Crossroads

by Chantal Fernando

  “Just coffee please,” I say, glancing up at him.

  “Okay,” he says, pressing a kiss to my forehead before walking toward the café in the hospital. I watch him disappear, then check my phone and reply to a few texts from family members. I need to keep reminding myself that at least she’s safe now. That’s what matters. I can’t change what happened, but at least she’s away from that hell; she’s safe. We can get through the rest together. Ranger reappears with a giant cup of coffee in his hand, and I take it from him gratefully. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Anything you need, you just ask, okay? I’ve got you,” he says, sitting down next to me, holding his own cup of coffee.

  “Likewise,” I say, resting my head on his arm. “She’s your friend too, this isn’t only about how I’m feeling. I just wish I could take the pain away, you know? I need to be strong for her, but it’s hard. I don’t know what to expect.”

  “We need to talk to her,” he replies, kissing the top of my head. When did we start acting like a couple? Why does it feel so natural? I don’t know, but I don’t want it to go away. I’m not a woman who has ever relied on a man before, but right here right now, I need Ranger. I don’t think I’d ever admit that out loud, but it’s true. I need him here. He knows how to handle every situation, and he knows how to take care of me. He’ll know how to take care of Elizabeth too; I know it. It’s so different having someone like him around. I don’t always have to lead now. I don’t always have to take control of a situation, and I don’t have to be the strong one for everyone. That doesn’t mean I’ll ever be weak, it just means I can relax a little more knowing that for the first time in my life, someone actually has my back, physically and emotionally.

  An hour passes, then two and three, and eventually I fall asleep wrapped in Ranger’s arms. I don’t know how much time passes, but when he wakes me up and tells me we can finally go in and see her, I stand up and follow behind the doctor.

  “Let her know that you’re here,” the doctor says. “It’s up to her if she wants you to stay or leave.”

  He opens the door and we both walk in. She sits propped up in her bed, her face pale and her eyes tired.

  “Hey,” I say, walking over to her and taking her hand.

  “Jo,” she says, squeezing my hand. “You’re here.”

  “Of course I am,” I tell her, brow furrowing. “Our family is on the way. Everyone has been so worried about you.”

  She then looks over to Ranger, her eyes widening.

  “I thought I imagined seeing you,” she says to him.

  “No, I’m here,” he says, sitting down beside her on the other side. She reaches her hand out to him, and he takes it.

  “I wanted to see you again,” she says, looking down at their hands. “But not like this. How were you there?”

  “I’ve been helping Jo look for you,” he explains, looking toward me. “We flew here when someone sighted you.”

  She turns to Jo and lays her head back. “Thank you for bringing Cam with you.”

  Cam?

  My eyes dart to Ranger, and in this moment, I know I’ve fucked up. No. This can’t be happening to me.

  No. Surely not.

  He can’t be.

  I didn’t know his name, until now. Why didn’t I ask his name? I just called him Ranger, like I assume everyone else does. I didn’t put two and two together. How did I miss this?

  You see, Elizabeth has an old friend named Cam who she always talks about.

  Her one who got away.

  The so-called love of her life.

  The same man I’m currently falling in love with.

  • • •

  Ranger keeps looking at me like he’s wondering what’s wrong, because he doesn’t understand that knowing who he is to Elizabeth has a huge impact on me. Elizabeth—my cousin who was just kidnapped and God knows what else—the woman who once told me that she thinks her old friend Cam was the only man she could ever truly love.

  Does she want to be with him now? I can’t tell her what happened with him. The way she’s looking at him right now, like he’s the light at the end of her tunnel, is making my stomach drop, and not in a good way. Is that how I look at him? I absently rub my chest, trying to ease the sudden pain I feel there. I should be concentrating on her, not him. How fucked-up is this?

  “We better get going,” Ranger announces, his eyes on me. “We’ll be back in the morning, Elizabeth. I think your family will be here by then.”

  She grabs on to his arm. “I don’t want you to leave, Cam. Can’t you stay?”

  I feel like I’m going to be sick.

  Ranger again looks to me for help, but I just shrug and say, “You should stay.”

  I kiss her cheek and tell her to rest, before leaving the hospital room without saying anything further to Ranger. I actually feel like a monster for all the feelings and thoughts running through my head right now. What kind of person am I?

  He’s mine.

  She needs him now though. I don’t think that Ranger has feelings for her, otherwise he wouldn’t have slept with me, but this is still a complicated situation.

  I’m down the hallway when Ranger calls out my name and jogs up to me, stopping me by gripping my upper arm. “What’s wrong? I saw the look on your face.”

  “Nothing,” I say, forcing a smile. “She needs you now, Ranger. We’ll talk later.”

  “Yeah, but I need you,” he says, brow furrowing. “Stay. Don’t go back to the hotel alone. We can share the extra bed in her room.”

  He really doesn’t get it. He doesn’t see how she feels about him, and how awkward that would be right now. I don’t think she needs to be any more hurt than she already is. It’s selfish of me to take Ranger away from her, if he is who she needs to get through her ordeal right now.

  “She didn’t ask me to stay, Ranger,” I point out, smiling sadly. I crook my finger at him until he lowers his head, then I kiss his cheek. “She wants you, and we need to give her whatever she wants. I’ll call the fam and see what time they’re arriving so I can pick them up from the airport.”

  “Are you sure?” he says, frowning. “I don’t want you driving alone.”

  “I’m fine,” I say, rolling my eyes.

  “I’ll meet you back at the hotel in the morning, then,” he says, scanning my face. “Text me and let me know what your plans are, all right?”

  “I will,” I say, turning around and walking out of the hospital, feeling sad and resigned.

  SIXTEEN

  Ranger

  “REMEMBER the time we went swimming, I think it was in Croatia?” she says, with her eyes closed. “The water was so clear that you could see the bottom, and you said that was the only reason you were going in.”

  My lip twitches. “Not much of a fan of the ocean.”

  “I remember,” she replies, yawning. “I always think about our trip. I think it was one of the best times of my life.”

  “It feels like a lifetime ago,” I say, then decide to ask a question of my own while she’s being so chatty. “Did they hurt you while you were taken?” I ask her, and her eyes open. “I mean besides . . .” I point to her black eye.

  “You mean did they rape me?” she asks, pulling the sheets up her body. “No, Cam, they didn’t. We were going to be sold off at an auction—none of us were touched in that way because then we’d be damaged goods, you know?”

  I exhale in relief. “So why did they hit you?”

  “I tried to escape,” she explains, staring at the wall straight ahead. “You know what’s funny? I actually would daydream about you coming to save me. That’s why when I saw you, I thought it was another dream. I didn’t think you were actually there.”

  “Jo wouldn’t have given up until you were found. She was so determined to save you, Elizabeth.”

  Which is why I’m a little confused about the sadness I saw on her beautiful face. She knew Elizabeth and I were friends, so I don’t get why her face dropped, like some
thing hit her, some kind of realization. Was it because Elizabeth wanted me to stay and not her? I don’t know what it is, but I want to get to the bottom of it right away. I don’t like the thought of Jo being out there overthinking everything. I understand that things changed the second we found Elizabeth, our little bubble popping and becoming reality, but now we need to face it. And I want her still to be in my life when we get home. I really fuckin’ hope she wants the same, or I’m about to have a war on my hands to make her see that we’re meant to be together. I don’t give a fuck how pussy-whipped I sound: I’ve never felt like this for a woman, and I’m not about to let her walk away.

  “I know, she’s so amazing,” Elizabeth agrees, eyes softening. “She’s a great cop. I knew she would be looking for me.”

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure,” she says, shrugging. “I’m not a delicate flower, I’m not going to freak out if you ask me something.”

  She is in a delicate situation, even if she doesn’t realize it. I’m wondering if she’s going to get some kind of post-traumatic stress disorder, or something like that. I don’t think anyone can come out of this unscathed, even someone as strong as she is.

  “Why did you go to that biker bar in the first place? And alone at that?”

  Her eyes flare as she turns her head to look at me. She’s quiet for a while before answering me. “I went looking for you, Cam. I had no idea where you were and I couldn’t find you, but remember when you called me a year after our trip? You told me you were about to start prospecting for a biker club. I wanted to find you, and “biker” was the only clue I had. Your number was cut off, and you’d moved. You never called me again, and I waited for you to, but you didn’t. It’s like when you became a biker you forgot all about me.”

  I stand up, unintentionally knocking the chair backward. “Are you fuckin’ serious? You went to a biker bar trying to find me? Asking questions and then they kidnapped you? Why the fuck would you do that, Elizabeth? Did you ever think that I cut everyone off for a reason? I don’t exactly live in a life where I can have civilian friends without them being dragged into trouble.”

  “It had been years, Cam,” she says, scowling. “I wanted to see you. Is that so bad? It’s not your fault I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. But you asked a question and I’m answering it. That’s why I was there.”

  I scrub my hand down my face. “After all these years you decide to come looking for me, and then this happened? Fuck, Elizabeth. This is the reason the only people I care about are in the same lifestyle as me.”

  “So you don’t care about me anymore?” she asks, sounding hurt. “I thought we were friends. Friendship doesn’t just go away, Cam. You obviously cared enough to come looking for me with my cousin, who is both a cop and a stranger to you.”

  She was just a cop and a stranger, but now she’s a lot more than that. I don’t know how to break it to her that, yes, of course I care about her, but I didn’t exactly think of her a whole lot over the years. She was just a friend that I had and lost, which isn’t exactly an unusual occurrence for me. My friends and family became the Wild Men MC, and now I’ve even lost them. Talon is the only man still standing.

  “Of course I care about you,” I say, lying back on the spare bed. “You never mentioned Jo to me before.”

  “We didn’t really talk about our families,” she says, yawning and covering her mouth with her hand. “You especially didn’t want to, remember?”

  No one would if they came from where I came from, but I guess she’s right. We lived in the moment; we didn’t really discuss the past. We got to know each other in other ways: what we liked to eat; what we liked to do in our spare times. I know she likes the beach, apple martinis, and to dance all night long to any music the DJ plays. That’s what I remember the most from that vacation.

  “I guess you’re right,” I murmur, turning my head to look at her. “Do you need anything?”

  “No, I’m good,” she says, then lowers her tone. “I feel tired, but it’s like my body won’t let me fall asleep, like I’m scared to or something. Like it will take me back there.”

  I instantly sit up, walk to her bed, and take her hand in mine. “I’m here, watching over you, and you know I won’t let anything happen to you. Sleep, Elizabeth.”

  “I’ll try,” she says, closing her blue eyes, a shade darker than Jo’s. When she falls asleep, I send Jo a text, asking her what she’s doing, and then send one to Faye too, with two words:

  Mission complete.

  My phone rings instantly, and “What You Need” by The Weeknd fills the room. I answer it quickly, not wanting to wake Elizabeth up.

  “Hey,” I say softly.

  “ ‘Mission complete.’ That’s all I get, really?” Faye says into the line. “Tell me everything. How did you find her?”

  I give her a quick rundown of everything that happened since I arrived here. Well, not everything, but everything to do with finding Elizabeth.

  “You and Jo did so well, Ranger,” she says, sounding both excited and impressed. “How is Elizabeth doing?”

  “She’s okay,” I say, glancing over at the woman in question. “Her family will get here tomorrow, so I’ll probably come home in a day or two.”

  “Sounds good,” Faye says. “We miss you. Even Clover’s been asking where Uncle Ranger is.”

  My heart warms at that. I know that all the Wind Dragons have really tried to make me feel welcome in their MC, even though I don’t seem to be fitting in as well as Talon has. They’re good people, and Faye is an amazing woman.

  “I’ll be back soon enough,” I say, tone gentling. “But I’m done with your heroine shit, Faye, all right? No more cases. I’m going back to dealing with biker shit.”

  “Fine,” she grumbles, saying ’bye, then hanging up.

  I’m not being fair. If it wasn’t for Faye, I probably wouldn’t have met Jo, and the cops might not have found Elizabeth in time, so I don’t have any regrets. I just don’t want to return to the clubhouse only to have Faye dangle another file in my face. I’m going to leave this shit for the professionals . . . unless Jo needs help with something.

  Knowing me, I’ll probably want to check on her and make sure she’s okay when she’s doing something dangerous, which is probably going to be twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Yeah—talk about a full-time gig. The thought makes me smile. I’d like to be around her that much. I check on Elizabeth once more, then allow myself to get some rest.

  SEVENTEEN

  Johanna

  I STEP into the room quietly, coming to a stop as I see them together. Elizabeth has moved from her bed onto the one Ranger is on, and her head is on his arm. I don’t really know what to say or do right now, and I don’t want to wake them, so I slowly leave the room and turn to Helen.

  “She’s sleeping.”

  “I’ll go in quietly,” Helen says, eyes red like she’s been crying. “I just need to see her.”

  “Okay,” I say, touching her arm. “She’s in there with Cam.”

  “Cam who?” she asks, brown eyes flashing with confusion.

  I realize that I don’t even know his surname.

  “I don’t know,” I admit, wincing. “The guy she met overseas years ago.”

  Helen’s eyebrows rise. “Cam, as in her old friend and so-called love of her life?”

  I cringe—I can’t help it. To me, he’s not Cam the love of her life, he’s Ranger, the man I’ve become so close with in such a short amount of time. There’s a connection with us, and I don’t know how I’m supposed to turn my back on that, especially when I’ve never experienced it before. In fact, before meeting him, I would’ve denied a connection like that could even exist. I actually let my guard down with him, and I don’t want to put it back up, but realistically I might have to.

  “That’s the one,” I say, unable to keep sadness out of my tone. “They’re asleep.”

  “I won’t wake them,” she says, silently m
aking her way into the room. I sit down in the closest chair and wonder how the hell I’m meant to deal with this right now. Seeing them together like that . . . knowing she has feelings for him, is a hard pill to swallow. I don’t want to see her hurt. But I don’t want to see Ranger with any woman other than me. I don’t know what to think; I’m all over the place. Maybe now that reality has hit, he thinks that all bets are off and we’re back to being a cop and a biker? I guess I won’t know what’s going on in his head until he tells me. There’s no point guessing. He said he wanted to come with me last night, and he texted me too, and I doubt he’d have done that if he thinks we’re done.

  Helen walks out and sits down next to me with a sigh. “She’s still fast asleep. Cam’s awake though; he was asking if you’re here yet.”

  I decide to change the subject. “I wish your parents could have made it.”

  Elizabeth and Helen’s parents are much older, and live in a retirement village. They weren’t able to fly in because of their health, but Helen and our uncle and aunt did.

  “I know,” she says, sounding tired. “They’ve been worried sick about her and can’t wait for her to be brought back home. Jack and Shane have been so worried too.”

  Jack and Shane are our other cousins. I look up as the door opens and Ranger walks out.

  “Hey,” he says, eyes scanning me from top to bottom. “Did you manage to get any sleep?”

  I nod, straight-out lying. I didn’t sleep a wink, and no one can blame me.

  “You met Helen, Elizabeth’s little sister, right?”

  He nods, and gives her a brief glance but then brings those hazel eyes right back to me. “I’m going to go back to the hotel and shower and change. Are you going to be here?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be here. My aunt and uncle will be here any moment.”

  “Good,” he says, shifting on his feet. “Can we talk for a second before I go?”

  I ignore Helen as she looks at me, nod, and stand up, walking with him toward the exit.

  “I missed you last night,” he says, ducking his head. “When are you going to fly home? I’ll book us our flights today.”