Steel Hearts: Oopsie Daisy

"Speak," Saxon's hard voice came through the phone line.

"We have Thomas," Ian said as Saxon answered the phone. "The fuckers want you to renegotiate for the girl. I told him that you wouldn't renegotiate a deal made in good faith and that he had twenty-four hours to produce the girl or suffer the consequences."

"Good, the fucker thinks he has twenty-four hours to devise a plan. We have six. Get back here with Thomas now," Saxon said and seemed ready to end the call, so Ian spoke quickly.

"There might be a different approach," he said, explaining his impressions of Marco's second and what he hoped would come from their silent conversation.

*****

Daisy looked out of the window at the dark sky. She wasn't sure how long she had been here or where she was exactly. She still wore the horrible wedding dress; if she had anything else to put on, she would have changed by now. She could feel the bruising around her throat each time she swallowed. She didn't need a mirror to prove it was there, just like all the other bruises the clothes hid from others' eyes.

She walked to the window once again, considering the option of throwing herself through it. Once she got close enough, she realised the decorative grate over it acted as the straight bars of a prison cell. She had spent her whole life running and avoiding this fate with her mother, and it hadn't mattered in the end. She knew Mitch wouldn't have caged her like this even if he had tried to clip her wings to keep her with him.

Her heart still ached whenever she thought of him being shot as he tried to save her. He was her tall, dark prince charming, just as her father had been to her mother. Despite all their faults, these were the men they decided to love and just as her mother had never gotten over her father, she was sure she would never get over losing Mitch. Love, she barely knew the man but her heartache at his loss told her she more than cared for him. She bounced between rage at letting herself get close enough to feel this way and devastation at the loss and what was happening to her now.

The door to her prison opened, and she turned to see a young man standing there looking nervous as he checked the corridor and stepped inside, moving toward the guard who had stood from his chair close to the door.

"Thank god it's you," the young man said and began a brief whispered conversation with the guard who kept looking at Daisy over his shoulder.

"And you're sure about this? It was definitely your dad giving the orders?" the guard asked.

"Yeah, they're on their way back now with the survivors. If we are going to act, it has to be now while everyone is scrambling to make sense of what went down. Marco fucked us all with this stunt, and dad is not happy at losing so many men to Marco's big mouth and bigger ego," the young man said and glanced at Daisy again. "We have to get her back to them, or we all die."

"Okay, let's go," the guard said, getting to his feet. "Seems like it's your lucky day, Bree. Or our worst day but either way, we need to go. Yell, and I will put you out again, got it?" he threatened.

Daisy stumbled between the two men who walked so fast it was practically a jog. She wasn't even sure who she was anymore, let alone where and followed them outside and into a car which one man drove while the other sat in the back with her.

"Angus doesn't want the war Marco started by keeping the girl. He needs him alive for now and will keep him on a tight leash until the dust settles and there can be another leadership change. So, he has asked me to deliver the girl to a location of your choosing," the man said into a phone and handed it to Daisy.

"Hello?" Daisy said, her voice shaking with her fear now.

"Daisy? This is Saxon. Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm sorry, so sorry," she began to cry again, faced with Saxon voice, knowing that Mitch had died at the hands of her grandfather's men.

"Mitch needs you alive. Give the phone back to the man beside you, and do what he says so we can get you to Mitch, okay?" he said abruptly, making her gasp and her mind reel. Daisy held out the phone to the young man beside her, who put it to his ear and spoke again. She curled into a ball and closed her eyes. If Mitch was dead, how could he need her? Didn't Saxon know what had happened yet? She didn't dare to believe he was alive, but she listened to the man beside her as he spoke.

"Where?" he listened. "We are on the road and can be there in twenty minutes. "We will pull into the emergency bay and let her go. She is in a wedding dress. So your men won't be able to miss her." He then closed the phone and replaced the sim card with another.

"The Royal Hospital, emergency drop-off zone," the man called to the guy in front.

"Dad, yeah, it's done," he spoke with determination. "He wants the exchange to take place at the hospital." He looked over at Daisy. "It's probably the best place for her right now. I'm not sure she hasn't lost her mind in the last twenty-four hours. She looks pretty shattered."

*****

"Hear that big guy? Your girl is on her way," Beau said, gripping Mitch's hand. "Let the doctors do their work now," he ordered, and when you wake up, she will be here."

"Need to see her," he hissed out between gritted teeth. "Need to know for sure."

"I'm going to get her now. I'll bring her straight here if I can, but she might need a doctor herself," Beau warned.

"I'm coming with you," Mitch groaned, trying to sit up not for the first time.

"If you touch that IV in your arm, I won't stop them from restraining you this time," Beau warned. "I will bring her as soon as I can. You have my word. She is alive and heading here right now. So, relax and stay in bed for Teddy this time."

"Little shit," was all Mitch growled out before grimacing and leaning back onto the bed again. "Get me, my girl and I will do what you want," he nodded, baring his teeth and growling at the medical staff who had come in behind Beau.

"Stay, or you will get a photo only," Beau gave one last warning and patted Teddy on the shoulder as he left. He stopped outside the door but heard the easing in the tightness of his friend's voice as he grumbled about not being able to move. The big man had taken three bullets, two to his back which had not been stopped but slowed down by the Kevlar jacket that was the norm for the club these days rather than a traditional cut. The two bullets had become shallow injuries without damaging anything vital in their placements. However, the third bullet had entered low on his back just above his hip and required many internal repairs.

Beau hurried down to emergency. Fifteen minutes was the best guesstimate Saxon could make about her arrival. He believed she was okay but had no idea, but the people bringing her had seemed to want to repair bridges the Vecchio family burnt.

He hurried to the emergency exit and found several of their men at different vantage points around the open area and along the area where the ambulances parked. There was a shout to his left, and a dark car sped away from the loop where two men had run to pick up a small woman in a long, white wedding dress. The girl looked around wildly, unsure if she should run from the men racing toward her. She back-up several steps with her hands out in front of her until she tripped over the tails of her long dress and ended up on the ground with a cry. Beau ran toward her, yelling at the men to back off.

"Daisy?" Beau asked once he was close enough. "You remember me? I'm Beau, Mitch's friend," he tried to soothe her worries.

"Oh god, I'm so so sorry. I never meant for anyone to get hurt because of me. I told you I should have just left that first day, and now everything..." she choked on the words as Beau leaned down to pick her up.

"Someone take a photo for Mitch before he loses his mind up there," Beau barked at the men gaping at him. "Okay, let's get you to the big guy. Once he has seen that you're alive, we can see about getting you some help for your injuries," he tried to use a soothing voice despite the myriad of emotions he felt as he carried the woman into the hospital. She looked bruised all over and as if she had been through a war zone which he expected she had, but she said nothing, only crying quietly as she let him take her into the hospital.

"They told me he was dead," she finally hiccupped through her tears.

"Who, Mitch?" he asked, confused by her words. "He's indestructible," Beau chuckled, making her turn her teary eyes up to him. "Do you think you can walk? He will only worry more if I carry you in there," Beau explained.

"Yes, I'm fine, honestly. None of this blood is mine," she shook her head, indicating the blood splatters from the day before. "They said he was shot several times when he tried to get to me. Then, after that, they said he was dead," she said again as if he hadn't understood her the first time.

"He was shot three times, that part is true, but I told you that he is indestructible. He'll get better quicker now you're here, though," Beau said gently. "He kept trying to leave the hospital to find you."

The elevator doors opened, and Beau guided her to the room where Mitch was yelling at the medical staff to stay away from him as he tried unsuccessfully to unwind the tape that kept the IV attached to his arm.

"Gees, with all this fuss, I may as well take my gift back," Beau raised his voice over the arguments in the room.

"Thank fuck," Teddy breathed and let go of Mitch's arm, leaning back against the wall.

"Thank fuck, is right," Mitch echoed his brother as Daisy walked forward and let Mitch pull her up beside him in the bed. Then, wincing, he rolled to his side and held her tight to his body. "Mine he murmured into her hair as she began to cry again.

"You need to let the doctors do their jobs now. No more arguments," Beau chastised the big man as if he were a child.

"Yeah, whatever," he kept his good arm wrapped around Daisy and held out the other arm so the staff could fix his IV and give him the medications he'd been resisting since he woke up from the surgery to find Daisy missing.

"Leave her with him tonight if you want him to stop trying to leave. We'll deal with what happens next in the morning," Beau said.

"She doesn't look good either," one of the nurses said, noting the bruises on the exposed skin of Daisy's arms, legs, and face. "We really should get her checked out in emergency."

"She told me that she was fine and none of the blood on her dress was her own. She's been kidnapped, shot at and used as a bargaining chip in the last two days. Leave her be for a few hours or at least until the big guys fall asleep," Beau said, watching the two of them as the nurses fixed the IV line and administered some pain medication and a sedative.

"At least let me get a set of observations done on her," the nurse persisted.

"Let me," Teddy said and approached Mitch, who lay on his side with his face buried in Daisy's hair as he held her tight.

"Big guy, you're going to have to relax your hold. Daisy is hurt," Teddy said, gently touching the arm Mitch had wrapped around her. "Look at her properly. She needs the doctors as much as you do. You have to let her go for a little while. I promise I won't leave her side while they check her out and give her some clean clothes."

"You're hurt?" Mitched asked, pulling back from Daisy to properly take in her tear-streaked face.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "This is all my fault," she reached up to touch his face as her tears continued.

"You have nothing to be sorry about," Mitch grumbled as his eyes traced over her face and neck, noting every bruise. "Teddy, look after my girl. Get her a doctor and clean some clothes. Don't leave her side," Mitch commanded as he held her close again. "Please," he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, hating to think about what she had been through in the past two days when he hadn't been there to protect her. Then, moving to release her, he said in a softer tone. "Stay with Teddy. He will look after you and bring you back to me. No running. You are safe here."

"I will keep her safe, big guy. You have my word," Teddy promised.

*****

Part 5.

"She's traumatised. She said they told her Mitch was dead. It was the only thing she said on the way in here," Beau said quietly as Teddy wheeled Daisy out of the room.

"I'll take her from here, gentlemen. The police want to interview her, and she needs to have a full exam," an officious sounding woman attempted to wrest the wheelchair from Teddy as soon as they exited the room.

"Where she goes, I go. You can deal with that, or I will find a doctor that will," Teddy said in a low menacing voice. "This girl was kidnapped and abused. We have had her back with us, the people who care about her, for less than an hour. If you think we are letting her out of our sight, you can think again. Be thankful it is only one of us acting as a bodyguard. If anything else should happen to her, you find she will have six bodyguards instead of just one."

The woman huffed but led Teddy and Daisy through the hospital to an examination room where a team and two female police officers waited for them. Daisy went through the motions of moving the bed and confirming her details when she arrived at the examination room. Then, with the security man and Teddy remaining on the other side of the curtains, she let a nurse who was a gentle, older woman help her remove the filthy wedding dress to expose her battered and bruised body.

"Honey, we need to document your injuries and get some x-rays to ensure you haven't broken anything," the kindly nurse explained. "The police will need the evidence to prosecute your kidnappers," she explained further when Daisy didn't react.

"The police won't help me," she whispered as a tear ran down her cheek. "They never have."

"Daisy?" Grace asked, pulling back the curtain surrounding her bed with a gasp as she took in the injuries on Daisy's body. "Oh my God, what did they do to you?"

"Grace?" Daisy asked, confused. "You're not dead?"

"I'm more alive than you appear to be," Grace said, moving closer. "I'm here now, so let's get through this and back to Mitch and Beau before they lose their minds again."

"Mitch is alive," Daisy stated, still not believing it.

"Yes, it's his superpower. He's indestructible," Grace gave a small laugh. "It looks like you are too. As soon as you answer all the doctor's questions, we can make sure he is still sleeping instead of swearing at the staff and trying to leave to get to you."

"Okay," Daisy agreed, sounding uncertain.

"Daisy, I'm Rose, one of the doctors in the trauma unit. Can you tell me what happened to you?" the doctor asked, moving closer to examine the bruises that covered her body.

"Connor Morrison took me from my uncle's place. He said he would kill the people I loved if I didn't go with him, and then he killed them anyway," she said sadly. "Or he said he did," she looked at Grace and frowned.

"He is the one that hurt you?" Rose continued her examination.

"A little. Connor wasn't so bad. My grandparents punished me for making them wait so long for me. They had been looking for Mum and me, but we kept moving before they could get to us. They weren't happy Mum had run away from her responsibilities," she shrugged.

"So, they beat you?" the doctor asked in a steady non-judgemental voice.

"Yeah, but I don't remember all of it. I think I fell a few times. My grandmother pushed me around after I tried to escape the house. That's when they put me in the tower," Daisy frowned, trying to remember but shaking her head after a moment. "Then my cousin came and killed her. He strangled me until I passed out. After that, I was in a cell, and no one came near me until that young guy brought me here."

"Your cousin killed your grandmother?" Another female voice asked incredulously, making Daisy and Grace turn toward her. "I'm constable Sue Smith. I am here to take your statement. Did you see your cousin kill your grandmother?"

"She was injured when the men in black burst into the tower room. The mirror she was standing in front of shattered, and bits hit her. She was wailing and begging for help, and he just pointed his gun at her head and pulled the trigger," Daisy explained almost robotically. "That's whose blood is on my dress."

"Then he strangled you?" Sue asked with a frown.

"He was talking about giving me to one of his men, but then his hand tightened around my throat, and I don't remember anything else," she said.

"Sue, I think you should wait outside while I do my job, please," Rose interrupted. "I believe she has told you as much as she can for now." Rose waited until the policewoman had left the room before turning back to Daisy. "There is still the man who came down with you and a security man in the room. Would you like them to leave while we continue the examination?"

"They have been here this long why would it matter now?" Daisy asked, looking at Grace. She was surprised at how much having that connection to the other woman mattered to her at that moment.

"You said you were unconscious at least once when threatened, possibly more than once. We will need to do a CT scan, but I also think we should proceed with a rape kit just in case you were violated while you were unaware," Rose explained as gently as she could.

"I don't think...," Daisy began and flicked her eyes at the curtains where she knew Teddy stood listening to everything so he could report back to his brothers.

"It's better to be safe than sorry. I know Mitch would want every test possible run on you," Grace said, squeezing her hand. "I'll stay with you, and Teddy will let us know as soon as the big guy wakes up."

"No. I don't want to do this," Daisy shook her head. "I'm fine. I just want to go back upstairs now. Can I have my clothes back, please?"

"I have some clean clothes for you," Grace lifted a bag. "Maybe, you'd like a shower? I'm sure the nurse could help us with that if the doctor says we can leave."

"You don't appear to have broken any bones, Daisy, but you could have a concussion we are unaware of," Rose explained. "It would be better if we could at least do the CT scan, but I don't want to cause you more distress. If you feel dizzy or change your mind about the kit, you must come straight back or see your doctor if you've left the hospital." She turned to Grace and lowered her voice. "Keep a close eye on her. She's probably in shock after so much trauma," they had seen Daisy struggle to answer the questions at some points and gloss over others. "If you are concerned at all, tell a nurse to contact me," she wrote her name and number on a pad and tore off the page handing it to Grace.

*****

Satisfied that Mitch was calm and heeding the doctor's advice, Saxon sat with Ian, Steve and Jack. It had been a while since he had to flex his muscles in the underworld, but that didn't mean he wasn't capable of it. He had all the contacts needed to ensure that this betrayal by the Vecchio family would not go unanswered. Most of the families who dwelt in the murky underbelly of the major cities knew better than to force his hand because they had taken the time to observe and deal with him in more legitimate areas. However, Thomas Vecchio's grudge was the doom of the family name, and Saxon turned to Ian with a raised eyebrow.

"Angus seems like a reasonable man," Ian shrugged. "He got his son to release Daisy before they had left the failed exchange. I would guess Marco will be in charge of nothing more than picking out his clothes after that debacle. I would bet he is planning on using Marco as a puppet for as long as he can before taking over the whole operation."

"Shame there won't be anything left for him to take over," Steve growled. He had no love for the Vecchio's and the war they started so long ago that had destroyed so many lives.