Page 72 of The Devil's Reward
He glances at us and then he says, “Staying. But I want updates.”
“Done,” Sniper agrees.
“I’ll go see them and then head out,” I announce. I turn and head for the first room, and walk in to find Kaleb sleeping but Izzy awake and curled around Torque, who is holding her tight. His eyes are heavy with fatigue, but they latch on to mine as soon as I walk in. “Hey, brother,” I say quietly, moving to stand by the bed. I look at Izzy, who looks up at me with pain-filled eyes. “Hey, sugar,” I murmur to Izzy, reaching out to gently touch her head. “How are you feeling?”
“Tired,” she murmurs. “I’m really getting tired of almost dying, Shadow.”
“You’re not going to die,” Torque says firmly, his arms tightening on her.
“Of course not,” I agree. “You’re damn strong, sugar. You just rest and let your man take care of you and you’ll be as right as rain. You need anything?”
“Pain meds,” she murmurs. “But I don’t want them.”
I look at Torque in confusion. His features are tight as he explains, “She’s worried about developing an addiction, especially after the cocktail that she got injected with. So they’re only managing her pain.” And it’s paining him, that’s clear to see, but I get it. Addiction isn’t something to play with.
“How about when I come back, I’ll bring you some of your favorites, huh?” I suggest with a smile at Izzy. “What do you want? Chocolate? Ice cream?”
She perks up a little bit at that. “Chocolate. Any kind,” she tells me, smiling at me gratefully.
“Done. Now, behave for your man, got me?” She nods and then she closes her eyes and snuggles into him. I grip Torque’s shoulder in support and he nods. “You need anything?” I ask him softly.
Torque looks up at me. “Find the bastard,” he says quietly, but the vehemence in his voice is unmistakable.
“We’re on it,” I promise. I move over to Kaleb, see the bruises and cuts, and listen to the monitors beeping around him. Then I head down the hall to see the others.
I take a deep breath before I enter the room, but it’s still a kick in the gut to see them all laying there. Sage is closest to the window, with King sitting in the chair beside her bed, holding her hand, his eyes never leaving her. She’s connected to a bunch of wires and machines, bruises and cuts covering her body, and an oxygen tube under her nose. Next to her is Rose, and my heart clenches as I approach her bed.
She’s lying there, pale, with machines and tubes everywhere, including down her throat to help her breathe. She’s bruised and swollen, her face cut and stitched in a few places. My mouth is dry, and I have to fight the emotion brewing inside me at seeing such a strong woman lying in this bed. She should be teasing and scolding me, pulling me into whatever shit she’s planning, not laying here with machines helping to keep her alive.
I force myself to take her uncasted hand in mine gently, hating how limp it is in my grip. I stare at her, vowing silently that I’m going to get her justice. I force myself to lean down and kiss her forehead, and murmur, “You best be waking up soon, woman, because I need to put that bail fund to good use.” My only answer is the steady beeping of her heart monitor and the slow and even rise and fall of her chest with each breath. I pull away and go over to see Bullet.
I look down at the larger-than-life man who has been more than just a President to me. Without him, I wouldn’t be here. He gave me my purpose, and I’m going to make sure that he knows it was worth it. He’s black and blue, also with a breathing tube and monitors attached everywhere. He’s very pale, his beard matted, but even unconscious, the man has a stern look on his face.
I gently touch his arm, and murmur, “You better wake up, old man, or the women are going to beat you to it. They’ll cause all kinds of mayhem before we can reign them in.” Again, no answer.
I pull away and walk over to King, putting a hand on his shoulder. “You need anything, brother?” I ask.
“I need them all to wake up,” he says instantly, voice empty and hollow. “The doctors are confident about their recovery, but they’re going to be in a world of pain when they wake up. But it won’t seem real until they do, you know?”
I nod. “I know. I know you won’t leave them, so do you need anything? Clothes and shit?”
He shakes his head. “Nah I’m good. Thanks, brother.” I nod, and then with one last look at them all, I head out.
It’s time to start my hunt, and this time, I’m not stopping until the mole is in my hands and his blood is running through my fingers.
THIRTY-EIGHT
SHADOW
Lord help me. If I’m lucky, I can keep her out of jail until she’s at least eighteen.
Church is all but silent as we wait for Sniper to call it to order. Everyone’s faces are hard. Yet, I know one of them is a traitor. All they’re doing is putting on an act, I just need to find the crack in the facade and I’ll know who my mole is. Until then, I need to get together with Viper. Look at all the facts and start ruling out people.
Sniper walks in and takes Bullet’s chair, though he doesn’t look happy about it. He bangs the gavel. “I’m not happy to be in this seat,” he tells us all bluntly. “Far as I’m fucking concerned, I shouldn’t ever be in this seat, but I am, and we’re going to avenge our President, his Old Lady, and the other Old Ladies lying in those beds.” There are sounds of agreement from everyone. “Kaleb is also out of commission, but the doctors say he should be just fine. If he does well tonight, he can be released tomorrow.”
“Kid did a good fucking job trying to get away,” I say when he goes quiet.
“Kid needs to be patched in already,” Viper agrees. “He’s been around the longest, and he’s proven himself time and time again.”
