Rainbow (Ruthless Kings MC Baton Rouge #1) - K.L. Savage Page 0,45

bad?” he asks.

“This wouldn’t have happened if he didn’t stop for me,” Rainbow whispers.

“Don’t. It’s my time. Explain it to me, please?” I can hear the fear shaking his question while his coherent eyes meet mine.

“You have a branch in your neck, and you’ve lost a lot of blood. If I remove it, you’ll just bleed out faster.”

“Well, ain’t that some shit.”

I smile sadly at him when his eyes begin to water. “Rainbow?”

“I’m here, Mr. McDonald.” Rainbow wipes the blood dripping down his neck on his shoulder.

“Can you call Dex? I need to talk to one of my kids, and I need to say my piece. Please.”

“Of course,” Rainbow says, his fingers trembling and his lashes wet. He clears his throat and shakes his head. “It’s dead from the water. Fuck!” he screams, tossing his phone against the road. “Goddamn it!”

Mime and Jokester check theirs too, but there’s no service. I didn’t bring mine so I can’t check.

Mime shoves his phone in Rainbow’s face and points to the recording app.

“We can record a message for Dex. I’ll get it to him. I swear, I’ll get it to him.”

A tear drips from Mr. McDonald’s eye as he closes them. He’s getting tired.

“Make it quick,” I whisper to Rainbow.

Rainbow clicks the app and holds it to Mr. McDonald’s lips. “Ready when you are.”

“Hey Dex, it’s ya Pa. I’ve done got myself into an accident and I ain’t coming home. I’ve lived a good life, and I’ve come to peace with a lot of things except one.” He swallows, and another stream of blood drips down his neck. He squeezes his eyes shut and grips my hand tighter. “I know, Dex. Ah, kid, my first baby boy, I know. Always have since you were still in diapers. It’s okay. I want ya to know it’s okay. I just want ya happy, Dex. Love who ya want to love. I’m proud of ya. I’m so damn proud to call ya my son. And the man ya get to love is gonna be a lucky guy. I love ya and ya brothers more than anything. Promise me ya won’t get rid of the farm. It’s yours now. And promise ya won’t hide yourself no more. Ya too good, Dex. Ya too damn good. I love ya.” He inhales a gurgling breath. “I love ya.”

Rainbow ends the recording, and a smile takes over Mr. McDonald’s face. “Sheila,” he says on his last breath as he exhales, a lone tear rolling down his cheek.

“Who is Sheila?” I ask as I reach and close his eyes, then double-check his pulse. “He’s gone.”

“That’s his wife. Unfortunately, she died giving birth to their last son,” Rainbow informs me sadly.

“I hope he’s with her now.” I let go of his hand and take the branch from his neck. “We have to bring him to his kids.”

Mime bends down and lifts his dead body into his arms without question and heads to the truck.

I throw myself into Rainbow’s arms at last. “You’re alive.”

“Little water won’t keep me from getting back to you.” His arms tighten around me, and I sigh in relief, but it quickly turns into a sob. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m sorry for scaring you.”

I lean back and slap him in the shoulder. “You can’t do that to me!” and I smash my lips against his. “I was so damn scared.”

He chuckles.

“What?” I pout.

He runs his hands through my hair and grins. “Nothing, just something I thought of earlier. Let’s go home.”

So much has happened in one day and it’s nowhere near over.

Is he going to believe me when I tell him someone tried to drown me? Or will he believe in his club more than me?

After dropping off Mr. McDonald’s dead body and having to watch Dex carry his father away, I’m so fucking done. I’m done with everything. I didn’t have the heart to play the message his dad left. It didn’t feel like the right time. He was angry and pissed off, and he had four brothers to console while trying to keep his own shit together.

We park the truck in front of the clubhouse at last, and I stare at the damn tree that nearly cost me my life. The wind is starting to get stronger, and the sky is turning black from the hurricane finally approaching.

Time is up.

“Thanks for coming for me,” I say as Jokester shuts off the truck. “I know I told you not to.”

“He wouldn’t take no for an answer.” Jokester points