Raptor (Fury Vipers MC: Dublin Chapter #2)

15. Raptor

Chapter 15

Raptor

T he clubhouse is abuzz with excitement. Today, Preacher and Ailbhe find out what the gender of their baby will be. I'm happy for my brother, but I can't lie, I'm fucking devastated that there's still no sign of Mallory. After speaking with Freddie last night, I thought she'd have been here. Fuck, I need to know if she's okay. She's been hiding for months, and I know it's because she's in trouble.

I'm giving her until Preach and Ailbhe's gender reveal thing is over and then I'm getting Freddie on it. He's here today, as is Maverick.

"Yo, Rap, any word on Mallory yet?" Shadow asks, his voice a little distorted from the laptop. The brothers in New York are on a video call with us. They're waiting for the news just as those who are here are. Not to mention, the Gallaghers are here too. They seem to have adopted Ailbhe and her siblings.

"Not yet," I say through gritted teeth. I don't want to get into this shit now.

"They're here," Hustler says with a big grin. "Fifty on it bein' a boy," he says.

I shake my head. That kid doesn't stop trying to hustle. Everyone is used to his shit by now and no one will take him up on it.

The door opens and everyone goes quiet as we wait for Preach and Ailbhe to let us in on the news. "So?" Py asks as they take a seat, not letting them have a moment to collect themselves.

"It's a boy," Preacher announces, and the pride in his voice makes me smile. I'm happy for my brother. So fucking happy for him.

Cheers sound throughout the clubhouse and over the laptop. Everyone's celebrating and joyful. Preacher pulls Ailbhe onto his lap and kisses her. He's so fucking in love. The fucker almost lost it all, but he sorted his shit out and is three months sober now.

Freddie slides onto the seat beside me, his leather jacket creaking with each movement. "Still no word?" he asks, his voice filled with concern.

I shake my head, the knot in my stomach tightening. "Nothin'. You sure she was comin'?"

"Trust me," Freddie says, his gray eyes piercing into mine, "she's coming, and when she does, you've got a lot of shit to talk about."

Of that, I have no fucking doubt. My mind races with all the things I need to say to her.

"If she doesn't turn up, I want her address—" I begin, but my words are cut off by the sudden sound of the clubhouse doors crashing open.

"Fuck," I hear Maverick growl from across the room. My gaze snaps to the door, and my entire body freezes when I see Mallory stagger in. She's clutching her arm close to her body, her face a bloody mess, and there's so much blood covering her that I don't know where it's all coming from.

"Raptor," she croaks out, her voice barely above a whisper as she collapses to the floor. "Help."

My heart lurches as I rush toward her, my boots pounding against the concrete floor. "Mallory?" I growl out her name as I kneel beside her. She's unmoving. She's fucking not moving.

Fuck. What the fuck happened? Who did this to her?

I scoop Mallory into my arms, her body limp and blood staining my cut as I carry her toward the nearest table. Everyone jumps into action. The women take the kids from the room, while my brothers rush outside to see if they can find out what the fuck happened.

Freddie is by my side in an instant, his jaw clenched tight as he surveys Mallory's injuries. "Fuck," he growls, his fists balling up in anger.

"Maverick O'Hara," Callie hisses at her brother. "You had better start talking. What the hell happened to that poor girl?"

The room is silent as I brush my hand over Mallory, checking for injuries. I feel helpless. I'm not a fucking doctor. How the fuck am I supposed to know what the hell is wrong?

"Everyone who isn't a patched member, out," Pyro shouts. This is now club business and anyone who isn't a fully patched member of the Fury Vipers isn't allowed to be here.

"Py, man," I say low. "She needs a doctor."

A heavy hand lands on my shoulder. "We've got one coming," Wrath assures me. "Bozo's friend is a doctor. She's going to help. Rest assured, brother, we're going to find out what the fuck is going on."

I turn and see Denis strolling into the room, his wife no longer here, nor is his daughter, Chloe. "Someone had better start talking," he says thickly. "Freddie and Maverick, the two of you know something, so fucking spill it."

Freddie runs a hand through his dark brown hair. "Last night, I met Mallory. It's been a while. She told us a lot of what went down and where she's been. Raptor, man, I know she wanted to be the one to tell you. But that's fucked now. About six months ago, Mallory was out one night. While she was out, her and a friend of hers were accosted by a fucking O'Leary?—"

"She told me about that night," I say evenly. She even told me she was scared in case they found her. "Stephen killed the guy, right?"

Maverick's brows practically hit his hairline. "She told you what happened?"

"Of course she did. What has happened since?"

"Fuck," Freddie growls. "What she didn't tell you, man, was that she was pregnant. She was around six months along that night. She gave birth three months ago. Congrats, man, you're a dad. You have a son."

The silence is deafening. "I'm sorry, what?" I say through clenched teeth.

"Not getting into the hows or whys about why she never told you. All I know is that she gave birth to your son, and it was when she was released from the hospital that she went into hiding. Didn't find out until last night what actually went down."

"Tell me," I snarl, beyond pissed right now.

"Mallory came home with Shay. That night, Micah O'Leary broke into her house. He stood over her bed and threatened her at knife point. He blames her for the death of his brother. He stabbed her and sliced her open. I've only seen a little of the scar, but from what I've gathered it's a fucking lot worse than she's led me to believe. She's been scared, terrified, that he'll come for her." Freddie glances at her unconscious body on the table. "I guess that fear was right. We shouldn't have fucking let her go home alone."

Maverick nods. "Shit, man, she dropped both Freddie and I home. We thought she was safe. Had we any idea what would happen, we'd never have left her."

"Where's my son?" I ask, still fucking unable to wrap my head around that shit. Right now, I just need the doctor to come and sort Mallory out and to locate our son.

"We don't know," Maverick replies. "She hasn't given anyone the address. But he's with Mallory's mam, Jayne."

"Smart," Pyro says. "Fuck, where's her cell? Surely she'll have her mom's number saved?"

"Prez," Bozo calls out. "Gráinne's here."

A petite woman walks in, her blonde hair tied up into a messy bun at the top of her head. "What happened?" she asks, her voice filled with horror. "God, what happened to this woman?"

"Gra, we don't know. She's just shown up like this. We need you to help her. Can you do that?" Bozo says, his voice soft but firm.

"Of course, but Christ, Connor, this woman has been through hell." She doesn't hesitate to get to work, slicing through Mallory's dress. I bite back a curse as acid swirls through my stomach. From the base of her neck down to her breast and across to her arm has a jagged scar. It's pink and puffy, which means it wasn't done by a professional. Who the fuck patched her up?

"Shit, she's been stabbed. She's bleeding profusely. Christ," Gráinne cries. "I'm going to need a hand. This is going to hurt her. I don't have the painkillers to stop her from hurting."

"I've got you, doc," Maverick says as he steps forward. "What do you need?"

"I need you to keep her still. I need to clean the wound and then I'm going to have to stitch her up." Her gaze assesses Mallory's beaten body. "Someone has been working her over for a while now. She's got old bruises that are fading. Anyone know the last time she was beaten?"

I glance between Maverick and Freddie. Both of them are shaking their heads in the negative. When my gaze catches Denis', I see the anger and rage swirling in his eyes. Mallory is Chloe's friend. She's been a part of their lives for a while now. It's got to hurt seeing someone you care about like this.

Fuck, it does hurt, but she's kept so fucking much from me. She's kept my son from me. Why the fuck would she do that? I don't understand what possessed her to do that. It makes no fucking sense. We've got a lot to discuss when she's awake and up to it, but right now, the doc needs to focus on her. "Anyone have Jayne's number?"

"I have a cell phone here, in her pocket, if that's of any use?" the doc says as she pulls on gloves.

Maverick reaches into the pocket and hands it to Denis. "You'll be the best one to talk to Jayne."

Denis nods and walks out of the clubhouse.

"Brother," Py says low. "I get that you're angry and you have every right to be, but right now, she needs you to have a clear head."

I inhale through my nostrils, taking in deep breaths as I try to quell the rage that's swarming inside of me. "Why didn't she tell anyone?"

"Chloe and Jess have had enough violence in their lives. There's something you have to realize about Mallory. She protects those she cares about," Maverick begins. "When Chloe was being bullied in school, it was Mallory who beat the shit out of the girl who did it. She'll do whatever the hell it takes to ensure those she loves aren't hurt, and for Mallory, adding more violence to her girls was never going to happen, so she kept it to herself until she couldn't anymore."

Anguish fills Pyro's face, and I get it. His woman has had violence touch her, and he's grateful Mallory didn't bring hers to his door and trigger Chloe, but fuck, that's my woman and she's been through this shit alone. Christ.

"Jayne's on her way," Denis says as he re-enters the room. "She's been worried sick. She said Mallory never got home last night and she called her over a dozen times this morning when she woke and saw that she wasn't home. She finally got a hold of her and she said it was bad. She's been going out of her mind."

"She didn't look for her though, did she?" Preacher snaps.

"She wanted to go to her, but Mallory made her swear she wouldn’t leave the house and that she'd stay with Shay. Mallory's worst fear is Micah getting her baby, and I'm not going to lie to you, Rap, those O'Leary fuckers are ruthless and they wouldn't hesitate in killing a three-month-old."

I bow my head. This is too fucking much. I can't fucking breathe. How the hell am I supposed to do this shit?

"It's gonna be alright, Rap," Wrath promises as he stands close to me.

I take everything in and realize every brother is standing close to me. I don't know if it's to offer support or to be on hand in case I need to be fucking locked down.

"Shit," Maverick says thickly. "Hey, Mal, you doing okay?"

"Shay," she whispers, her voice etched in pain.

"You're safe here, Mal. You're safe," he tells her.

She tries to get up. "Need to get to him, Mav. I need to get to Shay."

"I know, honey. I know you do. But right now, the doctor needs to patch you up. Your ma's on her way with Shay."

I've never seen anyone look so horrified in my life. I watch in absolute shock as Mallory knifes up into a sitting position and tries to push Maverick off her. "Get off me, Mav," she snarls. "Get the fuck off me."

"Hey," Freddie says as he starts to help. "You need to calm the fuck down."

She glares at him. "You need to fuck off," she spits. "Get off me. I need to go."

"You're not goin' anywhere," I say as I step forward.

The moment I speak, her shoulders droop and she glances at me. "I need to get to him."

I nod. "I know you do, but you're no good to anyone if you're dead. Let the doc patch you up, and then when she's done, he'll be here with your ma."

She begins to sob. "You don't understand. I think he's been following me. If he has, he'll know where we live. I told her not to leave. Please," she sobs.

"Fuck. Fuck," Freddie hisses. "Mallory, where will your ma be heading from? I can have some men meet her along the way, give her protection."

"Dalkey," she breathes. "Please?" she pleads.

My fucking heart is torn. I want to be so fucking angry at her, but seeing how distraught she is, I know I can't be. She's done everything she can to protect our son. But I'm still pissed she never told me about him. I'd have been here for her. Christ.

"We're on it," Tank says as he, Cowboy, and Freddie head out the door. "We'll bring your ma and boy home, Mallory."

My woman's eyes are closed as she sobs quietly. I can't hold back any longer. I push Maverick out of the way and stand at her head as she lies down. The doctor continues to do her job and clean Mallory's wound. "Tell us about Shay, darlin'."

"He looks so much like you," she says through gritted teeth. "He's such a smiler.”

Pyro laughs. "Must get that from you then. Rap doesn't know what smilin' is."

Mallory's lips twitch. "He's perfect. Honestly, so perfect."

I close my eyes and savor her words. I have no fucking doubt that he's perfect. She's one of the sweetest people I know and I know she's a great mom.

"I called you," she whispers so only I can hear her. "The night I got home from the hospital, I called you. I had wanted to tell you in person, but when I gave birth, I called you."

"I didn't get a call," I say with a frown. What?

"I called your number almost every day since and it says it's disconnected or not in service. I know I should have told you when I first found out, and I'm sorry, but I really did try and call you once he was born."

I glance at Pyro and know that he's heard every word. "Brother, you changed your number when you got here. Your cell fell into the toilet and you had to get a new one."

"Fuck," I hiss. "Christ, I should have realized. Darlin', I'm so damn sorry."

She shakes her head. "It's okay."

"Mallory," the doc says softly. "I've cleaned your wound. I'm going to stitch you up now. It's going to hurt. I have some mild painkillers, but I'm afraid they won't be much help until afterward."

"It's okay, Gra. Do what you need to," Mallory slurs.

"You two know each other?" Pyro asks.

Maverick laughs. "It's Dublin. Everyone knows everyone," he quips. "But Gra works for Jer when needed, and with Mallory being practically family, she knows everyone who works for Jer."

"Unfortunately," Mallory sighs. "They're all cocky like Freddie."

"Sadly that's the truth," Graínne replies. "But I help out as I owe them, and without them I'd never have been able to get my medical license."

The doc begins to stitch Mallory's wound and I watch as my woman doesn't even flinch, not even a fucking whimper. It pisses me the fuck off. This is obviously not the first time this shit has happened.

"Okay, Mal," Gráinne says softly once she's finished. "How about I check your other injuries now? What happened to your face? Anything broken?"

"I'm grand," Mallory sighs. "Honestly, my face is the least of my worries. A washcloth will get rid of the blood. It's my arm I'm worried about. Fucker pulled it out of its socket."

Gráinne nods to Maverick and the two of them help Mallory sit up. She winces as she sits, and I'm wondering if she should be sitting up with her injury, but the doctor knows what she's doing. "Yeah, it's dislocated alright. Damn, he did a number on you, huh?"

"Tell me about it. But I'm alive and that's all that matters, right?" Mal says and I shake my head. The blasé way she's talking about what happened infuriates me. "We have an audience?" Mallory questions, her gaze on the laptop that's still on and has most of the brothers in New York watching.

"Those are our brothers, darlin'. They're in New York."

She nods in acknowledgement. "Okay, Gra, do what you need to do."

"You sure?" the doc asks. "I can go and get you some hardcore painkillers before I start?"

Mallory shakes her head. "No, just do it."

The doc's eyes soften. "Mallory, doing this without pain medication is going to hurt. You don't have to go through that pain."

"Gra, I need to have a clear head. Having painkillers is going to make me sleep and I just can't—" she pauses, her breathing hard. "I'm ready. Please, do what you need to do."

"Okay. I'm really sorry."

Mallory smiles at her before closing her eyes. I watch on, feeling helpless as the doctor gets into position. Mallory looks so fucking peaceful as she sits on the table waiting.

"Fuck," Pyro growls as the doctor reaches for Mallory's arm. "She's not goin' to pop that back into place without drugs, is she?"

"Yep," Maverick growls. "Fucking O'Leary. The sooner we find him and his father, the fucking better."

The doctor does indeed pop Mallory's shoulder back into its socket, and once again Mallory doesn't make a sound as it happens.

"Damn. How the fuck did she manage that?" I hear Mayhem say from the laptop. "Balls of fuckin' steel."

"Okay, Mal, that's in place. I'm going to clean your face and then take a look to ensure you don't need more stitches," the doc tells her, and neither of them talk as she methodically cleans the blood from Mallory's face. She's got a lot of bruising, but thankfully, nothing looks broken.

"Hey," Callie says, walking into the room, her hands filled with clothes. "Chloe and I thought you'd want some fresh clothes."

Mallory glances at Callie. "Thanks, Callie."

"Oh, sweetie, are you okay?"

Mallory nods. "I'm grand," she replies, and I have a feeling she says that a lot actually. "Thanks for the clothes, Callie. I really appreciate it. I didn't even notice that everyone is seeing me in my bra and knickers." There's laughter in her voice, and while I love that she's making jokes, nothing about this situation is funny.

"Mo ghrá," Denis says as he walks toward Callie. The two of them begin to talk quietly.

"We good, Gra?" Mallory asks once the doctor finishes.

"Yeah. Just be careful of your arm and wound. Though judging by the scars and bruises you have, I don't need to tell you that."

"I'll be careful," Mallory promises her. "Thanks so much, Gráinne. I appreciate it."

The doc pulls Mallory in for a hug and holds her tight. "I'll be back in a few days to check in on you. If you need anything, call me, okay? Maverick and Connor both have my number if you need it."

Maverick helps the doc pack up her shit and I move back to Mallory. I can't hold back any longer. I pull her into my arms and she comes willingly, her body shuddering against me. "I've missed you," she whispers.

"Ah, darlin', I've missed you too."

She glances up at me. "Please don't hate me. I'm so sorry for not telling you about Shay."

"We'll talk about it later," I promise her. Right now, I don't want to have this discussion in front of everyone.

At the sound of car tires crunching against gravel, Mallory straightens, her gaze on the door.

Fuck, I'm about to meet my son.