by Leah Wilde
“Just play it smooth,” I told him.
“Gage Noll?” the man on the front of the boat called as he stepped onto Ivan’s yacht. He wore a nice black suit with a red tie. He wasn’t law enforcement, like I figured we’d been expecting. He apparently represented a different interest on the part of the mayor.
Cautiously, I stepped forward. “Yes, sir,” I addressed him, still uncertain of exactly who he was or what entity he represented.
He flashed a friendly smile and gripped my hand for a firm shake. “The mayor said you would probably need a lift back to shore and told us we’d probably find you here.”
I glanced at the rest of my guys, tired and dumbfounded from the night we’d just had on the boat.
“We’d appreciate it, yes. Is there anything you need us to do before we board your boat?” I asked.
“No, it’s fine. We’ll handle everything we need to do here.” I could see several men in suits with blue gloves on their hands hustling back and forth with sealed packages from the yacht. “Let me show you to your quarters.”
I grabbed Julia and carried her in my arms across to the stranger’s boat. I could hear Jorell and Angelo telling me to be cautious in the back of my mind, but I ignored their advice and accepted the stranger’s help without question. The mayor had been good to us so far, and if this man said he was sent by the mayor, then he was alright with me already.
He showed us to a small room with a couple of bunk beds and couches. I set Julia down on one of the beds. The guys took to one of the couches, and I knelt down beside Julia, keeping her company and comforting her while we waited to figure out what our next move was going to be.
After a few minutes, our stranger came back. “Gage, we’re about to take you back to shore. Do you have a way to get back to Kings HQ or do you need us to escort you? I’ll be more than happy to provide you with a way back so that you can focus on taking care of your people.”
I looked at the guys. This stranger’s generosity almost seemed too good to be true, but I accepted. We needed all the friends we could get right now.
Chapter 33
The man in the suit gave us a ride back to HQ in his black SUV with its blacked out windows. He never told us who he was or who his people were. They definitely weren’t law enforcement. Their mannerisms were too relaxed. They seemed to be government types, or else they belonged to a gang we didn’t have a rivalry with. Either way, they dropped us at HQ and offered to get our bikes replaced.
One of the men went out and took down the year make and model of each motorcycle we had. He got contact information for each member of the MC so that he could work with them to organize the replacements. We took the men at their word, and it was only a few days before they started coming through on their promises. All the bikes were replaced, and the replacements were delivered directly to our members.
I shut HQ down in the meantime. It didn’t feel safe to have anyone hanging around while there were still some rogue agents out there. Aleskei, Jorell, and the princes who had come out to the boat with us were still missing. I didn’t want to put anyone else in harm’s way, especially while I was at home with Julia.
I watched her condition worsen before it improved. I had doctors and nurses visit her at my place.
“It looks like her body went into shock when she hit the water,” my doctor told me after examining her. “She’s dehydrated, malnourished, and it looks like she might have been suffering from sleep deprivation at the time she went into the water.”
I liked Dr. Fiso because he was old school. He believed in house calls. He billed reasonably and allowed me to pay him in cash, instead of demanding that I provide insurance information. And he didn’t ask questions. Of course, I was sure my cash payments helped ease his professional curiosity a good bit.
“Just give her some time. I’ll send a nurse around to help you keep an eye on her. She needs lots of rest and plenty of fluids. She’s probably going to sleep for the better part of the next couple of days, but once she comes around fully, she’ll probably be pretty hungry, I imagine,” he told me.
“Yes, sir. I don’t need a nurse here full-time, just maybe a couple times a day to check and make sure she’s doing alright,” I suggested to him.
In true Fiso fashion, he accepted my suggestion without question and told me he’d send someone around in the morning and evening, twice a day, unless I called to request additional visits.
“I understand you value your privacy,” he said. “So, I won’t intrude, but let me know if she gets worse. I don’t expect her to, but just in case.”
He left me there with my sleeping beauty. And she slept, alright.
I kept her propped up with pillows and helped her sit up when she woke up for a few minutes here and there to get something to drink or use the bathroom, though I couldn’t imagine how her body was able to work up enough waste of any kind to expel.
I sat next to the bed and watched TV. I watched the news while I waited for her to come around. News of the drug bust on Lake Michigan aired that same night with images of the FBI agents raiding the yacht and carrying Ivan, Dimitri, and Boris into custody. The men looked away from the cameras.
“Those cocky bastards,” I said to the TV. They never expected to be caught. They had never considered for an instant that they could possibly have been taken down by anyone, let alone a bunch of bikers.
There was no mention of the men who helped us leave, no mention of us, no mention of anyone else who was supposed to be involved. They simply mentioned the size of the bust and the apparent purpose of the drugs and weapons—to be distributed on the streets of Chicago.
My phone buzzed while I watched the news.
“Good job, Gage.” The mayor was talking before I even put the phone up to my ear.
“Yes, sir. Thank you,” I said.
“Also, I trust my men helped you get home safe,” he added.
“Yes, sir, they did.” I couldn’t express my gratitude any other way besides just being polite at the moment.
“I’m sorry that your friend suffered at their hands. If she needs anything, you let me know, got it?”
“Yes, sir. And, Mr. Mayor?”
“Yes, Gage?”
“Thank you. Really. Thank you for all of your help,” I gushed.
“It’s the least I could do for how much you helped me with Ivan. For the next few days, you and yours should take care of yourselves and regroup. Once you get back on your feet, give me a call, and I’ll make sure you get connected with the other clients who were working with Ivan,” he explained.
“Thank you again,” I said.
“Don’t mention it. Oh, also a very good call shutting down HQ for a few days. I don’t control everyone around here, so it’s a good idea to lay low and make sure there’s no fallout from the bust,” he said, not specifying where the threat was coming from.
“Yes, sir, I figured my guys earned some time off. Plus, your men did some work to help clean up from where we were attacked by Ivan’s men the other day. They’ve really stepped up for us, Mr. Mayor, and I don’t know how to thank you.”
“First off, you can stop saying thank you every few words. It’s pathetic. Once is enough. I understand you guys were struggling for a while, but now you’re in good hands. As long as you continue to take care of me, you won’t have to worry about anything else for a very long time,” he assured me. “At least as long as I remain in office,” he added with a laugh.
I thanked him again and let the call disconnect.
The next few days were long. I watched my sleeping love on the bed and waited. I stayed close to her side, only leaving when the nurse was present and I could leave Julia in her care long enough to grab something to eat or take a shower.
It was a nightmare, but I had hope. It looked like it could turn into the Lisa situation all over again, but the fact that she was resting peacefully in my bed meant that it was just as likely that she would pull through and be okay. I sat through the monoto
ny and waited for her to wake up.
“Please wake up, Julia.” By the third day, I was talking to her. “I’m sorry I lied to you. I know that if I had been completely open and honest with you from the start, things wouldn’t have happened the way they did. If you wake up and come back to me, I will be open and honest with you from now on. There will be no more secrets or lies. That’s not how I want to build a relationship with you. That is not how we will build a successful future together.”
I held her sleeping hand while I talked, hoping that she heard what I was saying to her. I’d read somewhere once that sleeping people could actually comprehend what was being said in the room around them. The concept came up again and again when talking about subliminal messages and ways to influence people without them being able to notice what was being done. I hoped that I remembered what I had read correctly, and that it was working on Julia while I sat at her bedside.
I laughed at one point while talking to her sleeping figure. “I’m going soft thanks to you,” I told her. “You’ve got me getting all teary eyed over here. You’ve got me so worried and stressed, Julia, hoping you’ll be okay. I’ve shut HQ down until you come back around. I’m not leaving your side,” I assured her.
“The guys have all stopped by,” I told her. “Ricky brought you flowers, and the knuckleheads, Chase and Juarez, the ones who beat Dimitri so badly, brought by some sweets for when you wake up. They also sent a sympathy card from both of them. Talk about a bromance,” I chuckled. “You’ll understand when you meet them again. They aren’t horrible guys, but they’re really good at doing the horrible things I need them to do.”
I must have imagined it, but I thought she smiled while I told her about the guys coming by. She probably would have if she had been awake, but I couldn’t say if she definitely smiled or not in her current state.
I sighed, sitting at her side.
The nurse came in for her evening visit. She was a blonde with blue eyes and gentle features. She looked like a college student, probably interning with Dr. Fiso. She wore plain clinical green scrubs. I must have looked like a mess when she came in. I couldn’t remember the last time I had shaved, and I may have bathed once since returning from the lake with Julia and the guys. She gave me a sad, concerned look when she came in the room.
“Listen,” she said in her sweetest, gentlest voice, “take a few minutes to get a shower. I don’t have any other patients after Dr. Danvers, so I don’t have to rush off.”
“Thanks. You know, she smiled, I think,” I told her as I lifted my creaky joints out of the chair. “I think. I don’t know. Hell, I probably imagined.”
“She may have.” She touched my arm with a kind, gentle hand. “She may be on her way back around. Her vitals have been steadily improving, so she could wake up any minute. When that happens, she’s not going to want to see you sitting here looking tired. And trust me, I know it’s been hard emotionally, but watching after her like this has been the easy part. Wait until she starts asking for food and everything else she’s too weak to get on her own.” She winked.
“Weak, nothing! She’s been sleeping for days. She can’t use the weak card on me. I’m the one who needs a break,” I joked. “But, seriously, thank you. I’ll be out in a minute.”
“Take your time, Mr. Noll,” she said comfortingly.
I sighed again. It seemed like that was the only way I breathed lately. I laughed at myself as I grabbed a few clean clothes and headed to the bathroom to start my shower. I was getting soft. Soft wasn’t good. Nothing good ever came from being soft.
I turned on the hot water and stared at my face in the mirror while the bathroom heated up, turning away only when the mirror was too foggy to see myself in it anymore. I climbed into the shower and let the hot water rush over me.
I felt the grime that had collected on my body from sitting in the same spot for days melt away under the hot spray of water. I felt the conflict with Ivan melt away. Ivan was behind bars, and I was still alive, standing under a hot shower, bringing myself back to humanity, back to life. Dimitri was with him, and so was one of his other top men, Boris. I still had Julia, Rick, Chase, and Juarez. We may have lost Angelo, and Jorell may have disappeared, but I still came out on top, I thought.
I let the hot water run down through my hair and course down my back. I scrubbed my body, reaching into every corner, every nook and cranny with soap, hot water, and a wash cloth. I worked shampoo into my hair and let the hot water carry it away. My body was tired and sore, and it missed Julia’s touch. My skin missed her hands, her lips, her body against mine. It missed her breath. It ached for those things.
I cut off the shower and stood listening to the water drip from my body and from the faucet. Nothing existed beyond those sounds, I told myself. For a brief moment in time, all that existed was the bathroom. The whole world beyond the bathroom door was held back by just a few inches of wood and a whole lot of steam.
I wiped the fog off the mirror and grabbed my shaving cream. It was time to trim off the vegetation growing along my jaw and in front of my ears. The stubble was too much to bear, and I didn’t want to offend Julia when I kissed her for the first time after she woke up.
I stood up and looked at myself in the mirror after I finished. The man staring back at me wasn’t soft around the edges. He was hard and strong. He didn’t let anything get him down. His arms and chest were ripped and covered in tattoos that told the story of his life, of my life. That was me in the mirror. I was the strong guy, the tough guy. I was the one who shut people out and didn’t take anyone’s shit. It was time to start being that guy again, I reminded myself.
The world had beaten me down every time I let down my guard. I was the fearless president of an outlaw motorcycle club. Honestly, we were more like the gangs of the old days, and it was time I started acting like that was the kind of organization I ran. With our new position in the pecking order, the guys were going to need me to be a hard ass.
I slid on a clean pair of jeans without any boxers. Instead of a shirt, I grabbed my colors and threw them over my shoulders. I looked at myself again before turning to leave the bathroom.
As I reached for the door, there was a dainty little knock.
“Are you going to be much longer, Mr. Noll?” came the nurse’s muffled voice from the other side.
“No, I’m done,” I said as I opened the door. I watched her eyes as my exposed chest and stomach registered and distracted her.
“Good,” she said, still not looking me in the eye. Her eyes settled on my hips, where my pants were hanging loose, showing her I wasn’t wearing anything underneath.
“What’s up?” I asked her, content to stand like that all day and let her look at me.
Her eyes jerked back up to my face, and she blushed slightly.
“I’m sorry,” she excused herself.
“Don’t be. I like knowing I’m attractive. It’s flattering.” I gave her a little wink.
“Well, come in here, Mr. Noll. I think she’s about to wake up, and I figured you wanted to be here when she does.” She stepped back and started to walk over by the bed, where I could hear Julia starting to groan.
Her eyelids fluttered as her eyes tried to open. She made a couple more groaning noises and reached for me. I took her hand in mine.
“I’m here,” I said as I kneeled down next to the bed. “I’m here, Julia. It’s okay.”
She squeezed my hand and pulled me closer.
I looked at the nurse, who just nodded. I took that as an indication that these were promising signs.
Chapter 34
Julia
When I opened my eyes, I didn’t know it had been almost five days since the incident on Ivan’s yacht. I didn’t even remember what had happened, at least not right away. When I opened my eyes for the first time, I felt like I was waking up from a good night’s rest with long, strange, spiraling dreams.
I knew something was wrong when I saw Gage’s face almost right in front of mine. H
e was kneeling down next to the bed, and he glowed. He radiated hope, joy, relief, and the look of someone who felt their prayers had finally been answered. The kind of exultant joy I saw in his eyes didn’t come without some kind of trouble.
Golden afternoon light spilled into this bedroom. It wasn’t morning. I hadn’t been asleep for the night. And there was a nurse standing in front of him near the end of the bed. I felt my brow furrow.
“What’s she doing here?” I barely mumbled.
Gage laughed and embraced me.
“You’re back,” he said enthusiastically.
“And I need something to drink,” I told him. “My throat is parched.” My words barely came out as more than groans. I felt them rattle deep down in my chest.
“Here you are, dear.” The nurse handed me a cup of water almost right away.