Boink threw his hand in the air and mumbled under his breath, “Now she fucking listens.”
I closed my eyes and bowed my head.
My hands shook.
Hell, my whole body was shaking.
Nothing like being part of a shootout to get the adrenaline going.
Boink was right. Nickel was going to kill him, and then I had no idea what he was going to do to me.
I lifted my head and opened my eyes. My lunch swam around in my stomach, and I got light-headed. My eyes slammed shut again, and I slouched down, leaning against the car.
Shit. Nickel was going to be so mad.
**********
Nickel
“Where is she?”
“Sir, we’re going to have to ask you to calm down.”
I shook my head at the cop and pointed to the gas station. “Where the hell is my woman?” I demanded.
I was on edge. Hell, I was over the fucking edge, and all I wanted was to see Karmen and make sure she was okay. Boink had called me, calm as could fucking be, with the first words out of his mouth, “She’s fine.” Then he proceeded to tell me “she” had been in a fucking shootout at the gas station.
“Yo, Nickel.” I spun around and saw Boink appear from behind the ambulance I had walked by.
Pipe caught up to me and patted me on the shoulder. “Go to your woman, brother. Send Boink over. I’m going to need him to give me a rundown on what the hell went down.”
I nodded and watched Boink disappear behind the ambulance.
I jogged over to him and instantly demanded, “Where is she?”
Boink pointed to the ambulance. “She’s in there. Nothing happened to her in the gas station. It was after when she was standing next to her car that she got light-headed and puked. She just got in the ambulance a couple of minutes ago.”
My heart stopped in my chest, and my world tilted on its axis. I numbly walked around to the back of the ambulance where the doors were open. Karmen was laying on a stretcher, two paramedics over her body hooking up an IV while her eyes were closed, and she laid there listless.
“Karmen,” I croaked.
Her eyes popped open, and she lifted her head to look at me. “Nickel,” she sighed.
“Karmen, what are you doing?”
She looked up at the paramedic then down at me. “I didn’t really feel like driving anymore, so I called these guys for a lift.”
Boink laughed behind me, and I couldn’t help but smile. “This doesn’t really fit in with your whole shy and quiet act, Captain.”
She sighed and laid her head down. “Yeah, but I figured shy and quiet doesn’t really fit with the name Captain.”
“Not really,” I mumbled. I cleared my throat. “Baby girl,” I called. She raised her head again and looked at me. “You need to tell me what the hell is going on right now before I lose my shit.” I had a tight clamp on my control, but it was about to fucking explode if no one told me what was happening.
“I’m dehydrated. I puked, and it’s all in my hair.”
“You can ride along with us, sir. We’re going to transport her just to make sure she and the baby are fine.”
“Baby?”
I looked over my shoulder at Boink who looked surprised as hell. “Keep that shit to yourself.”
“I ain’t saying shit,” he promised.
One of the paramedics moved to the driver’s seat while the other sat on a bench next to Karmen. I moved into the ambulance and sat on the other side of her.
Boink slammed the doors shut and pounded on them. I hadn’t told him to talk to Pipe, but I knew he would head over to him.
Karmen’s eyes were closed again, and she was back to scaring the hell out of me. “Baby girl.” I grabbed her hand, and her fingers tighten around mine.
“Puking is so exhausting,” she mumbled. “I think I’m going to take a nap on the way.”
I looked up at the paramedic who shrugged. “If I could take a nap right now too, I totally would,” he mumbled.
“She’s okay to do that?” I asked.
“No reason for her not to. We’ve got her hooked up to the monitors and everything looks fine. We’re just taking her in for a checkup since she isn’t very far along.”
“But she’s fine, right?” I insisted.
“I can’t say anything for one hundred percent, but the fact we’re not running lights and sirens should help calm you down.”
I nodded, understanding that Karmen was going to be okay.
She lightly snored next to me, and I couldn't help but laugh at the fact that not only had she been in a shootout and now an ambulance ride, and she was sleeping like nothing had happened.
I grasped her hand with both of mine and bowed my head. She was going to be fine, and Morski was no longer a threat. Life was going to go back to normal. Well, at least as normal as it could be.
**********
Karmen
I was going to kick him. Right in the balls. One shot. It would make me feel better, and he would probably shut up for a few minutes. Win, win.
“Lay back down.”
I rolled my eyes and glared at Nickel. “I’m not going to lay down. If I lay down anymore, I’m going to scream.”
It was over a week since I had taken my ambulance ride, and Nickel was driving me absolutely insane. “The doctor said you need to take it easy.”
“No, Nickel. The doctor said I needed to take it easy for forty-eight hours, not nine freakin’ days.” I was beyond annoyed.
“I’ve never met someone before who fights relaxing and doing nothing,” he grumbled under his breath.
I tossed off the blanket that he had draped across me and stood. “I’m fine, Nickel.” I reached my arms above my head and jumped up and down. “The baby is also fine.”
Nickel sprang up from the couch and put his hands on my shoulders to hold me down. “I know that, but I just want to make sure that you and the kid stay fine.”
Oh Lord, have mercy. The first couple of days, I totally understood why he watched over me so much. He had been scared. Hell, I had been terrified when I had lost my lunch in the parking lot and almost fainted when Boink had tried to help me up. Absolutely terrified.
But now I was ready to get back to normal. “I want to move back to my place.” As much as I liked being in Nickel’s room at the clubhouse, I was ready to get back to my apartment where I could use the kitchen in my underwear and not worry about Boink or Pipe walking in. Not that I had actually tried to go in the kitchen in my underwear, but just knowing that it was an option to do that was something I needed.
“Why don’t we wait ‘til next week when you’re back to one hundred percent.”
I gritted my teeth and stomped my foot. “Nickel, it’s freakin’ Sunday! I’m going back to my apartment. If you want to come with, you can, but honestly, I really don’t care if you do.” I bent over to grab my shoes, and he hooked me around the waist and pulled me to him.
“Okay, we’ll go back to your place. I know I’m driving you crazy, but I can’t afford to have anything happen to you. I already almost lost you twice. When I say nothing is ever going to happen to you again, I fucking mean it.”
I rested my hands on his shoulders. “Thank you for being so concerned, but you really need to bring it down a notch before I lose my shit.” Seriously, I was so close to running away for a few days just to have a moment where Nickel wasn’t hovering over me.
The rumble and smirk came out, and I sighed. It had been far too long since I had seen Nickel just let go and laugh. “Does that mean I get to move into your place now?”
I poked a finger into his chest. “Yes, but the first time you tell me I look tired or to go lay down, I’m kicking your ass, and I’m running away to raise this baby with the nuns in the mountains.”
“Nuns in the mountains?” he chuckled. “Last I checked, there aren’t any mountains around for miles.”
“Well, whatever. I watched Sound of Music with Cora and Nikki yesterday, and it’s s
tuck in my head.” I flitted my hand in his face. “But you get the idea. You start freaking out, this baby and I are finding the nearest set of nuns and running away.”
“Nuns come in sets?”
I smiled and slapped his chest. My Nickel was back. The one who was carefree and gave me shit all of the time. “Yes, at least, the good ones do.”
“Well, I guess if you’re going to try and run off, I would expect you to at least have the best nuns with you.”
I busted out laughing and rested my head against his shoulder. “I love you so much, Nickel.”
He sighed into my hair and pressed a kiss to the side of my head. “I’m pretty fond of you, Captain.” He lifted me up and laid me back in his bed. He covered me with his body and slowly trailed kisses down my neck, over my chest, to my stomach. “I love you, too, little guy.”
“Or girl,” I reminded him. Nickel was hell-bent on the fact that we were having a boy, but I was keeping my mind open to the thought that it might be a girl.
He cradled my small baby bump and pressed a kiss square on my stomach. “I’m good with whatever, but it’s a boy, Captain.”
“I told Nikki yesterday,” I whispered.
“What?” Nickel asked. “I thought we were going to wait a couple more weeks?”
“We were, but then Nikki told me she was quitting and moving away.” My voice cracked, and I knew the tears I had been holding back were about to fall.
Nickel lifted his head and looked up at me. “What?” He was just as surprised as I was when she had told me.
I dipped my head and wiped the lone tear that was streaking down my cheek away. “She said she needs a change of pace. She’s lived in Weston all of her life, and she needs a change.” My best friend since we were fourteen was going to move hours away. I had been devastated when she had told me, but I understood why she needed to go.
While I was content in living in Weston for the rest of my life, I knew Nikki yearned for something more exciting than working in a nursing home and hanging out with me.
Nickel slid up my body and wrapped up in his arms. “Don’t cry. Maybe you can talk to her, convince her to stay.”
I shook my head and buried my face in his chest. I couldn’t do that to her. I didn’t have the right to beg her to stay when I knew she needed to leave. Although, I didn’t understand why all of a sudden she needed to leave. “No, I can’t. She said she’ll come back to visit, and I can always bug her on the phone every day.”
Nickel chuckled. “We’re gonna have to make sure you have an unlimited phone plan.”
“I already checked. I’m good,” I giggled. That was one of the first things I had done after she told me. I leaned back and looked him in the eye. “But you do know what this means for us, right?”
“No, what’s that?”
“I’m going to have way more time to spend with you, and I’m already worried about that because I was honestly two seconds away from kicking you in the balls before.”
Nickel wrapped his arms around me and rolled us over, so I was laying on top of him. “Then I guess every time I start driving you crazy, I’m just going to have to kiss you until the feeling passes.”
“You mean like when you used to kiss me when I thought too much?”
“Exactly like that. I haven’t had to do that for a while, so I’ll be more than happy to find another reason to kiss you all the time.”
I pressed a light kiss on his lips and smiled. “Or, you could just kiss me all the time because you love me.”
The rumble and smirk surfaced. “I can definitely do that.”
“Does this mean my badass biker is back? The guy who takes whatever he wants but also gives me everything I need?”
He delved his fingers into my hair and pulled my lips to his. He kissed me hard and fast and, just like always, it was better than the last. “He’s always been there, baby girl, you just managed to scare the hell out of him for a bit.”
“Sorry,” I whispered. “I’ll try to keep the shootouts and ambulance rides to a minimum from now on.”
“That would be much obliged.”
“I love you, Nickel,” I whispered against his lips.
“I love you, too, Karmen.”
Life wasn’t always going to be quiet and orderly anymore. I knew for a fact, with Nickel by my side, it was going to be wild and crazy, but he would always keep me safe.
My badass biker wasn’t going anywhere.
**********
Nikki
“Nikki! Open this fucking door and let me in.”
I pressed my back against the door and slowly slid down. My arms wrapped around my knees, and I closed my eyes.
“Son of a bitch, Nikki. You need to let me in.”
A lone tear slid down my cheek, and I choked back a sob. I wasn’t going to let him in.
I was never going to let anyone in.
The end…
Coming Soon:
Black Belt in Love, book 3 in the Powerhouse M.A. series.
September 2017
Pipe, book 2 in the Fallen Lords MC series.
November 2017
About the Author
Winter Travers is a devoted wife, mother, and aunt turned author who was born and raised in Wisconsin. After a brief stint in South Carolina following her heart to chase the man who is now her hubby, they retreated back up North to the changing seasons, and to the place they now call home.
Winter spends her days writing happily ever after’s, and her nights zipping around on her forklift at work. She also has an addiction to anything MC related, her dog Thunder, and Mexican food! (Tamales!)
Winter loves to stay connected with her readers. Don’t hesitate to reach out and contact her.
www.facebook.com/wintertravers
Twitter: @WinterTravers
Instagram: @WinterTravers
http://500145315.wix.com/wintertravers
Check out the first chapter of Lie by Mayra Statham!
Lie
(Right Men, Book 1)
Box office sensation, Marcus Wright is ready to take on the role of director. Romance author and single mom, Grace Rivera, is shocked when the sexiest man alive knocks on her door with the intent to bring her book to life.
He is willing to do anything to get what he wants, even use his charms on the beautiful, curvy woman standing in his way. Only it doesn't take long for the shy woman to unknowingly embed herself under his skin.
In a world where one plays make believe and the other writes it, will they determine everything between them is a LIE? Or will they be able to LIE in one another's arms when the truth comes out?
Lie
© 2016 Mayra Statham
All rights reserved
Chapter One - One Month later
Marcus Wright
He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath of air that smelled of fresh rain and dirt. He was sure he’d never smelled anything better. It’s what he needed to clear his mind: the fresh air and this place. It reminded him life wasn’t as complicated as he usually thought it was.
Marcus tried to go to his Montana home at least three times a year. Especially when it felt Hollywood and every pair of eyes were dead set on him and everything he did. It was only April, and he’d been there four separate weekends. That was how out of hand his life felt lately.
Every single wall felt like it’d been quickly closing in around him.
But here he could breathe. Exhaling, he watched the sun start to rise over the horizon. He sat on the Redwood deck of the main house of his sprawling property, his feet kicked up against the stark white railing. He sipped his coffee as he looked toward the majestic beauty of a new day rising and felt the stress of the tabloids and paparazzi running wild with his and Hollywood's ‘Good Girl’ Katie Wells’ breakup as well as the mess with ‘Russy’ start to wear off. The tension at his temples and shoulders loosened up.
Donald ‘Donnie’ Bosco, his childhood friend and manager, sat next to him, handing him a
book. "What's this?" he asked without looking at his friend, his eyes still taking in the light of the new day painting the land.
"This, buddy, is IT." Marcus didn’t know what the fuck he was talking about.
"What?"
"What we have been waiting on," Don clarified. Marcus scowled as he looked down at the cover of what seemed to be a romance novel.
"What the fuck are you talking about?" he asked, finally glancing at his friend.
"Your directorial debut for our new production company," Donnie explained, a cheesy fucking grin on his face, which caught Marcus' attention. Don knew how important this was to him. Shit, it was just as important to Don. Sitting up, he looked at the back of the book, the small blurb on the back catching his attention.
"How'd you find this?" he asked.
“Grandma.” Marcus couldn’t help shut his eyes tightly. What the fuck was Donnie’s problem? Out of everyone in his life, Don was the only one who knew exactly how stressed out he’d been lately. Don should definitely know he was not in the mood to fuck around.
“Nicola?”
“Do we have another one?” Though they weren’t blood, Donnie was his brother nonetheless, having grown up in the Wright family fold. “I know it sounds crazy, but listen to me, okay?”
“Okay.” Marcus fought from rolling his eyes. He was supposed to be relaxing and winding down, not listening to a story about their crazy-ass grandma. He loved Nicola, but she was a character and a half.
“She overheard us talking the other day and then made me read this. I thought she was nuts,” Don chuckled, “but this time she was not wrong. No joke, Marc, she’s on the money with this.”
“I don’t know, man…A romance novel? I mean, who even published this?”
“That's the best part, Marc, it’s independently published, which means…”
“Less red tape,” he murmured, taking in the bright colors of the paperback.
Nickel (Fallen Lords M.C. Book 1) Page 19