Page 20

Tempest

My eyes fluttered open, the world a blur of muted colors and hazy shapes. Where the hell was I? The sterile smell hit me first -- antiseptic and bleach. Hospital. Fuck.

I blinked hard, trying to clear my vision. A warm pressure on my hand. Soft fingers intertwined with mine.

“Tempest?” A familiar voice, barely above a whisper. “Can you hear me?”

I turned my head, wincing at the sharp pain that lanced through my skull. Kasen’s face swam into focus, her blue eyes wide with concern.

“Hey,” I croaked, my throat raw. “What happened?”

Kasen leaned in closer, her breath warm on my cheek. “You’re okay. You’re safe now.”

Safe? What the fuck did that mean? My mind raced, grasping for memories that slipped away like smoke.

“The club…” I started, but Kasen squeezed my hand, cutting me off.

“Shh, don’t try to talk too much. You need to rest.”

I growled in frustration, struggling to piece together the fragments in my head. Gunshots. Screaming. The metallic tang of blood.

Kasen’s thumb traced soothing circles on my palm. “I was so worried,” she murmured, her voice cracking slightly. “When they brought you in…”

I stared at her, really seeing her for the first time. Dark circles under her eyes, hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. How long had she been here?

“You stayed,” I said, the words coming out rougher than I intended.

A faint blush colored her cheeks. “Of course, I did. I couldn’t leave you.”

“What if they’d had two groups? The compound could have been hit. The club would have been blindsided, and you’d have…”

She pressed her finger over my lips. “I’m fine. Nothing happened at the compound.”

Something shifted in my chest, an unfamiliar warmth spreading through me. “The others. Are they…”

Kasen’s expression tightened. “Later,” she said firmly. “Right now, you need to focus on getting better.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but exhaustion hit me like a freight train. My eyelids grew heavy, the room starting to fade around the edges.

“Rest,” Kasen whispered, her lips brushing my forehead. “I’ll be here when you wake up.”

As I drifted off, one thought echoed in my mind: Thank God I’d made it out of there alive.

* * *

I gritted my teeth, determined to push through the fog of pain and medication. With a grunt, I tried to lever myself up on my elbows. A searing bolt of agony ripped through my side and chest, stealing my breath.

“Tempest, no!” Kasen’s voice was sharp, her hand pressing firmly against my shoulder. “You’re not ready to move yet.”

I glared at her, frustration boiling in my veins. “I’m fine,” I said, but even I could hear the weakness in my voice.

Kasen’s eyes flashed, a hint of steel beneath her concern. “You’re not fine. You’re hurt, and you need to rest.” Her tone softened, “Please, just… lie back down. Do you have any idea how close I was to losing you? Please. Do this for me?”

Something in her voice, a mix of worry and determination, made me relent. I sank back into the pillow, hating how vulnerable I felt.

“What happened?” I demanded, my words clipped. “Tell me everything.”

Kasen sighed, her fingers intertwining with mine. “We hit them hard. The cartel’s operations are in shambles. But you didn’t manage to take them all out, and there are apparently a lot more scattered all over the world.” A ghost of a smile crossed her face. “For now it’s over.”

“But?” I interrupted, sensing the weight behind her words.

Her smile faded. “But it came at a cost. We lost… we lost good men. Not just the Dixie Reapers.”

A familiar rage building inside me. “Who?”

Kasen’s gaze met mine, filled with a mix of sorrow and resolve. “Stone and Smoke from the Hades Abyss. Scorpion from the Devil’s Fury. And… Slayer. We lost Slayer.”

The names hit me like physical blows. Gone. All of them. “Fuck,” I whispered, squeezing my eyes shut against the onslaught of emotions threatening to overwhelm me.

My knuckles went white against the hospital sheets. Slayer’s face flashed in my mind -- that cocky grin, the way he’d strut despite his prosthetic. Gone. All of them, gone.

“There’s more,” Kasen said softly, her hand tightening on mine. “Sticks, Hammer, Scratch, and Poison… they’re alive, but badly hurt. Bones arranged for Poison and Scratch to return to their hometowns, but they’re in the hospital like you.”

A roar built in my chest, my body tensing to spring into action. But pain lanced through me, a brutal reminder of my own injuries.

“I should’ve been there,” I snarled, more to myself than Kasen. “I could’ve --”

“You’d be dead too,” Kasen cut in, her voice sharp. “You almost were. Do you remember anything?”

I turned to her, noting the look in her eyes stopped me. Fierce determination mixed with something deeper, something that made my chest tighten. “No. What happened to me?”

“Gunshot to the chest, another to your abdomen, and the man kicked you in the temple while you were down. Viking killed the man responsible. You were in surgery for so damn long. Flatlined twice. I’ve never been so terrified in my life!”

She took a breath and I saw tears mist her eyes. I squeezed her hand, letting her know I was still alive, still with her.

“You’ve been out for three weeks. They induced a coma so you could properly heal. They said you had cerebral edema, most likely from the kick or even the explosion.”

I tried to process everything she’d said. Fuck. I really had nearly died, hadn’t I? No, according to her, I had died -- twice. Which meant I’d almost made her a widow less than twenty-four hours after we’d been married.

“We need you alive, Tempest,” she said softly. “The club needs you. I…”

She trailed off, busying herself with adjusting my pillows. Her hands were gentle, a stark contrast to the turmoil I felt inside.

“We’re not beaten,” Kasen continued, her voice low and steady. “The brothers are rallying. Plans are being made to rebuild, to come back stronger.”

I watched her, noting the subtle tremor in her hands, the tightness around her eyes. She was holding it together, for me.

“Tell me,” I said, my voice rough. “Tell me everything.”

I gripped the hospital bed rails, my knuckles turning white. “I need to know more, Kasen. What’s happening with the club?”

Kasen hesitated, her eyes flicking to the monitors beside me. “You need rest, Tempest. Your body --”

“Fuck rest,” I said, the words clipped and sharp. “I’m Sergeant-at-Arms. I need to know.”

She sighed, relenting. “The club is in utter chaos, but we’re not broken. Funerals…” Her voice caught. “We’ve arranged services for Gears, Bats, and Slayer. Savior said he’d told you that you’d be responsible for paying for them, but the club disagreed. Everyone split the cost.”

Gears , with his magic touch for engines. Bats , whose ears could pick up a whisper from across the room. Slayer , tough as nails even with his prosthetic. Their lives all snuffed out far too soon. “The other MCs?” I pressed.

“They took their dead and wounded home,” Kasen replied. “But they’re with us, Tempest. This attack… it’s united us like never before. None of them blame you for what happened, so please don’t feel guilty. They’ve all said to call if we need anything, and I’m supposed to update everyone on your recovery.”

I nodded, my mind already racing. Alliances to solidify, revenge to plan, a club to rebuild. The pain in my body faded to background noise as determination surged through me. “We’ll hit back,” I said, my voice low and deadly. “Harder than they could ever imagine.”

Kasen’s eyes met mine, worry and admiration warring in her gaze. “I know you want to, but this is far bigger than anything we can all handle. Savior and the other club presidents all agree we need to stand down and see if the cartel makes a move. Wire is watching them like a hawk. One sign they’re going to retaliate, and we’ll start strategizing again. Until then, we’re all supposed to just recover.”

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. The rage was building, a familiar inferno that threatened to consume everything. But as I looked at Kasen, I felt an anchor. A reason to hold on to some piece of myself in the coming storm. “What about the neighborhood we were in?” I asked.

“Chief Daniels had already made sure no citizens were present. The homes there might be nothing but rubble, but no innocents were hurt.”

I swallowed hard, the inferno in my chest dimming to embers. “Kasen, I…” The words stuck in my throat. Vulnerability wasn’t my strong suit.

She leaned closer, her eyes searching mine. “What is it, Tempest?”

“I’m scared,” I admitted, the confession tasting like ash. “Not of dying. Of failing them. The club, the dead, you. If I’d just done something different, would they all be alive?”

Kasen’s hand tightened on mine. “You haven’t failed us. We’re in this together. All of us.”

I looked away, shame burning hot. “You don’t know the darkness in me, Kasen. The things I’m capable of… What I wanted to do to those men. What I still want to do.”

“I’ve seen your darkness,” she interrupted. “And I’m still here.”

My eyes snapped back to hers, surprised. She reached out, her fingers brushing a stray lock of hair from my forehead. The gentleness of her touch sent a shiver through me.

“You’re not alone in this fight,” Kasen murmured. “I promise you that.”

I squeezed her hand, words failing me. In that moment, the connection between us deepened, and it felt as if we had a silent understanding.

I took a deep breath, wincing at the pain. “What happens now, Kasen? The club’s in shambles, so many of our brothers are dead or wounded.”

Her eyes flashed with determination. “We may be down, but we aren’t out! I told you we could rebuild. Stronger than before.”

“Just like that?” I couldn’t keep the bitterness from my voice.

“No, not ‘just like that,’” Kasen shot back. “It’ll be hell. But we’ve got each other. The remaining brothers. My family. Your strength.”

I snorted. “My strength? I’m laid up in a hospital bed.”

“Your strength isn’t just physical, Tempest.” She leaned in, her face inches from mine. “It’s here.” She gently placed her hand right over my heart.

The warmth of her touch spread through me, battling the cold fury I’d had as a constant companion. “I don’t know how to do this without violence,” I admitted.

“Then we figure it out together,” Kasen said. “Build something new. Something lasting. Maybe start small. Like in our own home.”

“Our home?” I asked.

She smiled softly and placed my hand over her belly. “Found out this morning we’re going to be parents. So see, you have so much to live for.”

I closed my eyes, overwhelmed by the emotions crashing through me. Kasen’s presence was a balm to my battered soul, a lighthouse in the storm of my thoughts. She believed in me, in us, with a ferocity that both terrified and exhilarated me.

When I opened my eyes again, I saw my future reflected in hers. And all I felt right then was hope.

Kasen’s hand found mine, her fingers intertwining with my own. I met her gaze, the intensity in her eyes mirroring my own. No words were needed. The air between us hung heavy with unspoken promises.

I tugged her closer, ignoring the pain from my injuries. Kasen came willingly, perching on the edge of the bed. Her free hand cupped my cheek, her touch gentle yet firm.

We stayed like that, frozen in time, drinking in each other’s presence. The hospital sounds faded away, leaving only the steady rhythm of our breathing.

In that moment, I knew. Nothing else mattered as long as I had her.