“We’re going to need a chopper,” someone shouts.
“Ten minutes out!” someone else screams.
“Hang on, Dover. Just hang on. Don’t you dare fucking die on me,” someone pleads, there hands violently slamming against my chest as they start compressions.
Too bad Death is already waiting for me with a scythe in his hand, waiting to steal my last breath as it exits my body.
Chapter Nineteen
Poppy
The clubhouse is buzzing with a strange, frenzied energy first thing Monday morning. Everyone seems invigorated, talking loudly in the bar area over beers and other alcohol concoctions that shouldn’t be drank this early. The stench of cigarettes and weed permeates the air, making me want to gag. I think I may be slightly allergic to weed, the smell makes my stomach curl and my skin feel even itchier than usual.
Gina waves me over from the other side of the room, her smile stretching wide.
“Why’s everyone so chipper this morning?” I question, noticing smiles on faces of club members who don’t usually smile.
“They got him, Poppy! Isn’t that great? Now you don’t have to worry about him bothering you anymore.”
“Got who?”
“That guy who’s obsessed with you. Wilbur? Wally?”
My stomach sours. “Do you mean Wesley?”
She nods her head enthusiastically. “Yeah, yeah him. They got him! Now they’re just waiting for the other club to retaliate, and we’ll be back on top.”
“What do you mean they got him?”
She frowns. “In prison. They paid a few guys to take him out. According to what I overheard, he was taken to a hospital in Las Vegas, he’s in critical condition. They don’t expect him to make it through the night.”
Tears instantly prick my eyes. “You’re lying, right?”
She shakes her head. “I thought you’d be happy about this, Poppy? You said you didn’t care what happened to him. That you hate him.”
“I DO HATE HIM!” I shout, though it’s a bitter, painful lie. “But they promised me they wouldn’t kill him!”
“And you believed them?” She laughs loudly, her mocking tone like a punch to the chest. “Girl, wake up. Do you not see who we pal around with? These men are ruthless. They don’t give two fucks what they promised you. All they care about is territory and power. Warden wants that poser ass club gone. Now they have a reason to take them out. It won’t be long. According to a few members, they’re expecting retaliation as soon as Warden orders the call.”
Warden enters the room all smiles. He glances over to where we are standing, shooting me a wink. A wink that has me seeing red.
Gina grabs my arm before I even take a step. “I wouldn’t go over there if I were you.”
“Don’t touch me,” I growl, ripping my arm out of her grasp.
Before she can talk me out of it, I’m marching across the room, straight to where Warden’s taking a long pull from a beer that his girlfriend Sammie presented him.
“Well, hey there, sweetheart,” he says when he sees me, not anticipating the slap that comes out of nowhere.
“You bastard!” I screech.
“Whoa! Whoa!” he growls, rubbing at his cheeks. “Where’s the fire, Poppy?”
“The fire? You promised me, Warden! You said you wouldn’t kill him.”
He laughs. “Oh that! Yeah, and as of right now, I’ve maintained that promise.”
Sammie giggles by his side. “Technically he’s still alive. For now,” she chirps, staring up at Warden with enamored eyes.
