24. How Are We Getting Out of This?

Chapter 24

How Are We Getting Out of This?

G race

Grizz had texted. It was time, but I didn't want to let go. I wasn't superstitious, but there were too many signs that I couldn't ignore. The men had mounted their bikes, preparing to ride, but there was a silence that hid among the hum of the machines. They shifted on the seats of their bikes, but nothing else moved. Not even a small dust devil dared to dance across the yard.

I found the strength to kiss Sabre one last time and held my head high as I turned away from him to walk back to the porch. He'd warned me that when there was an upheaval in our lives, we would simply love harder to get through it. I had taken him seriously, but I hadn't understood the magnitude of those words. I stood at the porch rail, in between my two guards, smiling as I waved goodbye to the men as they drove through the gates in pairs. In reality, I just wanted to curl into the fetal position and beg for Sabre's return. My stomach tightened. My baby agreed with me.

No one moved from the porch, even though the last pair of bikes had crested the hill and were out of sight. I didn't think any of us wanted to be the person who openly speculated. The unknowns lingered in the air, and these men only dealt with facts.

Count was the only executive team member left in the clubhouse. He eventually ushered everyone back into the main room, but before he entered, he glanced at the horizon. I didn't know what he was looking for, nor did I ask. However, when he caught me watching him, he offered a small smile. His eyes held shadows that had seen too much.

Count tried to get the remaining brothers to relax, but no one wanted to pretend that everything was normal. On a regular day, there were always a couple of people playing pool or watching TV. The club girls would wander around the bottom floor, flirting and teasing. Today, we all waited with bated breath.

I sat on one couch, with Chef on one side and Thunder on the other. Count came up behind me and squatted so that his elbows rested on the back of the couch.

"Are you alright, Flo? This might be a little much for you, in your condition." His gaze flickered to my bump, a silent reassurance that he was looking out for his brother's child.

"I am fine. Please let me know if there's anything I can do to make this better." I meant every word. If I could relieve the tension in the room, I'd do it, but we all knew that wouldn't happen until the men returned.

"Nah, we're fine. Just take care of yourself. I'm not taking a chance that Sabre beats my ass if I tell him you didn't sit down." He smiled at me and stood from his crouch. "You two, guard duty. Keep her safe," he addressed the men next to me and went to sit at the bar facing the room.

The silence from the yard settled into the clubhouse's main room. We were statues, waiting for any sign.

As the two-hour mark approached, my phone dinged with an incoming text. Before I could pull it out of my back pocket, Count's phone went off, signaling another. It could have only been from one person. I turned towards Count, and he winked at me as he looked at his phone.

Checking mine, I breathed a silent sigh of relief.

Sabre

Just wanted you to know we're here, and everyone's fine. Don't worry, mama .

"They're getting ready to head back," Count addressed the room. The only sound was the ticking of the neon clock that sat above the bar.

Count's phone rang. As I turned back to face him, I noticed everyone else in the room had done the same thing. We were waiting for some piece of news that would make all of this simply disappear.

"What the fuck are you on?" Count said into the phone as he cradled it against his ear. The light in the room bounced off the silver rings on his hand. His eyes focused straight in front of him, not seeing any of us. "Are you fucking serious?" He nodded his head yes to whatever was being said. "Alright, lock the gate from the shack and haul ass in here." He hung up the phone and set it on the bar to rub at his eyes. His body was tight as he slid off the barstool and dictated orders.

"OP stand at the door, and when the prospect gets in here, seal it behind him." Count's eyes bounced to Cyph. He'd been sleeping on one couch with his head in the lap of a club girl. The excitement in the room had woken him. "I need you, man. Can you brace and lock the main gate from here?"

"Yeah, I'll do it from my room." Cyph stood quickly and ran up the stairs to the second floor. Count didn't stop assigning positions, even though he hadn't said a word on what was going on.

"How and Zook, I need you guys to run to the artillery and bring out the big guns. We have company. Zone and Lightning, grab rifles and hit the roof. I need to know what we're really dealing with." Each man moved immediately to comply.

Count finally addressed the rest of the brothers who were waiting for an update. "The prospect said that there are two blacked-out SUVs running up and down the road in opposite directions. I am not taking any chances. Man your battle stations, and we'll show them a warm, bullet-filled welcome."

There was a flurry of activity in the room, but before I could shift to stand, Count was at the back of the couch again. "Flo, they're here for you, and I am not letting them get close."

"You think it's the cartel?" My heart dropped into my stomach. The look on his face confirmed my thoughts .

"Unless they break through the gate, they can't do a drive-by. The clubhouse sits too far back from the road." Count looked at Thunder first and then Chef. "What are they really here for?"

"Intimidation?" Chef said.

"You can just say it. They're here for the baby." I was done with the guessing games.

"What's the easiest way for—" Count said.

"Count!" Cyph screamed from the balcony on the second floor that overlooked the main room. "They have automatic machine guns! They won't break the gate, but they'll be able to light this place up."

"Fuck! We can't defend against that." Count looked up at Cyph. "How comfortable are you putting everyone in the vault? Our bikes are out front, and we can't leave. They'll chase us."

"It'll be hot, and there's no light in there, but it could work." Cyph shrugged.

"We can't rebuild if we're dead." Count stuck two fingers into his mouth and whistled. All the frenzied activity in the room stopped immediately. "If you didn't hear Cyph, the cartel is here with machine guns. We won't be able to defend against them without the entire club here, and I am not losing anyone today. We're headed to the vault." When no one moved, he screamed, "Now!"

People were everywhere, and as I tried to stand from the couch, the room spun. I felt as if I was underwater, with no lifesaver to bring me to the surface. Quickly closing my eyes, I reopened them, hoping this feeling would go away, but it didn't. It only made it worse, and I felt as if I was falling into the abyss. Trying to reach out, I found nothing to ground myself. I was going to fall without a safety net.

"Whoa, missy. Not so fast. I got ya." Two hands reached out and grabbed my elbows to steady me.

"We need to get her downstairs before they shoot," someone said.

"She needs to go to a hospital," another voice chimed in .

"She'll die there, and then we'll die when Sabre kills us. Didn't you watch that show about how people go to the hospital and never leave?" I could hear panic in that voice through the fog.

"Flo, can you hear me?" It was Thunder with his boisterous voice.

I nodded, even though it was fuzzy between my ears.

"You guys are fucking stupid. Her blood pressure is probably sky high," one of the club girls chimed in. "Flo?" she asked me. She put her hands on my cheeks and made me look at her. It was Pebbles. I recognized her by the hair buns she always wore. "I need you to breathe with me. Ready?"

I hadn't realized that I was breathing heavily until I tried to follow her lead. It was a challenge, but I followed her pattern. As my heart rate slowed, my breathing became normal again, and the haze subsided. I sent a silent prayer to anyone who was listening. Now was not the time for this.

"Thanks, Pebbles," I said, when I could see her clearly. Thunder was still holding my elbow to steady me, but I backed away from them and tried to follow the rest of the club. Thunder guided me down the stairs, and Chef was directly behind me, but when I reached the bottom step, I had to pause.

The MC had a prison in the basement, complete with bars.

These were legitimate cells, or what I imagined the inside of a prison to look like. I'd never had the privilege of visiting one. The lights had a yellow hue to them and made the white walls seem dirty.

"Let's get you to the vault," Thunder said to me. "If Sabre doesn't answer your questions about all of this later, I will."

When we reached the last cell on the right, I saw a man sitting in the bed, leaning against the wall. He was in terrible shape as he wheezed with every breath he took. It whistled through the hairs of his mustache.

"There she is," he said, directing his statement at me. "The bitch that started this whole fucking mess."

I turned to fully look at him, and that was when I noticed the bandages wrapped around his arms and legs .

"Your boyfriend did this, bitch," he said to me, when he caught me staring.

"Knock it off, Jig. You did this to yourself by betraying the club." Chef placed his hand on my back and tried to help guide me forward.

"I didn't do fucking shit. You know how much money they want for that baby? We could all live like kings, and she could fucking have another one. No one wants her, just the kid."

Pain snaked its way through my body. It started at my head and lodged a migraine behind the bridge of my nose. All I could see was the white light, as I tried not to collapse from the intensity.

"She's nothing special. Sell the kid, and Sabre can play with her until he tires. Look at her. It probably wouldn't take much to break her."

I swayed back and forth, trying to grab onto Thunder's arm before I toppled over. His words brought up all the pain that Matt had inflicted. I wasn't good enough. No one would ever accept me for who I was. My chest hurt, and I couldn't breathe. This was it. This was going to be the end of me. I wrapped my arms around my bump, not giving up in defeat. I would protect my baby from this monster, even though the haze had crept in around the edges of my vision.

"Can't even hack it, and this is supposed to be your first lady," Jig taunted from his seat on the bed.

Whatever I meant to say to him died on my lips as a shot rang out.

Thunder grabbed me in a modified bear hug. At seven and a half months pregnant, there was no way he could reach around me completely. The bump was the size of a basketball, making it no easy feat to be gentle while still ensuring I was protected. His body covered mine, but as we hit the floor, I turned to look at the man they'd called Jig. He had a bullet hole in the middle of his forehead.

Lifting my head to see over Thunder's shoulder, I saw Luna had a gun in her hand. Before I could call out, Pebbles overtook her from behind. They wrestled to the ground, evenly matched. Luna threw a punch, but Pebbles dodged it and grabbed Luna's arm with the gun. It went off. Chef had been too slow to duck, and the bullet lodged itself into his shoulder. He fell to his knees as we heard a loud popping sound.

Pebbles had dislocated Luna's arm from the shoulder and easily overtaken her. Grabbing the gun, she said, "My daddy was a cop, you stupid bitch. This is going to leave a nasty scar." Pebbles pistol-whipped Luna out cold.

Thunder picked up his head and screamed into the void for the rest of the brothers. The haze hadn't rescinded, but I could see a familiar set of blue spikes running my way.

"We got a problem. Her water just broke," I heard Thunder say as his chest bounced against mine with the words.

"How do you know?"

"My pants are wet."

No sooner did the word wet leave his mouth than there was a loud popping sound coming from upstairs. The cartel had opened fire.