Chapter XII – How to save a life.
Ella felt like a lion in a cage. She was frantically pacing in her bedroom, waiting for someone, anyone, to come in and tell her what the hell was going on. It had been over an hour since the guys had brought her back to the house, locking her in her room with instructions not to come out unless told.
She was in pain, she was exhausted and yes, she was worried about Kozik. Gemma Teller's words were still ringing in her ear. They would put themselves between you and bullet any day. Was it just last night tjhat the Charming Queen had pronouced those words? Ella had then dismissed her words as just that. Words. Club propaganda to justify their means and ends. But Kozik had indeed put himself in the line of fire to save her. Even after he realised he had a bullet lodged in his shoulder, he was still worried about protecting her, never letting go of her, shielding her with his massive body until they reached the road, just in time to see a huge formation of bikes led by Ray make their way to them.
Ella rubbed her neck trying to release the tension she felt in her neck only to realise she still had Kozik's blood all over her. She sat down, unable to tear her eyes away from the crimson color on her hands, which sent her mind racing, remembering the sudden relief she had felt when she had spotted her father on the road.
He had pulled off in the middle of the road and ran to her.
"Ella, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Kozik's hurt."
Ray had never been a man to demonstrate his feeling and Ella couldn't have been more surprised as she had found herself suddenly wrapped in his arms, his hand cradling the back of her head as the other men made their way to Kozik, helping him to the back of the van. "You're safe. Let's get you home."
She remembered being surprised by the worry she read on his face as he pulled away and escorted her to the van.
Kozik's kutte and flannel shirt had been removed leaving him in a wife beater as one of the Charming members, a man in his thirties, with scars running on both of his cheeks was checking on him. The man turned to her "A 'right lassie, I'm going to need to apply pressure to his wound until we get back, can you do that?" he enquired in a strong Scottish accent. Her eyes widened at the sheer amount of blood coming out of the blue eyed biker. She looked up at the Scotsman and nodded as he unceremoniously took her hand, wrapping it in Kozik's flannel shirt and placed it on Kozik's shoulder. "Good girl. Now ya don't let the pressure off, a'right?
"She'll do fine, Chibs. Let's just go." Kozik interrupted before Ella could reply. The doors of the van slammed on them and Ella met Kozik's eyes to see he was staring intently at her. He must have read the fear and shock in hereyes because he placed a hand on hers. "I'll be okay."
The sound of tires on gravel brought her back to the present and Ella took the few steps that separated from to the window to see a pick-up truck pull in the driveway. A woman in her late sixties with long white hair holding a medical bag came out and quickly rushed towards the house.
A few minutes later, she heard a light knock before the door opened revealing Chibs, holding medical supplies. "Sorry Lassie, had to wait with Kozik until the doc got here." He let himself in and jerked his head to her. "Your dad asked me to check your out"
Ella's hand flew to her forehead touching the dry blood around the gash she had almost forgotten about.
"Oh, umm yeah thanks."
She sat down on the bed and watched as he put on latex gloves, and prepared some gauze and antiseptic. He bend over to get a better view of the cut. "It's a nasty cut, lass. Afraid you're going to need stitches. I'll clean it for ya and let the doctor do the rest when she's done."
Ella nodded in agreement. "How is Kozik?"
"Doc is patching him up now, he'll be fine, don't worry."
Before she could ask anything else, the door opened and Chance and Happy made their way in without asking. Ella didn't really mind Happy, sometimes she even liked him; he was a scary character but she trusted him. However, there was no love lost between her and Chance and when she looked up, she wasn't surprised to see the sergeant–at-arms staring daggers at her.
"How is the head?" Happy asked in his characteristic raspy voice.
"It'll be fine, thanks."
"What can you tell us about the shooters, Elle?"
"Latinos. Both of them. One had a spider web tattoo on his neck, the other one had sideburns and an ugly mustache."
Ella didn't miss the hint of recognition on the men's face, nor was the knowing look they shared lost on her, but she was painfully aware that there was no point in asking, as she knew full well her questions would remain unanswered. Only one man could choose what would be shared with her and he wasn't in the room.
Chance took a few steps further in the room placing himself right behind Chibs so he could stare straight into Ella's eyes. "What the hell were you doing outside of city limits anyway? You know, you're not supposed to leave Tacoma without protection." He barked at her.
Ella had to bite her tongue not to be rude. "I didn't think I needed protection."
"Well, you thought wrong and now a man got shot because of you."
He had said that to hurt her and despite her best effort, Ella felt a pang of guilt, his words cutting through her.
"Chibs, come downstairs when you're done with her. And you " he wagged a finger towards her "For once do what you're told and stay put." He spat before turning on his heels and leaving the room, Happy following behind.
"Asshole." Ella murmured loud enough for Chibs to hear her.
He had to fight hard not to smile. He thought the Tacoma SAA had been a bit harsh, especially considering what the kid had just gone through, but it wasn't his place to say. "They're only trying to protect ya' love. You've got to take it easy on them."
A pop resonated in the room as he took off his gloves "Alright, all done. You should get cleaned up." he concluded squeezing her shoulder with an encouraging smile before she found herself alone in the room. Again.
Evelyn Moretti twisted the tweezers and felt them close on the bullet, before she pulled out, the bloody slug in a tight grip. She felt the blond biker's body tense as he gripped the side of the table and winced in pain. She dropped the bullet in the tray she had set up on the dining table next to her and turned back to the man. "You alright, tough guy?"
"I'm fine. Let's just finish this." He replied through gritted teeth.
She couldn't help a smile. Evelyn had been a friend of the club for many years and even though she had retired and sold her practice, Ray still called on her to help with delicate situations that couldn't involve a trip to the hospital. She was used to being around those though as nails guys, but she had to admit it was the first time one of them insisted on going through this type of intervention without any sort of anesthetic or even mild pain relief. She quickly closed up the wound, her hands gracefully working their magic.
The door opened and Evelyn looked up to see Ray and his VP Precious Pete enter.
"How is he doing Doc?" the Tacoma president asked.
"He's fine, aren't you Hon'? Big badass bikers die hard."
"How much longer?"
"We're as good as done." She informed them as she closed the last stitch. She cleaned up the wound before applying sterile gauze and tapping it to his skin. Rummaging through her bag, she took out a bottle of pills and held it out to Kozik. "You need to change the dressing at least twice a day. Here, take two every twelve hours. That'll help fight any infection. Sure, you don't want anything for the pain?
"I'm good."
"What did I tell ya? Big badass biker."
"Thanks Doc."
"The Scotsman mentioned your kid might need some stitches too? "
"She's waiting for you upstairs. First door on the left."
"Alright, don't worry, I'll take good care of her." She assured Ray before kissing his cheek and, patting Pete's back on her way out.
Kozik sat up with difficulty to face his President. Ray closed the few steps separating him from the blond man and cautiously wrapped his arms around him. "Thanks Kozik, for protecting Ella like you did."
"Anytime " Kozik replied as Ray pulled away. "But this wasn't random Pres', they were targeting her. Why would Mayans renege on their word and attack your kid?. It doesn't make any sense.
Ray and Pete shared a look full of animosity and resentment before Pete cleared his throat to speak. "The girl we killed the other day? She was the Mayan Veep's sister."
"Jesus Christ."
"Romero gave us the heads up but I guess Ortega went rogue on this one."
"This is bad Ray. Ortega was the one who shot me. If I hadn't shot his little bitch and forced him to back down, there was no stopping him."
Ray nodded "I know. Come on, get dressed. Everyone's waiting for us next door."
"We all know now it was Juan Ortega who attacked Ella. Retribution for his sister's death." Ray announced to the audience.
All the men from the Tacoma, Charming were standing in Ray's living room which had been transformed in a makeshift chapel.
"The death of a woman, one related to a VP, it's bad shit brother. Shit that could escalate very quickly." Bobby
"We didn't know who she was." Whiz sighted, shifting uncomfortably in his chair.
"It doesn't matter what you guys knew or not. The Mayans are going to want blood." Tig chimed in
The Tacoma SAA snickered. "They tried to kill our president's kid and shot one of ours. Trust me brother, we want blood too."
Clay rubbed his forehead and jerked his head to Ray. "The Mayans could call on to other charters and we would end up with a full blown war on our hands. I hope you realise that, Ray."
"They tried to kill my daughter, Clay."
Kozik had been silently listening to the back and forth between his old charter and his new brothers but both crews seemed to be missing a crucial point. One he had to make sure everyone understood, "We have to remember that Ella is still a target. Ortega is loose cannon right now. Even if we come to an agreement with the Mayans, as long as he is not neutralized, she's not safe."
Tig dismissed the thought. "You don't know that."
"I'm not taking the risk of finding out." The Tacoma president argued. "Kozik's right. I want her out of Tacoma. Today. "
Precious Pete turned to him. "Nell's funeral is tomorrow. She's not going to want to leave."
"Ella will do what we tell her to do." Chance barked.
"We can protect her here, Ray."
Ray lifted his head as if suddenly realizing something. "If this things turns ugly, I don't want her anywhere near this place."
Before the argument between the Tacoma brothers could escalate any further, Clay raised his hands in appeasement, "Alright, enough. Let the girl bury her mother. But just her and club members. No women, no children. After the funeral, we will escort her to Rogue River. We'll have our prospects meet us there and take her back to Charming She'll be safe there."
"What about Gemma?" Tig enquired.
"You take her to Rogue River tonight, I don't want her here. She can wait there until we bring Ella. Bobby, call Olympia and Joliette, have them be on stand by. We might need reinforcement if this shit goes south. Does that work for you Pres?"
"I want a Tacoma brother with Ella." He turned to his latest recruit "Kozik."
The man who had moved to Tacoma less than two months before would have hated to leave his brothers side to babysit the President's daughter. But things had changed a lot in the last few weeks. He understood where Ray was coming from. Kozik had shielded Ella from the bullets today, and the president knew he would do it again in a heartbeat. Besides riding was not an option for at least a couple of days while his wound healed a little.
"You got it Pres."
"Alright. Let's get this set up gentlemen."
Multiple grunts of agreement were heard as Ray stroke the gavel. The brothers started to disperse and Ray called out to Kozik to remain behind. He turned to the injured man. He knew Kozik had been a Navy Seal in another life. The toughest and most rigorous special ops group in the world. He could see Kozik was already in full motion, thinking 20 steps head, strategizing and he knew he had made the right choice. He cleared his throat, looking for the right words. "I'm burying my wife tomorrow. I need to know my daughter will be safe. I'm trusting youto keep her safe."
"You know I will." Kozik replied with conviction.
Ray looked at the man and nodded gratefully. "You get her to Rogue River, and once she's safe you come back. We'll need you."
Ray stood up, patting Kozik in the back before leaving the room. Kozik let out a deep breath. He had promised Ray he would keep Ella safe and he knew would protect her with his life. And not only because she was his president's daughter. Kozik was not a man who scared easily but in that single moment before he realised that he was the one who'd been shot, the very idea that she'd been hurt had crippled him with fear. He knew that now that whatever it was about Ella, that kept drawing him in, it wasn't going away.
Standing up, he turned to exit the room and found himself face to face with Tig Tager. "It's lucky you know, you being here right when those Mexican assholes decided to target Ray's kid."
"Yeah, I guess it is."
"I'm still not clear on what exactly you were doing following the Pre's daughter though?"
Kozik was surprised no one had asked him the same question yet. He had elaborated an explanation but Tig was the first one to call him up on it. "It's like I said, Tiggy, I saw the Deville and went on a hunch."
Tig let out a snigger and shook his head "Nah, surely even you wouldn't be that fucking stupid."
"What are you talking about?"
Tig's eyes narrowed on him. "Are you tapping her?"
"What's the matter Tiggy? You jealous?"
Ignoring Kozik's remark, Tig just continued. "You're sailing on dangerous waters here brother."
"I'm not doing her, alright."
"Well, you better not be asshole, because if he even thought you did, Ray would cut your balls off and feed them to you."
Kozik stood up to leave the room. "Nice talking to you too, Tig."
Ella sat in silence, the pain on her forehead finally receding thanks to the powerful painkillers the club doctor had given her when she heard a loud knock on the door.
"Come in."
She was half surprised to see her father walk into the room, closing the door behind him. She had almost exepcted him to send Pete or Whiz to do this.
He put his hands in his pocket and gently asked. "How is your head?"
She stood up to face him. "Don't. No small talk, Ray. Not today. I want to know what is happening."
He had known this conversation wouldn't be easy, he still hoped it would go better than their usual discussions which usually ended with one of them hurting the other. Nell had been right, they were both stubborn, both proud. He took a deep breath "We need to get you to out of the city for a while. It's for your protection."
"Protection from what? What the hell did you do Ray?"
He pondered her question for a moment. Any other day, he would have ignored the question and told her to get on with the program but something stopped him from doing that now. Instead, he chose to be honest. "The man who tried to kill you. He's the Mayans vice president and the attack, it was a retaliation. For his sister's death."
"Did his sister die because of you?"
"Yes." He replied swallowing hard as he remembered pulling the trigger on the woman.
"And now he wants me dead."
"I am not going to let anything happen to you. You need to trust me to know what is best for you."
Ella cackled. "Trust you? Like mum did?
"Please do not bring your mother into this."
"Yeah? What about Darcy Dad? She trusted you to do what's best for her. Look where that got her."
Ray took two quick, menacing steps towards her. "You're crossing the line Ella."
Ella stood her ground refusing to back down. "What are you going to do Ray? Hurt me like you hurt her? I saw the bruises on her neck!"
For the second time that day, her father's harsh exterior seemed to vanish as his shoulders slumped. "I'd never hurt you like that."
"And I'm supposed to just take your word for it."
He let out a loud breath and sat at the edge of her bed. "Why do you always have to fight me on everything, Ella? If something happened to you… she'd never forgive me. She asked me to protect you…to make sure you were safe. Even if you hated me for it. You have to let me do this.
It was time. Ella knew this was the moment she had been waiting for. She needed to know the truth. "This morning, I came to the range. I wanted to ask you something."
"What's that?"
"Did you know? About her affair?"
"Ella…"
"Please. I have to know."
"Yes, I knew." he replied, gazing into his daughter's eyes.
She was taken aback by the hurt she read in his look."Why did you take her back?"
"She was my wife and I loved her. No one else knew."
"And him. Do you know who he was?"
"No, she never told me and I never wanted to know."
They remained silent for a moment, letting the words linger between them. Ella took a deep breath. "I'll go. I'll do everything I'm told. And when you're done, when this is done, I want to leave. No questions asked. I'll just leave and you will let me go. Because the one thing I really need protection from is you, this club and everything that comes with it. So can I please have your word, Ray?
He remembered his promise to Nell. This was what she wanted. He knew that if Ella left, she would most certainly never come back and as hard as it was for him, he knew he had to honor his word. " When this is over, if you want to leave, you'll be free to go." He stood up and walked to the door. "You leave tomorrow. After your mother's funeral. Be ready"
This chapter was harder to write than usual, I don't feel like it flows as good as it could have but there was a lot of setting up needed for future chapters and this was the best way I had to bring it up. Still I hope you enjoyed it, coming up we FINALLY have a lot more Ella Kozik interactions so stay tuned.
Hoping to get the new chapter in very quickly if my home internet is fixed so fingers crossed!
Even more so than usual, I would love to hear what your thoughts are on this chapter which was very painful to write, so please review!