Ruin’s Embattlement (Tenillo Guardians AIMC #19)

Ruin

So many emotions were pounding through me. Surprise was one. I had no clue that Isaiah was gay. Other than it confirming beyond a doubt he had no interest in my girl, it didn’t matter to me. Once she was mine, I’d begun to let myself like him. The next emotion was disgust. Utter disgust and contempt for his parents. How could they do that to their own child? It was despicable. The last prominent feeling was anger. Desi was torn up over what they did to him, and I wanted to correct anything that hurt her and the guy I was starting to see as my friend.

When we returned to the waiting room, I got her to sit with Mom and Sara, who’d arrived. I knew Wrecker and Cuffs would want to talk to the club members, and we didn’t need witnesses.

“We need to speak to you outside,” I told Dad and the other guys. In addition to him and Tyson, Executioner and Trident were there. Skye was at home with the kids. Walking out into the darkness, we went around the building.

“What’s going on? The three of you look like you want to kill someone. What’s wrong with Isaiah?” Dad asked as soon as he was sure we were alone.

“Do you want to tell them, or do you want us to do it?” Wrecker asked me.

“You’d better. I need to chill,” I admitted gruffly.

Concisely, he and Cuffs laid out the details that Isaiah gave us. Hearing it a second time did nothing to calm me. I expected the others to be upset. What I didn’t expect was to watch my little brother go off. He let out a strangled scream in the back of his throat. He whipped around and kicked a heavy trash can that was alongside the building. Executioner and Dad gave him surprised looks as they grabbed him. He moved as if he was about to storm off. I had no idea he and Isaiah were so close, but it made sense with how Desi and Isaiah had been friends these last few years and how my family liked him.

“Whoa, calm down. We know Isaiah is a friend, but you shouldn’t go off half-cocked. Did you guys talk to him because you were doing it officially, to begin with, or were you called in?” Trident asked Wrecker and Cuffs.

“We got the call from Ruin that Isaiah had been brought in. He had no idea if it was an accident or what, so he called to see if we knew. Another call put us in contact with our dispatch, and all we were told was that he had been brought in from his parents’ house. We told the responding officers we’d look into it. They’re getting statements from the neighbors and his mom,” Cuffs stated.

“So you knew when you walked in, he’d been beaten,” I said, trying not to sound accusatory.

“We did, but we just got the call right before we pulled into the parking lot. We needed to hear his side. I gotta say, I was fucking surprised at the condition he’s in,” Wrecker admitted.

“Is he going to be alright? How hurt is he?” Dad asked.

“They kicked us out to run more tests. I don’t know. Did the responding officers say if his motherfucking dad ran?” I growled.

“He wasn’t there. The wife refused to speak to them without a lawyer. She’s down at the department. They took her there, and they’re waiting for her lawyer to arrive so they can question her. The neighbor who called the police said he saw Isaiah’s dad drive off from the house after he went over and shouted that the cops were coming and then hightailed it back to his place,” Wrecker explained.

“All this because he’s gay. Jesus Christ, I’ll never understand people. Has anyone contacted his brothers? They’re of age. I doubt his mommy dearest will tell them. They should know,” Tyson muttered.

“No, but we can get Desi to call them, or if she doesn’t have their numbers, we’ll track them down, although she’s his medical responsible party. I think they should be given the option to be here. I sure pray they’re not like their parents,” I said.

“I’ve met all three of them. They’ve never struck me as narrow-minded fuckers. They’re like Isaiah. I’ve met his folks a few times when I was with Desi. They have never been anyone I wanted to spend time with. They don’t like most people. They acted funny even with Desi,” Tyson added.

“Why don’t you let us get all the facts, then we’ll update everyone,” Cuffs stated.

“And once you do, is this something we let the police handle, or is this an Infidel matter? Isaiah is practically family through Desi,” Trident asked.

We all exchanged glances. It was Executioner who answered. “Let’s see what Cuffs and Wreck find, along with what Isaiah’s mental state is, then we can talk it over with the whole club. We don’t want to do anything that’ll make him angry with us or Desi. Until then, we wait and pray. I know it’s hard, but we hang tight and wait for news on Isaiah first. Desi needs us here at the moment to support both of them.”

I couldn’t disagree with what Ex said. He was speaking as both my enforcer and my brother-in-law. With him and Omen, I got a double whammy. It was with a degree of reluctance that we went back inside. It was clear by their faces that Desi had quietly filled in Sara and Mom on what Isaiah told us. By the looks of them, Isaiah’s dad might not have to worry about the members or the police. The women would take care of his ass. A part of me would love to see that.

The ER was still half-full despite being nighttime. We gathered in a section away from others. Those who didn’t have a seat decided to stand rather than sit in another section. Desi immediately put her head on my shoulder and leaned into me when I sat beside her. I wrapped my arm around her and brought her even closer. I kissed the top of her head.

“Please tell me the club is going to make that no-good piece-of-crap dad of his pay,” she whispered.

I said, “We’re gathering our facts, and once we know Isaiah is in the clear, we’ll talk to the club.”

“You know that he’ll either get a slap on the wrist or barely any jail time. The only witness is his mom, and she’ll back the dad. She’s protecting him now. That makes it Isaiah’s word against his. Even though the neighbor heard shouting, he didn’t see anything. They can claim that Isaiah showed up there in that condition and make up an excuse for why his dad left.”

I couldn’t dispute what she said. Those kinds of injustices happen every day. I remained silent. She sighed. “I get it. It’s club business. Well, I’m telling you, Ruin. If he doesn’t pay one way, he had better another.” I heard the threat in her tone. My Desi had a retribution streak. After what she’d suffered, who could blame her? I didn’t.

Time dragged on as we waited to hear what the doctors found and be given approval to see him again. We tried to get Mom and Sara to go home, but they refused. It was close to two hours later when Tonio came to fetch us.

“Mr. Vargas is done with most of his tests, and the doctor has examined him. He’d like you to be there when he speaks to the doctor. Two of you can come back, but he asked Desi to be one of them.”

“I want you to come with me, Ruin. Once I know he’ll be alright, the others can see him if they want to.”

“You got it, babe. Lead the way,” I told Tonio.

Within moments, we were back in the same room. Isaiah looked worse than the first time we saw him. I knew it was the bruising settling under the skin more. He’d be sore and a mess for a while. His eyes were slightly unfocused, and the way he grinned at Desi told me he was feeling good from pain meds. His first words confirmed it.

“There she is, my Desi bear. Hey, have I told you lately how much I love you?” Before she was able to answer, he kept going.

“And have I told you what a sexy beast your man is? I’m jealous. Maybe I should kill you and steal him. What do you think?” he mused. His loopy talk made me chuckle, and she giggled.

“Isaiah, I love you too, and when you get off these meds, you’re going to kick your own butt when I tell you what you said. Oh, and if you try to steal Ruin for real, I make no promises you won’t end up back in here,” she teased. It made him laugh.

Tonio had let us go in alone so he didn’t witness the confession. Seconds after Isaiah laughed, there was a knock, and he came in along with a doctor. She was introduced. She didn’t waste time.

“Mr. Vargas has designated you as his responsible party and asked that you be told everything about his condition. First, I can say he’s a lucky man. While he looks a mess, will be in pain, and will take weeks to heal fully, nothing life-threatening has been found.”

She paused to let it sink in. Desi sagged in my arms. I had them wrapped around her from behind, holding her. The ER doctor continued.

“That being said, he’ll need a few days in the hospital just to be safe. Once we feel he’s ready, we’ll send him home, where he’ll need help until he becomes more mobile. Besides the obvious contusions and lacerations, he has three cracked ribs, bruised kidneys, and a broken arm. Whoever did this to him did a number on him.”

“It was my dad. Isn’t he a peach?” Isaiah muttered. Doc’s face showed her shock. It took her a few moments to be able to say more.

“Not the word I’d use. As I was saying, he’ll need help at home. If there’s no one who can do it, we’ll look for alternatives.”

“There’s no need to do that, Doc. Someone will stay with him, or he’ll stay with us. I have a whole club who considers him family. We’ll take care of him, no worries,” I promised.

“Excellent. We’re going to get him moved to a room as soon as possible. If you want to stay with him, that’s fine. There can be no more than two of you, though. Do you have any questions?”

While Desi asked her general care questions, I began to sort through what to do. He wasn’t dying, which was a damn relief, to say the least. This freed us to decide what the response would be. Either way, his dad had no idea the hell he’d brought down on himself.