Page 57 of Diesel
The room grew silent and I knew he was taking in every word I’d said. Reagan wasn’t his. He knew it, but he still couldn’t help his feelings. It would just take time to heal those wounds enough for him to find the one that would be by his side for eternity.
“I think I just miss her,” he said talking about Reagan. “She was kinda my best friend. She went through so much and I saw it all. I saw her fall apart and I saw her crawl until she could stand on her own again. Reagan is just… I’ve never met anyone like her. I miss her friendship, and I hate that things are strained now. And I would never do anything to make Loch feel uncomfortable, so I stay away.”
I cracked my eye open to look at him, his head was down and he was picking at a frayed spot on his jeans. I felt bad for him, but it was his mess that he had to figure out.
“You should talk to him,” I said as I rolled over to go to sleep.
“Yeah,” he replied in a tone that said he wasn’t going to. And I got it. He didn’t want to make things any more awkward than they already were.
The pick-up and drop off went smoothly. It was no surprise that Savage wasn’t anywhere to be seen. It seemed that Vice had taken the lead on this one and he was there watching our every move as we loaded up the van.
We pulled into the South Carolina chapter to pass off the load. Everyone there was agitated from being on lockdown as well. I was sure none of the clubs were happy at this point. I wondered when it would end. Sure it was a lot safer being behind our fences and concrete buildings, but it was weighing on our sanity.
We stayed the night there, finding random spots on empty couches and even the floor to sleep. The next morning Cal held a meeting with the chapter’s prez and VP. I imagined it was mostly to touch base and catch up. I had no doubt that Cal wanted to get their thoughts on things in private. I was sure when we got back home he would call church and put everything on the table.
Brand seemed at home there. The way he talked and joke with everyone was proof of that. I could tell that he had formed a bond with Ky and Brick in the few months that he had stayed there. Maybe it was good that he came along on this run. The heavy weight that had been pressing down on him seemed to have lifted while we were there. I wondered why he made the choice to come back home, but then again, he still had things he had to sort through. And he seemed like a smart enough kid to get that you can’t just run away from your problems.
Not soon enough, we were headed back to the compound with an empty van. The cool air whipped around me and I couldn’t wait to get back and wrap myself around Ellie. I had called her a few times the three days I’d been gone, but I never had longer than five minutes to talk. Even though it was short, it was still nice to hear her voice. Every time she answered her tone was light and full of hope. That was the way she should always be. I was going to make it my life’s mission to make and keep her happy.
As we pulled up to the gate I knew something was wrong. The gate was open at an angle that suggested that something had busted through it. I pulled my bike over and stopped with a jerk. I flew off my bike, searching for whoever was supposed to be on watch. Lake was laying in the dirt a few feet from the gate. His body was face down and contorted in an uncomfortable position. I checked the surroundings, noticing several SUVs that were not the clubs, then I made my way over to him. I knew enough that I shouldn’t move him. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw he was breathing. Checking his pulse, I found it strong. I didn’t see any blood and hoped that was a good sign. But if he had been hit with something big enough to fuck up the gate, there could be internal injuries.
I had to get inside. I had to get to Ellie and my baby.Fuck! This is not how this is supposed to go.They had to be okay. I couldn’t go through it again. I was thrown into the past before I could even stop it.
“There’s been an accident, Caleb,” the man’s voice says over the phone. I recognize the name he gave, but can’t place his face at the moment. Panic starts to set in. Is it my parents? They are away for their anniversary. Florida, I think, this year. “Caleb, it’s Rachel. She’s being taken to St. John’s hospital. Her car ran off the road at Reeve’s curve.”
My ears start to pound as the world goes dim. He keeps talking, but I don’t hear any of it. I manage to mumble ‘thanks’ and hang up quickly. She is going to be fine. They both are. I keep telling myself that over and over again as I hop in my car and get to the hospital as fast as possible. My world is cracking and the worst part is, I have no control over it.
I shook myself out of my thoughts as I ran faster to the front door. The compound was designed without windows. It was for safety. But now I couldn’t see in and I was at a disadvantage. Loch gripped my shoulder, letting me know he was behind me. I pulled my side piece out, ready for anything. Loch, Crow, Cal, and Brand were all there with me ready to go, too. I stopped at the door and listened. After not hearing anything, I cracked the door open. The place was dead quiet and fear rolled through me. I slipped in and looked around. The bar and lounge were empty.
I moved in further, hugging the wall. I heard laughing in the kitchen and it made my blood run cold. It was Tammy’s laugh. A crazy cackle that made it feel like I was in a damn horror movie.
“I know you’re there, love,” She yelled. I was made. We all were. No sneaking around. I stood tall, gun cocked and ready to go, as I rounded the corner to the kitchen. Tammy held Reagan with a gun pressed into her head. They were surrounded by a bunch of wannabe thugs holding guns and looking smug. “All of your guns on the table, now,” Tammy barked.
Before I could move, I was being pushed from behind. I cocked my head to the side to see more damn thugs. I recognized their tattoos. A lowlife gang on the outskirts of the city that were small-time drug dealers. They were a joke and were barely on our radar.
Slowly moving forward, I set my gun on the table that held what looked like the rest of my brothers’ weapons. That was when I saw the rest of the club members. They were all duct taped and seated around the edge of the room, two thugs aiming guns at them randomly.
I looked around, but couldn’t find Ellie. Where the hell was she?
“All of them, I know you have more than one on you,” Tammy said pushing the gun harder into Reagan’s temple.
Loch roared and started to lunge, only to be stopped by a gun in his face. This was not good. And I wondered how the fuck I was going to get us out of it.
