Shafted(Devil's Blaze MC 4)(67)

“Screw you. The woman is addicted to me, what can I say?” Torch brags.

“That you’re an asshole?” Skull answers and we all laugh. Skull’s phone rings though and takes his attention. He barely has the phone up to his ear before he’s hanging up. “Briar’s awake. Let’s ride,” he orders already going to the door, leaving us to follow behind.





Chapter Fifty





Jax





“Fuck brother, you had us worried,” Skull says grabbing Briar’s hand in his inked one and giving it a squeeze before letting it go. We’re in Briar’s hospital room. His old lady, Stephanie is sitting at his side, holding his other hand, her head resting on his chest.

“Too fucking mean to die,” he jokes, his voice is hoarse and really weak. They took the breathing tube out when he came to, hopefully that’s all it is. He’s so damned pale, he doesn’t even resemble the man who was giving me hell over Bree.

“Do you feel like telling us what went on?”

“He needs his rest,” Stephanie says tearfully.

“Need to tell them, babe,” he argues and she stares into his face for a minute.

“I’m not leaving,” she argues. Skull must not object, because he sits down and waits.

“Drove to the meeting place,” Briar says and starts coughing. His old lady helps him drink water from a straw and just seeing that hurts. This bastard could best any man that came his way. Son-of-a-fucking-bitch. “It was empty. Chains said the crew had messaged they were going to be late. Someone suggested we check everything out, scavenge the area and make sure it was secure and no cops waiting for us.”

“Who suggested that? Chains?” Torch asks, talking about Tucker’s sergeant-of-arms and the man that was supposed to be in charge of the run.

“Nah. One of the others,” Briar says wheezing. I watch as Stephanie rubs his chest while still holding his hand. Her grip on him has her hand white because she’s holding on so hard. “We parked up. Sabre and me stuck together—shit, how’s Sabre?”

“He’s alive brother. Better shape than you, but whoever did this beat the ever-loving-fuck out of him,” I joke.

Briar’s eyes go to me. They take a minute to focus, you can tell, but then he does his best to smile. “They get a hold of you too.”

“Nah man. Skull and Torch had to teach me a lesson about women,” I joke. Understanding dawns on him and he shakes his head.

“Told you she wasn’t for you. Jailbait.” He chokes out with a wheeze.

I tell him with pride, “She’s my old lady.”

“Damn, how long I been out?”

“Too long.”

“Be careful. Tucker didn’t do this, but after the shots were fired…” Briar stops taking a breath, his face cringing as if he was in pain and his eyes go cloudy again.

“Who fired shots?” Skull presses.

“Don’t,” another deep breath, “know who was first it came from the woods. But, my bullet came from one of Tucker’s men,” he says, and he tries to move his hand to his chest.

“Who shot…are you okay, el hermano?”

“Feels….”

He doesn’t get the rest of the words out. Briars head goes straight back as if in pain and his eyes go wide. His entire body shakes to the point the bed rattles. Stephanie starts screaming. Skull is hitting the call button for the nurse. They barely get there before the heart monitor changes from a steady beep to one long continuous sound. The doctors and nurses work, as we fall back around our brother. Keys helps pull Stephanie back who’s cries and screams may haunt me for years. Our eyes are glued as they take the crash cart out and prepare Briar.

“Clear!” a doctor yells and they hit him with the paddles. We all hold our breath, but the sound doesn’t change. “Charge!” he says again and just a few seconds later. “Clear!” Again no change. A repeat of the same, brings the same conclusion. The doctor looks at the clock on the wall, putting his hand on Briar’s face, closing his eyes. Fuck. Fuck. FUCK! “Time of death—”

I don’t hear the time. I don’t see anything but my brother lying on the bed in front of me, gone. Stephanie breaks free from Keys and collapses on top of Briar, screaming, “No,” as if it was torn form her very soul.

“No….” she cries, the sound dragging out as if the word lasted forever, and then a shuddering breath, “Oh, God, no. Not my man. Not my man,” she sobs, her whole body shaking.

Fuck. Fuck. FUCK! I’ve lost my brother. I’ve lost my friend.





Chapter Fifty-One