can get it. I have my car.” Lil offers.
“I’ll go with her,” Toot says, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and kissing her temple.
“Everyone else, head back. I’m calling church. I’ll fill the rest of you in when you get back. Any questions?”
When nobody says anything, Havoc leads me outside to his bike. He straps my helmet on and lifts me onto the bike before slipping his own helmet on. He stands there for a moment with his helmet pressed against mine. I feel him swallowing down his rage before he climbs on and takes us home.
The ride home is a somber one. So far, everyone has pulled through, but this could have all gone differently. We lost track of Ambros and his sister when the cops were questioning us, so I make a mental note to call him later to make sure they got home okay. I’m not sure I’d have ever forgiven myself if that bullet had done more than graze her. I close my eyes and try to shut out the images flashing in my brain, but it’s impossible to think about anything else.
By the time we pull into the compound, I’m so exhausted I’m not sure I can climb off the bike. Havoc helps me and removes my helmet before taking off his own. He wraps his hand around mine and leads us up to the saloon, the others falling in behind us. None of us speak. There will be enough of that to come. For now, the quiet of the night offers comfort from the loudness of the hospital and the chaos of my mind.
When we walk in, Havoc stops dead, making me look up. Standing in front of us are Blade, Inigo, and Conan.
“It’s done,” Blade answers Havoc’s unspoken question, which makes him relax.
“I’ve called church so you can fill everyone in,” Havoc tells him before stepping forward and giving the man a one-armed hug.
Conan steps up to me. I have to tip my head all the way back to see his face.
“Rough day, Tinkerbell?”
I try to smile, but it comes out strained.
He tugs me free of Havoc’s hold and pulls me in for a hug. We must look ridiculous together, but it’s impossible not to feel safe when a literal giant is wrapped around you. “How about I sit with you while everyone else goes to church?”
I nod. Part of me just wants to crawl into bed but I don’t trust my brain to let me fall asleep.
Conan lets me go so I can look at Havoc. Havoc moves into me, kissing me until I’m breathless before pulling back and pressing his lips to my forehead.
“Stay with Conan. I’ll fill you in on what you need to know once we’re done.”
“Alright.”
“Make sure she gets something to eat. She hasn’t had anything all day.”
“I’ve got her, Havoc. Don’t worry.”
I don’t bother telling either of them that food is the last thing on my mind.
When Havoc steps back, Inigo steps forward and kisses my head before following Havoc into church. Blade says my name softly before he swipes a tear from my face. Hell, I didn’t even realize I was crying again.
“Everything is going to be okay. Trust your man. Trust the club.”
“I do.”
He nods before quickly hugging me and turning me into Conan’s arms. Conan leads me over to one of the sofas at the far end of the room. He urges me to sit as the rest of the brothers follow Havoc. A handful of club girls hover near the bar, looking unsure of what to do. The rest of the room is empty.
“Where’s Hoops?”
“He’s on the gate tonight.”
“Does he know that Dice is okay?”
“He knows. G messaged us all.”
“Good. I know they’re friends,” I tell him, fiddling with the sleeve of my T-shirt.
“Is Sunshine here?”
“She and Alex are staying at Carnage for now. And before you ask, Legs is at the clinic.”
I sit up straight. “Is she okay?”
“She’s fine. She’s keeping her eye on Crane, who took a bullet to the shoulder.”
“Crane? But he didn’t come with us. I don’t understand.”
He studies me for a moment. “Tell you what, let’s get some food into you, and I’ll tell you what I can. Havoc can fill in the rest.”
“Okay,” I agree. I know I’m missing something big.
I trail him into the kitchen and sit quietly at the counter while he makes me a sandwich and a large mug of hot chocolate. The sandwich tastes like sawdust, but I swallow it anyway, knowing I need to eat. The hot chocolate works wonders, though, shaking the residual chill from my bones left behind by the shock.
“Okay, now tell me what’s happening.” He leans over the counter, his face looking tired, his eyes rimmed with circles. “Sit with me first. You look ready to fall over. How are you feeling?”
“I’m tired, but I’m always tired. It is what it is. Chemo is every bit as fun as I expected it to be, but doctors are optimistic, and that’s enough for me right now.”
He pours himself a coffee before sitting beside me.
“The shootout here was a turning point for Havoc. He knew they’d keep coming until they got what they wanted. The damage to the RV was proof they wanted you either dead or in their hands and wishing you were. That they failed the first time would piss Khan off enough to send a stronger message the next time.
“Havoc knew they’d follow us to the signing?” My stomach sinks at the thought.
“He didn’t think they’d open fire like that. How could he? None of us could have predicted that. He suspected they’d split their defenses and send a couple of people to try and snatch you and a couple here to cause trouble, distract Havoc, and keep him off his game. We didn’t expect Khan to recklessly try and take out as many people as possible.”
I take a moment to absorb his words. My immediate reaction is to get angry—at Khan for being such a psychotic bastard and at Havoc for not telling me it was too dangerous to go. I could have stayed home, and all those people would have been safe.
I breathe deeply, try to push through the anger and look at the other angle. I could get mad at Havoc, but that’s only deflecting. I knew it was possible that trouble could follow us. I’m not dumb, so I don’t get to pretend now to make myself feel better. Like everyone else, I had no clue Khan would take things this far. Staying home might have been an option, but then the gunfight could have happened here. We might have fared better, but then maybe we wouldn’t have. Maybe more people would have been hurt or even killed. People I know. People I care about.
I shake my head. There is nothing simple about this. It is a nasty mess left behind to wade through.
“Havoc called us in. If the club was being watched, nobody would be looking at us since we’d been away for a while. We were in Khan’s territory, waiting for the call. Crane and Kruger were sent out to join us, but as a way to draw attention.”
“Because if the focus was on them, nobody was looking at you,” I summarize.
“Exactly. We were able to get into place without being detected. The mother chapter was put on a soft lockdown. Everyone here knew an attack was possible, and they were ready.”
“Instead, the attack happened at the book signing.”
He nods. “It was one of those unpredictable variables that we just had to roll with.”
I run my hand through my hair, feeling sick when I consider how much worse this could have been. And though it doesn’t feel like it right now, I know I’ll look back and feel how lucky we were.
“G messaged Byte and Kieran to let him know what would happen. They got everyone to safety except for Khan and Driller, who were once again taking a private meeting.”
“That was risky. Khan has his supporters—” I laugh when it dawns on me. “He sent his supporters out to do his dirty work. He knew the others wouldn’t do it because you don’t mess with the mother chapter.”
“Exactly. So we can thank Khan for making that part easy on us. We now know exactly who was on his side.”
I nod. At least there was some good to come from it. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“You Havoc’s old lady?”
“You know I am.”
“I’m asking because if you have any doubts, I’ll take what I know to the grave.”
“I have doubts about everything, Conan. But not about Havoc. He might have gone about showing me he loved me in the most unconventional way, but he’s never hidden how he felt about me. He’s never kept me a secret or downplayed what I am to him or to his brothers, even when I know I’m as far away as you can get from the regular biker chicks.”
“I think you fit in more than you realize.” He smirks.
“My point is, I’m always on Havoc’s side, and I’ll never do anything to hurt him.”
“Good. He deserves that.” He looks around to make sure we’re still alone before leaning closer. “After the shootout, he sent us a message that put us in play. We were ordered to capture Khan and wait for the rest of the men who took part in the shootout to return—one of them being Hachette, the sniper who shot up the RV. We took those who came back the second they were inside the gates. They tried to kill innocent people, Nevaeh. They didn’t deserve to wear Raven Souls cuts. I had no problem watching them die in them.”
He says nothing else, waiting for my reaction. I’m not sure what I’m supposed to say. I’m not scared of how they were dealt with. I’m more scared that I feel nothing but satisfaction over it.
“You said some came here? What happened to them?”
“We were ready for them. Nobody on our side was hurt. We took them out as soon as they opened fire.”
I let out a shaky breath. “And Khan?”
He shakes his head. “Khan held all the answers about the missing girls and money, that’s why we planned to bring him back here, but when we went to retrieve him from his cell, we found him dead with his throat slit.”
“Oh shit.”
“Exactly,” he sighs.
Even though we needed answers from Khan, I can’t help but feel relieved that he’s gone. I relax then, not realizing how tense I was until now. “So it’s over?”
“Not quite.”
I look up at him and frown. “I don’t understand. Khan is dead. Hannibal is taking over, and the rest of the traitors are dead. How can it not be over?”
“Because one got away.”
“What? Who?”
“My brother.”
I whirl around at the sound of Havoc’s voice. “Driller escaped?”
He nods, looking tired.
I jump off my chair and hurry over to him. “You think he’ll come here to carry out Khan’s last wishes?”
“He won’t know he’s not president by default just yet. Soon, though, he’ll know that not only is Hannibal about to be president, but his old lady and kid also belong to him. That’s gonna piss him off. In his eyes, Lola is his property. He won’t accept Hannibal’s claim on her.”
“He’ll go after them first?”
“That’s my guess. Oh, he’ll come for me. He won’t ever let sleeping dogs lie. But his own club just turned their back on him and are ready to swear in someone else into a position he assumed would be his. Lola will be his primary target, especially while she’s pregnant. Then, it will be his club. We’ll be an afterthought in the grand scheme of things, but that doesn’t mean we can get complacent. Rats have a tendency to turn up when you least expect it.”