“Brother, you need to take your girl out to the SUV, Crash is waiting to take you two to the hospital. Once I clean all this up, I’ll be right behind you, okay?”
“Cleaned up?” Tank was in a fog.
“Yeah, two men down, Bobby and Potter.”
“Potter, what the hell was he doing here?”
“Don’t know, man, but we aim to find out. He was the other heat signature; the body is still warm. Get your girl the help she needs; we have this, Tank.”
Tank stood up with Reagan in his arms as carefully as possible, placing one arm behind her knees and the other behind her back. She weighed nothing, hell, she was so tiny it was almost like lifting a child. How could he have not noticed how fragile she was before now?
“Come on, baby, let me see those copper eyes,” Tank begged, “it’s okay you need your rest. I’ll take care of you, I’m not leaving you again.” Tank kept on talking to her, saying anything and everything that came to his mind.
When he got into the SUV with Crash, he kept talking to Reagan, begging, pleading, and promising anything he could think of, she needed to be okay. Tank needed her more than she would ever know. Fuck, he loved her, always had and always would, she had to make it through this so that he could finally tell her. Crash never said a word, not that Tank was paying any attention to the man, but he did appreciate the fact that he drove them to the hospital quickly and efficiently, two things Tank knew he wouldn’t have been capable of at the moment.
The trip to the hospital seemed to take forever and yet no time at all. When they pulled up under the awning of the emergency center, Doc was waiting with several other people, all dressed in scrubs. Crash parked the SUV, and the door opened. Doc was standing there motioning for Tank to hand Reagan over, and all Tank could do was shake his head. Getting out of the SUV with his precious bundle, Tank walked to the gurney, laying Reagan down. He didn’t want to let her go, but knew he couldn’t do anything more for her, she needed the medical staff. It almost killed him as he watched them roll her away.
Fuck, he hated feeling helpless, it brought back feelings he didn’t want to remember, like the night that he almost killed his best friend and George’s girlfriend Grace. He watched then to, watched as they were both air lifted off the country road where Tank had crashed his car. His Dad had caused that accident, and Tank knew the old man was involved in what happened to Reagan. Tank felt a rage overtake his body he had never felt before. He couldn’t change the past, but he sure as hell could do something now. He was no longer that scared, naïve teenager. He was a man, a biker, and one hell of a Ruthless Bastard.
Tank stalked away from the ER doors. It was time his Dad paid the piper. Someone had to pay for what had happened to Reagan, and considering her brother was already dead, it looked like his father would be the one. Crash tried to step in front of him, but Tank wasn’t having that, he needed to do something, and no one or nothing was going to stand in his way.
Just as he got to the SUV, he heard the sounds of pipes; he knew his Brothers were on their way, but he needed to do this alone. Going to the driver side of the SUV, Tank open the door, but before he could get in, a strong hand landed on his shoulder. Turning slightly, he stepped back a bit when he noticed that the hand belonged to Whiskey.
“Get the fuck off me, Whisk, I have shit to do.”
“I know you do, brother, but we are a family, that means no man goes it alone, we have your back.”
Tank was too enraged to deal with Whiskey at the moment. They had been friends once, a long time ago, but that had changed, because of Whiskey. The man always had a chip on his shoulder, Addy might have knocked it off recently, but Tank wasn’t as fast to forgive and forget. The guy was an asshole.
“Back off, Whisk, I have shit to do that doesn’t involve you or the Club.”
“What, like going to do a beat down on your old man?”
Tank laughed, he might want to kick his Dad’s ass for the shit he had done to those women and even for his actions regarding Reagan, but he wasn’t going to beat him down; no, he was going to do something much worse. He was going to expose his ass. Tank had every intention of destroying the one and only thing Jeremy Taylor held dear, his reputation.
“I’m not going to say it again, Whisk, back the fuck off.”
“Listen, bro, you need to think this through, going after your Dad when you're stressed out over Reagan isn’t the way to handle this, you need a plan. Think about everything that Reagan did for you; if you show all your cards now, it could all blow up and those three fuckers could get away with all of it. Is that what you want, do you think that is what Reagan wanted for you? She needs you right now Brayden, put her first. Go to your Old Lady and hold her hand. Get through this and then deal with your Dad.”
“Jesus!” Tank screamed pushing Whiskey back roughly. “Who the fuck are you to tell me to put my woman first? You think that because Addy somehow found it in her to forgive your ass that you’re the new expert on relationships? Reagan doesn’t need shit right now, she is unconscious and getting the best possible care, I could get her. The least I can fucking do is make sure that when she wakes up, NO ONE, and I mean NO ONE, is gunning for her ass. Can you understand that asshole?”
Whiskey stood his ground staring right back at Tank, the fucker had barely moved from his push and that only added to Tanks rage. The least he could do was back the fuck away. Tank didn’t want to listen to him or anyone else right now.
Tank noticed Tuck and Link walking towards them with determined looks on their faces. Whiskey might have been the first wave, but here came the fucking finale.
“Walk away Whisk,” Tuck said clapping the other man’s shoulder. When Whiskey left Tuck stood in front of Tank in a defensive position, feet shoulder width apart, arms loose down at his sides, Link on his left mimicking the pose.
“What’s your plan,” Tuck asked?
“I’m going to talk to my Dad, do you have a problem with that Tuck?”
“Yeah, actually, Tank, I do.”
“Fuck you.”
“No, fuck you. You’re not in the right frame of mind to deal with this shit right now. Let’s go back inside and wait to see what Doc has to say about Reagan. Once you know she’s going to be alright, I’ll call Church and the Club with help you deal with your Dad and the others. You don’t have to do any of this alone.”
“Fuck,” Tank said throwing his hands up in the air, “I don’t want to fucking wait, and I sure as hell don’t want anyone else getting caught up in this shit. Can’t you understand that I want to be able to tell Reagan when she wakes up that this shit is over? That she doesn’t have to look over her shoulder anymore and that her sister is safe. She didn’t trust me to help her, it’s the least I can do.?
“Fuck, man, if I know Reagan, her taking off had nothing to do with trusting you, she was trying to protect you just like she always has, can’t you see that?”
“No, I can’t see that. Fuck, I let her down, just like I fucking let everyone down.”
“What the hell are you talking about, George and Grace? Fuck, man, you were set up. Who exactly have you ever let down? I’ve seen you help old ladies cross the street. You’re always the first one to come up with and volunteer for charity runs. You’re a boy scout in a leather cut, asshole. It's time you started to accept that shit and leave the fucking lies which have messed with your head for way too long in the past.”
“Damn it, Tuck, you don’t get it. It was me driving that car; regardless of the hand my Dad had in that accident, I was still in control. George and Grace trusted me to get them to the party safely. Fuck, man, I waited to get to Reagan, I followed orders instead of following my gut. I didn’t want to wait to go into that cabin, and if I had gone with my instincts, she wouldn’t be unconscious in the fucking hospital beat to hell.”
“Tank, you can’t know that. You were drugged, your car was tampered with, and you were a fucking kid. As for Reagan and what just happened, talk to her man. I thin
k once you do, all that shit in your head will go away. You need to forgive yourself and move the fuck on. Blame the right people for the fucked-up shit that has happened; Bobby, your Dad, hell, even Worthington and Potter paid a part in all this.”
Tank’s vision became blurry. He didn’t want to think about why, but he knew he was about two seconds away from crying like a little girl. No way was he going to do that in front of his brothers. He heard someone clear their throat and noticed Crash. Fuck, what now? Tank started walking towards the man he had left to look out for Reagan, mentally preparing himself for the worse.
“Doc sent me out here, Reagan’s awake, and she’s asking for you, Tank. Doc said that if you didn’t get your ass in there soon, he was going to sedate her ass. She’s throwing a fit I could hear her screaming for you all the way to the lobby.”
Tank started running; if Reagan needed him he was there, period. He would deal with the rest of the shit running around in his mind later. He would also deal with his Dad whether Tuck and the rest of his brothers liked it or not.
Chapter 15
Reagan woke up in a hospital bed, scared and freaked out. There were people poking and prodding at her, but she couldn’t get her mind to understand what the hell had happened. The last thing she remembered was saying goodbye to Suzie and thinking about Tank. Frantically looking around, she couldn’t find him. Had something happened? Where was he? Shouldn’t he be there? Fuck, didn’t he know what happened yet. She had been so stupid. She should have waited to go to the storage locker. She should have asked for help, she knew better. Doc came into her line of sight.
“Welcome back, Rea,” Doc smiled. The pain in Reagan’s body was immense, but she didn’t care, she needed to fix this, she needed to talk to Tank. It took a couple of tries, but she was finally able to croak out his name. Doc looked puzzled at first, but she could see when he finally realized what she was asking. “Rea, it’s okay calm down.” It wasn’t okay, Reagan could see the pity in Doc’s eyes. Tank either wasn’t here, or she had hurt him. Reagan guessed the latter.
Reagan started to cry, but when she tried to move, her body wasn’t cooperating. She needed to explain. Tank needed to know why she decided to go without him. Reagan didn’t realize that she had been screaming until she felt the burn of medicine hitting her veins. With Tank’s name on her lips, she fell into a floaty, fuzzy world she didn’t want to be in. Why couldn’t they understand she didn’t want to be numb, she wanted to feel?
Tank came rushing into the ER, not paying attention to security or anyone else. Reagan was calling for him, he could hear her cries as he rushed down the hallway. Noticing Doc walking out of a room, he knew right where he needed to be. He was just about to barrel past him when the man stopped him. Tank didn’t want to be stopped.
“Tank, we need to talk before you go in there. Tank didn’t want to talk, but he knew better than to piss off Doc. He could get away with a lot, but if Doc ordered him out of the hospital, he was out. Grinding his teeth, he forced himself to stand still and hear what the man had to say.
“Reagan is in a bad way, that fucker did a number on her.”
“I already know, Doc, I saw her, I know what that piece of shit did to her. Now are you going to let me go to my woman or are you going to keep me out here talking?”
“I guess I’m going to keep you out here talking because you’re too pig headed to realize that I need to tell you what’s going on with your woman.” Fuck, he was batting a thousand today. Crossing his arms, he waited for Doc to continue. “Reagan has one broken wrist, I have set it and put a cast on it. The other is severely sprained. She has multiple contusions and abrasions, but the thing I am most concerned about is head trauma. She isn’t showing signs of a concussion, but I want to keep her overnight to rule that out.”
Tank waited for Doc to move but the man was still standing firm. Hadn’t he already listed his concerns what more could there be? Fuck, what else could there be.
“I had to give her something to calm down. She woke up looked around and started to panic, screaming for you. If you’re not in this for more than some pussy, I need to you stand down. That girl in there is hurting and it’s from a hell of a lot more than the injuries that asshole caused. I’ve watched you with her for the last six months, and I have wanted to kick your ass every day. Now’s your chance either step up or step back. I’m sure another brother would be fucking honored to take your place.”
“Fuck, Tank had been so blind, he never noticed the love and caring in Doc’s eyes for Reagan before. Shit, he had never paid attention to how any of the brothers felt about her, having been too worried about punishing her while still keeping her close to him and only him.
Tank pushed past Doc, but didn’t enter Reagan's room before saying what needed to be said.
“Reagan is mine, and as soon as I make this shit right, I place to put my patch on her back and my brand on her ass. Don’t threaten to take away what’s mine again. Do you understand Doc?”
“No issues here, brother,” Doc put up his hands, “just remember, she throws you back, others are just waiting for a chance. Treat her right, and we have no problems.”
“Plan to, asshole,” Tank grunted under his breath.
When Tank stepped into the room, his knees almost buckled. She was sleeping, giving Tank a minute to get his emotions under control, he would be strong for her because that was what she needed. Damn, Reagan was so small in the bed and the bruises on her face had darkened since he brought her in. Shit, maybe he should just let her go and let someone like Doc take care of her. The brother’s comments might have pissed him off, but Tank knew he was a good man. He would be able to give Reagan things Tank never could, but then he looked at her and knew he could never do that, Reagan was his. Walking closer to the bed Tank leaned down and kissed Reagan's forehead.
“Love you, babe,” he whispered.
Before he could pull away from the kiss, he felt her tiny bandaged hand on his cheek. He looked up, Reagan had tears in her eyes. Damn, couldn’t he do anything right? Even his comfort brought her pain. When he went to pull away again, Reagan grabbed his ear, pulling him down to her lips, they were swollen and bruised but he let her lead the way, kissing her with a feather light touch.
“I love you too, Brayden. I have for a very long time.” Reagan started to sob, and Tank was at a loss for what to do. He wanted to hold her close, but there wasn’t a place on her that wasn’t hurt. Leaning back, he used his thumbs to wipe the tears from her face.
“Baby, please stop, you're killing me here. I’m so sorry I didn’t get there sooner. If you want me to leave, just tell me, anything you want, Reagan. Please, just stop crying.”
“I’m so sorry! I should have waited, I shouldn’t have gone, please, you have to forgive me.” Reagan was sobbing so hard her entire body was shaking. He needed to know everything that happened was her fault and no one else.
“Babe, none of that now, you need to rest,” Tank said as he tried to untangle her hand from his hair. She was clinging to him like he was going somewhere. “Babe, let go.” When she didn’t, he said the words a little more forcefully, causing her to cry harder, but she let him go. Tank moved back and sat in the chair, bringing it closer to the bed. When he got close enough, he reached for her and cupped the side of her face, making her look at him.
“Babe, I’ve never lied to you and I’m not going to start now. I’m not happy you're lying in this bed, beat to shit. Hell, I won’t even say that walking into that fucking cabin, seeing you on the floor tied to that chair, didn’t take ten years off my life, but we can deal with all that shit later. I just wish you would have trusted me enough to help you instead of going out on your own, but like I said we can talk about all that later. Right now, you need to rest and heal.”
“I just wished you would have trusted me.” Reagan could see the change in Tank when he uttered the words. Fuck!
“Tank, Brayden, how can you even say that I don’t trust you, I always have.
I love you, how can you question my trust. What I did today had nothing to do with not trusting you, I was trying to protect you from all that crap in your Dad’s locker. I didn’t want you to see it, please, you have to forgive me. Oh, shit, Suzie!” How could she have forgotten her best friend? Reagan struggled, trying to get up, but Tank placed his hand on her chest.
“Stop, Reagan, if you promise to lay still, I’ll go and ask about Suzie, but you need to lay down back down, okay?”
Reagan didn’t want to lay down, what she wanted to do was erase the last day from her life, but her body and the medicine were taking their toll on her strength. The door opened, and both she and Tank looked to see who had come in.
“Hey, sweet girl, if you keep on sending those monitors flying, I’m going to have to give you something to calm you down.” Reagan didn’t miss the growl that came from Tank, but she didn’t even think about asking him about it.
“Doc, how is Suzie?”
Doc was an attractive older man, but his handsomeness never really registered with Reagan; it was like that with a lot of the guys. She had always had eyes only for Tank. They had become friends while she stayed at the Clubhouse and he had questioned her a time or two about Tank, but never pushed it. Now looking at him after he used that endearment, she wondered if she hadn’t missed something and felt bad. Did he have more feelings for her then she realized? She hoped not because she liked him and she didn’t want to cause any more problems with the MC.
“Suzie is fine, Reagan. Brass took her home about an hour ago, she only had some bruises and scrapes on her wrists and ankles. She wanted me to let you know that she would be back in the morning; she wanted to see you tonight, but I told her to hold off. Now do you think you can get some rest or am I going to have to kick Tank out to make that happen?”
Tank: Ruthless Bastards (RBMC Book 2) Page 10