Chapter 31
RYDER
“You look tired, Hannah,” Grace said. Hannah mustered a smile and rubbed her neck.
“That chair isn’t the best,” she said. “But I’m okay. I’m just so worried about her.” She looked over at Cherry, the concern shining in her bright green eyes.
“Did you have any luck finding another doctor?”
“Everyone says her doctor is the best,” she said. “And when I pressed and asked them to take a look anyway, nobody would agree to come. They almost seemed afraid to.”
“I’ll get Riot to start digging, something’s not right here,” I said. I was frustrated. We weren’t moving fast enough. Everything seemed to be in slow motion and I didn’t do well with things moving slowly. I wanted results, and I wanted them now.
Seeing Cherry still lying in this damned hospital bed with no discernible change was really getting to me. But we’d spread out over the last few days and none of us had made any progress in figuring out who might have hurt Cherry, and I had no idea who to trust, outside of my own pack.
I heard Blade before I saw him, his heavy muffled footsteps announcing his arrival. I liked Blade a lot. He was a solid dude, always ready to step up for anything I needed him for. I sensed this trip was taking its toll on him, but his lack of hesitation hadn’t gone unnoticed by me. He was a trooper and I was grateful for his presence here. I hoped he had something new to tell me.
“Hey, everyone,” he said, keeping his voice at a respectful whisper so as not to disturb Cherry as he walked in.
We hugged, and he leaned against the wall looking over at Cherry’s motionless body. The machines beeped, the only sound in the room, outside of our breathing.
“No change, huh?” he asked.
“Nope,” I shook my head in frustration. “Any news on your end?”
He nodded, his brow wrinkled, before he reached over and shut the door.
“Ran into a friend last night. He’s the bartender at the pub that all the locals go to — cops and politicians and all those assholes.”
“Sounds like a good source of information,” Grace replied.
“He didn’t hesitate to talk about the murders. Turns out, the sick fucks of this town aren’t really taking things seriously at all. Or, maybe too seriously, considering what angle you’re looking at it from.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Those fuckers are taking bets on who’s next. They’ve got a book they keep behind the bar, with all the bets written down. Lots of kids in town have their names listed and a big ticket hanging over their head.”
“Like a lottery?” Hannah asked, her voice full of alarm.
“No, they aren’t actually picking who gets murdered. They’re just taking a wager on who might be next.”
“You’re right, that’s sick,” Grace said, with disgust.
“The Sheriff’s in on it, too,” he said. “Probably why nobody has been arrested. I’m not sure yet how deep his involvement goes.”
I nodded, taking it in. “Keep me posted.”
“Yeah, sure,” he said.
“Anything else?”
He shook his head. “Nope.”
“Okay,” I said. “I gotta say, I’m concerned about this doctor of Cherry’s. He’s vague when we ask questions and nobody wants to challenge him, either. Something’s up and I’m wondering if you know anything about him.”
“Maybe,” he shrugged. “What’s his name?”
“Dr. Derek Davenport.”
Blade froze, his eyes wide. “Fuck.”
“Fuck?”
He sighed and shook his head. “He’s Rose’s husband. Or, her ex-husband, I guess. He’s a real prick. I knew him in high school and I’m pretty sure nothing’s changed. I had no idea he was Cherry’s doctor. Shit.”
“I suspected as much,” I replied, my head spinning. “I think we need to insist on another doctor, Hannah. Since you’re the only relative to her, you’ll need to do it yourself.”
She nodded, pursing her lips. I hated putting it on her, but I knew the hospital wouldn’t take orders from me. I wasn’t even sure they’d take them from her, but we’d see. I got the feeling they weren’t too strict about rules here.
“I’ve got this,” she said, looking over at Cherry. “I’d do anything for my sister.”
“Cherry’s lucky to have you,” I said, as I watched her grab Cherry’s hand and squeeze. “She’s going to be okay, Hannah.”
“I know,” Hannah said, her eyes filling with tears when Cherry didn’t respond. “She’s tough as nails. And she’d never leave me.”
I nodded, before turning and walking out. Every now and then, it got to all be too much for me, especially with Cherry just lying there like that. If she’d only give us a small sign that she was going to be okay, I’d find it a lot easier to keep the faith.
Blade followed me out.
“Hey, man, do you want me to talk to Davenport?”
“Maybe,” I said. “But don’t say anything about Cherry. If he’s involved in all of this shit, it might be best he doesn’t know you know her. Go pay him a visit and see if he volunteers any information. I’m going to take Hannah and Grace down to the cafeteria for some coffee and a little break. Call me if I need to know anything.”
“Will do, boss.”
Blade walked away stoically and I wanted to call him back and check in on his mental state, but he didn’t seem to be in the mood to talk about any of that. In the end, I let him walk away. Work would do him good.
Chapter 32
DEREK
My fingers trembled as I sprinkled the golden pollen into the tiny opening of the vial. I’d taken a botany course in med school and learned about a lot of unconventional herbs and flowers and plants that had all kinds of effects on the human body. I never thought it would be as useful as it was turning out to be now, though.
Brugmansia arborea, also called Angel’s Trumpet, is a gorgeous plant with large trumpet-shaped gold, pink or white flowers. My grandmother grew them in her garden. After my parents died, I inherited their property, and thus, the Angel’s Trumpet was now conveniently mine and since nobody was living there, I could easily pick a few flowers every few days without anyone seeing me.
It was all very simple, almost frighteningly so. The pollen was easy to harvest, with just a few shakes of the flower onto some parchment paper, making for easy transport when I couldn’t take the whole flower.
And I made sure to close my office door every morning while I sprinkled the pollen into the vial of saline so it would be easy to conceal and explain, should I have to.
Shaking it up until it was completely mixed up, I slipped it into my pocket and sat back down at my desk. I was tired. Exhausted, really. I was too busy dealing with Beddingham’s demands that I couldn’t concentrate properly on my patients.
I’d not signed up for all this fucking stress. I’d been born with a silver spoon in my mouth — I’m not cut out for this shit.
To top it off, this morning at breakfast, I’d discovered that I had another problem to deal with. Hank told his wife Jenny, who was friends with Beddingham’s nephew, who told his uncle, who told me, that Blade was back in town. Information like that spreads like wildfire in this town and it didn’t take long to get back to me, just like that.
I hated that fucker.
I wondered if Rose knew he was back.
I didn’t see how she wouldn’t have heard already, considering it had gotten to me. Half the town probably figured he was here to see her, now that she’d broken up with me.
Hell, she’d probably called him herself.
He’d left her, but she never stopped thinking about him. I’d seen her staring off into space for years, a wistful look on her face. I knew she was thinking about that bastard, but I kept my mouth shut, letting her deal with her feelings, thinking she’d come around at some point.
But she never did.
Instead, she stayed the fucking ice queen, freezin
g me out. Hell, I’m surprised we managed to have two kids.
Most of the time, she recoiled when I touched her.
Most of the time, it was much easier to blame Blade instead of myself.
So, now he’s back. I had no idea what that meant, but there’s no fucking way I’m going to let him claim my wife. She may say otherwise, but I still hadn’t signed those divorce papers and I’m certainly not going to do so if she starts running around with that asshole.
“She’s probably just doing it to humiliate me, to force me to sign,” I muttered to myself. “Fuck this.” I stood up, grabbed a pile of patient files and headed out into the hallway. Rose couldn’t do shit to wear me down. I had a lot more stamina than she thought I did.
I patted the vial in my pocket and rounded the corner, stopping short when I saw a massive man blocking my way.
“What’s up, Derek?” he growled, his heavily tattooed-arms crossed over his boulder-sized chest.
Chapter 33
BLADE
I was glad I caught him off guard.
He looked like I knocked the wind out of him for a second, and I bit my tongue so I wouldn’t laugh at him.
The Derek I knew twenty years ago was exactly the same man standing in front of me. Derek always had an air of privilege about him. He was rich and blonde and perfect back then, and he knew it. He had zero worries in life, and he mocked those that did, completely out of touch with the kids in school that weren’t born with blood as green as his.
Because of that disconnect, he had no problem being a bully.
He was so fucking full of himself that he had no idea what an utterly manipulative and selfish asshole he truly was.
So, throwing him off his well-rehearsed game held a secret pleasure all its own. Never mind that he’d married Rose after I left. To think of his clammy fucking hands touching her was enough to make me want to rip his pretty little head off already.
“Blade!”
“Hey,” I nodded, blocking his exit.
“I heard you were in town,” he said.
“News travels fast, I guess.” I wondered if Rose had told him, but it could have been Hank. Hank was a good guy but he was the town’s biggest gossip.
“Welcome back,” he said, taking a step back.
“Thanks,” I said.
“I’m surprised you’re here,” he said.
“Are you now?” I asked, lifting a brow. “Why is that?”
He took a step forward, gathering his courage and lifting his chin to appear bigger. “I believe you were given instructions to leave and never come back.”
I scoffed, shaking my head.
“Of course you were in on that,” I said. “I thought it was just Rose’s old man, but of course you were involved, too.”
“I didn’t say that.” He raised his hands in protest.
“What are you saying, then, Derek?” I spat his name, hating the feel of it on my tongue.
“I’m just saying maybe you shouldn’t be here. Not much has changed, not in that regard. Nothing has changed with Rose.”
“You think you’re the only one who hears gossip? I heard all about her kicking your ass to the curb.”
He blinked and huffed.
“I’m not afraid of you, or anyone, Derek. Not anymore,” I said, towering over him.
“Well, maybe you should be.”
“Do your worst, Chief,” I said, shaking my head.
“Stay away from Rose, Blade!” His words were almost childlike and I realized then that maybe life had knocked Derek down a few pegs after all. It was obvious he wasn’t as in control as he always expected to be.
I almost felt sorry for him.
Almost.
“Fuck off, you little weasel,” I said, walking past him and leaving him watching after me. I didn’t turn back until I was sure he was gone, and then I went back after him, following far enough behind that he couldn’t see me.
I watched him go into Cherry’s now empty room and snuck up, peering into the edge of the window. I watched him pull a vial from his pocket and open the bag of her IV, then he turned around, blocking my view.
After a moment, he looked down at her and patted her hand, then turned to walk out. I turned and jogged down the hallway around the corner quickly, my head spinning.
I stopped to listen as he talked to a nurse in the hallway.
“Doctor, I’m concerned she isn’t waking up. I’m not sure what to tell the family and they keep asking for other doctors.”
“Some patients just don’t respond to treatment, you know that,” he barked at her.
“Yes, Doctor,” she said, putting her head down. “Your afternoon consultation is here. They’re waiting in your office.”
“Cancel it,” he said. “I need to leave.”
“Yes, Doctor,” she said, scurrying away in fear.
I’d seen that look on so many kid’s faces in high school. Derek had a way of talking down to people, and he seemed to choose the weakest of them to treat the worse. That’s how bullies operate, though.
He pulled his phone out and dialed someone.
“Fuck,” he said after a few seconds. “Rose, where the fuck are you? I’m on my way over, you stupid bitch.”
I turned and headed towards the exit.
If he was going to see Rose, I was going to get there first.
Chapter 34
ROSE
I ignored Derek’s call but I cringed when I heard his voicemail. The last thing I wanted was to see him and deal with his bullshit today.
I couldn’t stop thinking about Blade. I’d been too quick to anger, I saw that now. I wanted to call him and beg him to come back, but I realized I didn’t even have his phone number.
He’d come and gone so quickly, there’d been no time for anything but the whirlwind of emotions, the few words we exchanged…and that sex.
My god, what was that?
I’d remembered being with Blade had been incredibly exciting back when we were kids, even though we’d only actually gone all the way once. For years, we were both happy to kiss and go on long walks holding hands. It all seems so innocent when I look back on it now.
But what happened today was something else entirely.
It certainly wasn’t innocent.
It was raw and primordial and feral and wild.
And, unfortunately, it culminated in anger. Pure, unadulterated, misplaced anger.
I walked out the back door of the house and sat down by the pool, closing my eyes and trying to mentally prepare myself for Derek’s visit. I’d trained myself over the years to not respond to his outbursts. If he saw that he was upsetting me, it encouraged him. The only thing that made him stop was if he thought he wasn’t getting through. So, I faked it and became a stoic statue when he started ranting.
Since we’d separated, I’d found his ranting to be a little harder to take each time.
The roar of an engine broke the peaceful silence and my heart skipped a beat. I ran back through the house and flung open the front door, thrilled to find Blade standing there.
“You came back!”
“We need to talk, Rose. I’m sorry if I came across as being critical earlier, that wasn’t my intention.”
“I know,” I said, my heart melting.
“Can I come in?” he asked, just as I saw Derek’s Porsche turn into the driveway. I groaned and Blade turned to look.
“Yeah, I was gonna tell you he was on his way,” he said.
“How did you know?”
“I ran into him at the hospital. Pretty sure I pissed him off.”
“Oh.”
Derek parked his car and jumped out, running up to the house furiously once he saw Blade standing there.
“Of course you’re here,” Derek said, as he ran up the front porch steps. Blade stepped between us and I had to look around his side to even see Derek anymore.
“Move out of the fucking way,” Derek demanded.
Blade laughed and shook his head. �
�No fucking way, dude.”
“She’s my wife!” Derek insisted.
“Pretty sure only on paper these days,” Blade said. Derek fumed, his face turning red, his eyes darkening.
“Look, you’ve been gone a long time. Maybe you forgot how things work around here. But I’m happy to remind you.”
“Oh, please enlighten me, asshole,” Blade said, clenching his fists.
“We’re Davenports. That means something. It meant something back then and it means even more today. And Rose, whether she likes it or not, is still a Davenport, and she can’t just do whatever she fucking wants. She can’t just get a divorce. Shit doesn’t work that way around here!”
“I don’t give a shit what your last name is, Derek. Rose doesn’t want you here, so you best leave.”
“This is my house!”
“Not anymore!” I shouted. “Go away, Derek!”
“You heard the lady,” Blade said.
“You’re fucking him, aren’t you, Rose? You called him to come back to you, after all these years you spent pining over this piece of shit, you decided you needed more, huh?” Derek tried to move around Blade but Blade didn’t budge. “You know what that makes you, right, Rose? A fucking whore! You’re a piece of shit, too!”
All I saw was a slight move of Blade’s shoulder from behind, and then a large crack echoed through the air as Derek went flying down the porch stairs behind him. I gasped and Derek looked up at us like he’d been shot.
He growled in anger, and then scrambled to his feet, rushing towards us. I jumped back a few steps, even though Blade was still between us. Derek’s fist flew through the air, making contact with Blade’s jaw, but bouncing right off it. Blade shook his head quickly, then laughed, and punched Derek again, sending him right back down the stairs again.
“You fucker!” Derek spat the words in anger.
Blade took a few steps down the stairs, towering over him.
SURVIVING SAVANNAH: GODS OF CHAOS MC (BOOK 16) Page 10