Zipper

by Harley Wylde

  “Hey, beautiful,” I said. “You going to stay with me this time?”

  “I think so.” Her voice was a little scratchy, but it was the most wonderful sound I’d ever heard, because it meant she was here with me, awake, and she seemed to be okay.

  “Good to see you awake, Delphine,” Torch said. “How do you feel?”

  “Like I was hit by a bus,” she said. Her eyes went wide. “It was Tia. She darted me with poison, said it would kill me.”

  “Coyote found you in time, and he had Ivan drive you to the ER. Coyote helped keep you breathing until they got here, and the doctors were able to counteract whatever you were given. They said it had strychnine in it, so they want to monitor…” I trailed off, not knowing if she was aware she was pregnant.

  “On that note, I’m heading out,” Torch said. “Call if you need anything.”

  “Thank you,” Delphine said.

  After I heard the door shut, I focused on Del. “Baby, there’s something you need to know. When they were trying to save your life, they ran a blood test. The doctor said you’re pregnant.”

  She blinked a few times and didn’t say anything, and I was starting to get worried. “Pregnant?” she asked. “Isn’t it too soon to tell?”

  “They said they couldn’t find the baby yet with an ultrasound, but the test was positive. If you want, in another week or two we can make an appointment and you can have another test done just to be sure. But I think we need to move forward as if you’re pregnant and accept the test results for now.”

  Her hand went to her stomach.

  “Baby, are you all right? I know you probably hadn’t planned on us starting a family right away.”

  She smiled and reached for me. “I hope the test is right. I think you’re going to be an amazing father.”

  “There’s something else you need to know. A police officer came by asking questions. I gave him your stepmom’s name as a possible suspect. Which means the Reapers can’t touch her, but maybe she’ll be locked up. He wanted you to call when you were ready to talk. If you know for sure it was Tia, then I’m sure he’ll arrest her.”

  Delphine nodded. “Can you call him but ask him to wait a little before stopping by? My head still feels a little fuzzy, and I’d like to drink something, maybe wake up a little better before I try to talk to him.”

  “Anything you want, sweetheart.” I leaned over and kissed her. “You scared the shit out of me, Del. When I heard Coyote had found you unconscious, I thought my heart was going to stop.”

  “She said the poison she gave me would asphyxiate me after I passed out. She made it sound almost like it was humane that I wouldn’t be awake when it happened, but all I could think about before I passed out was you.”

  “Me?” I asked.

  She nodded. “I never got to tell you…”

  “Tell me what, Delphine?”

  “That I love you,” she said softly. “I always have, Mason. Even when I was a stupid teenager who chased you away, I loved you.”

  “I love you too. Think I always have.”

  “What do we do now?” she asked.

  “Well, you’re going to tell Officer Daniels about your murderous stepmom, then we’re going to work on getting you out of this hospital. One day at a time, okay?”

  “You asked me before if I wanted to just be your old lady or if I wanted to get married.” She licked her lips. “Would you really not mind marrying me?”

  I smiled a little and reached over to stroke her cheek. “Sweetheart, I can’t think of anything I’d like more. We’ll wait a little bit for your tattoo, maybe even wait until after the baby is born. But you can wear the property cut, and I’ll make sure to put a ring on your finger so everyone knows you’re mine.”

  “I’d like that.” Her eyes started to close again, but she slowly opened them. “I think I need to rest a little more. Maybe we can call the officer tomorrow.”

  “Rest, baby. You should sleep while you can. The nurses will likely be in and out all night, trying to keep an eye on you. The hospital isn’t exactly the best place to go if you want to get some sleep.”

  She smiled a little and reached for my hand. I wrapped my fingers around hers and held on even after she’d fallen back to sleep. Using my free hand, I sent Wire a message, letting him know I needed a marriage license as fast as possible. Yeah, I could do things the completely legal way, but I wanted to make her mine and I didn’t want to wait to apply for a marriage license. If that meant bending the law a bit, then so be it. What was the point of having a hacker in the club if we didn’t use his services?

  Wire: You do know there’s a chapel at the hospital. I can get the license to you by morning.

  He wanted me to marry Del at the hospital? That wasn’t the most romantic thing I could think of, but it would legally make her mine, and I wouldn’t have to worry about scheduling with a church or having the clubhouse scrubbed and decorated. I had a feeling she’d want a dress, though, and I didn’t have a ring to give her.

  Wire: Let the club handle the details. Just be prepared to marry your girl tomorrow in the hospital chapel. If she wants a bigger wedding later, I’m sure Isabella and Ridley will help her plan one.

  I sighed, knowing he was right. It might not be the wedding Del had always dreamed of, if she’d dreamed of one at all, but at least it would make her mine. That was the important thing, right? There was a gift shop and a florist inside the hospital. Maybe I could arrange for a bouquet at the very least, maybe find some ribbons or something to use for decoration. Or maybe I needed to get my ass down to the chapel to check the space out. I hated to leave her, though.

  Her room door swung open, and Bull came in with his old lady, Darian, and his father-in-law. I didn’t know why Scratch was here, but where there was one Devil’s Boneyard brother, there was usually another.

  “We wanted to come check on her,” Darian said. “I told Dad what was going on with Delphine, and he arrived tonight with a few others.”

  Scratch held out his hand to me. The VP for the Devil’s Boneyard looked tired, but I knew he was a strong, capable guy. And if he was here to help, I’d take it.

  “Torch said the police are involved, but it never hurts to have a little extra security for right now,” Scratch said. “I brought Jackal, Shade, and Phantom with me. We’ll help make sure your woman has a security detail until all this blows over.”

  “Thanks. I was actually hoping to go downstairs for a bit, but I didn’t want to leave her alone,” I said.

  “We’ll stay,” Bull said. “With three of us here, no one will get to her. We won’t leave even if they try to force us out.”

  I nearly snorted at the thought of the nursing staff trying to move Bull. He was fucking huge and just as stubborn as his namesake.

  “Thanks,” I said. “I’ll be back in a bit. I need to check on a few things and maybe grab some food from the cafeteria, if it’s still open.” I paused at the door. “Wait, you said you brought Jackal with you?”

  Scratch nodded.

  Well, fuck. That wasn’t going to go over very well once Tank found out. The Devil’s Boneyard member had run off with Tank’s sister a while back, and there was a discussion that Tank wanted to have with the man. “Does, uh, Tank know that Jackal is here?” I asked.

  Scratch’s gaze sharpened. “Not yet. Why?”

  I ran a hand down my face and Bull started laughing softly. Yeah, he knew what was up and hadn’t let his father-in-law in on it. I only hoped that war didn’t erupt at the compound once everything came to light. It seemed we just went from one shit storm to another with no break in sight.

  “No reason,” I muttered and made a run for it. If Scratch was still curious, I’d let Bull explain things. At least he was family and not likely to end up shot for his trouble. I had a feeling Darian would be upset with her daddy if her husband ended up wounded or dead.

  The rest of us weren’t quite so safe, though.

  Chapter Seven

  Delph
ine

  It took two days before the hospital was ready to release me, and Mason was on edge. I could tell he was hiding something, but I didn’t know what it was. While we waited for my discharge paperwork, Isabella came in with a garment bag draped over her arm and another small sack hanging off her fingers. She smiled brightly and nodded to the door. Mason ducked out, giving me a wink before the door shut.

  Well, that wasn’t the least bit odd.

  “Isabella, what’s going on? Mason’s been all weird yesterday and today, and now you’re here with… what is that?” I asked. “Am I secretly dying and you’ve brought clothes so I’ll look decent for an open casket service?”

  “Your wedding dress and shoes,” she said, laying the garment bag on the bed and unzipping it as she rolled her eyes at me. “I got your sizes from the things at your house. Ridley and Darian helped me pick these out. And trust me, if you were dying, Mason would be losing his shit right now, not ducking out with a smile on his face.”

  She pulled out a blush-colored dress with beadwork on the bodice. It was sleeveless, and the skirt was long and flowing. My eyes misted with tears as I looked at it. Then she pulled out a matching pair of satin shoes. They were beautiful, and they made my heart ache. I’d always thought when I picked out my wedding dress that my dad would go with me, since Mom had been gone a while. But now I didn’t have either of them. “You got me a wedding dress?” I asked. “But why?”

  “Mason wanted to make it a surprise. Let’s just say you need to put this on and get downstairs after you’re discharged. Ridley is right behind me with some shower stuff. We thought you’d want to wash and dry your hair.”

  Ridley barreled into the room, out of breath, with an overloaded tote bag slung over her arm. They practically shoved me into the bathroom with a bottle of shampoo, shower gel, and a razor that looked like the ones I had at Mason’s house. My house. I’d need to get used to thinking of it as mine. I tried to wash quickly, not knowing when the hospital would tell me to vacate the room. I doubted they would shove me out the door wet and naked, but I wasn’t going to chance it.

  When I was finished, I put on one of the nicer bra and panty sets I owned, which Ridley had also shoved into the bag she’d brought. It felt a little awkward that she’d been digging through my underwear, but maybe that was because I’d been alone for so long. I hadn’t really had friends. When I was a teen, everyone thought my dad was the coolest, and I quickly learned they didn’t want to hang out with me for me. So I distanced myself, and I never really let anyone get close after that. Not anyone my age anyway. As I glanced at Isabella and Ridley, I had to admit that having friends might be nice.

  Isabella worked on drying and styling my hair while Ridley added a touch of makeup to my face. I never wore much, but she focused on my eyes, added a hint of color to my cheeks, and a sheer lip gloss. I had to admit, when Isabella and Ridley were finished I didn’t look like a woman who had just been nearly killed and spent a few days in the hospital. I didn’t look much like me either, though. The dress fit me perfectly, and so did the shoes. I felt like a princess. The finishing touch was a small tiara that Isabella placed on top of my head and someone clipped into my hair so it wouldn’t fall off.

  A nurse came in and made me sign a bunch of forms, then I was given my freedom. Isabella and Ridley carried all of my things and ushered me downstairs. We stopped outside two wooden doors labeled Chapel.

  “Wait. I’m getting married right now? Here?” I asked, my eyes going wide. I’d kind of figured something big was going to happen, and since I was wearing a wedding dress the odds were Mason wanted to make things official. But I had never even thought of getting married at the hospital.

  “Yep. Wire procured you a marriage license, and Preacher offered to do the honors. Zipper arranged to use the chapel for the occasion,” Ridley said. “That man is crazy about you.”

  Isabella pushed the doors open and I nearly cried at how beautiful everything looked. There was a stained-glass window at the front of the chapel and colored light danced across the floor. Mason was waiting up front, in dark wash jeans, a black tee, and his cut. I should have known the man wouldn’t wear a tux even to his own wedding. It made me laugh a little as I walked toward him. I noticed he’d trimmed his beard so that it was tighter against his jawline, and his hair was brushed and looked like it had some sort of product in it. It warmed my heart that he’d tried to look his best for our special day, while still remaining true to himself.

  I scanned the chapel, which was nearly packed. It looked like almost all of the Dixie Reapers were present, and their old ladies. There were a few cuts I didn’t recognize that said Devil’s Boneyard, and one of the men was sporting a black eye. I had a feeling there was a story there, but right now, I was focused on the man up front waiting for me. Another Reaper was holding a Bible and smiling as I approached. I hadn’t had a chance to meet Preacher yet, but I figured that’s who he was, and his cut said as much as I got close enough to read it.

  “I hope this is okay,” Mason said. “I know it’s not very romantic to get married at the hospital.”

  “Are you kidding?” I asked. “This is the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me. You planned a wedding for us, and made sure I had a beautiful dress. I love you.”

  “Love you too.” He leaned closer and kissed me.

  Preacher cleared his throat. “We haven’t gotten to that part yet.”

  I laughed and pulled away. I barely heard the words spoken but somehow managed to get through my part, and soon we were kissing again. This time as husband and wife. I could hardly believe that the man I’d loved for so long was actually mine, that I was his wife, and we were going to have a baby. My life seemed pretty much perfect right now. Well, except for the problem known as Tia Lee.

  “I wanted to take you on a honeymoon,” Mason said. “But I’m not taking any chances with your safety until your stepmom is found and locked away. Or dead. Dead works for me.”

  “I still can’t believe she just vanished and left her kids like that,” I said, recalling Officer Daniels’ words when he’d stopped by yesterday. I’d met with him after I’d woken up again, and when he’d gone to question my stepmother, no one could find her. She’d been missing at least two days, maybe even as early as when she darted me. I had to admit I was a bit apprehensive, waiting to see when she’d strike next.

  “We’re going to honeymoon at home until she’s caught. Wire’s trying to track her, waiting to see if she uses a credit card somewhere or withdraws money from the bank. Until then, between the Devil’s Boneyard and the Reapers, there will be two or three men watching our house at all times,” Mason said.

  “And Hades Abyss,” Ryker said as he came toward us.

  I’d only met Ryker briefly, and it touched me that he was worried about my safety, even though I was still a stranger. I was a little confused still about why he was with the Dixie Reapers. Even though his woman was related to Flicker, I didn’t understand how a non-Dixie Reaper was living at the compound. I tried not to stick my nose in, though, figuring if it was my business someone would explain it to me. The way everyone came together wasn’t something I’d ever witnessed before, and I was more than happy to be a part of the Dixie Reapers, in whatever capacity they would allow. I knew as Mason’s old lady, and now his wife, that meant I was family in some way, but I still hadn’t wrapped my head around the MC thing and I was learning as I went along.

  “I talked to my dad this morning. He’s sending a few guys down to help out. He wanted them to talk to Tank anyway, so the timing worked out,” Ryker said.

  Mason and Ryker shared a look and I knew whatever reason Hades Abyss was really coming had to do with a job of some sort, and it was probably one I didn’t want to know about. I knew that the Reapers weren’t exactly law-abiding, but they also tried not to hurt innocent people. Mason would never be an angel, unless it was a fallen one, and I was okay with that. I loved him just the way he was, imperfections and all. Alt
hough, I sometimes wondered if those imperfections were what made him so perfect for me.

  “I had someone bring a truck here,” Mason said, addressing me again. “I didn’t want you on the back of my bike while you’re recovering. Hell, I’m not sure you should ride on it while you’re pregnant.”

  “What about your bike? Did you ride it here?” I asked.

  “It’s already back at the compound. Come on, my beautiful wife. Time to get you home,” he said, smiling at me.

  I kissed him once more and let him lead me out to the parking lot. There were a lot of bikes in the lot, and I saw a few of the trucks I recognized as Reapers’ property. Mason led me over to one, then helped me into the passenger seat. Isabella and Ridley placed my things in the backseat, then gave me a wave as they went to find their men. The ride back to the compound was relatively uneventful, unless you counted Mason getting a speeding ticket. He was so happy about being married to me, he didn’t even seem to mind getting pulled over.

  Officer Daniels gave him an assessing look as he handed the ticket over. “Try to go the speed limit the rest of the way home. You don’t want that woman of yours getting injured because of reckless driving.”

  I bit my lip, wondering if five over the speed limit could really be considered reckless. The officer stared at me a moment, his gaze taking in my wedding dress, then he shook his head.

  “Are you sure you want to tie yourself to this one?” he asked. “You seem like a nice girl. Too nice for the likes of him.”

  I saw Mason’s eye twitch, and I hoped he didn’t explode and go off on the police officer. The last thing I wanted was for him to be locked up on our wedding day. I could just see my grandkids asking one day about my special day, and me having to tell them that their grandpa had been locked up for assaulting an officer on the way home.

  “I love him,” I told Officer Daniels. “And despite his rough exterior, he treats me like a princess. I know Mason will never hurt me. He’d lay down his life for me.”