by Naomi West
The other hospitals had the same answer for her. Venus then turned to the news, checking all the websites she could possibly think of for any word that he’d died. There were plenty of stories about local crime, including burglaries, women getting mugged downtown, and car accident, but nothing she was looking for. She didn’t even find a report of the gunfight that had taken place at her home or the fact that the Skulls had attacked the Fangs’ clubhouse. She let out an ironic snort of a laugh, thinking how interesting it was that all the real crime in the city went unreported. Nobody would ever know that Vixen had been killed in cold blood. The men who’d died in the fight between the Fangs and the Skulls had probably been hauled off by the Fangs and dumped somewhere they’d never be found, and nobody would care about them anyway. It was horrible, and yet it was all part of the life she’d been living.
Venus was deep in her search, scanning all the police report articles, obituaries, and local forums when a heavy thump from upstairs shattered her concentration. She froze, terrified that someone had broken into the house. Was there a random Skull seeking revenge? Or possibly even Jet?
With a lump in her throat, she tucked her phone in her pocket and picked up the pistol Blade had given her. It was the same one he’d taken from his secret armory just before Jet had abducted her. It hadn’t been all that long ago, and yet it felt like an eternity had passed since then.
The gun was cold and solid in her hand, ready to come to life the moment she needed it. Venus took a moment to make sure she had the safety off as she crept into the living room and then up the stairs. Secretly, she hoped Champ would choose that moment to arrive so she’d at least have some backup.
But when she reached the landing and saw what had made the noise, her heart rose straight up into her throat. “Blade!”
She raced to him, setting down the gun as she dropped to her knees. He lay crumpled on his side, unconscious. “Blade, wake up! What happened? Please, talk to me!” She was crying now as she patted his cheeks, wiping the tears away with the back of her hand so she’d still be able to see. He didn’t respond. She pulled up his shirt to examine his wound, but as soon as she touched the fabric she could see the problem. He was bleeding again, and profusely.
“Oh, Blade,” she whispered, drawing her hand back in horror. “What did you do? Why were you even out of bed alone, you stubborn, stubborn man?” She wasn’t sure what to do, but her next action was almost an automatic one as she pulled out her phone and dialed 911.
The operator promised her the paramedics were on their way. Venus knew they couldn’t possibly get there fast enough for her own comfort. Blade was the only thing she had left in the world, and her hold on him was growing more tentative by the second. She pressed her hand to the wound again, pleading with whatever forces might be listening to let him live. She needed him.
“You’ve done so much for me, Blade. I need you. I hope you can hear me. You mean so much to so many people. If you could see the way your men look at you, the way they respect you, then you’d know for sure. Even if you don’t want to live for me, you need to live for them.” She sniffed and swiped at her eyes again. “And I’m sorry for everything I’ve done. I’m sorry I’ve been so stubborn about my father. It’s something I’ll have to work on, and it’s going to take me a long time. But if you just live through this, I promise I’ll let it go. I know I have to.”
Her heart was splitting in half, and the pain of it was unbearable. She couldn’t control her tears at all now, knowing how much this man meant to her. “You’re my knight in shining armor,” she said as she bent forward to place a soft kiss on his cheek. “And I know you’re going to be so pissed at me for calling an ambulance. But some street doctor isn’t going to be able to fix you, and I know it. If you end up going to jail, at least you won’t die. I hope you come to understand that.”
“What did you do?” said a voice behind her shoulder.
She jumped, not having heard anyone enter the house. Venus reached for the gun, but Champ’s hand reached out gently to stop her. “What happened?” he asked, kneeling down on the floor next to her.
“I don’t know,” she said desperately, surprised at how glad she was to see him. “I found him like this. He must’ve tried to get up, but I don’t know why that would make him bleed. Every time I’ve gotten him up to help him to the bathroom or to change his clothes, he’s been in pain, but he’s been all right.”
Champ frowned down at his boss, looking at the blood that was now soaking his shirt and the floor. “Doesn’t look good. Did I hear you say you called an ambulance?”
She didn’t like the look on his face, sure that it was a direct reflection of how Blade would be looking at her if he knew what she’d done. “Yes.”
“Shit. Well, what’s done is done.” He paused, turning his head toward the stairs. “I think I hear the sirens now. I’m going to get out of the way, so they don’t ask too many questions. I’ll be at the hospital later though. Keep me posted. You’ve got your phone?”
She nodded, wishing she could tell him to stay with her. She definitely needed someone at her side, but Venus also understood why he couldn’t do that. It was the same for all of them. It would be a risk even for Champ to come visit Blade in the hospital, but at least a visitor would draw fewer questions than a man on the scene.
Hearing the sirens pull up into the driveway, Venus dashed down the stairs to let them in.
22
Blade slowly pushed his eyelids apart, wondering why they were suddenly made of concrete. Everything hurt, and his entire body felt weak. He wanted to sleep for eternity, and yet something was making him come around. The bed wasn’t nearly as comfortable as he remembered.
Venus’ face appeared in front of him, looking down at him with concern. “Hey there. How are you feeling?”
He swallowed, his tongue thick in his mouth. “Like shit.” It was true, but he couldn’t begin to explain the amount of comfort he felt by knowing Venus was there. Things had been so terrible and so difficult between them. He knew he shouldn’t have expected anything else, given who he was and who she was, but it meant a lot to him to know that she had stuck by him through it all. They’d had their disagreements, but maybe they would make it through yet.
Then he realized the lights were far too bright. The walls were white, but the walls in his bedroom were dark blue. The bed was uncomfortable because it wasn’t his. He closed his eyes again, not sure he wanted to hear the answer to the question he was about to ask. “What did you do, Venus?” His voice came out rough and angry, and he regretted it. But he was angry. He shouldn’t be here.
She sobbed as she sat in the chair next to the bed, bracing her elbows on the mattress. “I’m so sorry, Blade. I did what I had to do. You collapsed, and you were bleeding out. I’ve never seen so much blood, and I couldn’t sit around and wait for Needles to get there when I knew he might not be able to fix you anyway.” She paused, crying so hard it had taken away her voice. “I hope you’ll forgive me, but I thought you were going to die. I didn’t want to lose you.”
Blade’s heart wrenched inside his chest. He reached out for her hand, clutching her fingers as tightly as he was able to do in his condition. It was time he understood that Venus was in tune with her feelings. It was a lot of what had caused all the drama and chaos they’d been going through. It was because of her love for her friend that she’d been in the hospital that day he’d come to Vixen’s room. It was because of her love for her father that she couldn’t abandon him despite all the horrendous things he’d done to her. And it was because of her love for him—if he dared to think it was love—that he was in the hospital.
“Hey. Look at me.” He barely had the energy to turn his head, but he needed her to see that he meant what he was about to say. Her tearstained face pulled at his heart once again as she picked up her head to look at him. “I’m sorry for snapping at you. I know you did what you had to do.”
She gave him a weak smile and squeezed his hand.
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A soft knock on the door interrupted anything else they might’ve said. An older man with a shock of wispy white hair and a lab coat came in, smiling at them. “Ah, I see that you’re awake! I’m Dr. Nolen. We’ve already met, but you were unconscious,” he joked. “Is it all right to speak in front of your visitor?”
Blade squeezed Venus’ hand once again and nodded.
“Good, good.” Dr. Nolen lifted back the covers to examine the wound, nodding. “It seems that you suffered a gunshot wound?”
There was no point in trying to lie about it. “Yes.”
The doctor nodded, his face still friendly despite knowing the truth. “That’s what it looked like, and whoever fixed you up the first time missed a bullet fragment. We can deduce that it dislodged as you moved around, and it cut a major artery. It’s a good thing you got here when you did, or else you might not be with us any longer. You’re a very lucky man.”
Blade felt the cool fingers entwined with his, and he was inclined to agree.
Dr. Nolen’s fuzzy brows drew together. “I didn’t see a record for you here at the hospital, but I’m concerned about who might’ve tended the wound initially. If it was all done properly, that fragment shouldn’t have still been in there.”
Blade swallowed, knowing this was only the beginning of the line of questioning. “I went to one of the free clinics. I don’t have health insurance.”
The slow nod from the doctor meant that explained it all. “I see. That’s a problem we’re seeing a lot of lately. The lack of health insurance, the doctors performing tasks they’re not qualified or equipped for. It’s a shame, and I’m sorry that you’ve had to go through that. But we’re going to get you all fixed up now.” He crossed his arms and then let them dangle at his side, uncomfortable. “I’m afraid that a gunshot wound does draw a certain amount of attention, and there are some officers here who would like to have a word with you. Are you feeling up to it?”
Blade nodded. The truth was that he didn’t want to deal with the police at all, but it was unavoidable. If he didn’t let them in now, they’d just be trying to come in later. “Yes, that’s fine.”
“All right. I’ll be back to check on you later on tonight. You’ve got a call button right here if there’s anything you need in the meantime.” Dr. Nolan picked up a wired remote and placed it under Blade’s hand. “There are call buttons on the side of the bed as well,” he said to Venus.
“Thank you,” she said meekly.
The doctor left, and two uniformed officers walked in, one man and one woman. They looked serious and severe, frowning at him as they came to stand at the end of the bed. “I’m Officer Hicks and this is Officer Blankenship,” the man said, gesturing at his partner. “We’d like to ask you a few questions.”
Blade nodded his assent once again. He was ready to get this over with.
Hicks was ready with a notepad. “Can you tell us how this wound happened?” He looked like he expected Blade to lie.
Well, Blade was happy to accommodate the man. “A mugger attacked her,” he said, tipping his head toward Venus. “We’d been hanging out at the bar, and she insisted on walking home. I told her I’d walk with her or call her a cab, but it was a nice night and she wanted to be out. A little after she left, I realized she’d forgotten her cell on the table. I went to catch her when I heard her screaming.” He swallowed and shook his head. “I didn’t even know it was her at first. I just knew a woman in a dark alley was screaming, and I went to help. He’d already gotten her purse, but I guess he wanted more than that.”
“And he’s the one who shot you?” Hicks was writing furiously.
“Yes. I didn’t even think about him having a gun when I charged him. He shot me, but he let go of her and ran.” It was all made up, but Blade could easily conjure the story in his mind as though it had actually happened. After all, he’d saved Venus a couple of times in real life. So what if the setting and the perpetrator weren’t exactly accurate?
“And how about you, ma’am?” Officer Blankenship asked, turning to Venus. “Were you injured?”
To Blade’s surprise and relief, Venus had fallen into the story just as much as he had. She turned her head to show her bruised eye and pulled back the sleeve of her jacket to reveal bruises on her arms. “Yes, but it was all superficial. I’ll heal.”
“Can you describe the mugger for me?” Hicks asked, some of the irritation gone from his voice.
“It was dark,” Blade explained. “I didn’t get a very good look. But he was about as tall as me, light hair, a big nose.”
“Nobody you’d ever seen before?”
“No, sir.”
“And why didn’t you report this matter to the police?” Hicks stared him down as he waited for the answer.
“I’d been drinking and out on a date with a beautiful woman. I wasn’t thinking clearly. I knew a clinic that could stitch me up, so I just went there. I didn’t want to have to pay medical bills for the rest of my life for what I thought was a small wound. I don’t have insurance, you see.”
Hicks didn’t seem to like this answer, but Blade guessed there were probably plenty of crimes that went unreported. Too many people in the city had been burned by cops who didn’t believe them or who caused plenty of problems on their own. “Next time, you need to be sure you call us. That description fits the same one we’ve been getting all over town from a guy who’s regularly mugging women. We want to catch him, and we need everyone’s cooperation.”
“Yes, sir.”
Blankenship produced a card from her pocket and handed it to Venus. “If you need to talk to anyone about what happened, call this number. There are a lot of women who’ve been in your situation, and we’re trying to make sure everyone has the support they need.”
“Thank you,” Venus said as she accepted it. “That’s very kind of you.”
“If you remember anything else pertinent, just call the precinct.” Hicks nodded to each of them and left the room, Blankenship right behind him.
“She was nice,” Venus said when the door closed behind them. She was still looking at the card the female officer had given her.
Blade started to tell her to throw that card away, but he checked himself. Venus might not have been mugged, but she’d gone through some major things that most women would never experience. If she could find someone to help her through it, then it might not be a bad thing. He reached out for her hand again. “You were great, by the way.”
“So were you,” she replied. “How did you come up with all that? And about a guy who already fit the description of a suspect?”
He started to shrug, but it hurt. “I read the news, just like anyone else. It all started off as just a story off the tip of my tongue, but I realized it could work out if I could make it believable enough.”
“You think they’ll come back? Ask us any more questions?” She glanced at the door, looking nervous.
“No, probably not. I’ll be out of here before you know it, and then we won’t have to worry about it anymore.” He couldn’t wait to get back home again, even though he’d hardly been aware of his time in the hospital. He wanted the comfort of his own place around him and Venus at his side. He smiled to himself as he realized just how eager he was to be at his house, when he’d always preferred the clubhouse. Venus was changing him.
“I need to talk to you about a few things,” he said when the silence had grown long between them and all they could hear were the obnoxious beeping of monitors and alarms from the nurses’ station.
“Okay,” she said nervously.
He pulled in as deep of a breath as he dared, not wanting to aggravate his wound once again. “First, you’ve got to promise that if I ever need a doctor again, you’ll call Needles. No,” he said, staving off the argument he was about to make, “this is important. I understand that I needed to be here this time. But it’s not very likely that I’ll get injured to that degree again. Promise me.”
She looked sad and scared, but
she nodded. “I promise.”
“The other thing is something that you might not agree to so readily.” Blade had been thinking about it a lot since he’d been injured, and even before that. But he had to make sure Venus clearly understood her position on this. “If Jet isn’t dead already, I’m going to kill him. I know you don’t like the idea, and I’ve tried to avoid it to appease you. But things just can’t be that way. He’ll never leave us alone, and I think we both know that.”
He expected an argument. Instead, a single tear dripped down her cheek as she nodded. “I know. You’re right. I’ve already been working on making myself comfortable with that idea. I admit I’ve been frantically searching for any sign that he’s dead or alive, but there just isn’t anything anywhere. I don’t want him to die, but I can’t expect you to let someone that horrible live.”
Blade pulled her closer and kissed her, relishing in the warm softness of her lips against his own despite the pain in his body. He repressed the urge to tell him how he truly felt about her, even knowing that she must feel the same. This just wasn’t the time. “I’m proud of you,” he murmured. “I know how difficult this has been.”
“It has, and it’s crazy when I try to take a step back and look at it objectively. If some other woman were to come to me and tell me her father or anyone else was using her like that, I’d tell her to run away as fast as she could and never look back. But it’s completely different when you’re the one actually going through it. I can’t quite explain it.” Those big blue eyes were so wide and sad and innocent, all of it exaggerated by the glistening tears that still glossed their surfaces.
“I know. I understand.” Blade was starting to get tired. Just lying in bed and talking had taken a lot of out him, and the added stress of having the police around had only made it worse. “I think I’m going to sleep for a bit. Are you going to be around a while?”
“Of course.” She kissed him again, the love evident in her face. “I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. And Champ said he would come by soon, too.”