Page 30

Sunny

H e followed the paramedics into the hospital as Callie remained unconscious. The helicopter landed on the roof, and Callie was lowered to the floor and rushed away. Sunny rushed behind.

They passed through the emergency doors, and a nurse stopped him.

“You can’t go any further,” she said, and Sunny attempted to push past. “Hey! Let the doctors work. You need to book her in, what’s her name?”

“Callie Dixon,” Sunny replied and ignored the nurse’s startled look.

“And you are?”

“Her fiancé.” Sunny had no qualms about lying. It would get him her information quicker.

“Okay, Sunny, is it? Go and book Callie in and let the doctors do an initial assessment. Then someone will come for you,” she said, and Sunny hesitated before nodding.

As good as her word, twenty minutes later, the nurse reappeared.

“Sunny. Miss Dixon is awake but confused and has a bad headache. She has badly dislocated her left shoulder, and it will need popping back into place. She has a nasty gash at the back of her head, and Dr Patrick is sending her for a cat scan. Miss Dixon’s right wrist is broken, and she’s dehydrated. ” “Jesus, anything else?”

“Sunny, was she hiking alone?”

“Yes.”

“There are marks on Miss Dixon that were caused by a struggle. Dr Patrick believes Miss Dixon was also pushed. There are bruises on her shoulders, and the knuckles on her right hand are swollen. We believe that when she was pushed, she grabbed hold of something, and her hand was stamped on, which broke her fingers.”

Sunny’s jaw clenched tightly. “Some fucker tried to kill her?” he ground out.

“That’s our belief. We’ll be contacting the police.”

“Don’t bother. They should be here soon, I reported Callie as a missing person when she didn’t return from her hike. They’ll be here, I came with the chopper,” Sunny replied.

“I’ll keep an eye out,” the nurse said and disappeared.

Despite his neutral expression, inside, he was boiling.

Someone had attacked Callie, one of the most beautiful women he knew.

Sunny didn’t mean just her looks; Callie was beautiful in and out.

Sunny had failed to protect his woman, and now she was injured.

This was the rat. It had to be. They were trying to set him off balance and had succeeded.

They’d lit a fire under Sunny’s ass. They’d made a swipe at someone he cared about, and that was their final mistake.

Sunny was going to get Callie, Liv, and Mom safe and end this.

If he had to, Sunny would torture every fuckin’ member of Hellfire to get to the truth.

At the same time as he swore this, a traitorous little voice asked if it was worth it? What was Sunny fighting for?

Sunny originally wanted justice. He wanted the brother who betrayed him named and dealt with.

But was the price of that name worth it?

The rat was so deep in the club now Sunny was beginning to doubt if Hellfire, when the traitor was caught, would even act.

Sunny had seen Chance’s face when he realised who hadn’t been eliminated.

Chance had been against the idea that those left had set Sunny up to die.

Was all this worth it? Sunny wanted to say yes.

His peace of mind was relevant and important.

But he could easily up and leave the club for good.

As much as that stuck in his throat, Sunny recognised being happy and safe was more important.

His mind whirled with possibilities as he waited for further updates.

Sunny desperately needed to see Callie, to touch her and hear her voice. Every fibre in his body urged him to seek her out and assure himself she was alive. But Callie needed medical help, and he could not interfere with that.

Sunny glanced up and spotted Lio as he entered the hospital. “Any news?”

Sunny quickly updated Lio with what the nurse had told him, and Lio nodded.

“I’ll try and get an update. Chance and Hellfire are on route.”

“I don’t care,” Sunny retorted.

Lio looked shocked.

“I told them hours ago that something was wrong. None of them listened, and they all just passed Callie’s lateness off, kept telling me she was okay.

If I hadn’t gone looking for her, Callie would still be out there right now.

So, fuck Chance and the rest of them. If this had been their fuckin’ woman ten minutes late home, they’d have called in the cavalry. ”

“Shit, Sunny,” Lio murmured.

Sunny wasn’t finished. “Think it’s clear they don’t consider me a real brother. They didn’t care about Callie, she’s just a piece of pussy to them. Clio breaks a fingernail, and Chance calls for an ambulance.” Sunny let his bitterness show.

A cough from behind made him turn around, and Sunny held Chance’s eyes.

“We made a mistake.”

“Screw your mistakes. Tell me if what I said was wrong,” Sunny demanded.

“I love my sister,” Clio defended herself, her eyes wide and shock on her face.

“The fuck you do. Callie’s the weird one, you tolerate and indulge her. None of you really respect her, not even you, despite the fact that you attempted to work with her,” Sunny said to Polly.

“We get you are upset, but you’re out of line,” Tiny interrupted.

“No, I ain’t. How many times have we scrambled when the old ladies have been in trouble? Callie was missing, and not one of you was concerned, apart from me. I don’t wanna hear anything you have to say,” Sunny boomed and walked away from them.

Chance

Chance winced as tears welled in Clio’s eyes. He hauled her in close and wrapped his arms around her.

“I do love my sister,” Clio insisted, and Chance rubbed her back.

“Yeah, I know. Sunny is having a hard time, babe, it’s not personal.”

“I saw the look in his eyes. Sunny honestly believes that,” Clio argued as her fingers fisted in Chance’s tee.

“Sunny’s angry, confused and a whole shitload of negative emotions right now.

Callie, Liv, and Cherry are his girls. He’d take anything concerning them personally.

He’s like me, babe, loves his woman, doesn’t know how to show it and takes her hurt as his own.

Sunny would break his own back to keep Callie from harm.

” Chance hoped Clio believed his words because, no lie, he wasn’t as confident as he made out.

Sunny was a different guy from the brother Chance had once known.

He was secretive, cagey, and suspicious.

Sunny did not trust easily and watched everyone with an expressionless face.

Sure, he’d taken part in events, including the war, but Chance felt and noticed a distance.

Sunny was looking for a traitor, and Chance didn’t know what would happen if and when he found him.

And, sadly, after all Sunny had thrown at him, Chance couldn’t say he believed there was a rat in Hellfire still.

No way could he point a finger at a brother and claim he was dirty.

Chance implicitly trusted every man in his club, and for one to be traitorous…

it would make Chance question everything.

He continued to rub Clio’s back as she sought comfort from him. Chance knew the distance between Callie and her sisters hadn’t closed. Even after Polly’s two weeks with Callie’s team, Callie still held back. Chance didn’t know how to close the breech and hated it caused Clio upset and pain.

Somehow, Chance would make everything right again in their world. They had earned peace. They’d bled for the war and protected innocents. They had the right to live as they wished and not be judged.

He looked up as Lio approached Sunny and watched as they exchanged words. Sunny’s jaw tensed, and Chance had a sinking feeling that it was bad news.

Sunny

“When she due back?” Sunny demanded.

“She’s down in scanning now. Callie should be half an hour. Do you recognise this?” Lio inquired and showed Sunny an item in a protective bag.

Sunny took the bag and frowned. “No. Should I?” he asked as he studied the gold cross.

“That’s not Callie’s?”

“Nope. It’s large and tacky, definitely not something she’d wear.”

“It was found in her tee. I think Callie pulled it loose during the struggle, and it fell down inside it. Sunny, evidence is showing Callie was attacked. She’s awake but disorientated, and the doctors have recommended to give her time to come around. She is asking for you,” Lio said.

“What’s that?” Chance asked, approaching.

“Something we needed Sunny to identify,” Lio replied, going to put it away.

Chance reached out and stopped him. “Can I see?”

Lio handed it to Chance and clearly didn’t expect anything. When Chance stiffened, Lio and Sunny did, too.

“What is it?” Sunny demanded.

“I know this. It was bought as a gag gift,” Chance murmured.

“Who does it belong to?” Sunny snapped.

Chance shook his head. “Nah, I must be mistaken.”

“I said who!” Sunny roared, his temper igniting.

“What the hell is going on?” Tiny asked, approaching. “People are staring.”

“Chance, I need a name,” Lio pushed.

Tiny looked down at Lio’s hand. “Wow, that’s a blast from the past.”

“You recognise it?” Sunny turned to Tiny.

“Yeah. It’s mine.”

The words had no sooner left Tiny’s mouth when Sunny launched at him. Before anyone knew what was happening, Sunny had knocked Tiny into a wall and had an arm to his throat.

“Thought you’d hurt my woman and get away with it?” Sunny snarled.

Tiny choked, but Sunny was too irate to listen. He was seeing red and drew back his fist to pummel the cunt who’d harmed Callie.

Hands pulled at him, and suddenly, Sunny’s feet were kicked out from under him. He struggled against whoever pinned him and discovered himself in cuffs.

“Carry him out,” Lio said, panting.

Sunny was picked up even as he kicked out and fought to get free.

“Dump his ass there,” Chance ordered, and Sunny was carried outside the hospital. He was placed on his feet and automatically headed for Tiny.

“You fucker! I’m going to kill you, you fuckin’ traitor,” Sunny seethed.