Damnable Grace
Page 86
I wiped my eyes as I drank in the beauty of the bright green trees. The grass was soft under my bare feet. My arms were clean of bruises and . . . there was no pain.
“Mama?” I closed my eyes at the idyllic sound of a softly spoken voice. Mama. “Mama, you are here.” There was no pain in her voice, no fear. There was just . . . happiness.
Opening my eyes, I looked toward the river. Sapphira was sitting on the grass. She was dressed in white, her long blond hair falling to her back in soft waves. And she was smiling. “Sapphira,” I said and ran to where she sat. I dropped down beside her and took her in my arms. She fit so perfectly, like it always should have been.
“Are you at peace now?” I kissed her forehead.
“I am now you are here,” she said and placed her head on my lap. She sighed as I stared at the glistening water of the river. “Can we stay here, Mama?” She looked up at me with her beautiful brown gaze. I leaned down and kissed the freckle on the side of her eye that I adored.
“We can stay,” I said, knowing we would be happy here.
“Good.” She drifted off to sleep.
And I smiled again. Because all was good.
At last.
Chapter Twenty-One
AK
“You think she’s gonna get through this?” I asked Rider quietly, so Phebe wouldn’t hear me.
Rider dropped the bullet into a tin beside him and looked up. Had to give it to the ex-prophet, fucker had gotten his head down and dealt with this shit without complaint. Turned out he took down a few Klansmen in the process too. We hadn’t seen another truck come up late in the shootout. Rider took out the driver and another before one got away.
The one Ash took out before he could kill me.
He nodded. “Stopped the bleeding early enough. She needs more blood, waiting on her type, but she should be okay. Bullet hit to the left of her stomach—no vital organs were touched. Luckily. She should be okay.”
Relief ran through me. I rocked on my feet as he began stitching her up. “Thanks,” I mumbled. Rider’s head snapped up in surprise. I reluctantly met his eyes, and he nodded his head.
“After what Phebe has done for me, for Bella, and after finding out Judah did all . . . this.” He looked at Sapphira and gritted his teeth. He’d been told the whole story of his brother’s trafficking side dealings. Fucker took it hard. Most of the shit had been going on for months, all behind his back while he was still prophet.
I actually felt something close to sympathy for the asshole.
I turned to look at Phebe at the back of the room. She wasn’t there. “Phebe?” I walked closer to the door. I stuck my head out into the hallway. “Phebe?” I tried again. I ran to the bar, wondering where the fuck she was.
Vike was sitting at the bar. “Have you seen Phebe?” I asked.
“She ain’t been in here,” he said.
I ran out into the hallway again and started checking the brothers’ club rooms. Most of the brothers were sleeping or gone the fuck home. I burst out of the doors and into the evening air. Hush and Cowboy sat in the yard, drinking and smoking. “You all right, mon frère?”
“Phebe?” I repeated her name again, starting to really fucking panic.
“Not come out this way,” Hush answered. “Been here since we got back.”
I tried to think. Tried to imagine where the fuck she could have gone. I darted back into the clubhouse and just started checking doors, one after the other—storage, armory, fucking bathrooms. Then I got to the door that led to a break room behind the bar, where whoever was working could catch a smoke or drink. I slammed through and froze in my tracks. An overturned bottle of Tylenol was on the counter. There were only a couple of pills left. My pulse raced. Then my motherfucking heart dropped when I saw a pair of feet sticking out from around the corner. Pale, dirty and covered in dried blood.
“Phebe!” I turned the corner. “No,” I said. I dropped to my knees. “Phebe.” I picked her lifeless body up in my arms. Her head flopped back, and a stab of pain sliced through my stomach. “No!” I looked to her left. An empty bottle of Jack lay beside her, one that I knew would have been full or nearly full when she’d picked it up.
I pulled her closer to my chest and looked at her face. She was still covered in blood, still fucking broken and bruised, and I couldn’t fucking take it. Not again. Not another fucking one.
“Phebe!” I shouted, and heard someone come in behind me. I turned, not giving a fuck about the tears running down my face as I held her lifeless body in my arms. “She’s hardly got a fucking pulse,” I said to Vike.
“What was it?” He got on his knees beside me.
“Pills and Jack.”
“Get her up,” he said. Too many past memories came crashing to my head. Dev, Tina . . . and now Phebe. I couldn’t, I couldn’t . . . “I can’t lose her too.”
Vike’s blue eyes met mine. “You ain’t going to, brother. I swear. Just get her chest up.” Vike’s hand slapped across my cheek. “She needs you, ’K. You know how this goes. You know this shit. She needs to puke that shit back up.” He took hold of my cheeks in his hands. “She’s still fucking alive. This ain’t Dev. She can be saved.”
This ain’t Dev.
His words broke something in me, and I got my shit together. Flipping Phebe to her front, unable to watch for any injuries, I pushed my fingers into her mouth and waited until she gagged. I didn’t run for a fucking bucket, and I had to force myself not to look down at the blood between her thighs or else I’d fucking fall apart. Then a moan came from Phebe’s throat, the fucking small noise sounding like goddamn heaven.
“Come on,” I urged and pushed my fingers down further. A choking sound came from her mouth, and then she puked. I kept going, Phebe’s cocktail of Tylenol and Jack spilling all over the floor. “Get Rider,” I said to Vike.
I leaned down and saw her eyes. They were rolling, fighting consciousness. “You’re not fucking dying on me, Red,” I said. Phebe’s eyes opened a fraction. “I ain’t letting you go.” I said just as Rider came into the room.
“OD’d,” I said. “Think she’s got what she can up.”
“Get her into one of the rooms,” Rider said without missing a beat.
“Mama?” I closed my eyes at the idyllic sound of a softly spoken voice. Mama. “Mama, you are here.” There was no pain in her voice, no fear. There was just . . . happiness.
Opening my eyes, I looked toward the river. Sapphira was sitting on the grass. She was dressed in white, her long blond hair falling to her back in soft waves. And she was smiling. “Sapphira,” I said and ran to where she sat. I dropped down beside her and took her in my arms. She fit so perfectly, like it always should have been.
“Are you at peace now?” I kissed her forehead.
“I am now you are here,” she said and placed her head on my lap. She sighed as I stared at the glistening water of the river. “Can we stay here, Mama?” She looked up at me with her beautiful brown gaze. I leaned down and kissed the freckle on the side of her eye that I adored.
“We can stay,” I said, knowing we would be happy here.
“Good.” She drifted off to sleep.
And I smiled again. Because all was good.
At last.
Chapter Twenty-One
AK
“You think she’s gonna get through this?” I asked Rider quietly, so Phebe wouldn’t hear me.
Rider dropped the bullet into a tin beside him and looked up. Had to give it to the ex-prophet, fucker had gotten his head down and dealt with this shit without complaint. Turned out he took down a few Klansmen in the process too. We hadn’t seen another truck come up late in the shootout. Rider took out the driver and another before one got away.
The one Ash took out before he could kill me.
He nodded. “Stopped the bleeding early enough. She needs more blood, waiting on her type, but she should be okay. Bullet hit to the left of her stomach—no vital organs were touched. Luckily. She should be okay.”
Relief ran through me. I rocked on my feet as he began stitching her up. “Thanks,” I mumbled. Rider’s head snapped up in surprise. I reluctantly met his eyes, and he nodded his head.
“After what Phebe has done for me, for Bella, and after finding out Judah did all . . . this.” He looked at Sapphira and gritted his teeth. He’d been told the whole story of his brother’s trafficking side dealings. Fucker took it hard. Most of the shit had been going on for months, all behind his back while he was still prophet.
I actually felt something close to sympathy for the asshole.
I turned to look at Phebe at the back of the room. She wasn’t there. “Phebe?” I walked closer to the door. I stuck my head out into the hallway. “Phebe?” I tried again. I ran to the bar, wondering where the fuck she was.
Vike was sitting at the bar. “Have you seen Phebe?” I asked.
“She ain’t been in here,” he said.
I ran out into the hallway again and started checking the brothers’ club rooms. Most of the brothers were sleeping or gone the fuck home. I burst out of the doors and into the evening air. Hush and Cowboy sat in the yard, drinking and smoking. “You all right, mon frère?”
“Phebe?” I repeated her name again, starting to really fucking panic.
“Not come out this way,” Hush answered. “Been here since we got back.”
I tried to think. Tried to imagine where the fuck she could have gone. I darted back into the clubhouse and just started checking doors, one after the other—storage, armory, fucking bathrooms. Then I got to the door that led to a break room behind the bar, where whoever was working could catch a smoke or drink. I slammed through and froze in my tracks. An overturned bottle of Tylenol was on the counter. There were only a couple of pills left. My pulse raced. Then my motherfucking heart dropped when I saw a pair of feet sticking out from around the corner. Pale, dirty and covered in dried blood.
“Phebe!” I turned the corner. “No,” I said. I dropped to my knees. “Phebe.” I picked her lifeless body up in my arms. Her head flopped back, and a stab of pain sliced through my stomach. “No!” I looked to her left. An empty bottle of Jack lay beside her, one that I knew would have been full or nearly full when she’d picked it up.
I pulled her closer to my chest and looked at her face. She was still covered in blood, still fucking broken and bruised, and I couldn’t fucking take it. Not again. Not another fucking one.
“Phebe!” I shouted, and heard someone come in behind me. I turned, not giving a fuck about the tears running down my face as I held her lifeless body in my arms. “She’s hardly got a fucking pulse,” I said to Vike.
“What was it?” He got on his knees beside me.
“Pills and Jack.”
“Get her up,” he said. Too many past memories came crashing to my head. Dev, Tina . . . and now Phebe. I couldn’t, I couldn’t . . . “I can’t lose her too.”
Vike’s blue eyes met mine. “You ain’t going to, brother. I swear. Just get her chest up.” Vike’s hand slapped across my cheek. “She needs you, ’K. You know how this goes. You know this shit. She needs to puke that shit back up.” He took hold of my cheeks in his hands. “She’s still fucking alive. This ain’t Dev. She can be saved.”
This ain’t Dev.
His words broke something in me, and I got my shit together. Flipping Phebe to her front, unable to watch for any injuries, I pushed my fingers into her mouth and waited until she gagged. I didn’t run for a fucking bucket, and I had to force myself not to look down at the blood between her thighs or else I’d fucking fall apart. Then a moan came from Phebe’s throat, the fucking small noise sounding like goddamn heaven.
“Come on,” I urged and pushed my fingers down further. A choking sound came from her mouth, and then she puked. I kept going, Phebe’s cocktail of Tylenol and Jack spilling all over the floor. “Get Rider,” I said to Vike.
I leaned down and saw her eyes. They were rolling, fighting consciousness. “You’re not fucking dying on me, Red,” I said. Phebe’s eyes opened a fraction. “I ain’t letting you go.” I said just as Rider came into the room.
“OD’d,” I said. “Think she’s got what she can up.”
“Get her into one of the rooms,” Rider said without missing a beat.
