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“Mac?” Psycho is looking over my head, worry written all over his face. “Mac!”
“She’s not responding! Aleko, call nine-one-one! Bash, get over here and start compressions. ”
No.
What the fuck did Mac just say?
Chapter Twenty-Six
Athena
Jolting awake, my first thought is of Bear. Where is he? What happened? We were kissing and then…
I can’t hear anything other than a really loud ringing buzzing through my skull. The edge of my vision is blurred and smoke snakes down my throat.
“Oh, thank fuck.” Mac is hovering over me, her eyes wide, and I can just about make out her words. “She’s awake!”
Mac’s face disappears, immediately replaced by the only one who can soothe my racing heart. Bear doesn’t speak, he doesn’t have to because his eyes say everything I’m feeling. Pure relief washes through me and I’m pretty sure tears are streaking down my cheeks as he gently lifts me up into his arms.
His chest rumbles, vibrating through me as he speaks to Mac. I can’t make it out and I’m not trying to either.
What happened? I thought it was all over?
There’s a small graze on his cheek, just below his eye, and I tenderly lift my hand to touch the skin beside it, wanting sobadly to make him better and hurt whoever did this to him. Is this how he feels when he sees my wounds and scars?Who did this?He leans into my touch, never taking his gaze from mine as we completely ignore everything going on around us.
The shouts become clearer, more focused as the seconds tick by, and all my strength seems to evaporate as I wrap my arms around Bear’s neck and cry into his chest.
“I’ve got you, Baby Girl. I’ve got you.” His soothing tone penetrates my soul as he holds me closer, his large hand softly caressing my thigh where he holds me.
Everything about it is calming, even in the face of tragedy, and it’s nothing like I’ve ever experienced in my whole life. The warm, comforting sensation fills me completely and makes me want to give him things that have only ever been taken from me.
A wailing scream makes me flinch and try to look around, but he only holds me closer, being careful not to squeeze me too hard. His whole body has stiffened, though, and the wailing doesn’t stop.
“Where is he?! Please, God, no!”
I finally lift my head and see it’s Vanessa shouting. She’s on her knees with several of the men surrounding her, some also on their knees, others standing with a fierce look on their faces and their fists tight.
“Shade!”
“Diablo!”
“Shade! Where the fuck are ya, brother?”
“Fuck this, I’m going in there.” I think it’s Hoops, the president, who begins charging into the burning garages, but he’s held back by the British one.
“Don’t be fuckin’ stupid. Keep ya head on your shoulders and fuckin’ think.”
Everyone is shouting and it’s difficult to make out the rest of their conversation as the sirens of a fire engine echo through the courtyard of the compound.
“Club doc’s on the way or I can take you to the hospital. Your choice, Baby Girl.” Bear’s words are spoken softly into my ear and it’s almost enough to make me forget about the devastation and destruction happening around us.
He’s giving me a choice again. If the heartbreaking cries from Vanessa and the utterly broken yells from the brothers weren’t so prominent, then I would love for nothing more than to show Bear how grateful I am for his sheer presence.
This madness, the shouting, the flames, it all has the potential to send me into a downward spiral, to batter my nerve endings and cause panic to completely take over, driving me to curl up into a ball of protection. But not with Bear holding me so close.
Bear is the antidote to my dangerous mind.
I don’t really want to go to the hospital if I can avoid it, there are a lot of people there and if they want Bear to leave me alone then I’m done for. I won’t cope. I can’t. It’s all too much.