by Erin Osborne
“I’m sorry, I don’t do lap dances or private performances,” I say, looking down at my arm.
“You’re a dancer and they give dances. I want one and I want to know how fucking much,” he says, his tone becoming demanding and dark.
“I’m sorry. There are more than enough girls here that offer that. I’m just filling in and I don’t.”
After another minute, the man lets me go. I turn my attention to the bags and getting out the door so I can let Playboy know about this man. He doesn’t need to be here if he’s going to be demanding anything from any of the girls here. We’re not here for his private entertainment and we do have the right to refuse giving anyone a lap dance or private party.
When the girls are giving lap dances in the back rooms, there’s always a guy standing outside the door. It makes the girls feel safer and lets the guys know the Phantom Bastards don’t play that game. They may dance, but the club doesn’t offer sex or anything else for the men and women that come in for entertainment.
Dropping the bags to the ground, I take a minute to calm down and try to forget the scene that just happened. It’s just a man that doesn’t understand that I’m not a regular at the club.
Lifting the lid to the dumpster, I throw the first bag in and go to turn to pick the second one up. I gasp when I realize the man from earlier is standing behind me. There’s an evil and menacing look as he gazes at me. This isn’t going to be good.
“I told you I wanted a private show and I’m gonna get one,” he says, advancing toward me.
Before I can do anything, he’s got a handful of my hair and is yanking my head. The man is walking past the dumpster where no one will see what he’s about to do to me.
“Help!” I scream out, trying to kick and lash out any way I can.
“Shut the fuck up!” he yells.
The man begins to punch me in the face so that I can’t do anything more than whimper. No one’s going to hear that over the blaring music inside the club. He’s yelling at me, calling me a tease and a whore over and over again while raining blows down on me.
It doesn’t take long before I can feel the blackness overtaking me as the man continues to beat me. I’m already in so much pain that I welcome the relief passing out will give me.
My last vision is Slim. I’ll never get to see him again if the man has his way. In my vision, I’m wrapped in Slim’s arms and there’s a smile on his face. A single tear escapes with the thought I’ll never get to hang out with anyone from the club again. I’ll never feel Slim’s arms wrapped around me or know if there was a chance things could be different between us.
Chapter Twelve
Slim
I’M JUST CLIMBING into bed when my phone goes off. Sometimes, I’d really like to ignore the fucking thing, but I know if someone’s calling this late then it’s important. Picking it up, I see my son is calling me.
“What’s up, son?” I ask, never realizing my world is about to change at this moment.
“Dad, you gotta get to the hospital. It’s Shy,” he says.
I don’t give him a chance to say anything else. Hanging up the phone, I pull my shirt over my head and grab my cut. I’m out the door in seconds. Shy’s hurt and I need to be with her.
Running through the empty clubhouse and out to the parking lot, I jump on my bike and tear away. My only goal right now is to get to my girl. There’s no more wasting time and trying to push her away. Tonight proves I need to get over my shit and be with the woman that makes me feel complete.
As I speed to the hospital, the only thing I can think about is Shy. How she was when she first showed up to how she is now. My girl has a sassy side that not a lot of people get to see. I’m one of the lucky ones. Images flash through my mind of the time I’ve been lucky enough to spend with her. Especially when I got to feel her body under mine. That’s when she truly let go of her façade and was the real Shy.
Pulling into the parking lot of the hospital, I leave my bike right by the door and rush inside. One of the guys will move it for me in a little bit. The only thing I need to do right now is see Shy and find out what the fuck happened to her.
Playboy is the first to notice me rushing in as he stands from his seat. He makes his way to me while I look at the rest of the guys standing and sitting around the waiting room.
“Where is she? What have you been told?” I ask, firing questions at him.
“She’s in back. They’re findin’ out what’s wrong with her now. Someone will be out as soon as they know what’s goin’ on,” Playboy tells me.
“What the fuck happened?” I question.
“She was out back takin’ out the garbage and she was attacked. I’m not sure who went after her. But I’ve already put Fox on pullin’ up the security footage so we can find out who it was,” he says.
“Why was she takin’ the garbage out?” I ask, confused why any of the guys would let her, or any of the girls, go outside alone at night.
“She wouldn’t let Alex or Zach. Shy danced tonight and didn’t want them to do the garbage after she had to leave them behind the bar,” my son tells me.
I don’t say a word to him. Instead, I choose to walk away after hearing that Shy got up on the stage and took her fucking clothes off. What the hell were they thinking? Heading to the nurse’s station, I try to get my feelings under control.
“I’m lookin’ for information on Cheyanne Carter,” I say when the nurse looks up at me.
“Are you her father?” she asks.
“No, I’m fuckin’ not. I’m her fuckin’ man,” I say, not letting this bitch’s opinion matter to me.
“I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t give you any information.”
I see red as the nurse turns her back to me. Don’t they know that Shy hates hospitals and someone needs to be by her side if she’s awake? I need to be by her side. This shit wouldn’t have ever happened if I pulled my head out of my ass sooner and brought her back to the clubhouse— where she belongs.
“Dad, come sit in the waitin’ room. Someone will be out soon to let us know what’s goin’ on. You’re not gonna do Shy any good if you’re sittin’ in a cell,” Playboy says, trying to reason with me as the red haze continues to cloud my gaze.
Nodding my head, I follow him back into the waiting room. Taking a seat next to Fox with his ever-present computer sitting on his lap, I look at him to see if he’s found anything out.
“Let’s have a smoke,” he says, closing the laptop and standing up.
“No one else leaves here. We’ll be right outside. If anyone comes out, get me. Immediately,” I say, following Fox outside.
Pulling out a smoke, I wait for Fox to open his computer again and show me what he found from Allure. The look on his face already tells me that I’m not going to like what I see as he turns the screen toward me. For a second, there’s nothing but a blank screen.
Finally, Shy comes into view. She’s carrying two bags of garbage down the hall when she’s stopped. A man puts his hand on her when she tries to pass him. There’s a few words exchanged before she finally gets him to let go of her and makes her way down the hall and out the back door.
For a minute, there’s no movement on the screen. Then I watch as the same man makes his way down the hallway and out through the door. Fox switches the cameras, and I watch as the man stands behind her without moving or saying a word. Finally, she turns around and sees him standing there. From there, I watch the entire beating of my woman before he drags her behind the dumpster and the red haze returns.
This motherfucker is dead.
“I want to know who he is,” I say, stabbing my cigarette out in the can next to me.
“On it, boss,” Fox says.
I head back into the hospital to wait on what’s going on with Shy. Everyone is still sitting in the waiting room. Playboy shakes his head when I look at him to confirm that no one’s been out yet.
What the fuck is taking so long?
We sit in the waiting room for
hours. No one comes out to give us any information about Shy. The rest of the patients and individuals waiting for loved ones give us a wide berth, even though we’re taking up almost half of the waiting room. The only family that isn’t here are the women. We didn’t want to alert them when we don’t know what’s going on.
I’m getting ready to go back to the nurse’s station to find out what’s going on when one of the doors opens and a man in a white coat comes out.
“Family of Miss Carter,” he says.
I immediately stand up and make my way in front of him. “I’m her man. Where is she and what’s goin’ on?”
“She’s suffered a lot of injuries to her face and the back of her head. Miss Carter also has bruised ribs. She’s awake and alert now. We’re going to move her to a room so we can observe her overnight and she’ll be able to go home tomorrow if everything is okay,” the doctor says.
“When can I see her?” I ask, wanting to shove past him and find her myself.
“As soon as she gets in her room,” he answers.
“How long is that gonna take?”
“I’m not sure. I’ll have someone come get you when she’s getting moved.”
I walk back over to the men that have been sitting here and let them know what the doctor told me. Fox assures me that he’s going to go back to the clubhouse and will find out who the man is that thought it was okay to put his hands on a woman and a member of the Phantom Bastards family.
By the time the last of the men leave the hospital, a nurse comes out to get me. She leads me up to the third floor and points to the door Shy’s behind. Before she turns away, the nurse lets me know they gave her something to help her sleep so she might not be with it while I’m in with her. Little do they know, I’m not leaving here until she does.
Walking into the hospital room, I get my first look at Shy. Her entire face is bruised and swollen. My heart breaks to know that she just went through this shit and no one was there to protect her. I wasn’t there to protect her from the beating that she got.
I grab the chair closest to the bed and bring it to her bedside. Her hand on this side doesn’t have an IV in it, so I grab it and bring it close to my face. Kissing the back of her hand, I make a silent vow to bring the asshole that hurt her to the kind of justice that only the Phantom Bastards can dish out. I also vow to never leave her side again.
The rest of the night passes slowly as I watch her sleep and think of everything I want to do when she gets released from the hospital. One of those things is bringing her back to the clubhouse so no one comes after her. Another is making sure she knows I’m going to have her back and she is mine.
There’s no more pushing her away. I’m going to let Shy in all the way and let her know why I’ve been the way that I’ve been with her. It’s time that she has all of me and I’m going to have all of her. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
In the middle of the night, Shy wakes up and turns her bruised and beaten face toward me. I’ve never seen her look as gorgeous as she does right now. Tears fall from her eyes and I stand up to lean over her and pull her into my body.
For the next little while, I hold Shy and let her get her tears out. There’s not a single word spoken between us. There will be plenty of time for that later on. Right now is for her to get her feelings out and for me to just be here for her.
“Do you need anythin’, Pretty Girl?” I ask, pulling back slightly while she grips my shirt tighter. “Not goin’ anywhere, babe. Just want to make sure that you don’t need anythin’.”
“You. Just you,” she says.
Shy slides over in the hospital bed and I climb in next to her. I’m careful not to hurt her ribs or head. The rest of the night, I don’t let go of her. She sleeps peacefully while I watch her.
This is what I want for the rest of my life.
Chapter Thirteen
Shy
IT’S BEEN A week since I was attacked outside of Allure. Slim hasn’t left my side since that night. I’ve wanted my space from him because I can’t go back to the way things were before, but he’s not having it. Even Patience has commented on it. Well, after she got over being pissed that no one let her know I was in the hospital.
Slim’s been in my bed every single night. I’m grateful because it keeps the nightmares away, but it’s not like him. He holds me and doesn’t try to fuck me at all. It’s frustrating as hell when I want the man to the point of desperation. Something has to change.
Today, I’m going to sit Slim down and talk to him about what the hell he thinks he’s doing. We’ve been down this road before and it didn’t work out good for me. I’m the one that left the clubhouse and was treated like shit because of whatever bug crawled up his ass.
He left to grab something for breakfast. Patience is still upstairs resting. I’m in the kitchen staring out the window when a car pulls up and parks across the street. No one gets out of it, they just sit there. A chill runs down my spine and I don’t know why.
The car is a blacked-out sedan. With the driver’s side window down the slightest bit, I can see the individual is just sitting there. There’s a glint from the sun glaring off of something metal but I don’t know what it is. I’m too far away to get a good look at the driver or the object, but there’s really only one of two options as to who it is, the guy that attacked me or whoever sent the pictures of me to the club.
Slowly walking around the house, I make sure all the windows and doors are shut. With Slim not being here, I don’t want something to happen. The attack has left a lasting impression on me. Even the thought that Slim and the guys got random pictures of me made an impact on my life, like the paranoia I feel now.
Walking upstairs, I check on Patience to make sure she’s still resting and not aware that anything is wrong. She’s asleep and I’m happy that she’s finally getting some rest. So, I make my way into my room and sit on the bed. I want to be alert if anyone tries to get in the house, not that I have anything here to defend myself if that happens.
It seems like hours pass as I sit in the silence of my room. Before too long, I hear the telltale rumble of Slim’s bike pulling in. Even knowing it’s him, I don’t move from my spot on the bed, staring blankly at the wall in front of me.
“Shy, where you at, babe?” Slim calls out.
When I don’t respond, I hear him make his way up the stairs. He comes to a stop in my doorway and just stands there for a second. When he walks over to me, I watch as he crouches down in front of me.
“What’s wrong, babe?” he asks.
“Someone parked across the street, but they didn’t get out of the car. It was blacked out so I couldn’t tell who it was,” I say.
Slim gets up and makes his way from the room. I watch as he pulls out his phone just before turning the corner and making his way downstairs. I’m not sure who he’s calling, but it’s more than likely someone from the club. Fox, if I had to guess. He’ll want him to pull the security footage so he can try to figure out who’s sitting outside my house.
Finally getting my senses back, I walk out of my room and follow Slim. He’s yelling at someone and telling them that ‘his woman’ needs to be protected so that he never catches me looking the way I did when he got back. The fuck? I’m not anyone’s woman and I’ll be damned if I open that door for him again.
I move around the kitchen and pull out the breakfast he brought. I’m not hungry, but it’s giving me something to do. So, I set the table and put the takeout containers in front of two of the chairs. Grabbing the silverware, I hear Patience making her way down. The two of them can have a nice breakfast.
Once everything is set out, I give my cousin a smile and make my way back up to my room. I strip out of my clothes and begin to get ready for the day. It’s time that I get back to work and not let these stupid assholes scare me anymore. Playboy and the rest of the guys will be there, so I’m not worried about anything happening to me at Allure.
I’ll talk to Playboy as soon as I get there and
make sure that someone’s available to walk me outside when it’s time for my breaks. Or I’ll go to the dressing room and hang out with the girls. I don’t have to go outside. There’s just times that I like to get a breath of fresh air and be away from all the guys in the club.
“Shy, babe, come down and eat,” Slim says, walking in the bathroom behind me.
“Nope. I’m not hungry. I need to get ready for the day and make sure I’m ready to go back to work tonight,” I answer.
“Not happenin’, babe,” he says, pulling me back against his chest.
“Slim, you don’t have any control over my life or the choices that I make anymore. I’m an adult and it’s my decision. You got scared when I got hurt and that’s what this overprotective bullshit is. You can see that I’m fine now, so I’m sure there are things for you to do at the clubhouse.”
“Is that what you really fuckin’ think?” he asks, turning me around to face him.
“Yes, it is.”
“You have no fuckin’ clue. You gettin’ hurt made me realize how fuckin’ dumb I’ve been when it comes to you. I’ve pushed you away and kept you at arm’s length because of my past, not because I didn’t feel anythin’ for you,” he says, looking me in the eyes the entire time he’s talking.
“It’s not just how you were at the clubhouse. After I left, you treated me worse than a fucking hang around. I wasn’t even allowed in the clubhouse when Hound and Ghost got out of jail. You guys used to be my family and now we’re nothing to one another. I appreciate everything you’ve done since I got hurt, but I don’t want you here anymore,” I say, tears filling my eyes as I push the only man I’ve ever loved away.
“You don’t mean that. Shy, I thought I had already found the love of my life with Maddie’s mom. She left and never told me she was pregnant. I found my daughter when she was grown and in her twenties. Maddie had a shit life and I feel guilty on a daily basis because of everythin’ that she suffered through. If I had taken the time to get over my pain, I would’ve found Roxy and realized what was goin’ on. I could’ve been in my daughter’s life from the beginnin’,” he says, pulling me into the bedroom so we can sit on my bed. “Then you walked into the clubhouse and completely captivated me. You acted like a house bunny and yet never took any of the men into your room. All you did was clean and cook. I still don’t understand your need to be a part of the Phantom Bastards.”