Chapter 98

Chapter 98
Levy

I can’t hardly breathe. It feels like a ton of bricks has been dumped unceremoniously on my chest. My ribs are killing me. What the hell shit just happened? I swear to God when I get my hands on that fucker, he is going to be wishing he’d never heard my name.

Spitting dust and crap out of my mouth, I glance up and can see that the metal sliding panel on my dug out for working on cars is closed tight. Shit, it looks like the lock has snapped in place and now I’m stuck.

Banging on the panel I yell out. “Hello! Hello! Is anyone there? Can anyone hear me?” It’s a deep dug out; to put it into perspective for you, I can stand in it to work on cars without having to raise them too much and I am six foot plus.

My knees feel like they are blown to pieces as I stand. As soon as I saw that asshole throwing something into the garage that looked pretty much like a pipe bomb. I did the first thing I could think of and threw myself into the dug out in the garage and pulled the sliding metal door over my head.

Now I have no idea if Dylan and Harper or safe. If it was simply a pipe bomb there won’t be too much damage. My heart lurches at the thought of any harm coming to either Harper or my son. I bow my head and pray a silent prayer that they are okay above me. Now I need to try and get out of here.

It's dark, naturally and I am having difficulty with focusing my eyes since they have blast shit in them. Fucking great. Then I hear footsteps right over it. Good job I didn’t have a car or a bike on top. I start banging with all my might, my ribs aching and pain searing with every time I throw my fist at the metal. It makes my hands feel like I’ve done a few rounds with a boxing champion but I have to get out of here. It’s a sealed area. You get where I’m going with this, right?

Muffled voices can be heard, I prick my ears hoping to hear what they’re saying. Then I feel a banging on the top. I wait and bang back. Then I hold my breath for a few seconds.

Wait, someone is morsing me from the other side. I wait for it to stop and can make out they’re asking me if I am below.

Quickly, I send the message back via a series of thumbs and bashes. Then I wait.

“Okay, Levy if you can hear me, we are going to get you out. The door is locked from this side and we can’t prize it open. If you can hear me bang twice.” It’s a booming voice. Thankfully.

I do as the man asks and bang twice. Wait can I trust whoever it is? What if it’s the fucking cunt who did this trying to trick me? Okay, I might be having some insane thoughts right now. I blow out and bang twice with my fist knowing I’ve already managed to bruise the side of my right hand. It’s a small price to pay to get out of the dug out and make sure that Harper and Dylan are not harmed.

“Levy, this is fire chief Brannigan. I’m going to be use the K12 rescue saw to cut into the metal. Whatever you do, make sure to duck down as far as you can and get those eyes covered. If you understand, give me two knocks and we will begin.”

At least they have a plan and some kind of relief washes over me, knowing that emergency services are on site. If something awful has happened to Dylan or Harper, I feel mildly relieved that they are there. Without hesitating, I bang on the trapped metal door twice.

“Good job, Levy. We’ll have you out of there as soon as possible.”

I crouch down brining my knees to my chest and tuck my head down, closing my eyes and cradling my hands on top of my head for security. These guys know what they’re doing, this is not their first rodeo. I’m going to be fine. Everything will be fine. But is my son and my girlfriend fine?

Girlfriend? Holy hell that sounds so, well so tenuous. I don’t like it. Harper means more to me than simply a girlfriend. It sounds way too high school for me and teenager Ish. I need to sort that out. Being down here waiting for them to start cutting is making me realize how much she means to me.

The hell, I’m going to get this fucking asshole caught and put away for attempted murder for a very long time if it’s the last thing I do. Lex will help me and my gang brothers.

First, however, I have something I want to do that involves letting Harper know I want our relationship to go to the next level.

The cutting begins; it grates in my ears. I pull my hands further down to cover my ears and make sure my eyes are tightly squeezed closed. Did I forget to breathe? For a few seconds yeah, but I’m on track now.

It seems to take forever but finally I hear a man’s voice. “Hey there, grab my hand and let’s get you out of that damn thing. You’re one very lucky man and very smart,” he tells me as his hand comes into the dug and I grab it and allow him to help pull me out.

“Chief Captain, Brannigan. You okay there, Levy? We have an ambulance and paramedics on sight to check you out. Come this way please.”

“Where is Harper and my son, Dylan? I need to know they are okay before I get checked out. Look, I’m perfectly okay no harm done. Probably a couple of busted ribs at most.”

“Sir, the young lady and her boyfriend are perfectly fine. They’ve been checked over and are good to go. We need to get you checked you and have you assessed. They may want to take you to the hospital to do some checks on your lungs.”

What the fuck did he just say? Your son and his girlfriend? Was a time a few weeks’ back that a statement like that would have really got to me but not today. I know how much that brave, young, beautiful woman means to me and I’m going to lay my heart right on the line. Hell, I’d lay my life on the line for Harper.

“Levy, oh my God, you’re okay,” I hear her voice before I see her. Before I know it, Harper has flung herself on to me like a climbing monkey. Her legs are wrapped around my waist and she is planting kisses all over my face.

“Hey, baby. Are you okay? Anything hurting?”

She smiles big at me and my heart literally melts. It hurts on my ribs where her legs are resting but I am not about to tell my girl that. The Fire Chief gives me a bashful smile realizing he made a mistake with just who Harper’s boyfriend actually is. I give him a nod to let him know it’s no problem.

“Sir, we do need to get you check out. Can this wait?” he urges.

“Shit, sorry. Levy go and get looked at. Dylan is fine too. What happened?”

“It looks like it was a pipe bomb, right?” I say as I turn to the chief.

“To be honest, I would be inclined to agree with you, however, we are still going to have to investigate. Your son tells me you have cameras all around the house and two on the garage that look at the drive and entry points.”

I nod, “that is correct.”

“Good, the police officer will be over to chat with you shortly. We want to run the plates and need access to the file.”

“Absolutely, no problem. I can put you also in contact with one of my gang, he’s a marine and has the details of the man involved. We think he and the biker are one and the same.”

“Perfect. First things first, the ambulance and paramedics. Then we’ll take some statements with the police office in attendance and leave you good folks to it.”

Twenty minutes later I am given the all clear. They do let me know that I’ve got a couple of broken ribs and should go to the hospital. Of course I’m not going to do that. I want to be here with Harper and Dylan not waiting around. The paramedics have tutted and cajoled me but I stand my ground.

It takes two hours for us to leave statements with the police officer and finally be left alone. Dylan puts the coffee on and leans against the counter with his ankles crossed and his arms folded in front of his chest.

“So, dad. What’s the real plan? We can’t wait for that cunt to do something worse. This is a warning?”

I shake my head. Harper is leaning into me mindful not to hurt my ribs. It’s difficult to breathe properly but I’m managing. Ain’t gonna let a few ribs pull me down.

“We can’t do anything, Son. If Lex and his gang had their way, the problem will be solved by midnight tonight. But, we’re civilians.”

“Yeah, but Lex and his team aren’t, Dad.”

I fiddle with the napkin on the island. It’s a very tight line. “This isn’t an act of terrorism. If he handles it, he could lose an awful lot, Dylan. We have to let the cops deal with everything. Their investigation will be starting and they will obtain all the information Lex has to hand. We gotta be patient.”

He pours the coffee into three mugs and slides one towards me and hands the other to Harper. “Thanks, Son.”

“What if he tries something else, Levy? We’re not safe. None of us are.”

I turn to Harper and put my hand on her shoulder and bring her in and kiss the tip of her cute nose. “I have a place in Montana now. We could all head there whilst the dust lays low. Hell, we could up sticks and move out that way. There’s plenty of land and space, horses, a new life.”

Her eyes open wide. “Are you serious? We would all move to Montana? What about momma and what about Taylor’s schooling? What if they know you have a place in Montana?”

“It’s unlikely they do, sweetheart. It was paid for with cash. Besides, I’m pretty darn confident that they’ll catch up with Jake’s brother before the next forty-eight hours is done.” I take a deep breath. Having her this close to me is the best feeling ever. For a hot minute stuck down in the dug out all sorts of images flitted through my mind of my girl being hurt.

“Your momma would have the cabin at the back of the property. We talked about this before and Taylor will be able to attend the local school. It’s only a thirty-minute ride out. I’ll have plenty of time to take her and back.”

She leans her head on my shoulder. All I want to do is scoop her up in my arms and carry her to bed and tuck in behind her, spooning with her. Exhaustion waves over me like a tsunami. What we went through today has begun to take its toll.

“I think you should, Dad. You’ve been talking about Montana on and off since momma died. It’d be a fresh new start for you and for Harper. She can go to college there or do online.”

I tilt my head. “And you, Son?”

“I’ll finish off here and stay with Lacey. She has her own place now, it’s small but it’s clean and comfortable. If I get my deal for the football team, then I can visit when I can. This isn’t about me though, Dad. This is about you finally doing something for yourself. You have been here for me ever since I was born, and then some when momma died. I want you to be happy and live your dream before it’s too late.”

A lump forms in my throat. All you want as a parent is to take care of your kids and ensure their happiness. And here is my son, having grown into a fine young man encouraging me to go live my dream.

“You should, Levy,” Harper says softly. “I’d follow you wherever you choose to go. I love you.”

“Baby, I love you too.” I tell her looking into those stunning, cornflower blue eyes of hers. They’re the kind of eyes that allow you to be lost in them. I don’t ever want to come up for air. I want to sit here and look into her soul for as long as I live.

“So, you going to do it finally, Old Man?”