Renegade (Devil’s Boneyard MC 6) Read online

  I turned to check on Nikki, then heard a scream.

  “Daddy!” said a shrill little voice.

  I spun in shock and stared at Fawn, standing just inside the warehouse front door, her gaze focused off to the side. I looked over in time to see Boomer pointing a gun at me. In slow motion, I watched as he pulled the trigger and felt the bullet slam into me a moment later. He gave me a sickening smile as he turned the gun toward Fawn and I let out a roar as I charged him, but the blasts from five guns ended his life before I could reach him.

  A little body hurtled toward me and latched on as I sank to my knees, everything spinning.

  “Daddy,” she murmured, her little voice hoarse from lack of use. It seemed my little Fawn could talk but had chosen not to.

  “I’m okay, little one. Daddy’s fine.” My words sounded slurred even to my ears, and then I started to slide the rest of the way to the floor. It felt like my head bounced on the concrete floor like a basketball and stars burst across my vision.

  Havoc leaned over me. “Phantom has Nik and Stripes is handling Bane. We need to get you patched up quick. You’re losing a lot of blood.”

  “Darby,” I said. “Tell her I love her.”

  It was the last thing I said before everything went dark. As I sank into unconsciousness, I heard Fawn crying as she clung to me.

  I’d been so worried about having a family leave me, that I hadn’t thought about me being the one to leave them. I hoped the club would protect them after I was gone.

  Chapter Ten

  Darby

  “What do you mean he’s been shot?” I asked, panic rising inside me as Dixon told me about the shootout at the warehouse, and how Boomer had put a bullet in Renegade.

  “There’s more, Darby. Fawn was there,” he said.

  I raced down the hall and threw open her door, only to find her room empty. It felt like I couldn’t breathe as I sank to the floor. My baby. How had she gotten past me? Why? It was too dangerous for her to do something like this, and she should have known better. Renegade had specifically said to stay here. She’d never defied an order before. What if she’d been killed?

  “She somehow showed up at the warehouse,” Dixon said, kneeling next to me. “Havoc thinks she hid in the back of Renegade’s truck before he went outside. No one knew she was there until she screamed a warning to Renegade.”

  I blinked at him. “Fawn can’t talk.”

  He smiled faintly. “Oh, trust me. She can talk. She’s just chosen not to for whatever reason.”

  “Is he… is Renegade dead?” I asked, my tongue feeling heavy just trying to force the words out.

  “No. He lost a lot of blood and they had no choice but to take him to the hospital. The club has a friend at the police department so Cinder placed a call. The officer was meeting them at the hospital to take a statement and try to gloss over the details as much as possible. All gunshot wounds have to be reported, so Cinder decided to get ahead of them,” Dixon said.

  “Can you take me to him?” I asked. “Is Fawn with him? Is she safe?”

  “She’s fine, but she keeps asking for her daddy. Demanding to see him, actually.” He smiled again. “She seems rather fond of Renegade.”

  I nodded. My daughter wasn’t the only one.

  “I’ll have someone bring one of the club trucks or SUVs over. Renegade would have my ass if I let you ride on the back of my bike.”

  “Just hurry,” I said. I needed to get to him, to let him know I was there and that I loved him. I couldn’t lose him after just having found him. And I really wanted to hear my daughter speak.

  Dixon made the call and I ran to the bedroom so I could put on my shoes and run a brush through my hair. Once it was tangle-free, I rushed back to the front of the house, peeking out the window to wait for the truck or SUV to arrive. When I saw a big black Tahoe pull into the driveway, I ran for it. Dixon was shaking his head as he got behind the wheel, the other Prospect choosing to walk back to the clubhouse.

  “How long until we get there?” I asked.

  “Patience, Darby. If I speed or drive recklessly, Renegade will have my ass. The last thing I need is to wreck or get pulled over while I have you in the car with me. He’d lose his shit if anything happened to you,” Dixon said.

  I knew he was right, but it didn’t make me feel any better. It seemed to take forever to get there. Dixon pulled into a parking space as close to the emergency room doors as he could get. I bolted from the vehicle the moment he’d put it into park and heard him yelling after me, but I didn’t stop. All I could think about was possibly losing Renegade.

  I skidded to a halt inside and saw several of the Devil’s Boneyard members. I hadn’t met them yet, but I approached them anyway. Two of them had officer’s patches on their cuts. Treasurer and Sergeant at Arms. I went straight to them, hoping they would know who I was, or would at least have heard of me.

  “How is he?” I asked. “Please tell me he’s still alive.”

  “Who are you?” the Asian man asked.

  “Momma,” a raspy soft voice said, then Fawn was wrapping her arms around my legs.

  I dropped down to hug Fawn, tears threatening to spill over as I heard my sweet girl say my name. I’d never thought to hear her voice, and even though it was rusty from lack of use, it was the sweetest sound I’d ever heard.

  “You’re Darby,” said the Sergeant at Arms. His cut had Havoc on it. I read a few of the others. Phantom. Charming.

  I looked up at him. “Yes. I’m Darby.”

  The Asian man wearing the cut that said Phantom smiled. “Welcome to the family. Renegade is in surgery right now. We haven’t heard anything yet, even though we’ve asked. I think Havoc scared the sh --” He paused and looked down at Fawn. “Uh, scared the snot out of the lady at the desk.”

  My lips twitched at how quickly he’d corrected himself because Fawn was here. No one had ever bothered to temper their words around her, and I didn’t expect these men to change for her either, but it was sweet.

  “Thank you, Phantom, but I promise she’s heard all those words before.”

  He nodded.

  I looked at the man called Havoc. “Where’s the person I need to see about a status update?”

  He pointed behind him to a desk in the corner with a frazzled-looking woman in scrubs. I headed her way, Fawn’s hand clasped in mine. Stopping and waiting, I cleared my throat when the woman wouldn’t acknowledge my presence.

  “Daddy,” Fawn said.

  I gave her hand a squeeze and felt my heart constrict at her plea. She wanted Renegade, and this woman needed to give me something to ease the worry filling me and our daughter. It wasn’t right to not tell us whether or not he was alive and stable, or if they’d nearly lost him. Or maybe he was dead already and no one had come to speak to us yet.

  “Patient name?” she asked.

  “Cory Slater Adams,” I said. “Or Renegade. I’m not sure what name he’s under. He was brought in with a gunshot wound. Please, our daughter is really worried about her dad. Is there anything you can tell me?”

  The woman’s gaze went from me to Fawn and back again, her eyes narrowing. It was obvious I’d been really young when I’d had her, and I could see the curl of disgust on the woman’s lips. Uptight bitch. I held my tongue, though. Telling her exactly what I thought of her wouldn’t do me any favors right now.

  “You’ll have to wait for a doctor to come speak to you. I already told those men that. You can’t intimidate me into telling you anything.”

  My back straightened and for the first time in years, I allowed my anger to surface. I’d had enough! After all I’d been through, and now finding out I could lose the only man who had ever been kind to me, I was done being a doormat.

  “Listen to me, you uptight frigid bitch, that is my man in there, my child’s father, and I want someone to tell me what the fuck is going on. Now!”

  There was a slow clap behind me and I turned my head in time to get a wink from Havoc, then I
faced the shrew once more.

  “I don’t know if he’s dying, or already dead. All I know is some psycho who kidnapped his sister shot him and he was brought here. My daughter is terrified of losing her dad, and I’m…” My throat grew tight and tears pricked my eyes. “I could lose the man I love. I need answers.”

  The woman’s face grew pinched but before she could speak a nurse came forward. I didn’t know where she’d been sitting, but I could tell she’d heard the conversation. She placed a hand on the shrew’s shoulder and I saw her fingers go white with the pressure she applied. The shrew let out a squeak and shrank down in her seat.

  “What’s the patient’s name again?” the nurse asked.

  “Adams. Cory Slater Adams. He was wearing a Devil’s Boneyard cut that says Renegade when he was brought in,” I said. “I just need to know if he’s still alive and if he’s out of surgery yet.”

  The nurse nodded, then shoved the shrew out of the way. After a few clicks on the keyboard she looked up at me, her eyes sad. I felt my heart stutter and I sank to my knees, Fawn clasped in my arms. Please, no. Not Renegade. I couldn’t lose him. I just couldn’t.

  I felt the presence of the Boneyard members behind me. Phantom knelt down and put a hand on my shoulder. I couldn’t hear what the nurse was saying over the buzzing in my ears. The room started to spin and I couldn’t breathe. The next thing I knew, I was lying on the floor with seven men in cuts peering down at me, and Fawn clutching my hand.

  “What happened?” I asked.

  “You fainted,” said the nurse.

  I winced. Being weak in front of Renegade’s club wasn’t the way I’d wanted to introduce myself. They weren’t going to think much of me after this. I slowly stood with the assistance of Phantom. Fawn released me and latched onto Havoc’s leg. The big man looked scary as fuck, but he gently lifted my daughter and cuddled her against his chest.

  “Is the family of Cory Adams here?” asked a man in scrubs with a surgical mask tucked under his chin.

  I moved forward cautiously, not certain my legs would hold me.

  “You his wife?” the doctor asked.

  Before I could say anything, Havoc answered for me. “Yeah, she is. And this is his daughter.”

  The doctor gave me an encouraging smile. “I wasn’t sure we’d be able to keep him stable, but he’s in recovery. He lost a lot of blood. The bullet missed his heart and went straight through. He flatlined twice on the table, but we were able to bring him back. Once he’s moved to a room, you can go see him. Just not everyone at once.”

  “Thank you,” I mumbled, sagging against Phantom.

  He was alive! Tears blurred my vision and I couldn’t hold them back anymore. I sobbed in relief, so thankful he hadn’t been taken from me.

  It was another hour before someone came to get me, taking me to Renegade’s room. I wanted Fawn to come too, but they said she was too young. Until he woke, they’d placed him in the Intensive Care Unit. There was a chair beside his bed and I sank onto it, reaching for his hand.

  The steady beep of the machines was a comfort, since it meant he was alive and breathing. He had a tube in his nose and far too many wires coming from various places. I just rubbed my fingers against his and tried to think of what to say. The nurse who had brought me up here said I should let him hear my voice.

  “Our daughter can talk,” I said. “She keeps asking for her daddy, but they won’t let her in here.”

  His chest rose and fell, but his eyes stayed closed.

  “I met some of your brothers. Phantom and Havoc seem nice. There are more out in the waiting room, but I haven’t had a chance to introduce myself yet. I’ve been worried about you.” I licked my lips. “When Dixon said you’d been shot, I was so scared. I can’t lose you, Slater. I love you. So much. Please don’t leave me.”

  His fingers twitched and I leaned closer to him.

  “Can you hear me? Open your eyes, Slater. Please. I need you to look at me.”

  He moaned and his entire hand twitched. I watched as he seemed to struggle to open his eyes, but slowly his lids lifted and he focused on me.

  “Darby,” he said in a near whisper.

  “I’m here.” I felt a tear slip down my cheek and hastily wiped it away. “I’m right here, Slater.”

  “Love you,” he said, then his eyes shut again and I nearly died as the blue light started flashing outside his room and the beep beep of the monitor for his heartbeat went to a constant sound.

  “No. No!” I screamed. “You come back right now!”

  Doctors and nurses rushed into the room, shoving me out into the hall. The doors were slid shut and the curtains drawn. I sank to the floor and sobbed, terrified that he was gone for good this time. The flashing light went off a few minutes later and all but one doctor came out of the room. A nurse paused and gave a nod to go inside.

  I cautiously stepped over the threshold and looked at the bed. He looked paler than before, but I noticed his heart was beating again. The doctor crossed his arms and studied Renegade.

  “He’s a stubborn one. That’s a good thing.” The doctor gave me a faint smile. “He’ll be in the ICU until we’re sure he’s stable and on the mend. I hear there’s a little girl who wants to see him. We don’t permit anyone under the age of fourteen in here, but I’m going to make an exception. Next time he’s awake, press the call button. A nurse will bring your little girl in to see him.”

  “I don’t have to leave?” I asked, thinking about the visitation hours I’d noticed at the front of the unit.

  “Normally, yes. Before he went under for the surgery, he kept asking for Darby. I’m guessing that’s you.”

  “Yes.”

  “You being here may be what he needs. His recovery is going to be touch-and-go for a bit. I’m concerned if he doesn’t know you’re here and we lose him again, he may not fight to come back.”

  My heart ached at those words. I didn’t want to think about seeing that blue light again, or watching him die.

  “I thought the bullet didn’t hit anything important. Why is he having so much trouble?” I asked.

  “He’d lost enough blood that he was on death’s doorstep when he came in. While the bullet itself didn’t cause as much damage as it could have, the blood loss is what we’re fighting. We gave him blood, but his body is weakened.” The doctor moved to the door and stopped. “If you pray, now would be a good time.”

  I sank back onto the chair next to the bed and took Renegade’s hand again. If me being here would help, then I wouldn’t leave until there was no chance of losing him. Someone left a bag next to my chair one of the times I fell asleep, and I woke to find the gift bag. It had a fashion magazine and the latest thriller novel inside, as well as a puzzle book and pen. I didn’t know who had brought it, but I was thankful.

  Days passed and Renegade didn’t wake up again. The police came twice, wanting to speak with him. I made sure they were sent away. I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to deal with them, and Renegade wasn’t awake to talk. I was starting to worry, and I could tell the medical staff were concerned as well. Something was wrong. I could feel it in my gut. People came and went, visiting when they were allowed. The day Nikki came, I gasped in horror at how bad she looked. She had a black eye, a bruise on her cheek, more along her arms, and I could see a cut peeking out of the top of her shirt.

  I remembered Renegade saying she was in trouble, but I hadn’t realized she’d been hurt. I’d been so focused on him that I never thought to ask about Nikki. I felt horrible about it.

  “How is he?” she asked, coming farther into the room.

  “I don’t know. They say his vitals seem good, but he won’t wake up again. I’ve tried talking to him, reading to him. He won’t open his eyes.”

  She nodded. “He saved me. And… Bane, he…” She trailed off, a look of utter despair on her face.

  “How’s Bane?” I’d remembered hearing the name before. A Prospect for the club, and if the look on Nikki’s face w
as any indication, someone important to her.

  Nikki shook her head, her eyes glassing over with tears. “He tried to protect me.”

  “How did they get you, Nikki?”

  Her cheeks burned. “I’d been on a date with Bane the night before, and I’d invited him to stay over. We spent the entire night in bed together, until I heard a noise outside. Bane went to investigate and didn’t come back.”

  I didn’t understand. Why had they gone after Nikki? Or was it Bane they’d been after and she’d just been a bonus?

  Nikki took a shuddering breath. “It was Boomer and his friends. I don’t know if my brother said anything to you or not. Bane and a few others were supposed to infiltrate some party, but somehow Boomer heard about the plan. I don’t know who could have said anything. No one knew except the members of Devil’s Boneyard.”

  “Not quite,” said a voice from the doorway. His cut said Shade on it. “There were some women who knew as well. I did some digging after I got the call about you and Bane. One of the women I reached out to turned on us.”

  “Who?” Nikki asked.

  His lips thinned in to a hard line. “Karley.”

  Nikki seemed shocked as her mouth dropped open. “Ashes’ little cousin? Why would she betray the club?”

  “I don’t know, but Ashes is going to find out.” Shade reached out and pulled Nikki into his arms, giving her a hug. “I’m sorry about Bane. He was a good man.”

  So the club had lost a man, and someone close had betrayed them, and I could very well lose Renegade because of it all. I was angry, but more than that, I felt defeated. Something good had to come of all this. It just had to. There was too much pain and suffering surrounding me. I’d thought by getting away from Boomer that things would be different, but it seemed that I brought the destruction with me.