“I’m nothing if not honest.”
“That’s not true. You’re also a gigantic pain in the ass,” Dante interrupted.
“We weren’t talking to you. This is an A and B conversation, so C your way out,” Vienna said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder, and pulled me away from Dante’s side.
Dante growled in response and Vienna dropped his arm, seeming to remember who he was dealing with.
The atmosphere in the room changed, all the lightness disappearing in a second.
I knew enough about Vienna to know he led with humour whenever he was nervous or overwhelmed, and I always indulged him, because I was often awkward in difficult situations, and always said the wrong thing. Dante, however, was serious most of the time. We were chalk and cheese. He only showed his calm side when he was most relaxed – which was whenever he was alone with me, or when he was in familiar surroundings with his closest friends. Not when he wasin hospital, having just found out his dad was fighting what might be his final fight.
“Has anything been said?” I asked, clearing my throat as the tension grew.
“Not really,” Vienna sighed, taking a seat next to Chicken and Rooster.
“What was the last update?” Dante asked, folding his arms and leant against the wall.
“A cardiac injury, or something,” Rooster answered. “Big Mama is in with Crash at the minute. She might know more. But they said that there were lacerations of the coronary arteries, a ventricular defect, and gunshot pellets in the chest wall.”
“And what does all that mean?” I asked. Because to me, this all sounded fucking terrifying. Obviously, I knew what lacerations meant, and I understood the overall gist of what was being said, but what did this mean for Crash?
“We don’t know. There have been cases where things like this were asymptomatic and weren’t detected until months later. Yet there have also been cases where this has killed someone straight away. And with Crash having a heart attack as a response to the shooting…”
“It means it’s looking fucking grim,” Chicken finished for his brother.
“I’ve already told Shark to gather the rest of the lads in church,” Vienna said. I shot a glance at Dante, but he remained against the wall, his eyes closed. He appeared completely at peace.
I knew better.
“Obviously Trent and Hacksaw are in hospital themselves, but Hacksaw has already been stitched up, and Trent only has minor injuries. They’re both due to be released soon, and they’ll meet the rest of the guys at church.”
“Why are they gathering at church?” I asked, fear clutching at my heart.
Vienna shot me a look. The icy fingers of fear tightened its grip on me. I knew what that fucking look meant. “Because if Crash doesn’t make it through this, Dante will need to be sworn in as president straight away. With Nico in power, we can’t risk being without a president. It leaves us vulnerable to attack.”
Breathing was becoming difficult.
I wasn’t fucking stupid. I knew Dante was destined to be president. I had known it within five seconds of meeting him. But I didn’t want him president in the middle of a fucking war. Especially not with that psycho ruling their rival gang. We had already lost Zach and now we might lose Crash. The Riders clearly thought nothing of killing off the big players.
“Is this what you want?” I said to Dante, forcing my voice to remain calm and steady.
He opened one eye and gave me a withering look that had me shrinking in my seat. “Of course. This has always been my destiny. Why would I reject it now when I’ve prepared for it for so long?”
“Because it’s dangerous?”
“So is crossing the road on a Friday evening when the pubs are let out. You could get run over by a drunk driver. You could get stabbed by a stranger. You could be targeted by a rapist when all you were doing was going for a morning run. You could be wrapped up in a grooming gang when all you wanted was a fun night out. You know better than anyone, the world is a dangerous place. We just have to choose the path we think is the best. And I chose mine the second I put on my first leather jacket.”
A door opened further up the long corridor, and we were all silenced as Mama came out, her face puffy, her eyes red and swollen. She was wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand, her breathing coming in soft hiccups.
“Mama,” Chicken said, rising from his seat and offered it to her. She looked up, and her lips moved as though to thank him, when her eyes fell on me and Dante.
“You,” she hissed.
Oh God. What the fuck have I done now?
“You!” she hissed again, marching down the corridor. I stood up, bracing myself for her attack. But instead, she barged straight past me and slapped her son around his face.
“You! What the fuck took you so long? Why the fuck weren’t you here?” She slapped him again, leaving an angry red mark on his cheek. Dante gritted his teeth, a tick appearing in his jaw, but otherwise he remained calm and showed no sign of responding to her violence.
