Page 35 of Victorious: Part 2
It doesn’t mean that this bird’s cage isn’t getting a little rattled at the thought of what is to come, though.
Because this war we’re facing is going to be life-altering.
I feel it in my wings.
Chapter Eight
SOUTH
The Chapel doors swing shut behind me with a heavy thud that echoes through the LA Defiance clubhouse. The weight of everything discussed in that meeting sits on my shoulders like a lead blanket. The Cartel, the coordinated strikes, the war that’s about to consume us all.
But right now, none of that matters as much as the buzzing phone in my pocket.
I pull it out, seeing Ingrid’s name on the screen, and my stomach drops. She’s been texting me throughout the meeting, and each message has gotten progressively more urgent.
My Angel:Bella’s getting worse.
My Angel:Hospital called. You need to come to the hospice now.
My Angel:South, please. She can’t breathe. Doctors say it’s time.
The last text was sent twenty minutes ago, and I’ve been stuck in that fucking Chapel listening to strategies and battle plans while my sister is…I can’t even finish the thought.
“South!” Alpha’s voice cuts through my panic. I turn to see him standing in the main room, his expression shifting from my president to genuine concern as he takes in my expression. “What’s wrong, brother?”
I hold up my cell, my hand physically trembling. “It’s Bella. Ingrid says the hospital called. She’s…” I swallow hard, the words feeling like shattered glass in my throat. “She’s going downhill fast. They think it’s time.”
Alpha’s face softens immediately, and for a moment, I don’t see the hardened president of an MC.
I see a man who has just lost someone he loved.
Who understandsexactlywhat I’m going through.
“Go,” he says without hesitation. “Right-fucking-now.”
“But the club, the meeting, everything we just planned—”
“Will happen without you if it has to.” Alpha steps closer, his voice firm but gentle. “South, I just lost Livvy. I know what it’s like to have regrets about time you didn’t spend, words you didn’t say. Family iseverything,brother. After losing Livvy, I know that now more than ever. Youneedto go. The club’ll be fine.”
I run my hands through my hair, torn between duty and desperation. “Pres, we’re about to go to war. You need every man—”
“I need my brothers to be whole when they fight,” Alpha interrupts. “And you won’t be whole if you’re not where you need to be right now. And that’s with your sister. That’s an order, South. Go to the hospital.”
The relief that washes over me is almost overwhelming. I nod, not trusting my voice, and Alpha clasps me on the shoulder. “Give Bella my love,” he says quietly. “And tell Ingrid and Louis we’re thinking of them.”
I move toward the door when Alpha calls out again. “South, you call if you need anything. Anything at all. We’re family, and family takes care of family.”
With a simple nod, I spin on my heel and race out to my bike. Jump on and take off as fast as I can. Twenty minutes later, I’m weaving through LA traffic, pushing every speed limit and running yellow lights that are probably red. The urgency in Ingrid’s messages has my heart racing faster than the engine beneath me.
When I finally pull into the hospice parking lot, I spot Ingrid’scar and immediately see her pacing outside the main entrance, Louis balanced on her hip. Even from this distance, the tension in her shoulders and the way she’s clutching our son as if he’s an anchor, make my anxiety peak.
I kill the engine, then jog over to them. Ingrid’s eyes are red-rimmed, and tear tracks stain her cheeks. “How bad?” I ask, not bothering with pleasantries.
“B-bad,” she whispers, her voice breaking on the word. “South, she can barely breathe without the machine. She hasn’t been able to talk for weeks now. The doctors said—” She stops, glancing down at Louis, who’s looking between us with wide, confused eyes.
I take our one-year-old son, Louis, from her, kissing his forehead before settling him against my chest. “What did they say, Angel?”
“They don’t think she has much time left. Maybe hours.” Ingrid wipes her nose with the back of her hand. “I’ve been here since this morning. She’s been using her eyes to ask for you, South. She’s been holding on for you.”
