Gracias Avery
**Slater**
I’m going to kill that bastard, Razz, for undoing years of reassurance. Years of Camden and I convincing Artemis, that she is not disposable. She is vital. Without her and the boys, Camden would have nothing to live for or protect. Maybe that asshole is a donor match for me. I will ask Ryder later. Right now, my goddess is curled against me, asleep from emotional exhaustion.
“It’s the hospital,” Preston utters in the chair, his face in his hands with his elbows propped on his knees. He might be the youngest of our group, but at this moment he appears closer to my age, fifteen years his senior.
“What do you mean?” I asked him quietly.
“He is Ali’s nephew.”
“I remember. Her brothers brought him and Ronin along, when we took out my uncle. They ran errands and helped the Irishman.”
“Their mother, Stephanie, passed away from breast cancer. A year later, Razor Grothman killed Ali’s sister-in-law and her husbands. He has seen too much death and spent too much time in the hospital with Steph.”
“He triggered and ran,” I comment for him understanding what’s going on in his head. Since I will be here a while, and there is a probability I might die in this room.
“Yeah, I’m positive that’s what happened,” Preston says with red eyes. His phone sounds and he glances at it. “Camden said Ronin is out of surgery. They’ll be bringing him up soon.”
“Bueno (good),” I mutter, stroking Artemis’s ash-blonde hair. “How bad was the damage?”
“Perforated his liver.”
“The boy enjoyed his drinking too much. I now have a reason to keep him from it.”
“Damn, Papi! You are sneaky and brutal.”
“He uses alcohol to self-medicate and I’m done with it. I want our boy healthy.”
“You’re a dom, too? Fuck my life. Every time I turn one of my friends is. Well, Fin’s a switch but still…”
“Hola, Avery,” I say to the man with blood-red hair leaning against the entryway. “Did Rory tell you I was here?”
He nods. “She did. I thought I’d check on you, Tueur.” Since meeting Avery, he has called me that. It’s the French word for my nickname, slayer. He walks into the room.
Preston stands to greet him. “I heard congratulations are in order, Preston. Ryder finally handed over the handler positions to you. These guys will be your team, Slay and Cam?”
“Them and two others. The Jamison boys are also part of my team.”
“Prez Reaper’s brats, huh? I didn’t think the bikers allowed them to be trained,” Avery comments curiously. Prez Reaper is one of Razz and Ronin’s six fathers. His real name is Grimm Jamison, the older brother to Ryder’s wife.
“After Steph died, they gave shielding the boys. Razz is a better hacker than Bear. Riley was trained by the government. Razz will be the tech guy. Ronin, the Corpse Collector, sunk his hooks into him, so since that crazy Aussie trained him, he will be great as a torture expert. Slater will be the leader in charge of all training. Camden will handle weaponry.” Steph or Stephanie was Razz’s mother. Bear or Riley McCannon, is the Death Rider’s Motorcycle Club’s Road Captain. He is a former FBI agent. The crazy Aussie mentioned as the Corpse Collector is another one of those fathers, named Ranger Smithson.
“I’ll let Griff know you have everything thought out. He was worried when he saw you with Slay,” he tells Preston before addressing me. “Not that you aren’t a great guy, but things will get bloody getting you out of the Ravagers. With you weak, those within that are out to replace will try sooner, rather than later. You need to get her and your children to safety.” His words hold a serious truth to them. I understand what I need to do soon, but it’s going to break my heart, and Artemis’s when I do.
“I know, but it’s going to hurt her,” I say in a hushed tone, not wanting to wake my sleeping goddess.
“You’ll be able to fix whatever breaks between you guys after they are no longer threatened. Ajax said he overheard some Ravagers talking about joining a new leader. You have cancer in your crew.”
“Sí. Lo sé. (Yes. I know.), but the question is a matter of when they are going to kill Cam and me to take over.”
“Do you think they’ll attempt to while you are in here?” Preston asks with alarm.
“No, Pres. I don’t.” He gives me a questioning look. “The reason being, is that this hospital belongs to the Death Kings, and they know it. Ellos no son estúpidos (They aren’t stupid.). They won’t kill me now.” Preston doesn’t look convinced by my words. I know everything that goes on with my crew, so sí, I know exactly who it is that usurping me and why. I’m going to let him, but I’m going to make Camden and I make it out alive instead of in a body bag.
“Just make sure you live, Tueur. I don’t want to lose a friend when I’m already about to lose a boyfriend.”
I smirk. It’s about time Avery admitted his feelings about Kage to himself. They’d been in love with each other before they came home from military service. “I don’t think Kage will go anywhere. He is too stubborn to leave tu culo peludo.”
Avery feigns being offended. “I’ll have you know my ass is not hairy. Kage shaves it from me,” he says that last sentence proudly.
“Gross! TMI! Some things you should keep to yourself,” Preston whinges.
Avery laughs at him. It’s good to see one of my oldest friends smile. We’ve been friends since junior high when he was a weird foreign kid, with a mom who talked to plants and a father who couldn’t speak or move. He has been miserable since he got back from his tour from being severely burned by chemicals. Depression mixed with PTSD is never a good thing. But he came around when they started working for the Death Kings. There was a spark of life whenever he was with Kage and the Furies, but also sadness.
“Well,” Avery drawls, “I better get back to Kage. I just want to see you. We will help make sure you get a new heart.” With a wink and spin on his heels, he leaves just as Ronin is being rolled in, with Camden following behind.