When Dove Cries (8 page)

“Help us!” Cade shouted. “He’s been shot!”

Several nurses ran as well as a passing doctor. All Dove could do was watch with big eyes as Branch laid the unconscious biker on the floor and let the staff take over. As soon as they’d swooped in, Branch, North and Draven took off out of the door.

“Go,” Allis told Cade, nodding her head toward the door. “I’ll stay with Dove. I know you want to chase down the bastard who did this.”

Cade didn’t even waste another breath. As he ran toward the entrance again, Dove watched as he pulled out a gun. She saw the rest of the Red Wolves running and her heart jumped into her throat. She prayed that they would all be okay. She didn’t want anyone hurt.

The medical staff lifted Nimrod and placed him on a gurney, not even bothering to talk to Dove or Allis as they rushed him toward the ER. Allis pushed her wheelchair over to some chairs and sank down, shaking from head to toe. Dove rose from the wheelchair, then hurried over and put her arms around her new friend. Allis hugged her back.

“I hate this,” Allis whispered.

Guilt flooded Dove. She’d done this. She’d brought a killer into their midst. She’d been the one who had gotten Nimrod shot. It was all her fault. Her stomach clenched with the knowledge that she had hurt her friends.

“I’m so sorry,” she said. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she struggled not to cry.

Allis pulled back enough to look at her. “Why are you sorry?”

“This was because of me.”

“No,” Allis said, shaking her head. “Don’t you realize that if Nimrod hadn’t stepped in front of you, you’d be dead?”

No, actually, that hadn’t occurred to her. A whole new slew of guilt slammed into her. She couldn’t keep the tears at bay. They coursed down her cheeks.

“Don’t do that,” Allis ordered, but her tone was so gentle it just made Dove cry harder.

“I-I’m sorry,” Dove stuttered. “I-it’s my thing. I cry whenever I’m too stressed. My father used to tease me about it.”

“Well, being with the Red Wolves can be stressful. Not too long ago, I brought a heap of trouble to them in the form of another gang called the Tribe, so I understand your guilt, Dove.”

“What happened?”

“They shot up my house.”

Dove’s mouth dropped in shock. “What?”

Allis nodded. “One night, North, Givon and I were sleeping, and all of a sudden, it was raining bullets.”

“Oh, my God. What did you do?”

“Stayed down. As soon as it stopped, North and Givon went to check things out. I thought for sure someone was going to kill them at any second. The guilt and fear were overwhelming, especially when we went to the clubhouse and the rest of the Wolves got into it.”

“They didn’t want to be a part of it?”

“On the contrary, they jumped in without hesitation. The Tribe came, and it became a standoff.”

“What happened?”

Allis sighed. “I decided I couldn’t put anyone else in danger, so I turned myself in to the Tribe’s leader. I ended it…with Nimrod’s help. That’s why he would be the first who would tell you not to feel guilty. This is what the Wolves do, Dove. They protect their own.”

Dove bit her lip. “I’m not one of them.”

“Oh, by the way Draven looks at you, I think you are.”

Draven and North rushed in. As soon as Draven’s gaze landed on Dove, he made a beeline for her. He dropped to his knees in front of her and cupped her face.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded and swallowed the lump in her throat. “But Nimrod… I’m worried about him.”

“Yeah, me too.”

North hugged Allis. “I’ll make sure he has the best care. He’s a Wolf, and we take care of the pack.”

“That’s exactly what I told Dove,” she murmured.

“It’s time for us go, Dove,” Draven told her. “Cade’s in the truck.”

“Did you catch the shooter?” Allis asked.

Both men shook their heads.

Draven heard the shot and ran forward. His one thought was protecting Dove. He saw Nimrod slump over her and North jump in front of her as he pulled Allis behind him. Branch bear-hugged Nimrod as Cade hurried back inside the protective hospital walls. When they were safe, he pulled his gun out and took off in the direction he thought the shot had come from, which was a group of trees lying northwest of their location. As he ran, he knew that Branch and North were behind him.

He burst into the dense grove of trees, searching rapidly around the foliage. The roar of a motorcycle pierced the air, and he immediately turned in that direction. He stumbled out of the treeline just in time to see a bike and rider in the distance but couldn’t make out who it was. The man either wasn’t wearing a cut or had concealed it.

Branch came to halt beside him, and a second later, North joined them. They were all panting from the unexpected run.

“Who the fuck was that?” North demanded.

“Had to be a Demon Devil,” Branch said darkly. “No one else rides Harleys around here except the clubs, and I know a Wolf wouldn’t shoot at us.”

“Agreed,” Draven said.

“But why? Random drive-by shootings aren’t their thing, at least they haven’t been their thing for ten years or so.”

“They were aiming for Dove,” Draven said harshly.

“Why?” Branch asked, perplexed.

“She was abducted for a human trafficking ring being run through Destiny,” Draven replied.

“The hell you say! North, is this true?”

North nodded. “We just found out. Clearly, this needs to be addressed at the next church meeting. Branch, Skids stayed in Vegas. You want to sit in his place for now?”

“Sure,” Branch said. “The sooner this is addressed, the better. Can I ask what the Demon Devils have to do with this?”

North ran a hand through his hair and put his gun back in its holster. Branch and Draven did the same.

“There was a connection between Michael Hiller and Gray Dog,” North said.

“Why haven’t any of us known about this?”

“Until Dove showed up, it was a need-to-know basis.”

“Enough of this shit!” Draven interrupted, shouting. “Those fuckers need to pay!”

“And they will!” North shouted back. “But think, Draven! If we go starting another war, we’ll lose. We need proof of who’s behind this.”

Draven hated that he was right. He turned around and stomped back the way he’d come, back to the hospital. He wanted to see Dove and make sure she was okay. Although North and Branch followed him, they stayed behind, and he was grateful. Otherwise, he was going to hit his president, and that wouldn’t solve anything.

About halfway back, Cade ran up to him, his mouth a grim slash.

“How’s Dove?” he asked.

“Upset but fine.” Cade looked over his shoulder. “You?”

“Upset but fine,” Draven mimicked. “If anything had happened to her, Cade—”

Cade gripped his arm. “I know. It was the Devils, wasn’t it?”

“All I saw was a Harley. No markings.”

“We gotta fucking kill ’em,” he whispered.

Slowly, Draven nodded, completely confused by this sudden jolt of camaraderie he felt with Cade.

“That’s not something a fed would say.”

Cade shook his head. “Right fucking now, I’m not a fed.”

Draven held back a smile.

“If Nimrod hadn’t bent over her, she’d be dead,” he told Cade. He knew he didn’t have to say anything, but he wanted to drive the fact home because the bloodlust he saw in Cade’s eyes burned through his own body, and it made Draven feel invincible.

“We owe him,” Cade said.

Draven nodded. “Agreed.”

Chapter Ten

Draven drove the truck with Dove next to him. Behind them rode North, Branch and Cade. Branch and Nimrod had been going to ride their bikes back then take the truck, but now everything had changed. Branch would spend the night at Draven’s house for extra backup, and North would go back to the hospital to pick up Allis, who had insisted on staying behind to keep updated on Nimrod. Tomorrow would be church, and Draven had some choice things to say.

He lived at the end of a road with homes that were so far from the asphalt you couldn’t see them, including his. He liked that. There was no way he could live in suburbia with perfectly manicured lawns and HOA fees. His home was the house he’d grown up in, but he really didn’t have any sentiment over it. He lived in it because his parents had willed it to him when they’d died in a car accident, drinking and driving like they always had. Once upon a time, he had thought about moving to Seattle because his cousin Tom lived there, but well, that was a long time ago and a memory path he had best not take right now. Resentment still boiled in his veins.

As the single story, three-bedroom ranch came into view, he tried to see it from Dove’s point of view. The driveway was nothing but rocks, and the numerous trees kept the ground from getting too much sun, which caused the grass to die. Every time it rained, his yard was nothing but muddy soup. The house needed painting. It used to be white, but the years of neglect had turned it a dull gray. The brick chimney needed help, and the porch was missing a few boards. Next to the house was a covered carport, but it held the skeletal remains of several trucks and bikes rusting away slowly.

Draven frowned. It was a dump. He was bringing Dove home to a dump. Why hadn’t he ever fixed things up? Maybe because he didn’t give a flying fuck. Ever since Tom’s death, he hadn’t cared about much.

He took a deep breath. Maybe it was time he began to care again.

He pulled to a stop in front of the house and turned off the engine. He glanced over at Dove. She sat staring at the house with something akin to surprise and horror on her face.

“It’s a mess,” he said.

She turned her head and met his gaze. “It’s fine.”

“It’s a shit hole,” he corrected. “I grew up here. I haven’t done much with it since my parents died. I had plans, but when Tom died, I stopped living here for a while.”

“Who’s Tom?”

“He was my cousin. Died up in Seattle five years ago. I ended up renting a room at the clubhouse for a while.” He looked at the house. “I should start cleaning this place up.”

She reached over and patted his hand. He caught it and held it, twining their fingers together. He felt her softness all the way into his soul and desperately wanted to hold on to that. Electricity gripped his stomach, and it made his cock stir to life. He focused on her lips and she licked them, swiping her pink little tongue over them to leave a wet trail behind. It brought to mind decadent, sensual things, like licking her sweet pussy. But the bikes were pulling in behind him, jolting him from his sexual haze, and the special moment between them ended.

The guys dismounted, and Cade walked up to the passenger side to open the door. He held out his hand for Dove and she took it, turning away from him and into Cade’s arms. Jealousy hit him and he struggled to get it under control. Cade was part of this and he knew the other man cared about Dove. Even he could see that.

The inside of the house was just as bad as the outside, and it was immediately apparent that he’d forgotten to take out the trash the last time he’d been here. He rushed past them and hurried into the kitchen to find the source of the stench, grabbing the trash can to tie up the offending odor. He opened up the sliding glass door that led to the back porch and threw it out before closing it again and wishing he had a spray can of Febreze or something.

He turned and saw Dove and Cade.

“Sorry,” he said, a little embarrassed. “I haven’t been home in a while.”

“Yeah,” Cade said dryly. “I can smell that.”

“It’s a nice house,” Dove said.

Draven looked around. The interior decoration was stuck firmly in the past with wall-to-wall paneling, a popcorn ceiling and shag carpeting extending into the dining room. Chipped vinyl flooring lay in the kitchen and probably hadn’t been cleaned in a decade, not to mention the avocado green appliances.

“No, it’s not,” he finally said. “This was my parents’ house. I kinda got stuck with it.”

There was a long, awkward silence between them until North walked in behind Dove.

“This place stinks,” the Wolves’ leader stated. “No wonder you sleep at the clubhouse a lot.”

“Shut up,” Draven muttered.

“It’s a great home,” Dove insisted.

Draven shook his head. “It was never a home. It was a place two alcoholics crashed in for their bingeing. Well, in any case, I’ll clean it up some—”

“I got it,” she injected quickly. “Please. It’ll make me feel like I’m doing something.”

“You need to rest,” Cade replied, frowning.

“I rested plenty in the hospital,” she stated firmly. “Now I have to keep busy. North, will you call us when you hear anything about Nimrod?”

“Yes,” he promised. “Branch is staying tonight. I figured you three could take turns keeping an eye open.”

Draven and Cade nodded their agreement.

“I’ll clean up and find something to cook,” Dove replied, shooing them out. The men didn’t argue as they filed out of the kitchen.

They followed North outside and stood with him on the porch. It was now late afternoon, and although it was still daylight, the night bugs had already started their evening serenade.

“Expect Givon to come either tonight or tomorrow,” North said as he slipped on his sunglasses. “Another damn reason to act like a cop around the guys is not what I needed.”

“I thought everything was cool?” Draven asked.

“It is. The guys really took a shine to him when he held a gun on that police chief. Even Pete.”

“Pete’s a picky son of a bitch,” Draven said. He glanced over at Cade. “Just a warning, he’ll hate you.”

“Why?” Cade asked, perplexed.

“‘Cause you’re a nomad,” North answered. “Pete doesn’t believe in being a nomad.”

Cade shrugged, clearly not bothered.

“I best be heading out,” North replied, heading toward his bike, a great looking Nightster. Draven was quite envious of the heavily modified bike. He’d wanted to do something similar to his, but he’d never had enough money to get serious about the project.

“Hey, North,” he called out.

North raised his chin in question.

“Church, tomorrow. We need to talk about how we’re going to handle the Devils.”