She’d referenced that regarding his hacking skills, but it just so happened to apply to everyday life too. Daylight flickered above him. A burning tide of pain filled his body, gnawing at the edge of his vision. The wailing of the ambulance grew closer,and Mozzi spotted the red and white vehicle coming to a stop through his blurred lenses. Both paramedics jumped out and sprinted toward them. Mozzi turned his head and found Coast lying beside him. Somehow, he found the strength to bring himself to a sitting position.
“Shit, Mozzi.” One of the paramedics was his homie, Yuri, from high school.
He was one of those cool, well rounded, level-headed types. Raised in the church, parents been married since college, type of motherfuckers Mozzi didn’t know nothing about. Yuri had heart, though, and he didn’t move with the crowd. He was always a little nerdy, but lowkey, Mozzi was too. He was also a fucking gangster. When the other medic, a tatted up Mexican with a buzz cut reached for Coast, Mozzi snarled.
“Take it easy, bro.” Yuri grabbed his arm.
“Don’t fucking touch her!”
“Dario, come here. Tend to him, check his stats, and load him up,” Yuri reasoned, knowing, like almost everyone else that Mozzi had a crazy switch. “I’ll check on her, okay?”
Mozzi’s bloodshot eyes connected to his, chest heaving, blood and sweat soaking into his shirt. Fear knotted his stomach while his heartbeat hammered in his ears. Seeing Coast unresponsive damn near broke him. The last time he felt helpless like this was when Jane died, a feeling he told himself he’d never endure again. It was a common factor for not only him, but his brothers and Audiemar. Kong losing Twyla the way he did right after instilled that same resistance to opening his heart to what they now knew as love. Jane Blackmoor was the first woman any of them ever truly loved.
“I can take myself to the ambulance. I’m riding with her. You can check me in there.” He grunted.
“Okay,” Yuri agreed.
He switched places with Dario, handling Coast gently so Mozzi could see everything. After checking her pulse and breathing, Yuri loaded her onto the gurney with Dario’s help. Mozzi trailed them to the back of the bus.
“What’s her name?” Yuri queried, examining Coast and calling out results to Dario, who quickly jotted them down on a notepad.
“Coast,” Mozzi reported. “Is she breathing?”
“Yeah. It’s faint, but it’s there.” Yuri nodded.
Mozzi shoved Dario off when he tried to help him into the back and slowly brought himself to his feet. Motherfuckers were still standing around, recording and going live when they lifted her into the back. It was a whole broadcast situation, and Mozzi knew they would be viral within the hour. Gossip and tragedy spread like wildfire through Ree Heights. Within minutes, they had Coast hooked up with an IV, and Dario got behind the wheel.
“Looks like the bullet went straight through. She’s lucky. A few inches over, and we’d be having a different conversation.” Yuri moved with expertise, checking her blood pressure again as Mozzi rested his head against the metal wall behind him and took in deep breaths.
“She’s pregnant. Ten weeks,” he said, wincing from the pain shooting through his flesh.
“I’ll make sure to tell the trauma team when we get there. Let me take a look at you.” Yuri faced him.
“Nah, just make sure she’s str—” Mozzi’s speech slurred, eyes rolling back before his head slipped forward and his chin hit his chest.
“I want to see my fucking brother, right now!” Kong bellowed, his large fist slamming into the counter inside Ree Heights Memorial Hospital.
He had the nurses and other registrars ready to shit a brick as his glossed over eyes searched their faces. The waiting room was crowded with the sick and elderly, and he had those white folks shook with his deadly octave. Not only that, but Moose paced behind him, brows stitched together in concern as he massaged his fist into the palm of his other hand. The Glock on his hip made everyone nervous, along with a few of their men gathered outside the entrance and checking the perimeter. He was itching to hit the streets, but he had to be sure his brother was straight first. He didn’t know how they caught Mozzi slipping, but somebody was damn sure going to pay for it.
“Sir, he was taken up to surgery. There is nothing that we can do,” one of the nurses insisted.
Kong respected the kinky haired sister doing her job, but they had him fucked up! Blowing out a harsh breath, his eyes never wavered from hers. Her fearful gaze lowered to his fist slowly balling against the countertop. Although she was doing her best to remain calm, Kong had her nervous. As soon as the name Blackmoor was put into the system, a code was issued throughout the hospital. Moose turned, stopping only two feet behind his brother with his arms locked in front of him.
“We can take you up to the floor to wait,” she noted, clearing her throat.
“Wait.” Kong’s low growl stopped her in her tracks. “The girl. Where is she?” He knew he couldn’t go see Mozzi without having word on Coast first.
“Also in surgery.”
“What’s her status? Did they say anything about the baby?”
“Are you her family?” the nurse, whose nametag read Fatima, queried with a wrinkled brow.
Kong’s blank stare nearly hollowed her stomach.
“Right now, they are both stable. I’ve already said too much. If you take the elevator to the fourth floor, you’ll reach the waiting area for the OR. They will take everything from there.”
Kong didn’t even thank her as he spun to face Moose. Both were anxious as hell, and the sooner they got to Mozzi, the better. The hospital was usually off limits in situations like this, but there was no way around it this time. Now the goal was to get him the fuck up out of here before somebody tried to finish what was started. There were two places the opps had the best chances of catching you; the club or the motherfucking hospital.
