Page 72 of Claymore
Ella
My heart thumped against the surface of my chest, deafening me as the clubhouse grew into a clamorous, chaotic mess. I remembered what it felt like coming home a few hours ago, watching every member funnel in through the front door expecting Claymore to be close behind them, but he wasn’t. No one had seen him. No one knew where he was and at that moment, it was far too much for me to bear.
I held my knees to my chest, feeling my body grow numb with fear, worried that I may never see him again. I caught snippets of conversations between Archer and Ink, the orders that Tank barked at the rest of them, all until the phone rang. I watched Tank take the call, his eyes widening when he heard the voice on the other end of the line and I already knew who it was.Claymore.
I leaped to my feet, rushing over to him just as he hung up.
“Where is he?”
“Ray and his guys got to him. Threw him in some basement and burned the place down. He got out. He’s okay,” said Tank and I could hear the relief in his voice.
“We have to go get him. He could still be in danger. We need to go. Now!”
“Ella, it’s best that you stay here. If there are any other Kings or Lions roaming around, they could—”
“I don’t care what they could do. All I care about is getting to Claymore. I’m coming with you and there’s nothing you can do to stop me. I need to be there for him. I’m not going to sit around and hope you all make it back in one piece,” I spat.
“We’ll watch her back, Tank. Let’s go,” said Archer, ushering us out the front door.
Ink, Vegas, Archer, Tank, and I all gathered outside, gearing up for another long ride. Their helmets clicked in unison, they switched on their headlights, and their engines roared. I climbed onto Archer’s bike, wrapping my arms around him, ready to move. Tank led the way, his bike wheels kicking up sand as he drove down to the main road, and we were close behind him.
My heart was racing, my fingers clammy as I held onto Archer’s jacket, and all I could think about was Claymore. I pictured that bright smile, the way his eyes lit up whenever he looked at me, and my heart ached for him.Hold on, Claymore. We’re coming.
The ride back up to Eagle’s Path made me nervous. I kept glancing over my shoulder, waiting for the flash of a headlight that would tell me we were being followed. Tank and Archer whizzed right past the house where the first shootout happened. I caught a glimpse of the bodies that laid out front, all left for dead, all bodies my brother probably would never come back for.
The desert melted away into the distance, revealing an area hidden behind thick trees and dirt paths. I stared up at the sky, watching the smoke rise up into a thick cloud, and my heart rose up into my throat. I could smell the smoke through my helmet as we approached the burning home, and I grit my teeth, imagining what Ray must’ve done to pull this off.You sick son of a bitch. Is this all a game to you?
Ray could have shot Claymore dead in the street like the Rebels did to his men. He could have toyed with him a little longer for information, but instead, he suddenly decided to become a pyromaniac. I knew my brother was unpredictable and reckless, but I never took him for a fool, until now.Maybe that’s why he teamed up with someone like Fang, someone to keep him on a tight leash.
I hopped off Archer’s bike, running through the trees, yelling Claymore’s name at the top of my lungs.
“Claymore! Claymore, where are you?”
I spotted something near one of the tree trunks a few feet away. I rushed over, hearing Archer call after me, his gun drawn in case there was trouble. I glanced down at my feet to see Claymore there, barely awake, holding up an elderly man who’d gone completely unconscious.
“Claymore. Oh my god. Claymore…”
I caressed his cheek, hearing him groan and grunt in excruciating pain. I kissed the top of his head, begging him to stay awake.
“Ella?”
“I’m here, Claymore. I’m here.”
I heard footsteps approaching from behind. I looked up to see Archer and Tank towering over me, ready to help. They wrapped their arms around Claymore, trying to get him to his feet, but he fought them off.
“No. No, don’t. Not until you help Jerry.”
“Claymore, we need to get you out of here.”
“If you’re gonna take me, you’re gonna take Jerry too. Ray did this. He burned his fucking house down. Please. He needs a hospital,” Claymore groaned.
“All right. Arch, you and Vegas, take this man to the nearest hospital. We’ve got it from here.”
“Claymore. We’re going to get you out of here, okay? Hold on, please.”
I saw how much he struggled to keep his eyes open, how tightly he squeezed my hand when he realized he was slipping away. I removed my hand from his cheek, feeling something wet on my fingertips. Blood had been trickling down the entire side of his head, his body badly bruised, and he could barely move on his own.
“Ella…”
