Page 32 of Chaos
Miss you more.
Then smile and add one more.
Be home soon.
Twenty minutes pass. I pace the empty waiting room, thoughts churning. The cartel's tentacles are reaching into every corner of our world. Rowan. Fury's sister. Our territory.
"Excuse me?"
A woman's voice pulls me from my thoughts. I turn to find a nurse standing a few feet away, her arms wrapped around herself like she's cold despite the warmth of the hospital. She's young, maybe twenty, with dark hair pulled back and circles under her eyes that suggest too many night shifts.
"You're..." Her eyes flick over the patches on my cut. “Chaos? I mean, is that your name? Is your name Chaos?"
My road name is displayed on my cut, and I’m pretty sure that’s the patch she was just staring at. A part of me wants to shoot her down—harshly. I’m used to patch chasers hitting on me. We all are. Something about bikers makes some chicks cream their panties, but that’s not the vibe I’m getting from this one. If anything, she looks scared.
Still, I narrow my eyes in a harsh glare just in case I’m wrong about her. "Who's asking?"
She glances over her shoulder at the empty hallway, then steps closer. "My name is Sarah. I need to talk to you." Her voice drops to just above a whisper. "I have information. About your friend."
My hand instinctively moves toward the knife at my hip. "What friend?"
"The one who was brought in last week. Gunshot wound to the abdomen." Her hands twist together nervously. "They called him Biggy."
Everything in me goes still. "What about him?" I keep my voice calm, but my mind's racing.
“He told me something. It didn’t make any sense, so I kinda… I, um, ignored it. I thought he was delusional. You have to understand, he was near death when he was brought in…”
Tears fill her eyes. “I made the mistake of telling my supervisor about his deathbed confession.” She looks over her shoulder again and, despite her apparent fear of me, steps closer. “And now I’m being followed. By scary-looking men—they look like gang members.” A sob escapes her. “Outside my apartment. At the grocery store. I think they know I heard something. But I don't know what it means, I swear."
I guide her to a secluded corner and use my large frame to block her, hoping she will feel protected rather than trapped. "Start from the beginning. What did you hear?"
She wipes her eyes, leaving smudges of mascara on her smooth, brown cheeks. "I was his nurse in the trauma unit. Before they took him to surgery. He was in and out of consciousness, but when I was checking his vitals, he grabbed my arm. So strong for someone losing that much blood."
I nod, encouraging her to continue.
"He made me promise to tell his brothers something. When his mother came in later and said he was an only child, I assumed he was delirious.” Sarah swallows hard. "But tonight, when I saw your leather vest.”
“Cut,” I tell her gently. “They’re called cuts.”
“Cut,” she repeats. “When I saw your cut, I realized he meant hisclubbrothers."
The hairs on the back of my neck stand up. "What did he say?"
She looks over her shoulder again, eyes darting to every shadow. "It's why they're following me, isn't it? They think I know something important.”
"Sarah." I keep my voice firm but gentle. "What did Biggy tell you?"
She leans in, her voice barely audible. "He said, 'Chaos…Fury…tell them Fiend’s a rat.’”
The words hit me like a physical blow. I’m able to keep my face neutral only due to years of practice. Fiend? No fucking way. My trusted brother. The man who's had my back in countless fights. An officer who sits at my table.
“See, it sounds like nonsensical ramblings from a very injured man,” she continues, her words tumbling out faster now. “But then I saw your cut—it’s just like his. And I put two and two together. Chaos, Fury, Fiend, they’re names, aren’t they?”
"Chaos." I look up to find Fury standing a few feet away, his face ashen. From his expression, I know he heard everything. Sarah's eyes widen as she stares at the patches on his cut.
"Oh my god," she whispers. “You’re Fury.”
Fury moves closer, his voice low and dangerous. "Say that again. Exactly what he told you."
