“Then I’ll be staying as well. That man is still out there and while he probably won’t show his face, you’re part of RGMC and under our protection.”
“How am I part of RGMC?” I ask, confusion marring my face.
“Because of DJ and Cara, not to mention you’re the caseworker for Hatch’s new boys.” Oh, hmm, well, I was kinda hoping he’d say it was because he was interested in me, but I understand.
“Gotcha,” I say, hoping the disappointment doesn't come out in my voice. I mean, look at him and all his beauty. What would he want with someone like me? I mean I don’t think I’m dog ugly or anything, but compared to him, I’m a plain Jane. I wish I was more, I wish I was good enough for him, in my mindset, the ten’s stick with ten’s, and the five’s stick with five’s. And I’m sitting somewhere in the middle. My ex used to tease me about how I should’ve been counting my lucky stars that I was able to land him. Needless to say, I only put up with his putdowns for so long. Six-long damn months, and I said sayonara to his ass, as I walked away, and never looked back, grateful that I never gave it up to him.
Chief
I watch her face fall at my words and do my damndest not to smile. Ever since she walked onto RGMC property, I’ve had my eyes on her, something I haven’t wanted to examine too closely. She’s petite, barely coming up to my chest, with honey-colored blonde hair that is usually up in a bun or braid. Tonight, though, it’s down and my fingers itch to run through the curls that are now flowing unbound down her back. Her hazel eyes come up to meet mine, and she squares her shoulders, instantly making me hard at seeing her strength enter her frame. “Have you eaten?” I ask her.
“No, it was a crazy day and I was relaxing first.”
“Why don’t I call an order into the diner and have one of the prospects pick it up and bring it up to us?”
“Sounds wonderful, I already know what I want,” she says, looking up at me batting those long-as-fuck eyelashes my way.
“Me too,” I tell her, grabbing my phone to text Boothe. She tells me what she wants, and I send him both of our orders. I get a reply back that he’ll be here as soon as he has the order, he’s on his way now. “Prospect’s on his way to the diner to put in our order, he’ll bring it to us soon.”
“I thought you were calling it in?” she asks me.
“I was going to, but it’s easier this way. Plus, he has to put his time in, why should I make things easier for him?” She rolls those gorgeous eyes at me and I can’t help the smirk that crosses my face. My ex has put me off relationships, but I’d be willing to give it a go with her. About this time, we hear a cry of anguish and we both run over to Claree’s side. She opens her eyes, and we can see the fear deep in the depths.
“It’s okay, Claree,” Trinity says in a soothing voice.
“He...he’s going to come after us again,” she says with a quiver in her tone.
“No he won’t, we’re looking for him now and he won’t get near you.” I try to squash her fears. I can’t stand to see her so scared, it makes me want to dish out my own brand of justice. Hell, at this point I think I’d let DJ loose on his ass, no one scares me more than that spitfire. She’d make him shit and piss himself once she starts wielding those pliers of hers, not to mention that gun that Hatch lets her carry. For her protection my ass! I think it’s so that she can put the fear of God in anyone who crosses her path.
“Can you go get the nurse, Chief?” Trinity asks me, “it may be time for another dose of pain meds.” I nod my head and walk out into the hallway. I get the nurse’s attention and ask her about the meds. It isn’t time yet, but she’s coming in to see if there’s anything she can do to help.
I head back into the room and my heart falls a bit seeing how the little girl’s one eye widens and she tries to scrabble back on the bed. There’s no fucking way I’d ever hurt a child but right now, she doesn’t know that. “Nurse is on her way in, Trinity,” I say before settling in the chair furthest from the bed. Once I see that Claree has relaxed a bit, I continue, “Claree, honey? I don’t know all that happened but believe me when I say that none of my men, myself or any of my brothers with the RGMC will ever hurt a child or a woman. Ever.”
“Can... can I see Shelby?”
“I’ll get a wheelchair if you want to take her up there,” the nurse says. “Besides, I think the doctor wants to talk to you, Ms. Adams.”
Trinity
I wheel Claree into her sister’s room and my heart breaks seeing that little one hooked up to so many things. “I’ll be right back, sweetie,” I lean down and whisper. “The doctor wants to talk to me, okay?” She nods her head without looking at me and I go back out the door to the nurse’s station. “I’m Trinity Adams. I understand that the doctor wanted to speak with me about Shelby Cunningham?”
The nurse doesn’t look at me and I get a sinking feeling in my stomach before I feel a warm hand lightly touch my lower back. Chief. For a man who barely said ten words to me whenever he was around before, he’s sure making up for it in spades.
“Ms. Adams? I’m Dr. Yu and I’m handling Shelby’s case. We’ve run a bunch of tests and it seems we may have gotten lucky. She’s having some seizure activity which is common with shaken baby syndrome, but thankfully, she doesn’t appear to be one of the cases you and I both dread. Her vision and hearing seem to be intact, so there shouldn’t be any special needs arising with those issues.”
I hear what he’s saying and realize that Shelby is going to survive this nightmare. It won’t be easy and both girls have already captured my heart, so I’m thinking my life may end up changing. “I’m beyond happy to hear that,” I tell him. “I was afraid you were going to tell me there was no brain activity.”
“Honestly? I was worried that was going to be the case when I first examined her. I understand her sister came in when it was happening?”
“Yes, she did. She attacked her stepfather with her backpack and it caused him to drop Shelby. Otherwise, I think it would have been much worse.”
“How long do you expect her to be a patient?” Chief asks. I nearly forgot he was here and that’s a travesty, especially since he’s directly behind me and his hand’s on my lower back. I can smell the cologne he’s wearing, it’s got sandalwood or something in it, and the scent is both soothing and arousing at the same time. Get a grip, Trinity. You’re a fucking professional!
“Best guess? Maybe a week or two. We want to closely monitor her, of course, to make sure that nothing shows up. But you can bring her sister up daily to see her and I’ll make sure the nurses know that she can stay a little longer than normal.”
“Thank you, Dr. Yu.”
“Please let me know if you have any further questions,” he replies, shaking my hand. I nod and turn back to go to Claree. I notice that one of the nurses has already wheeled her closer to sit next to her sister while I was busy speaking with the doctor. My heart breaks as I watch her take her sister’s tiny hand in hers and whisper something to her. I see tears trickling down her cheeks and can tell she’s holding back a sob. Deciding I should give the two sisters a chance to be alone, I pull Chief over to the side. “You should call your prospect and tell him where we are and he should just drop the food off, at this rate I could care less if it’s cold or not.”
“Already done,” he tells me, “and we can use the microwave that the nursing staff uses to warm our food back up. This is more important,” he says indicating where Claree is staring lovingly down at her baby sister.
I nod to show I agree with him and suddenly, I want to know all about him. His likes and dislikes, what he does for fun, what kind of woman he wants in his life. Yep, I’m falling down a rabbit hole despite my best intentions and right now, I could give the first fuck. Hmm, maybe I’ve been hanging around DJ too long. Seems like I’m a masochist, with needing to know what type of woman he sees himself with down the road. This is going to be one long night.
Chief
Claree has been discharged and one of m
y officers has gotten her official statement. I’ve put out a be on the lookout alert for her stepfather. “Trinity?” I ask as I help her by wheeling Claree out to the car. She’s got crutches but with a soft brace on her knee and her arm in a cast, a wheelchair is easier.
“Yes?”
“Gonna run and grab a few things for her for tonight, okay?” Somehow, we spent the rest of the day at the hospital and I know that little girl doesn’t have even a nightgown. “What size do you think?”
“Hmm, maybe a girl’s twelve-fourteen? She’s a bit on the small size for her age, but I want her to be comfortable, especially since she’s so bruised.”
“Okay, I’ll be there shortly with that so you can get her settled.”
“Thanks, Chief.”
“Don’t mention it.” I pick up the phone and call Cara, I know between her and DJ they’ll help me get whatever it is this young lady needs. I get settled into my cruiser when she finally answers. I tell her about the situation and give her sizes that Trinity had just given me. She tells me that DJ is with her and they’ll meet me at the local department store. “Just need a few things for now,” I tell her. To which she laughs and says, “We’ll see.” Fuck my life.
Trinity
I get us back to my house and immediately worry about Mr. Grumbles. What if she’s allergic? I’ve had him since he was a tiny kitten. Oh well, if I have to put him up, I will. “Claree, you’re not allergic to cats, are you?”
“I don’t think so, Miss Trinity,” she replies.
“Good. I have a cat; his name is Mr. Grumbles and he’s the biggest baby you’ll ever meet.”
“Why did you name him that?”
“You’ll understand when you hear him purring. Now, c’mon, easy now, let’s get you into the house.” Right now, I’m grateful that I never took the ramp down that was on the house when I bought it. It was on my to-do list, but that thing is never-ending, so it keeps getting pushed down the list of things that need to be done.
I get her inside and say, “I’m going to get a bath set up for you in my tub since it’s bigger. I know you’re old enough to take your own bath, but you’re going to need help with your hair.” I don’t mention that I have blood to get out. I know Chief is coming with a nightgown, but this child has been covered in blood long enough as far as I’m concerned. I figure she can wear one of my shirts until he arrives with her nightclothes. The hospital did what they could, but their focus was on treating the injuries. I toss in epsom salts and some bubble bath, hoping that it will help her from being embarrassed at me seeing her injuries. I grab a pitcher from the kitchen and a bag to cover up her cast and say, “Follow me, Miss Claree,” which has her giggling. She covers her mouth as if she shouldn’t have done that. I uncover her hands and smile at her, she returns the smile timidly. Hey, it’s progress, I’ll take it.
Once in the bathroom, it becomes evident that she needs help. As her face reddens, I say, “Sweetie, look at me. There’s nothing to be ashamed of, or embarrassed about, we all have these parts and right now, you need my help.” To distract her while I help her undress, I continue, “Your mom must have liked Steel Magnolias.”
She laughs then, saying, “It was her favorite movie and we watched it every time it came on.”
“Well, it could be worse, yours and your sister’s names are pretty. She could have named you Ouisier.” At that, she nearly doubles over laughing and the tinkling sound has me smiling for one of the first times today. Whatever it takes, Trinity. I help her in the tub and she sinks down into the warm water containing all the bubbles. Hearing the doorbell, I say, “I’ll be right back, you just soak.”
Hurrying to the door, I open it to see Cara, DJ and Chief standing on my porch. He almost looks...traumatized. Having gone shopping with these two several times now, I can understand fully. The first day I went with them, I was equally awed and shocked at how much they could accomplish in a short period of time. I now understand the term, ‘shop till you drop’. “Hey, y’all. Come on in,” I say, opening the door wider.
DJ gives me a hug, and her fierce whisper has me fighting back a grin. “I’ll take him out if you want me to. I’m a badass, y’know.”
“Yeah, honey, I know you are, but we’ll let Chief and company handle it.”
“We didn’t get a lot tonight, but we’re going again tomorrow. This time without him in tow to slow us down,” DJ says, pointing at Chief. “We could have gotten it all, but he insisted on just the basics.”
“What?” Chief asks. “We don’t know her exact size, why not just get what is needed to get her through the night? Women, I’ll never understand them,” he mutters under his breath. I look at him and hope that DJ didn’t hear him, he’ll be getting a verbal lashing if she did, and it’s the last thing I want to deal with tonight. Oh shit! Claree! I excuse myself after taking the bag from them and run down the hall and go into my bathroom. I notice she has her eyes closed, but tears are still leaking down her cheeks.
“Sweetie? Are you in pain?” I ask her.
“No, I just really miss my sister,” she says as a sob escapes her.
I see that Cara and DJ have followed me in, closing the door behind them. “Claree? These are my friends, Cara and DJ, and they got you a few things, okay?”
“Let’s get you bathed,” Cara says, dropping down to the side of the tub. Seeing her belly pressing against the tub as she makes sure that Claree’s arm is wrapped tight makes me smile. She doesn’t care that she has never met this little girl, all she sees is someone who needs to be nurtured. And damn, is she good at that! Meeting these women has been the best part of my adult life, other than my career. They’ve taught me so much about not judging a book by its cover. I remember the first time I met them, I couldn’t believe these were the women who were with the men in the MC. I was expecting their women to be more on the trashy side, specifically, like that Starla chick I met when I entered the trucking company to meet Hatch for the first time.
“I’ve got her hair,” DJ says, taking the pitcher and filling it with water from the sink. “You go deal with Chief.” I look over at her in astonishment.
Me? Deal with Chief? Oh for the love of dark chocolate. “I’ll be right back,” I state before heading back into the living room where Chief is still standing, lost in thought. “Hey,” I say, walking up to him. “Thanks for everything. How much do I owe you?”
He gives me a look before saying, “Nothing. Me and the guys took care of tonight and I’ve already given DJ and Cara money for their shopping expedition tomorrow.”
“Chief, that’s not how it works.”
“Doesn’t matter. My men that were there wanted to do something for those girls. Both are family men and it devastated them that two little girls much like their own were hurt so badly. Please don’t take that from them.”
Well hell, what can I say to that? I know that Deanna will get me an allotment check to take care of things for both the girls, but I suppose I can use that to set up their rooms. Maybe if I get Claree to go shopping with me to furnish their rooms, it will help get her excited. “Well, be sure and thank them for me,” I tell him. Hearing giggles come from down the hall, I say, “I better go back and see what they’re up to now.”
“Good night, Trinity. See you soon.”
“Good night, Chief.” I prance down the hallway, suddenly ecstatic at the thought of seeing him soon.
Back in the bathroom, I see...a mess. Both Cara and DJ are soaked and all three of them are giggling. And how in the hell did bubbles get in my shower stall? “What in the everloving hell happened?”
“It was DJ’s fault,” Cara says. “I was getting up and she was trying to wash Claree’s head and she spilled water and I started to slip. She grabbed me, and the pitcher of water went flying and well.... here we are!” I hear two phones ding simultaneously and know without a doubt it’s their men. They both look at each other and roll their eyes. They should count their blessings to have men in their lives who care so much about
them and their welfare. I can’t help the jealousy that runs through me, I’m happy for them. But on the other hand I long for that for myself.
“Is she at least clean?” I ask, pointing at Claree who is giggling at the mess.
“She is, yes. Not sure how we’re explaining this to the guys, though,” DJ mutters.
“Eh, they’re used to us by now. Braxton will probably roll his eyes at me and Hatch will probably drag you into your room,” Cara states.
“How long before they show up on my doorstep?” I ask.
“Probably thirty minutes or so?” DJ muses.
“Then give me your wet stuff and I’ll toss it in the dryer real quick while y’all help Claree get dried off and dressed.” It’s the least I can do since they’ve gone out of their way for a child they don’t even know.
“It’s just our shirts,” Cara says.
DJ looks at her phone and says to me, “Better get these going, they’re on their way.”
“Then it shouldn’t take too long,” I state, holding out my hand. Both women pull their shirts off and once again, I’m running through my house and tossing them into the dryer. Shit, I wonder if this counts as my cardio for the day? I run back to my room once I have them in and pull out my dresser drawer that contains my worn t-shirts. This drawer has seen more activity tonight than it does on a daily basis. I run back to the bathroom with shirts in toll. I hand them each one and they pull them over their heads.
“We got her little sister a pretty nightgown too,” Cara says as she dries Claree’s hair. “Figured it would make her happy to have a Trolls nightgown instead of that generic hospital crap.”
“And we got her a stuffed Poppy. Both Maysen and Ray love that damn movie and when I saw it, I thought it would make her smile.”
“Lily loves that movie too,” Cara exclaims.
Chief: Rebel Guardians MC Page 2