Lightning: Soldiers Of Hades MC, #4
Lightning: Chapter 1

Lightning was just one of the many men searching the wreckage of the warehouse they had blown up the night before. The one thing that surprised the club was the fact the police raised no objections to what they had done.

Some of them had known about the cartel and they had seen the rise in crime. They had felt powerless to stop it. Since the warehouse had gone up, the police had been busy gathering the members of the factions in town and while that in itself was dangerous, they had been slowly getting the control they didn’t have before.

Now, it was late in the day and so far, they hadn’t found anything they could use to help them find the rest of the cartel. They still hadn’t found Javier. The police had dragged five other bodies out of the water but none of them had been Javier.

GTO called before they headed back to the clubhouse and told them Arthur was dead, that he had come to the clubhouse and tried to take out Louisa. They stopped him cold but the body count was still growing.

The MC found ten bodies in the rubble from the fire. Cobra and Cotton hadn’t seen anyone in the warehouse when they went through it and the police told them the bodies were found in the basement.

As he walked along the edge of the rubble, Lightning felt heartsick at the sight. There was too much broken and destroyed in one place and he knew this had only been the first battle and there would be so much more to come from both sides.

As he walked the perimeter, he thought he heard the snap of a branch to his left. Lightning paused and slowly reached for his weapon in his back holster. Turning quickly, his eyes scanned the wooded area to his left.

He didn’t see anything right away but after a moment or so, he thought he heard a whimper. He frowned and stepped closer. He heard someone stepping away and when he turned his head, he saw a shadow slip around a tree.

Lightning frowned.

He went around the other way and looked down. It was a kid. He couldn’t have been more than six years old. He had dark hair and dark eyes. And he looked terrified.

Lightning growled. “What the hell are you doing here, kid?”

The boy peered up at him with fear and tears in his eyes. “I need help and didn’t know where else to go,” he whispered.

Lightning squatted down and said, “Say that again.” He cocked his head and waited.

The kid ducked his head and repeated his earlier statement, “I need some help and didn’t know where to go.” Again, his voice was nothing more than a whisper.

This time Lightning heard him. “What do you need kid?” Lightning frowned.

“My big sister is hurt.” He swiped his nose. “She’s hurt and can’t move. Can you help her, please?” The boy looked up with fear in his eyes. “She’s all I got and I’m scared for her.”

“Sure kid, I can help her. Where is she?” Lightning got to his feet and then reached out his hand. “Come on let’s go find your sister.”

The boy reached out and slipped his hand in Lightning’s much bigger one and together, they walked deeper into the wooded area.

Lightning didn’t know where they were going but he didn’t like being this far away from the rest of his brothers. “Where is your sister, exactly?” he asked.

The kid stopped and pointed.

In the distance, Lightning could see a lean-to of sorts. It wasn’t much but he stared at it for a moment. Then he saw her.

She was sitting propped up but she was slumped over and her head looked bloody. Her eyes were closed.

The closer he got the more he could see her better.

Her dark hair was shielding her body and her face was pale. She had blood streaked down her cheek and her shirt was stained with what he knew was blood. He knelt beside her and he could see a wound on the side of her head. The bleeding had stopped and her hair was encrusted with dried blood. Her chest was rising and falling.

Lightning breathed a little easier. At least she was still alive, for the moment. He looked over his shoulder at the kid and he could see the worry in his eyes. Worry for his sister.

The boy crept forward and knelt in front of her. He reached out a grubby little hand to pat her face, “Nala, wake up, please. I got you some help, please wake up.”

But Nala, if that was her name wouldn’t wake up.

The boy shook his head sadly.

Lightning reached out to gather her into his arms. Standing up, he told the kid, “Come on let’s see what we can do for her.”

“You want me to come with you?” The boy looked a little worried.

“Yep, grab whatever stuff you think you need to bring with you but you ain’t staying here at the moment.” When the boy didn’t move, Lightning hitched the girl in his arms and said, “Come on kid, move it.”

The boy moved around behind him and gathered their things together and when he grabbed what he could he came back to Lightning’s side. “I’m ready.”

“Ok kiddo, let’s go.” Lightning nodded ahead of him.

They made their way over to where the brothers were parked.

Cobra noticed him first and walked over. Frowning, he looked first at the girl and then at the boy. “What the hell, Lightning?”

Lightning nodded as he got the girl into the truck. “I found him first, then he asked for help for his sister. What was I supposed to do? She’s hurt, I don’t know if it was because of the warehouse going up last night or something else, but I can’t leave them here. They were staying in a shack in the woods.” He stared at Cobra.

Cobra stared at him briefly and nodded. “Yeah, that wouldn’t have been good. Ok, take them back and see how bad she’s hurt. Doc should be able to tell you that much. We’re almost done here anyway.” He shook his head. “This is a hell of mess.”

“I heard that.” Lightning nodded as he reached down and lifted the young boy up into the truck. “I’ll see you later then, at the clubhouse.”

Cobra nodded and stepped back as Lightning got behind the wheel and took off.

After a twenty minute drive, Lightning pulled into the Hondo club parking lot. He’d kept looking over at the girl but she never woke up during the trip. He got out and walked around to the passenger side of the truck. Gathering her in his arms, he glanced over at her brother. “What’s your name kid?”

The boy looked nervous as he replied, “Paco.”

“Ok, then. Come on Paco, let go get your sister some help.”

The young boy scrambled over the seat and jumped down. Then he followed Lightning and his sister inside the house. He looked around wide eyed but didn’t stray too far away from his sister.

Lightning carried her all the way down the hall to the Infirmary and pushed the door open.

The man they called Doc looked up from the book he was reading. “Good lord, where did you find her?” He cleared off one of the beds and motioned for Lightning to put her down.

The girl groaned slightly but didn’t open her eyes.

Little Paco moved over to a chair near the bed and sat down while the two men took care of his sister.

Doc took a moment to examine her head wound and shook his head. “Has she come to yet? When did she lose consciousness?”

“Hell Doc, I don’t know.” Lightning shook his head. “The kid found me then took me to her. She hasn’t woke up since I first saw her, about an hour now.” He looked around the room and found the kid. “How long has your sister been like this?”

“She went out early this morning to look for my mom. When she came back, I knew she’d been hurt. She sat down then closed her eyes and I couldn’t wake her up.” Paco looked more than a little scared. “Is she gonna be okay?” he whispered. “I can’t lose her too.”

Lightning walked over to him and squatted down to his level. “We don’t know yet. She has to wake up first, before we know anything.” He paused then asked, “Where are your parents?”

“I don’t know. It’s just been me and Nala for a long time now. She takes care of us both. I need her to come back to me.”

“I hear ya kid, I hear ya.” Lightning shook his head. He got up then looked down at him. “You hungry?”

“I could eat.” Paco nodded.

“Well Paco, they call me Lightning.” He smiled.

“It’s nice to meet you Mr. Lightning.” Paco stood up and held out his hand.

“There isn’t any Mister. It’s just Lightning.” Lightning shook his hand.

“No sir.” Paco shook his head. “Nala taught me to show respect to those who have earned it. You sir, have earned my respect.”

Lightning narrowed his eyes at the boy’s statement and he slowly turned his head to look over at the girl lying on the bed. He hoped she would wake up soon as he would like to meet her. Turning back to Paco, he smiled. “Let’s go get you something to eat.”

“Yes, please.” Paco grinned at him.

Lightning could see a gap between his teeth. One of his front teeth was missing and Lightning chuckled.

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