Page 11 of Spider (Hades Abyss MC #1)

“This is going to hurt.” And that was all the warning I had. I bellowed out my pain and rage as he tried to work the bullet out of my body. It felt like forever before I heard the wet suction of the bullet popping free of my skin. “Missed the important things in there. You got lucky.”

“Just stitch me up and shut up,” I said.

“You’ve lost a lot of blood,” Dread said.

He wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t know already, but a hospital was out of the damn question. They’d notify the police, and then I’d have other problems to deal with. No, I’d recover at home like I always did.

“Spider!” I wanted to turn toward Luciana’s voice, but Dread’s hand, along with Shooter and Fox, kept me immobile. The hole in my back burned like shit when Dread poured something over it. Likely alcohol.

“How close are you to passing out?” Dread asked.

“Not close enough,” I said.

“No drugs. Not until we’re done. I need you alert, which means…”

“Just do it,” I said.

Slider led Luciana around the other side of the bar.

She stopped in front of me and gripped my hand.

Tears trickled down her cheeks and she looked fucking terrified as she held onto me.

I felt like an asshole for scaring her like this.

Maybe Dread was right and I needed to slow the fuck down.

I fought to not only stay awake but to not squeeze Luciana’s hand as Dread started the process of stitching me back together.

It felt like hours passed before he’d finished my back and sutured both sides of my shoulder.

“We’re never getting all that blood out of the bar,” Shooter said.

Luciana turned to him and let loose with rapid fire Spanish that I couldn’t follow. Shooter’s eyes went wide and he took a step back, his hands up.

“Sorry. I have no idea what you just said, but I’m sorry. Obviously I’m being an insensitive asshole or something.”

“He could have died,” Luciana said, “and you’re worried about a stupid bar?”

“Not dead, darlin’,” I said, then coughed, which just made everything hurt even more.

Teller grabbed a bottle of water from the mini fridge and passed it to Luciana.

She helped me sip at the cold liquid. As much as I wasn’t looking forward to moving, I was more than ready to get off the damn hard wood surface that was digging into my bones.

I was too old for this shit. Hell, I’d been too old for this shit since I was forty. I was just too stubborn to back down.

“We need to lay him in the backseat of the SUV. He’ll need help getting into his house,” Dread said.

“I’ll go,” Teller said.

“I would, but I don’t want to scare your wife,” Fox said.

“Just help him,” Luciana said. “Don’t worry about me.”

I braced myself for the pain as they lifted me and carried my ass out to the SUV.

Luciana had already climbed inside and they eased me down, but I worried about crushing her with my upper body across her thighs.

She didn’t seem to care about my weight but ran her fingers through my hair, her gaze full of concern and a bit of fear.

“I’m fine,” I told her. “Just need some rest and I’ll be good as new. It’s not the first time I’ve been shot.”

“It better be the last,” she said, then her cheeks flushed.

Shooter chuckled. “Spoken like a true wife. We’ll have you home in a moment, Pres. Teller’s going to drive you, and the rest of us will follow.”

Luciana held onto me as the SUV slowly headed toward our house.

Funny. That was the first time I’d thought of the place as ours.

When we came to a stop and Teller got out, I was both relieved and dreaded being moved again.

I knew I had to be covering Luciana in my blood, but she didn’t seem to care.

Well, she cared I was bleeding, but I didn’t think she minded that it was getting on her clothes and skin. The back door opened on Luciana’s side.

“I’ll go in and get the bed ready if that’s all right,” Teller said.

“Yes,” Luciana said. “Maybe something to clean him off? He can’t be comfortable with the blood drying on his skin. A warm wet cloth?”

Teller nodded and I closed my eyes a moment.

I felt Luciana’s light touch as she brushed her fingers over my cheeks, down my beard, and then smoothed my hair back.

Her hand trembled and I knew she was scared.

I felt like an asshole for doing this to her, and for what?

More money? I wasn’t ready to step down as President, but maybe I could delegate more tasks, not take point quite as often.

She needed me, and the kid in her belly would too.

A shadow fell across me and I opened my eyes to see Bear leaning into the vehicle.

A glance in the other direction showed Shooter and Fox opening the door with grim looks.

Teller came back with the cloth Luciana had requested and she wiped down the front of me, but Fox had to help turn me so she could reach my back.

I felt like a fucking infant and hated this shit.

“I’m not dead, you dumbasses. I can get out of the car.”

“Sure you can, Pres,” Fox said with a smirk. “But we’re going to help just the same.”

Despite their words, I did my best to get out of the SUV on my own, then staggered my way into the house with Fox supporting my weight.

Luciana was within sight the entire time and rushed ahead of us.

She smoothed the sheets on the bed and plumped my pillow like I was an invalid or something.

I wasn’t going to say anything, though, not since she seemed to feel the need to do something to help.

Fox helped me sit on the edge of the bed, then Luciana knelt at my feet and removed my boots.

I eased my legs up on the bed and leaned back against the pillows.

“Everyone out. My wife will let you know if I stop breathing.”

“Not funny,” Fox muttered, but he walked out along with the others. Teller hung back, hovering in the doorway.

“What’s up, kid?” I asked.

“Maybe I should stay close? In case you need something?” he asked, his gaze skirting to Luciana, then back to me.

I looked at the woman now kneeling on the bed next to me. She didn’t seem overly concerned about Teller in the house. Maybe getting shot wasn’t such a bad thing after all, if it meant she’d finally trust the men in my club.

“Let him stay,” Luciana said, her accent thicker than usual. It was a clue to just how worried she was right then.

“All right. You can stay, Teller, but not in this damn room.”

He gave me a salute and walked off. I took Luciana’s hand and kissed it.

“I’m fine,” I assured her.

“They said you lost a lot of blood. I saw it! You’re not fine. You’re pale and you could have died!”

“Luciana, my life is dangerous. I’m the President of this club and that means I have to take certain risks. But I’ll try to delegate more of those jobs to the others. I know you need me and I don’t want to leave this earth too soon. I can’t promise I’ll never get shot again.”

“When that man came and told me you’d been hurt, I think my heart stopped,” she said. “I know we’re still strangers for the most part, but it scared me. I already care about you, Trent. I don’t want to lose you.”

I kissed her hand again. “I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart.”

“You should rest,” she said. “I’ll make some soup when you wake up. Or maybe I should check with a doctor? I don’t know what to do for you.”

“Some Tylenol would be a good start,” I said.

She nodded and eased off the bed, careful not to jostle me. She retrieved the bottle from the bathroom, then walked out only to return a few minutes later with a glass of water. I took the pills from her and swallowed them, then guzzled the rest of the cool liquid in the glass.

Luciana took the glass from me and I closed my eyes.

I heard her walk out of the room once more, and that was the last conscious thought I had until after night had fallen.

I didn’t know how I’d slept for so long, but the raised voices in the front of the house were enough to wake me.

I groaned as I eased my legs over the side of the bed, then took a breath before rising to my feet.

The room swayed, and so did I. After a moment, I took a hesitant step, then another.

My head began to clear and even though I hurt like a bitch, I kept going, needing to find out what was going on.

When I got to the living room, it was to find Teller in front of a sobbing Luciana and my son, Ryker, yelling the damn house down. Like getting shot wasn’t bad enough! Now I had to deal with this shit. I leaned against the doorframe, more out of necessity than anything else.

“What the fuck is going on?” I asked, my voice not as loud or as strong as I’d have liked.

“You got shot,” Ryker said. “And this… this…” He waved a Luciana. “Wouldn’t let me see you. Since when do you keep whores in the house?”

I pushed off the doorframe and advanced into the room. I hauled back my fist and slammed it into my son’s jaw, then nearly passed the fuck out from the pain. Teller braced my weight as I glared at my son.

“That’s my wife, asshole. Watch your tongue.”

Ryker worked his jaw back and forth, then looked from me to Luciana and back again. “Is this some sort of joke? She’s younger than me!”

“And? What business is it of yours? Your life isn’t here anymore, Ryker. Hasn’t been for a while. I didn’t bitch at you about knocking up Laken. Not much anyway. I’m a grown-ass man, and your father. I don’t owe you an explanation.”

“I came to check on you because Slider said you were shot twice. Some warning I had a stepmother younger than myself or my wife would have been nice. You should sit down before you fall down.”

I grunted in agreement and Teller helped me over to the couch. I sat and propped my feet on the coffee table. Motioning to Luciana, I held her hand as she sat beside me.

“Ryker, this is Luciana. You don’t have to like the fact we’re married, but she’s not going anywhere, so you might as well get used to it. She’s also pregnant.”

Ryker blinked. Then blinked again. “You can’t have kids.”

“Doesn’t mean I won’t claim this one,” I said.

“So some whore gets knocked up and you just…” Ryker didn’t get to finish his sentence before Teller hit him, landing a solid punch to my son’s gut. The kid cast a glance my way, clearly concerned that he’d just technically hit a club member, but my son needed to learn his place.

“Luciana isn’t a whore,” I said. “You know nothing about her or what she’s suffered. So why don’t you shut up before I let Teller knock your teeth down your throat? Not sure Laken would appreciate it if I sent you home all banged up.”

“This is bullshit,” he said, then glared at Teller. “I should call a vote to have you kicked out. You just assaulted a patched member of this club.”

Teller didn’t so much as flinch. “Go ahead.”

I snorted and coughed to cover my laugh. The kid had some balls, that was for certain. “Anyone asks, I authorized that hit,” I told him. “Ryker, I love you, but you’re a pain in my Goddamn ass right now. Where’s Laken and my grandson?”

“At home,” he said.

“Right. Home. As in not at the Hades Abyss compound. You might still wear the cut, but you haven’t been a true part of us for a while, son.

You’re always welcome here, and I’m not going to ask you to remove that cut, but you don’t get a vote here anymore.

You’re more Reaper than anything at this point. ”

That made Ryker pause. “You wouldn’t be pissed if I asked to patch in with them? You said something before, but I didn’t think you meant it. You’d always wanted me to take over one day.”

“Nope. Been waiting on you to ask. The liaison thing was all bullshit, just a way to keep you down there for Laken’s sake. You don’t need an excuse anymore. They’ve welcomed you into the fold. If you want to be a Dixie Reaper, I won’t stand in the way.”

He nodded. “I’ll think about it.”

“Got a place to stay?” I asked.

“I put my bag in the guest room before your wife found me wandering the house and lost her shit.”

“Probably scared her,” I said. “She doesn’t do well around strange men.”

Ryker stared at Luciana hard, and after a moment his gaze softened.

The look he gave me was one full of understanding, and I wondered if he’d put the pieces together.

With Sofia at the Dixie Reapers, I knew that he had to know about Mateo Gomez by this point.

He gave me a nod and eased down onto a chair across the room.

“I won’t stay long, but I had to make sure you were all right. I can head out tomorrow if you’d like, but I promised Gabriel I’d have his grandpa call and talk to him. He’s worried.”

“I’ll call him in a bit.” My stomach rumbled and Luciana made a sound of distress.

“I forgot to make the soup!” She shot up off the couch, but I grabbed her hand.

“It’s fine. Teller can run grab something for everyone. There’s a café on the other end of town that has good soup. He can grab me something there, and maybe a sandwich. Just tell him what you want to eat.”

“I’m supposed to take care of you,” she said, her eyes welling with tears. “I’m failing as a wife.”

“No, you’re not. It’s been a long, stressful day for you. Sit and keep me company.”

She nodded and sat back down. After we all gave Teller our orders, he left and Ryker watched me and Luciana like he was trying to figure out a puzzle.

I really did love my son, but I’d also been right when I called him a pain in my ass.

He had been for as long as I could remember, but I was damn proud of him.

He’d served his country, then came home and found a good woman and settled down.

Even if he wasn’t here with me anymore, I knew he’d grown into a dependable man and a great father. It was all I could ask for.

Now I just had to hope I didn’t screw up the kid who hadn’t been born yet.

The thought of fatherhood to a newborn in my sixties was damn terrifying.

Luciana hadn’t said for certain she was keeping the kid, but the way she’d hesitated about me wanting to be a father again, I knew she was thinking about it.

Or maybe she’d decided and just hadn’t come right out and said it yet.

My life was getting too fucking complicated.