For River, most of his decisions boiled down to his immediate family.
Tank snorted. “When the fuck ain’t I?”
He followed me out of the door. Ink nodded once at me. “We’ll follow, brother.”
I popped openthe lid on the next wooden crate so Whiler could inspect the weapons. Ink lit a cigarette, surprising me. I didn’t know he smoked. Guy was normally squeaky clean. I honestly couldn’t ever recall a time when he’d even let himself get wasted. He stuck to a couple of beers a day, at most. “Since when do you smoke?” I asked him.
He shrugged. “Took up the habit a few months ago. Tensions are high with the club at the moment. Alejandro’s got us on our toes.”
I didn’t ask any other questions. Wasn’t my business. Alejandro Garcia was the leader of the Mexican cartel and also the father of Elaina’s son. Elaina was Joey’s old lady. They had some kind of truce I didn’t even pretend to understand, but it worked for them. But it also meant that the Sons of Hell got sucked into whatever shit Alejandro had going on. Yet, it also worked in their favor. If the Sons of Hell had something happening, Alejandro was right there with Joey, getting the shit resolved.
Suddenly, a loud pop met my ears right before something slammed into my shoulder. I roared in pain, the hit knocking me on my ass. Ink shoved me flat to the ground, already moving to cover my body with his. I could feel warm, wet blood pulsing from my shoulder wound.
“Got to fucking move you,” Ink snarled, grabbing me under my arms.
I shouted a curse when he grabbed me under my arms, my vision going momentarily white as he dragged me out of the doorway so I wasn’t an easy target anymore. My vision wavered. I was losing blood too goddamn fast. That, I could tell.
“Call Reina,” I rasped, letting my eyes slide shut.
“Sam—”
“Fucking call Reina!” I barked. I wouldn’t let her find out any other way. She wasn’t finding out from River. I wanted her to find out from the source.
My vision wavered. Ink was saying something, but I couldn’t hear him anymore.
I was out.
And my last thought was that I regretted playing fucking games with Reina. I’d wasted too much time with her.
Reina
My phone rangat the same time River’s did. I frowned down at it, Whiler’s name on the screen. Why in the world would Whiler be calling me? He never called me. Hell, the only reason I had his phone number was for emergencies only. I seriously didn’t even have a single text message from him in my phone. The only time we talked was when the clubs happened to come together on occasion.
“Whiler?” I asked, confusion coating my voice.
“Reina, I’ve got some bad news.” I could hear Ink barking orders in the background. My gut clenched painfully. If someone was calling me, it was because Sam gave the orders. And he would only give an order like that if something had happened tohim. “Sam got shot.” I tightened my hand around the phone. This couldn’t be real. “It’s bad. He’s passed out. Too much blood loss. We’re getting him to the hospital now, but he asked us to call you. I’m guessing he didn’t want you finding out from River.”
If he asked for someone to call me, he didn’t think he was going to make it.
“No.” My voice trembled. My hands shook. Adelaide was already rushing across the room to me when the phone fell from my hands. Tears streaked down my cheeks. “No!” I screamed, pulling at my hair.
Not Sam. God, not Sam. We had a fight. We couldn’t end like this.
Suddenly, I didn’t care if he didn’t want to only be with me. None of that mattered anymore. I’d take him however he decided to give himself to me. I just wanted himalive.
“Come on,” Adelaide said, grabbing my wrist in her hand. “We’re getting you to the hospital.”
“Sam—” I choked out.
“He’s going to be fine,” River told me, walking up to us. “Got a gut feeling. He’s going to survive, Reina. Breathe.”
I sobbed. I didn’t feel like I could breathe. I barely felt like I could stand on my own two feet, but somehow, I managed to make it outside. River had an arm tight around my shoulders to hold me up, barking out orders as they led me towards Adelaide’s vehicle. He released me once we made it to the car, and Adelaide shoved me into the passenger seat of her SUV before nodding once at River. He pressed a hard kiss to her lips, and it only made me cry harder.
Sam and I had been fighting the last time I’d talked to him. And now, he might be dead. I might never get another kiss from him again, and that shitty ass reality fucking began to tear at my goddamn soul.
River got in on the driver’s side and spun wheels on the gravel lot as he headed towards the open gates.
“He can’t leave me,” I cried.