Page 5 of The Crowing of Hell
“What the fuck?” Mac demanded as Casey handed him Blue and launched at Rooster.
The look on Mac’s face almost sent Rooster into fits of laughter, but the situation was serious enough that he didn’t. Casey wrapped herself around him once more and clung to him tightly.
“We’ll make the nightmares go away,” she murmured as she rubbed his back and stroked her cheek on his chest.
Tears clogged Rooster’s throat, and he couldn’t speak or act. All he could do was stand there and let Casey offer her version of love and support. Mac scowled even deeper, and Blue matched his father’s expression.
“Mac, call Chance. Rooster needs him. The explosion brought back his bad memories,” Casey whispered in an aside to Mac.
Rooster shook his head. Did Casey really believe he couldn’t hear her? Mac met his eyes as understanding dawned, and to Rooster’smortification, Mac moved in closer.
“Brother, what do you need?” Mac muttered.
“I’m fine; give me space,” Rooster choked out.
Mac squeezed his shoulder and then ripped Casey away, covering his balls as he did so.
Rooster snorted. Casey was well known to drop a man with a sharp knee or groin punch if he upset her. Mac clearly thought that stopping her from offering comfort would piss her off.
“Babe, give him some room. He needs space to deal with what he’s feeling,” Mac whispered to Casey, and Casey gave Mac the eye before smiling sweetly at Rooster.
“I’ll call Chance,” she said and disappeared.
“Fuck me,” Rooster muttered, searching for his mobile.
“Chance is busy… Shit, that woman is quick,” Mac groaned, holding up his own phone. “Seriously, brother, what do you need?”
“No fuss. Just give me some space and breathing room. I’ll book an appointment with Janet later and talk shit through. But crowding me doesn’t help, it reminds me of being buried under that concrete and not being able to escape.”
“I can understand that.”
Rooster took a seat, and Mac sat opposite him.
“How was Kenny when you found her?” Mac asked, changing the subject.
“Unconscious, and she had a serious head injury. Gotta tell ya, it seemed deliberate to me. I was heading towards them and had a clear line of sight.That wasn’t a case of road rage. The guy chased her and forced Kenny off the street.”
Mac ran a hand through his hair as he gazed at Rooster. “I had a notion it was something nefarious. Kenny is a careful driver and not one to piss someone off. In a courtroom? Yeah, Kenny will go for the jugular, but outside of it, the woman literally embodies the law.”
“Nefarious, Mac? Really? We’re bikers, dude,” Rooster teased, picking up on Mac’s vocabulary.
“It’s my ‘word of the day’ calendar that Kenny bought me. Can you identify anything about the truck?”
“I was too worried about getting to her. Traffic cameras might have something, but all I can say is it was a white truck that hit her, and a man drove it. Didn’t get anything else once I saw her car rolling. If Kenny hadn’t been wearing a seat belt, she’d be in a body bag right now.”
“Who’s investigating?” Mac asked.
“No idea. I noticed Jaggers arrive as I followed the ambulance. As soon as Kenny identified she was linked to Rage, she became my priority.”
“Jaggers see you?” Mac questioned.
“Yeah, plus the operator knew who I was. I informed her I recognised the victim and was going with them and hung up. It will probably be Lio who investigates or Carter. They seem to be the main two liaisons for the SPD.”
“Carter still got trouble with his new partner?” Mac sought.
“Nah, between Holmes and Carter, they broke Devereaux. His attitude has been royally adjusted, and now he works with Hellfire and not against us. However, that fuckin’ Samson is an asshole. He has a number of complaints against him, and not just from Hellfire. His career as an officer in SPD is going to be very short.”
Mac nodded. He wasn’t on speaking terms with the Chief of Police, Wilson Holmes, but he was aware of the man’s reputation. Holmes ran a tight and clean department. If Samson was causing trouble despite multiple warnings, then he’d be out on his ear soon.