Carmine (Rage MC: The Prospects #7)

Chapter Twelve.

Molly

I stared at the tempest outside the command centre. The storm had broken early afternoon, and it was winding up to be a doozy. No doubt the eruption was also affecting it. I winced as a huge flash of forked lightning lit the sky up. Despite being only four o’clock, the sky appeared unusually dark. I was watching for Carmine and the others. They hadn’t arrived yet, even though we’d been notified they’d found the missing hikers.

A truck pulled up, and five figures jumped out and raced towards us with a dog in tow. I smiled as I saw them entering the building and recognised Carmine amongst them. Happy now, I knew he was safe, I turned back to the monitors. Interested, I checked the last lot of data coming in. The lava had slowed to a stop finally, and the quakes had also begun to ease.

The latest report from the team watching the fissure was that it wasn’t oozing out any more lava, which I classed as a win.

This storm had hit, and the rain was pounding down hard around us. If it continued, it would certainly help cool the lava down. It was too heavy to vaporise and not affect the lava. I know Phoe had mentioned a downpour, but this was unexpected.

An alarm sounded near me, and I jumped as I saw Axel peering over a laptop screen. “Now what?” he grouched.

Chief Howser and several men approached him.

“Is that the flood alert?” Howser asked.

“Yeah. I’m pulling up the coordinates. We don’t need a fuckin’ flood on…” Axel’s voice faded, and I tensed up. “Well, lookie here. Seems mother nature loves her Gateway to the Black Hills after all.”

“What is it, Axel?” Howser demanded.

“Shank’s Gulch flood detector just alerted. We’re getting an alert from EROS,” Axel boomed.

I scurried over to have a look.

“I’m not a hydrologist, but yes, that is a flood alert,” I said.

“You’re not a what now?” Axel asked.

“A hydrologist. That’s a scientist that studies water on and in the earth. They research chemical pollution and things like snowfall, glaciers, and ice formation. They monitor flooding for patterns and liaise with a multiple of branches,” I explained.

Axel sent me a glare, and I shut up. “Whatever. Do we have one of them here?”

“Yes,” Susan said from behind me. “I did request Dr Shaken join us.” A man joined the group and nudged Axel out of the way and opened his own laptop.

“The moment the storm hit, I began monitoring the detectors. Basically, they detect the rising water and send an alert when the levels reach a certain point. That allows us to prepare for flooding. This looks like a flash flood. We’re lucky the sensors weren’t destroyed by the lava path.”

“Here,” Dr Shaken logged his laptop into the big projector we’d set up and we could all see clearly what he was looking at. “The lava flow cut across Rapid Creek at Shank’s Gulch and then followed the route of the creek down. Because we’ve had low precipitation, the water levels didn’t stop the flow.

“The heavy rainfall is being blocked on one side of the lava flow with nowhere to go. This means it’s building up. Water will always find somewhere to go. Now, if we get a close-up of Shank’s Gulch, you can see the sides are quite steep, and the lava flow isn’t that deep. Which means the water will cascade over the barrier and follow the Creeks path, which is the same way the lava also followed,” he said.

“Do we need to prepare for a flash flood?” Howser asked, looking put out.

“I would say so. But I think a lot of this will vaporise as it hits the lava, cooling it down quickly. But yes, plan your defences,” Dr Shaken agreed.

“Anything else going to hit us?” Howser demanded.

“Don’t tempt fate!” Axel boomed.

◆◆◆

Dr Shaken wasn’t wrong. By nine that night, the blocked Rapid Creek burst over the top of the cooling lava blocking it and spiralled down the valley. Due to the intense heat, Dr Shaken was correct; the lava cooled down quickly, forming a crust. But it also meant that it didn’t flood the downtown area like we’d expected. We were all thanking God for small mercies.

◆◆◆

I wriggled in my seat, excited beyond belief. This was my first ballgame experience. It was two weeks since the eruption at Buzzard’s point. Beside me sat Serenity and Jodie, with Phoe sitting next to Jodie. Around us was the entirety of Rage MC. A point was very clearly being made, and several times, we’d ended up on the screens they had.

We were at a rival’s ballpark in New York and the crowds were huge. The number of attendees shocked me. There was a great buzz in the air, and I was amazed at how big a section we took up. The brothers had flown out with their old ladies and all the kids, including the babies. We must have looked an intimidating sight as we arrived together, all wearing our tees with Carmine’s name and number on.

The media had gone into a frenzy on seeing Serenity, Jodie, and some of the others and had tried speaking to them. Only to be shoved away by hulking, glowering bikers. I didn’t realise that Rage held some pretty famous ladies.

A frightening thing was several reporters kept trying to talk to me, but Carmine’s brothers, Cody, Harley and Christian, sent them warning looks and, in some cases, blocked them with their bodies.

Now we were watching the rival ball team warm up as we waited for Carmine’s arriving on field. Carmine had left me three days ago, returning to his club as soon as the doctor had proclaimed him healed. He’d made arrangements for me to come out and stay for two weeks, which Susan had authorised.

I was starting work for her officially in four weeks’ time, something I was ecstatic about. I was going to be based in South Dakota and would be employed at EROS three days a week and the rest from home. Due to the events that had happened in South Dakota, Dr White had basically been told to quit and had slunk away. Dr Bagshaw had taken his place with Susan’s support and my parents had been reassigned to scut work.

Susan remained in control of EROS, which meant she could hire me. She was putting me in charge of the team that was going to study and monitor the Hills for further activity. As Carmine had promised me, everything had come right and now I was here waiting for him to play his first game since we’d met.

“This is intense,” I muttered to nobody in particular.

“It gets worse when they start. Carmine’s team needs to win this one,” Jodie replied.

“Why?”

“It puts them in pole position to win the NL and then they play the World Series,” Jodie said.

“But we’re in the middle of the season, right?” I asked.

“It ends the first week of October. The World Series would start three to four weeks after that,” Jodie answered.

“At the moment, Carmine’s team is ahead by twelve points. If they can extend their lead, at the top of the NL, they’ll go through to the Division Series leading to the World Series.”

Carmine had explained this, but a refresh didn’t hurt. I listened to Jodie once more explaining the game to me and asked pertinent questions. Jodie had just wound up when Harley handed us a tray of hotdogs and popcorn. Behind him, Cody handed us colas.

A cheer sounded as Carmine’s team appeared. To my amusement, Jodie and Serenity both leapt up, screaming their support. Carmine jogged out, and his searching eyes found us. I offered a shy wave, and Carmine broke into a grin. He spoke to a teammate and hurried over.

“Come here, sweet girl,” he called up to me. I was two rows away, and Serenity yanked me to my feet and shoved me down the steps to him. Carmine was laughing as I approached, and he grabbed and cupped my face.

“Wish me luck,” he murmured and kissed me. The surrounding crowd went wild as Carmine broke off and ran to his dugout.

I stood there stunned with a smile and then hurried back to my seat, blushing red.

“You and Carmine were on the Jumbotron,” Serenity giggled as I glanced up and saw myself on screen.

“Oh!” I cried, going even redder and hiding behind Serenity. The crowd laughed, and the screen swapped to the dugouts.

The opposing team batted first. I watched as Carmine pitched perfectly and was shocked when our side jumped up and cheered.

“Is that usual?” I asked Jodie when she calmed down.

“Yeah, a pitcher can strike everyone out in an inning, it’s a good sign for the game,” Jodie replied.

In the next round, Carmine got struck out himself, but they got a home run. Serenity went nuts as the guy raced around the baseball diamond, outrunning those throwing the ball. He slid, the umpire yelled safe, and we all cheered.

Carmine took the pitcher’s mound once more, and again, nobody got a hit on the ball.

“Damn, he is playing amazingly,” Harley said in wonder.

“Two innings and a pure strike-out rate? Carmine’s on fire,” Drake commented from behind me.

“Is that good?” I asked.

“Yeah. Not a single player has got one of Carmine’s pitches yet. If bro wanted to show he was back to one hundred per cent, he’s making a show of it,” Serenity murmured.

The following two innings unfolded similarly. Nobody getting to touch one of Carmine’s pitches, and the tension notched up a little.

I didn’t understand it. We were on our fifth inning, and Carmine’s team was two home runs up while the other team had yet to hit a single ball.

“Four more innings,” Drake stated behind me. “Come on, boy.”

“I don’t get it,” I said to Jodie, who was on her feet. She was screaming as Carmine took the pitcher’s mound. The look of intensity on his face nearly turned me inside out. Carmine was well and truly within the zone.

“Carmine’s on for a perfect game. Shit, I can’t believe we’re seeing this,” Jodie squealed.

I was completely lost until Drake took sympathy on me. He leaned over my shoulder and explained.

“It is incredibly rare for a pitcher to pitch a perfect game. Only about twenty players can boast of pitching one.”

I watched as Carmine struck out the next three opponents, and the crowd roared. The rival fans were booing, but Carmine paid them no attention. Carmine side struck out on their third player, and Carmine was back up to pitch. The tension notched up as Carmine spoke to his catcher and then took the mound.

I leapt to my feet, screaming as Carmine struck the first opponent. The crowd cheered when he took the second player out. The next shouted at Carmine, and I saw Carmine stumble. No! The asshole had broken Carmine’s concentration. The batting player sneered and called something out again, which made the umpire straighten.

The umpire seemed to speak harshly to the opponent and then Carmine retook the mound. Carmine pitched three fast balls and sent the player back to the dugout.

“Holy shit!” Serenity squealed as she clutched me.

Carmine took the stand to bat and faced the man who’d insulted him. The guy was still running his mouth when the umpire stood up and waved his hands.

“What the fuck?” Drake demanded.

The umpire called someone else over, and everyone watched as the opponent was pointed to the dugout. Carmine waited calmly to pitch, but the other player argued back. The pitcher lost his temper and got in the umpire’s face as the crowd hissed. He threw the ball at Carmine hard, and Carmine jumped to one side. Some of Carmine’s players ran over and began shoving the player, and I watched heart in mouth as the other team came over and joined them.

“Shit!” Drake shouted.

“What’s happening?” I asked as the opposing team surrounded the irate man and forced him away. Numerous players were wincing as he kept shouting stuff to Carmine, who stood there with his head down.

“His concentration is broken. That asshole accomplished what he wanted,” Serenity sighed.

“What can we do?” I demanded.

“Nothing.”

There was a yell, and then everyone gasped in the stadium as the irate player dashed on the pitch and yelled something. Carmine’s shoulders curved inwards, and then the opponent was on his back, rubbing his chin as his own teammate hit him hard.

His teammate lunged over him as others dragged him away, and he shrugged them off. We watched as he ran over to Carmine and spoke urgently to him before Carmine looked up. Seconds passed, and we all wondered what was happening when Carmine reached out and hugged the guy. They clapped each other on the back, and then the rival player headed to his dugout.

“What the fuck?” Drake asked.

A man dressed in Carmine’s team colours raced over. “We need Molly,” he called out to our crowd. “Carmine needs you.”

I was down the few steps within seconds and throwing my leg over the barrier. A couple of officials came towards me, but the guy waved them away. He grabbed my hand and ran me over to where Carmine stood. Despite the ongoing commotion, Carmine seemed isolated and trapped in his thoughts.

I stepped into his space and wrapped my arms around him. After a pause, he reached out and firmly gripped me. Carmine burrowed his head into my neck and breathed me in as I rubbed his back.

“I can give you a few minutes. Are you okay to bat?” the umpire who’d evicted the other player asked, approaching.

“Yeah, but could Molly stay in our dugout?” he inquired thickly.

“Sure, son, I’ll clear it with your coach,” the umpire answered and disappeared.

“Are you okay?”

“I am now. I just need a minute,” Carmine replied.

“Take your time,” I replied, leaning my head on his chest. Chaos engulfed us as people shouted at one another. Finally, Carmine lifted his chin.

“Wait in my dugout, yeah?”

“Anything you want. Pitch a perfect game, and we’ll have sex tonight.” I whispered.

Carmine’s eyes lit up, and he laughed.

“Done!” he said. He led me to his dugout, where his teammates looked at me curiously, but his coach waved me to his side.

“Sit with me, girl,” Coach Matthews called.

Carmine winked and walked back to the batter’s box. Both the first and second pitches were strikes. But the third Carmine caught and hit hard. I watched as it sailed across the field and Carmine took off. His teammates were on their feet and spilling onto the pitch as they urged him on. A player slid home, then another, and finally Carmine came sliding through on his own home run.

Everyone cheered as the opposing team was seven home runs down.

Carmine was a sweaty, smiling mess as he walked off, headed straight to me and wrapped himself around me. I didn’t say a word, knowing he was putting himself back in his pitcher’s mentality.

“Ready?” Coach Matthews called.

“Two more innings,” Carmine murmured in my ear.

The stadium was quiet, everyone recognising they were witnessing something special. Carmine took the pitch and shook his head a couple of times before giving a nod. He wound up and threw the ball. Several minutes later, Carmine was back in the dugout. Nobody said anything to him, and his team was all struck out on the next inning. This was it. Inning nine. The crowd was deadly silent as Carmine took the pitcher’s mound.

I felt sick to my stomach as I watched him take out the first two players. The entire stadium was filled with nervous tension. Everybody wanted to see Carmine succeed. I wrung my hands together as the third took the batter’s box. Carmine shook his head at his catcher before nodding. Intense focus on his face, Carmine threw.

“Strike one!” the umpire announced.

“Oh God,” I gasped, grasping Coach Mathews tightly.

He gripped my hand.

“Strike two!” the umpire yelled.

The crowd held their breath as Carmine chose his pitch. He glanced straight at the dugout at me.

“This is for you, sweet girl,” Carmine shouted to me and pitched.

“Strikeeeeeeeeeeeeeee three!” the umpire shrieked, and there was a moments silence. Then everything was crazy. Carmine’s teammates raced onto the field and grabbed, hugged and back-slapped him. I sank down on the bench as Coach Matthews bellowed his congrats. Even the rival fans were cheering.

Players from both teams were flooding the baseball diamond, all offering congratulations and shouting praise. I lost sight of Carmine several times as I sat in the dugout, unsure where to go. Then he was in front of me, sweeping me into his arms and kissing me silly. I clung to him as he kissed me the way I’d longed for. Then he dropped to his knees, and I stared at him in surprise.

“Carmine?” I gasped as he yanked something from around his neck.

“I love you, Dr Molly Balfour-Cherlyn,” Carmine said. “Can’t imagine life without you. You are my everything, and I want nothing more than to wake up every morning with you curled into me. I wanna see my property cut on you and let everyone know I belong to you. You’re my entire world, the dream I didn’t let myself have. Marry me, Molly, please, because I can’t live without you.”

I stared at the ring he was holding. A beautiful emerald surrounded by diamonds.

“Molly?” Carmine urged, looking worried.

I managed to mutter a strangled “Yes!”

Carmine leapt up and snatched me up in a kiss again.

The crowd cheered around us, but we didn’t hear. Too lost in our own little world.

◆◆◆

“Show me that ring!” Phoe demanded as I was returned to them. Carmine had wanted me to stay, but he knew there’d be interviews regarding the incident and the game, so I returned to the others.

I held out my hand as Phoe gasped. “Oh, he knows how to pick them!” Phoe exclaimed and threw her arms around me.

“Welcome to the family,” Drake shouted happily as he wrapped his burly arms around us both.

“Damn, my boy’s getting married!” Phoe said as tears appeared in her eyes.

“Is that a bad thing?” I asked quickly, not wanting to upset her.

“No!” Phoe wailed and collapsed into Drake’s grasp.

Drake rolled his eyes at me.

“What Phoe means to say is she is so thrilled she’s overwhelmed, and she can’t believe her baby boy is getting married. Plus, Carmine is the first to claim someone, and she’s fuckin’ proud of him and happy for him,” Drake explained.

“That!” Phoe wailed as Drake rubbed her back.

“See,” Drake said as Serenity took her chance to grab my hand and study the ring. Jodie joined her, and then the rest of the Michaelsons had their turn to hug and congratulate me.

Rage MC and their old ladies were a little calmer, knowing that I would be overwhelmed, but their congratulations were genuine.

“Any idea why they ejected that player?” I asked finally.

“Yeah. The umpire’s putting in a report. Rankin was throwing shit at Carmine about being a child prostitute, and did Carmine want Rankin to fuck him up the ass. He was saying a lot of racial slurs and paedophilic insults, and the umpire threw him out for it. That’s why Rankin’s own teammate laid him out flat,” Apache said.

“Carmine was worried it might happen,” I murmured.

“Well, the umpire has shown that it won’t be accepted in the game. Rankin’s looking at a ban for the rest of the season. Nasty little bastard,” Fanatic added. He and several of the prospects swapped looks and nodded.

I didn’t know what that meant but wasn’t interested in finding out. I had a man to locate and then find somewhere to have sex. That was my sole focus!