Torn

Chapter One

Chapter One

“Guarding our warehouse in the middle of nowhere. Just another day at work…” Frustration was lingering in Sean’s voice. He and his best friend Johnnie were on a gravelly road, a few miles west of Cornwall, New York on that freezing, early December night. Marco Rivera’s recent threats of taking control of their arm trafficking business could not be taken lightly. The president of “Los Lobos”, a rival motorcycle club had never challenged the power of “Brothers of Fire”, Johnnie and Sean’s own motorcycle club. However, “Los Lobos” had grown in numbers lately and seemed confident enough to risk open war with them. Their president, Brad Warrick was left with no choice but to try and protect their lucrative business and protecting that warehouse was the first thing that he ordered them to do.

“Stop complaining, brother.” Johnnie grumbled. “I’m not crazy about this, either. But, we got to do what we got to do.”

“I wish I could be normal, just for one night.” Sean sighed. “You know, with a real job, having dinner with friends, a girlfriend maybe.”

“We get girlfriends almost every night.” Johnnie teased him.

“You know what I’m talking about, man.” Sean put a little force in his voice. “A normal life, where I wouldn’t have to worry about getting shot at every day. I’m tired of looking over my shoulder, Johnnie.”

“You want out?” Johnnie squinted at him.

“What if I do?” Sean wondered. “Look at us, man. It’s almost midnight, we’re in a van in the middle of nowhere, staring at a freaking warehouse. And for what? Two grand a month? What a joke…”

“How long have you been thinking about this?” Johnnie wondered.

“A couple of weeks.” Sean replied. “Today, it’s ‘Los Lobos’. Let’s say we survive this crap. What’s next? The Russians? The Chinese? They all want a piece of this.”

“Trust me; things are going to get better.” Johnnie assured, patting his friend on the shoulder.”

“We’ve been in this MC for six years, brother.” Sean’s nasal voice became flat, riddled with disappointment. “We all say that it’s going to get better, but it never really does, does it? We’re risking our lives for peanuts.”

“It’s more than just the money, Sean.” Johnnie spoke in a firm tone.

“Don’t tell me we’re in this for the comradery.” Sean shook his head sideways. “It’s never been about comradery. It’s always been about the money. Money and power. Brad’s money and power.”

“Can’t argue with you there.” Johnnie murmured. “What are you going to do if you leave?”

“Not ‘if’, Johnnie. ‘When’.” Sean corrected him. “I don’t know. I like this town, but I want to live in the city for a ch...” He didn’t have time to finish his sentence. A loud, blast explosion lit up the night, throwing both friends back in their seats. Thousands upon thousands of splinters of wood, along with small shards of glass from the windows of the warehouse were ejected. The blast wave shattered the windscreen and every window in Johnnie’s van. Two, small pieces of glass were lodged in Sean’s throat, while one grazed Johnnie’s right cheek. Sean instantly grabbed his neck with both hands. His wounds began to bleed, quickly soaking his fingers. Unable to breathe, Sean gagged, as his eyes got as big as baseballs. Johnnie flicked a glance right, as his ears buzzed. His friend was gasping for breath. Having no time to waste, he started the engine of his van and put his foot hard down on the gas. The powerful engine roared and the tires picked up gravel from the ground as he drove off. Dozens of rounds of live ammunition exploded, as he left the burnt-out warehouse behind. Apparently, their rivals had found a way to hurt them, but now, all that he could think of was how to save Sean’s life. And that was no easy task, as St. Luke’s hospital lay in the town of Cornwall, more than six miles east of their location. His heart raced, as tension tightened the back of his neck.

“Hang in there, buddy.” He said, his voice riddled with fear. By now, he was going by more than seventy miles an hour. Johnnie tried to avoid casting another glance at his dying friend. Sean was a nerve-wracking sight and he had to keep his eye on the road ahead. Within seconds, he was back at the town limits. He caught a glimpse of a farmhouse, on the right side of the road. The lights were on. Johnnie did not think twice. He swerved right, destroying the wooden fence. His truck slid to a stop in the thick snow. He opened his door and jumped outside. Finding himself knee-deep in the snow, he turned around and ran towards the passenger door. By the time that he saw Sean again, he was lying on his back, across both seats, with his hands still on his throat. Just when he was about to put his own hands on his friend’s ankles, a female voice drew his attention.

“Hey!” The unknown woman hollered, standing at her door. “You’ve just ruined my fence!”

“I need help!” He cried, looking up at her over his right shoulder. Johnnie then did exactly what he had in mind. Pulling Sean’s body closer to him, he removed his hands from his friend’s ankles and put them on either side of his midsection, bending his knees. He pushed Sean’s body violently upward. With his friend draped all over him, Johnnie flipped around, panting for breath as well, as Sean breathed in even harder gasps. Much to his surprise, the young woman had rushed outside and was blocking his way.

“Holy God!” She exclaimed, noticing his mangled truck. “What happened to you two?”

“We got involved in an accident.” Johnnie gasped. “Can you do First Aid?”

“I’m a doctor.” She said with a nod. “Get him inside.”

A long sigh of relief left his lips. She turned around and started towards her front door. He followed her, feeling a small drop of blood flowing down his face. The doctor bypassed her living room and opened the first door to the left. It was her bedroom. Johnnie eased his Sean onto the bed, as she pulled a brown bag out of a large cabinet in the upper right corner.

“You need to wait outside.” She spoke in a calm tone.

“That’s not going to happen, doc.” He said, a note of panic in his voice.

“Do you want me to save him or not?” The doctor went on, keeping her cool. Johnnie could not utter a word. He continued to stare down into her light-green eyes, as if he was attempting to intimidate her with his sheer size. But the doctor would not even blink. She maintained eye contact with him.

“Ok.” He nodded. “Take good care of him.”