“Is this your only injury?” My eyes move head to toe as I tighten the fabric around his midsection. “Not bleeding from anywhere else?”
He shakes his head on a wince. “This is it.”
I turn to Marbles next, give him a once over and find that even though he’s covered in blood, most of it probably belongs to Prez save for a few surface wounds.
“Have you... did you...” Prez barely gets the words out before a sob gets stuck in his throat, but I know what he’s asking, and he doesn’t need to worry.
“Sofie and Harlow are safe.” Both men’s eyes snap to mine as I nod. “I hid them in the stairwell and wedged a table under the knob. They’re both completely fine and they have weapons. No one should find them, especially after I led the Cobra asshats away from the hall.”
Marbles arches a brow as his heavily scarred mouth twists into a rather nice smile. “Scrappy as fuck, I tell ya. They ok though? Honest?”
I nod as I watch Jackal and Brick open fire on a truck parked at the end of the driveway, as Pope and Crunchy curb stomp some enormous guy from the Cobras. “Not a scratch on either one of them but there isn’t enough dry cleaning in the world for Sofie’s dress.”
“Fuck the dress.” Prez sighs. “She wasn’t gonna wear it again anyway.”
I smile a little as I keep searching for Zak. “I suppose not.”
Where is he?
I am so gonna kick his ass if he’s dead. Zak is going to be in so much trouble if he up and died on me.
“The baby’s ok?”
I make it a point to pry my eyes off the battle scene behind the tree and look at Prez head on. “Kicking like crazy trying to get in on the action. Your girls are fighters.”
He nods and gives me a watery smile. “Can say that... again, Blondie.”
“What do we have to do to make this stop?” My attention shifts back to the war zone, my stare searching as Pork Chop rounds the side of the clubhouse with what looks like a fucking bazooka on his shoulder. “This can’t go on all night, can it?”
Marbles puts a hand on my shoulder, gives it a squeeze but doesn’t turn me away. “One of them already radioed Lucifer. I’d imagine once they give the body count, he’ll tell them to pull out. Just a matter of waiting them out a little longer ‘fore they tuck tail.”
But I can’t wait any longer, not while I’ve gotten visuals on everyone I care about except the one man who holds my heart. If Zak doesn’t show himself soon, I’m going on a search and rescue of my own and I can guarantee that probably won’t turn out very well.
“Haven’t seen him in a little while.” Marbles basically reads my mind. “Cy followed the punk who kept fucking with you to the back in order to keep them from getting inside.”
I nod as a hard knot of anxiety tightens in my chest.
Please, Zak.
Please come back to me.
What feels like an eternity goes by, men dropping like flies or retreating back to the other side of the fence. The war still rages on though, even when it’s dwindled down to maybe twenty or so still putting up a fight against our side's more padded numbers.
I can’t just stand here, can’t sit idly by while I have no idea if Zak is safe or not. What if he’s outnumbered? What if he’s hurt? What if he’s calling for me as the last breath in his lungs escapes into the midnight sky?
Fuck it.
I spin on my heel and grab the handgun from Marbles, once again running through hell without a fucking plan at all.
“Theo!” Prez shouts as I fly toward the side of the building.
I pass Jackal and Brick, the two of them going at it with about four or five Cobras, but I don’t stop when they call after me or when Pope tries to cut me off. I push myself to the limits, my bare feet on fire, my muscles screaming, my heart hammering away in my chest. I don’t stop until I get to the back of the clubhouse and finally see my gentle giant just as he shoots the kid with a mohawk in the shoulder.
Thank God.
“Stand down!” Zak barks as he aims again. “Stand down, you dumb son of a bitch!”
“Go to hell!” he spits back.
