Blade: A Steel Paragons MC Novel (The Coast: Book 11)

by Hart, Eve R.

No, I sure as fuck didn’t.

  But then I looked at the body on the floor and the man that I assumed was going to get rid of it quietly, and figured I kind of owed these men something.

  “Prez?” someone called out and then there were more people in my space. “What do you need?”

  “We’re taking him back to the compound, think it would be best if you came with. Pack some things if you want to or I can have someone bring you some later.” Iron waited a beat making sure that I understood what he wanted. “We’ll talk then, alright?”

  “Okay, yeah,” I told him and moved to my dresser, leaving him to talk to his men.

  I blindly grabbed a few things and looked around for something to put them in. I couldn’t even think where my small suitcase was right now.

  “Prez, I think we need to get him to the hospital,” Charming said looking over at Iron with a hint of worry screwing up his brows. “Not sure how we can explain all this.”

  “Figure that out later,” Iron said turning to look for… someone? “Cable. B-ry.”

  “I could call my uncle,” I said as I watched two bigger guys come through the bedroom doorway. “He’s a detective.”

  That got Iron’s attention and he looked at me as if he was trying to see something.

  “And who is your uncle?” Iron asked, a flatness in his tone like he almost somehow knew the answer.

  “Detective Robert Mullins.”

  And the whole room went still.

  All eyes were on me and I felt a slight chill run down my spine.

  It was clear I was missing something but I couldn’t figure out what.

  Seconds of agonizing silence slipped by.

  “Get him to the hospital,” Iron barked. “You.” He pointed a finger at me. “We need to have that chat now.”

  “But I don’t want to leave him. Please.” I had to know that Blade was going to be okay especially after everything he did for me.

  “And I’ll get you to the hospital once I know what’s going on.”

  The two bigger guys hauled Blade up and I could tell they were trying to be careful but it wasn’t an easy task.

  Suddenly terrified, I watched as they carried him away and I had no idea what was to come.

  “Come on,” Iron said, already turning on his heels and heading into the main part of my apartment. I followed behind him, the light clicking of my heels not providing enough of a distraction. “Sit.”

  He pointed to the couch where Biscuit was curled up but looking worried.

  I took the opposite end giving her as much space as possible. I wasn’t scared of her, but it was clear she had her moments where she liked me and those were few and far between.

  “No,” I said as I stood up suddenly not liking the way he was making me feel right now. “You know what, I think I need to call my uncle. I don’t have a fucking clue what is going on here and I’m not getting any answers. Instead, I feel like I’m at fault for this whole thing. I didn’t ask for any of this. Not that I’m saying I’m ungrateful, I just think I need someone here I trust.”

  Iron blinked at me and I stared him down.

  I wasn’t going back to that girl, I swore I wouldn’t.

  Just because he was bigger and there were a lot of them around didn’t mean that I had to sit down and shut the fuck up. And I wasn’t going to.

  “Alright, let’s take a breath,” Iron said with a hint of softness in his tone.

  Charming clapped Iron on the shoulder as he sent me a small, tight smile, then he was darting out the door. Oh, how I wished I was going with him.

  “Your uncle and my club don’t exactly mix,” he told me with a raised brow.

  “Yeah, well, after what he’s been through you wouldn’t really blame him,” I said with a pointed look.

  “I know what he’s been through and while I’m not ignoring that, it will only get him so far. I’ve let shit slide but he keeps coming after my people.” Iron shook his head. “Now, whatever this situation is, it includes one of my men. Which means that I’m going to be the one that handles it. Got me?”

  I blinked at him and gave him a firm, but unhappy, nod.

  “I need to know what I’m dealing with here.” Iron’s words weren’t harsh, but there was a sternness in his tone that said I didn’t have a way out of it.

  With a huff, I flopped back down onto the couch again.

  To my surprise, Biscuit got up and made her way into my lap. Hesitantly, I ran my hand over her fur and gave her a few light scratches between her ears. She gave me a tiny lick, causing me to smile briefly, then settled in my lap.

  “The short of it, the dead man is my ex,” I started with tightness in my tone. I didn’t want to do this but I could see that he wasn’t giving me a choice. “He’s been locked up for the past two years because he tried to kill me. And I’m not talking about chasing me around with his fist raised and yelling out threats. I mean…” I let out a long sigh and looked away. “Left me unconscious and bleeding out on the living room floor.”

  “So he’s out and came to finish the job?” Iron asked and I could appreciate that he didn’t press for more details.

  “Yes.” I couldn’t help but let my gaze drift into the other room to take in the man that had been the worst nightmare of my life. I wanted to smile at the fact that he was no longer breathing but I held it back. “And he would have if Blade hadn’t busted in.”

  I blinked, still trying to come up with a reason for how Blade had gotten here.

  I hadn’t heard his bike the last couple of nights and figured he wasn’t watching me because he thought I was gone somehow. I mean, I was supposed to be with the girls down in Myrtle Beach, but I’d suddenly gotten an upset stomach. I knew nerves and stress were to blame for it. Traveling two hours in a car when I had the shits was a no-go. So I’d stayed behind and hunkered down, trying to make it seem like no one was here.

  I guess I should have simply been grateful that Blade had come to my rescue and not cared about the how.

  “I moved here because I needed a fresh start and maybe a place to hide. Being close to my uncle made me feel safer. He was supposed to look out for me…”

  I knew that wasn’t really fair. That he had been doing everything within his power to keep tabs on Jeffery.

  “I’m sure he’s doing his best, honey,” Iron said and something in his tone told me he believed it. There wasn’t a menacing ring to his words despite what he’d had to say about my uncle a moment ago.

  That had me thinking that maybe these men weren’t all that bad.

  “Can you start from the beginning of what happened tonight for me?” he asked.

  “I don’t remember much,” I told him honestly before giving him the brief rundown of what I could recall. Most of it was what happened before Blade was there.

  I had just gotten under the covers when I heard someone tampering with the lock.

  I managed to make it to my feet, but then my mind went blank. I panicked, making the last two years I’d spent preparing for this very moment pretty much a waste of time.

  From there it went downhill and all I could really remember was how fast my heart was beating.

  I didn’t stand a chance.

  The moment he stepped foot inside my apartment I had no way to hide. Or run. Or get away.

  I couldn’t even remember something as simple as grabbing my phone to call for help.

  I just stood there right next to my bed.

  There was a moment that I snapped out of it, but I was no match for him. It had been to late at that point, Jeffery had already had me pinned down on the floor.

  And then there was Blade.

  Everything was hazy after that.

  And of course, I left out the part where Blade held me against the wall while I rubbed myself against him like a cat in heat.

  “I stabbed him,” I said feeling the shock that I had. I couldn’t actually remember doing it but somehow I knew that it was my doing.

  “Well, sounds like
he deserved it.” There wasn’t an ounce of sympathy in his tone and it was clear he thought I was talking about my ex.

  I made a noise in the back of my throat as my head frantically shook back and forth.

  “Not him. Blade.” I closed my eyes. “I stabbed Blade.”

  Iron didn’t respond and after a few long seconds ticked by, I cracked my eyes open to take in the anger I was sure was there. I deserved it after all.

  Oddly, he looked a little amused and curious more than anything.

  “I think that somethin’ I’ll let you two work out.” He gave me a small smile. “Let’s leave your uncle out of it for now, okay? Let me get this cleaned up and if it comes to it, we’ll deal with it then. All I’m askin’ is that you let me know before you contact him.”

  Reluctantly, I agreed. I didn’t know how long I could keep this from him but if it saved Blade from paying for my mistakes, then I’d do it.

  He suggested I get dressed and then had someone bring me some clothes. I wasn’t all that happy about a stranger going through my things, but it was for the best. I grabbed a pair of my shoes and the keys next to the door, telling them that I was going next door to change. Which I did as quickly as I could, not caring what I was throwing on or how it looked.

  Then someone named Lake drove me to the hospital in a sleek SUV. I heard the rumble of a few bikes following behind and I wondered just how many of the bikers had been at my place. Iron was staying behind for now, along with a few others and the man in the suit from what I gathered. He promised someone would be there until they could fix the door and replace the broken window.

  At this point, I didn’t care but still thanked him. I had my life and hopefully, Blade would be okay. Nothing else mattered and could easily be replaced.

  Iron trusted me enough to have my phone. The whole drive I stalled, toying with it in my hand. Lake wasn’t very talkative, but he seemed nice enough. I guess he was worried about Blade. And I was too.

  I needed to call Estelle. But part of me worried that she’d go to my uncle right away. Then again, maybe not. Sometimes it was hard to tell which direction she would go.

  I still had another day until the girls returned so maybe I’d just ride it out and see how much of a mess was left by then. I didn’t think I’d be able to keep this from them, but why make them worry if I didn’t have to?

  “Mason is meeting us here,” Lake said as he parked the SUV in the lot in front of the huge, red emergency sign.

  I didn’t know who this Mason person was but he made it sound like I should.

  I gave him a blank look causing him to smile widely at me. A cute, boyish kind of smile that had me going awwww inside.

  “I take it you and Blade haven’t talked much.”

  “No. Most of our interactions involve stabbing, silence, or…” I let it hang out there hoping he’d get it. I didn’t really mean to let that hint slip out but it was more or less the truth.

  “Right,” he said, popping the door open and hopping out. I did the same and walked beside him to the front doors. “Let me give you a quick rundown. Iron is the President. Mason is the VP. Everyone else I’m sure you’ll figure out soon enough. Just follow Mason’s lead for now, okay?”

  “Yeah, sure,” I said.

  Inside, I followed behind Lake, though it wasn’t hard to spot the big group of men wearing leather and patches.

  Mason introduced himself and shook my hand, setting me at ease a little.

  What was it with all these men? It was like they did that so easily. Not to be all judgy, but most of them were intimidating on the outside. But it was obvious enough how much they looked out for each other.

  Just one bad night and I could tell that.

  Mason told me they didn’t know anything yet and that they had taken Blade back right away. I figured it would be a while but it didn’t make me worry any less.

  Lake introduced me to a couple of women that were there and they instantly pulled me in like I was one of them.

  I hoped I could remember some of their names but I was kind of out of it.

  Iron showed up an hour later and though I wasn’t close enough to hear their conversation, I could tell he was filling in some of the other men.

  I had unknowingly brought them into my mess.

  It wasn’t fair to them but it was too late to do anything about it now.

  One thing at a time.

  First, I had to make sure Blade was okay.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Blade

  They brought me to the hospital.

  The fucking hospital.

  At the moment, I was angry at Charming because he damn well knew I didn’t want to come to this fucking place. I just needed him to patch me up and get me to my room. It wasn’t nothing that a little rest couldn’t fix.

  But the asshole was too worried that I’d lost too much blood or had internal bleeding or some shit.

  So here the fuck I was sitting in an uncomfortable bed surrounded by a smell that made me want to vomit. I would too, right all over Charming once I saw him.

  Bet he was hiding from me.

  He wasn’t happy that I’d put myself in that position and gotten myself beat the fuck up. And he was even less happy when I snapped awake on the ride to the hospital and tried to jump out of the moving SUV. Oh, and when I told him I’d been hit by a car, he looked like he was going to blow his shit— you know, in that calm way he gets.

  Guess I fucked myself with that one because there was no way he’d believe I was fine after that.

  The last time I was laid up like this in here, I had nearly died.

  So you see why I wasn’t all that thrilled to be back here now.

  There wasn’t anything wrong with me.

  Not really.

  I mean, aside from the blood loss, hole in my leg, three bruised ribs, and sprained knee. Oh, and chunks of flesh missing from my shoulder. Which considering what I’d been through wasn’t all that fuckin’ bad.

  The doctor assured me that they had stitched me up good and I’d probably have minimal scarring. Like I gave a fuck about some scars. Which was exactly what I said to him before I told him to get the fuck out of my face and find me someone I wanted to talk to.

  And that was what I was waiting for now.

  The door opened slowly and the first thing I saw was red hair.

  I swallowed hard watching her walk toward me with a wobbly, hesitant twitch of her lips.

  I was still irritated, only a little less so now after laying eyes on her.

  “Hi,” she said timidly.

  My eyes lazily roamed all over every inch of her. It shouldn’t have been a shock to see her dressed like that, I’d pretty much gotten that it was a lifestyle for her by now. Still, it did something to me.

  Realizing all the thing she did to me on the inside was a wake-up call right now. It hit me so hard that I refused to ignore it even a second longer.

  Yeah, this woman was mine.

  It was time to go in one hundred percent and let her know it.

  No more of this dancing around each other and letting her walk away thinking I didn’t give a fuck about her.

  I could have lost her tonight and that was something I wasn’t alright with. And she could have gone without knowing how much I cared about her.

  So this was the moment, and I was going to fucking take it.

  “Damn,” I breathed out. “Pretty sure I love you, Sweet Cheeks.”

  Then she giggled as her hand flew up to cover her mouth in the cutest way.

  It made me smile and I didn’t try to hide it.

  “Think they have him on the good stuff,” Iron said, stepping up beside Harley.

  “Pain meds, nah, I refused those,” I told both of them. “What’s up, Prez?”

  “Some things we gotta talk about but it can wait.”

  I understood and so I said nothing else on it.

  “My girl?” I asked.

  “B-ry took her home and Laurel has her. Abi
gail wanted to be here so we figured that was the best option,” he told me.

  “The shop? I left it unlocked when Biscuit ran off.”

  “Thought to check on that too, so we got it.”

  “Thanks. I really appreciate it. I owe you,” I told him honestly. Though my tone was a little flat, I was sure he got it.

  “No, you don’t. We’re good. It’s what we do, brother,” he said, moving in and placing a heavy hand on my good shoulder.

  Most days, I still felt like an outsider. I only had myself to blame but I never claimed to be good with people. It wasn’t a secret that I lacked in the social skills department. I was me at this point and wasn’t going to change. Pretty much had the attitude of ‘deal with it or fuck off.’ But now I realized that it didn’t matter how much of an asshole I was because, at the core, I would be there for my club. And they saw that too so they gave it back to me the same.

  “I’m goin’ to go tell everyone you’re alright. Give you some time before I let them come back here,” he told me and then headed out.

  “Do you want me to go too?” Harley asked, her thumb hitched up in the direction of the door.

  “Not unless you want to,” I said automatically and then sighed. If this was going to work, I was going to have to try. “No. I mean no, I don’t want you to go.”

  Fuck, that smile was the sweetest reward.

  “Okay,” she said as she came closer, her hips swaying naturally with every step. “Well, I don’t want to go either.”

  “Good,” I grunted and patted the bed beside me.

  “Oh come on, my big ass isn’t going to fit in that small space.”

  She rolled her eyes playfully.

  “That’s the point, need that ass right here in my lap where it belongs.”

  “No you didn’t just say that,” she said and then a laugh ripped out of her like she couldn’t hold it in.

  “You fuckin’ heard me, woman,” I told her and pointedly jerked my head down to the bed.

  “Blade,” she said with an exhausted sigh. The kind of sigh that not only said she was tired as fuck, but also that she had something she thought should be said. Not the good kind of something.

  I had two options here, let her talk or ignore it and act as if I hadn’t noticed.