He grinned.
Joanna cleared her throat.
“Um, this is my sister-in-law, Joanna. Joanna, this is Justin.”
“Nice to meet you,” he said, holding out his hand.
She shook it. “Nice to meet you,” Joanna replied, a funny smile on her face. “Don’t they also call you Tank?”
“Yes.”
“You’re the new gang leader,” she said, nodding toward his cut.
“I’m the new club president,” he corrected.
“Oh. Of course,” said Joanna. “You probably don’t remember me, but I defended one of your members a few years ago, when he was charged with arson. Stephen Fey.”
“That’s right. I recall a little bit about the case. It was a bogus charge, obviously.”
“Oh, of course,” she replied, smiling again. “And I got him off.”
Justin’s eyes twinkled. “Yeah, I do remember him talking about you getting him off.”
Joanna’s face turned bright red. “Is that right?”
He smiled. “He told all of us that it turned out to be a very happy ending.”
I bit back a smile.
Laughing nervously, Joanna stood up. “Well, if you ever see him around, tell him I said hello.”
“Will do,” he replied.
Joanna tapped Billy on the shoulder. “How about we go and find something to eat? I bet you’re hungry.”
He looked up at her. “Can I get some ice cweam?”
“I don’t know. Mom, what do you think?” she replied.
“I think that sounds like a great dessert to eat,” I said. “After you eat some soup. The doctor said that it’s pretty good here.”
“I don’t wike soup,” said Billy, looking grumpy again. I knew he was exhausted and wondered what was taking the doctor so long.
“What are you talking about?” said Justin. He flexed his muscles. “If you want to grow big and strong, you have to eat lots of soup.”
His eyes widened. “Soup made you gwow big muskles like that?”
“Yes. Soup has lots of vitamins and minerals. Especially chicken noodle,” Justin said. “Which is my favorite.”
Billy looked at Joanna. “I want chicken noodle soup.”
I smiled. “I have a feeling they might offer that in the cafeteria.”
She took his hand. “Good choice.”
“Bye, Mommy,” he said, looking over at me.
I waved. “Bye, sweetie.”
A worried expression spread across his face.
“It’s okay. I’m not going anywhere and Joanna will be with you,” I reassured him.
Nodding, he allowed her to lead him out of the room.
Justin sat down next to me, in the chair. “That’s quite a kid you’ve got there. How old is he?”
“He’ll be three soon,” I said, wondering why he was there.
“I can’t believe what those assholes did to you. I heard about it from Raptor. Joanna told him all about it.”
“I know. I’m just happy they didn’t get away with it. If it wasn’t for your guys, I don’t know what might have happened.”
“I’m glad they were able to help. Do you have any idea of where Phillip is?”
“All I know is that Betty called to warn him and then, of course, the police have been trying to get ahold of him.”
“He’s probably on the run,” said Justin.
I nodded. “He caused a lot of heartache. Well, so did I.” Our eyes met. I licked my lips. “I can’t actually blame anyone for what I did, Justin, I’m so sorry.” My eyes filled with tears again. “I feel so… disgusted with myself.”
He grabbed my hand, surprising me. “I know you do, Raina. You don’t have to say anything more about it.”
“Yes, I do,” I said, wiping my eyes with the back of my other hand. “I want you to know that after Phillip is caught and sentenced, I’m turning myself in for killing your father.”
Justin frowned. “No. You don’t have to do that.”
“I broke the law and did something so despicable. I have to face the repercussions of what I’ve done.”
“No. I won’t let you.”
I pulled my hand away from his. “You have no choice. This isn’t up to you.”
He pointed toward the doorway. “You have a son who has been through so much shit in the last couple of weeks, you can’t dump more on him. He needs his mother. Christ, Raina, what’s he going to do if you’re in jail? Live with Cole?”
“I know what you’re saying,” I said, trying to keep my composure. The thought of leaving Billy was killing me. “But I need to do the right thing.”
He leaned forward. “The right thing is to let this go. For your son.”
“Can’t you see, I’m doing this for my son? Someday he’s going to find out what I did and I want him to know that I stepped forward and did the right thing afterward. I need to do this. ”
He closed his eyes and groaned. “Woman, you are so damn stubborn that you won’t even listen to reason.”
“Reason? I’m well beyond reason, so don’t waste your breath,” I replied, grabbing a tissue from the nightstand next to the bed. “Anyway, it’s the decent thing to do and for once, I’m going to go that route.”
“Decent? Come on, darlin’. You have got to be the most decent person I’ve ever met.”
I laughed harshly. “I guess you really don’t know me then.”
“Bullshit. I know what I see. From looking at your son and seeing how much he loves you, I can tell that you are a caring and decent mother.”
I laughed bitterly. “Right now, I feel like I’m some kind of joke. Trying to be a good mother to my son when I went and shot another son’s father.”
“You weren’t in your right mind. You know that the defense lawyer I’d hire would get you off anyway. They would say it was a crime of passion. Temporary insanity.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Did you just offer to pay for my attorney?” I asked incredulously.
“Yes. And… lady, I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not spend thousands of dollars on an obvious outcome.”
“How do you know what that would be?”
“Because I’m not going to testify against you. If I do or say anything, it would be speaking on your behalf.”
Stunned, I didn’t know what to say. I would have never have guessed that he’d take my side.
Justin went on. “So, whether you like it or not, you’ll get off, and you should. Nobody is going to want to send a woman, who’s been through so much, off to jail.”
“But –”
“I’m not finished,” he said firmly. “If you decide to do this, which is a damn mistake, the lawyers will ultimately get the case dropped and collect their big fat paychecks, which are all they really care about. Knowing this, I’d advise that you save all of us money, time, and anguish. Not to mention that your son doesn’t have to ever find out about what happened.”
“I don’t see how he could not find out.”
“Who’s going to tell him? Not me. The cops don’t know anything about it either.”
“Cole knows,” I replied.
“I can keep him quiet,” he said, his lip twitching. “I’ll slice off his tongue if he tries giving you up.”
I snorted. “He’d never give me up.”
“Maybe not to the cops, but he’ll open up about it someday. Maybe to one of his club members. Or a guy at a bar.”
“You don’t know Cole. He only wants to protect me.”
“If he’s riding with those kinds of fuckers, then I know more about him than you probably do.”
I sighed. “To be honest, I was hoping to talk him out of joining their club.”
“If you don’t, he’s going to end up dead one day, and,” he raised his hands in the air, “I’m not threatening him by no means. The Devil’s Rangers have a lot of enemies. Joining their club is like playing Russian Roulette. One day the gun is going to go off and it’s going to be messy.”
I frowned.
“Speaking of your brother, have you spoken to him lately?”
“No. I suppose I should call him,” I said, looking toward my purse. “And my Uncle Sal.”
“I took the liberty of contacting Sal. He was worried sick about you.”
I stared at him in surprise. “Thank you. Did you tell him about Billy?”
“No. I thought you’d want to.”
“I do, actually. He’s not going to believe it. I still can’t myself.”
“I’m sure life seems like a total mind-fuck for you right now. At least that trip is ending well.”
I snorted. “No shit.”
“By the way, how are you getting back to Davenport?”
“Joanna’s going to drive me. We’ll be leaving soon.”
“I’ll follow you back. Make sure nothing else happens to you guys.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I know, but I want to.”
“Why are you being so nice to me?” I asked, wondering if it was because of Cole.
Chapter 29
I wasn’t really sure myself. All I knew is that I had this wanting to protect the young woman in front of me, along with her son. Sure, she was gorgeous, with those arctic blue eyes and full lips. Not to mention that she was still wearing a hospital gown and I could tell that she wasn’t wearing a bra. Chances were, she wasn’t wearing any panties either. I was such a sick bastard. “Someone has to.”
She looked disappointed as if expecting something more. “Oh.”
“And I was really hoping to get into your panties before Billy and Joanna returned. Or should I say, under that hospital gown.”
Raina’s jaw dropped.
I laughed at the shock on her face. “Just playing, princess. Trying to lighten the mood. It’s been a hell of day, hasn’t it?”
Raina gave me a slow, sexy smile. “Damn right and it could turn out to be a hell of a night if you play your cards right.”
My eyebrows shot up. “Uh… what?” I asked, not sure if I’d heard her correctly.
“Go and lock the door.”
I stood up. “Seriously?”
She began to laugh.
“That’s cold,” I said, shaking my head.
“Sorry. I just had to fuck with you. You should have seen your face.”
I wondered if she’d noticed the reaction below my belt. “I’m a horn-dog, what can I say?” I replied while nonchalantly trying to adjust myself. “Have to admit, I thought you were offering me a bone and I was about ready to run with it.”
“And I thought it was you, offering me a bone.”
I grinned. “I’m always offering that. I just need to be a gentleman right now before you find out what I’m really about and kick me out of here.”
“And what are you really about?”
“What do you think I’m really about?”
“Personally, I think you’re just a softy who would do almost anything for a woman.”
“You’ve got that backward. See, when I’m hard women will do almost anything for me.”
She laughed and shook her head.
“You think I’m joking? They don’t call me Tank for nothing.”
“I figured it had something to do with you eating a lot.”
Grinning wickedly, I dropped my eyes to her lap. “I do have a hearty appetite.”
Raina’s cheeks turned pink.
“Sorry. Too much?”
“No. I work in a bar. I’ve seen and heard it all.”
I work in a bar, too. Fortunately, in the back.”
“What do you mean?”
“I own Griffin’s. I spend most of my time in the office, going over the books and shit.”
“Ah. Running a strip joint must be a lot of work.”
I shrugged. “It’s not so bad. I helped my old man out for many years, and learned a few things. The club has helped out a lot, too.”
“That’s good. You seem like the kind of guy people really want to help.”
“Probably because I’m intimidating.”
She could tell I was joking and smiled. “I have no doubt you are when you need to be. But, I also see a really good guy. And… you seem to be pretty sweet with kids, too.”
“It’s easy to do when you don’t have to live with them.”
“So, you don’t want children?”
“What do you mean? I have seventeen of them already.”
Raina gave me a shocked look. “What?”
“The guys in my club. They’re just a bunch of kids. Can’t see myself taking care of more than those rascals.”
She smiled.
There was a knock on the door and the doctor, an older man with gray hair and glasses, entered the room. He looked at me and then Raina. “I bet you’re ready to get out of here. Is this your ride?”
“No,” she said laughing. “He’s just a friend.”
I stood up and held out my hand. “The name’s Tank. How’s she doing, Doc?”
Sliding the clipboard under his arm, he shook my hand. “She’s doing well. Raina was a very lucky woman.”
“Good to hear.” I looked at her. “I’ll let you talk to the doctor while I go find Billy and Joanna.”
“Thanks,” she said.
“Nice meeting you, Doc.”
“Same to you,” he said.
As I was leaving the room, I overheard him asking her about insurance and stopped outside the door.
“I don’t have any right now,” she said in a low voice. “Can I set up some kind of a payment plan?”
“I’m sure the hospital can arrange that.”
“Thanks goodness,” she replied. “I’m a little strapped for cash.”
“Don’t worry about medical bills right now,” he said in a kind voice. “Worry about recovering and taking care of your son.”
“I’ll try.”
Wanting to make things easier for her so she could focus on more important things, I headed toward the front desk and made arrangements to pay her medical bills.
Chapter 30
It was almost ten by the time we left the hospital. Billy had since fallen asleep and Justin carried him out to my car, while Joanna pushed me in a wheelchair.
“Darn, we don’t have a car seat,” I said, remembering how I’d taken it out of the car the week before.
“Let’s get one then,” said Tank. “There’s a store right up the road.”
“Good idea. We’ll just have to use a seatbelt until we get there,” said Joanna, in a low voice. “I’m sure he’ll be fine, but if we get pulled over, I never said that.”
“Right,” I said, pulling myself out of the wheelchair. I opened the back door of the car and watched as Justin gently put Billy inside and buckled the seatbelt.
Billy, who was groggy, opened his eyes. “Where’s Tuffy?”
“Here he is,” I replied, holding him up.
Justin took the stuffed animal from me and handed it to Billy, who wrapped his arms around the toy and smiled.
“Thank you,” I whispered, smiling warmly at him.
He grinned back at me through the darkness. “My pleasure. He’s a good kid.”
“Bye, Tank,” said Billy, yawning. “I wuv you.”
The look on Justin’s face was priceless. I knew he didn’t know Billy enough to actually have real feelings for him, but that didn’t stop the burly biker from trying his best to return the sentiment.
“You know, kid, you’re pretty easy to love yourself,” he replied.
Joanna looked at me over the car, smiling in amusement. I grinned back.
“You really don’t have to come with us,” I told him as he closed the back door.
“Nonsense,” he replied. “I said we’d get this kid a car seat and that’s what we’re going to do.”
“I can do it myself,” I said, feeling a little awkward that he was doing so much for us.
Joanna cleared her throat and opened the driver’s side door. “Yeah… I’ll be waitin
g in the car,” she said. “While you two figure things out.”
“Nothing to figure out,” said Justin, starting to walk away toward his bike, which was on the other side of the parking lot. “The store is right up the road. You can see it from here. I’ll meet you there.”
“If that’s what you really want,” I said. “To go shopping for car seats.”
He turned around and began walking backward. “Let’s be real, here. You already know what I want,” he said, a smile in his voice. “And just so you know… I always get what I want.”
Understanding his meaning, I felt a tingling in a region that had been dormant for the last twelve months.
“I don’t know what that means,” I lied.
“Don’t worry. You’ll learn soon enough.”
I opened my mouth to give him a witty comeback, but nothing came out. The truth was, I didn’t exactly know how to respond.
“Cat got your tongue?”
“Something like that.”
He gave me a wicked grin and headed to his motorcycle.
When I got into the car, Joanna gave me a strange look.
“What?” I asked.
“What’s going on with you two?” she asked, starting the engine.
“I don’t really know,” I replied, buckling my seatbelt. “We just met yesterday.”
She backed out of the parking spot and we both watched as Justin swung his leg over the side of the motorcycle and started the engine.
“Mm… He’s gorgeous, I’ll give him that. But, he’s also dangerous.”
“I know,” I replied. “I’m not getting involved with him, if that’s what you’re wondering.”
“Good, because you already have enough things to worry about in your life at the moment. Hell, so do I,” she mumbled.
“Speaking of which, do you know if they caught Phillip yet?” I asked, glancing toward the backseat. Billy had already fallen back asleep, still holding the stuffed animal.
“No. I haven’t heard anything. I’m sure they’ll find him pretty quickly, though.”
“If not, you should stay at my place,” I said. “In case he shows up at yours.”
“As much as I appreciate your offer, my mother has already insisted that I stay with her. You’re more than welcome to join me, too. At least until things get settled down?”
Breaking The Biker (The Biker Series) - An MC Gold Vipers Motorcycle Club Biker Romance Novel Page 12