Page 40 of Loss

Dominic has the balls to laugh at my words, not believing me. Rage fills me even more as I look at the suit wearing asshole up and down with a glare that would kill him if my eyes were able to do that shit. Instead, he returns the glare before facing Annabell and letting his eyes run up and down her body as if she’s a piece of meat and nothing more.

“I see you let this man take care of business for you, Annabell. I’m surprised he didn’t do more damage to these two,” Dominic states even though I have no blood on my body that’s not my own and Annabell is covered in fresh splatters of it the entire length of her.

“I didn’t take care of shit, Dominic. That’s Annabell’s handiwork. As you can see, she’s still got the bloody knives in her hands. Annabell can take you out without blinkin’ and you’d never see her attack comin’ at you,” I state, pride filling my voice as I look at her and pretend Dominic and the other two aren’t here with us.

“You stupid fucks let a woman get the best of you?” Dominic questions them, his voice echoing around us as he turns to face them while pulling a gun from his back.

Immediately I pull Annabell behind me because I have no clue how this is gonna play out right now. Dominic could shoot the men standing at his side or turn the gun on Annabell and me. I’m not about to let her get shot by this crazy fucker. I keep my eyes locked on him and wait to see what he’ll do as the other two men pull their own guns and let their arms hang down as they wait to see what their ‘boss’ is gonna do. I feel Annabell’s hand on my gun and I know she’ll be ready to pull it quick and hand it over to me while she continues using the knives in her hand. She must be holding them both in the same hand as she moves as fast as she can without anyone realizing what she’s doing.

Suddenly, the guns are pointed at us and I watch as Dominic pulls the trigger. I feel the bullet hit me in the left side of my body toward my abdomen. Pain rips through me as I drop to the ground in what feels like slow motion. Annabell’s screams fill the room and echo off the walls as I feel my gun slip from the holster. Turning to face Dominic and the men with him, I watch as they all fall to the ground in rapid succession. Each man has a bullet wound to the head. Annabell drops to her knees beside me and I can’t help but look up at my angel who’s always saved me in one way or another. This is one time she won’t be able to save me and I can only hope she knows how much I truly love her.

“I love you so much, Angel,” I tell her, my voice weak and hoarse as the pain intensifies and I start to become so tired.

“I love you, Alex. You’re not gonna leave me today. I need you to stay with me. Please,” she pleads with me, leaning over and pressing her lips to mine as my eyes slide closed.

The last thing I hear besides Annabell’s crying and pleading with me to stay with her are the sounds of boots racing across the floor above us. My vision is filled with Annabell as I open my eyes again, even though it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Every move I make is harder than the last and each breath slices through me. It feels as if I’m drowning alive and I feel so damn cold. Annabell pulls my head into her lap and cries over me, her tears landing on my face and neck. I want to reach out and reassure her that I’m not gonna leave her, but I can’t. All I can do is let my eyes slide closed once again and this time they don’t open as I hear a violent roar of pain and I know it’s Valor. My brother has found us and this isn’t going to end well for anyone if he has any say in the matter.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Annabell

SEEING DOMINIC FIRE his gun started things moving in slow motion. I watch the bullet hit Alex’ body before he slowly starts falling to the floor in front of me. A scream erupts from me and I can’t seem to stop myself from doing it as I watch a man I’ve lost so much time with fall in front of me. While he’s falling to the floor, I manage to grab the gun from his back. Without hesitation or thought, I point his gun at the three stupid fuckers in front of me and pull the trigger hitting each of them in the head. My only thought is Alex and making sure he’s okay and not going to leave Valor and me. I don’t think either one of us will survive this world without him. Valor might be able to, but I know I won’t be able to because Alex is the man I want to live my life with at my side. We’ve already been through so fucking much and I don’t honestly know how much more the two of us can take.

“I love you so much, Angel,” Alex tells me, his voice weak and hoarse as his face scrunches up with the pain filling him.

“I love you, Alex. You’re not gonna leave me today. I need you to stay with me. Please,” I plead with him, leaning over and pressing my lips to his as Alex’ eyes slide closed. My tears hit his cheek and roll down the side of his face even though he doesn’t seem to feel them touching his skin.

My heart breaks as I start to scream once more while pulling his head into my lap. I barely register the steps coming our way and then down the stairs into the basement or wherever we’re being held. A hand falls to my shoulder and I look up to find my dad, Playboy, Tank, Valor, Chrome, and so many others standing in the room around us. They’re blocking my view of the men I killed. Valor reaches down as if he’s going to touch Alex and I smack his hand away. He looks down at me in shock and the room goes completely silent.

“Baby girl, we gotta get him out of here so he can get medical attention. Vault needs to be taken to the hospital before he loses too much blood,” my dad says, his voice soft and gentle as he crouches down next to me and tries to distract me from Valor taking his brother from me.

“No!” I scream, my voice breaking as I hold Alex tighter to me.

Rationally I know we have to get him out of here and to the hospital so he can get the medical attention he needs. I can’t let go of him though. In my mind, if I let him go, he’ll leave me and I won’t see him again. The fear filling me is overwhelming and I find myself unable to breathe or anything else.

“Breathe with me, Pretty Girl,” Valor says, getting down on my other side and looking at me without attempting to take his brother from my arms.

I breathe with Valor until everything comes into focus again. Tears still roll down my face and land on Alex’ face and head as I hold him against me. His skin is starting to turn cold and his chest is hardly rising and falling with the shallow breaths he’s taking. Alex isn’t opening his eyes and that’s all I want to see. I want to see his eyes and for him to tell me that he’s okay. I can barely hear the words being said behind my back as I lower my eyes back to Alex instead of keeping them on Valor.

“It’s my fault,” I tell Valor, still not looking at him and only looking at the love of my life. “Alex was shot because of me. That man is the one I dated in college. A man who hurt me and I left behind because he put his hands on me. That’s why he was after me. If Alex hadn’t tried to save me when they took me from the clubhouse, this wouldn’t have happened to him. If he hadn’t pushed me behind him, I would’ve taken the bullet for him.”

“That’s exactly why my brother pushed you behind him, Pretty Girl. He knows that you’d do anythin’ to protect him and you’re doin’ it even now by not lettin’ any of us touch him after everythin’ the two of you have been through. But, you need to let us take him, Annabell. The longer he stays here, the greater the chance that we’ll lose him. I’m not ready to lose my brother, Pretty Girl. And I know you’re not ready to lose him either. So, let me take my brother and get him the help he needs,” Valor says, his voice pleading with me as I look down at Alex again while more tears continue to fall and I know that I have to let him go. “Chrome and I will be the ones to carry him up and load him in one of the SUVs. You can ride with him. I promise you that, Annabell. No one else will touch him and you can hold him again in just a minute.”

I look up at my dad and he nods his head at me. Turning back to Valor, I nod for him to grab Alex from me. Chrome steps up and grabs his legs while Valor takes his upper body in his arms. Both men move slow through the room and up the stairs until they disappear from sight. My dad helps me off the floor and Playboy slips his shirt over my naked body. They soon usher me through the room and up the stairs. I don’t pay attention to anything as I’m led through the rundown house we were being held in. This place is fucking disgusting and I’m glad Alex is out so he doesn’t run a higher risk of getting an infection from the nastiness of the house or basement.

My dad and Playboy lead me to the SUV they’re loading Alex in. Tank doesn’t leave our back. I know he’s watching everything around us so nothing more happens before we can leave here. It’s what he always does and nothing will ever change that about him. Valor and Chrome get Alex loaded in the backseat of the SUV and hold his head up so I can slide under him on the seat. Chrome gently places his head back in my lap and I place a hand on his cheek while the other one rests on his chest so I can feel his heartbeat. It’s very slow and weak as I keep my eyes on Alex. Everything else fades into the background and I don’t pay attention to anything else but him.

Two people climb in the front of the SUV and we’re off. I know whoever’s driving is speeding away from this hell that we were kept in. I’ve got so many questions to ask, but now isn’t the time. Right now, all of my attention has to be on Alex as I lean over him and begin to talk to him as if he’s awake and listening to me. I tell him about the future I want to have with him, how much I love him, what I’ve done over the last few years when we’ve been separated, and anything else I can think of. I also talk to him about going to Hound’s grave and making sure he always had fresh flowers and that I’d sit and talk to him for a while before I left him again. Lastly, I pray to anyone that will listen that Alex comes back to us. I tell him to fight for us so I don’t have to learn to live without him once again.

“We’re almost to the hospital, Pretty Girl. Things are gonna move fast when we pull up. I’ve already called to let them know we’re on our way. You’re gonna have to let them take Alex and give him the help he needs. Can you do that for him?” Valor asks me, his voice soft as he turns and rests a hand on Alex’ arm so he’s touching some part of his brother.

“I can do that,” I whisper in response, my voice breaking again as I keep my eyes locked on Alex and looking for any sign that he’s going to wake up and tell us he’s okay. There’s nothing.

The second Chrome pulls up to the hospital, everything happens quicker than I can blink. Still, I don’t take my eyes off of Alex as he’s loaded on a gurney and then rushed away from us. Valor takes my hand and leads me in the hospital. Instead of following Alex as they take him through a set of double doors, he leads me to a seat off to the side before going to talk to the lady at the desk. I don’t look at anyone else around me as my eyes lock on the door Alex went through. Even when I’m surrounded by my family and the Nomads, I don’t remove my eyes from that door. Nothing is more important than finding out Alex is okay and that he’ll be fine. Until I hear those words from a doctor and see him with my own eyes, I’m never going to stop waiting for him to open his eyes and look at me with all the love filling him.

We’ve all been moved to a surgical waiting room. None of us know what’s going on other than Alex was rushed into surgery and that we’re now waiting for any news about his condition. Valor is sitting with Chrome and my dad, Playboy, and Tank haven’t left my side as I stand and pace the room we’re in. Thankfully, we’re the only ones in here and no one is staring at me any longer. I’m covered in Alex’ blood and only wearing my brother’s tee-shirt. Playboy’s only wearing his cut and jeans. I don’t honestly give a fuck what anyone thinks of me, but the judgment was felt from everyone waiting downstairs the entire time we were there.

Valor got me a pair of scrubs to change into and I have yet to get cleaned up and changed. They’ve all tried to get me to change and get looked at by a doctor. I’ve refused everything because the need to know what’s going on with Alex means more than anything else. If I miss the doctor coming out, I’ll never forgive myself. Even though they were expecting him to be in surgery for a while since they really don’t know what’s going on with him at this point. The doctors didn’t want to wait and have him lose even more blood than what he’s already lost. That’s about all we found out before the doctor disappeared behind those same doors Alex went through previously.

---