Rust: A Bad Boy Romance (Courage MC) (14 page)

T
he pain
. Oh, fuck, the pain. It radiated throughout my body, within my veins and bones. This is what a loss of power felt like. I needed more. If I didn't get it, I knew I would die, plain and simple.

“Get him in here. Now!” I heard a voice say. I was dehydrated, dizzy, and foaming at the mouth. I was still conscious, though how much longer was debatable.

“Help him, goddammit!” Another voice said.

“Bruce? Jackie?” I cried out, unable to move my body. The pain was searing and unbearable.

“Shh. You need to rest, Rust. Just stay still.” A woman's voice whispered. It was Jackie. The love of my life. My saving grace. Hallelujah.

Well, they placed my body onto a table and shined a light against my pupils. “What do you see doctor?” Bruce asked, while pacing the room. I strained my eyes to see who he was talking to. Glen. Shit, he wasn't gonna be able to save me. No one could at this point. It felt like a wave of one hundred fevers hit me directly in the heart. Death was imminent.

“It's not good.” he admitted. “He's fading fast.” How could someone talk about your well being right in front of you? If I was dyin’ I didn't want to know. When the time came, I’d face death head on in one last battle of the ages. The battle for my life.

“What do you mean he's fading fast?!” Jackie cried, tears spillin’ down onto my body. I began shaking from the cold of my fever. “Rust, baby. Wake up! Please! Do it for me.”

“I'm sorry.” I managed to say. “They made me. They injected me, those spineless fucks.”

“I know they did. It’s okay. None of this is your fault.” she told me, running her beautiful hands through my hair.
God. If you're out there, let me live. I'll quit this life. I swear to all that's good, I'll quit. I just want one more chance. I need to live this life out with Jackie. I need to know what that joy feels like.

“I might be able to fix him.” Glen said. “But it's a dangerous method.”

Jackie wiped the tears from her eyes. “How dangerous?” she asked.

“We’ll have to stop his heart with an injection.” He said. There was a lifetime of silence before he continued. “I know what it sounds like, but it's the only way. There's a chemical I have developed that is the only known counteracting agent against this new drug. It's our only chance to bring him back. He’ll die otherwise.”

Jackie looked at Bruce. She was a wreck, ready to give up her life for me. Bruce did his best to console her. “If it's our only option, we should do it.” he said. Jackie nodded slightly. “I know it's hard, but what other choice do we have?”

“Just do it.” she said, looking away. “I can't watch. I'm going to be sick.”

“She's right. You're all right. Do it. Stick the fucking needle in me!” I managed to spit out.

Jackie leaned forward and kissed my forehead. I was delirious and wrecked, but her warmth somehow gave me hope. “I love you.” she said one last time. I gave her a wink and my best smile, though it took all my energy to move any muscle.

“Goodbye all.” I whispered. Glen slammed the needle down into my chest. I felt a flood of euphoria and pain. My eyes went black and I lost all sensation. Perfect. I felt absolutely perfect. And then I was gone, completely torn away from this world.

“
I
s he dead
?” I asked, in a state of total shock and concern. I grabbed at his arms and tried to look for a pulse. Nothing. He felt cold and empty, like he was gone forever. Maybe he was.

“Don't touch him!” Glen yelled, pushing me away. “This is an extremely touchy procedure. As far as I know, I am the only one to have ever performed it. If one small thing interrupts the process, he could die!”

Tears were streaming down my face. I was hysterical. I screamed at him, “So you're just going to leave him there? You're going to leave him to die?”

“Calm down, God dammit!” Bruce screamed. Even he looked distressed, although he wouldn't admit it.

Glen guarded Rust with his life. “You fools! The counteracting agent is coursing through his body! He needs time and space from the world. It was a mistake to let you guys stay.”

“I'm sorry. I'll back off. I'm just
emotional
, I guess.” I muttered, feeling confused and embarrassed. I had already lost my father. I had lost my crew. I lost my pride. Was I now going to lose the love of my life as well?

“Come on. Let's get some fresh air.” Bruce suggested.

We walked outside and stared into the bright and dusty sunlight. Although it was technically filled with life and possibility, the whole landscape bore the look of death. It was disgusting. I had to get away. Rust and I had to.

“Push past this.” Bruce was saying. “It's just a part of this life. No one ever said it would be pretty. But at least we fought back, right?”

“Push past this? Are you really giving me that bullshit logic? You of all people, Bruce, know better than to try and feed me that crap. We
chose
this life, plain and simple. The only thing left is to ask whether or not we want to continue livin’ it.”

“You saying you want out?” he asked, biting his lip and stroking his beard.

“I don't even know anymore. All I know is that I don't want
this
. I just want Rust.”

“You're a natural leader, Jackie. You can't just leave the fight. Your men need you.” he said, handing me a cigarette. I quickly lit it and inhaled the smoky fumes.

“What men? Most of the good ones have died. The others have joined the other side. I don't know what to do anymore, you know? I know I can't stop fighting. That would be an injustice to all who stuck around to the very end. But I keep imagining a different world. A better, more just world.” I took another drag and tried to shake off the feeling of my depression.

“You're an idealist. It's a good thing to be, honestly. And it makes you an even better leader than you know. If you will it to happen, you and Rust could change this whole city. You could bring back the golden years. Shit, I hope you do. Those days were good to me.”

I inhaled one last drag and flicked the cigarette into the distance. “Come on. Let's go inside. Maybe Glen has some good news for us.” Bruce simply nodded and followed me inside.

“How is he?” I asked Glen. He looked as if he hadn't a clue.

“It's not good. Based on all the literature, he should be back to normal by now.”

“He's going to break out of it, right? He’ll live, right?!” I screamed, pounding at the wall.

“Look, his heart started pumping fairly quickly after you went outside. So he's alive. Now it's just a waiting game.”

I ran over to Rust and grabbed his cheeks. “Wake up, Rust! Wake up!”

“No!” Glen screamed. “I already told you! You can't mess with him! He’ll die!”

But as soon as I grabbed his hand, Rust’s eyes opened. We all jumped back.

Glen looked at us in complete and total shock. “What the hell?” he whispered to himself. We all stood quiet, waiting for him to speak. Finally, after a full minute of staring, he did.

“That was one hell of a trip.” he said. “You guys gotta try it, honestly.”

“Rust? Is it really you?” I cried.

He squeezed my hand and smiled. “It's me alright. What's the matter? Quit your crying and give me a kiss.”

I smiled brightly and wiped the tears off my face. And then we kissed for what seemed like an eternity. It was beautiful. And then, as our lips pulled away from one another, I punched him in the arm. “Hey! What the Hell was that for?” he asked, holding his arm.

“Don't you ever leave me like that again!” I yelled.

“It's not like I had a choice in the matter. They forced it on me. They injected me with that shit. All I can say is that it makes you ready to destroy whoever is in your way. We’re going to have a long fight ahead of us, guys.”

Bruce stepped forward. “So you're going to keep fighting?” he asked.

“Until the bitter end.” he said. I gave him a concerned look. “Don't worry, my love. We’ll burn them to the ground.”

“How can you be so sure?” I asked him.

“Because we have this.” He reached into his vest and pulled out a large bag full of powder.

Glen’s eyes lit up. “Jesus Christ. That's enough to dose an army.”

“Shit, brother. You really thinking of giving our men that stuff? After seeing what it does to people, I'm not so sure it's a good idea.”

“He'll no. We won’t give it to our army. I have an even better plan.”

“Oh, Rust.” I muttered. I didn't want any more plans. I just wanted time with him. I knew there was no time though. We would have to act fast if we wanted to win this.

“Just hear me out. From what I’ve gathered, they only have a few hideouts. Once we figure out where they are, we can get some of our men to infiltrate the water systems. We give them all we got. We dose them and wait until the symptoms start setting in. Then we attack.”

Bruce mulled it over. I was against it, of course. Anything that put my man in harm’s way was something to disagree with. Bruce apparently felt the opposite. “That ain't a half-bad plan.” he said.

I shook my head. “But what if it backfires and you create a monster? What if it just makes them stronger?”

“It won’t.” Glen chimed in. “A person’s body can only handle so much. It'll kill anyone who drinks it instantly. I'm against it though. It's inhumane.”

“Inhumane? Who gives a damn about that? Look at what they did to Rust!” Bruce said. “If Glen says it'll kill them, I say we do it. It's our best bet, next to an all out war.”

“Good. So we’re on the same page.” Rust said. “So now all we have to do is find their hideouts.”

“That's easy.” Bruce said, cracking his knuckles. “I'll send some men to scout locations. They'll find them in no time.”

Rust nodded. The plan was agreed upon and set in stone. Any argument I had was currently useless. Not that I had any qualms with it, other than that I selfishly wanted to run away with him. I had changed since I met him and I believe that it was ultimately for the better, even if there were some intense roadblocks. And for what it was worth, I knew he believed the same. He looked at me and said, “Don’t you start worryin’. Everything will be alright. They haven't got me yet, and they won't get me tomorrow either.”

“I know it.” I said.

I rested my head on his shoulder and felt his strong heart beat against my ear. I knew he was right. I knew he was built to win. I shouldn't have ever doubted him, but it's hard on a woman to see their man suffer. The fragility of life and love sought to weigh itself down against you, at every second of the day. When the days of peace are finally here, I would be sure to welcome them with open arms. A new day. I needed a new day.

G
od damn
. What a night.
My body ached, but I was definitely itchin’ to get my own taste of sweet revenge. Only problem was, I had a wife who didn't want me to leave her side. I was lucky, that much I knew. But there was a job to be done. I couldn't just leave our gangs to die at the hand of those fucks.

“I just don't understand why you have to be on the front lines of everything. It seems so pointless when we have all these men who are willing to fight. Do you have a death wish or are you really just that selfish?” she asked me, throwing her arms up wildly as if her whole life depended upon her argument.

The thing was, I didn't operate on logic and she knew it. I acted on my gut. And right now, revenge was the only thing worth shit to me.

“I can't argue with you about this. Anything else, sure. But not this. It's personal now. I need to end Don and his fucking goons. I need to make sure they never get another chance to roam these streets. For our kids, Jackie. It's all for them.”

She dropped her beautiful eyes and a smile formed across her face. “What did you just say?” she asked me, knowing full well what I had just said.

“Our kids, Jackie. We need to think about them and their future. It's not just about us anymore.” I said.

“But I'm not even pregnant.” she exclaimed.

“You will be when I'm done with you. Once we take Don down, we’re getting a hotel and spending a week there. Just me and you. We’re going to start that family I know you've been dreamin’ about. How does that sound?” She jumped into my arms and wrapped her soothing hands around my neck.

“You’re everything good in this world. You know that, right?” She asked me, kissing my face.

“Shit. I wish I was.” I laughed. “But I know our baby girl will be. We’ll raise her to be the best woman to have ever walked this planet.”

“A girl?! Who said we’re having a girl?” She unraveled herself around me.

“Shit, if our baby is a boy, we’re screwed. He’ll be too wild to control. You really want that?”

When I looked into Jackie’s eyes, she looked utterly beautiful. Like a goddess, she entranced me. I was poised to be in love with her forever. The stars, the moon, and the sun could not even compare to her splendor. “I want anything and everything as long as it comes from you.” she whispered.

At that moment, Bruce walked into the room. I nodded towards him. “So, you ready?” he asked me.

“Ready as I'll ever be.” I'll admitted. It wasn't the first time I felt this way. At this point in my life it was a necessity to fight back and defend what I felt like was my honor. But it wasn't like I was excited about it. I didn't get that rush I used to get before I loaded up for battle. Instead, I felt sick to my damn stomach. I would have to leave Jackie again and
that
was a sentence almost worse than death.

But she always seemed to surprise me. She pushed past us and blocked the door, saying, “I'm coming with you.”

A sly smile broke into my face. Bruce looked disappointed. “Like hell you are.” he said. “Men only, honey. Move aside.”

“If you want to get through, you'll have to put a bullet in me. It's either that, or you let me go with you.” She put her demands on a platter and served it harshly.

“Well, Bruce?” I sighed, waiting on his response.

But he wasn't having it. He was being a stubborn baby, hell bent on reliving his glory days. “Well, what? I'm not budging, God dammit! This is a two-
man
job. Any more people could jeopardize the whole thing!”

I looked at him and patted his back. “Come on, boss. It's time to give it up. I can't keep debatin’ this with people anymore. Jackie is our best asset and I'll be damned if she gets overshadowed, just because she's a woman.”

Bruce grumbled, clearly defeated in this. Five years ago, he may have been right. But this was a new era for everyone. If he didn't want to admit that's, it was at his own peril. I wasn't going to let him take me down with him. If anything, Bruce was our weakest link at this point.

“Fuck. Fine. I guess the boss’s decision don't matter anymore. Do whatever you want.” he said, hands hanging on his leather holster.

Jackie was pleased. She opened the door and smiled brightly. “Alright then. Let's go kill some bastards.” she said.