by Sam Crescent
“Here’s hoping. I miss you.”
“I’m going to stay at the hospital. I’ll talk to Berman about making my position here permanent. What do you think?”
“I think that’s good.”
Sandy was worried. What if something went wrong?
“I can feel your worrying, Sand, talk to me.”
“Part of me doesn’t want you to go.”
“And the other part?” he asked.
“The other part hates me for even thinking it. I’m sorry. It’s your life as much as mine.”
“Sandy, baby, if you don’t want me to go then ask me not to.”
She closed her eyes. “I promised myself I wouldn’t be that woman, so I’m not going to be.”
“Do you know how hot that makes me?”
“What? Me being a crybaby?”
“Nah, you caring about me like that.”
“Of course I do. I wouldn’t marry you for your good looks alone. Hello, they fade.” She couldn’t help but smile as he laughed.
“I’ll pick you up at the hospital when it’s all over.”
She sighed. “Okay. I’ll keep busy until then.”
“Love you.”
“Love you too.” She hung up her cell phone and blew out a breath.
“They’re going after them, aren’t they?” Alex asked.
His sudden appearance made her jump, and she gripped her chest. “You scared me.”
“Sorry. I remember a time when you were ready for anything.”
“Yeah, I know it. God, I hate this. I hate this fucker.” She leaned against the wall, resting her head back, and taking a deep breath. “How are Sunshine and the baby?”
“They’re doing good.”
“Don’t you think everything is moving so fast, all the time?” she asked.
“When it comes to this business with Andrew, yes. He attacked us, and now we’re trying to fight him. It’s the Skull way.”
“Is it, really?”
“Think about our other enemies. We didn’t stay and wait for them to fight us. We took the fight to them.” Alex sighed. “What a fight it has all been.”
“Do you ever just hope that one day, it’s all going to be over, and we’re all going to be sane once again? Maybe just maybe, sleep in our own beds?” she asked.
“It’ll happen. These moments will soon be just another memory. Something we can all smile, and laugh about.”
She sighed. “It was easier when I wasn’t in love.”
“It was all easy when you didn’t love anyone. I never had that luxury. I stayed away as I had many of my own enemies. Still, they always catch up to us, don’t they?”
“Yep, they do.”
“What are you doing now?”
“I’m going to see Sally.”
“Yes, poor girl. What will happen?”
“Her leg needs time to heal. They’ll be therapy, and physiotherapy to help her adapt. Once her leg has healed, a prosthetic will be made to fit her, and she’ll have more therapy, and more physio. She’ll be doing a lot of her schooling at home for a while. I imagine Whizz and Lacey are already dealing with that.”
“I’m heading to the children’s ward to see my niece. I promised Tabitha a chocolate, and I have to be careful. Make sure I don’t get caught.”
“You’re a bad influence for all kids, you know that?”
“Yep, I do.”
She walked beside Alex trying her hardest to forget about Stink, and the danger he was about to get himself into. When they got the children’s ward, she squirted anti-bacterial gel onto her hands, and let Alex in with her. She left him to Tabitha, and made her way toward Sally’s room. She saw Steven standing outside, staring in.
Going to his side, she saw Lacey, Daisy, and Ned in the room. “Why are you out here?” she asked.
“Sally doesn’t say anything when I’m in the room. I make her uncomfortable.”
“Why are you here, and not helping the others?” she asked.
“Whizz asked me to keep an eye on the girls. I’m not needed.”
“You’re distracted, which is why you’re not needed. The club doesn’t need a guy who isn’t thinking straight.” She folded her arms, staring at the man. He was once a prospect, and he’d put his life on the line to protect Angel and Tate. Steven had done what he needed to protect the club, and for that, he’d earned his right to be a full-fledged member.
Ha, Andrew, fucker can’t do that right.
It was petty, and completely lame of her, but it made her feel better to think of him like that.
“Yeah, I am.”
He stepped away from the window, and leaned forward. She listened as he took some deep breaths, and stood. “Fuck. I don’t know what it is about this girl. One minute she’s just a girl, and now it kills me to see her in any kind of pain.”
“She’s underage.”
“I know that!” Steven glared at her. “I’m not going to go do something stupid. I want to protect her. I want her to know that she doesn’t have to be afraid anymore.” He ran fingers through his hair, and she saw how troubled he was. “She doesn’t even have a crush on me. I thought she did, but I was fucking wrong.”
Sandy didn’t tell him otherwise. Every woman had a reason for not letting their man know that they had feelings for them, even Sally.
“She’s been through so much,” he said.
“Sally is older than her years.”
He nodded. “It doesn’t matter. I’m only going to be there to support her, okay? You don’t have to worry about any bad shit from me. I only want to help.”
“Why don’t you go and get some coffee?”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea.” She watched him walk away before heading into the room. Daisy was reading to the room. She was sitting on Ned’s knee, and Sally was smiling. She looked pale, and a little withdrawn.
They stopped as she entered.
“Please, don’t stop for me. I’ve just come to spend some time. That’s all.”
Taking a seat, she listened to Daisy’s reading. As she stared at the little girl, Sandy started to wonder if she wanted kids.
Kids had always seemed like a foreign concept to her. They were adorable, but you had to devote all of your life to them. She didn’t know if she was ready for that or not. It was a great deal of commitment.
“I’m going to get some coffee, and food. Do you want anything?” Lacey asked.
“I’ll take a piece of chocolate cake,” Sally said. Daisy agreed, as did Ned.
“Take a break, Lacey. I’ve got this.”
Getting to her feet, Sandy followed her out. “I’ll come with you.”
“Thanks. It has been a long day.”
“Have you heard what is going on?”
“Whizz told me. He told me shit was going to hit the fan in a big way.” Lacey groaned, gripping the back of her neck, and stretching. “I hope they find him, and kill him.”
“I’m a doctor, and I hope they find a way to torture him, and feed him his own dick,” Sandy said. She pushed her hands into her white jacket. Her hands were so cold. She smiled at the passing people, and blew out a breath.
“Do you ever wonder what the hell we’re doing wrong?” Lacey asked.
“With all the drama?”
“Yeah. I mean, come on. There’s no way a club has this much drama for fun. It’s exhausting.”
“That I do agree. It sucks.”
“Congratulations by the way. Was it a nice wedding?” Lacey asked.
“It wasn’t like yours. Whizz planning for everything with the club around you. It was good. I liked it. When all of this crap is over, we’re going to have another ceremony with the club.”
“It makes sense. I’d love to be there, and I’d make one hell of a bridesmaid.”
“I’ll remember that.”
They got to the hospital café, and they took their own orders first. Lacey ordered for Sally, Ned, and Daisy so that she could pick it up on the way out of the café.
“So, the white jacket, the wedding, are you going back to being a doctor?”
“Yeah. I’m talking to Berman about taking my position again. I love being a doctor. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.” She took another bite before sipping at her coffee.
“Do you think it’s possible for us to go one year without any of us being here?” Lacey asked. “The food is actually starting to taste good.”
“That’s because your food is awful.”
“Sally has taken over from cooking. I’m so awful they think it will be safe if I don’t have anything to do with that.”
Sandy laughed. “Now that I could see.”
“Some have talent in the kitchen, others don’t.”
“Stink is talented.”
“He can’t smell.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s such a shame really. He’d make one hell of a chef.” Sandy finished off her bagel and the last of her coffee. Lacey was moving around a salad on her plate. “How is it going with Sally?”
“Until Ned came, it was hard. She was crying, and she wouldn’t talk to anyone but Daisy. I’ve been through a lot of awful shit to get to this moment, but seeing Sally like that, I was petrified.” Lacey licked her lips, putting her fork down. “I, um, what do you say? What do you do? I’ve lost my ability to have kids, but I’ve never lost anything.” She shoved her cardigan up her arms, showing off the tats. “I dye my hair, I ink my body. I don’t know how to handle this.”
“You haven’t run away, nor have you dumped her back in foster care. That’s a good thing.”
“I’d never do that. Dumping her in foster care never entered my head. She may not be my blood, but she’s my girl.” Tears filled Lacey’s eyes, and she took a breath, staring down at her plate.
Sandy paused. Out of all of the women in the clubhouse she’d never seen Lacey cry. Lacey covered her face and shook her head. “I promised myself that I wouldn’t cry, that I’d never cry again.”
“That’s silly to say.” Out of all of the words she could use, silly?
“I’m really sorry. Sally will get there, and all of this will be a faded memory.”
Lacey nodded. “I get it, I do. It’s just, I want to hurt him for hurting my daughter. I could have lost Sally, and I love her. I don’t care what others say. I love her. She’s mine, and I love and care about her. I don’t want anything to happen to her.”
Getting up from her chair, Sandy gave Lacey a hug. It started out tense at first, but slowly, the other woman accepted the hug. It wasn’t much, but it was something, and that was all that counted.
****
Paris coughed.
She saw the ceiling of her cage and wondered if she would ever get out. Andrew had gone into a fit of rage, and her arms were broken. She couldn’t move. The door to the basement opened, and she didn’t even have the energy to see who it was.
Whimpering, followed by a string of curses. Paris heard Russell open one of the cages and throw Lola inside.
With the pain she was in, she couldn’t even roll over, which was pitiful.
The sound of retreating footsteps allowed Paris to sigh. He was going, and maybe she’d be lucky enough to die tonight, and she’d never have to look at his big face again. When Spider got a hold of him, she hoped he’d tear his cock off with a blunt knife, fry it, and feed it to him.
That was a wish, and sometimes it gave her hope that one day soon, she was going to get out of here.
“Did you send the message?” Paris asked. It hurt to talk. Her lip was cut, but she needed to know the answer.
“Yes.”
“Good.”
“If they know who it’s from, they’ll be able to track it as well.”
“Huh?”
“Every computer has an IP address. If you’re smart, you can make sure not to leave a trace of yourself. I decided to play dumb. If one of them is computer smart, they’ll know where to find us, and they’ll also discover that I infiltrated the security codes. Soon, this place is going to be more open than a whore’s thighs.”
Even though it wasn’t supposed to be funny, Paris couldn’t help but laugh. “Thank you, Lola.”
“Don’t thank me yet. Let’s hope your friends come otherwise we’ll be dead soon.”
It was a sobering thought yet a hopeful one.
Spider had promised to take care of her, to protect her. He hadn’t seen this coming, and ever after everything she’d been through, she still believed he was coming to get her. He didn’t give her a reason to doubt him.
Chapter Ten
“You can’t do this without me, Devil. That’s my girl in there,” Spider said.
They had all ridden back to the clubhouse to get their supplies. Spider had ridden at Devil’s back, much to his annoyance. “Spider, man, we’re going to go and get her for you. I don’t know how many times I need to make this clear to you.”
“I’m capable of riding.”
Devil pressed his foot against the wound in Spider’s leg. Spider grunted and went down, the crutches falling to the ground as he gasped at the pain. “I’ve barely touched you, and you’re down. You’re a liability. We don’t know what we’re going in to, and if you think I’m going to risk any of my men, you’re wrong!”
“She’s mine. I have a right to be there for her.” Spider didn’t want to let it go. Paris was his. She belonged to him, and he wasn’t about to let her go. Staring at his leader, Spider took several deep breaths.
“You really want to come?” Devil asked.
“Yes.”
Everything went dark.
****
“You hit him?” Lash asked. “That’s how you solve that problem?”
“Any of us in his situation would be exactly like him. We’ve got loved ones to protect. Right now, I can’t have him coming with us. He’s not up to his full health, and I’m not willing to risk it because he wants to come,” Devil said, tucking a gun into his jeans pocket.
Stink shook his head. “Still seemed a bit harsh.”
“When he wakes up, he’ll get it.”
“What am I supposed to do with him until he wakes up?” Jessica asked. “I’ve only got one arm.”
“I’m going to chain him to the bed. I hit him pretty hard. He should be out cold for a few hours,” Devil said. “Come on, someone help me lift him.”
Sinner grabbed Spider’s legs, and they carried him upstairs to a room.
“Is it bad that we have cuffs?” Dick asked.
Stink laughed. Even though they were about to go into something that was uncertain, Chaos Bleeds were still cracking jokes.
“If any of you for a second think knocking me out will be okay—” Lash said.
“Come on, brother, everyone knows I throw people around like a rag doll,” Killer said.
Stink shook his head. This was why he loved The Skulls. They were a family to the core. It was what built them up.
Tiny came into the room. They were all wearing their leather cuts, each one of them about to meet their maker if they had to. Prior to getting married to Sandy, Stink had made sure to have a will that meant Sandy was taken care of. She was his number one priority outside of the club. The Skulls would look after her, keep her safe.
When Devil returned Lash stood in front of the group. “We hit hard, and we hit fast. We have a small window here. Whizz has shut down Andrew’s funds, but we don’t know where loyalties lie. We get in, we get shit solved, we get the girl.”
“Hey, if luck is on our side, we get Andrew tonight, and party by the weekend,” Whizz said.
They all cheered, and even Stink held his hand up going along with it. It would be a mighty end to a fucking horrible week.
“Do you have any questions?” Lash asked.
No one raised their hands.
“Let’s ride, boys.”
****
Angel stood at her bedroom window and took a deep breath. The men filed out of the clubhouse, all of them ready to do war. Holding little Chloe against her chest, she held in the tears. Lash paused at his bike, and he turned toward her. He placed his fingers to his lips, and held them out to her.
“I love you.”
He mouthed the words, but she didn’t need to hear them out loud. “Come back to me.”
She spoke them aloud even though he couldn’t hear.
One simple nod was all she got.
Her heart started to race, and she let out a breath, looking at her little darling.
“Hey, Mommy,” Anthony said, surprising her.
“What are you doing up, sweetheart? You should be in bed.” She turned from the window to move toward her son.
“I couldn’t sleep.”
Anthony was advanced for his years.
“What’s bothering you?” she asked.
“Everything. I don’t want to go to school when bad stuff is happening.”
“Would you like some hot chocolate?” Angel asked.
“Please.”
“Come on.” When she held out her hand, Anthony took it, and she walked down the stairs of the clubhouse toward the kitchen. In the days she was first taken by The Skulls for her father’s debt, she’d been scared of this clubhouse. Now, it was a safe haven for her. She relished the days of big cookouts, barbeques, and fun. The Skulls had taken her in, become her family, and she had devoted her life to them.
She found Jessica, Brianna, Kelsey, Prue, Emily, Rose, and Martha at the table. They were all nursing drinks. Some of them looked like whiskey, others coffee.
“Take a seat, darling.”
Kelsey held her hands out, and Angel placed Chloe in her arms. “She’s so beautiful.”
“Yeah, she really is.” Heading to the fridge, Angel pulled out some milk, and headed toward the stove. “Does anyone want some hot chocolate? I know it’s late, and you’re all stressed.”
“I’ll take hot chocolate,” Brianna said.
The rest of the girls murmured their agreement.
“Fuck, don’t forget about me,” Adam said.
Angel screamed, gripping her chest. She hadn’t seen Adam sitting in the corner. “Jeez, you don’t have to go around scaring people.”
“It seems I do to get noticed. I can’t even fucking repay the bastard for taking out my friend. I’ve got to settle for sitting out of it.”