Take me instead.
Chapter Twelve
Blaze
“Fuck,” I glance up from staring at Mark at the sound of my Prez’s voice.
“What?” I demand, a sense of unease setting in even deeper than it already was.
“Attack on the clubhouse. They’re moving the women and kids to the Pocket,” he says as Pitch Black hits the gas and starts speeding faster than he already is.
Don’t let anything happen to those there. We’d left several of our brothers there and a couple prospects.
Flying down the dirt road leading to the clubhouse, the sense of unease coils within me and I know something’s not right. Something’s happened.
Staring out the window, I take in the carnage of the men laying on the ground further away from the clubhouse and the majority of our men left here were missing.
What the fuck?
Climbing out of the truck I start for the clubhouse only to slow when Venom steps out onto the porch looking grim.
“What’s happened?” Stoney demands.
“Fuck, Prez, it’s not good,” he says, shaking his head then meeting my gaze briefly. “Nothing can prepare you for this.” With that he nods to the doorway. “Glad you got him back. That will be the only good thing about today.”
Furrowing my brows, I step past him and into the clubhouse and come to a dead stop at the sight in front of me. Cane holding my son as Bear has an arm around Raven while she sobs over Momma B’s lifeless body.
“Motherfucker,” Tracker roars.
“I’m going to kill those fuckers for this,” Stoney snarls.
This shouldn’t be happening.
Coming out of my stupor, I make my way across the room with quick strides, cradling Mark in one arm I kneel down next to Raven and pull her into my body with my free arm. “Shh, Little Bird,” I murmur softly into the top of her head.
“It’s my fault. I’m so sorry. This shouldn’t have happened. I was trying to get them to safety,” she cries. Her tears hitting my chest as they fall down her cheeks.
“What happened?” Stoney demands.
“We were moving the women to the Pocket as a precaution. It was the safest place for them since the only way anyone can get in or out once the doors were locked is by fingerprint scan. All of the other women made it to the Pocket, but Momma B and Raven. She was covering Momma B when it happened. The shot came from somewhere high in the trees. Aries has gone out to find them,” Cane says.
“Shadow, Neo, Cyrus, you three go help Aries,” Stoney orders.
“On it, Prez,” Shadow says.
“I’m so, so sorry. I wish I could have stopped it. It was supposed to be me. Not her,” Raven sobs.
“Calm down, baby. Calm down,” I murmur, running my hands along her side.
“Here hand Mark to me, Blaze,” Pitch Black suggests stepping forward knowing I need to take care of my woman.
Nodding, I allow him to take Mark out of my arms. “See if you can’t get a bottle for him,” I say tilting my head to the kitchen. “Cane, can you go with him and wash Matthew off in the sink. He’s covered in blood.”
“Yeah, brother,” he mutters with a nod.
“Before we open the Pocket to bring the women back in, we need to make sure it’s safe, as well as get Momma B out of here,” Tracker says, clearing his throat.
“Where’s Alverez and Raul?” I ask.
“They left before everything went down,” Bear croaks.
“I’m sorry, brother,” I rasp.
“She didn’t deserve to be killed,” he says his eyes filling with tears at the loss of his other half. They’d been through hell together and now she’s gone. “I want who did this to feel what she felt tenfold.”
“And they will, Bear. They will. I won’t stop until this is over. They declared war when Blaze’s house when up in flames. Now we’re going to finish it,” Stoney snarls. “When this is all over with Momma B is getting the send-off she deserves.”
Damn right she is.
“Shit, we need to call Rage,” Coyote mutters.
“Fuck, that’s not going to be an easy thing to do,” Tracker growls.
“I’ll call my son,” Bear rasps.
“No, I’ll do it,” Stoney declares, pulling his phone out and walking away from the group.
Pulling Raven completely into my arms, I cradle her to me as she continues to sob. “One of the last things she said was she’d guard Matthew with her life.”
“Little Bird,” I rasp, my heart aching for her and the pain she’s enduring.
“Raven, sweetheart,” Bear says pain filling his voice. “My ol’ lady loved that boy and did just like she said.”
“How can you be so calm about this?” she asks, lifting her head to meet Bear’s gaze.
“I’m calm about it because I know in the end, I’ll be with my woman again. She and I are never apart. She’s in my heart as I was in hers. We’d talked about this many times after our Jane died,” Bear states sadly.
“Yeah, but it should have been me.” My body stiffens at the words.
“No, Raven, and you know that. Momma B would slap you up one side and down the other if she heard you right now. You were doing everything in your power to protect her and your son as we were getting them to the Pocket. This isn’t on you and it sure as hell isn’t you who should be laying here right now lifeless,” Bear growls.
Raven stays mute for a moment as she holds Bears gaze. Finally, she nods in agreement. “You’re right, Bear.”
“I know I’m right,” he mutters.
“Rage is on his way up with several others from the Franklin charter. I also called Alverez to come back and he says he’ll get one of his friends who is a coroner to come as well and get Momma B for us,” Stoney announces as he comes back in the room.
“Thanks, Prez,” Bear says, standing to his feet. “Now, did I see you carrying a baby when you came in?”
Raven finally glances up to meet my gaze. “You have Mark?”
“Yeah, Little Bird, he’s in the kitchen with Pitch Black,” I say, sliding one of my hands up to brush her hair out of her face.
“I need to see him.”
“I know, baby, first you need to change your clothes get the blood off you,” I advise her.
Nodding her head, she allows me to help her off the floor.
As quickly as she can with my help, my ol’ lady gets cleaned up and changed. When we’re back in the main room, I realize someone was courteous enough to cover up Momma B. I guide Raven into the kitchen. Pitch Black immediately hands the baby over to his sister.
“His name might be Mark but I’m calling him Spartan,” he says.
“Spartan?” Raven asks.
“Yep, Blaze can tell you what he wants but that boy is a fighter.” Pitch Black grins.
“Ugh, okay. Now someone best tell me something. I’m figuring we were set up. What with the way we were attacked and all. But I want to know what happened?” she demands.
Shit. I do not want to tell her this shit.
“Baby, I’m just going to put it to you this way and we’re leaving it at that. Got to the location, it was empty, went in, checked it out, found Mark, brought him home to you like I promised,” I state.