“She’s in the barn behind this warehouse.” Skinner said looking at the floor. I went to take off but Skinner grabbed my arm. “Diesel, Harlow’s in a bad way man. Spikes with her but don’t go in there all fists flying.” I looked at his hand holding my arm and shook him off, running over to the barn.
I burst through the front door. Locke was handcuffing Flex and I noticed what looked like an unconscious Patch on the floor. CJ was talking animatedly on the phone pacing around the room. I flew past them stalking into an office with a kitchenette at the back of the building, where I found a bare chested Duke leaning against the kitchen work top with his arms folded across his broad chest. “Where is she Duke?” I said frantically walking over to him. “She’s down those stairs but Diesel, she’s in shock man, just go easy.”
I opened the door and ran down the stairs assessing the sight in front of me. Spike was carrying a half clothed Ink. Her left arm was in a make shift sling and I could see that she had material wrapped around her thighs. I wanted to hug her, to hold her tight but I stopped myself through fear of hurting her. I looked past them to see a body on the floor. What the fuck had happened? I’d promised to look after her but I’d let her down again.
Spike carried her to Doc’s van and placed her gently in the front seat. Doc looked over her, assessing her injuries. We liked to keep knife and bullet wounds within the club because going to the hospital alerted the police. He removed the material from her thigh to reveal a 2 inch stab wound.
“Diesel make yourself useful and hold this torch.” Doc said holding out the blue Maglite. I turned it on and held it directly on Ink’s injury. It was a clean cut. She’d been stabbed with some force and I could feel the anger build inside me, that the torch started to shake. Doc placed his hand on mine. “Calm down Diesel, she’s going to be okay.” Doc’s reassuring words made me feel a little better but I was still full of hatred towards Hawke, I only wish I’d pulled the trigger.
Doc cleaned the wound and covered it over with fresh bandages. He did the same with her other leg. “How bad are they Doc?” I asked looking at her legs. “I will take her back to the infirmary and patch her legs up properly before we take her to hospital.” I looked at him with a questioning look. “It’s unavoidable, her arms broken and we don’t have the facilities to x-ray and set. I’ll try and put a splint on it though to secure it in position to prevent further damage.” He did this in record time and then secured the seatbelt around her moving over to the driver’s seat.
I leant over, looking into her eyes. “Ink, if you can hear me babe, just know that I’m so sorry.” She continued to stare with no recognition which must have been the shock but as I looked closer I could see a single tear trickle down her cheek. I wiped it away with my thumb as I held her face, looking into her red rimmed eyes. “We really need to go Diesel.” Doc said anxiously starting the engine. “I’ll follow you on my bike.” I kissed Ink on the forehead then climbed out of the cab, closing the door gently behind me. I watched as the van drove away out of sight, trying to compose myself before my journey.
I was getting worried, worried that she wouldn’t want me after letting her down so badly. Spike slapped me on the back. “Do you want to do the honours with Patch or can I?” I looked around at Spike to see his tight smile. “He’s all yours mate, I’ve gotta take care of Ink.”
I arrived at the club house the same time as Doc. I’d called ahead making sure that the infirmary was ready for Ink. I parked the Harley and undid my helmet resting it on the handlebars. I quickly made my way around to the passenger door of Doc’s van, opening it softly as to not wake her. The pain killers had probably kicked in now, allowing her a few minutes of rest.
I carried her gently to the infirmary, placing her onto the bed. “I don’t want to have a row with you Diesel but I need to work on her and I want to do it in privacy so I can concentrate.” Doc stood there with his hands on his hips giving me an authoritative look. He was in his late fifties, with greying short hair and thick spectacles. He was a good looking man for his age but looked like an accountant and certainly stood out like a sore thumb among the bikers. But he was a good man and had served the Aces for almost 30 years, long before my time at the club. He stood by us through thick and thin and I respected the hell out of him for doing it. I didn’t like what he was asking but I wanted Ink to be well. “Please look after her Doc. I’ll just be outside if you need me.” He nodded as I left the room, closing the door quietly behind me. I rested my back against the wall, sliding down until I was sitting on the floor. I wasn’t going anywhere, I’d wait for as long as it took to make sure she was safe.