“It is.”
“I already have a phone.” I slid it back. “But thanks.”
He returned it. “I thought I’d give it to Leo.”
“Well, it’s the thought that counts.” I settled two fingers on top of it and slid it back again.
He slid it back to me. “As a safety measure, I like my employees to have tracking software on their phones, and even if his phone wasn’t busted, it’s too old and outdated to install the necessary security app.”
“Cool story, bro.” I, once again, slid the phone back to him, but he placed his hand on top of mine, and the phone stopped in the middle of the table.
“Indigo, this is business.”
“Hyde, he is too much of a punk to be responsible for such an expensive phone. And if he were to break it, or whatever, I don’t have the funds to replace it.”
“I’m not asking you to replace it.” He removed his hand and I suddenly felt cold. “I’ll take full responsibility for it. It has my number programmed in, and he cannot get to any apps unless you enter a code, of your choosing, to allow him access.”
I sighed, then registered what he’d originally said. “Your employees?”
“He’s doin’ a really great job, GoGo. Was thinkin’, provided you sign the authorization, I’d offer him a job.”
“Oh my god, he would love that,” I breathed out.
“I’ll make sure he has a ride to and from if you can’t do it, and he’ll be protected. Always.”
“Why are you doing this?” I whispered.
“What?”
“Taking care of him.”
Jekyll smiled. “I like him, GoGo… and I don’t like most people… certainly not ones who aren’t old enough to drink. He’s a good kid and he does a fuckin’ stellar job. Who wouldn’t want to hire someone like that?”
“He is a good kid who’s had a shitty start and middle. I want him to succeed in everything he works for because he does work. Hard.”
“Yeah, I get that.”
“So, yes, I’ll sign the authorization for him to work,” I said. “Thank you for watching out for him.”
“And the phone?”
“Yes, the phone. I’ll give him that as well.”
“Thanks, baby.”
Our number was called which gave me a good excuse to ignore his endearment. He went to retrieve the food while I shoved the new phone in my purse and silently tried to process this newfound generosity from the sexy biker.
“Tell me about Walker House,” Jekyll said, setting our food on the table and taking his seat again.
“What do you want to know?” I asked, dipping a chip in the salsa and taking a bite.
“How did Leo end up there?”
“His parents were both addicts and he ended up in foster care four years ago. He did not do well, and it was either a halfway house, juvie, or us.” I smiled. “He won me over, and for the most part, he’s a good kid. Just has trust issues.”
“Yeah, I get that.”
“How did you get involved with your club?”
“That’s a story for another day,” he said, taking a bite of his taco.
“Gotcha.”
The rest of the night was low-key and somewhat monosyllabic. Jekyll wasn’t a big talker, especially when it came to his personal life. I found I was doing most of the talking, so I decided to step back a bit and conserve my energy. I focused on enjoying my food before he drove me home.
There was no kiss at my doorway, but he did hug me gently, then left me to my thoughts and my vibrator.
Indigo
Friday afternoon, Brianna was wound up tight about something, and I knew this, because she wouldn’t leave my side. From the second she’d walked out of school, climbing into my car, she was my shadow, going so far as to follow me into the bathroom.
“Baby, you can’t come in here with me, but I’ll be right out. Promise.”
She’d bobbed her head and I’d done my thing, opening the door before throwing the paper towel into the trash. She was still there, so I leaned down and settled my hand on her shoulder. “Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”
She shook her head and since she wasn’t willing to disclose, I had to wait for her to come to me. I did give her counselor, Jessa, a heads-up however to keep an eye out.
“We’ll drop Leo off at the shop then we’ll have our milkshakes, okay?”
She nodded, but her affect was flat. Rather than push her, I let her have her secret and we drove Leo to Potion.
“Can I go in with you, Leo?” Brianna asked.
He frowned at me, knowing that Bri couldn’t see his expression and I smiled. “Yeah, baby, we’ll all go in.”
“Seriously?” he hiss-pered.
I chuckled, pushing open my door and walking with both of them into the shop. A different young woman was at the counter today, still just as tattooed as Vanna, but no piercings that I could see.
“Hey, Leo,” she said with a grin.
“Hey, Nicole.”
“Jekyll said you can start on the bathrooms. He’s with a client.”
“Okay, cool,” Leo said, turning to me. “I’ll see you guys later.”
“We’ll be just down the way at Renaissance.”
“Yeah, I know,” he said. “I’ll see you… later.”
I grinned. I just couldn’t resist adding, a little louder, “If you need me, you call me, honey. Okay?”
“Oh my god, Indy, I’m ignoring you now,” he said, stalking away.
Brianna giggled up at me. “You’re funny, Indy.”
“At least you get me.” I cupped her chin. “Ready for milkshakes?”
“Yep.”
I looked at Nicole. “Is it okay if I leave my car there for a little bit?”
“Sure. I’ll keep an eye out, but you should be good.”
“Thanks.”
Brianna and I left the shop, walking down to Renaissance Ice Cream, one of our favorite little escapes. We sat in a two-person booth and ordered, then I decided it was time for my girl to spill the tea.
“Okay, honeybee, what happened that freaked you out?”
She bit her lip and stared at the table.
“Did something happen at the house?”
She shook her head.
“School?”
She shifted in her seat but didn’t deny my guess.
“Okay, so something happened at school. Did you tell a teacher?”
She shook her head.
I reached over and squeezed her arm gently. “Baby, I can’t fix it if you don’t tell me what happened.”
Her face reddened as she whispered, “A boy pushed me into the bathroom and touched me… down there.”
“Which boy?” I forced myself to ask gently, but really wanted to find this boy and rip his dick off.
“Joshua Felly. He’s fourteen.”
“Okay, sweetness, I’m going to talk to your principal on Monday and if she doesn’t fix it, then I will.”
“Do I still have to go to school?”
“No, honey. Not until Joshua Felly is gone.”
“You can make him leave?” she asked hopefully.
“Yes.”
Her entire body seemed to deflate with relief.
Our server arrived with milkshakes the size of Colorado, setting down extra napkins before walking away.
“I have a test on Monday,” Brianna said, sipping her treat.
“You can do a make-up.”
“Indy?”
“Yeah, baby?” I met her eyes.
“You make me feel safe.”
I bit back tears and pasted a smile on my face. “Thank you for saying that, honey. I will move heaven and earth to keep you feeling that way.”
She nodded and we relaxed into easy conversation, the weight of the world leaving her shoulders. I, however, transferred that weight onto mine. Joshua Felly better never get anywhere near her again or I was gonna rain hell down upon him.
Once we finished our treats, we he
aded back to my car and drove home. I then hung out with the kids for a few hours, letting them beat me at foosball.
When it was time for me to pick Leo up, Brianna was apprehensive about me leaving, so I hugged her close and promised I’d be back in less than thirty minutes, which seemed to calm her.
I rolled up to Potion just before eleven. Since it wasn’t a school night, I’d allowed Leo to work until closing, provided he got his homework done.
I discovered that all of the parking spaces were full in front of the shop, despite the late hour, so I pulled into the alley on the side, and climbed out of my car. And a sudden burst of pain slashed through my head as I was hit from behind, dazing me.
* * *
Jekyll
I glanced at my watch and frowned. I coulda sworn I heard Indigo’s fanbelt ten minutes ago, but she hadn’t walked through the door yet.
“You need to call Indy,” I told Leo.
“Okay,” he said, dialing her number immediately. “Voicemail. Do you think she forgot to pick me up?”
“Unlikely,” I murmured. “Go take the trash out then we’ll lock up and wait for her.”
Three minutes later, Leon let out a god-awful bellow, rushing back inside. “Jekyll! Indy’s hurt.”
I didn’t ask questions, I just followed him into the alley, finding Indigo on the ground next to her car, blood oozing from her head.
“Fuck!” I hissed. “Call 9-1-1, Leo.”
Removing my cut, I pulled my T-shirt off and used it to try and stop the blood as Leo called for an ambulance. One of my club brothers, Scrappy, joined me, his phone to his ear calling Needles who was a member of our club, and a doctor.
“I need you to get the footage from the last thirty minutes and send it to my phone,” I said to Scrappy as I continued to put pressure on Indigo’s wound.
Jesus, it wouldn’t stop bleeding.
Indigo whimpered and I stroked her cheek. “I got you, baby. Help’s on the way. Just stay with me, okay?”
I heard the sirens and told Leo to flag the ambulance down, which he did and the EMTs rolled a gurney our way within a few minutes.
“What happened?” one of them asked.
“We don’t know,” I said. “We found her like this. I’m currently pulling footage.”
“Right. If you can step back, sir, we’ll take it from here.”
I had no choice but to let the professionals work, even though, all I wanted to do was gather Indigo up and protect her from the world.
As the EMTs gently tended to Indigo, my phone pinged and I pulled up the video from the alley, burning with rage as I watched what transpired.
“Leo,” I growled, and the boy approached me carefully.
“Yeah?”
I paused the video and turned my screen toward him. “This Chucky?”
He leaned in and his face paled. “Fuck. Yeah, that’s Chucky. He did that to Indy?”
I pulled the phone away. He didn’t need to see the horror of what had just transpired. “How old is he?”
“Chucky?”
“No, Santa Claus,” I bit out. “Yeah, Chucky.”
“Nineteen,” Leo said.
He’s a legal adult. Good. That means a little less jail time if I’m ever caught for what I’m gonna to do to him.
“Right. Scrappy’s gonna get you back to Walker House.”
“No, I’m going to the hospital,” he argued.
I frowned. “Don’t you have a curfew?”
“Indy signed me out so I could work.”
“You should still let someone in charge know what’s going on.”
He nodded, pulling out the phone I’d given him. “I’ll call Jessa and tell her.”
I didn’t know who the fuck Jessa was, but if it meant I could deal with Indigo, I was happy to let him call her.
“We’re taking her to Memorial,” one of the EMTs said.
“Can I ride with her?” Leo asked.
“Are you family?”
“She’s the only family I have.”
“You can come, but you need to have someone meet you at the hospital,” the EMT said. “I’ll need an adult to hand you off to when we get there.”
“Let the EMTs take her without you, Leo. They don’t need you breathin’ down their necks. Scrappy’ll drive you,” I said. “He can hang out with you until I get there.”
The EMTs strapped Indigo in before loading her into the ambulance and taking off. I forwarded the video to Sundance, then told Scrappy to lock up and take Leo to the hospital.
As I made my way to my bike, I called Rocky.
“Yo, brother.”
“Hey, Rock. Can you get a recruit to pick up the lime green Kia parked in my alley? The fanbelt needs to be replaced for sure, but I want new tires, hoses, filters, a tune up, the whole deal.”
“Yeah, sure. Keys?”
“I’ll leave ’em behind the passenger rear tire.”
“Got it.”
“Thanks,” I said, and hung up, swinging my leg over my bike, and starting it up.
Jekyll
An hour later, I found Chucky smoking pot behind a Kum & Go. He was with two of his other loser friends, but I’d brought a little back up of my own so I could focus my rage on Chucky alone.
Parking my bike, I swung off, then nodded to Scooby and Stoney who headed to the group. The assholes tried to scatter but the pot had made them slow, and we caught them quickly, dragging them where the cameras wouldn’t catch us. Scooby and Stoney kept hold of his friends while I dealt with Chucky myself.
“What the fuck, man?” Chucky squealed as I threw him to the ground, slamming my boot onto his back.
“Beatin’ women make you feel like a big man?”
“It wasn’t me!”
“What wasn’t you?” I growled.
“I didn’t beat no woman up.”
I moved my boot to his face, pressing down hard. “Wrong answer, you little piece of shit. I’ve got you on video.”
“Okay, okay,” he panted out. “But it’s not what you think.”
“Okay, asshole, what is it, then?”
“She had it comin’.”
“Yeah, she did? How did she have it comin’?” I pressed harder on his face, eliciting another squeal from him.
“She knew it was our turf, but she kept fuckin’ with us, man.”
“Whose turf?”
“Kings!”
I scowled. The 719 Kings were a pain in the ass gang who’d recently graduated from being street thugs to picking up any crumbs the Beast threw their way in Monument.
“You jumped in?” I asked.
“Not yet.”
“Was part of your initiation beatin’ Indigo to death?”
“Not directly.”
I grabbed the back of his collar and dragged him to his feet. “You’re about to develop a complicated relationship with solid food.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
I punched him once and a few teeth flew to the ground as he screamed, and blood gushed from his mouth. They were the first of many he’d lose before I was done with him.
* * *
Indigo
I heard a cry, not entirely registering it was mine, as pain shot through my face and head.
“Something’s wrong,” Leo said, panic in his voice.
“Okay, honey, we got her.”
The woman’s voice was soft, it was sweet, and that was the last thing I remembered before I fell into blissful nothingness.
* * *
“She’s not wakin’ up, Jekyll,” Leo whispered.
“She will, bud, you just gotta let her heal.”
“What if she doesn’t?” Leo asked.
I’m here, I said in my head, but every thought just induced pain.
“She’s gonna wake up, Leo. Swear to Christ.”
I want to wake up now.
“She’s crying, Jekyll. Why is she crying?”
I am? God, everything hurts.
Blackness surro
unded me again and I leaned into it.
* * *
I came to in stages, hearing the quiet whispers of more than one person in the room. I couldn’t stop a groan as I tried to open my eyes.
“Hey, sweet girl,” my father whispered, and I felt someone squeeze my hand.
“Daddy?”
“Can you open your eyes, mo stoirín?”
I smiled. Irish to the core, he always called me his little darling when he wanted me to do something he considered important.
“I can’t, Papa.”
“Try.” His voice was a little deeper this time and I took a deep breath.
Pain shot through my skull as I forced my eyes open, quickly closing them again with a groan. “It hurts.”
A deep voice growled out, “I’m gonna get a nurse.”
I frowned. “Hyde?”
“Yeah?”
“What are you doing here?” I asked, still unable to open my eyes.
I felt someone squeeze my arm. “Let me get you a nurse. We’ll talk when you’re feelin’ better.”
He released my arm and I felt weirdly bereft.
“Why isn’t she opening her eyes?” Leo demanded.
I licked my lips and tried to look at him, but everything hurt.
“I’m Dr. Lopez,” I heard a deep voice say, then fingers touched, and slightly lifted, my wrist, feeling my pulse. “I’m going to check you over, Ms. Walsh.”
“Okay.”
“I need everyone to clear the room. You may have one person in here if you’d like.”
“My dad, please.”
I heard movement and grimaced as I tried to open my eyes again.
“Why can’t I open my eyes?” I rasped.
“You have an extreme amount of swelling in your face, not to mention a pretty severe concussion. We’re monitoring everything to make sure you don’t have any bleeding or fluids building up around the brain.”
“Do I?”
“No. We’re very optimistic that you’re clear there.” He released my wrist. “But your eyes are swollen, so you may find it difficult to open them until the swelling goes down, but you have no damage to the actual eye, so you were very lucky.”
“Lucky that someone beat the hell out of her?” Dad growled.
“Daddy, I’m okay,” I whispered.
“I apologize,” the doctor said. “I didn’t mean to sound insensitive.”
Primal Fury (Primal Howlers MC Book 5) Page 5