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I could tell at once Jesse was going to spend a fortune as his eyes lit upon a preserved comic, one of the rarest ones I’d ever seen. I wandered around while Mick kept a sharp eye on us both as Jesse picked up several comics in protective packaging. After an hour, Jesse finally decided there were no more treasures to find, and we paid before Mick stepped out first to check the street.
With a nod, Mick gave us leave to exit the shop. We were nearing the car when a loud bang echoed from nearby. Curious, I glanced up and saw a stranger standing there with a gun pointed in my direction. Hate glittered in his eyes as he stared and aimed the weapon again. Mick shouted, Jesse screamed, and the man turned to see my son behind me. The revolver’s angle changed towards Jesse, and a scream left my mouth even as I moved to protect Jesse from the insane gunman.
“Jesse!” A ton of rocks rammed into me as Mick shoved me to one side, his entire frame outstretched as he leapt for my frozen boy. In slow motion, the bag Jesse held dropped to the floor as I heard the loud report from the gun. Horrified beyond belief, I saw a dark figure slam into Jesse, and they hit the ground together and rolled. The figure curled around Jesse, protecting him as another bullet was fired. Mick struck me hard, recovering his direction to take me down. People screamed, and there was the sound of running feet, and I stared at the person covering Jesse, unable to see my child.
Frantically, I began shoving at Mick, needing to get to my son. Mick groaned as I caught him in a delicate spot, and I scrambled out from him. I surged towards my child as Mick grabbed me and covered me again.
“Chey! Chey! He’s still there,” Mick hissed in my ear as I fought to reach my boy. Fuck that; I didn’t care if the gunman shot me. I needed to know if Jesse was okay.
“Jesse!” I shrieked, and Mick winced at the high-pitched tone. A car screeched by, and there was a cacophony of further bullets being fired. The person protecting Jesse grunted once and jolted before there was returning fire.
“Celt!” Bear roared as he crouched beside the other party. Celt? I stared in disbelief as Diesel approached at a run and slammed down next to us.
“Is Chey injured?” Diesel demanded, and Mick shook his head. “You can release them. The asshole’s fled.” Diesel turned to Celt, who was sitting up. I scrambled across to where Celt was looking at my son. Jesse’s white face looked up at me, and I dragged him into my arms, patting him frantically. Jesse was saying something that I couldn’t comprehend as I urgently checked my boy for wounds.
“Through and through Celt,” Bear said, slapping a bandana to Celt’s shoulder.
“Felt the bullet leave,” Celt murmured, his eyes on Jesse and me.
“Mom! I’m okay,” Jesse yelled in my face.
“We need to move them to cover,” Mick grunted as he swooped and picked Jesse up. Jesse screeched indignantly, but Mick didn’t give a fuck. His orders were Jesse before anyone else, and Mick was obeying them to the letter. Mick jogged back to the comic shop, where the owner stood in open-mouthed disbelief.
“My bag!” Jesse howled. Bear grabbed it as Diesel pulled me up in his arms and chased Mick.
“Put me down, Diesel!” I hissed. Diesel ignored me as he entered the shop and turned to Bear, who followed. No sooner than I was on my feet, I was back probing Jesse. Jesse took one glance at my terrified expression and allowed my ministrations. Celt arrived with another member of Hellfire beside him. Silently, I stared at Pyro for a few seconds and then continued checking Jesse for wounds. Long minutes later, I was satisfied Jesse wasn’t injured. Mick was snapping instructions on his phone while Pyro and Diesel guarded the door.
Bear patched Celt up with help from a first aid box that the owner hurried over, and Jesse watched impassively. Jesse turned to me, and his eyes opened wide. I didn’t know what caused that scared look to cross Jesse’s face. I twisted, expecting to see the gunman again. As I moved, I shoved Jesse behind me, ready to lay my life down to protect my son.
“Mom, you’ve been shot!” Jesse’s words erupted into the quiet, and the energy changed in an instant. Mick hung up mid-sentence and hurried over. Celt rose to his feet and large hands wrapped around my arms as Celt forced me to face him as he studied my hairline. Whatever Celt saw there, he didn’t like. Confused, I reached up in shock and touched my head and was surprised when I felt wetness on my fingers. When I pulled them away, they were stained with blood.
Mick compelled me to sit while he and Bear crowded me. Antiseptic wipes were applied to the wound, and worried eyes studied my pallor. Sirens screamed in the distance, and I made a moue with my lips as they drew closer. It was Jesse’s turn to hover over me, and he paced back and forth, sending dark looks at Hellfire.
“How badly is Cheyenne wounded?” Celt murmured into the awkward silence.
“The bullet grazed her temple. It’s fine; it shouldn’t even leave a scar,” Bear replied.
“Get your hands off my mom,” Jesse snapped at Bear as he tilted my head to study the wound.
“Son put your dick back in your pants. Your Ma got shot, and I’m checking her over,” Bear grunted over his shoulder.
“And how do I know she didn’t get hit because of you?” Jesse growled. As soon as the words left his lips, my body stiffened. Had I been shot due to Hellfire? I dragged up the memory of the man, remembering every detail I could, but the hate shining from his eyes was the sharpest. He’d known who I was and wanted to hurt me. Was this stranger after Celt and Hellfire and decided Jesse and I were the route to payback for an unknown (on my behalf) insult?
“Who have you pissed off?” I croaked. A blush lit my cheeks as my voice broke.
“This wasn’t to do with us,” Bear denied. Ignoring Bear, which was hard, I stared Celt directly into his eyes.
“Who have you told about Jesse? Who knows we were together? Was Jesse and I shot at because Hellfire has fucked with someone again?” I demanded. Mick took my back as Jesse perched at my side.
“Hellfire is clean, Cheyenne, and has been for a long time,” Celt finally answered.
“Hellfire is filth, and you’re scum. Don’t lie to me asshole, who have you told about Jesse?” I spat, anger rushing through me. No one had taken pot-shots at Jesse or me until Celt tried to gain his son.
“Or was this you trying to kill Mom so you could get custody?” Jesse growled. I blinked as I stared between him and Celt. Their glares were matching looks, and it was uncanny how alike they were. Clearly, I wasn’t the only one who thought so as Diesel studied the two of them and snorted.
“This has nothing to do with Hellfire Chey; that’s the truth. No one knows about Jesse outside of the club,” Bear spoke, trying to play peacemaker. Yeah, right, I echoed Diesel’s snort in disgust.
“Asshole was there,” Jesse said, as he chewed his lip while he thought.
