Turning me around, he pulls me along with him. As we walk towards the other end of the darkened hallway, my fear starts to grow. I’m not sure what is going on, but I know something is happening and that something isn’t good. “What does Bowie want?”
Not answering, he continues to pull me down the hall. Pushing the large metal door at the end of the hall open, a door I hadn’t even realized was there, he pulls me outside. For a second, the bright sun blinds me. After blinking the black spots from my eyes, I see a midnight blue corvette only a few feet from where I am standing. When I get a look at the driver, I know coming with Red was a mistake.
A nasty smirk covers Tag’s mother’s face as she rolls down the driver’s window of her car. “That took you too damn long. We’re supposed to meet Cash in ten minutes. Hurry up and get her in here. ”
Immediately, I try to pull away from Red. His hand tightens on my arm, not letting me go. “Don’t fight me, Shay, make this easy on yourself,” His voice sounds almost sympathetic.
“Why are you doing this?” My question comes out in a rush as I attempt to jerk my arm from his grasp.
The woman shouts from the car, obviously hearing my question. “He couldn’t keep his hands out of the cookie jar, now he’s gotta pay up. Since he ain’t gotthe money to cover it, you’ll be paying for him.”
I ignore her and focus on Red. “Don’t do this, please don’t do this.”
He looks into my eyes, still not letting me go. “I fucked up. It’s too late to change things now.”
“Please, let me go,” I beg as his nails cut into my arm.
“I can’t,” He says, with a shake of his head, then barks out. “Just get in the fucking car.”
I ignore his order and start to struggle. Using my hands, nails, feet; anything to get away from him. He ignores my attempt to escape for a second, before sending his fist into my face. Pain explodes in my head, but I shake it away and keep fighting. He strikes out again; his fist landing on my temple. This time the pain in excruciating. My body goes into shut down mode, and I crumble to the ground.
As I fight the urge to close my eyes, I hear a shuffle and see Tag step out of the clubhouse. I try to tell him to go back inside, but nothing more than a nearly silent moan comes out. I watch as he runs towards me, screaming for Red to leave me alone. In retaliation of the order, Red sends a booted foot into my side. I instinctively curl into a ball, hoping to block any further kicks, but it doesn’t work. This time, the boot lands on my lower back, causing my whole body to shudder. A second later the sound of a gunshot fills the air. Just before the darkness takes me under, I watch Tag’s body slump to the ground.
Bullets and Blood
Bowie
“What the fuck was that?” Rollo says as we step out of the office.
I look over my shoulder at him, my voice still filled with anger from our earlier discussion. “What are you talking about?”
He passes me, without meeting my eyes, heading towards the hallway. “I think I heard a gunshot out back.”
I don’t hesitate, just take off for Shay’s room. Entering the hallway, I see the back door of the club house open, allowing a slice of sunshine into the darkened space. Something about that light causes my pulse to quicken. I know, just know, Shay is out there and something has fuckin’ happened to her. With only a quick glance into the empty room, where I had left Shay, I race past Rollo through the back door. Stepping outside, my eyes are drawn to Tag’s bloody body lying on the ground.
I start to go to him, but stop when the sounds of tires crunching over the gravel lot hit my ears. I jerk my eyes to the gate, just in time to see Domino’s car hit the road. She’s driving the car, but she’s not alone. Just before the car disappears from sight, the passenger turns to look back. When my eyes meet Red’s, I know for sure he’s been working with Cash all this time. Tossing my head back, I let out a roar. “I’m gonna kill that motherfucker.”
“I’ll help you kill the bastard, but first, we have to get this kid to the hospital,” Rollo shouts, leaning down to roll Tag over. “He’s losing a lot of blood.”
“Is he going to make it?” I ask, looking down at the kid that reminds me so much of myself.
Rollo looks up at me, while shaking his head. “He’s still breathing, but he won’t be for long if he doesn’t get help.”
I know he’s right. I have to put my anger aside and do what must be done. My military training kicks in as I crouch down next to Tag. I use Grandpa’s knife to split his shirt down the front and exam the damage. As soon as I touch him, he starts to mumble. I can’t quite make out what he’s saying, so I focus on the spot blood is pouring from his body. The bullet tore through him just below his collarbone, only an inch or two shy of his heart. Jerking off my cutt, I pull my shirt over my head and use it to staunch the blood flow. “We gotta get this bleeding stopped. If not, he’ll bleed out before we can get him to the hospital.”