Stitch: Satan's Fury MC (21 page)

“Little bit, I guess,” I admitted.

“Gonna need to give you a few stitches,” he said as he gave me a shot to numb the area. “Heard you got away all on your own.”

“Not exactly,” I laughed, but stopped when I felt him start to stitch my wound.

“Ballsy move busting out of that trunk like you did,” he told me as he continued to work on me.

“I guess. I didn’t think much about it at the time. I was just trying to get to Wyatt,” I laughed. “How is he doing?”

“He’s got a few bumps and scratches, but he’s going to be just fine. Pretty excited about the new cast he’s sporting,” Doc said smiling.

“Leave it to Wyatt to be excited about wearing a cast. I give it a week. I doubt he’ll feel the same way when that thing starts to itch.” I felt him close off the last stitch, and then he covered the wound with a small bandage.

“Probably not,” he said as his hands dropped down to my ribs, checking for any breaks. “They aren’t broken, but they’re pretty bruised. You’re going to be sore for a couple of days. I’ll give you some pain relievers and something to help you sleep.”

“Okay,” I answered. “Hey… what about that guy that came to my house? I think his name was Clutch. Can you tell me how he’s doing?”

“Ah, it’d take more than a couple bullets to get that guy down,” he chuckled. “He’ll be back on his feet in a couple of days.”

“Good,” I told him. Feeling overwhelmed, my gaze dropped down to the floor as I thought about another man being shot. He was a friend of Griffin’s, and he’d been shot while trying to protect me.

“What’s with the look?” he asked.

“I don’t know. It’s all just a lot to take in,” I admitted.

“It is, but don’t make this into something it’s not,” Doc told me. “Been in the club since I was Stitch’s age. Met my wife and raised my children here. We’re all one big family… actually a better family than most folks have. Some pretty rough times have rolled through here, but sometimes you gotta go through hell to get to the good. And Wren, there’s a lot of good in this place. You’ve got a good man that cares a lot about you and your son.”

“I know,” I told him. “It’s just hard to believe that a man like Griffin could actually kill someone. It’s just a side to him that I didn’t expect,” I grimaced.

“He didn’t just go out and kill someone for shits and giggles, Wren,” Doc scolded. “These people that he killed… have raped, beaten and killed members of our family, and he did what he had to do to protect us. He’s got the ultimate job as our protector… we all trust him with our lives,” he explained.

I took a second to let it all sink in, trying to understand and accept everything he’d just said. After all I’d been through with Michael, I couldn’t imagine putting Wyatt or myself in any further danger, but deep down I knew Griffin was nothing like Michael. From the very start, he’d only been kind, protective and loyal to both of us, and from everything Doc had just told me, he was the same way with his brothers.

“I guess Henley was right about him after all… he is like Batman,” I muttered to myself.

“You’re all set. Let me know if you need anything else.”

“Thanks for patching me up… and for explaining things a little bit,” I told him with a smile.

“Anytime, darlin’. Wyatt’s out in the TV room with Dusty watching some cartoon,” he told me.

After taking two pain relievers, I walked out of the small room and into the main hall, searching for Wyatt. I didn’t really know my way around the clubhouse yet, so it took me a little while to find him. He was sitting on the sofa watching a little blonde haired boy play a video game. Wyatt was completely enthralled with the game, but the minute he spotted me, he jumped up from the sofa and rushed over to me as he shouted, “Momma!”

The power of Wyatt’s hugs never ceased to amaze me. As soon as he wrapped his arms around me, all of my worries seemed to just fade away. “Hey there, little buddy.”

He hugged me tightly and said, “I knew he’d find you. He promised that he would, and he did.”

“Yeah, he did.”

“He found me, too, and he took me to get my arm fixed,” he told me as he pulled back to show me his cast. “It’s blue like the one Thomas had.”

“Looks pretty awesome,” I smiled, thinking that Griffin had pulled through once again. Not only had he saved Wyatt from Michael, he’d taken him to the hospital, taking care of him when I couldn’t.

“You think Griffin will sign it for me?”

“I’m sure he’d love to.”

“Are you hurt?” he asked, looking at the bandage on my head and wrists.

“I’m fine. Just a few scratches. Who’s your friend?” I asked, trying to distract him.

“That’s Dusty. He’s been showing me all these tricks that some girl named Henley taught him,” he explained. “They’re pretty cool.”

“I’m sure they are. Have you had anything for dinner?” I asked.

“Dusty’s mom made us some chicken nuggets,” he smiled. “There was macaroni and cheese, too, but it wasn’t as good as yours.”

Laughing I said, “Good, I’m glad you got something to eat, but it’s getting late. It’s about time for you to get into bed.”

“Ah, Mom. It’s not that late. Just a little while longer.
Please
,” he pleaded.

“
Please
,” Dusty shouted from the sofa.

“You win,” I answered. “Ten more minutes, and then it’s off to bed.”

I sat down on the sofa next to Wyatt and listened to Dusty explain all the different tricks he’d learned. The pain relievers were starting to kick in, so I rested my head on the back of the sofa, resting my eyes for a minute. I tried my best to stay awake, but with the calming sounds of the boy’s voices chatting back and forth made it too hard to resist. I’m not sure how long I’d been asleep when Henley came in and woke me.

“Hey there, sleepyhead,” she smiled. “How ya feeling?”

“Pretty good considering,” I answered as I looked around the room for Wyatt.

“I sent the boys to put on their pajamas and brush their teeth. Hope that’s okay.”

“Thank you.” I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and asked, “What time is it?”

“It’s almost ten,” she answered, looking down nervously at her watch.

“I must have dozed off,” I told her. “Have the guys made it back yet?”

“No, and it’s starting to worry me a little. We haven’t heard anything from them since Two Bit brought you back, and that was hours ago.”

A surge of panic rushed over me when I thought about Griffin being at that warehouse in the middle of all that gunfire. I couldn’t stop myself from asking the same questions over and over in my head. Why didn’t he leave with me? Why would he put himself in danger like that? I knew the answer. It was simple, really. He couldn’t leave. Leaving would make him something he’s not… the kind of man who’d walk away, and after listening to everything that Doc had said about him and his life at the club, I was beginning to understand why. Griffin’s very existence was defined in being there for others, protecting his brothers and protecting those that couldn’t protect themselves, and he would never walk away from that. And if I was being truthful, it was the very thing that I loved most about him. He’d been there for us all along, ultimately protecting us both from Michael and his endless abuse, and I knew deep down that he’d always be there.

Stitch

‡

G
etting Wren to
safety had only taken a few minutes, but when I returned, a full-on battle had ensued. An adrenaline rush instantly kicked in as I listened to the bullets whip past me, tearing into the terrain around me. An electric energy filled the air, making me even more eager to get into the mix. A lust for revenge washed over me as the image of Wren’s blood covered face and hands flashed through my mind. I wanted to fight – I
needed
to fight. These men had put my brothers through hell over the past few months, and the fact that they had kidnapped or attempted to get Wren only fueled my desire to take them down even more.

The fact was wars like these, men fighting for their own perceived truth, were messy and chaotic, and they never went as planned, making them almost impossible to prepare for. That’s actually what I loved about them. I was all about the hunt and kill, seeking my revenge for the unpunished sins of my enemy. I moved forward into the darkness of the night searching for my brothers’ location, but it was difficult to see. There was a haze of fog drifting over the warehouse as the clouds billowed in off the water, looming forward as if they were searching for their next prey. It was as if they were urging me forward as I finally made it over to Cotton and my brothers.

Cotton gave me the once over, checking to make sure that I was free from any bullet wounds and asked, “You good?”

After I nodded, he said, “Rip and his crew have already secured the perimeter surrounding the east side of the building.”

“What do you need us to do?” I asked.

Cotton turned to Guardrail and ordered, “Take Boozer and a couple of prospects with you and see if you can get eyes on these motherfuckers. I want to know every move they make.”

With that, Guardrail led Styx and Smokey off to find a safe place to scan the area. Boozer followed close behind, covering them as they moved into their new location. Just as they were about to be in the clear, Smokey was pinned down by a round of gunfire, forcing him to drop to the ground. Boozer and I both shot off several rounds, giving him a small reprieve to crawl to safety. Once he was hidden behind one of the large cargo containers, he gave us a chin-lift, thanking us for helping him out.

“We gotta get closer. Can’t see a damn thing from here,” Maverick grumbled as gunfire continued to explode around us. When Cotton nodded in agreement, I pulled out my second gun, feeling the adrenaline pumping through me as it rushed through my veins like an intoxicating drug.

Leading the way, Cotton motioned for us to follow him behind the last row of cargo containers. After loading my clip for the third time, the Pythons’ causalities were building. We continued to push forward, dodging the bullets that snickered through the air. Realizing that we were gaining ground, several of the Pythons left their positions, trying to stop our advance. When a bullet struck the wall above Cotton’s head, my instincts kicked in, forcing me out of the protective shield of the cargo carrier. After I had only taken a few steps, someone lunged out at me as he tried to stab me in the gut. Without hesitation, I grabbed his wrist and quickly punched him with a killing blow to the throat. He gurgled and arched his back as he choked for air. After several seconds, his lifeless body fell backwards onto the rocks.

While I was standing there under the light of the main warehouse, I noticed Styx laying on the ground and rushed over to him, pulling him behind the large loading crane. I searched his body for wounds. He’d been shot in the chest, and he was struggling to breathe, and in a matter of seconds, my leather jacket was drenched in his blood. Styx was still clinging to his gun in desperation, unwilling to stop fighting for his brothers. He was still holding on to that damn gun as he let out his last breath. His body fell lifeless in my arms.

“Fuck,” I shouted as I eased him to the ground.

The deafening sounds of gunfire erupted around me, but my focus was still on my fallen brother. When a bullet pierced my flesh, a stabbing pain shot through my arm. I swallowed the burning sensation, letting my mind shut down the thoughts of how much it hurt as Iifted my gun. Firing off round after round, I stalked towards the shooter until his body dropped to the ground. Once I was sure that he was dead, I made my way back over to Cotton and Maverick. The Python’s numbers were depleting fast. Their casualties were building with every shot we fired, and a wave of satisfaction washed over me when I realized that Styx wasn’t alone in his death. By the time we made it over to the warehouse, the area was clear of Pythons.

Maverick turned to Cotton and asked, “You want us to check inside the warehouse?”

“Do a sweep just to be sure,” he answered.

We made our way inside, ensuring that no one had been left behind. By the time we returned, everyone had gathered in front of the warehouse, and Rip and Dive were talking to Cotton.

“It’s done. All clear,” Maverick told him.

“There’s a shitload of artillery they left behind in there,” I informed him. “At least twenty-five crates of guns and drugs.”

“Get the truck over here. We’re taking it with us,” Cotton ordered.

“We got ’em, Prez,” Boozer told him proudly. “We won the war.”

“Not sure about that,” Dive corrected him. “Think I saw something, but it was dark. I couldn’t be certain.”

“What do you think you saw?” Guardrail barked.

“Not sure. It was out of our line of vision. You might want to check the camera feed,” Dive told him.

Cotton quickly pulled up the security camera on his phone, searching through everything that had been captured over the past hour. We all watched the blood drained from his face as he stared at the face that crossed the screen.

He turned to us with a look of pure anguish and said, “Fuck! I can’t believe I didn’t see it. It was right there in black and white, and I just didn’t see it. This fight wasn’t just about taking over our territory or running drugs through our town. It was more – so much more. We didn’t win this fucking war. This battle has just begun.”