Page 31 of One (The Towns Syndicate #2)

Boogie

O ne second, she was behind me and the next I was on the floor as bullets were coming at us from all directions.

I’m glad she had stayed in the house, but lying here as the triplets, Mars, Roman and the team did their thing, sucked.

I crawled to King who was surrounded by everyone, hoping to protect him with my body, the last thing we needed was for him to be hit again.

I pressed my cheek against his and I hated how hot his body was. His breathing had quickened, and his skin looked extremely pale and pasty. My heart hurt as I thought about what the fuck would happen if he died.

“You’re not allowed to leave us,” I growled. “You hear me. You can’t leave us.”

King mumbled something and it lit a fire under my ass. I got up, even though my body screamed for me to sit down. There was a gun near me, I grabbed it and checked the magazine, grabbing an extra from Ruger who looked at me in shock.

“Cover me,” I snapped, taking a deep breath.

I walked out of the cover towards the shooting, hitting the first guy and then the second guy. I ran around to the edge of the property, taking out two more guys and then the third while the adrenaline dulled the pain in my body.

The triplets took my lead and ran to the other side of the property to get rid of the guys on that end. I didn’t wait for anyone as I went back into the house, but it was locked.

“Little One, open up!” I growled and knocked on the door. “I looked in the window and the house was empty. “Shit.”

I ran around the house knowing something wasn't right, and I yelled for her, like an idiot. A figure walked towards me as I raised my gun. It was Ally, blood coming down the right side of her face with a small smile on her face before she collapsed.

“Win!!” I yelled and I slid next to her.

She was covered in blood, but she was breathing. “Little One.” I ran my hands over her. “Open your eyes. Please, I can’t lose you either. Ally, dammit.”

My heart ached as I thought about the possibility that I might lose them. The only family I had, the only people I cared for, and the only people who cared for me.

“Win!” I screamed.

“Fuck,” he said looking over her. “Boogie, you have to release her, I need to look her over.”

I nodded, not ready to let her go, my arms physically couldn’t let her go.

“Boogie, let go of her.”

I flinched when I noticed Mav next to me. Letting her go felt like breaking my own arm. I slowly let her go and Win got to work.

The next hour was a rush of getting everyone stable, into a car and rushing to Doc’s secret hospital. Ruger carried Ally. Mars and Win brought in King.

Mav took me into the waiting room and then into what looked like a hospital room to be checked out.

She held my hand as a woman checked on me.

I had a few broken ribs from getting the shit kicked out of me repeatedly and a lot of bruises and cuts, some that needed a few stitches but nothing like King and Ally.

Waiting was agony.

The silence was unbearable.

Each minute a piece of me broke, my mind conjured up the worst scenarios. When Doc came to me, I had promised myself, I wouldn’t live in a world without them. His face was grim, exhausted, which made him look years older and I couldn’t look at him anymore. This was it.

My lip trembled as I let my head hang between my shoulders, waiting for him to tell me that my reasons to live had left this world.

“King is stable, but the next forty-eight hours are going to be crucial. One infection was close to his lungs and I’m worried that we got to him too late.”

I clenched my hands as a single tear slid down my cheek.

“Ally is doing well, other than blood loss and the repair I had to do to her face. The bullet to her chest hit her vest but the knife to her shoulder might prove difficult for her to gain mobility. Her thigh as well, but with therapy I think she should do well, we just need her to wake up.”

I looked up as another tear rolled down my cheek.

“What do you mean wake up?” My voice was hoarse.

“She’s… in a coma,” Doc said, his voice somber.

“Why do you say it like that, Doc?” I asked, standing up quickly.

“We are not sure why she isn't waking up. I don't have everything I need to diagnose her,” he said warily.

“What the fuck does that mean?” I snapped, stepping towards him.

“Boogie, I’m not fully equipped like a true hospital, I do what I can and?—”

I grabbed him by the shirt. “If she fucking dies, I will end you, and I will make sure you will feel everything.”

“Boogie.” Mav grabbed my hand. “He’s doing what he can.”

“I promise I will do everything in my power to make sure she wakes up,” he said with conviction.

I nodded, letting him go as I felt like my world was threatening to crumble.

“Can we see either of them?” Mav asked.

“King is down the hall to the right,” Doc said, clapping my shoulder.

“Thanks, Doc, and sorry,” I mumbled.

He chuckled. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

“Come on Boog, let's go see King and then your Ally,” Mav said, pulling me towards the hallway.

Winchester walked towards us in a pair of scrubs looking exhausted.

“Hey, I was just about to get you,” he said, stopping at the door I assumed was King’s.

“King is over here, and they’ll be bringing Ally over here,” he said pointing to the room across the hallway.

I nodded, walking into King's room, pausing at the doorway not prepared to see him. This wasn’t the man who ran Halloween Town with me. He looked frail, gauntly and nothing like the man who saved me all those years ago.

“Fuck,” I said, barely swallowing the emotion bubbling up.

I didn’t know what to do. King was the one who took care of me, pulled me out of the dark, saved me and now what the hell would I do without him. I wasn’t the savior. I was the one you called to bring death, to hear screams at night, to finish the job.

I always thought I would die first.

“Come on,” Mav said softly, pushing me towards the bed.

It almost felt like I was walking to my death and not to the man who had saved me.

I didn’t know how to divide my attention between Ally, King, and running two towns.

At one point, I wanted to bring them to Halloween Town and pay Doc to bring everything with him.

Winchester quickly made that thought die, when he said they might die if we needed to get them into surgery and we didn’t have everything on hand.

I slept hunched over in chairs at each of their beds as Mars, Roman and Lance ran our Towns. Sitting still and waiting for them to wake up was unnerving. Each time either one of them moved or their eyes moved, my heart lurched in excitement, thinking this was it.

I stood up from the chair I occupied in Ally's room, stretching my back, and wincing at the pain that was still in my ribs. All this slouching wasn't doing me any good, but I didn’t care about me. I was too worried about them.

Ally looked serene in her sleep, and even more like our doll with the stitches on her face. I kissed her forehead, resting mine against hers as I whispered, “Come back to me. We need you.”

I said it to both of them each time I left their room, hoping they would remember to fight for me, for us. One more kiss before I walked to King's room to switch with one of the triplets so they were never alone.

“I’m going to go get something to eat, want something?” Ruger asked, standing, stretching like I had.

I shook my head, taking the seat next to King, intertwining our hands and laying my head on them.

“Boss, I think you need to eat something you haven’t?—”

I glared at Mav, shutting her up.

“We are trying to take care of you. You can’t give up while they are still fighting,” Win said.

I rolled my eyes. “Fine, get me whatever.” I laid my head back down, closing my eyes, so exhausted from the past two days like this.

A hand brushed through my hair and I nuzzled into King’s and my hands. The gesture felt nice and for a moment I pretended it was King.

“Hey.” A scratchy voice said.

I abruptly sat up seeing King’s eyes open.

“Holy shit!” I sat up too quickly and winced in pain. “Are you ok? How are you feeling? Do you need anything? Are you ok?”

He chuckled and it turned into a cough.

“Shit.” I looked around for a glass of water and found an unopened water bottle.

I quickly got it, opened it for him and he took a few sips. He sighed trying to drink more water as I took it away.

“More,” he tried with another growl.

I shook my head. “I have to get Doc. Fuck I’ve missed you.” I couldn’t help myself; I kissed King softly. He grabbed ahold of me and I wrapped my arms around him as a piece of me found its way back to me.

“Don’t ever do that to me again,” I said hoarsely.

“Are you ok?” he asked as I pulled away, inspecting me. “Ally? How the hell did we escape?”

“Our little hell-bringer got us out, but she didn’t escape unscathed,” I sighed. “She’s next door in a coma.”

“Fuck, so much for keeping her safe.” He winced. “I want to see her.”

“Let me go get Doc and see how you're doing first,” I said, kissing his forehead.

King smiled at me and I couldn’t help but kiss him again.

I rushed to get Doc and the next hour was a rush of tests and more tests to see how King was doing.

The triplets came back, feeding me before they went to Ally’s room, while I stayed with King as he was poked and prodded.

As each hour passed by, King looked better and better.

He took a nap and when he woke up he was given the ok to eat, which gave him color and he was starting to look more like himself.

“You look great, King,” Doc said, looking over some paperwork. “Another day or so here, and you should be able to go home with no problem. Just in time for Christmas.”

I grinned at King, relieved, but there was heaviness in my chest. We wouldn’t be happy or relieved until we could go home with Ally, but we would never be able to go home all together. We ran two different towns and that kept us apart. Would we ever be together again?

“Hey, Doc.” Win came into King's room. “She’s awake.”

King grabbed my hand, I could take my first full breath in weeks. I stood up, ready to go to her, but when I looked at King, he looked worried and not how I expected as Doc left the room.

“I think we should let Doc look at her first, give her time to wake up, and then go to her,” he said, looking down at our hands.

“No, I want to see her now,” I said, letting go of his hand, but King held on.

“Boogie, you really think she is going to want to see us after we left her locked in a room?” he asked softly.

“I don’t care what she?—”

“And that's our problem,” he sighed. “We need to give her space.”

I clenched my jaw ready to tell him to go fuck himself, but I stayed quiet.

“I just want to see her, make sure she is ok with my own eyes,” I said, looking out towards her room. “I’ve been in agony thinking you were both going to leave me. I think I deserve to see her.”

King sighed. “I’m not saying you don’t, but go in there with realistic expectations.”

I snarled, walking out of the room, remembering the day when they saved us. She didn’t treat me any differently. She was over the whole room thing, King was wrong.

The room was just as busy as King’s when he woke up, and I was only able to catch a glimpse of her and when our eyes met, I could finally believe she was ok. She didn’t seem upset, but I kept my promise and left the room.

King was being dramatic like he always was. She might be a little mad at us, but she would get over it. We would survive this and become stronger.