Empire of Savages (Savage Hunt MC #1)

34. Nick

Chapter 34

Nick

The smell of smoke was heavy in the air as my stealth approach to the garage was shattered by my phone ringing. With a tight jaw, I dug my hand into my pocket and silenced the call without looking at the screen. It was only when I caught a flash of the name as I went to put it back that made me pause.

“Baby?” I answered, trying not to squeeze the phone so hard that it shattered. “Where are you? Are you okay?” My heart squeezed. Up ahead, I could see the sky glowing, while black smoke billowed into the night sky, blotting out the stars.

“Nick?” she replied, her voice scratchy. “I don’t have—” She coughed loudly. “—much time.”

“Are you still at the garage? I’m almost there. I’m coming to you.”

“Yes.” Another rattling cough filled the line—hearing it tore something inside me, confirming the softness that had developed for her and only her. I wasn’t about to pretend it was love. I wasn’t even sure I could love a woman like her in the way she deserved, but I did know that I would die protecting her. I would keep her safe, look out for her, and worship her for as long as she’d let me. And even after that—after she found a man who was deserving of her—I would still protect her.

“Alex, keep talking to me, baby.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Sorry for what?”

“For not being able to tell you how much you’ve come to mean to me.”

Jesus fuck. My heart squeezed at the sound of her voice.

Plaintive.

Defeated.

So unlike the woman I first met. Even gripped by that panic attack, I saw the fire that burned inside her. She may have been beaten down by life, but every time she got knocked back, she returned more determined than before.

When the garage came into view, though, terror flooded my mind. The building was well alight, angry orange flames licking out from between the roof and the walls of her office. More flames were escaping out the space where the office door should’ve been, the sound of popping wood and twisting metal meeting the muffled stillness of the night.

“Alex, where are you?” I demanded into the phone, my fears making my shoulders tight. “I’m outside. Tell me where you are!”

There was nothing but silence on the other end, but I refused to believe the worst had happened. I had to get inside and find her. Bring her out. When I scanned the brick fa?ade, I saw the thick chain and padlock on the small door inside the larger garage door. I had no idea how I was going to be able to break through a solid inch of steel, but Alex was in there, and I had to try.

“Baby, if you can hear me, move away from the door.”

I hung up, shoving the phone back into my pocket before pulling the gun from my lower back. I took aim at the padlock and squeezed the trigger. The shot ricocheted, and I was forced to make another two attempts to shoot the damned thing off. Finally, the lock gave way, the links of chain chattering through the handle in the door. Yanking it open, I instinctively threw an arm up against the intense heat of the flames that met me. Black smoke filled the space, ballooning out the open door behind me. Covering my mouth with my forearm, I stepped inside.

Sweat instantly beaded and rolled off my brow. My eyes stung from the smoke, and my lungs and throat felt like they were being splashed with acid. There were at least two different fires burning—one to my right inside the office, and another to the left where Alex stored motor oil and gasoline. The two cars parked in the bays were ticking fucking timebombs, too.

My heart leapt into my throat when I saw her slumped against a car, covered in soot and ash. Her head was lolled to one side, her hand slack and loosely clutching her phone in her lap.

Above my head, the beams groaned like a dying beast, splintering and buckling under the intense heat. I swiftly pocketed Alex’s phone and scooped her into my arms, then backed out of the garage, keeping my eyes on the wood above our heads. With an ominous crack! the timber splintered—ash, sparks, and debris falling with it—and it landed with a thunderous boom where Alex had been passed out only a few seconds before, crushing the car beneath it. Embers were sent flying into the air, landing on my bare arms. But I didn’t feel them. All my focus was on Alex’s soft breaths against my neck.

Out on the street, sirens whined through the air. Holding Alex close, I watched her workshop and home burn, unable to stop it. But also unable to bring myself to care that it was all going to be gone, because there was only one place I wanted her, and that was with me. Wherever that would be.

Alex shifted in my arms, and I glanced down to find her eyes fluttering open. She blinked at me a few times before croaking out, “You’re here.”

Tucking some hair behind her ear, I let my fingers linger on her sooty cheeks, stroking along her cheekbone. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else, baby.”

Her brows suddenly dipped, and she began to cough, her face twisting in pain. Lowering her feet to the ground, I rubbed her back as she doubled over, wheezing. When she could finally breathe again, she straightened and touched the side of my face, like she wasn’t able to believe I was really standing here.

A fire engine pulled around the corner, red lights flashing and bouncing off the buildings it passed. The roar of another engine joined it, barreling down the road and pulling up beside the first. Doors opened. Men jumped out, uncoiling hoses and tapping hydrants.

An explosion sent more flames spewing into the night, and I did my best to shield Alex from the intense heat that was still reaching us across the road. The firefighters recovered quickly from the blast, shouting orders to be cautious of more explosions.

Alex watched them try in vain to save her business and her home, clutching at my forearm, digging her fingernails into my skin. As they worked to extinguish the flames, a firefighter approached, shrewd eyes scanning Alex carefully. “Were you inside when the fire broke out, miss?”

She nodded, another coughing fit gripping her.

“Take deep breaths,” I told her, rubbing her shoulder.

“I’ll get one of the EMS guys to come and check you out. Was there anyone else inside?”

Alex paused for a beat, glanced at me, then nodded. “There was a man in my apartment. He didn’t make it out.”

The guy’s mouth pinched. “Stay here. EMS should be here shortly.” Chin dipping toward the radio attached to his shoulder, he said, “One confirmed 10-45. Code green. Unconfirmed 10-45. Possible code one.”

Alex wrapped her arms around her middle like she was suddenly cold. I brought her into the line of my body, holding her close, offering what comfort I could. I dipped my nose into her hair, but instead of the scent of vanilla, all I could smell was smoke, gasoline, and blood.

“Talk to me, Alex. What happened?”

Her chest expanded with a breath, deflating with her exhale—which turned into a rasping cough. Covering her mouth with her hand, she said, “Maddox called me. He had Bliss. Told me the only way to get her back was to come down to the garage myself.”

The muscle in my cheek bulged. “How did you get out of the clubhouse? The prospects were under orders.” If those fuckers dropped the fucking ball…

“I bluffed my way out. Told the guy on the gate Lucifer needed to stretch his legs—oh my God, Lucifer! Maddox shot him without warning before I could get in the door. Where is he, is he okay?” Alex looked around frantically.

Tugging her against my chest, I tucked her in close. “Bliss brought him to the clubhouse.”

She pulled back, her eyes widening. “Oh my God, Bliss . Was she okay?”

Gathering her back in close—where she was meant to be—I assured her, “She was shaken, but seemed okay. She went with Vox when he took Lucifer to the emergency vet.”

She let out a breath, nodding. Knowing it was Maddox who had hurt my dog made me want to kill him, painfully.

“Who was the man still inside, baby?”

She looked up at me then. “Maddox.”

“I hope that fucker was still alive when the fire started,” I murmured against her temple. “He deserves to suffer for what he did to my dog.”

“He wasn’t alive,” she replied, an internal strength sharpening her tired eyes.

Hooking my finger under her chin, I tipped her face up to me. “You killed him?” My chest filled with warmth—with pride—for what my woman had done. She’d taken control.

“Yes, but I…” She bit her lip, worrying it with her teeth. “I wasn’t the only one in my apartment.”

Shoulders stiff, I asked, “Who?”

She blew out a breath, lowering herself down to sit on the curb. “Reaver.”

I sat beside her. “Maddox’s bodyguard?”

“We both shot him. He gave me the gun himself.”

Why the fuck would Maddox’s right-hand man help the woman he was terrorizing put a fucking bullet in his head?

“I don’t know why he did it,” Alex started, sensing where my thoughts had gone. “But Reaver had a gun on me and the next thing I knew, I had a gun pressed to my hand and we both pulled the trigger. And Maddox wasn’t who I thought he was. He’s the bastard son of a crime boss, whose family?—”

“I know, baby. I did some digging of my own. I know all about Maddox’s father Killian Kavanaugh and the sort of shit he’s into.”

She shook her head. “You don’t understand. It’s bigger than that. He was going to sell Bliss to the Bratva. Or… or the Yakuza. Sell her. Like she was a piece of property.”

Alex continued to talk, but my mind snagged on two words: sell her.

This sex trafficking shit was bigger than I thought. Fuck, it was probably bigger than Kaash thought it was. A man like Kavanaugh wasn’t in the habit of sharing territory—not over something so lucrative.

An EMS clinician came walking toward us, a jump bag in her fist. She crouched beside us on the curb.

“I’m Angel. I’m here to check you over. Make sure you’re not hurt too bad. What’s your name?”

Alex told her as I relinquished my hold on her, letting Angel take over her treatment, but I didn’t move away. I didn’t want to take my eyes off Alex again. Didn’t want to lose her.

“Any shortness of breath?” she asked.

Alex shook her head. “Just the cough.”

“Headache? Disorientation?”

“No.”

The EMS listened to her chest for a moment before looping the stethoscope back over her neck when she was done. “Your lungs sound clear. Let’s take a pulse ox reading then we’ll load you on the bus and take you to hospital.” Angel clipped a reader to Alex’s index finger and hit a few buttons on a machine.

“Hospital?” I asked.

“Sir, she needs to have a steady stream of oxygen delivered to her lungs for the next few hours. She also needs to be kept under observation in case something else crops up. It’s SOP, sir.”

“I’m coming with you, then.”

The EMS gave me a hard look, like I was the one who had started the fucking fire. Her dark-brown eyes traveled over my neck tattoos and down to the ink on my arm, then to my cut. “I don’t want any fucking trouble.”

“You won’t get any.”

The woman looked to Alex. “You want this guy to come with you?”

“Yes.”

She grunted, pulling the reader from Alex’s finger and packing things back into her bag. “I’ll come and get you when the ambulance arrives.”

Pulling Alex back into my lap, we watched the fire take hold despite the firefighters’ best efforts. Her shoulders started to shake. Hushing her, I pressed my face against hers and did what I could to calm her down.

“It’s going to be okay.”

“What am I going to do? My business is gone. The fire won’t be deemed an accident. Insurance won’t pay. Reaver used gasoline to fuel it.”

“Reaver lit the fire?”

She bobbed her head. “After we shot Maddox, he left and I thought it was over. That I was safe. When I came downstairs, the place was alight, and the door was chained.”

“That motherfucking cunt.”

“What about Bliss?” she whispered, flinching when more beams buckled and crashed down to the floor. The firefighters all withdrew, shouting at other team members to stay back as the structural integrity was lost.

“People like Bliss always land on their feet. She’ll find another job.”

“Where am I going to live?”

“With me, baby. Although, we have to leave Detroit. Probably tonight after they release you from hospital.”

“Why do we have to leave?”

I pressed a kiss to her forehead, so fucking happy she didn’t question my statement. She would stay with me. She chose me. Dipping my mouth closer to her ear, I explained, “I killed Gunnar tonight. He admitted he shot my brother.”

Her fingers tightened on my arm. “Why did he do it?”

“Kaash had promised to bring him into his side business, but in order to prove himself, Gunnar had to remove some obstacles for him. I was one. Rixon the other.” I paused for a beat. “Your father was the final target.”

I felt her stiffen against me. Saw her pulse pounding in her neck. She looked up at me with her guileless blue eyes. “You know who I am?” It was a whispered question, but it sounded like a gunshot ringing in my ears.

“I’ve known since the night after the party.”

Waiting for her to speak again was torture—a torture I fucking deserved—because the thought of hurting her now made me want to put a gun to my head and pull the trigger. It looked as if she was replaying a conversation in her head, and the outcome of it wasn’t in my favor.

Shaking her head, she asked, “Was any of it real?”

“Everything was real, baby.”

Slipping from my arms, she took her seat beside me. “Were you just using me to get to my father.”

I clamped my jaw shut. Choosing to lie would be the easy thing to do, but I didn’t want to lie to her. She deserved more than that. And if there was any chance of us sharing a life together, I wanted to start with no secrets between us.

“At first, yes.”

Her eyes widened. “But not anymore?” I shook my head. “What changed your mind?”

I took her hand, grateful that she let me at all. “You did, Alex. Once I got to know what kind of woman you are, I knew I couldn’t sacrifice you for my revenge. Plus, it became clear after a while that your father had nothing to do with my brother’s murder. Kaash spun lies into a web of deception and misdirection to serve his purpose. Once I realized that, using you was the furthest thing from my mind.”

She seemed to contemplate that for a moment, her brows drawn until a little divot appeared between her eyes.

“Alex—”

“All right, Alex, we’re ready for you.” Angel’s reappearance had me gnashing my teeth. I rose to my feet, helping Alex up before Angel could offer. Slowly, we made our way to the back of the ambulance, where I helped her onto the gurney. Angel got into the back, and I slid into what was left in the small space. Alex refused to look at me, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. The ride to the hospital wasn’t a lights and siren affair, but as soon as we hit any traffic, the driver hit the siren to move through it.

By the time we reached the hospital, I felt ready to peel myself out of my skin. The conversation between me and Alex was still ringing in my ears as I tried to dissect it. Find anything that would indicate what Alex was turning over in her head at this very moment. We jolted to a stop and the rear doors opened. Alex was unloaded, leaving me to climb out after her.

But as they started wheeling her in, an orderly stopped me. “You family?” he asked.

“No.”

His eyes traveled over me, just as Angel’s had. I knew what they were seeing too. The MC member. The guy covered in tattoos. The ex-con with a chip on his shoulder. “You can come back tomorrow during visiting hours.”

My hands clenched into fists. “I’m staying with her,” I gritted out.

He put his hands up in front of him. “Sorry, man. Hospital policy. If you want to park it in the waiting area, you can, but no information will be given to you.”

He turned and walked back into the ED, the automatic doors shutting behind him.

Shoving my hand into my pocket, I pulled out my phone and dialed Vox.

“Did you get her out?” he asked as soon as he picked up.

I ran a hand through my hair. “Out, but not unharmed.”

“What happened?”

“She killed him, but his cocksucking bodyguard locked her inside and torched the place.”

“Motherfucking cunt. Is she all right?”

“She was just admitted to hospital. I’m not allowed to see her until tomorrow.” I let out a string of curses, resisting the urge to fucking plow my fist through the side of the nearby ambulance.

“You care about her.”

Vox’s statement caught me off guard, although it shouldn’t have. From the moment I saw her, this was where I knew I’d find myself—going out of my fucking mind knowing she’d been hurt by a psychopathic narcissist.

Clearing my throat, I asked, “How’s the mutt?”

“He’s in emergency surgery right now. The vet said the bullet fractured his hip bone.”

My stomach dropped, and a panic I wasn’t expecting flooded my veins. “Is he going to be okay?”

“No way to tell until after the surgery. The vet said she’d keep me updated.”

“Where are you now?”

“I just took Bliss home. I’m on my way back to the clubhouse.”

“I’ll meet you there.”