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"I love you and I don't want to lose you. Because my life has been better since the day I found out." – Unknown

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Chapter 77
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|Kade|

I rejected the call, slipping it back into my pocket. I knew he wanted to talk about Chivo, but the truck-stop shut down at nine. Ever since Kimberly tried the food she demanded it every single time I came home, or brought her with me to the cages. I didn't want to face her if I forgot it.

I stepped out of my car, but paused when I felt the vibration, again. With a scowl, I rejected the call. I didn't want to talk about shit I already knew.

His name popped back up in a matter of seconds. The agitation tapped at my bones as I glanced toward the food truck, then the time. I had to make this call quick.

The moment I accepted, I put it on speaker. "What?" I snapped. "I'm going to kill you if this shit isn't important, I'm busy." I scowled as if he could see me, but I was sure my tone got my frustration across just fine.

"Kade," Luke said slowly.

I'd been friends with the man for years. I knew things I didn't even want to know. I could hear his tone just fine, and just by that, I could tell he was worried. Nervous. Something that was entirely unlike him. Unless.

Worry flooded my gut as I clicked the phone off speaker. Pressing it to my ear, I said, "What is it? Is your mom—"

"Kade, I need you to listen to me," he said my name again in a way that made me freeze.

Involuntarily, I felt the pit in my stomach sink deeper. Something was wrong.

"What the fuck is it, man?" I was getting annoyed at the dramatics. "Quit being a pussy, and just spit it out." I thought it was his mother, but there was no way it was.

"I know how you are, but I need you to not be a fucking idiot and use your head for once," he said cautiously. "I need you to drive straight to the hospital. The one my mom's in. Don't ask me shit, just do it."

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Luke," I said slowly. "What's going on?"

I turned around to head back to my car. The food would have to wait.

I heard him mutter a curse. "I don't want you to drive with—"

Oh, fuck this. "Luke," I snapped into the phone. My patience was long gone now. "Quit with the subliminal bullshit."

I heard him speaking, but it was muffled so it wasn't to me. "It's Kimberly," he rushed out as soon as I slammed the door.

I froze at that.

My blood ran so cold, I was sure I had goosebumps to top my skin. The car roared to life under me.

I had to will myself to speak, "What?"

"Kade—"

"Were you fucking with her, again?"

For the first time, I wanted him to say yes. God, please say yes.

His tone turned dreadful, and my hope fell with it. Another curse came from him. "I was leaving the hospital, and I saw Kimberly in the parking lot and...listen man, she's fucked up. Bad. You need to—" That was it.

That was all I needed to hear.

The phone tumbled to the floor as I shifted this motherfucker into gear.

I broke every rule ever established as I sped to the hospital. My foot slammed on the gas pedal until I could damn near feel the ground. I had to will myself to retain some type of control to get to her.

I heard too many horns to count as I jumped lane after lane to get back. An abundance of curses spilled from my shaky lips as I dug my heel into the gas pedal even harder than before, if possible.

Luke said that she was hurt. Bad.

Someone fucking hurt her.

And, I knew exactly who it was.

Rage gripped every ounce of control I thought I had. The fight was off, everything was off.

Once I had my hands on this fucker, everything was out the door. No rules, no guidelines, or relent. I was going to kill him with my own fucking bare hands.

He was watching her, watching us. He waited until I wasn't there, to attack her. Instead of going after me, he went after a defenseless girl.

My girl. That motherfucker hurt what was mine.

Fuck me. I couldn't stomach it. The thought of her in pain right now, because of me...It was all because of me.

I tried my hardest to push back the images of Kacen's corpse, but when it came to the reminder of how I lost the only person I'd ever found life, purpose, love in...fuck.

I couldn't add Kimberly to the first list. I couldn't lose her, too. I couldn't.

I swerved into whatever fucking parking spot I created. I didn't give two shits right now. I didn't care about anyone, or anything except her.

I ran into the hospital so fast, my lungs burned and ached under the pressure, but I didn't let it stop me. I couldn't let anything stop me from reaching her as soon as possible.

I rushed toward the first receptionist I saw. I was so distraught that I never even thought to ask Luke for the room number.

The shocked woman looked up at me with a gasp as I slammed my hands onto the desk. "Kimberly."

Her widened eyes stared back at me. "I-I'm sorry?"

My fingers clenched the edge of the desk until my nails dug into the material. "Kimberly Wrighton." My words were more snarl-like than actual words, but I got them out, nonetheless.

When I saw the hesitation in her expression, I had to urge myself to stop from throwing her goddamn computer into another country.

Before the temptation won, she began to type.

After what seemed like forfuckingever, her skeptical eyes met my mine. "Are you a parent or—"

"No."

She drew out a sigh, her eyebrows falling in boredom. As if she had better fucking things to do. "Then, I can't—"

The last bit of control I had went out of the window. With a curse, my hands swept every item atop the desk across the room until they all cracked, or broke.

"Where the fuck is her room?" I yelled the words so loud, I heard several footsteps shuffling away from behind me. Between it, I could hear the doctors calling for security.

I didn't give a fuck about their whispers right now. I could take any of their licenses with a snap of the finger.

Her green eyes bulged, bouncing between me and the scattered items. Her lip trembled as she scooted her chair away from me. "Sir, I—"

Blood roared in my ears, the offset beat causing my vision to blur. "I don't give two shits! Do your fucking job and—"

Before I could finish, I heard Luke's voice through the rage. "Kade."

I turned, catching sight of some of the people who jumped at my rage. Fuck them.

Luke didn't wait for me to follow, instead hurrying in the direction of an elevator. I didn't pay the woman a second glance before I was rushing to follow him.

I don't know how I made it to the elevator. Or down the hall, or to her room. I could hear Luke speaking, but it was all gibberish if it wasn't Kimberly's voice speaking to me.

When I saw her, my knees threatened to give out. I was going to be physically sick.

My sweet girl, my fighter, the very reason I breathe.

My steps were slow as I approached her. I'd been in a hospital more times than I could count from my dads' beatings, but none of those hurt more than this. Nothing.

Not a fucking thing.

As I raised my eyes to her beautiful face, I stumbled in my steps. In one shattering moment, my heart and breathing stopped. Everything just stopped.

The lips I kissed just a couple of hours ago were bruised and caked with blood. Her nose was smashed in a crooked angle. Both of those pretty eyes were swollen shut, her cheeks puffy and bruised. The knots were already forming on her forehead. I couldn't go past the bruises, and choke marks along her neck without feeling my stomach turn with bile. Blood was everywhere on my sweet baby's face.

I pushed past the knob in my throat to whisper to Luke. "Who?"

"Kade—"

"Give me a fucking name."

"No, you—"

I heard him attempt to add something else, but that was it. My body turned to face his, and my steps brought me closer until I was in his space.

With every ounce of rage that I could muster, I slammed Luke against the wall.

My arm pushed into his neck as I pinned him. I didn't give a damn about whatever animosity he held against her right now. "I know that you don't like her, but if you don't give me a fucking name in the next couple of seconds, I'm going to put you in the room next to her." My head tilted at him, squeezing my arm down. "Do you understand?"

Lukes' eyes narrowed at me, his hands smacking at my arm. I expected him, kind of even wanted him, to fight back. But he didn't, and some of the things my aunt taught me in our sessions blurred through the corners of my rage.

With a curse, I loosened my grip. He grasped his knees as he heaved for air, face red and turnt.

I jerked around, but not in her direction. I couldn't look at her again, I just couldn't.

My heart pulsed with an inexplainable feeling, until I heard Luke's strained voice from behind me. I turned around to face him, again.

"What in the hell happened?" I managed to force out past clenched teeth.

Uncertainty shifted his eyes to me before I narrowed mine.

Finally, he took the hint. "I finished the session with my mom, and was on the phone with...it doesn't matter, but I saw her car in the parking lot," he rushed out. "I nearly kept walking, but I wanted to fuck with her a bit. As soon as I came over, I saw her body, and carried her inside. I have no idea how long she was out there, but the doctors—"

"Who?"

Luke blinked at me. "What?" But he knew what I was asking.

I stepped closer. My nails dug into the flesh as I clenched my fists shut, but I willed myself not to hit him. But I didn't have time for anyones shit, not right now.

I never liked putting my hands on him or Levi, and I knew they didn't deserve it. My anger wasn't with them. I didn't want to hurt them. I needed to breathe this into my system.

I carried on until our chests were nearly touching. My own rose and fell in uneven spots as I spat out, "Who the fuck did this to her?"

His eyes fell from mine before he shook his head. "I'm not going to tell you for your own good."

All the sense swept away from me in a wild second of scorching, angry flames. My insides flared with rage all over again as I spun away from him. It was the only thing refraining me from knocking his ass out.

"My own good?" I snapped. "My own goddamn good is hers. I'm hers, and she's mine! They hurt my person. They beat her and left her outside to die, Luke!"

"I know that!" he threw back, just as erratic as me. "But what good is it when she wakes up and your ass is in a jail cell for murdering all of them? You think I'd let you—"

I paused in step, and I turned to face him, my head cocked. "Them?"

"Shit," he hissed. "Listen, I'm not going to let you fuck up your life—"

I couldn't stop it, that red gate breaking open to let the anger soar. It was so unfamiliar, because I hadn't felt it in years. It was different from any other rage, because it was the one that involved grief.

My body screamed for a release, and even as my fist went through the wall, it offered no relief.

"My fucking life?" I roared. "My fucking life is only significant if she's there! And, they tried to take her from me, Luke. They tried to kill her, to take her, my only..." My voice cracked near the end as my eyes wandered to her still body.

The bridge between rage and revenge was shaking me up, and I had to shut my eyes as the pounding set in the back of my head. "A debt has to be paid for this. I need a name, Luke. Please."

But the continuous beep of the monitor settled in the silence of the room. I knew that sound better than anyone. I just never thought I'd hear it again, with this much emotion attached to it. But here it was. Again.

I peeled my burning eyes apart, another force leading me forward. I stumbled toward my world on useless legs. My heart tore and tore until there was nothing left but the raw reality.

That still image of Kacen's casket was coming full circle now. And if Kimberly's was to join it...

Before I could stop myself, the ache took possession of my limbs. I wasn't even sure whether it was just as heavy as last time, but all I knew was that it was too familiar to not recognize.

It was too much to revisit. Past and present blurred, but there was no future this time, not without her...

A sob ripped from the back of my throat until my knees buckled from under me. They broke. I broke just at the sight of her. I wanted to be so close, I could take the pain and the torture instead of her.

I buried my face into her stomach. My tears stained her gown before I grew the strength to move another limb. My hand reached for hers, immediately recalling how warm it was against my face a couple of hours ago.

The salty taste of my tears mingled in with my lips as I kissed her palm. What if I never, ever, felt it again?

I had to squeeze my eyes shut even tighter at the thought. Darkness. That was all there, I, was, without her.

My body stilled once I felt a hand land on it. I raised my head slowly, as if looking away would make her disappear. I feared it would. If it would, then I'd go right along with her.

When I looked at Luke, I saw the very feeling I thought he lacked somedays. Sympathy.

His hand squeezed my shoulder. "It doesn't matter how I feel, but I actually do like her now." His eyes jerked up to her before falling back to mine. "And she's your girl, meaning she's important to you so you know she's just as important to Levi and I, too. And you know we protect our own."

He released me before he crossed his arms. That sympathy was gone, and now I saw the vengeance. Bare, and ready to strike. It settled what little was left of me, just enough to hold me over for now. Him, Levi, and I made such good brothers for a reason, and this was the one thing we never disagreed on.

Revenge.

His gaze darkened as he nodded toward Kimberly. "I told you that you weren't going to be the one to murder them. But, while you were on your way, I made the calls. They tried to strangle her, so that's how they're going out, too. Well, after everything else that's gonna be done to them. They'll be dead by tomorrow morning." He flicked his head at me. "No one touches one of our own, and gets away with it."

My response was a shaky, relieved inhale. Even though there was relief in it, I still felt the dread jab at me so hard, it physically hurt.

The regret, the shame. How could I not?

I was the reason she was hurt. Me. And even if they were dead, what would stop the others I wronged from trying again?

It was all my fault.

I turned to face her again, my stomach dropping. Seeing the sight a million times over would make it any easier.

My lips pressed against the cold skin along her forehead. I swept strands of hair from her face before kissing her, again.

She was here, a little voice that sounded too much like hers marked in the back of my head. She's still here. She's not going anywhere.

"You're going to be fine, baby," I whispered into her lips. "You'll be just fine, okay?" Before my words begin to tremble under the weight of fear, I turned toward Luke.

"Tell me their names," I demanded. "I want to know."

If Luke's plan didn't go through, then I'd be more than happy to take the role. With the money I had, it would be easy to get off. Even if I didn't, I truly gave no fucks. The hole for revenge was only deepening the longer I thought on it. There was enough blood on my hands to last a lifetime, and this was personal. I never gave a fuck about myself, but once they went after the woman I loved, it was war.

Luke hesitated, his chest tight. He read my expression over before sighing.

His voice was barely over a whisper as he stared at Kimberly. "It was Natasha, Amber, and Daniel."