Club Ties (29 page)

The wind whipped around them, its icy blast stealing her breath as they stepped outside. Huddling against Mox’s side, she blinked against the stinging sleet.

“Come on, baby. Two hundred yards to our warm bed and a puppy that misses us,” Mox murmured into her hair, hugging her close and stepping off the curb.

Stumbling along in the shelter of his hulking body, Eva tried to still the frantic chatter of her teeth. Her eyes closed. She was so damn tired. She didn’t know where the SUV came from. When she opened her eyes, it just materialized from the blowing sleet. Déjà vu struck with a vengeance. Flashbacks of another night in this same dark street flashed in her mind. Black and ominous, the powerful vehicle lumbered toward them.

She opened her mouth to say something to Mox and no words would come out. It was probably nothing, just Amber and Bowie again. The window rolled down. Why was it the back window?

“Get down! Get the fuck down!”

The voice cut through the fog, coming from behind them. Eva screamed as the sound of gunfire shattered the still night, and she hit the pavement, buried under Mox’s bulk. She strained to make sense of what was going on. Brilliant flashes came from the vehicle’s open window. More voices sounded behind them with the constant pop of gunfire. Holes peppered the gleaming SUV’s side, and the engine roared, tires squealing.

Eva felt the brush of the Suburban as it raced past, but she was frozen by the face framed in the open window. Rocco. He’d come to do the job himself. Hatred burned from his dark eyes in that single second, and then he was gone. Eva’s head spun and she felt the night’s refreshments pushing their way up her throat. Her stomach heaved violently.

Trembling, fighting the debilitating nausea, she pushed against Mox. He didn’t move. Panicking, she shoved against his dead weight. His arms didn’t want to release her. Wiggling desperately, she freed her upper body and slid her hands over him.  Her fingers came away slick and sticky. A familiar coppery tang burned her nostrils. She howled in grief and rage.

Chapter ~ 34

Arms draped awkwardly over Mox’s broad back, Eva clung to him, praying with everything she had. Another vehicle fishtailed around the corner, its engine roaring as the tires grabbed on the icy asphalt. It whistled by and was gone.  Shouting male voices blended together in the dark. Nearby, Lee’s melodic voice broke as she wailed her man’s name. Eva’s heart twisted. It had been Reaper that had shouted for them to get down, drawing the gunfire from them.

The sound of running feet startled her. A faceless shadow stepped out of the gloom. She cried out, hunching over Mox as moonlight glinted off a gun barrel. The rumble of Zeke’s authoritative baritone was soothing in the chaos.

“Are you hurt?”

“No. Please. He’s bleeding.”

Zeke’s hands were sure as they ran over his son, looking for injury.

“Head wounds look worse than they are. The bullet just grazed the side of his head. Hold this to slow the bleeding,” he ordered, pressing the shredded remains of a shirt into her shaking hands. She fought not to drop it from her frozen fingertips. Zeke removed a holstered weapon from Mox’s belt and shoved it into the back of his waistband. “The knot on the other side of his head is more of a worry. Help is on its way. I have to get back to Reaper. Just hold on, little girl.”

He was gone before her numb brain could formulate an answer. Someone draped a blanket over her shoulders, and she looked up blankly. Ginny squatted next to her, spreading a throw over Mox. The older woman’s hands were bloody and shaking. Fear carved deep lines into her beautiful face. Ever the queen, she still reached over to squeeze Eva’s hand, offering comfort.

Eva felt sick again. She was the last person who deserved comfort. This was her fault. Mox was hurt and Reaper possibly dying, all because of her. Rocco would’ve never even heard of Trinity Falls if it wasn’t for her. Tawny, Mox, Reaper, their blood was on her hands. Sirens pierced the night air, and she sent up another prayer, willing them to be in time.

A sheriff’s car arrived a moment before the wailing ambulance. Their red and blue lights reflected off the wet road like a disco ball. Male voices continued to dominate the night air. She felt so isolated, like she was on the outside looking in as they scrambled to load Reaper into the ambulance. Zeke boosted Lee into the back and then slammed the doors closed, smacking his palm against the back of the vehicle to get them to go.

Panic surged through Eva, giving voice in her anguished cry. “Nooooo!” She struggled to lift Mox. They had to help him. Hands grabbed at her, but she shook them off. They couldn’t leave him. Someone shook her violently, and she finally focused on Ginny’s face.

“They’re coming for Mox. I promise you. Reaper’s bad, baby.”

Eva stared dumbly at her, watching the tears roll over sharp cheekbones. Relief, gratitude, and shame rolled over her in a wave as a Fire and Rescue van skidded to a halt yards away. Zeke was there then, relaying information to the paramedics. Rhys appeared behind her, pulling her away from Mox. His hands were gentle as he loosened her fists from Mox’s blue shirt.

“Come on, little sister. Let them help him,” he whispered.

She stumbled, legs numb like the rest of her. Rhys caught her easily and pulled her into a crushing hug. At odds only hours ago, he now offered comfort. She felt his chest heave in a smothered sob. He was as terrified as she was. It was all her fault. Her world felt shattered. Bits and pieces of sights and sounds filtered through the fragments. Tech’s drawl, a deputy asking questions, Murphy’s Boston accent, Crux holding his pregnant wife.

“Let’s go, baby.”

Rhys turned her toward Ginny. Eva stared at the other woman in confusion.

“We’re riding with him. Let’s go.”

The paramedic blocked Eva as she tried to climb into the back of the van. Ginny grabbed his arm.

“She’s his fiancé.”

“We’re only supposed to have one family member,” the young man said apologetically, but at the look Ginny gave him, he sighed. “One of you can ride in the front.”

Squeezing the man’s arm thankfully, Ginny jumped back to the ground and kissed Eva’s cheek. “Ride with your man. I’ll be right up front, baby. It’s going to be okay.”

Eva leaned her head back against the side of the swaying ambulance as they raced through town. Mox looked pale. This was her fault. She turned the diamond on her finger. He had offered her the fairytale. What did she bring him except pain and trouble?

The image of Crux’s rough hand gliding over the swell of his unborn child taunted her. It wasn’t right to continue to put these people in danger. How could she even dream of starting a family with Mox when everyday she’d be looking over her shoulder? Rocco’s resources and hatred were infinite. What chance did she have? She jumped at a touch on her hand.

“Are you okay?”

Scalding tears flooded her cheeks as she looked down into his blue eyes. That she was his first waking thought humbled her like nothing else. She didn’t deserve that type of love and devotion. He hooked his index finger under hers and squeezed gently.

“I’m fine,” she choked out. “My man protected me.”

The hospital waiting room was wall-to-wall Lords of Mayhem and family. Eddie, who had been passed out when this had started, leaned near the windows, his ass resting on the sill, a cup of coffee in his hand. Tragedy had a wonderful sobering effect.

Poor Lee was crumpled in a chair, her almond shaped eyes red-rimmed and swollen. As odd a couple as the menacing Reaper and gentle geisha made, it was obvious she loved him very much. Kat handed her a cup with a tea bag dangling from it. Kat, always the caretaker. She squatted awkwardly in front of Lee, hand resting on her knee. There was blood on the knee. Was it Lee’s or had she knelt in her man’s blood? Eva closed her eyes. This was her fault.

“How’re you holding up, little girl? Can I get you anything?”

Eva opened her eyes and stared up at Tech. Southern gentleman or not, how could he even talk to her after what had just happened? She shook her head mutely, not trusting her voice. He tucked an errant lock of her hair behind an ear, his broad, pierced face awash with sympathy. She knew he was searching for words of comfort. There weren’t any, so she just nodded and he moved on.

A bronze plaque on the wall kept drawing her eyes.
Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear. ― Ambrose Redmoon 
She had no idea who this Redmoon guy was, but his words played over in her head. If she went back to Rocco he would kill her. If she stayed here, others, innocent people, would die. It didn’t seem like much of a decision.

Why then was she so afraid? Before meeting Mox there had been plenty of times she had prayed for death. At times, she had goaded Rocco’s temper with her defiance, hoping to push him too far. Tamara walked in, her sleeping little girl wrapped in a blanket and cuddled in her arms. Taz gave up his seat for mother and child. The scary biker stroked the little girl’s sun-kissed locks, tugging the soft blanket higher around her angelic face. She’d heard him tell Crux that he had tried to catch the Suburban with no luck. It had been him at the wheel of the fishtailing vehicle.

Everyone looked up at a movement in the doorway, hungry for news, but it was just Crux. The heavily scarred biker continued to pace, stabbing his fingers through his tousled dark hair shot with gray. His worry for his brothers made his movements jerky and agitated. Spinning on a heel, he almost ran into Kat. She didn’t say a word, but Crux opened his arms to her and hugged her close.

Zeke finally arrived from talking to the police. Eva watched some of the tension leave Ginny’s shoulders, and she excused herself from Lee for the moment and walked straight into her husband’s arms. He tucked her head under his chin and held her tight as she updated him in a hushed tone. Concern lit his steely eyes. Eva closed her own. These people were more important than the fear.

Her thumb caressed the back of Mox’s hand as he slept. What the bullet had failed to do, the hard asphalt had almost accomplished. He had fractured his skull in the fall. The doctor had reassured them that it would heal on its own, but with the nasty concussion, they wanted to keep an eye on him. Once they’d gotten him settled, the nurses had allowed family to see him. They were letting her sit with him now. Reaper was still in surgery.

The fingers of her other hand traced the buttons on her phone. Eva shuddered. She’d promised herself in the waiting room that as soon as she was sure Mox was all right, she’d do the right thing. A tear rolled down her cheek. She wished she was brave enough to wake him up and tell him how much he meant to her, but leaving him was taking every ounce of courage she possessed. Leaning over the bed, she kissed him softly and then turned blindly for the door.

A commotion at the nurse’s station caught her attention as she stepped into the hall. Ginny and Flo were nose to nose. Eva groaned. News traveled fast in Trinity Falls. Flo shoved Ginny, and Rain jumped to their queen’s defense, but the head nurse stepped between them with a sharp whistle.

“Whoa!” she said, holding a hand up to each of them. “This is not the WWE.”

“Ami, you know the history,” Ginny said, turning to the nurse in exasperation. “Mox does not want her in there.”

“I do know the history, and he’s a big boy now. Until Mox wakes up, I’m saying no. You can wait in the waiting room, Florence. I will let him know when he wakes up again that you’re here and want to see him. Until then, his fiancé is sitting with him.”

“His what?” Flo shouted.

Eva didn’t wait to hear the rest of the conversation. If she didn’t go now, she’d never leave.

Chelios had been surprised to hear her voice, but it hadn’t taken the Greek long to understand what she wanted. He’d called her back within twenty minutes with a reassurance the deal was in place. Now he was on his way to pick her up from the greasy spoon she and Mox had eaten breakfast at the day he’d bought Vixen for her. Her heart ached at the thought of their baby. They’d never made it home to her this morning.

Twisting the ring on her finger, she stared out the window. She didn’t want to take it off. It gave her courage, and she knew it would infuriate Rocco, maybe push him over the edge. She sighed. That wasn’t fair to Mox. Maybe he could still get his money back. Picking up an auto parts receipt, Eva dug for a pen to leave him a note. It wasn’t the explanation he deserved, but it was something.

When she was done, she placed it in the console and slipped the ring underneath it. Chelios’ Audi pulled up in front of the truck. She squinted against the headlights. Her heart pounded. Pulling the keys and tucking them under the floor mat, she took a deep breath and jumped down from the driver’s seat. Locking the door, she walked slowly toward his car, praying he’d just shoot her here in the parking lot and be done with it.

Chelios stepped from the car. Eva shook her head. It was six o’clock in the morning, and his suit was impeccable, sunglasses in place. He was one cool customer. She felt wrinkled and soiled, like a walk of shame. Circling the back of the car, he opened the passenger rear door and waited. She raised an eyebrow at the backseat.

“That’s a little formal for my last ride.”

He closed the door and opened the front one for her without question.

“Thank you, Mr. Chelios.”

“My pleasure, Miss Taylor.”

Eva waited until they were underway to speak again. “What’re your orders?”

“I’m to bring you to him.”

“Why not just kill me?”

“You know the answer to that,” he said softly.

Eva nodded. She did. Rocco wanted her to suffer, and he wanted it to be at his hands. She settled back in the seat, the side of her head resting against the window. She rubbed the indentation left behind by the ring as she watched the scenery rush by. It had been there for such a short time, but it had left its mark, much like Mox and his family had left a mark on her heart.

Chapter ~ 35