Broken Memphis (23 page)

"This was Manny," Trigger says, entering the room. "He's sending us a message."

Joker doesn't react to this statement about Jose's cousin. When Madden follows his father into the room, I notice he doesn't look at Maggie's body. My gut says he doesn't avoid looking because he's scared. More like he's already seen it. I'd guess Ginger sent him pictures.

"No one can find him," Big Dick says as the room gets crowded. "Manny's people have to be getting help from the locals, or we'd have found them by now."

The guys around me mutter about out of town gangbangers, but I'm sick of the lies. My phone vibrates in my pocket. Figuring it might be Bebe, I check it even with all the fuckers around me.

Zombie's name on the screen tenses me before I even read his text.

"Don't worry Homerun. I won't even breathe on your bitches before I take the shot."

Showing the text to Ford, I move towards Joker. "Zombie's going after Bebe at the mall."

Joker's wife and ex are at the mall with my woman. He doesn't show his panic but nods to tell me to go.

"What's happening?"

"Zombie's off the reservation," Joker says.

Trigger just shrugs, but he's got to be pissed. His plans are already in jeopardy because of Ginger and a Chicago gangbanger. Now his nephew decides fucking things up even more.

"Round up the idiot," Trigger says, glancing at Maggie with disapproval. "She was a whiner anyway."

Before Trigger finishes, I'm out the door with Ford right behind me. We hide our panic until a block away from Maggie's place. Opening the throttles on the bikes, we dodge traffic on the way to the mall where Bebe and Shay are enjoying an engagement lunch with the girls.

Based on Trigger's orders, he expects us to bring Zombie back alive. The old man must have lost fucking brain cells from that heart attack if he doesn't believe his nephew takes his last breath today.

44

Bebe

Big Bam Bang

Tallulah steals the show at lunch. Her little bob is too adorable, and she knows it too. My normally shy daughter smiles at everyone, telling anyone who will listen how her new haircut was her daddy's idea. I don't correct her about that last part. My life is too perfect to worry about getting credit.

I sit next to Darby with Graham on her knee. His mommy Perri is a few seats down, holding her daughter, Haley. On the other end of the table, Shay is laughing with Jenn and Amanda while Lupe does her impression of Charo.

With the youngest kids joining us, we skip the alcoholic drinks and get buzzed on funny stories. Darby razzes Jenn about being a high school slut. Jenn mocks Lupe's horrible English. Lupe sings a soft, tender Spanish song. Based on the Hispanic waiter's horrified expression, I suspect the lyrics involve violent threats.

Despite all the laughter and teasing, a melancholy hangs over our lunch.
Will this meal be our last time all together?
Christmas is two weeks away, and a few of the guys are sending their families out of town to "visit the relatives" before the holiday. Jenn is one of the women leaving early. Amanda and Darby plan to disappear with the kids late on Christmas day. I'm not worried about the leaving part, but whether we'll get to return.

When the kids get cranky around one thirty, we pay the bill and head into the cold afternoon. Tallulah bounces to an internal tune. Probably
Keep Your Hands to Yourself
since Pax loves the Georgia Satellite's song. I focus on her happy face and think about the man who stole both our hearts.

Once again, my shitty instincts don't kick in until after the first shot shatters a nearby window. Up ahead behind a car, Darby is already crouched with Haley. I don't have time to see where anyone else is before the gun changes from a single shot to rapid-fire.

Grabbing Tallulah, I hide behind a car, but windows shatter around us. Moving again, I try to retreat. Tallulah is crying, but she holds on tight while I hurry back to the restaurant. People are screaming and running both towards and away from me. I don't know if I'm right to return to the restaurant. Inside just feels safer, so I keep running.

A bullet tears through my jacket, grazing my skin. Even panicking at the thought of Tallulah being shot, I don't stop running. We didn't park too far from the restaurant, yet I'm dodging people and cars. No matter how fast I run, I can't seem to get away.

A car backs out as I run past it. Throwing me backwards, I land sideways. The car speeds away, barely missing Tallulah and me on the ground.

Stunned and in pain, I know I need to keep moving. I will find a safe place. I will not let Tallulah die.

Crawling now, I drag a whimpering Tallulah until we reach a parked car. My hip feels like it weighs a million pounds after the impact. Nothing's broken, and I just need to catch my breath.

Around me, everyone is still running in every direction. I realize more than one shooter is firing. No way will I reach the restaurant when I'm stuck in the crossfire.

"Mom," Tallulah whimpers

Her voice startles me, and I wonder how long I was staring at the screaming people. Seeing Tallulah's head bloodied, I check over her body for wounds. She hasn't been shot, but her arm hangs. I suspect she broke it when we fell.

Panicking, I'm frozen in my spot.
What if the car we're hiding behind moves and hits us? What if I run and we're shot? What if I stay and we're shot? What do I do?

The car we're hidden behind is empty, so I push Tallulah beneath the SUV then wiggle under it too. As long as the owner doesn't return, we should be safe. My brain says someone might hit the SUV and we'll be killed. Denying my panic, I refuse to imagine anything except a happy ending. As long as we stay covered until the shooting stops, we'll be fine. Soon, I'll get Tallulah's arm fixed.
Yes, everything is okay.

Pressing my scarf against her head, I cuddle my baby in my arms as we shiver on the cold ground.

"Daddy will come soon," I promise her.

Tallulah isn't crying, making me worry she's in shock. I don't know what to do besides talk about Pax.

How he swings with her at the park. How he wants a trampoline so he can jump high enough to touch the moon. How he wants to name the baby Roy. Tallulah stares into my eyes and listens to me rather than the chaos in the parking lot.

At some point, I hear Harleys approaching. Are they friend or foe? All I can do is keep talking.

The gunshots grow louder then fall silent. I don't know what's happening. I hear sirens in the distance, but the screaming people drown out the sounds. Whatever is happening, I hold Tallulah and help her think of her home.

Shivering wildly, I realize the sirens are louder while the screaming quiets. Only then, do I hear Pax yelling my name. His voice sounds so full of rage and fear.

When I tell Tallulah her daddy is here, she only nods. I wish she would cry. Her silence scares me.

Crawling out from under the SUV, I keep Tallulah low to the ground while I scan the parking lot for Pax. He's easy to spot with his size, yet I'm afraid to call out to him as if maybe this is a trap.

Despite my fear, I call out to him. He hears his name, stops, and looks for us. Waving at him, I fear the bad guys will use this moment to shoot me. I can't die right in front of my baby girl. The panic is overwhelming until Pax reaches me.

"It'll be okay," he says as if on autopilot.

Even though the words are lies, I believe them. With Pax here, we'll be safe. Under my fear is another emotion. That part of me knows Pax will get our revenge soon.

45

Pax

Keeping My Cool

We let Zombie get away.

Arriving at the mall, Ford and I enter what sounds like a war zone. Zombie fires from one end of the parking lot with Wino at another. Big Dick's nephew flees first. A car close on his tail, Ginger's people are on the job. Ford and I arrive close to where Zombie is firing. Seeing us, he waves before speeding away.

We have a choice.
Chase him or look for our family.
Not much of a choice. Hell, I don't even glance at Ford to see what he's thinking. I just know we have to find Bebe, Tallulah, and Shay.

As the fucker escapes, we pull our Harleys into the parking lot. I finally park, unable to deal with the stop and go as cars exit and people run by. Following my lead, Ford leaves his Harley and begins running.

Many people are still hiding. Others are on the ground bloodied. One guy looks dead. I spot Darby kneeling next to someone. Glancing at the injured person's shoes, I know they don't belong to Bebe or Shay, so I keep running.

With the gunfire over, people move around more. Sirens drown out much of the noise, but I keep yelling. Finally, I hear my name and see Bebe waving.

The relief eases a nearly unbearable pressure in my chest. My woman is alive, and I can breathe again. Her expression is too calm for Tallulah to be seriously hurt. Yes, I can breathe a little more now.

Bebe grabs onto me like a drowning woman. "Tallulah's arm is broken."

My little girl stares up at me from near the tire, and I can't pick her up fast enough. Only when they're both in my arms, do I feel truly alive.

With Bebe limping along with me, I carry Tallulah towards the line of ambulances. Shay looks unharmed when we approach her and Ford. She hurries over to check on Bebe.

"I couldn't find you," Shay says. "People were running around, and I couldn't find anyone."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, not even a scratch."

Ford leaves us, and I see him grabbing a paramedic. The guy looks at me holding Tallulah then waves us towards an ambulance.

"Kids get special treatment," I say, sounding like a crazy person.

"I don't know where Darby and Amanda are," Shay mumbles to Bebe. "Jenn was hurt. I saw them put her in an ambulance. Lupe was going with her."

Bebe nods, but I doubt she's really listening. Her focus remains on Tallulah in my arms. The little girl is so quiet until I stick my tongue out at her. She smiles faintly then reaches out to touch my jaw.

The paramedic wants to take her, but I refuse to let her go. Instead, I rest her on the gurney, only moving out of the way when Ford yanks me from the ambulance.

"Let them take her, and we'll follow on the bikes."

I refuse to look away from where Tallulah sits tiny on a big gurney. When the paramedic checks her broken arm, she begins to cry. Bebe comforts her, but I nearly snap at the sound of my kid in pain.

"Pax," Ford says, tugging me away. "You need to focus. As long as Zombie is still out there, this shit isn't over."

Studying my brother, I need him to understand that I don't give a fuck about the club. They're grown men who chose a violent life. Tallulah is innocent, and I can't focus when she's crying.

My brother cups my face. "Zombie has lost control, and he's making a mess. Trigger is off his game now. We have the upper hand and can finish this shit and make Little Memphis safe for our families. We can only do that if you stay focused and play it cool."

I know Ford's eyes better than my own. His strength infects me, calming my panic and rage. I return to the cold enforcer who's kept us alive for so long.

"Are you good?" he asks, and I nod.

Ford tells Shay to go with Bebe to the hospital. We'll follow close behind.

Bebe watches me as the doors shut on the ambulance. The look on her face is the same as the night I retrieved her from Taz's house. On autopilot, she hides her fear behind a mask. After I kill the fuckers who set Zombie loose, Bebe will never have to wear it again.

My mind is cold as steel by the time we arrive at the hospital. I'll get Bebe and Tallulah fixed up then hide them until trouble dies down. The plan is set in my head until I enter the emergency room and realize my plans don't mean shit.

Pushed aside by agitated staff, Ford and I search for a familiar face. We find Bull first.

"Darby and Amanda are already on the run," he says when we move to a quiet corner. "They have Jenn's kids too."

"What about Jenn?" Ford asks.

"I don't know. Lucky freaked out in the waiting room, and someone finally took him back."

"Freaked out how? Screaming or crying?" I ask. "I'm looking to get in the back without pulling my weapon. So what kind of freak-out are we talking about?"

Bull's expression never changes. "I don't think it'll work twice, Homerun."

"Fine. I'll pull a gun."

"Not yet," Madden announces, appearing out of a group of people. "I know you're looking to play family men, but Dad is on his way in. He's on edge, so keep your shit in gear and play along."

Bull opens his mouth to speak then shuts it. I don't even need to turn around to know Trigger has entered the waiting room. The old man looks like he needs medical attention when he stops in front of us.

"This is bullshit," he growls.

He's too fucking upset to be worried about my woman. He isn't concerned over Jenn either. Something has him freaked though.

"Are you sure it was Zombie?" he asks Ford.

My brother is a fucking rock, showing not a hint of emotion in his dark blue eyes.

"Yeah."

"Who was he shooting at? Are you sure Manny wasn't involved?"

"I wouldn't know that. The shooters ran when they heard us coming."

"More than one?" he asks then glances at Madden to share a private look.

"Yeah, two."

His confusion clear, Trigger lacks my brother's cold exterior. He doesn't know about Wino. The fucker has lost control of his club, and he can't even ask Joker for help.

"They were likely after the same people who hit Big Dick," Madden says.

"You think?" Trigger yells at his son. "Who the fuck else?"

Madden doesn't flinch. Hell, I'd think he was deaf with how little he reacts.

"Who hit Big Dick?" Ford asks, faking mild concern like a pro.

"Drive-by," Madden says. "They took out Big Dick and Linda while they were on their way here. Took out Wino when he tried to save them." The pretty boy suddenly looks at Bull. "These gangbangers have idiots on the West Side claiming Ginger Snaps is behind the shootings."