“But I would have seen the signs.”
He shakes his head. “The rot had begun the moment she met that boy, Sy. She kept it secret from yer mom, she would have hidden it from you too. Remember he kept tellin’ her to keep it quiet? Encouragin’ her to hide things? That’s the way this groomin’ thing works. And I think Mouse is right, there’s some threat hangin’ over her that is keepin’ her tied to them.”
I look down to where our hands are joined, grateful that he’s here with me, sharing my pain and my worry. I hope he’ll stay around at least until Jayden’s problem’s sorted. Until then I can’t think about what I want for myself.
Somehow he senses my feeling of inadequacy. “I’m not goin’ anywhere, okay? I’ll be with you every step of the way. And we’ll get your sister right.”
“Knowing what I do now, Slick, how am I going to face her? You said don’t alert her, but I don’t know how I’m going to be able to do that.” All I want at the moment is to hug her.
“All you can do is try, darlin’. Remember, if you let her suspect you know, she’ll warn the motherfuckers, and we’ll lose our chance of stoppin’ them.”
“What about Sy? This older one, Diego, I know you’ll,” I lower my voice, “I’m not stupid, you’ll kill him, won’t you?”
Slick’s face is impassive, he’s giving away nothing.
“But what about the teenage boy?”
“If he’s involved in this, he’ll be treated like a fuckin’ man.”
It’s not much of an answer, but it seems it’s the only one I’m going to get.
Slick takes his phone out of his cut and looks at the screen. He shakes his head as he notices the time. “I’ve got somewhere I need to be, darlin’. But I could come around later?”
I glance sharply his way, gathering my thoughts in a flash. “Slick, I’m so worried about Jayden, I wouldn’t be good company.”
“You can’t do anythin’. You’re leavin’ it to us. Won’t do you no good frettin’ on yer own.”
“I know, but until things are sorted with Jayden, until I know she’s safe, please understand I need time by myself. This,” I wave my hand in the air between us, “whatever this is, it’s too much for me to handle right now.”
He sighs. “You sayin’ you want to put us on hold?”
Yeah, I’m saying exactly that. “Just give me a few days, Slick.” I hope he understands. I don’t want to lose him, I’d like to have the opportunity to at least try. Go on a few more dates perhaps? But the revelations about Jayden have had me reeling. And until I get my head around her problems, I can’t sort my own out. I’m guilty enough I wasn’t there for her when I obviously needed to be. I can’t afford to get distracted again.
I raise my eyes. “Just a few days, Slick. I need to come to terms with what’s going on.”
He takes my hand and brings it to his lips, placing a kiss on the back. Then turning it over, his fingers trace my palm. His eyes meet mine. “Just a few days,” he repeats. “Then you’re all mine.”
This time I’m unable to interpret the shiver that runs down my spine.
Chapter 13
Slick
I don’t want to leave Ella with the additional concerns Mouse and I had dropped on her this morning. I’d much prefer to be there for my woman to comfort her, to give her a shoulder to lean on so she knows she’s not in this alone. But I really did have to leave, as I’m due somewhere else. And now knowing I won’t be seeing her again for a while guts me. In a way it’s easy enough to understand, she’s too worried about her sister, even though I believe she should be sharing her troubles, not wallowing in them all by herself. It kills me to think of her sitting there on her own, letting her problems fester.
But isn’t that just what she does? Or has learned to do because I was a selfish asshole and let her walk away? I gave up all right to insist on inveigling myself into her life when I didn’t go after her.
As I drop her off back at her house I insist she keeps in touch and calls me if she gets concerned, or if she just wants to talk. No, it doesn’t feel right leaving my woman to cope on alone, but I can’t push her, not when she has so much on her plate, and a habit she’d had to develop for taking it all on herself.
As the door closes behind her I spur into action and waste no time getting to the hospital.
The last time I’d seen Heart he was laughing in the clubhouse, moaning how Crystal was taking too long getting ready to go out, complaining how he didn’t want to see “no fight at the fuckin’ OK Corral”, even as the sparkle in his eyes betrayed he was as eager as his wife. Now he’s lying in hospital bed, tubes coming out everywhere, machines constantly bleeping. I’d thought I’d been prepared as to what to expect, I wasn’t.
Rock stands as I walk in and I jerk my chin at him. “Rock, I’m sorry man.”
“No worries, Brother.” Has he not noticed I’m late?
“How is he?” I nod toward Heart, my gut clenching as I watch him, unmoving.
“No change. They’re going to start easin’ him out of the induced coma tomorrow. The swellin’ on his brain has gone down, but it’s anyone’s fuckin’ guess after that.” He clears his throat before adding, “They can’t guarantee if he’s gonna wake up.”
Rock and I stare at each other, there’s really nothing more we can say. Bikers used to action, we don’t know how to deal with something like this that’s out of our hands.
My brother leaves and I stand for a moment with my head bowed, then move across and take the chair Rock had vacated, moving it a little closer to the bed. Reaching out I squeeze Heart’s hand, hoping in some way he’ll know I’m here and that we haven’t deserted him. I hold it for a second, but it lies completely still in mine. It’s human nature to hope for some sign, the slightest pressure to show recognition. But there’s nothing.
“Life’s shit at the moment, Brother.” I might be talking to a man as still as a corpse, but somehow I can’t stop. “You lyin’ here like this? It’s all fuckin’ wrong. And Ella? Shit Brother. Here I am wantin’ her back, thinkin’ all I got to do is romance her… Hey, you’d fuckin’ laugh about that. Me. Courtin’ a woman? Not my style, eh? Yeah, you’d fuckin’ crease up if you were hearin’ me talk. Anyways, there I was thinkin’ it would be hard, but I was in it for the long haul. Now she’s got this shit to deal with about her sister. How she’ll cope with that on top of everythin’ else, I’ve no fuckin’ idea.
“You know what? Bet she thought I hadn’t noticed, but she’d dolled herself up some this morning. Looked fuckin’ fantastic. Didn’t want to mention it as I thought I might frighten her off. Now? With what Mouse just dropped on her? Guess we’re probably back where we started.
“You want to know if she’s worth it? Fuck, Brother. She is, and I ain’t givin’ up. We’ll get there, and I’ll have my ol’ lady…”
My voice trails off as I realise he hasn’t anymore, but it’s not my place to tell him that. What if he can hear me? And then I wonder who’s going to break the news and how he’ll take it. Heart’s only going to be half the man he was when he realises he’s lost his wife. I’ve no idea how he’s going to cope. They’d been so right for each other, their love not starting to tarnish even after the years they’ve been together. Perhaps having Amy will help. She’s the image of her mother, and he’ll have to keep it together for her sake. Yeah, he’ll have to put the kid’s needs first. That must be something. At least he’s got her. She’s part of them both.
Another squeeze to his fingers, still half expecting a response, but none comes of course. “You get well, Brother, and we’ll share a bottle of Jack.”
I want him to survive, want him to recover. But when he comes round he’ll be facing a world of pain. A bit like when I lost Ella, but that had only been my obstinacy holding me back, a suffering I needn’t have gone through if I’d used the head on my shoulders. If she had died… Knowing how devastated I’d feel makes me wonder whether it wouldn’t be kinder on Heart to just let him fade away. How
the fuck is he going to cope when he’s told about Crystal’s death?
It's hard to make conversation with someone who doesn’t talk back. After a while I have no more words to say, so I sit as best I can in the uncomfortable chair and spend the time thinking. Most of it about what we’ll do to this Diego fucker when we catch up with him. It certainly won’t be pretty—and Ella was right, though I’d never admit it. He won’t be left alive to molest any young girl ever again.
Time passes slowly, nurses and doctors drift in and out. At last Lady appears to take over, asking the same question as I’d done on entering the room. I give him the same answer as Rock had given me. Nothing has changed.
Then I’m back on my bike, letting the warm evening air sweeping past, washing some of my depression away. It seems whichever way I look life sucks right now.
When I walk into the clubhouse I see the prez deep in conversation with Mouse at the bar, and I suspect he’s bringing Drum up to speed. It’s strange to see my brother there. He seems to live in his cave, rarely emerging into the light of day. Nodding at Joker, I walk on by and notice Sam sitting with Viper. I pause as I pass.
“How’s Amy?” I surprise myself at how concerned I am about the kid.
As Sam looks up it’s hard to miss how tired she’s looking. “She’s doing okay. Missing her mom, doesn’t really understand why she’s not coming back. She’s wants to see Heart and it’s distressing to tell her she can’t.” She tilts her head toward Viper. “Viper and Sandy are taking her home with them tonight to give us a break. Drum wants a night’s uninterrupted sleep.”
“You look like you could do with it, too.”
Her hand touches her stomach. “I’ve been telling him we’ll have to get used to it.”
Viper notices her action and gives her a fond smile. “You’ve got to take care of yourself until Junior comes.”
She smiles. “That’s what Drum said. We’ve already had a discussion about me riding my bike.” The droop to her mouth tells me what she thinks about that.
I happen to think he’s right to be cautious. If Ella was pregnant I’d wrap her in cotton wool. Then I realise how far I’m getting ahead of myself. First, I’ve got to persuade her to come back. Oh, and to let me fuck her. Can’t make babies without doing that.
As I move on from them I inwardly laugh. I don’t even know if she wants children. What I do know is it will be hard enough work even getting her into my bed.
Passing the pool table I see it’s in use and balls are in play, but not the ones normally used in the game. I stand for a moment watching Beef’s hips bucking as he thrusts in Jill’s pussy, and Rock’s cock disappearing into her mouth. How the fuck can I ask Ella to come back here and expose her to the real-life porn show that’s typically going on?
I view the clubhouse as though I’m seeing it through her eyes. All the girls are in action tonight. Pussy’s giving Joker a lap dance, Allie’s fondling Dart, and the new girls, Diva and Paige, are either side of Tongue whose jeans are hanging open and he’s getting a hand job from one, while his mouth’s devouring the tits of the other. Diva notices me being a voyeur and pouts my way, then pointedly redoubles her efforts stroking Tongue’s cock. Looks like I might have offended her. Turning away I huff a laugh, not giving a fuck what she thinks. There’s only one woman’s opinion that matters to me.
Despite the blatant sexual acts on display that ordinarily would have had my balls throbbing, my cock doesn’t stir. Maybe being celibate won’t be that hard. As long as I keep all thoughts of Ella out of my head.
Drum and Mouse have stopped talking, so I join them at the bar. Mouse raises his chin, “How was Ella when you left her?”
“Fuckin’ worried sick.”
Drum nods. “She should be. And there’s somethin’ about this that smells bad. What you plannin’ when you know the girl’s on the move?”
“Go to the location and snatch her back. And that fucker who’s molestin’ her.”
“That’s only conjecture so far, isn’t it?”
Mouse shrugs. “Sure, but I can’t fuckin’ think there’s anythin’ innocent going on. Best thing we can hope is he’s still in the groomin’ stage.”
I feel a flicker of hope, “Is that possible, Mouse?”
Again he raises his shoulders. “With the timin’ involved? I doubt it. These types don’t hang around once they’ve got someone in their clutches.”
The prez drums his fingers on the bar. When Marsh pops his head up Drum shakes his head, declining the offered beer. He’s still got his shot glass of top-drawer whisky half full. “I don’t like this. What if it’s bigger than you think? What if there are other girls there? The way you’re plannin’ it, you could be steppin’ into something you can’t control.”
I know, I have thought about that. “Without being able to ask her, we can’t know what we’re walkin’ into.”
“Can you get a bug on her, Mouse?”
“Jayden carry a purse?”
It seems a fair assumption to make. “What girl doesn’t?”
“How the fuck do I know what a young teenage girl does?”
Drum smirks and swings around. “Hey, Sam! You carry a purse when you were fourteen?”
“Where else would I have kept my tools, Drum? Yeah, sure I did.”
A number of brothers, not otherwise engaged, laugh. Dart yells out, “Bet it was big enough to carry a wrench!”
Ignoring the conversation behind me as various brothers suggest the contents Sam might have carried, I get back to the subject at hand. “I can contact Ella, see if she can slip something into Jayden’s purse. You got a bug I can give her?”
Mouse just looks at me as if I’ve said something stupid. Yeah, he’ll have some kind of micro device I can use. Before I can make more of a fucking fool of myself I turn to Marsh and demand a beer. One corner of my mouth turns up as he rushes to serve me. I wait until he moves to the other end of the bar before turning to Drum.
Using my bottle to point at the prospect I ask, “When we patchin’ him in?”
“At the next Friday church, unless somethin’ comes up.”
“We meetin’ in the mornin’?” With so much going on, it seems we’re coming to the table every fucking day.
“Yeah, feel we need to. I want to bring everyone in on what’s goin’ down with your woman. You’ll need brothers behind you.” Fuck, that gets me, hearing the prez refer to her as that. Unlike the others, he doesn’t treat it as a joke. Not that he should, it took him less time to realise Sam was the one for him.
And it warms me that I’m going to have the brothers at my back when I sort out Ella’s problem. Not that I wouldn’t have gone in alone if I’d had to. But having them having my six means we’ll be better able to deal with any situation we find.
When I’m back in my room I ring Ella, telling her the latest and confirming Jayden does indeed have a purse to carry her phone. Road will be able to take the bug down to her in the morning, and while she’s not looking forward to seeing her sister while having to keep from her what she knows, Ella says she’ll make sure she’s gets a chance to plant the bug. She even goes so far as to joke she might take up a career as a spy seeing as I’m given her so much practice.
Fuck, this woman gets to me. I go to sleep with a smile on my face.
Next morning I go to the auto shop close to the gates of our compound, and once again throw myself into my work, which has got well behind with everything else going on. I’m in the middle of stripping down an engine when Sam comes over. She stands watching me for a while.
I drop a spanner, made clumsy by her scrutiny. Lifting my eyes to hers, I want to find out what she wants. “What’s up?” Rising to my feet I wipe my dirty hands on a rag and then put it back in my pocket.
“I wanted to speak about Ella.”
My eyes narrow slightly. “Prez told ya?”
She nods. “I didn’t go through anything like she did, Slick. That must have been bad. But when I was taken they stripped
my control, and I thought I was going to be raped. That was terrifying enough.”
I nod. We’d rescued her just in time.
“I spent a lot of time with the women who’d been through much worse than me.” She pauses, and I wonder whether she’s getting to the point. “I just wondered whether it would help if I spoke to her? Or just made sure I was here when she comes to the compound again?”
There’s a workbench beside me, and I hook my leg over it. “I don’t know when that will be, Sam. She’s pretty spooked by the whole idea. But thanks for the offer. I’ll think on it, okay?”
“Sure.” With a smile, she walks away. Fuck, Drum did good when he brought her back to the clubhouse. Viper must be over the moon finding out she is his daughter as well.
Over the next couple of days I keep in touch with Ella, but do as she’d requested and keep my distance. As expected, Heart’s taken off the drugs keeping him under, but as of now there’s been no change in his condition. Like my brothers, I’m not giving up on him yet, but I just wish he’d give us some sign he’s going to be okay. I don’t know if there’s anyone that can hear me, or fuck it, whether they’d even listen to a sinner like me, but I’ve taken up praying and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Heart must recover.
Thursday evening, Mouse calls me into his cave, a dark hole with the windows blacked out so light doesn’t reflect off his screens. I find it depressing. He seems at home.
“Jayden’s on the move. Marsh called it in. He’s followin’, but if he thinks it’s too risky we’ve still got the tracker.”
“She gonna meet with this Diego fucker?”
He watches the screen for a moment, expertly rolling a joint at the same time. “She must be in a car the speed the tracker is travellin’. There’s not much talking goin’ on. Can’t tell much yet, but I reckon we can assume she is.”
“You keep eyes and ears on it and I’ll get the boys together.”
Going into the clubroom, I whistle to get their attention. “Looks like Jayden’s meetin’ the mark.”
Slick Running (Satan's Devils #3) (Satan's Devils MC) Page 14