Guardian Angel (Angel's Halo MC #3) by Terri Anne Browning
“Not yet, but I’m on it,” another familiar voice called out. I thought it might have been Matt or maybe Tanner. They sounded so similar.
“Baby, can you open your eyes?” I tried to shake my head, but it caused stars to flash behind my closed eyes and nausea to rise again. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I’ve got you.”
“Turn off the lights,” someone ordered. “If she has a concussion, the lights are going to make her head hurt worse.”
Within two seconds the lights had been turned off and I felt only slightly better.
“I still can’t get hold of Doc. Should I call Raven or do you want to take her to the hospital?”
Hawk’s rough hand skimmed over my cheek tenderly, causing even more tears to slip free. “Baby, I’m gonna have to move you. Raven isn’t going to be able to take care of something like this. She can sew up cuts and dig out bullets, but heads are trickier.” I felt his warm lips brush over my temple. “Put your arms around me, baby.”
Something as simple as lifting my arms to wrap them around his neck made me feel like my head was literally going to explode. I cried out in pain and buried my face in his chest as he stood, holding me close to his hard body. “Find Harley’s keys,” he growled at someone. “We’re going to have to use his truck.”
“What do you want us to do with him?” It was Raider’s voice this time, and it was coming from right beside Hawk.
“Don’t let Spider at him. He’s mine.” The menace in Hawk’s voice would have terrified me if I’d thought it was directed at me. I knew it wasn’t; so I just buried my face in his chest a little deeper and tried to block out the pain. “I’ll be back as soon as I know Gracie is okay.”
“Take your time, brother,” Bash’s voice reached my ears. “Spider will let you have your turn at him. Raven is going to meet you at the hospital to make sure that she is taken care of immediately. Tell them Doc Robertson is her regular doctor.”
“I’m coming with you,” Jack informed Hawk, and he didn’t argue.
He climbed into the truck with me still in his arms. When the door shut behind him, he tucked me closer. I heard Jack get in on the driver’s side and the truck growled to life. I bit my lip nearly in half as the trip to the hospital turned out to be nearly my undoing. I didn’t know how much longer I could handle this headache. Nothing had ever physically hurt so much in my life.
Several times I felt Hawk’s lips on my face, heard his ragged breathing. His heartbeat was going crazy, but even that hurt to listen to. When the truck stopped and someone opened the door a small cry escaped me when the lights from what I assumed was the hospital entrance flashed over my shut eyes.
I felt cold, hard hands try to take me from Hawk’s arms as I clung to him as tightly as I could. “No,” I moaned. “No.” I didn’t want him to leave me. Didn’t trust anyone else to keep me safe. Hawk’s arms meant safety. They were home.
“Sir, we need to take her straight back. Place her on the gurney,” a male voice that didn’t sound in any way familiar asked.
“It’s okay, Gracie.” Raven’s voice was right beside me now and I felt her hands on mine as she tried to pull me free from her brother.
Memories of the first night I’d met Hawk and Raven swarmed through my throbbing head. She’d done this same thing that night, trying to get me to let him go so that she could check my bruises and other things when I’d nearly been raped. Sadly, this night was so much more frightening. That night I’d walked away with a few bad dreams, a sore throat, and some bruises. Tonight? I didn’t know what Harley had meant to do to me, and that was so much worse for some reason.
Hawk placed me on the gurney and carefully unwrapped my arms from around him, but one of his big hands stayed clasped to one of mine. “I’m not going anywhere, baby. Don’t worry. I’m right here.”
Seconds later I was being pushed into the hospital where I heard medical personnel running around. At one point the gurney stopped and a quiet, male voice started asking questions. While Raven answered the man, a doctor, I had to assume, lifted one of my lids and shined a penlight into it.
I cried out and turned away from the source of pain as I started to dry heave. There was nothing left in my stomach, but my body didn’t seem to care as my stomach began to spasm. “Severe concussion. Let’s get her a CT. Does she need a rape kit?”
Nausea rolled in my stomach for an entirely different reason. I’d been so distracted by my head that I hadn’t taken stock of any other damage done to my body. I tried to push the pain back enough to figure out if I had been violated while I’d been unconscious. After a moment I breathed a sigh of relief. “No, he didn’t rape me.”
“Gracie, you’re going to be staying with us here at Trinity Community Hospital for a few days,” the doctor informed me. “My nurses are going to get an IV started, give you something for the pain, and then take you down to radiology for that CT. I understand that Dr. Robertson is your regular physician. He will be in to see you tomorrow morning. Until then, if there is anything you need feel free to let us know.”
I didn’t try to pay attention to what was going on around me once he was gone. Hawk continued to hold my hand and I heard Raven’s voice like it was background noise. I tried to block out the pain. When someone stuck a needle in my arm, I barely noticed. Seconds later I felt the burn of whatever medication the nurse had injected into the IV and soon I was drifting off, floating away from the pain.
Chapter 9
Spider
Willa kept blowing up my phone, but I couldn’t stop and talk to her. Not yet. When this shit was finished I would call her back, let her know that everything was okay and that I loved her. Not yet. Not when I was in enforcer mode. When I was ready to eviscerate the sonofabitch that was strapped to an old six-foot-long table in the back of Uncle Jack’s spare parts warehouse.
Bash had told me that I couldn’t touch Harley until Hawk and Jack got back from the hospital. Even then I might not get a shot at the fucker. I wanted to do my job, wanted to make the man that I had thought of as a brother only a few hours ago bleed and beg for mercy before I put a bullet between his eyes.
I didn’t always enjoy my job as the MC’s enforcer, but when it came to one of my club brothers hurting a female I rejoiced in the punishments I would get to hand out. That it was Gracie, sweet and innocent little Gracie… I would have relished every second of the beating I would have given this motherfucker.
But I will wait and let Hawk have his vengeance. Gracie was his, so it was naturally his right to deliver Harley’s punishment. And when Hawk was done, if there was anything still left of the fucker, Uncle Jack would get to take a shot at him as her grandfather.
That didn’t mean I wasn’t going to make Harley sweat thinking I was going to be the one to end him. Although Hawk wasn’t a better option, Harley was ready to piss himself thinking I was going to finish him off at any second. It made me grin as I leaned against the table and ran my eyes over the biker from head to toe, imagining where I would start first.
Stomach. Yeah, I would punch him in the stomach until he puked. Then I would switch it up and start beating on his head. Give him a concussion as bad as Gracie’s has. Make him confused and half blind before I moved to another part of his body. I wouldn’t leave a single inch of him without a bruise. He would be welted up, bleeding, broken bones would stick out from every angle. When he was unconscious, his lung filling up with blood from broken ribs that had punctured his lungs, then I would finish him off. One shot to the head, two to the chest.
“Here,” Bash grunted, handing me his phone. “It’s Willa. She’s about to drive me insane.”
I didn’t reach for it immediately. She didn’t need to know about this side of me. The one that almost relished killing a man. That female loved me more than I knew I deserved, and I didn’t want to give her another reason to question that love.
Muttering a curse, I snatched the phone from my friend and club president and lifted it to my ear. “This isn’t the time, Wil
“There was something I forgot to tell you at dinner.” Her voice came out a little shaky, kind of nervous.
My eyes narrowed and I moved away from the table. “What?”
She hesitated and I could picture her biting her lip. Fuck, just that small image and my dick hardened painfully. I scrubbed a hand over my head, feeling the beginnings of stubble. “I didn’t just have a flat tire earlier. There was a screwdriver sticking out of it.”
“Someone fucking shanked your tire?” I’d meant to keep my voice low, but it came out more like a bellow in my agitation. Bash, Trigger, Tanner, and Raider turned to frown at me. My uncle lifted a brow in inquiry but I turned away, not able to explain anything to him yet. “Why didn’t you tell me that when it happened, Willa?”
“Because I knew you would react just like this. Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to ruin Raven and Lexa’s plans for my birthday. I was going to tell you when we got home, but that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen anytime tonight.” She blew out a long breath. “I didn’t know what you were dealing with tonight, and I wanted to tell you in case it was the same person.”
“This isn’t the same person,” I bit out. “I’m pretty sure I know who did your tire. I’ll deal with him later.” Fuck, I wanted to deal with him now. That little prick was dead if he thought he could play games with my female.
First that stunt at Paradise City, and now Willa’s car? Yeah, I was going to be paying Kevin Samson a visit very soon.
“Stay at Raven’s house tonight. I don’t want you going back to the apartment alone. Someone will be there soon to stay with you and Lexa.”
“Are… Are you mad at me?” Willa whispered.
“I want to be, but no. I’m not mad at you, baby.” I lowered my voice so that it didn’t sound as harsh as it had been the last few minutes. “Go to bed, Willa. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“I love you, James. Be safe.”
“Love you, baby.” I quickly ended the call and handed the phone back to Bash, who gave a questioning look. Shrugging, I thrust my hands into the front pockets of my jeans. “We can talk about it later. For now, just know that I’m about to kill a motherfucker who likes to cause trouble.”
“Awesome,” Matt laughed from across the room. He stuffed a handful of popcorn into his mouth and chewed with his mouth open. It could be said that Bash’s cousin was a little twisted when it came to dealing out punishments. He liked to be front and center, with snacks. Like this shit was a fucking movie or something. “Let’s set that shit up for a main event.”
“Shut up, idiot,” Tanner grumbled from his seat by the window. “Fuck, you are so twisted in the head. I can’t believe we share the same mother.”
Matt chuckled and stuffed more popcorn into his mouth. “We don’t. You’re adopted.”
Tanner jumped up from his chair, fist clenched at his sides. “You—”
“Enough,” Trigger snapped and stepped in between the two. “Shut the hell up, both of you. I’m not in the mood for your shit. Zip your traps and park it, before I end the both of you and put the rest of us out of our misery.”
Neither brother said another word. Tanner retook his seat and Matt went to lean against the wall on the other side of the room. Trigger was normally a calm man. His sniper days had given him the patience of a saint. That he was upset enough to be bothered by Matt and Tanner’s normal bickering told me that he was not in a good place presently.
Bash shot me a raised brow look and I shook my head. I had no clue what was going on with our sharpshooter. I didn’t even think that Trigger really knew Gracie. Hadn’t they just met earlier that day?
“I gotta take a piss,” Harley croaked from the table. We’d tied him to the table with some duct tape that had been in the office. He was almost mummified with the shit. I should have saved a piece for his mouth.
“So piss,” I snarled. “Not letting you up until Hawk gets back.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt Gracie. I just got carried away. She liked me until Hawk showed up.” His voice was appealing, pleading. “I won’t do it again.”
“You think Hawk just showed up and Gracie picked him over you?” Bash demanded. “She’s been sleeping in the same bed with him for months now. It wasn’t a spur of the moment decision, dumbass. Hawk is going to wife that female one day.”
I watched Harley closely. His face twisted in pain, then rage, and lastly fear. Why hadn’t I noticed how mental this fucker was before now? He’d only met Gracie a few hours ago, yet he seemed to have came to the conclusion that she had been into him. And hadn’t he realized that Hawk had found an ol’ lady? Didn’t he notice that Hawk wasn’t screwing around with his few select sheep?
“Has Raven said anything about how Gracie is?” Trigger asked in a rougher than usual voice. “Is she gonna be okay?”
“I haven’t heard anything since they took her for a CT scan. Raven said it was just a precaution, though, I guess to make sure nothing was bleeding or swelling. Hawk was driving the staff crazy so she couldn’t text me too much. She had to help keep him calm down before they called the cops and had him kicked out.” That had been three hours ago. Hawk must have been going out of his mind.
“I’d be the same way if it was Willa,” I admitted, running a hand over my head again, wishing it was her silky fingers stroking over it instead.
“Yeah, I would be going just as crazy if it was Raven.” Bash leaned back against the wall and popped his neck restlessly. “What are we gonna do with his body when we’re done? Bury, burn, cut it up?”
Harley made a choking sound, but didn’t so much as utter a word as Matt and Tanner threw out suggestions about what we should do with his remains. From outside I heard a cage pull up with at least fifteen motorcycles behind it. I opened the door and leaned my head out to see who it was.
Hawk and Jack got out of Harley’s truck and every one of our club brothers were there to greet them. I was glad for the high number in attendance. When I’d made the calls to the others I’d told them to only show if they were going to vote yes to Harley’s death. Since Harley was a brother, and our brotherhood was a sacred bond it took a lot for one brother to vote for another to meet the angel of death. Looked like everyone was in agreement tonight. I hadn’t been doubtful, though. After the whole tragic thing with Westcliffe and the mess he’d left Felicity in, everyone was even more cautious when a brother went rogue like this.
Some might argue that Harley hadn’t really done anything that bad. He hadn’t killed anyone, hadn’t molested anyone. He was a brother, family. Sometimes even family needed taking care of. In my book he’d done more than enough to get my death sentence. He kidnapped an innocent girl, hurt her, and could have killed her with the injury he’d caused to her head. Who knows what he would have done to her if we hadn’t shown up when we had. He could have been planning anything. Who was to say that he hadn’t been about to rape her? Kill her?
I didn’t honestly know, didn’t want to know. What I did know was that I wasn’t going to let him just walk away from this so that he might do it all over again down the road. I didn’t want what he could possibly do to Gracie or some other girl on my conscience because we had let this motherfucker off so lightly.
Trigger hurried out to meet the others. I stood in the doorway watching as he grabbed hold of Uncle Jack and pulled him away from the others. It was still dark out there; the only light was coming from a single street pole closer to the warehouse, so I couldn’t see them clearly. From the way Trigger was tossing his hands up agitatedly I could tell it was serious.
When Uncle Jack reared back and punched Trigger in the face I realized that something big had just gone down. What the fuck? Uncle Jack rarely let his emotions overtake him to the point that he started throwing punches. That he was throwing them at Trigger was even worse. He’d always had a soft spot for Trigger, treated him just like family.
I wasn’t the only one interested in the heated conversation still going on. Hawk
Whatever he heard didn’t make him move to help out either man. I doubted that they would have wanted anyone to, though. Trigger wasn’t backing down from Uncle Jack, but he wasn’t trying to defend himself either.
“What’s going on out there?” Bash asked from behind me. “What… well, that could get ugly.” Muttering a curse he moved around me and sprinted across the parking lot to jump between the two bikers. His voice was booming as he ordered them both to take a step back. “This isn’t something that should happen tonight. We have to get this done before Uncle Jack decides what to do about you and his daughter, Trigger. ”
“I didn’t know until I saw her, Jack.” Trigger’s voice was louder and I could hear him clearly now.
Uncle Jack scrubbed both his hands over his weathered face. His voice carried to me and I had to admit I was intrigued. “You didn’t think to check to see if Shannon had left with your kid in her belly? What the fuck, man? Are you the reason she left in the first place?”
“I came home on leave and things happened between us. I left here thinking that I would ask her to marry me when I got home at the end of my tour.” Even from where I was standing I could see the torment on Trigger’s face. “When I got back, a year later than expected, Shannon was long gone. You said she was married to some moneyed jackass and was happy. When you mentioned a granddaughter I had no idea she could have been mine. I thought she was younger. And you never mentioned what her name was.”
“What the fuck does her name have to do with all of this?” Hawk spoke up for the first time.
Trigger took a few steps closer to Hawk. “Gracie was my grandmother’s name, and I always told Shannon if I had a daughter I would have wanted to name her after the old woman.”