“Nooooooootch!” I roared.
“Bring him over here,” Chloe said as she stacked plates on the countertop.
I helped her move everything before Asher heaved his man onto the table, who spilled blood at a rate that frightened even me. Chloe yelled for Notch, probably because I had, and after I got the man comfortable, I went in search of both him and Ruby.
Because we needed all hands on deck.
“What the hell happened?” Chloe asked.
Asher shook his head. “They just came out of fucking nowhere. Just a regular nightly patrol, and—”
“What the hell!?” Stone exclaimed.
“I found Notch and Ruby!” I roared as I tugged them both down the hallway.
“Lexi!” Ruby shouted.
And like lightning, Lexi darted around the corner. “I’m here. What’s going—oh, shit. We need a suture kit.”
“Shit,” Notch hissed. “Ruby, get the—”
“Already on it, you guys,” she said breathlessly.
Lexi pointed at her. “And get the—”
“Jesus, I’ve got it!” Ruby yelped.
Stone’s eyes widened as he watched blood drip onto the kitchen floor. “Asher. What the hell happened?”
Asher’s face paled as he swallowed hard. “We were just on our nightly patrol and the fucking SUV came out of nowhere.”
“How many men?” Stone demanded.
Asher’s eyes met his. “I have no doubt in my mind that we were tailed. My men kept telling me that something didn’t feel right, and we tried to double back on them. But they still got the jump on us.”
I walked over to him and placed my hand on his shoulder. “Asher, look at me.”
His watery gaze slowly turned in my direction. “Yeah?”
I nodded softly. “Where were you headed? It’s pretty late for an evening patrol.”
And that was when Asher sighed. “In the middle of our patrol, I got a message from Clancy. He wanted us to meet him at the compound where he and his boys are staying. We were en route when we were ambushed.”
Stone growled. “Fucking cartel. I’ll slaughter every single one of them.”
Asher shook his head. “The cartel is the only thing that makes sense. We don’t have enemies here. Hell, you guys are the only connections we have in this area right now.”
I squeezed his shoulder. “Well, I’m sure you and your men are welcome at the warehouse anytime you need to be here. Right?”
Stone nodded without hesitation. “Always. If you need protection or a place to lay low, we still have an entire back row of rooms that aren’t occupied.”
Asher paused. “You guys are already stuffed in here like sardines. Are you sure—”
I chuckled. “This damn place is over fifteen-thousand square feet. We’ve got plenty of space.”
“Ash-er,” the man on the table said breathlessly.
He darted from my side and crouched down beside his man. “Joker, hey buddy. I’m right here. What do you need?”
