Train's Clash
Page 33
She tried to shove him off her, forcing herself to disconnect from the pain around her throat. However, she didn’t stand a chance of breaking his hold, and she would run out of air if she concentrated on breaking his grip.
Every lesson Hammer and Jonas had taught her flashed through her mind. Arching her body, she tried to shove Kane off her. When that didn’t work, she crossed her arms, reaching for his wrists. Managing to get her feet on the seat, she used her thighs to push Kane over her head. It didn’t work. The Escalade was big, but there wasn’t enough room for her to successfully perform the maneuver.
The wire around her neck twisted tighter, making her almost black out. Using her last chance at survival, she tried to hit him in the nose with the palm of her hand, but he blocked her, which meant he released the coat hanger.
Killyama couldn’t see what he was doing. By the time she saw the flash of a knife, she didn’t have time to respond. The searing pain in the same spot she had been shot two months ago filled her with agonizing pain.
Digging her nails into his wrist, she was able to keep him from plunging it any deeper, but her grip was becoming slippery from the blood oozing out of the wound.
He was ripping her pants off when Hammer jerked him off her, flinging him back. Then Kane ran as Jonas unwound the coat hanger, Hammer on his heels.
“Hammer! Get back here!” Jonas yelled, trying to help her sit up. “You need to drive us to the hospital!”
Seconds later, Hammer slammed the back door shut then jumped behind the wheel. “You okay, Rae?”
Gasping, she held her burning throat.
“Stop, let me see.” Jonas cussed when he saw the wound then asked Hammer to hand him the first-aid case out of the glove box.
Hammer passed it to Jonas. “I told you to wear the fucking Taser!” He drove expertly as he screamed at her.
“Give her time to catch her breath before you start yelling,” Jonas reproved him as he stemmed the blood on her shoulder. “Her throat’s a fucking mess.”
“Is it still there?” Killyama croaked out.
“What?” Jonas asked as he wrapped a bandage around her throat.
“Kane’s cell phone. Is it still in my pocket?”
Jonas helped her pull her pants back on. She was hurting too much to feel embarrassed.
He took out the phone, showing it to her.
“The hospital’s ten minutes away.” Hammer honked at a car going too slow.
“No, drive to our hotel room.” Killyama’s order was given in a hoarse whisper. “I don’t want Shade to know anything went wrong.”
“Fuck that!” Hammer growled. “I’m driving you to the hospital. I can meet Shade.”
“He’ll know when I don’t show.”
“I don’t give a fuck what Shade or Train figure out. I had to watch for years as your father turned you inside out. I’ll be damned if I watch The Last Riders do the same.”
“Please, Jonas.” He was always the one she went to when she had to get Hammer to see reason. “As soon as I give the phone to Shade, I’ll be out of there. If Shade finds out, he’ll call Train. I don’t want him asking any questions.”
Jonas stared at her sympathetically before telling Hammer, “Go to the hotel. Hurry. She’ll disappear if The Last Riders show up.”
“They won’t show, but they will want to know why I helped.”
The good part of being hurt was that Hammer and Jonas stopped arguing when they reached the hotel. It took the two men an hour to get her cleaned up enough to pass Shade’s inspection. She carefully redid her makeup, concealing the lower portion of her jaw that was turning purple.
“Hand me a jacket.” She was afraid to bend over to pick up the leather jacket.
Hammer’s face was grave as he zipped it up, hiding the bandage at her throat. “Little girl, you’re breaking my heart.”
Killyama forced a smile before going to the mirror to apply a cherry shade of lipstick. “You don’t have one.”
“Yes, I do.” Hammer’s pain-filled expression showed she had hit a nerve.
“I was joking. I’m going to be fine. I’m looking forward to the painkillers the doctors are going to hook me up with.”
“Like you’ll take them. You hate to take a Tylenol.”
“That shit is bad for you.”
Minutes later, Killyama let Hammer help her into the SUV.
“Let’s get this show on the road, Jonas. If she groans one more time, she’s going to the hospital.”
Killyama pouted. “Don’t be mean to me. I’m hurt.”
“No, shit. You are your own worst enemy.”
“Not anymore. The Last Riders are.”
When they didn’t contradict her, she wished she were capable of crying.
“I wish it would rain.”
“It rained last night. The skies are supposed to be clear tonight.”
Even the Heavens were frowning down on her. It didn’t matter, anyway. It would take a flood to wash away the damage she had done to herself.
“Rae? You need me to get the nurse?”
Jonas’s concern brought her back to the present.
“I could use some water … and a Tylenol.”
The men fussed over her until she told them to leave and let her sleep.
“We’ll go when you fall asleep,” Hammer promised, settling into a chair by her bed as Jonas stood by the door.
She was about to doze off, but she forced her sleepy eyes open.
“Go to sleep, Rae. No one is getting past us. Have I ever broken a promise to you?”
“No, never.” Letting her eyelids close, she started to drift off to sleep, confident the two men would keep her safe.
They had filled her father’s shoes even before he had died. She used to aggravate them sometimes, talking her father up like a hero, bragging about his military accomplishments. What she could never put into words was that Jonas and Hammer were truly the meaning of the word hero, and she was blessed to have them both. She had learned early on that a father wasn’t a word; it was deeds.
Damn, being hurt brought the sensitive side out of her. She needed to get better so she could show them she could still beat their asses.
“Hammer?”
“Yeah, Rae?”
“When you come back, bring me a pack of gum.”
16
Train was starting his bike when he felt his cell phone vibrate in his jacket pocket.
“Where are you?” Viper barked out as soon he answered the call.
“In the parking lot, getting ready to pull out. What’s—”
“Stay there. I’ll be out in five.” Viper disconnected the call before Train could ask what was wrong.
He looked over at Viper’s house, seeing the lights were on. Earlier when he had come down the steps, both houses were dark since he had slept longer than he had intended. By midnight, most of the brothers and the women had already turned in for the night. Turning to face the clubhouse, he saw lights had been turned on inside there, too.
“Fuck,” Train swore, impatiently waiting for someone to come out and tell him what was going on.
He was almost ready to get off his bike when Viper finally appeared.
Every lesson Hammer and Jonas had taught her flashed through her mind. Arching her body, she tried to shove Kane off her. When that didn’t work, she crossed her arms, reaching for his wrists. Managing to get her feet on the seat, she used her thighs to push Kane over her head. It didn’t work. The Escalade was big, but there wasn’t enough room for her to successfully perform the maneuver.
The wire around her neck twisted tighter, making her almost black out. Using her last chance at survival, she tried to hit him in the nose with the palm of her hand, but he blocked her, which meant he released the coat hanger.
Killyama couldn’t see what he was doing. By the time she saw the flash of a knife, she didn’t have time to respond. The searing pain in the same spot she had been shot two months ago filled her with agonizing pain.
Digging her nails into his wrist, she was able to keep him from plunging it any deeper, but her grip was becoming slippery from the blood oozing out of the wound.
He was ripping her pants off when Hammer jerked him off her, flinging him back. Then Kane ran as Jonas unwound the coat hanger, Hammer on his heels.
“Hammer! Get back here!” Jonas yelled, trying to help her sit up. “You need to drive us to the hospital!”
Seconds later, Hammer slammed the back door shut then jumped behind the wheel. “You okay, Rae?”
Gasping, she held her burning throat.
“Stop, let me see.” Jonas cussed when he saw the wound then asked Hammer to hand him the first-aid case out of the glove box.
Hammer passed it to Jonas. “I told you to wear the fucking Taser!” He drove expertly as he screamed at her.
“Give her time to catch her breath before you start yelling,” Jonas reproved him as he stemmed the blood on her shoulder. “Her throat’s a fucking mess.”
“Is it still there?” Killyama croaked out.
“What?” Jonas asked as he wrapped a bandage around her throat.
“Kane’s cell phone. Is it still in my pocket?”
Jonas helped her pull her pants back on. She was hurting too much to feel embarrassed.
He took out the phone, showing it to her.
“The hospital’s ten minutes away.” Hammer honked at a car going too slow.
“No, drive to our hotel room.” Killyama’s order was given in a hoarse whisper. “I don’t want Shade to know anything went wrong.”
“Fuck that!” Hammer growled. “I’m driving you to the hospital. I can meet Shade.”
“He’ll know when I don’t show.”
“I don’t give a fuck what Shade or Train figure out. I had to watch for years as your father turned you inside out. I’ll be damned if I watch The Last Riders do the same.”
“Please, Jonas.” He was always the one she went to when she had to get Hammer to see reason. “As soon as I give the phone to Shade, I’ll be out of there. If Shade finds out, he’ll call Train. I don’t want him asking any questions.”
Jonas stared at her sympathetically before telling Hammer, “Go to the hotel. Hurry. She’ll disappear if The Last Riders show up.”
“They won’t show, but they will want to know why I helped.”
The good part of being hurt was that Hammer and Jonas stopped arguing when they reached the hotel. It took the two men an hour to get her cleaned up enough to pass Shade’s inspection. She carefully redid her makeup, concealing the lower portion of her jaw that was turning purple.
“Hand me a jacket.” She was afraid to bend over to pick up the leather jacket.
Hammer’s face was grave as he zipped it up, hiding the bandage at her throat. “Little girl, you’re breaking my heart.”
Killyama forced a smile before going to the mirror to apply a cherry shade of lipstick. “You don’t have one.”
“Yes, I do.” Hammer’s pain-filled expression showed she had hit a nerve.
“I was joking. I’m going to be fine. I’m looking forward to the painkillers the doctors are going to hook me up with.”
“Like you’ll take them. You hate to take a Tylenol.”
“That shit is bad for you.”
Minutes later, Killyama let Hammer help her into the SUV.
“Let’s get this show on the road, Jonas. If she groans one more time, she’s going to the hospital.”
Killyama pouted. “Don’t be mean to me. I’m hurt.”
“No, shit. You are your own worst enemy.”
“Not anymore. The Last Riders are.”
When they didn’t contradict her, she wished she were capable of crying.
“I wish it would rain.”
“It rained last night. The skies are supposed to be clear tonight.”
Even the Heavens were frowning down on her. It didn’t matter, anyway. It would take a flood to wash away the damage she had done to herself.
“Rae? You need me to get the nurse?”
Jonas’s concern brought her back to the present.
“I could use some water … and a Tylenol.”
The men fussed over her until she told them to leave and let her sleep.
“We’ll go when you fall asleep,” Hammer promised, settling into a chair by her bed as Jonas stood by the door.
She was about to doze off, but she forced her sleepy eyes open.
“Go to sleep, Rae. No one is getting past us. Have I ever broken a promise to you?”
“No, never.” Letting her eyelids close, she started to drift off to sleep, confident the two men would keep her safe.
They had filled her father’s shoes even before he had died. She used to aggravate them sometimes, talking her father up like a hero, bragging about his military accomplishments. What she could never put into words was that Jonas and Hammer were truly the meaning of the word hero, and she was blessed to have them both. She had learned early on that a father wasn’t a word; it was deeds.
Damn, being hurt brought the sensitive side out of her. She needed to get better so she could show them she could still beat their asses.
“Hammer?”
“Yeah, Rae?”
“When you come back, bring me a pack of gum.”
16
Train was starting his bike when he felt his cell phone vibrate in his jacket pocket.
“Where are you?” Viper barked out as soon he answered the call.
“In the parking lot, getting ready to pull out. What’s—”
“Stay there. I’ll be out in five.” Viper disconnected the call before Train could ask what was wrong.
He looked over at Viper’s house, seeing the lights were on. Earlier when he had come down the steps, both houses were dark since he had slept longer than he had intended. By midnight, most of the brothers and the women had already turned in for the night. Turning to face the clubhouse, he saw lights had been turned on inside there, too.
“Fuck,” Train swore, impatiently waiting for someone to come out and tell him what was going on.
He was almost ready to get off his bike when Viper finally appeared.
