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The Reapers and a few of their ol’ ladies have brought us food a few times so that we haven’t been stuck eating shitty-ass hospital food the entire week. Mums the word on King. No one has seen or heard from him around town. I have no idea how a man like King just disappears without a trace. The obvious explanation is he left town, but to where and with who?
The cartel has been up Cruz’s ass over the missing drugs and our warehouse explosions. Cruz thinks it’s just a matter of time before they send some of their own men to hunt down King. I’ll be damned if I let them find him before I can get my hands on him. I’ve had plenty of time to kill, thinking of all the ways I can torture him by inflicting the most damage without letting him die.
I think Royal’s still up in the air about whether or not his father played a part in Gabriel and Angel’s shooting. He wants hardcore evidence, making certain that his father played a part in this, then he’ll deal with it. But there’s not a doubt in my mind that King pulled the trigger or knows who did. Not that I give two shits about who shot Gabriel, but I know Angel cares, so by default I do too. As much as I hate the fact that she has some sort of feelings for the creep, it doesn't make it any less true.
The guys must feel the same way because Royal asked the head nurse to move Angel and Gabriel into a double room so that it’s easier for us to keep an eye on both of them. He knew that’s what Angel would have wanted. Dante didn’t object to the idea, so the nurses made arrangements, and just as they were about to follow through on his orders, the Sons showed up and demanded Gabriel be moved to a different room on a floor away from the rest of us.
With everything that went down between Gabriel and Dante, I guess they didn’t trust him to look after the man that raised him. Dante told us the Sons have never respected him and now I had the chance to see it for myself. It makes me wonder if they knew Dante wasn’t Gabriel’s son all along or maybe they are just complete dicks. Either way, they damn sure weren’t going to leave Dante in a room alone with their Prez while he’s vulnerable.
Dante was upset, but the two guys who barged in here seem pretty loyal to the Sons, or at least to Gabriel. They called in favor after favor until Gabriel was moved. That kind of loyalty can’t be bought, only earned.
The fighting never ceases between the Sons and the Reapers, even in a situation like this. I should be grateful that both clubs could keep the peace in the waiting room during Angel and Gabriel’s surgeries. Even now, that seems like it was a miracle. Both clubs have no chill and if King were here, it might be a different story.
When Cruz and the chief of police were finished talking, he once again pulled two of the Sons to the side. He later told us that there was no concrete evidence found at the scene tying King to the attempted murders. It’s just a hunch and the police don’t work off those. They will continue their investigation, but as of now, there are no leads.
The Sons swear King is responsible for this and don’t want Gabriel anywhere near a Reaper until he is found. I think we are all on the same page when it comes to King. We all want him found and killed—well, everyone except Royal, but he’ll get on board sooner or later about whether he wants to or not.
The door creaks behind me as Lucky steps into the room. He walks over, handing me a coffee before flopping down on the pullout couch one nurse brought in for us.
“Any change?” he asks. The circles under his eyes have grown darker overnight.
I made him and Brenda go home last night to rest. There’s no use for all of us to be here going insane while waiting for Angel to wake up. They both fought me on it, but in the end, exhaustion won out.
“Nope,” I respond as Lucky throws his arm over his face with a frustrated sigh.
“The doctor said she should wake up any day, so why isn’t she waking up!” he asks rhetorically. “Why her? Why would anyone want to hurt her? I don’t get it. King can’t hate her that much, right? I mean, he saw how Royal reacted when he laid his hands on her. And if it was someone else… was she just collateral damage? Fuck! I need answers, Jax. I need to know what the hell happened in that alleyway.” Lucky jumps up off the couch and starts pacing.
I hate when he does this. We all have the same questions and want answers, but when he goes down this rabbit hole, my mind starts to get away from me, sinking back into the dark abyss I’ve tried to my damnedest to outrun. Angel is the only one who's ever been able to pull me out of it.
“Why was she meeting Gabriel? Did she choose him? Were they going to run off together and live happily ever after? Was sh–”
“Stop! Enough. I can’t keep listening to this shit, Luck. You’re driving yourself mad and taking me along with you. Royal said she chose us, and I believe him. Unless Angel wakes up and says differently, I have to believe she chose us. I trust her enough to know she would never run off with Gabriel. So just quit with the never-ending rambling. I love you, but damn it, man, if you don’t stop I’m going to strangle you. My mind can’t take any more.” He’s never understood my demon. Lucky’s full of light—a light I was never blessed with seeing or feeling. He couldn’t even fathom the monsters haunting me, trying to pull me under. If he could, then he would shut the hell up.
Lucky pulls up a chair next to Angel’s bed. Picking up her hand, he laces his fingers between hers, softly kissing it. I’m staring at their hands tangled together for longer than I realize. I’ve always known we all loved Angel, but being in this hospital and seeing her fight for her life has put things into perspective for me.
I won’t fight my brothers for her affection or her attention. She loves us—allof us. We’ve always been so scared to lose her or force her to choose between us that we missed out on something special. Choosing was never an option for her and I see that now. She always loved us equally, even if we can’t understand how or why.
Angel is our home, our safe place. When the world becomes too much, she makes it better. It’s not right to make her choose or that we ever thought she would. If–when she makes it through this, we will find a way to all be together. Fuck what the world says about what a relationship should look like. We play by our own rules. We always have, so why should this be any different?
Now the Sons and the Reapers are looking for King and we’re all highly motivated in finding him. I just hope one of us gets to him before the Sons do. We need answers and at this rate, he’ll be dead before we can get them.
“You good to stay here until Royal or Dante come back?” Lucky asks.
“Sorry, man,” I respond, swiping a hand down my face. I get up out of the chair and start pacing the room. “I’ll be fine. Brenda is supposed to be here after her shift. Maybe I just need some air for a minute. Can you stay here a little longer while I run outside for a bit?” I ask after realizing I’ve been cooped up in this room since last night. Fresh air will help me clear my head.
“Yeah, just hurry back.”
I nod my head and walk to the door, but just as I reach for the handle, the alarms blare throughout the room. Turning on my heels, I run back to Angel and see her vitals are plummeting. Her blood pressure is dropping and her heart rate is slowing drastically.
“Angel! Trouble, don’t give up. Keep fighting. Lucky, do something.”
Lucky races to the door, opening it and screaming into the hallway. “Help! Someone please!”
An older nurse rushes into the room just as Angel’s vitals bottom out, the line on the monitor for her heart rate flatlining. “Code Blue!” The nurse hits a button on the wall and yells with all her might.
Nurses and a doctor quickly fill the room, telling Lucky and me to stand clear. I look up, meeting Lucky’s stare with tears swarming his eyes. I try to speak but end up choking on the lump in my throat. My breaths are coming in heavy and my heart is racing out of control. The demons start to claw their way into my mind.
This can’t be it. This can’t be the end of us.
