Desolation

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  NOW – Pippa

  The minute he rolls into the Joker’s compound, the doors swing open and bikers come piling out. Max stares at them, and then mutters, “Fuckin’ Ingro has no idea what he’s messing with.”

  That he doesn’t.

  I turn to Max and stare at him. “Thank you for helping me.”

  He says nothing; he just stares straight ahead. I climb out of the car and my eyes scan the lot for Tyke. He’s not there. I see everyone else, but no Tyke. My heart drops, but I don’t get a chance to say any more because Santana lunges at me, pulling me into her arms. I can’t hug her back, but I let the tears flow as she whispers over and over how scared she was.

  Then I’m in front of Maddox, his big hands on my shoulders as he studies me. I breathe a sigh of relief that they’re still here and not about to attack Max’s club.

  “Who brought you back?”

  I turn and glance at the car disappearing into the darkness. “He was no one.”

  “Fuck, Pip,” he says, his voice tight. “You have no idea how scared we were.”

  “Tyke, Rainer?” I say frantically. “Tell me they’re okay, Maddox.”

  Maddox looks away and my bottom lip trembles. “Maddox?”

  “Tyke is okay physically, but he’s checked out. He’s sitting in that room, starin’ at the fuckin’ wall. Rainer is in hospital . . . he’s in an induced coma. His injuries were bad.”

  “No,” I whisper, and Maddox reaches down, stroking a tear from my cheek.

  “He’s goin’ to get through, you hear me? He will. I will take you to him as soon as I can, but right now Tyke needs you to go to him. I haven’t told him you’re okay. I didn’t want to give him hope if something went wrong.”

  I lift my hands. “Can you get these off?”

  He nods and flicks his fingers, calling Krypt over. “Get me something to get these off.”

  Krypt nods, giving me a warm smile. Then he disappears. When he returns, Maddox removes the cuffs from my hands. Santana and Ash are by my side, clutching me tightly.

  “Go to Tyke, but when you’re done, we gotta clean you up and talk to you about what happened, Pip,” Maddox says.

  I nod softly, and walk past them all and into the house. With shaky legs, I move down the halls towards Tyke’s room. I don’t know what I’m going to say to him, but I know he needs me. Now more than ever. I reach the door and slowly push the handle open, then I step inside. Tyke is sitting on the edge of the bed, staring out at the window, his body so still it’s alarming.

  “Tyke,” I whisper.

  He doesn’t move.

  Swallowing back my tears, I walk over to him.

  “Tyke, honey, I’m here.”

  Still nothing.

  He’s checked out all right. He’s broken himself. His legs are still battered and his knuckles red raw. In fact, I would go so far as saying he’s still in the same clothes as he was during the fight. I reach for his shoulder and place a hand there. He doesn’t flinch. My heart breaks, and the water explodes from my eyes as emotion finally takes hold of me. I climb on the bed behind Tyke and wrap my arms around his shoulders.

  “I’m here,” I rasp between my tears. “I’m here, Tyke, and I’ll never leave you again. I’ll never leave you. I’m sorry. I’m here.”

  I kiss his shoulder, then his neck, and keep whispering to him. “Come back to me, honey. I’m here. I won’t go anywhere. I love you, Tyke. I love you so much.”

  His hand moves, reaching up and taking hold of my wrist. I think he’s going to pull me closer, but instead he shoves me off and stands, walking over to the window. He presses his hands against the glass and rasps out, “You need to leave.”

  Leave?

  No.

  “Tyke, no. I won’t leave,” I say, standing and rushing over.

  “Leave, Pippa.”

  “No,” I cry. “You want to push me away, but I won’t let you.”

  He loses it, just snaps. He spins around, causing me to lose my balance and then he roars in a voice so harsh I flinch, “I said fucking leave. I’m no good for you. No fucking good. I’m a cripple. An invalid. I can’t help you. Can’t save you. So just fucking do me a favor, and leave.”

  He roars the last word so loudly my heart splits in two. He’s shaking, and he looks so broken it tears my heart out. He thinks he failed me. He thinks he let me down. He didn’t. He could never let me down. He didn’t disappoint me, or hurt me. He fought for me with everything he had, but he didn’t let me down.

  I realize I have a choice. I can either stand tall and take whatever he’s got to dish out, or I can run crying back to my family. It’s in that moment I decide who I am. I’m no longer the Pippa that shrinks away from confrontation, or the Pippa who is afraid of everything. I’ve grown, changed and become a strong and worthy woman. It’s time to start showing that.

  So I step forward and into Tyke’s space. I place a hand on his chest and he flinches. “You can push me away as much as you want, Tyke, but I won’t go. I won’t go because you’re the only person in my life that I can ever truly love. You didn’t do anything to let me down and you didn’t fail. Even if you had perfect working legs, do you think you would have been able to snatch me up and take me away when those three men had guns? It took guts to do what you did, and I won’t let you make it anything less.”

  He flinches and his eyes move to mine.

  “And if you think your words can send me away after I just spent half a day worrying if you were even alive, then you’re very wrong. I’m here, Tyke. Through thick and thin. So you can either talk to me, or I’ll just sit here and wait until you are.”

  I sit at the end of the bed and he just stares at me. He’s confused and a little shocked, judging by the expression on his face.

  “I let them take you,” he says in a raspy voice.

  “And?”

  “And I didn’t stop them.”

  “Jesus, Tyke,” I cry, throwing my hands up. “You were alone. Do you think any one of those guys out there would have been able to take on three men with guns? Do you?”

  He looks away, his face tight.

  “You know I’m right,” I say softer now. “You aren’t healed right now, but it doesn’t mean you never will be.”

  “I won’t,” he barks, running his hands through his hair.

  “Stop it,” I yell. “Stop feeling sorry for yourself, Tyke. You have bad legs—that sucks, but it doesn’t make you less of a man. It doesn’t mean you’ll never be normal again. Imagine if you could never walk? Imagine that.”

  “I couldn’t even ride,” he yells, so loudly my ears ring with his voice. “I couldn’t run. I couldn’t fight.”

  “But you did ride, you did run, and you did fight.”

  “And you got taken because I failed!”

  “No,” I screech. “I got taken because you were faced with a situation no man could handle. Jesus, Tyke. You’re getting better every single day, but you just want to snap your fingers and make it all go away. It doesn’t work like that.”

  “I couldn’t take care of the woman I love. What happens if we have kids? What then?”

  “You’re thinking about something that hasn’t even happened,” I cry. “You’re thinking about the future, and not right now. Your legs aren’t healed yet, Tyke, but they will be soon.”

  “I’ll never be normal. Do you understand that?” he spews at me, tugging his russet locks.

  “No, I don’t, because I don’t want fucking normal.” I stand and get in his face. “I never wanted fucking normal. I want you. I want your legs. I want the life you can give me, whatever that is. I want to keep the way you make me feel. I want to breathe you in every single fucking day. I don’t care about what you are. I love you, Tyke. That’s all I want; it’s all I’ll ever want. Now you stop it, do you hear me? Stop it.”

  He stares at me, mouth slightly agape. I’ve never sworn at him, and I’ve certainly never spoken to him like that befor
e.

  “Are you going to keep feeling sorry for yourself?” I whisper, stepping closer. “Or are you going to kiss me?”

  He thinks on that for only a second, then he steps forward and crushes his lips down on mine. He kisses me, hard and bruising. He backs me up to the closest wall and slams me against it. Memories of what Santana said flitter through my mind, and I recall her saying how amazing it feels to be fucked against a wall. I wrench my mouth from Tyke’s and whisper, “Fuck me against this wall, Tyke.”

  He stares down at me with lusty eyes. “Anything you want, baby.”

  Then his lips are back on mine and we’re ripping at each other’s clothes with an intense frenzy. My shirt goes first, then my shorts. Tyke drops his jeans and rips my panties off, then we’re roaming each other’s bodies. His mouth is hot against mine, his hand is aggressively groping my breast, and I can feel him pressing between my legs. One of his hands finds my hip and he grips me hard, pinching the skin there.

  I gasp and reach up, tangling my fingers in his hair. I run my nails over his scalp, scratching until he hisses. With a feral hiss, he plunges inside me without warning. I cry out his name and hang onto his shoulders, loving how amazing it feels to have him slide inside me without any hesitation. He starts thrusting his hips, hard and fast, driving in and out of my body so hard our skin slaps together.

  “Oh, God, Tyke,” I scream.

  “Fuck, yeah.”

  He drops his head, taking one of my nipples in his mouth, sucking and licking until both of us are panting against each other. I moan his name, arching back until my head hits the wall. I come before Tyke, hard and fast. He growls my name and mutters, “Come again. Going to make you come again.”

  I clutch his shoulders as the swelling between my legs calls for more and more pleasure. He fucks me hard and deep and long, until I’m rising again. I dig my nails into his shoulders and scream his name as my second orgasm rolls around. This one is more explosive, more powerful, and so real. Tyke fucks me harder and harder, slamming our bodies against the wall.

  “Come with me,” he barks. “Come.”

  I do, exploding for a second time around him. He lets out a ragged breath and then his body stills inside mine. I’m so aroused I can feel his length pulsing inside my sex. I love how that feels. I love how it makes me feel.

  Slowly, Tyke pulls back and pulls out, lowering me to my feet. He stares down at me, his expression soft. He reaches over, running a thumb over my lip.

  “Let me shower you, baby. I need my hands on you some more.”

  My heart softens, and I let him lead me to the shower connecting to this room. He pokes his head in first, making sure no one else is using it, then he pulls me in. The shower is only small, but it’s big enough for the two of us if we put our arms around each other. Tyke turns it on, sticking his hand in to see if it’s warm, then he pulls me inside.

  He pulls me against his chest and holds me there as the warm water runs over our bodies. My knees and elbows burn from the gravel rash, but I don’t complain. I just hold him, needing to feel him some more.

  “Did they hurt you, little one?” he asks.

  “No, Tyke.”

  His shoulders drop a little, with relief I think.

  “How did you get back?”

  “Believe it or not, they had me in this club, in a closet. They only bound my hands. They have this strange underground fighting ring, and there was a fight going on. Someone was meant to be watching me, but the owner, Max, called him to the side. These two girls opened the closet and I ran out. They chased me, of course, but I’m so small I weaved through the crowd a lot easier than they did. I got to the parking lot and slid under a car. When they were gone, I got out and Max saw me. He agreed to take me home—he didn’t want any part of it.”

  “Jesus. So this Max guy owned the place?”

  I nod.

  “Why did he let them put you there in the first place, then?”

  “Apparently he owed them a favor. He wasn’t happy about it, but he let them go for a while.”

  “Shit,” Tyke mutters.

  “Yeah,” I whisper. “What’s going to happen now?”

  He shrugs. “Not sure—they chased down the main cars and killed all the people in them. We know who is taking over now, and we’re going to have to deal with him, but that’s nothing for you to worry about.”

  “You could get hurt. Of course I’ll worry,” I whisper.

  “I’ll be okay.”

  I hope he’s right.

  ~*~*~*~

  NOW - Pippa

  I’m standing beside Rainer’s bed. I have been coming here and doing this for the past five days. He woke up this morning, but keeps falling back into a deep sleep. The doctors said it might take a while, and that he’ll be sleepy for some time. He knows I’m here, so I’m just sitting beside him, waiting.

  The Joker’s Wrath boys rode out to ‘end’ things with Ingro and his drug ring three days ago. None of us have heard anything since. When they ride, they’re silent; it’s probably for the best, as they need all their concentration. We don’t know of their plan, and have been told to stay right out of it. Maddox left five men to guard us, but he doesn’t think we’re in danger now Ingro knows they’re coming.

  I try not to think about what could happen, try not to think about the possibilities. They could be walking into a trap—they might get killed on the spot. Anything could go wrong, but Maddox and Tyke assured me they have a solid plan. I heard the word explosives being used, and machine guns. That very sound makes my stomach twist in fear.

  “Pippa?”

  I jerk at the sound of a voice, and turn to see Belle standing at the door. She smiles at me and I offer one back, letting her know it’s okay to come in. We’ve been talking a lot during the past few days, and when I told her about Max she took it well enough, though I saw the agony in her eyes as I spoke. Whatever happened between the two of them was enough to break her heart into a thousand tiny pieces.

  “Hi Belle,” I say.

  She’s got two white bags in her hands. She lifts and wiggles them. “I thought you might like something to eat.”

  I nod weakly. “Thank you, I would.”

  She walks over and takes a chair, sitting beside me. “How’s Rainer?”

  I shrug. “He’s still sleeping. The doctor said it’s normal.”

  “I’m sure his body just needs the rest,” she assures me.

  I pull out the ham sandwich and take a small bite.

  “How are you?” I ask her.

  She shrugs and looks away.

  “Belle, I know we haven’t had much of a chance to talk about what happened with Max, but you can tell me how you’re feeling. I’m always here.”

  She looks back to me, her eyes watering. “I don’t know how I feel, Pippa. He helped you, I’m so grateful for that, but knowing he’s so close and what he’s doing has my heart playing wild games with my head.”

  “Do you want to see him?”

  “I don’t know,” she says. “I honestly don’t know.”

  “You don’t have to make a choice right now. He’s there, he’s not going anywhere. If you want to see him, you can. If you don’t, then you won’t have to.”

  “What did he look like when he asked about me?”

  “Truthfully,” I say, looking into her eyes, “he looked angry, sad and confused all at once. He didn’t give much away, but when he asked if you were seeing someone, I saw a flash of regret in his eyes.”

  “Do you think he still cares about me?”

  I shrug. “I don’t know, Belle. I think he regrets whatever it was he did, but he wouldn’t let me see much past that.”

  She nods. “Of course. Anyway, I didn’t come here to grind you for information. I just wanted to see how you are. Have you heard from Tyke?”

  I shake my head, suddenly losing my appetite. “No, and I’m terrified.”

  “He’ll be okay, Pippa. He’s a strong man.”

  “Pippa???
?

  The croak causes both Belle and me to spin around. Rainer has his eyes open and is staring down at me, a weak smile on his face. Belle squeezes my arm and stands. “I’ll leave you to it.” Then she disappears out the door.

  I push to my feet and reach for Rainer, taking his big hand in mine. “Hey you,” I whisper, feeling tears welling.

  “Hey yourself,” he rasps. “How long have you been here?”

  “A few days.”

  His brows furrow. “Pip, you should be resting.”

  I reach over and stroke his face. “Not when you’re in here because of me.”

  “No,” he whispers, taking my hands and pulling them to his lips. “I’m not in here because of anyone. It happens, Pip. Don’t blame yourself.”

  “I’m sorry, Rainer . . .” I look away as tears slide down my cheeks.

  “Come here,” he says, patting the side of the bed.

  “I can’t,” I croak.

  “Pippa, get in the bed.”

  I don’t want him to strain himself, so I let him pull me into the bed. I tuck myself in beside him and he holds me tight.

  “Don’t you feel bad about asking me for help. You needed to get out of there and I took you. You couldn’t have predicted that those men would be waiting. I told you years ago, and I’ll tell you again. I’ll always save you, Pippa.”

  God, I love him.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  NOW – Pippa

  The call comes in the middle of the night.

  I’m sleeping restlessly and so therefore I hear the phone the moment it rings. I reach over and stare down at the flashing screen. It’s Santana. My stomach drops. This can’t be a good call. Anytime a call comes in the middle of the night, it’s never good. I pick it up quickly and press it to my ear. “Tana?”

  “Oh Pippa,” she sobs.

  “Tana what’s happening?”

  “Krypt called me. He said . . . he said . . .”

  “Santana,” I cry. “Please!”

  “He said there’s been an accident. He said when they ambushed Ingro and his group, things went bad. There was an explosion, not set by them, nor for them. Ingro was expecting some other enemies, too, it would seem. The boys had just stepped up to the compound when it blew.”