Page 69 of Tempest

Kasen’s eyes flashed, a hint of steel beneath her concern. “You’re not fine. You’re hurt, and you need to rest.” Her tone softened, “Please, just… lie back down. Do you have any idea how close I was to losing you? Please. Do this for me?”

Something in her voice, a mix of worry and determination, made me relent. I sank back into the pillow, hating how vulnerable I felt.

“What happened?” I demanded, my words clipped. “Tell me everything.”

Kasen sighed, her fingers intertwining with mine. “We hit them hard. The cartel’s operations are in shambles. But you didn’t manage to take them all out, and there are apparently a lot more scattered all over the world.” A ghost of a smile crossed her face. “For now it’s over.”

“But?” I interrupted, sensing the weight behind her words.

Her smile faded. “But it came at a cost. We lost… we lost good men. Not just the Dixie Reapers.”

A familiar rage building inside me. “Who?”

Kasen’s gaze met mine, filled with a mix of sorrow and resolve. “Stone and Smoke from the Hades Abyss. Scorpion from the Devil’s Fury. And… Slayer. We lost Slayer.”

The names hit me like physical blows. Gone. All of them. “Fuck,” I whispered, squeezing my eyes shut against the onslaught of emotions threatening to overwhelm me.

My knuckles went white against the hospital sheets. Slayer’s face flashed in my mind -- that cocky grin, the way he’d strut despite his prosthetic. Gone. All of them, gone.

“There’s more,” Kasen said softly, her hand tightening on mine. “Sticks, Hammer, Scratch, and Poison… they’re alive, but badly hurt. Bones arranged for Poison and Scratch to return to their hometowns, but they’re in the hospital like you.”

A roar built in my chest, my body tensing to spring into action. But pain lanced through me, a brutal reminder of my own injuries.

“I should’ve been there,” I snarled, more to myself than Kasen. “I could’ve --”

“You’d be dead too,” Kasen cut in, her voice sharp. “You almost were. Do you remember anything?”

I turned to her, noting the look in her eyes stopped me. Fierce determination mixed with something deeper, something that made my chest tighten. “No. What happened to me?”

“Gunshot to the chest, another to your abdomen, and the man kicked you in the temple while you were down. Viking killed the man responsible. You were in surgery for so damn long. Flatlined twice. I’ve never been so terrified in my life!”

She took a breath and I saw tears mist her eyes. I squeezed her hand, letting her know I was still alive, still with her.

“You’ve been out for three weeks. They induced a coma so you could properly heal. They said you had cerebral edema, most likely from the kick or even the explosion.”

I tried to process everything she’d said. Fuck. I really had nearly died, hadn’t I? No, according to her, I had died -- twice. Which meant I’d almost made her a widow less than twenty-four hours after we’d been married.

“We need you alive, Tempest,” she said softly. “The club needs you. I…”

She trailed off, busying herself with adjusting my pillows. Her hands were gentle, a stark contrast to the turmoil I felt inside.

“We’re not beaten,” Kasen continued, her voice low and steady. “The brothers are rallying. Plans are being made to rebuild, to come back stronger.”

I watched her, noting the subtle tremor in her hands, the tightness around her eyes. She was holding it together, for me.

“Tell me,” I said, my voice rough. “Tell me everything.”

I gripped the hospital bed rails, my knuckles turning white. “I need to know more, Kasen. What’s happening with the club?”

Kasen hesitated, her eyes flicking to the monitors beside me. “You need rest, Tempest. Your body --”

“Fuck rest,” I said, the words clipped and sharp. “I’m Sergeant-at-Arms. I need to know.”

She sighed, relenting. “The club is in utter chaos, but we’re not broken. Funerals…” Her voice caught. “We’ve arranged services for Gears, Bats, and Slayer. Savior said he’d told you that you’d be responsible for paying for them, but the club disagreed. Everyone split the cost.”

Gears, with his magic touch for engines.Bats, whose ears could pick up a whisper from across the room.Slayer, tough as nails even with his prosthetic. Their lives all snuffed out far too soon. “The other MCs?” I pressed.

“They took their dead and wounded home,” Kasen replied. “But they’re with us, Tempest. This attack… it’s united us like never before. None of them blame you for what happened, so please don’t feel guilty. They’ve all said to call if we need anything, and I’m supposed to update everyone on your recovery.”

---