Judge (Blackwings MC - Devil Springs Book 2)

by Teagan Brooks

  Chapter Nineteen

  River

  I walked into a madhouse when I arrived at work. Nurses and techs were darting in and out of rooms. Phones were ringing while call lights and IV alarms sounded in the background. I quickly shoved my stuff into my locker, tossed my lunch into the fridge, and made my way into the mayhem.

  “River, thank goodness you’re here. I need you to be in charge tonight,” Stacie, the day shift charge nurse, told me.

  “Why? Where’s Kennedy?” I asked. It was rare that I ever worked a shift without Kennedy, though I supposed that was Kennedy’s doing.

  “I have no idea. The director said she called in earlier today and that was all I needed to know.”

  “I hope everything’s okay,” I said, more to myself than to Stacie.

  “Yeah, me, too. Kennedy never calls in sick.”

  I decided I would call and check on her when I got a chance. After getting the shift report from Stacie and making sure we had enough staff to handle the full house we had, I hit the ground running and didn’t stop for hours.

  I stepped into the break room and grabbed my protein shake from the fridge. After taking a few sips, I pulled out my phone to call Kennedy.

  “River, I need you out here,” Dr. Daniels said from the doorway. “We’ve got an MVA coming in as well as a possible drug overdose.”

  I put my phone back into my pocket and downed the rest of my shake before returning to the fray just as the paramedics were pushing a stretcher into one of the empty rooms. I followed behind them and reached for a pair of gloves wondering why they weren’t spewing off the patient’s vital signs and a quick history of what happened.

  “We declared death two minutes ago. We just need someone to officially pronounce,” one of the paramedics said.

  “Oh, let me get one of the doctors for you,” I said and stopped dead in my tracks when my eyes landed on the lifeless woman on the stretcher.

  Imposter Barbie.

  Didi.

  I shook my head and stepped out of the room. “Dr. Daniels, room six is a DOA. They just need you to pronounce.”

  “Got it. Can you check on the new arrival in room three?”

  “Yeah, sure,” I said, still feeling a bit dazed at seeing Didi’s dead body. I didn’t know her, and I damn sure didn’t like her, but that didn’t mean I wanted her to die. I just wanted her to go away. Though, her strange behavior made more sense. She was probably high on something the day she was watching porn at Jonah’s house and when she showed up in his room at the clubhouse.

  I knocked on the door and entered the room without waiting for permission. “Hi, I’m River and I’ll be your nurse tonight,” I said and began assessing my newest patient.

  The night continued on at the same pace. Before I knew it, my shift was over and I happily handed the reins back to Stacie.

  When I pulled into Jonah’s garage, I was disappointed that his bike wasn’t parked in its usual spot. He said they might spend the night in Croftridge, but I’d hoped he would come back to Devil Springs.

  Sighing, I drug my ass out of the car and into the house where I stripped off my filthy scrubs and took a quick shower before crawling into my bed and falling into a deep sleep.

  I woke sometime later because I was uncomfortably hot to the point I was sweating. It took me a few seconds to wake up enough to figure out why I was overheated. Jonah had come in at some point and gotten into bed with me. The man was like a furnace with the amount of heat he put off.

  I kicked the covers off of me and rolled over to face his chest. “I tried not to wake you,” he rumbled and placed a kiss on top of my head.

  “What time is it?” I asked.

  “Around three o’clock.”

  “Oh, well, it’s time for me to get up anyway,” I said and made a big production of stretching and yawning. “When did you get back?”

  “Around noon. How was work last night?”

  “Crazy busy,” I said and paused for a moment to gather my thoughts. “Listen, I can’t tell you any details, but Didi was brought into the ER last night. She, um, she was dead on arrival.”

  “Say what now?” Jonah said as he shot up in bed.

  “She was already gone when they got to the hospital. Like I said, I can’t tell you any details, but I thought you would want to know,” I said softly.

  “River, nothing ever happened between her and I.”

  “I know. You’ve already told me that and I believe you, but she was at your club two nights ago and I felt like it was something you would want to know. I didn’t know if any of the other guys knew her or whatever.”

  He shrugged, “I don’t know either. She only came around a few times that I know of. I don’t know why she seemed to be fixated on me. I shot her down the first time she was at one of the parties and haven’t spoken to her since.” He paused for a moment and asked the question I was expecting. “You can’t tell me what happened?”

  I shook my head. “No, I can’t. Even though she’s deceased, the privacy laws still apply.”

  He nodded and reached for his phone.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Texting Spazz,” he answered distractedly as his fingers rapidly tapped against his phone.

  “Why?”

  “So he can tell me what happened to Didi. That man can find anything within a few minutes.”

  I plugged my ears with my fingers. “I can’t hear this kind of stuff!” I shouted and proceeded to hum loudly.

  Jonah reached out and snagged me by my waist, pulling me onto his lap. “I won’t say anything else about it,” he promised as his hands slid down to cup my ass.

  I don’t know why I asked, but the words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. “Did you have fun in Croftridge?”

  He gave me a curious look. “I did. If you really want to know, I’ll tell you about it.”

  “Nope, I’m good.”

  “She looks like you,” he said quietly.

  “Who?” I asked, even though I knew who he meant. I needed those extra seconds to push down the hurt that was trying to force its way to the surface.

  “Raven. She looks like you.” He ran his finger along my jawline and circled my lips. “She has your lips and chin.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I think you were just seeing what you wanted to see.”

  The next thing I knew, his phone was in front of me with a precious, chubby little baby face filling the screen. I inhaled deeply. She was beautiful. And she did have my lips and chin.

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” I admitted.

  “Shit, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

  “It’s all right. I don’t wish my brother any ill will; I just prefer to pretend like he doesn’t exist. Let’s talk about something else,” I suggested.

  “I don’t want to talk,” he breathed right before captured my lips with his.

  I moaned when he squeezed my cheeks and rocked my hips against his prominent erection. “Me either,” I mumbled against his lips.

  Within seconds, we were a frenzy of need. Our hands were all over the place while we tried to get impossibly closer. “Fuck, baby,” he breathed and proceeded to knock everything off the nightstand while he blindly searched for a condom.

  He pushed his boxer briefs down far enough to free himself and quickly put on our protection. Then, he shoved my panties to the side and almost savagely pulled me down on his cock while he thrust his hips upward.

  There was no adjustment period. No calm before the storm. We were all out fucking from the moment he entered me.

  He yanked the cups of my bra down and bared my nipples for his mouth and fingers.

  I was on the verge of a major climax within minutes. As if he sensed it, he demanded, “Fucking come, River.”

  And I exploded into a million tiny pieces of utter bliss.

  When I regained some semblance of reality, I was on my back with Jonah furiously slamming his hips into me. His arms were braced on the bed beside my he
ad giving me the perfect view of every straining muscle as he worked us both over.

  He leaned forward to gently kiss my neck and my arms automatically circled around his shoulders. “Give it to me,” he said gruffly before he bit down on the tendon between my neck and shoulder.

  I’m not sure what happened next. I know I dug my nails into his back, I think I screamed, and I may have briefly died when my body was forced to the brink of pleasure and shoved over the edge.

  Jonah chuckled and smiled down at me. “You okay?”

  “Fuck, yes. Can we do that again?”

  Chapter Twenty

  Judge

  The following week was uneventful, which pissed me off. How in the hell could two junkies like Spring Lawson and Roy Mayfield completely disappear without a trace?

  Despite our best efforts, as well as those of the Devil Springs Police Department, no one had seen hide nor hair of River’s mom or her boyfriend.

  My phone buzzing on my desk pulled me out of my thoughts. I glanced at the screen to see Spazz’s name and quickly answered. “What’s up, brother?”

  “Got some info on your girl. She—”

  “—is not my girl,” I interrupted.

  “The girl you asked about. Is that better?” he snapped, which was very out of character for him.

  “What did you find?”

  “Like River said, Didi died from an overdose. Preliminary testing showed a variety of things in her system, including opiates, marijuana, and cocaine. According to hospital records, she had track marks on her forearm, so it sounds like it was a heroin overdose, but they can’t officially say that until the toxicology reports are back.”

  “Do you think that’s why she started hanging around the club?” I asked.

  Spazz made a noncommittal noise. “I wouldn’t think so. Everybody in this area knows we’re not into drugs.”

  “Maybe she’s not from around here.”

  “She is. Born and raised in Fountain Mill.”

  “Really? Did she go to school in Devil Springs?”

  “Nope. Mountville. Not that it matters. None of us would’ve known her. She was only twenty-one years old.”

  She certainly didn’t look twenty-one. She looked much older, but repeated drug use will age you faster than anything else.

  “There is one other thing,” Spazz said and paused. “She was last seen at Precious Metals. Apparently, she left the bar, drove herself home, and was found unconscious in her car by whoever anonymously called 9-1-1.”

  “Does Prez know?”

  “Told him the second I found out. He said he’d discuss it in Church tomorrow.”

  “Thanks, Spazz,” I said and disconnected the call.

  What in the hell was Didi doing at Precious Metals the night after she was banned from the club and any club owned establishments? And more importantly, did she already have the drugs on her, or did she get them from someone at Precious Metals?

  ***

  I barely made it to Church on time after spending the morning with Mom. Knowing how hard-headed she could be, I wanted to make sure her floors were mopped and vacuumed so she didn’t try to do it herself. I also mowed the front yard and even pulled the few weeds from her flower beds. By the time I was finished, I was covered in dirt and sweat, so I had to go back home to take a shower and change.

  “Nice of you to join us,” Copper teased as I dashed into the room and took my seat.

  I made a show of looking at my watch. “I’m not late.”

  He laughed. “No, but you’re the last one to arrive, and you’re almost always the first. But, since everyone is here, we’ll get started a few minutes early.”

  We went through the usual stuff we discussed at the beginning of every meeting before we brought up any new business.

  “Any word on the repairs for the rental house?” I asked.

  Copper grimaced while Bronze answered. “We’ve had a few issues passing the inspection. We’ve got another one scheduled for the end of next week.”

  “What was the issue?” I asked.

  “The first time it was because the steps leading from the kitchen to the garage didn’t have a handrail, which is required for anything over thirty inches.”

  “The first time?” I asked in surprise.

  “Yeah, we’ve failed two. I distinctly remember there being a handrail on the garage stairs when we first purchased the house. We fixed it and had them come back out. This time, apparently, the wiring wasn’t up to code,” Bronze offered.

  “How is that possible? And why wasn’t it mentioned in the first inspection?”

  Bronze leaned forward on his elbows. “We don’t know. Splint’s dad’s company did the work. When we didn’t pass the second inspection, his dad came out and inspected the wiring himself that same day. He says there’s nothing wrong with it. So, we’ve hired an independent company to do an inspection the day before the city inspector comes. We’ll see what happens this time and go from there.”

  There wasn’t anything I could add, so I nodded and sat back in my chair while Copper moved on to the next topic.

  “This may or may not be anything, but it’s worth bringing to your attention. The girl who was kicked out of the clubhouse last weekend, Didi, died from an apparent overdose the following day. The part that concerns me is that she was seen leaving Precious Metals before she was found dead in her car in her driveway,” Copper shared.

  “What are you getting at, Prez?” Tiny asked.

  “Hopefully, nothing, but I want to have more brothers present at Precious Metals for the next few weeks. We need to be absolutely certain no one is bringing drugs into our place of business,” Copper ordered.

  “I’m all for being more present, Prez, but I seriously doubt anyone would be stupid enough to try something like that in our presence,” Batta added.

  Copper grinned. “You’re right. And that brings me to the next topic of discussion. Coal and Savior arrived in Devil Springs this morning. They’re getting settled, but we’ll welcome them with a party tonight. Anyway, I was thinking they would be the perfect ones to hang around Precious Metals. Without their cuts, no one will know who they are.”

  After we all voted in favor of the plan, Copper dismissed Church and reminded us to be back at the clubhouse by seven o’clock so we could welcome our new brothers, which left me plenty of time to catch up on some work, shower, and have dinner.

  I was surprised to find River sprawled on the sofa with her eyes fixed on the television when I arrived at my house. She usually slept until three or four when she’d worked the night before.

  “What are you—?”

  “Shh!!” she demanded with one finger pressed against her lips. She quickly sat up and grabbed the remote to pause her show. “Sorry, I’m trying to catch up before the new season starts. Everyone talks about this show, but I’d never seen it because I didn’t see the point in paying for any kind of television service, let alone paying extra for a specialty channel.”

  “I see. So, you’re planning on living here for at least the next six weeks?” I asked.

  “Not necessarily. If I’m not still living here, I’ll come over to watch it on Sundays, or the following morning if I had to work,” she explained.

  I chuckled and noted the scene paused on the screen. “Looks like you’re almost caught up. When did you start watching it?”

  Her cheeks flushed and she looked away from me. “Um, last week.”

  “You’ve watched almost all seven seasons since last week?” I teased.

  “Shut it. I’m skilled at binge watching. Now hush up so I can finish.”

  I kicked off my boots and made my way over to the sofa where I spent the next two hours watching the last two episodes of season seven with her.

  “So, what do you think’s going to happen next?” I asked.

  “If they pull another bullshit move like they did with The Sopranos, I think it will be the end of HBO. You don’t think they’ll kill everyone, do you?”


  I shrugged. “I honestly have no idea. I would hope not, but it seems to be a common theme for finales of hit series to go very wrong.”

  She slapped my chest playfully. “You were supposed to say, ‘No, River, of course they won’t kill everyone.’”

  “Sorry, babe, if you want false reassurances, you came to the wrong man,” I told her honestly.

  “I suppose that’s not a bad thing.”

  I grinned. “Listen, we’re having a party at the clubhouse tonight to welcome two new members. You wanna come with me?”

  “Sure. Do you know if Kennedy or Layla are going to be there?”

  “Layla will definitely be there, and probably some of the other Old Ladies, but I don’t know about Kennedy. Come on,” I said and extended my hand, “I need a shower, and you will, too, after I fuck you against my bedroom wall.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  River

  When we arrived at the clubhouse, I took a seat at the bar beside Layla while Jonah went to meet with the other club members.

  “I didn’t get a chance to thank you for stepping in last weekend,” I said.

  “Oh, you don’t have to thank me. It’s my job as the President’s Old Lady to make sure the girls that come around know their place. But, I kind of felt bad about it when I heard she died the next day,” Layla replied.

  I cleared my throat and shifted uncomfortably. “I can’t say anything about it because I work at the hospital, but, yeah, it was sad.”

  “No worries. I already know what happened.”

  “You do?” I asked in surprise.

  “Yeah,” she laughed. “I guess this is where I can’t say much of anything, but the guys thought they should look into what happened since she’d been hanging around the club.”

  We fell into an awkward silence and I studied the drink in front of me trying to think of something to say.

  “Is Kennedy—?” “Have you met—?” we started at the same time.

  “Sorry, you go first.”

  “Have you met the new members?” she asked.

  I shook my head. “No, Jonah hasn’t said anything about them.”