Judge (Blackwings MC - Devil Springs Book 2)

by Teagan Brooks

  Moments later, she proved to be dumber than I originally thought when she tottered closer and slowly cocked her arm back giving me full warning of what she was about to do. She swung her arm in a wide arc aiming for my face. My left hand shot out and wrapped around her wrist stopping her momentum while I bashed her snot-nosed face in with my right fist. Her arm was ripped from my grasp when she flew backward off her spiked heels and landed with a plop on her ass.

  “Ahhhh! You broke my nose, you crazy bitch!” she shrieked.

  I shook my hand out and momentarily regretted hitting her so hard. But then she got to her feet and came at me again. What happened next wasn’t my fault. Not entirely.

  Jonah came through the front door as she was charging me and I was gearing up to knock some teeth out. He grabbed me by my waist and swung me around with the intent to move me out of her path, I assumed. I used it for the opportunity it was and kicked my foot out, making contact with her jaw. She hit the ground with a muffled scream.

  “What in the motherfuck is going on?” Jonah roared.

  “Your girlfriend attacked me!” I roared back.

  “What?” he asked with a confused look on his face.

  I pointed to the heap of whore on the floor. “Your girlfriend attacked me.”

  His confusion quickly morphed to anger. He spun around and lifted the girl to her feet. “Get the fuck out of my house, and don’t you dare come back. Got me?”

  She whimpered, but nodded her head and moved to the door. “And Didi, you’re officially banned from the club, too. Now, get gone.” I almost felt bad for her when she started to sob as she fled, but my throbbing hand made me realize the error of my ways.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” I chuckled humorlessly and held up my hand. “My hand’s a little sore. I’m just gonna grab some ice for it.”

  “What happened?” Jonah asked in a much softer tone.

  “I found her on the couch when I came to make something to eat. She said—”

  “Oh, fuck. Mmmm, you like it when I fuck your ass, you dirty little whore?”

  Jonah whirled around and his eyes widened comically. “Oh yeah, she was watching that when I came out.”

  I almost laughed as I watched him scramble to turn it off. The screen turned black, but the sound was still going. “Such a tight ass,” was moaned followed by the sounds of skin meeting skin. Jonah yanked all the cords from the wall, and suddenly we were surrounded by silence.

  “So, yeah, she said she was your girlfriend and demanded to know who I was. Then, she said she was going to bash my face in, some words were exchanged, and I was the one to do the bashing,” I explained.

  I didn’t realize Jonah had come up behind me while I was filling a bag with ice for my hand, so I jumped when his arms came around from behind and took the bag from me. He turned me around and cradled my hand in his, gently placing the bag on top of it. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “I’m good,” I assured him, feeling very uncomfortable with the way he was looking at me. “What?” I asked.

  “I’m sorry,” he said simply.

  “For what?”

  “Didi. I promised you would be safe here, and you weren’t. It won’t happen again.”

  “It’s fine, Jonah. I don’t have a problem with you having your girlfriends or whatever come over. I mean, it’s your house, and I don’t expect you to change your lifestyle just because I’m staying with you for a little while.”

  “She’s not my girlfriend.”

  “Fuck buddy or whatever,” I said dismissively and glanced away.

  He slid his hand under my jaw and tipped my face up to his. “Don’t know what she was up to. Never laid a hand on her. Never wanted to,” he said softly, and I was all too aware of how close his lips were to mine.

  I gently pushed against his chest. “It’s really none of my business.”

  “Maybe it should be,” he breathed and captured my lips with his. And he kissed me. Oh, holy hell, did he kiss me.

  There was nothing hesitant or unsure about the way he devoured my mouth. He took from me, and for a few minutes, I forgot about everything except the way he made me feel.

  Then, his phone rang, and I was thrust back into reality. I broke the kiss and shoved him back. “You should get that. I need to get to work,” I said and bolted from the room.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Judge

  “What?” I barked into the phone while I watched River run from the room.

  “Got some info about the shooting. Is now a bad time?” Copper asked.

  “Sorry, Prez. Now’s good.”

  “The shooting was a distraction. The new gun store in town had just been robbed. They just happened to be flying by the hotel at the same time some kids that were staying there pulled the fire alarm. The whole thing was a total coincidence, but they were hoping to keep the cars from being identified by letting off a few rounds. Didn’t work out like they thought,” he explained.

  “I see. Any word on River’s mom and her boyfriend?”

  “Nope. The detective I spoke with said they’d sent some officers out to check their local haunts and listed addresses, but hadn’t had any luck finding them.”

  “Figures,” I grumbled. “Let me know if you hear anything. Oh, one more thing. I came home this afternoon to find Didi and River going at it in my living room. Didi thought it would be okay to let herself into my home and start a fight with my houseguest. Kicked her out and told her she was banned from the club.”

  “Good. That bitch had trouble written all over her. I’ll let the other brothers know. If she was ballsy enough to show up at your place, I don’t doubt she’ll try showing up at the club to test your word.”

  I laughed, “Yeah, she probably will, but it might be a minute. River broke her nose, and I’m pretty sure she fractured her jaw, too.”

  “No, shit. River okay?”

  “She’s fine. Girl didn’t even split her knuckles,” I said proudly.

  We talked for a few more minutes before ending the call. As soon as I hung up, I went in search of River, but the sneaky little shit had already left for work.

  ***

  I had been in my home office for hours trying to get caught up on billing and filing invoices, which I hated doing, when my phone rang. Figuring it was one of the guys, I ignored it and kept working. I ignored it the second time it rang, but when Copper’s designated ring sounded next, I answered.

  “Get your ass to the hospital right now!” he yelled and disconnected before I had a chance to say anything.

  I grabbed my keys and hauled ass to the hospital, hoping and praying the whole way that whatever happened to River wasn’t that bad, but knowing full well that it would be. Copper wouldn’t have called like that if it wasn’t an emergency.

  Copper and Bronze were waiting for me right inside the doors of the Emergency Room entrance. “What’s going on? Did something happen to River?”

  As I stepped farther into the waiting room, I noticed Tiny standing next to Batta who had his arm around Copper’s Old Lady, Layla. She was visibly upset and that scared the shit out of me. Layla didn’t know River, but she was very close to the other woman in my life.

  Copper grimaced and shook his head. “No, brother, she’s okay. Sit down, Jonah.”

  Jonah. He hadn’t called me Jonah in years, not since long before he started the Devil Springs chapter of Blackwings. My instinct was to argue; I didn’t take orders from just anyone, but I knew he only had my best interest in mind and that scared the shit out of me. So, I sat my ass down and waited for him to speak.

  “Splint’s working tonight, and he was on the call. Leigh was out with some of the Old Ladies and collapsed. They think it’s a heart attack. I don’t know anything other than that right now.”

  I nodded in acknowledgment and dropped my face into my hands. I couldn’t lose my mom. I lost my dad way too early in life; I wouldn’t make it through losing my mom, too. What had I do
ne to deserve this? What had she done? We were good fucking people.

  “Fuck!” I yelled as uncontrollable emotions exploded within me. I got to my feet and launched the chair I was sitting in across the room.

  I heard a female scream in the background as I unceremoniously hit the hard tile floor, and a crushing weight landed on top of me.

  “Rein it in, brother. Your momma is going to whoop your ass if you aren’t there when she’s allowed visitors because you’re in jail. And I’m telling you right now, ain’t none of us leaving here to bail your ass out until we’ve seen her. Breathe it out, man, and I’ll let you up,” Batta said as he held me down.

  “We’ve got it under control. He just got some bad news, but I’ll have him removed myself before he does anything like that again. And let me know who I need to speak to about covering the damages,” Copper said to who I assumed to be hospital security.

  “I’m good,” I said quietly.

  “You sure about that?” Batta asked.

  “Yeah, man. You’re right; Mom would have my ass. Probably will anyway when she finds out about this.”

  “Prez?” Batta asked.

  “Let him up.” I got to my feet, and Copper got in my face. “But damn it, Judge, don’t make me have you hauled out of here because I will fucking do it. We all love that woman. She’s been a mother to all of us and then some—”

  I interrupted him when something suddenly occurred to me, “Harper,” I croaked. “Somebody needs to call her.”

  “I called Carbon and Duke as soon as we heard,” Bronze said. “They’re on their way.”

  “I don’t know what to do,” I confessed and didn’t give the first fuck how broken I sounded.

  “Nothing you can do right now but wait,” Copper said. “And we’ll all be right here with you.”

  The waiting was excruciating. Knowing my mom was back there, possibly dying, while I sat helplessly on the other side of the doors.

  I don’t know how much time passed, but finally a familiar face stepped out. “Jonah, come with me,” Dr. Daniels called from the doorway and led me to a small room off to the side.

  “We believe your mom has a blockage in one or possibly more of the large vessels that supply blood to the heart. They’re taking her to do a heart cath right now. Usually, they can place a stent to open up the blocked vessel and restore blood flow to the heart,” Dr. Daniels explained.

  “What happens if they can’t place a stent? Or what if it’s not her heart?”

  “It is her heart, Jonah. That I can assure you. If they can’t place a stent, she’ll need to have heart surgery.”

  “You mean open heart surgery? Like a bypass or whatever it’s called?”

  “Yes, that’s exactly what I mean. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. In your mother’s case, it’s highly likely that a stent will take care of the problem,” he said confidently.

  “Yeah, okay,” I agreed. I trusted Dr. Daniels. She’d been friends with my parents since before I was born. Her reassurance alleviated a tiny bit of my worry.

  “Do you want to stay back here or go back out there with your friends?”

  “I should get back out there. My cousins will be here soon, and Harper’s going to be a mess.”

  “I would imagine so. I’ll let you know the moment I hear something.”

  “Uh, one more thing. Is River Lawson around? I’d like to talk to her if she has a minute,” I said nervously.

  The corners of Dr. Daniels’s mouth tipped up in a small grin before she spoke. “She’s in the cath lab with your mom. She volunteered to assist the cardiologist on call so they wouldn’t have to wait for the on-call nurse to get here.”

  I nodded and swallowed thickly. No matter how things turned out, I would be forever grateful to River for going out of her way to help my mother. “Thanks, Doc,” I managed to say and went back to the waiting room to update everyone else.

  During another agonizingly long period of waiting for any news, Harper came through the doors like a woman on a mission. She spotted me immediately and threw herself against my chest where she dissolved into a fit of gasping sobs. Carbon was right behind her with Duke by his side. “How is she?” Duke asked.

  “Haven’t heard anything in a while. They’re doing a heart cath now,” I shared as Harper continued to break my heart while she cried all over me. “Come on, sister cousin, let’s go sit down.”

  Sometime later, Dr. Daniels called me, Harper, and Duke back to the same little room where a woman dressed in hospital scrubs was waiting inside.

  “I’m Dr. Kenny, the cardiologist taking care of Mrs. Jackson. We did find a significant blockage in the left anterior descending artery and were able to place a stent. Blood flow was immediately restored to the heart, but she did not show any signs of regaining consciousness. Because of that and her heart stopping en route, we’ve initiated a protocol called therapeutic hypothermia to reduce the risk of damage to her brain from the decrease in oxygenated blood flow. That’s a fancy way of saying we’re going to keep her sedated while we lower her temperature and give her body a chance to recover,” she explained. “I know this is a lot to take in. Do you have any questions?”

  “When can we see her?” Harper asked.

  “Is she going to make it?” I asked.

  “Will she have brain damage?” Duke asked.

  All at the same time.

  Dr. Kenny sat patiently and answered all of our questions. Unfortunately, her answers, though honest, did little to comfort us. It would be a few more hours before we could see her. As for the rest, only time would tell.

  As we waited for her to be moved to a room, I was lost in my own thoughts. I knew she wouldn’t want me to keep her alive if she didn’t have any brain activity, but could I do it? Could I give the okay to pull the plug on my mother? And what if she did live, but was massively impaired. Would she want that?

  “Brother Judge,” Harper said as she nudged me. “You ready?”

  I shook my head. “I’m sorry. What?”

  “She’s in her room. We can go see her. You ready?”

  I nodded sharply. Was I ready? Hell, no. But that wasn’t going to stop me from being by my mom’s side.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Judge

  I stayed by Mom’s bedside for two days straight before Harper insisted that I go home.

  “You need to get some sleep, and please, take a shower. I love you, but you stink.”

  I started to protest, but she was ready for it. “I won’t leave her side. You heard what the doctor said this morning. Today is going to be a slow day. So, go home and come back rested and refreshed for when they start warming her up tomorrow.”

  Reluctantly, I agreed. As much as I didn’t want to leave, Harper was right, on two counts. I did want to be well-rested before they started the warming process, and I smelled like two-day-old ass.

  I pulled my bike into my empty garage and wondered why River’s car wasn’t there. Then, I glanced at my watch and realized it was barely seven o’clock in the morning, and she usually didn’t get home from work until around eight.

  Once inside, I went straight for the shower, kicking off my boots and shedding my clothes along the way. I sighed when the hot water hit my body and soothed my sore muscles. Hospital furniture was not fit to be slept on for more than a few hours at a time.

  When the water started to run cold, I put on my usual black boxer briefs followed by a pair of black drawstring pants and went out to the kitchen to make myself something to eat.

  I was putting my dishes in the dishwasher when River came through the garage door. She kicked her shoes off and dropped her purse on the kitchen table before she saw me and yelped.

  “Shit!” she cursed and placed a hand on her chest. “I didn’t know you were here.”

  I arched an eyebrow. “You didn’t see my bike?”

  “Obviously not. How’s your mom?” she asked and reached into the refrigerator for a bottle of water.

  I wa
ited for her to finish drinking and took the bottle from her hands. Then, I pulled her into a hug and held her against me while I spoke. “Thank you for being there. For helping her and stepping in so she could get the help she needed faster.”

  She looked up and met my eyes. “You’re welcome. It was—”

  And I couldn’t hold back any longer. I lowered my head and kissed her while she was still talking. And she didn’t resist. No, she melted into me and kissed me back with just as much fervor.

  “Jonah,” she moaned and thrust her fingers into my hair.

  I reached down and hoisted her up by her ass. She wrapped her legs around my waist and held on while I moved down the hall. Kicking my bedroom door shut, I moved to my bed, dropping her on it and following her down.

  She wiggled underneath me while I devoured her mouth. I broke the kiss and studied her face. “You want this?”

  Her cheeks flushed, but she nodded. When I just stared at her, she whispered, “Yes.”

  With that, I ripped her top over her head and yanked her pants from her legs. She was fucking gorgeous laying there almost naked with her dark hair fanned around her, her flushed cheeks, and her swollen lips. “Fuck, River,” I breathed and reached for her bra, but she beat me to it.

  She unclasped her bra and tossed it to the side, slowly lowering her arms and revealing a perfect set of tits. When she kept her eyes cast down, I realized she needed some reassurance. She was a beautiful, confident woman, but I knew she hadn’t always felt that way about herself, and I wasn’t going to let those old feelings resurface for her.

  “You’re fucking gorgeous,” I told her as I leaned down and captured her nipple with my lips while my fingers teased and toyed with the other. I alternated between her breasts, and soon, she was moaning and grinding her cunt on my thigh.