“Chewy? What the fuck?!” Rhodie growls as his woman comes out of some fucking hidey hole, pushing her laptop along in front of her, Remy at the rear. “What the fuck are you two doing up here?”
“Who do you think let out the bobcats?”
Rhodie’s eyes are huge as he stares at his woman. Hispregnantwoman. He runs a hand down his face and drops his head back on his shoulders, staring at the roof of the tree house.
“You got eyes on?” Marx’s voice comes over our comms.
“Yeah, Prez,” Remy and I answer back, before sharing a grin. I get all nice and comfy in a beanbag in front of the tablet screen.
“I’ve got eyes on you all,” Chewy adds. “Pops and Jules, change location to the rear. Incoming should hit in 30 seconds.”
Savage, Tav, Rhodie and Remy all take up posts at the various binoculars and windows around the tree house and we hunker down and wait. It’s all we can do. Wait and watch. So far we’ve taken out four men in the front yard, three managed toget around the back and are now being eaten by those damned bobcats, and by Chewy’s count there are another seven about to hit us from behind. These guys were sent to test us. See how we work, how hard we are to get to. Well, they’re about to find out that the DRMC are fucking hard to get to.
The first gun shots ring out and I scan the tablet in front of me. Fox, Nitro and Tank have managed to take out three in quick succession, not even making a sound before their bodies hit the ground.
“Fuck, they made quick work of them,” Savage mutters, in a weird squat position, peering through the binoculars.
“Two more down, fuckers,” Pops says, rifle shots ringing through the air.
“We’ve got two more by Chewy’s calculations. We just gotta find the fuckers, “ Rhodie says, gun poised out the little window, eyes darting.
“I don’t have eyes on,” Chewy says in her monotone voice. “Anyone else see where they went?”
I check the small tablet in my hands, gaze flicking over the live camera feed I’m getting. “Not seeing them on my end,” I mutter. My eyes do another pass and there it is, a dark blob, “Marx, 6 o’clock!” I yell out.
My blood runs cold as I watch Marx turn in slow motion, the barrel of a gun pointed directly at him. My breath is trapped in my chest, fear at watching Marx face down the enemy freezing me in my place. I vaguely register Rhodie roaring out his brother's name, my eyes glued to the tiny tablet screen as Roman steps out of nowhere then jerks backwards, his bulk taking Marx to the ground beneath him.
A flurry of gun shots have me snapping out of my stupor and I’m moving. Thundering through the treehouse, down the ladder, the ground softening my landing as I leap that last few rungs. I don’t have my first aid kit on me, but it doesnt fuckingmatter. All that matters is that I make it to Roman and Marx, check their wounds and make sure they’re stable.
“Ambulance is on the way, and I’ve alerted Moss who should be here in five.” Chewy’s voice is the voice of calm as she continues to narrate what is happening. All enemies have been neutralized. Tank and Judge to tow their vehicles, strip and then wreck them. Savage, Fox and Nitro are on body recovery. Pops, Jules and Gus are on body disposal. Wire and Remy on tracking down who is giving the orders. She goes through all the motions just as one would go through their usual work admin and I have to admit, the way in which she gives everyone their tasks helps put me in the zone.
By the time I skid to a stop next to Roman and Marx, both are still on the ground. Tank, Judge and Wire are surrounding Fox and Marx.
“I am fine,Lyubov moya,It’s just a graze, help Marx,” Roman grits out as Sasha presses down on his side. His eyes wild and slightly panicked, unsettling.
“Fuck, it’s a gut shot,” Fox whispers, hands pressing against Marx’s belly, hands covered in blood.
“How far away is the ambulance, Chewy?” I yell into my comms. I don’t wait for her answer, not when I can hear the sirens bearing down on us.
I nudge Fox out of the way for a split second, enough for me to see the mess that the bullet left behind.
“Fuck. Penetrating abdominal trauma, massive hemorrhage.” I run through my ABCs. Airway. Breathing. Circulation. “More pressure Fox, I need you bearing down on that wound. Someone elevate his legs!”
My brothers jump into action and I check his vitals again. Both for his benefit and for mine. To keep me calm. To help me not lose my shit in the few seconds it takes for the ambulance crew to run into the scene, to lift Marx onto a stretcher, to cover hiswound with their gloved hands and get him in the back of the vehicle.
“You coming, Dr. Manning?” the young paramedic asks, brows raised.
“Fuck yes, I am.”
Chapter 10
Joy
The room is full of red rimmed eyes and I know it’s because of me. Lovely is staring at the wall, her eyes swollen and dry because she has no more tears left to cry. She’s curled into Pops and she lets out a whimper every now and then. She’s broken. Because of me and my little girl and the monster I married just to escape my sad, lonely life with my father. Well the joke was on me. I traded one sad lonely life for another.
I curl deeper into myself, huddling in a chair away from the DRMC. Protecting them from me and the poison that seems to follow me around.
“Don’t do that,” a husky voice breaks into my spiralling thoughts.
