Brutal (32 page)

“I get it, Rogan. She’s a private one, like you. Did you know she used to train here with the new recruits every summer from the time she was thirteen?”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” I say, laughing. “She’s a competitive one.”

“She is,” he says, smiling. “She’s also humble. Gets that from her dad, too. When I remember her back then, so fierce, with no cares, I always knew she’d make a name for herself, just didn’t see it panning out like this.”

“She’s finding her way. We’re helping each other. How did she do, keeping up with the recruits?”

“Top of the class,” he says smiling. “Every fucking time.”

My pocket vibrates, and I see it’s her calling, she must have finished early.

“Speaking of, that’s her now,” I say hitting the talk button.

“Give her my love,” says the Cap, walking away and I nod.

“Angel?”

“Fuck!” This from a voice I don’t recognize.

“Venessa!” I yell into the phone.

“She needs a hospital, God dammit!” I recognize Max.

“Which one of you did this!” Again that voice.

“Get the fuck outta my way, I’m taking her to the hospital,” says Max.

“Who dared to touch her?” he asks.

“Fuck, I didn’t know who she was! She was trying to call someone, I freaked, man!” says another voice.

“Touching her was a fatal mistake,” he says, and then I hear a single shot fired.

“Jesus Christ, the fuck is the matter with you?!” says Max.

“Get her to the hospital,” he says. “You have until Friday.”

“Venessa,” says Max, desperate. “Venessa wake up sweetheart, show me those pretty eyes.”

“M-M-ax?” she says, and my knees hit the floor. I notice the Captain talking to me, but I can’t hear.

“I’ve got you, sweetheart,” he says. “Fuck, Venessa, I’m so sorry. I won’t let anything happen to you, stay with me, okay?”

“Hurts,” she says. “Need him.”

“I’m taking you to the hospital, Venessa. I’ll call Rogan and Tony,” he says.

“Just Ro…“  she says, losing consciousness again.

“Venessa!” I yell, over and over again.

The Captain looks frantic, and all I can do is say her name, on repeat. He grabs my phone, and tells me we’ll find her and uses my phone to locate her. Thank fuck he was here, because I’m utterly useless right now. I can’t breathe. Someone hurt her, Max is taking her to the hospital, and I wasn’t there. I wasn’t fucking there!

“Son,” says the Captain. “Look at me. She’s headed to Receiving, alright? Rafe’s picking you up, and I’ll be right behind you.”

“Cap…“

”She’s strong, Rogan,” he says. “Stronger than any of us, she’ll make it. She has to.”

“The fuck happened?” says Rafe, looking around.

“Venessa is en route to Receiving, and you need to get Rogan there,” says the Cap.

“Why is she headed there?”

“The club,” I say. “Someone hurt her, Max has her.”

“Where the fuck were you?”

“Not now, Rafe,” says the Cap. “Get him there.”

“I wasn’t there…” I say, over and over, and Rafe doesn’t respond. He just drives like his life depends on it. I don’t know how badly hurt she is, but if she doesn’t recover, neither will I.

Badges flashed, we’re told to wait, like everyone else, because she’s in surgery. I think I’m shock, because I just sit there. Rafe, though, looks ready to kill. He asks me to hear the thread so I hand him my phone, he replays the conversation but I tune out. I can’t listen again. He comes back minutes later, and he’s mutinous.

This hurry up and wait shit is killing me.

The double doors open, and Max walks into the waiting room. Rafe doesn’t hesitate; he just grabs Max and starts beating the ever loving shit outta him. Still, I sit. I do notice, however, Max is not fighting back.

Security comes in. Rafe flashes his badge again, and tells them both to fuck off.

“Start talking,” says Rafe.

“They have to relieve the swelling in her head,” he says, looking at me.

“Don’t look at him motherfucker,” says Rafe. “You look at me. Why would they need to relieve the pressure in her head?”

“Because one of James’ men bashed her head into the wall,” he says.

“Who is James, and why would one of his men bash her head into the wall?” asks Rafe, clenching his fists.

“James wants her for a private appearance. I said no. We were arguing about it. I didn’t even know she was there yet. He must have thought she was listening in,” he says.

“Was she?” asks Rafe.

“She must have doing inventory,” he says. “I don’t know, I just told you I didn’t know she came in.”

“So one of his men sees her, and just casually bashes her head in?” asks Rafe.

“I didn’t see it until I walked out and saw her on the floor. I grabbed her and ran her here,” he says.

“No ambulance?”

“You fucking serious?”

“What happens Friday?” I ask, standing up.

“He wants her by Friday, or he says she’ll suffer, and he’ll kill all of us,” he says.

“Who is James to you?” I ask.

“I met him about eight years ago. He came into the club a lot to see Kharma, I mean, Venessa. Shit,” he says.

“Keep going,” I say.

“He always asked about her, but I never let him get close to her. He stayed away until today. He always has cash, spends a lot, does the VIP thing, so I left him alone.”

“Until now,” I say.

“He came in outta nowhere, man, started demanding Venessa, basically that she belonged to him and shit, that he loved her and a bunch of other nonsense. He knew about who she was, what she did, and who you were, too. These were the type of fucks I was trying to protect her from! Where the fuck were you?” he yells.

“Enough,” says Rafe, stepping in when Max lunges for me. I look down at his hands, wrapped in my shirt and was about to laugh, until I saw that he was covered in blood. Venessa’s blood.

Rafe breaks us apart, and Max takes out his phone, and asks who he’s calling. Max replies with 'Tony', and that he’d want to be here.

I hear him relay the same information he just shared with us, and obviously he’s on his way now, too. Max has her phone, and I demand it back. He walks over and hands it to me, and I hold onto it like a life line. Needing to connect with her somehow, I scroll through all the pictures she took of us, recognizing most; but not others. I see a missed call from Macy and know that I need to call her, that she would want to be here.

The Captain runs in, with several uniforms from the department. When Macy picks up, she says she’ll be right down and hangs up. Right down? Right, she must work here.

The next three hours are a shit show. Everyone — The Captain, Rafe, Max and Tony — all hammer Macy with questions, and each time she returns from checking, she comes over to me first to give me an update. She held herself together, I’ll give her that. That and she loves Venessa. She leaves to get another update, and Rafe looks like he wants to protect her, and I know that would make my Angel happy, too.

When she comes out next, she has the doctor with her, and I don’t like the look on his face. The Captain, Rafe, Max and an oddly quiet Tony all flank me.

“Dr. Bozworth” she says “This is Venessa’s boyfriend, Rogan, Police Captain Frisk, Rogan’s partner Rafe, and that’s Max and Tony.” I notice her flinch and she realized she’s said too much.

“Boyfriend?” asks Tony, finally speaking, and I don’t have the energy to answer.

“How is she?” I ask.

“She’s suffered severe head trauma. We were able to relieve the excess pressure, and have closed the wound, but she has lost a lot of blood, and is severely concussed,” he says.

“She will be monitored for the next couple of days, then she’ll be released, but she’ll need 24 hour care for the next few days following,” she says.

“She’ll be with me,” I say, barely getting the words out. “When can I see her?”

“She’s being taken to a room now. Ms. Kowalski will be her nurse tonight, so she’ll let you know when you can go in. Please observe the hospital's rules in terms of visitors,” he says.

“Thanks, Doc.” I say.

“Doc, thank you,” says the Cap.

“I’ll be back to get you shortly,” she says, and we all just stand there not moving. Not knowing what do to. Of course, Gallo had to break the fucking ice.

“Where the fuck were you?” he says.

“Out.”

“Out?” he yells. “Out? While she’s nearly killed? I should have protected her myself.”

“I protect her,” I say. “She’s mine.”

“We’ll see about that,” he says, but chooses to go make calls, instead of arguing with me.

“I’ll be back tonight. I have a crime scene in my club to take care of,” says Max, walking away.

Max and Tony share a nod, and some small talk, but then Max leaves without another word.

Rafe and the Captain are having their own discussion and I’m just stuck. I notice the officers, and look at the Cap, and he tells me they’re here to watch her room. I nod in appreciation.

The only person I have ever loved just had brain surgery, my only friend is sitting with the only father figure I’ve ever known, and my competition is staring holes in my head. I could kill him, but I just look at the photos of us instead.

T
he pain is too much. To be in this kind of pain means I’m alive, but I’m wondering if death would be preferable to this. So much noise. I hear voices. Several. I just can’t make out who they belong to, it hurts too much. Why is everyone yelling? I can’t move my arms or legs, I’m just so tired. Where am I? What happened?

“It’s Macy, can you hear me?” she asks.

“Macy?” I try, but my throat really hurts.

“I’m here,” she says. “You’re in the hospital, you need to rest, and I’m here to take care of you. We all are.”

“Ro-gan?” I ask.

“He’s here, too,” she says. “Hasn’t left your side. Are you in pain?”

“Yeah,” I say. “Head hurts.”

“I’m going to give you something for the pain,” she says. “I’ll be right back. Love you.”

“Love you.”

“Angel,” he says quietly. “It’s me.”

“Rogue—“

“Shh,” he whispers. “Don’t talk, rest. I’m not leaving you.”

“Happened?”

“You don’t remember?”

“No,” I say. “Trying to.”

“Rest first,” he says, leaning down to me. “I thought I lost you, Angel. Don’t ever leave me again.”

“Won’t.”

“I’m giving you meds, now. It’s going to work fast, so just close your eyes, and know that we’ll be here when you wake up.”  Macy’s voice is a comfort, and the medicine hits fast like she promised. I wanted to say thank you, but I don’t remember getting the words out.

I don’t remember anything.

I wake up on and off, having no idea what time it was, but I still can’t move. I hate being drugged up. I can’t think, can’t speak. I focus my eyes, and I see Rogan and Rafe, sleeping sitting up. I blink to clear my eyes, and I see Tony sitting alone. I lean my head a bit more to see if Macy is here, but catch Tony’s attention instead.

“Baby,” he says. “Fuck.”

“I’m okay.”

“No, you’re really not,” he says, touching my lips with his fingers. “You had brain surgery.”

He notices my alarm, everything starts beeping, and I can’t breathe. Did he just say brain surgery? Why would I need to have brain surgery?

“Venessa, look at me,” says Macy, crowding in. “You’re safe, you’re healing. You did have brain surgery, but you will make a full recovery, okay?”

“Why?”

“Still don’t remember?” she asks.

“No,” I say, closing my eyes.

“Where’s your pain?”

“9.”

“Okay, here you go,” she says, rubbing my cheek. “I know you don’t like feeling like this, but let me keep the pain away for now, okay?”

“Kay.”

As I drift back off, I hear Rogan and Rafe yelling at Tony, Rogan trying to get to me, with Macy yelling at everyone. Maybe I’ll just rest a bit longer.

I wake up to Rogan’s face. You’d think I’d jump or scream, but it’s just what I needed. I’m so tired of floating, and I need to feel grounded. I feel his hand in mine, and I wiggle my fingers and he smiles. I missed that smile. He looks so tired. He’s blaming himself, I can see it. Moving my hand, I bring it up to touch his face. When he continues to look lost, I tug on his beard.

“Don’t.”

“I wasn’t there,” he says, looking away from me. “I wasn’t fucking there.”

“Here now,” I say. “Missed you.”

“Don’t let me off the hook,” he says, still not looking at me. “I don’t deserve it.”

“Look at me,” I say, and when he does, I go back to squeezing his hand. “Love you so much.”

“I failed you.”

“I love you.”

“You almost—“

“I. Love. You.”

“Angel,” he sighs. “I love you, too.”

“Kiss me.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Please.” Which is a word I rarely use, and it must have worked, because he did kiss me gently. Looking each other in the eyes is exactly what we both needed.

“Tired.”

“Rest, I’m right here.”

I don’t argue, I do as I’m told.

Again, I close my eyes and drift. I hear Rogan and Tony talking, and it sounds like they’ve come to some sort of truce. I hear Tony ask him how I was, and he answered ‘getting there’ without taking a swing. If that’s progress, I’ll take it.