Strays (Red Kings #1) (25 page)

Sighing, he sucked up a bit of his pride and tried to come up with something to say that might mend the situation. They weren't going to get anywhere if they weren't talking at all.

“Look, Jack,” Jagger finally said, choosing his words carefully. “I probably-”

“Uh, Jagger?”

“I'm trying to say something, so can you just be quiet-”

“Jagger! I thought you said those Saints guys would leave us alone.”

“What are you talking about?” He turned around in his seat to look out the back window. “Fucking hell.”

Quickly gaining on the old truck were two black vans and a group of motorcycles, whose riders were sporting Dead Saints cuts.

“What should I do?” Jackie asked frantically, her eyes glued to the rear-view mirror as the rival gang drew closer.

“Drive.”

They were mere minutes from Kings territory, and if they could just cross that border, they'd be fine. Jackie pushed the accelerator to the floor, hoping her poor truck would rise to the occasion and get above sixty miles an hour. As the red needle settled just at the mark indicating sixty, she cursed herself for not getting a newer car when she had the chance.

These bikers were obviously doing more than just escorting them out of their territory. Jackie didn't know what their problem was, but she really didn't want to get involved with them.

The trailing vehicles closed the distance quickly and one black van sped around them. “Where are they going?” she asked hesitantly, only to scream as they veered into her lane in front of them.

“Oh shit!”

“Should I pull over?” she asked nervously, trying to keep some distance from the van.

Jagger rolled his eyes as he took stock of the Saints' force. “Two guns versus twelve, guess who wins?”

“This is not the time for your sarcasm, asshole! What the hell do we do?”

Before he could answer, the piercing sound of bullets hitting glass filled the air. Jackie screamed as the window next to her shattered and Jagger pulled her down into the seat, covering her as he tried to steer the truck and avoid being shot. It didn't take long for one of the guns to aim at the tires, firing off a few rounds into the rubber and making the truck fishtail across the road. Jagger tried to use the steering wheel to correct the direction, but only managed to swing them towards the right shoulder. Their speed combined with the sudden jerk of the wheel did not bode well for the top-heavy truck.

The next thing they knew, the vehicle and its occupants were flying through the air. Jagger was tossed around the cabin as the truck flipped over, then landed on its side and continued to roll until it came to a stop upside down. He fell to the ground harshly as the truck abruptly quit moving, the momentum throwing him out of the now glassless front window.

The biker groaned as he laid on his back in the hot dirt. He vowed to himself that he would definitely wear a seat belt from now on. Listening for sounds of motorcycles, he was glad to find mostly silence, which hopefully meant that the Saints wouldn't be coming back to check out their handy work.

He felt for any broken bones, but found only that his ribs and left leg were giving him some minor pain. Rolling carefully onto his side, he called out to the car's other inhabitant, knowing she had been smart enough to wear her seat belt. “Jackie, I need you to call Vic. My knee is fucking killing me.” The only response he got was from the coastal birds, which caused him to pick his head up with a wince. He expected to find Jackie glaring at him, ready to start a lecture about unsafe child environments and the club owing her a new car.

But that wasn't the scene that greeted him.

Restrained upside down in her seat, Jackie appeared to be unconscious. “Jackie? Sweetheart, you okay?” More silence led him to cuss and he began to crawl his way towards the truck a few feet away. The closer he got, the more noticeable the red liquid on her forehead became. “Oh, shit. Jack! Wake up!” He moved faster and managed to wedge himself next to her, paling at the amount of blood that was coming from a nasty gash on her head. “Shit, shit, shit. Hang in there, baby.”

His leg forgotten, Jagger prayed harder than he ever had in his life that the cell phone in his pocket hadn't been rendered useless during the crash. He gave a shout of triumph as he found that it still worked, even with a severely cracked screen. He dialed the emergency services number with shaking hands, anxiously awaiting a voice on the other end.

“Nine-one-one. Please state your emergency.”

“I need a fucking ambulance!”

31

July 20
th

“Well hello there. Aren’t you a pretty little thing?”

“I’m your nurse, Mr. Martin.” Jagger watched as the blonde opposite him narrowed her eyes.

Despite the situation he was in, the biker couldn’t help but grin at the strict, middle-aged woman. She had approached his bed moments before with a clipboard in hand and black-framed glasses perched on her nose. Her hair was in a tight bun, and she looked like this was the last place she wanted to be.

“Now, if you’d please lay back, I need to stitch some of your wounds.”

“Whatever you say, nurse.” He wiggled his eyebrows and then awkwardly maneuvered himself on the hospital bed. His arm was in a sling and he was careful not to move it too much - the thing hurt like a bitch.

The blonde started tending to his wounds and Jagger sighed. He’d been in the hospital for about half an hour. Jackie had been surrounded by a team of doctors and wheeled who knows where the moment she’d been taken out of the ambulance. He had pestered the hospital staff relentlessly, but he wasn’t getting any information about her or the baby.

Sticking his good hand in his pocket and taking out his cell phone, he dialed a familiar number.

“No cell phones allowed, Mr. Martin.”

His eyes cut to the woman and took note of the disapproving look she was giving him. Hanging up the phone, he kept it gripped in his hand tightly. “Yeah, yeah.” He sat impatiently for a few minutes as the nurse worked, but as soon as she walked away for more supplies, he was dialing the number again. There were a few moments of silence while he waited for the phone to be picked up, but soon the voice of his charter president filled his ear.

“Yeah?”

“We’ve got a problem, Vic.” Jagger cut right to the chase, informing the man of the day’s events. “Fucking Saints. Tailed us all through downtown and started shooting when we hit the highway. We crashed and wrecked the car.”

“Shit!”
A loud bang was heard on the other end, a clear sign that Vic had hit something.
“You okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. A few scrapes and bruises, nothing major.” Pausing, the biker took a deep breath. “Jackie’s not though. Last I saw her, she was unconscious.”

“Damn it. She gonna be okay?”

“I have no idea. Stupid hospital staff won’t tell me anything.” He glared at the nurse as she approached him, his dark eyes chilling. Vic cursed again, barking orders at someone. “We’re at Mercy Hospital, near Jacksonville.”

“We’ll be there as soon as we can, Jag.”
The sound of muffled voices filtered through the phone before he spoke again 
“Bianca’s coming too. She’ll get the doctors talking.”

“Yeah, okay.” Pressing the end button, Jagger's fingers slid over the keyboard, typing another number, much to the annoyance of his nurse. His finger hovered over the send button, unsure. Calling without any concrete facts about Jackie would be worse than not calling at all. Flipping the phone shut, Jagger put it back in his pocket. He’d wait just a little longer to call Macon.

“Hey, Nurse…” Trailing off, he looked at the name tag on her shirt. “Grayden. I bet you know what’s happening with my friend, don’t you?”

The woman looked at him over her spectacles. “Maybe.”

Snorting, Jagger shook his head. “Figures. Can you fill me in?”

“I can only disclose that information to family members, Mr. Martin.”

“Oh come on! That’s bullshit and you know it.” The nurse didn’t appreciate him raising his voice and she made sure he knew that, giving a good yank on one of his stitches. He winced, barely stopping himself from voicing his protest. “Just give me something. I’m worried about her.”

Sighing, the nurse put down the needle. “I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you anything. The doctors are still running tests. They'll take good care of her.”

“Yeah, thanks.” He watched as the woman gathered the things she’d used and made her way to another patient. He got his cell out again and quickly dialed a number.

It seemed like forever before someone on the other end picked up. Jagger was getting tired of waiting when a raspy voice answered him.

“What?”
Jagger was in no way afraid of the man on the other side of the phone, but sometimes that voice gave him the chills. He could just picture the guy it belonged to, calm but dangerous beyond words.

Swallowing, Jagger opened his mouth. “Dean.”

“What’s up?”

“Me and your girl… we got into a car accident.”

“What?”
The Macon biker no longer sounded calm.
“What did you just say?”

“It was the Saints, man. Ran us off the road.”

“How exactly did they do that?”
Dean was now growling, the anger barely contained in his voice.

“Shot at us on our way out of Jacksonville.” Pausing, he minded his next words. “Jackie was driving. She panicked, we crashed. Ambulance brought us to a local hospital.”

Jagger heard swearing in the background, knowing his friend would be pacing as he tried to figure out the situation.
“Is she okay?”

“Dunno, they’re still doing tests. Assholes won’t tell me anything.”

“I’m coming down. Be there in a few hours.”

The dial tone caused Jagger to grimace and curse. This had disaster written all over it.

***

Dean tore through the clubhouse and down the hall. Bursting into his dorm, he gave no mind to the door as it hit the wall with a bang. He got his worn duffel bag from underneath the bed, quickly stuffing some clothes into it. Placing multiple weapons and boxes of ammunition on top of the clothing, he zipped the bag shut and hoisted it over his shoulder, going back out the way he came.

Emerging on the lot, he noticed a few of the guys playing cards at the picnic table. Nash and Murphy had teamed up against TJ and the prospect, steadily taking their money and various valuable possessions. He made his way toward them, catching Nash’s eye.

“Going on a road trip, brother?”

Dean noticed a hint of satisfaction in the other man's voice and narrowed his eyes. “Jackie and Jagger were run off the road by some Saints. They're both in the hospital.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth, the playing cards were thrown on the table and the patched members rose from their seats.

“Give us five minutes, man.” Murphy gestured towards the clubhouse, the other guys already on their way. “We need to get a few things.”

Dean nodded and looked at Taco, the only one still sitting on the table, cards in hand and a dumbfounded expression on his face. “Prospect, why don’t you go and tell Luke what's going on.”

“Tell Luke what?” The voice of the president came from behind Dean. “You goin’ somewhere?”

“Lakeside.” Turning around, he observed the older man. “Jackie and Jagger were in an accident. The Saints were the cause.”

Luke sighed and nodded his head, knowing it was no use to argue with the man about leaving.

Watching as his brothers made their way out of the clubhouse, all armed to the teeth and carrying duffel bags, Dean turned around and joined them.

“Hey, Dean!” Glancing behind him, he looked at Luke. “Call me when you know how she’s doing.”

Getting on his bike, Dean raised his hand and waved. He put his helmet on and revved the bike, hearing his companions do the same. There was gonna be hell to pay when he got to Lakeside.

***

Jagger was getting restless. Pacing in the hallway, he threw a dirty look at the nurses’ station. Two hours. That’s how long it had been since they’d set foot inside the hospital. He still didn’t know what had happened to Jackie. Nobody was giving him any information. Pestering the hospital staff for news about her hadn't helped one bit.

He sighed, rubbing a hand over his eyes. Dean was going to kill him when he got here.

Thankfully, the cavalry had arrived. The Red Kings and their queen stepped off of the elevator and made a beeline to him. Bianca looked around before focusing her gaze on Jagger. “What’s going on with Jackie? Anyone talking?”

“Nah. Nurses ain’t sayin' shit and her doctor hasn’t showed up yet. Dean's on his way though.”

“Well, let’s make sure the doc comes this way soon. I’m gonna go get the ball rolling, get you transferred back to home ground in Lakeside.” Thumping Jagger on the shoulder, Vic made his way to the nurses’ station. He didn’t want to stay in Jacksonville any longer than necessary.

Having them transferred didn’t take long and Vic rejoined the small group just as a nurse came back with Jackie’s doctor. Bianca had the protective mama bear act down to a science, and she’d scared a poor young nurse into going to get some information.

He was a middle aged man with kind brown eyes and a smile. Stopping in front of them, he gave a chart he was carrying to a passing nurse before addressing them.

“Hello, I’m Dr. Ashford. I understand you’re the family of Miss Jacqueline Reeves?”

“Yeah, I’m her brother.” Tyler anxiously stepped forward, quick with the little white lie, and drew the doctor’s attention to him just as Jagger mouthed '
Jacqueline?
'  behind the doctor’s back. “Is she okay?”

“Miss Reeves is doing well. We ran some extra tests merely as a precaution because of the baby, but they are both fine. We gave her something to help her sleep, but she should be awake in a few hours.” He smiled at them all. “We want to keep her overnight for observation, to make sure both mother and child are okay before releasing her. Just to be on the safe side.”

Bianca sighed in relief and, ignoring the shocked looks the guys were sporting, smiled at Dr. Ashford. “Can we see her?”

“She can have visitors, but just immediate family at the moment. A nurse can give you her room number and escort you there if you'd like.” He looked at his watch, then excused himself.

“Thanks, doc.” Tyler shouted after him before looking at Bianca. “Baby? What baby?” Johnny, Benz, and Vic looked at her too, equally curious.

“You’re gonna be an uncle, kid. Congratulations,” she said to the prospect.

“Since when is Jackie pregnant?”

Jagger answered Benz’s question, surprising Bianca with his knowledge. “Since about four months ago apparently.”

“Shit, didn't see that one coming,” Johnny said with a shake of his head.

Vic looked at his wife, raising an eyebrow. “I guess she had some help keeping it secret, didn’t she?”

“What are you saying?” Bianca looked defiantly at him. “’Cause if you’re saying I helped her hide it from you guys, then you’re right.” She snorted, looking at them all. “Not that she needed me anyway. You’re all as blind as bats. Wouldn’t know a pregnant woman if she hit you in the face.”

Johnny shook his head, trying to put the pieces of the convoluted puzzle together. “So, it's Dean's baby, right? Then what the hell is she doing here?”

“Dean doesn’t know.” They all looked at Tyler, surprised by his grim expression and cold voice. “Bastard knocked her up and she ran away, trying to save his skin.” He shook his head, snorting. “Typical Jackie.”