Death Kings

Chapter 1

Dominic

I'm the high school world heavyweight boxing champion now. Instead of being happy, there is this ill-sinking feeling in my gut that something is not right.

Callum is cursing in French, not having any luck reaching our fiancé or three brothers. Their phones are going straight to voice mail.

Cal's phone rings and I hold my breath. He has a scowl on his face. We are in Washington right now and it's late.

"Bonjour," Callum answers. He says a couple of sentences in French before ending the call and speaking to Lucifer and me.

"Tee's mother hasn't heard from him today. She said Tee intended for her to call me if he missed her call. I told her I didn't know that. She wanted me to let her know when I heard from him. Tee never avoids her calls."

Callum is right. Etienne is devoted to his mother. He loves her dearly and misses her fiercely. He would never ignore calls or texts from her.

Lucifer's phone rings next. "Hello. Grimm? What do you mean they are all in critical care!?" He puts his phone on speaker so Callum and I can hear the conversation.

"Someone ran the kids off a fucking cliff! They got lucky it wasn't high tide yet, so the car landed on rocks and sand," Grimm says, sounding unfamiliar. "Ali and all three boys are in critical care, Luci. None of them are conscious. They won't tell me a thing about the boys, but Ali is barely breathing on her own. I can't lose my baby sister; not like I lost my parents." The strong, gruff biker is now sobbing over the phone.

I curse in Italian, hurling my phone against the wall of the brick building Lucifer, Callum and I just came out of.

Tears start streaming down my face. My girl and brothers... no, this can't be happening. I fall to my knees, no longer able to stand. My heart is raw and bleeding right now. Callum kneels, placing his arms around me.

Lucifer takes the phone off of speaker, but I hear nothing other than the sound of my roar.

We had plans for after graduation, for this summer. The Kings of Death were going to go on tour, taking a gap year. We were going to go home to the Lazy N&D. There was going to be an extravagant wedding ceremony. Etienne was going to take us to Louisiana to see his mother. Those plans are all gone now. None of them matter if Callum and I suffer the loss of the woman we love and our brothers.

After a change of flightplans and forty-eight long hours later, we made it to the hospital in PalominoBay. They were all four placed together in a private care unit on the eighthfloor. The owner of the hospital and his family are the ones they're needingmedical care. Machines are hooked up to all four of them. Every one of them isin a coma.

I walk into the hospital again three months later to meet Jaxson's furious emerald gaze. He has a tube down his throat, and he does not look pleased about it at all. Callum hits the call for a nurse.

We've been in and out of the hospital since the wreck, taking shifts to watch over them with the rest of Ali's family. Callum and I just relieved Owen and Remi.

Dr. Mathers comes in instead a few moments later. "Glad you are awake, Mr. O'Dwyer. Give me a moment and I will have that tube out." Jaxson nods at the old doctor, but he doesn't look thrilled.

A nurse walks in.

"Please go call the respiratory therapist. Mr. O'Dwyer is awake and would like to get that tube out of his throat quickly." The nurse rushes out.

All their injuries were severe, including internal bleeding, so they had been forced into a drug-induced coma until last night.

Etienne had bullet punctures to one kidney and lung. One bullet barely missed his spine. Other than a few cuts and bruises, he is now stable so long as his lung doesn't collapse again.

Natalie had surgeries on her right arm, nose, and cheekbone, which was crushed. The glass in her neck only just missed her carotid artery during the wreck.

Ryder had a bullet graze on his upper arm and side. A bullet had to be removed from his thigh. The car dash pulverized his left knee, so the surgeon had to replace the whole knee. The jaws of life were used to get all four of them out of the car. He had a broken collarbone and ribs as well. To avoid future complications, they re-broke and plated the remaining ribs because of the many fractures. He also had a concussion.

Jaxson had to have his ribs broken and re-plated as well while he was under anesthesia before he woke up. The doctor had to remove glass pieces from his side and a piece of metal that perforated his stomach and small intestines. Additionally, the doctor had to perform multiple surgeries on his left leg's femur and tibia because they were broken.

They are all lucky to still be among the living. As soon as the first responders got them out, the car caught fire.

Dr. Mathers meets Jaxson's glare, which screams death and retribution.

The respiratory therapist and nurse come in, removing the tubes from Jaxson's throat.

Jaxson croaks, "Ryder's father." He doesn't have to say any more than that. Gerhardt Fuchs is not above hiring others to do his dirty work. Will his outrage not be evident when Ryder wakes up?

"I'm just glad you are all alive, fratello mio," I tell Jaxson, who nods while rubbing his throat. He has a nasal canula in his nose now since his oxygen levels were still low.

I called Natalie's brother because we have confirmation that it was indeed Gerhardt Fuchs who attempted to have them killed.

"Grimm, the person who hired people to hit them is Gerhardt Fuchs, Ryder's father. He aimed to kill his son and the rest of us are just caught in the crossfire," I inform Natalie's older brother.

"Are you kids going to take him out for this?" Grimm asks, exhausted.

"Of course, you know how Volpe and Angelo are. They are going to watch his blood pour at their own hands," I assure him, sitting on the other side of Ryder's bed while Callum sits between Etienne and Jaxson's bed.

"I will gladly help you seek retribution, Demon. This will not go unanswered. I already have Ranger on the trail of the guy in the SUV. Do one of you want to help him?"

Jaxson raises his hand in the air excitedly with a smile on his face.

Callum gaffs then rasps, "I don't think so this time, mon frere. You gotta heal."

He turns to me. "I want to collaborate with the Collector. I would love to learn some new knife skills. Tell him I'll help," Callum says as Jaxson juts out, bottom lip pouting.

Callum laughs at him huskily, "Sorry, mon frere, no alone time for you and Kangaroo this time."

Jaxson is pretending to cry. I'm glad he is awake. Now for the other three.