Page 44 of Unhinged
“How?” Arrow adds. “We’re too far to call a brother, and she sure as hell can’t safely be on one of our bikes.”
Acid murmurs, low and deadly serious, “She won’t survive the time it’ll take to get back to the club to see Doc.”
He’s right. All of us have been thinking it, but none of us dared to say it out loud. The car’s not going anywhere, and she’s in no condition to be moved like this.
“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath, looking at her fragile form, trying to find some way to fix this. She’s barely holding on.
“We can call Ike,” Judge pipes up. “He’s fixed Mom up before. He can help.”
“We don’t know him, kid,” I say, the doubt clear. “How the hell will we get a hold of him?”
Judge doesn’t hesitate. “I know his number.”
I pull my phone from my cut, handing it over to him without thinking. He dials quickly, his hands shaking just as much as mine.
“Ike? It’s me, Judge,” he says when the line picks up. “Mom’s hurt. The car won’t drive, and we need you to come get her right now. She was shot and is bleeding a lot.”
“I don’t know where we are. The side of the road,” Judge continues, glancing at me for confirmation. “Hold on, someone here can tell you.”
He hands me the phone, and I press it to my ear. My fingers are slick with Brydgett’s blood, but I don’t give a shit. I’m past caring about anything but getting her help.
“This is Gears,” I growl into the phone.
“Who the fuck are you and what kind of name is Gears?” Ike’s gravelly voice barks.
“We’ll deal with that later,” I retort. “We’re at mile marker 37, County Road G. We’re coming with her, wherever you take her.”
“Be there in twenty minutes, tops. Keep her alive no matter what it takes, or I’ll rip your fucking heart out of your chest while it still beats.” Ike hangs up.
“Alright,” I mutter. “Bye.”
I hang up and glance at Judge. “He’s a cranky son of a bitch, huh?”
Judge doesn’t flinch, just gives me a small, tight-lipped smile. “He loves Mom like a daughter. Taught her everything she knows. He’s our only family.”
I nod, respecting that.
"Who was that man who was here?" Arrow asks, cutting through the silence.
"I don’t know," Judge murmurs. "But he waved at Mom before his driver started chasing us."
“His driver?” Acid asks, disbelief creeping into his voice.
“Yeah,” Judge adds. “Mom shot him. He’s dead over there somewhere.”
I jerk my head toward Acid and Arrow, signaling for them to check it out. We were all so focused on getting to Brydgett that we didn’t notice the body. Good. My woman’s a badass, and that little fact makes my chest swell with pride.
A heavy silence hangs over us as Acid steps toward the body. His boots crunch on the ground, the sound sharp and unnatural in the stillness, as he crouches down for a closer look. Time seems to slow, each second stretching longer than the one before.
When she wakes up, though, she’s going to be mad as hell that we found her. But it’s clear we’re not the only ones she’s running from. Maybe we’re the lesser of two evils. Maybe.
“I’ll be damned,” Acid mutters under his breath as he looks over the body. “I knew she was tough, but damn. She doesn’t play.”
Arrow just shakes his head, eyes scanning the area as if searching for any more threats. “Whoever that guy is, he’s after her. We need to know why.”
“Yeah,” I mutter, my hand still pressed to Brydgett’s side, doing my best to stop the bleeding.
I glance back at Judge, who’s standing silently, his eyes darting between us and his mom. I can see the worry in his gaze, but there’s also something else—something like determination.
