by L. Wilder
“No.” I wiped the tears from my eyes as I pointed to the TV. “Did you know that I was on the news like this?”
“I’ve seen a couple of reports.”
“And you didn’t tell me?”
With a grimace, he shrugged and said, “I didn’t see a point in upsetting you.”
“So, you kept this from me?”
“Not like there’s anything we can do about it, Remington.” He knelt down beside me as he continued, “You’ll see your folks again, but for now, you have to—”
“I know. Keep quiet.”
“Exactly.”
“How much longer is this going to take?”
“As long as it does.” He stood up and asked, “Can I get ya anything?”
“No, I’m good.” His eyes met mine for a brief moment, and I thought he might actually talk to me a little longer, but no such luck. He simply walked over to the recliner, sat down, and started messing around on his phone. Like before, he was doing everything in his power to pretend that I wasn’t even in the room, and it was driving me crazy. When I couldn’t stand it a minute longer, I leaned over to him and whispered, “Hey, is something wrong with you?”
He glanced up from his phone with his brows furrowed. “What?”
“Is something wrong? I feel like you’re mad at me. Did I do something?”
“Not mad at you.”
“Then, what is it, ’cause you haven’t said more than two words to me since we got here.”
“Got a lot on my mind, Remington.”
I had the feeling that I needed to leave it alone and not push it, but I’d always been a little stubborn and couldn’t help myself. “I get that. What I don’t understand is why you seem so distant with me. You’re treating me like I have the plague or something.”
He grumbled under his breath as he shifted in his seat to face me. “Look, there are things going on that you aren’t aware of. Things I can’t really discuss with you, so you’re just going to have to trust me when I say I’m doing what I can to help you.”
“I know you are, and I appreciate it. I really do. I just hate this feeling that I’m putting you out.” When he ran his hand through his hair with a frustrated sigh, I motioned my hand towards him and said, “See...you’re upset with me.”
“Listen here. Don’t you worry ‘bout him, child,” Ada interrupted. “He’s just forgotten how to be nice to a young, purty lady. Isn’t dat right, Noah?”
Discovering he actually had a real name brought a smile to my face. “Noah? You mean you actually have a real name?”
“Course I do.”
“Well, Noah’s a great name. I think it suits you.”
“Don’t know about that,” he argued. “Hell, Ada’s the only one who calls me that anymore.”
“Um-hmm...They all got dem road names they use.” Ada shook her head. “Not sure I’ll ever understand why.”
“Don’t see what’s hard to understand about it,” Noah grumbled. “Just like a patch, it’s something a brother earns, like a rite of passage, and when the right name comes along, it just sticks.”
“So, you earned the road name “Shotgun”? How exactly did that happen?”
“You’re a smart girl.” An adorable, sexy-as-hell, smirk crossed his face, and a tingle went right down my spine as he winked and said, “I’m sure you can figure it out.”
I laughed as I told him, “I don’t know if I should be impressed or terrified.”
Ada shook her head and said, “Don’t let him fool ya, child. He might act all rough an’ tough, but dat boy’s one of the good ones. Got a heart of gold. Yes, he does.”
Before he could argue, Ada May walked back over to the stove to finish cooking breakfast. When I was sure she wasn’t listening, I leaned over to Noah and said, “You two seem pretty close.”
“Yeah, you could say that.”
“Have you known her long?”
“Most of my life.” He glanced over his shoulder at Ada. “She...um...kind of looked after me until my folks died.”
“Your folks died? I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”
“Nothing to be sorry about. It happened a long time ago.” His face was void of expression as he looked over to me and said, “Bad things happen. No sense dwelling on the fact.”
Just when I thought I was starting to figure him out, he proved me wrong once again. I wanted to respond, to give him some profound words of wisdom, but there were none to give—at least none that I could think of. Thankfully, Ada May came to my rescue. From the kitchen, she called out to Noah. “Okay, you two. Come and get it.”
Noah stood, then stepped over to me. “You feel up to sitting at the table, or do you want me to bring you a plate?”
“I think I can make it to the table.” I extended my hand. “Just need a little help getting on my feet.”
He took my hand in his, and a strange sensation washed over me as he carefully eased me up from the sofa. It seemed like there was some odd connection between us, one that I couldn’t begin to understand, but it was there. For a brief moment, I wondered if he felt it too, but as soon as I looked into his eyes and saw that spark of curiosity, I had my answer. The spell was broken the second he slipped his hand under my forearm and guided me over to the table. I’d barely sat down before Ada had brought me over a huge plate of food and some coffee. “Wow, this looks incredible, Ms. Ada.”
“I hope you like it.” She gave me a quick once over before saying, “You needs a little more meat on dem bones, child.”
“You think so?”
“Yes, ma’am. I sure do. You’re skinny as a rail,” Ada fussed. “Looks like you haven’t eaten in days.”
I chuckled as I looked down at the plate of eggs, bacon, and biscuits with sausage gravy. “Well, maybe this will help.”
Noah went over to the stove and made himself a plate, then came back and sat down next to me. He waited for Ada to do the same, and as soon as she sat down at the table, we all started eating. I hadn’t realized how hungry I was until I took that first bite of bacon. After that, I practically inhaled everything else on my plate, finishing well before Ms. Ada or Noah. Amused by the fact, Noah looked over to me with a playful grin. “Did you even take a breath there, killer?”
“I couldn’t help myself. It was really good.”
Ada started to stand as she said, “Let me get you some more.”
“No, no.” I shook my head. “I couldn’t eat another bite.”
“Are you sure? There’s plenty.”
“I’m positive. Thank you so much. It was absolutely wonderful.”
“Glad ya liked it.”
“The woman definitely knows her way around the kitchen.” Noah took his last bite of biscuit and gravy, then ran his hand over his full stomach. “She’s the reason why I’ve put on so much weight.”
“Hush your mouth, boy,” Ada fussed. “You’re fit as a fiddle.”
Ada was right. With his muscular biceps and chiseled chest, you’d think he worked out for hours on end. That, and the fact that he was so damn good-looking, made me regret even more that I was such a mess. I could only imagine what the man thought whenever he looked at my bruised, swollen face or saw the state of my clothes and hair. Sadly, there was nothing I could really do about it. It wasn’t like I had makeup or even a hairbrush. When we finished eating, Noah helped Ada clean up while I slipped off to the bathroom. I used the opportunity to freshen up a little and even tried to fix my hair, unfortunately, after I was done, I didn’t look much better than when I started. Giving up, I made my way back into the kitchen. They were both busy working on the dishes when I asked, “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“No, we just about got it,” Noah answered. “Go back into the living room, and I’ll be in there in a minute.”
“Okay.”
I knew I probably should’ve done like he’d said and lain down, but after being bed-ridden for the past few days, it felt good to be back on my feet again. Thinking it might be nice to get
a little fresh air, I opened the front door and stepped out on the porch. The sun was shining bright and it was hotter than I expected, but it felt great to be outdoors for a moment. I inhaled a deep breath and was enjoying listening to the birds chirping in the trees when Noah stepped outside and asked, “You okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I turned around to face him. “I just needed a little fresh air.”
“Well, you should probably get back inside.” He held the door open for me. “Wouldn’t want anyone to see you out here.”
“Oh, that’s right.” I started towards him as I continued, “I wasn’t thinking.”
“Not many folks out this way, but we don’t need to take any chances.”
“I understand.” When I got closer to him, I asked, “How much longer will we have to stay here?”
“Can’t really say for sure, but Viper will let us know when it’s safe to go back.”
“Safe to go back? What does that mean?”
“It’s nothing for you to worry about.”
As I followed him inside, I couldn’t help but think there was a lot more going on than I had previously realized—which was more than a little terrifying. While I couldn’t explain why, I felt in my heart I could trust Noah would do whatever it took to keep me safe. But there was a part of me that was worried this whole thing was more than he or his brothers could handle, and it might just destroy us all.
Shotgun
“They find anything?”
“No,” Viper answered. “They didn’t find shit, but they certainly tried. Fuckers ransacked the entire clubhouse and did the same damn thing at the strip club.”
“Any idea what they were looking for?”
“They said they were there about the girl, but I’m not buying it. I think they were after something else.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know, but I intend to find out.” Viper glanced behind him at Ada’s front door as he asked, “The girl doing okay with all this?”
“As well as can be expected.” She hadn’t said a word when the guys showed up to get some of our things out of the locker. Instead, she just sat there watching as their SUVs drove by the living room window. I knew she was curious about what was going on, but she kept her questions to herself. I took that as a sign that I’d finally gotten through to her, or at least I hoped I had. “She has questions, which anyone in her shoes would, but she seems to be taking things in stride.”
“Good. Hopefully, we can get a handle on this thing and have her back home where she belongs.”
Viper’s words brought a strange twinge of irritation to the pit of my stomach, and I had no idea why. I should’ve been eager to get Remington back home and out of my fucking hair, but I wasn’t. In fact, I wasn’t eager at all. Instead, I found myself wanting to find a way to keep her around longer. I cleared my throat, hoping it would help shake the unwelcomed feeling, and said, “I’ll get with Menace when we’re back and have him track down Abernathy and McKinney. Maybe then we can finally learn some real answers.”
“Menace was working on that.”
“He get anywhere?”
“Not sure. He and Country were going to see if they could track them down, but I haven’t heard from them since they left.”
“Any idea where they were going?”
“Some joint downtown.” Viper tugged at his beard as he said, “They’d been holed up there for most of the day, and Menace was hoping they could get their hands on them before they left.”
“Damn. Wish I’d fucking known. I’d have gone along with them.”
“I know you would, but they can handle this one.” He turned and started towards Ada’s door. “I better go in and say hello, or Ada will have my hide.”
I followed Viper inside, and I wasn’t surprised when Ada came rushing over to him with a big smile. “Well, look who da cat drug in.”
“How you making it, Ada?”
“Doin’ just fine. Tryin’ to stay busy.” She walked over to the stove and pulled out the cornbread she’d been baking. “I just made a mess of greens, some black-eyed peas, a big ol’ tenderloin, and some cornbread. Sit down and have ya some.”
“Can’t today, doll” Viper replied. “Gotta get back to the clubhouse.”
“Ya gotta eat, don’t ya?” Ada motioned him over to the table. “Now get over here and sit yourself down so I can feed ya.”
“Ada—”
“I don’t wanna hear it, mister.” She started filling a plate full of food.
Viper looked over to me, hoping for an out, but I simply shook my head. “Don’t look at me, Prez. I was still full from breakfast when Ada got after me. Only reason Remington got out of it was ’cause she was asleep.”
“Well, it does smell pretty damn good,” Viper admitted.
“That it does.”
As he walked over to the table and sat down, he told me, “I’ll meet you back at the clubhouse as soon as I get done.”
“Sounds good.” I walked over to Ada at the stove and gave her a hug as I said, “Thanks for letting us crash here for a bit.”
“You knows you’re welcome here any time.”
“I’m gonna hold you to that.”
“You better.”
I stepped over to Remington, who was napping on the sofa, and woke her up. On our way out, Ada came over and said her goodbyes to Remington, and then we continued out to the SUV. As I helped her inside, I couldn’t help but notice she felt a bit warm, and even with her bruises, it seemed like her coloring was a little off. She didn’t say a word as she leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes once again. I got in the truck next to her, and as we headed to the clubhouse, I started to get a little concerned as to why she was so out of it. I gave her little nudge. “You doing okay over there?”
“Hmm...I’m just really tired and achy.”
“Been a long day.”
“Um-hmm.”
I turned my focus back to the road as I told her, “I’ll grab you some fresh clothes, maybe some that actually fit, and if Doc gives the okay, you can finally get that shower you were wanting.”
Without opening her eyes, she mumbled, “I already told you that I like these clothes.”
“Yeah, I remember.” I couldn’t help but get a kick that she liked my clothes as much as she did, especially when they swallowed her like they did. “I’ll try and find some more just like them.”
“Um-hmm.”
She sounded weak, like she was barely hanging on, so I reached over and placed my hand on her forehead and discovered she was burning up. Damn, that wasn’t a good sign, so I picked up my phone and messaged Doc to let him know we were on our way back to the clubhouse. As soon as we arrived, I got out of the truck and rushed over to the passenger side to get Remington. She was sound asleep and didn’t seem to notice when I lifted her into my arms. Her body was completely limp as I carried her down to the infirmary. When I walked in, Doc was there waiting for us. “Bring her over to the gurney.”
She was still out of it when I set her down. “What’s wrong with her, Doc?”
“Hard to say just yet.” He placed his hand on her forehead. “But if her fever is any indication, I’d say she’s got an infection somewhere.”
“Where?”
“I’m trying to figure that out.” He lifted her shirt and started checking the stitches at her abdomen. After they looked okay, he moved up to the wound near her collarbone. He pressed down on the red, swollen area and said, “I think this is our problem.”
“The sutures?”
“Could be or the fact she was stabbed with a dirty, fucking knife.”
I glanced down at her, and my chest tightened when I saw how pale and fragile she looked. It was hard to believe just a couple of hours ago she was sitting at the table with Ada and me. She seemed fine. Better than fine. I thought she was on the mend, but looking at her now, I realized just how wrong I really was. “She was fine a couple of hours ago.”
“Infections can take time
to set in.” He rushed over to the cabinet and took out an IV kit as he said, “Regardless, she’s gonna need a rather strong round of antibiotics. Hopefully, that will do the trick, or I’ll have to open her back up so she doesn’t go septic on us.”
“Fuck.”
“I’ve got this, brother.” He nodded his head over to the door. “Menace was asking about you earlier. Why don’t you go see what he wants, and I’ll get with you after I’ve taken care of her?”
“Okay.” I reluctantly started walking over to the door. Just before I stepped out of the room, I turned back to Doc and asked, “Is she gonna be okay?”
“If I have anything to say about it, she will be.”
“Thanks, Doc.” I closed the door and rushed down the hall to find Menace. I’d just made it to his room when I heard him call out to me. “Yo, Shotgun! I’ve been looking for you.”
“I just got back. What’s going on?”
“We got ’em.”
I knew he was talking about Abernathy and McKinney. “Seriously?”
“Fuck yeah. ’Bout a half hour ago.” Looking quite proud of himself, he continued, “They were drinking down at one of their hangouts and were both feeling pretty fucking good until we tackled their sorry asses in the back alley.”
“Where are they now?”
“We took them down to your holding rooms.”
During my time as the Sinners’ enforcer, I’d constructed three different holding rooms filled with various tools and restraints I used to extract intel from assholes like Abernathy and McKinney. It was a place where I could cut loose and release my inner demons, and at that moment, I was eager to unleash those demons on the men in those two rooms. Not only did I want to make them pay for hurting Remington like they had, but I also needed to find out everything they knew about Long and that fucking Detective Mathews. “Give me a couple of hours.”
“You got it.”
With that, I turned and headed to the first holding room. When I walked in, I found Drake Abernathy standing in the middle of the room with his hands bound above his head. Like the picture Menace had shown me, the guy was young with tattoos covering his arms and neck. He was average-sized, several inches shorter than me, and about a hundred and ninety pounds with dark, beady eyes and a scar under his left eye. Menace and Country had roughed him up a little. He had a couple of bruises and scratches on his arms and face, but they were nothing like what he was about to get. A snarl crossed his face as I approached. “Who the fuck are you?”