Page 11 of Shadow's Heart
When the elevator stops on the top floor of the hospital, Wrath and Flame step out first, followed by myself, who’s being guided by Eagle still, and then my Dad at the rear. As we walk down the corridor, my eyes go wide in shock when I spot who’s waiting for us. Jake. What the fuck is our injured Prospect doing here? He looks a hell of a lot better than the last time I saw him. His coloring is now back to normal, and he no longer has pain lines lingering on his face. Clearly the man is well and truly on the mend, and I’m happy for him, but I do really want to know what the fuck he’s doing here. I remember Flash telling us the other day how his brothers were being over the top with their protectiveness during his recovery. So it begs the question, Why the fuck Jake’s here, and what the hell does he have to do with Wreck’s rescue?
“How is he?” Wrath asks Jake as soon as we’re close enough to hear him speak. So clearly Jake knows something about Wreck. That’s the only reason I can think of for Wrath asking him anything right now.
“Still unconscious. They rushed him through x-rays, CT, and even an MRI to cover all their bases. He’s got a concussion,bruised ribs, and some wounds that required stitches. In all honesty, he’s lucky it wasn’t worse. Fuck, he should be worse off than he is from the obvious damage his body has taken.” Jake informs us, making sure to not let his emotions spill into his voice as he talks, even though his facial expressions show just how much he is really affected by what he’s telling us. He looks like he’s in physical pain as he relays everything that’s wrong with Wreck.
I hear what he’s saying, and I get it. He’s answering Wrath’s question and letting us know just what Wreck’s condition is, but for fuck sake, can we get a goddamn move on? I need to see him. We can do all this talking in Wreck’s room. People need to stop fucking talking out here and start moving so I can see my best friend. Now.
“Can I see him?” I ask, finally having enough of waiting for them to move their asses. I need inside that room more than I need the air I breathe.
“Yeah, he’s allowed visitors, but Shadow, you need to prepare yourself before you go in there. He’s in a rough way.” Jake tells me, his voice and eyes filled with worry.
I just nod my head. I appreciate him wanting to prepare me for whatever state Wreck is in, but I was never expecting him to be without injuries, both visible and internal, even before Jake listed off what the doctors had told him was wrong. It’s been three days since he was taken after all; there’s no way whoever took him didn’t inflict some sort of damage. Whatever state he’s in, I’ll deal with it because the only thing that fucking matters is that he’s here, safe and alive. Wounds and injuries can heal with time and I know that.
Taking a fortifying breath, I step forward and push the door to Wreck’s room open. It’s time for me to get my first look at him. My feet are moving towards his bedside before I even think twice about it. The minute I reach his side, I grab his hand,which doesn’t have an IV in, and hold on tight. Fuck Jake wasn’t kidding; he’s one massive bruise covered in cuts. I want to kill whoever did this to him. Wreck is the best man I know; he’s done fuck all to deserve this treatment. Someone somewhere is going to pay for doing this to him.
I drop into the empty seat next to his bed without releasing his hand. I can’t bring myself to let go. I’ll be surprised if I can pry my hand out of his anytime soon. I honestly thought I’d lost him. Seeing him this beat up is tearing me apart. I’d switch places with him in a heartbeat if I could.
“I’m here, Avery. I’m not going anywhere. You’re safe now.” I say quietly as I drop my head to his bed as my entire body starts to shake from how hard I’m crying.
I’ve spent the past three days living in a whirlwind of emotions. I’ve hardly slept or eaten. I just couldn’t bring myself to do any of it. Seeing him lying here like this now is a relief, but I still hate that he’s even been through this. His recovery is my number one priority, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be wanting answers about why this even happened. Someone is going to answer for doing this to him. That’s a fucking promise.
I have no idea how long I spend like that on Wreck’s bed, lost in my own world, but I shoot upright when I hear the hospital door open. I don’t release Wreck’s hand though. I can’t bring myself to not be touching him. Looking over, I see Wrath and Flame entering, both looking grim as they take in Wreck’s state. I keep looking in their direction, wondering where everyone else is, but no one else enters behind them. They both walk to the foot of Wreck’s bed, and I stare at them and wait. There’s a reason they’ve come in here.
“I need to ask you something, and please don’t blow my head off.” Wrath says. He doesn’t sound even remotely happy, so clearly he doesn’t like whatever he’s about to ask.
I just nod my head and wait. I know he’ll ask when he’s good and ready. There is no point in trying to rush him; it won’t get him talking before he’s ready.
“Do you know any reason why a member of The Khaos Group would target Wreck?” He asks, his voice full of disbelief even as he asks. It’s clear to me he doesn’t believe there will be a reason, but he still has the unfortunate duty of asking.
Anger explodes inside of me; there’s only one reason he could be asking me that, and it’s because someone within The Khaos Group fucking did this. They took Wreck and hurt him. I know without a shadow of a doubt that there’s absolutely no reason they should have targeted him. Wreck is a good fucking person. The best. I don’t give a flying fuck about how powerful The Khaos Group is; I will make whoever did this pay.
“No, there’s no fucking reason.” I say angrily. The rage traveling through me is something I’ve never felt before. I’ve never been so goddamn angry before.
“I had to ask Shadow. Even if I was sure of what your answer would be.” Wrath replies. Okay, I can admit that maybe he did have to ask, but I can still be pissed about it all. I’m fucking entitled to be right now, but I shouldn’t be taking it out on my brother. He’s not the one at fault here. The only one at fault is who did this.
“Are you going to tell me what you know?” I ask, trying to speak as calmly as possible despite feeling like a raging bull inside.
Sitting at Wreck bedside, I stare at my brother, mouth agape, as he explains to me everything he’s found out from Jake since I’ve been in here with Wreck. I’m so fucking angry and murderous by the time he’s finished speaking; it’s not even funny. I understand why Jake’s connection to The Khaos Group was kept under wraps; I’m not even mad about it. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have Wreck back, but that doesn’t mean I’mgoing to let his brother Rex get away with what he’s done. He has a lot to answer for, and he’ll be fucking answering to me. I don’t give a fuck that he’s a member of The Khaos Group. From what I understand, he went rogue and went after Wreck. There’s no force in the world that will stop me from taking my revenge and getting answers in the process.
I think Wrath knows that too. I can see it in the way he’s watching me, and I know he’s not going to try and stop me; he’d be the exact same way if he were in my shoes. Fuck he was this way when he tortured and killed the two men who kidnapped and tortured Flame earlier in the year. But as much as I want to get my hands on Rex and gain answers, it’s not going to happen until Wreck is better. I’m not leaving this room until he does, and when he is cleared to come home, he’s coming home with me whether he likes it or not. There’s no chance I’m letting him out of my sight anytime soon.
Chapter Fifteen
Wreck
Oh god. Everything hurts, and what the fuck is that constant beeping sound? I try to open my eyes so I can figure out what the fuck is going on, but they aren’t cooperating with me at all. It’s annoying as fuck. If my eyes aren’t going to do what I want, I guess that means I need to use my other senses to figure shit out.
The first thing that hits me when I focus on everything else around me is the smell. It’s a disinfectant that’s unique to hospitals. There’s no mistaking that smell. Which means that’s got to be where I am; it’s the only thing that makes sense. There’s no way I’d be smelling this if I were anywhere but the hospital. Then it all comes back in a flood of memories: the events that took place at Devil’s Ink, the pain and torture that followed, and then Jake finding me and saying he was going to get me help. He must have done it then. He somehow achieved the impossible and got me out of the hands of The Khaos Group. I wish I knew how he found me, because that’s really going to bug the shit out of me until I know. If I remember rightly, he was on his own. So it wasn’t a club rescue; it was something he did alone. How the hell did that even occur?
“God, I wish you would just wake up and show me those green eyes of yours. This doesn’t feel real.” I hear Shadow say, his voice sounding raw like he’s been crying. Which he probably has. I know him well enough to know he probably broke down when he saw me.
The relief that takes over my body at the sound of his voice is swift. If Shadow is here and talking to me, I know I’m safe. He’d never let anyone take me and hurt me again. He’d rather die than let something like that happen on his watch. I wish I could wake up properly and let him know I’m okay, especially with him here. But my body just isn’t listening. Isn’t cooperating.
Fuck I hate this so much. I want to see him, as much as he wants to see me. Probably more actually; I’d given up hope of ever seeing him again. I thought my life was over. That I’d die in that place. Somehow, that didn’t happen, and I’m still here and breathing. Even if my body won’t listen to me and do what I want it to. As I focus more on my various senses, I notice that I can feel his hand in mine, so I use all of my willpower and put all my strength into squeezing his hand so that he at least knows I can hear him and I know he’s here. I want to give him something that will hopefully lessen how much he’s no doubt worrying.
I manage to squeeze his hand and hear his sharp intake of breath. “Wreck, can you hear me?” He asks, and I can hear the fucking hope in his voice.
I manage to squeeze back once more, keeping a tight hold on his hand. Doing everything in my power not to let go of the man who means everything to me.
