We quickly transferred Milky into the back and Doom sped off toward the compound.
* * *
Olivia
“Oh my god, what happened?” I demanded, as Doc and Rabbit walked in, half-dragging Milky who was covered in blood.
“Milky got shot,” Doc said. “You up to assist?”
“Of course, but don’t you think we should take him to Candler?” I asked, following them back to the clinic.
“Need to keep this under wraps, Liv.”
“Well, shit,” I breathed out.
“Jesus, this bastard’s heavy,” Rabbit complained.
Milky was about six-feet-two and probably weighed two-hundred-fifty pounds, so heavy was more than likely an understatement.
The men hoisted Milky onto the table and Doc removed his cut before cutting off his shirt to assess the damage. It looked as though he’d done a rough field dressing, so he washed his hands and pulled on a pair of gloves while I grabbed some sterile instruments and Rabbit strapped Milky down before leaving us.
For the next hour, Doc and I worked in tandem to repair the damage done to Milky’s side. Luckily, it was somewhat through-and-through, but the bullet had shattered a few ribs on its way out of his body which had collapsed a lung.
I did my best to assist Doc, although, the truth was, I wasn’t a nurse. I basically handed him instruments and helped monitor Milky’s vitals.
“I really think one of our guys needs to find a nurse to fuck,” I said, as I handed Doc gauze.
He smiled, never taking his eyes off his task. “I’ll be sure to bring that up at the next all-hands.”
“I would appreciate that. My back is killing me.”
“Why didn’t you say something?” He frowned, meeting my eyes. “Sit down, sweetness. I can take it from here.”
“I’m okay, Tristan.”
“Baby, sit down before you fall down,” he ordered. “I’ve got this.”
I sighed, lowering myself into the chair next to the bed, feeling instant relief as the pressure eased in my spine.
I watched Doc work, finally closing Milky’s wound and covering it with gauze. “I’m gonna need Rabbit again,” he said, and I nodded, removing my gloves and heading out to the great room and walking into total chaos.
“Where is he?” Linda bellowed from the front door. “Goddammit, let me in!”
“Rabbit!” I called. “Let her in. Doc needs your help.”
“She’s banned, Liv,” he argued.
“I’ll take the hit, bud, just let her in.”
Linda rushed in while Rabbit went back to help Doc.
“Where is he?” Linda demanded.
“He’s still in the clinic. Doc’s sewing him up now,” I said.
“I need to see him.”
“You can’t,” I said.
“Are you really going to ban me from seeing him?”
“Not at all. You just can’t see him right now. Let Doc finish up, okay?”
“Please don’t let him kick me out,” she begged, tears streaming down her face.
“You really love him, don’t you?”
“With everything I have,” she whispered.
I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I’ve got your back, Linda. If Milky wants you here, you’ll be here.”
“You have to promise me, that even if he doesn’t, you’ll let me stay.”
“I can’t do that, honey,” I admitted. “It’s up to him. You know that.”
“Liv,” Rabbit called. “Doc needs you.”
“Come with me,” I said to Linda. “But stay in the hall, okay?”
She nodded and I led her down to the clinic, stepping inside to find Milky groaning.
“The local’s wearin’ off,” Doc explained, shooting something into Milky’s IV. “Givin’ him morphine now.”
“He was passed out a long time,” I observed.
“Yeah, I was lucky. If he’d come awake fighting, it would have been bad.” Doc made his way to the sink, and after removing his gloves, he washed his hands, pulling his bloody T-shirt off and chucking it in the trash with the gloves.
“Linda’s outside…in the hallway,” I said.
He raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment.
“She loves him, honey. Let’s find out if Milky feels the same way about her, then go from there.”
He sighed but gave me a slight nod. “She’s on a short leash, Liv.”
“Okay,” I said.
I mean, what else could I say? Linda had fucked up, and we’d gotten hurt because of it. But I was pretty sure she’d never do it again, and I hated to think that true love couldn’t prevail in this situation.
“Goddammit!” Milky bellowed as he tried to sit up.
Doc pushed on his shoulders and held him down. “Brother, you were shot. You need to stay still, or you’ll pull your stitches.”
“What the fuck happened?”
“Sugar Bear. Sucker shot. He’s been dealt with.”
“Eliminated?” Milky asked.
“Close enough,” Doc said, evasively.
“Jesus, this hurts like a mother fucker.”
“I know. You want more morphine?”
Milky glanced at me. “Nah, I’ll live.”
Doc nodded.
“Don’t be a hero,” I ordered. “If you’re in pain, take something.”
“I’m good, babe,” Milky said.
“Um, so, Linda’s outside. She’d like to see you,” I said.
He glanced at Doc, then back at me. “Five minutes.”
“Okay.” I pulled open the door and Linda flew inside and over to Milky.
“What the hell happened?” she demanded, and Doc guided me out of the room, closing the door behind us.
“You need to get off your feet,” he said.
I leaned against him. “Yep, that sounds like a great idea.”
He led me out to the great room and parked me on one of the sofas, before heading into the kitchen to find me something to eat.
* * *
Doc
We’d stashed Milky at Linda’s, knowing she wasn’t on anyone’s radar, and since she’d insisted she be the one to tend to him, it was the perfect place for him to heal. Sugar Bear, on the other hand, was hidden in plain sight…sort of. So, when Dalton forced his way onto the compound property, I knew I was going to have to handle things carefully.
“Where is he?” Dalton demanded, moving towards me. He looked pissed as hell and I can’t say I blamed him.
“Who?” I asked. I hated lying to him after all he’d done for the club, but this was a family matter and I had no choice.
“Don’t do this, Doc,” he said. “I need you to tell me what you’ve done with Sugar Bear and where he is now.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Dalton. Me and the boys have been here all day. Isn’t that right, fellas?” I asked, motioning to the others, who all murmured their agreement.
Dalton continued, “My office has been on high alert for the past forty-eight hours regarding any and all MC activity in the greater Savannah area. Seems like the Dogs, the Saints, and the Spiders have themselves quite a war brewing on the west coast. One that appears to be making its way to our region.”
I shrugged. “News to me.”
Dalton ignored my bullshit answer and scowled. “We’ve been closely monitoring the Spiders’ movements and know that Sugar Bear has recently taken up residency at one of their safe-houses. A place called J&R Cabinetry. Ever heard of it?”
“Can’t say I have.”
“Of course not. Well, we went to pick him up last night at J&R, and instead of Sugar Bear, we found a shit ton of rubber bullets and a wrecked International Scout instead.”
“Sorry to hear that,” I said.
“The VIN came back as owned by one, Wyatt Osmond.” He turned to Ozzy. “I believe you call him Ozzy?”
“You don’t say?” I mused. “Oz? Weren’t you sayin’ the Scout was stolen last week?”
&nbs
p; “Yeah, brother,” Ozzy said. “I appreciate you findin’ it, Dalt.”
Dalton shook his head. “You know as well as I do that the shit’s hit the fan in Portland and we’re trying to keep the same thing from happening here in Savannah.”
“If you say so,” I said casually.
“This is not how you want to play this, Doc,” Dalton said eyeballing my knuckles. “I can see you’ve been fighting, and if I find out you killed Sugar Bear or did something with his body, even I won’t be able to protect you.”
“I told you, I don’t know shit, and neither does anyone else here,” I said.
“Fine, have it your way,” Dalton said. “Turn around and place your hands behind your back.”
* * *
Olivia
I walked out of our bedroom, and went looking for Doc, running into him being led out of the great room in handcuffs. “What the hell is going on?”
“Your husband refuses to cooperate,” Dalton said.
“Oh my god, Dalton, you know him. Whatever you’re accusing him of, it’s nothing.”
Doc grinned at me. “I’ll be out in an hour, but maybe find Lyric, baby.”
“Lyric!” I bellowed, knowing she was more than likely in the kitchen or her office.
She peeked her head out of the office. “What’s wrong?”
“Some asshole’s arresting my husband.”
“What?” She came rushing down the hall and grabbed Dalton’s arm. “What are the charges?”
“Obstruction of justice,” he said. “Among other things.”
“What proof do you have?”
“None,” Doc said. “He thinks Sugar Bear is here.”
“Or you know where he is,” Dalton said.
“Wait,” Lyric said, tugging on Dalton’s arm. “What if we deliver Sugar Bear to you?”
“Lyric,” Doc warned.
Doom closed the distance between himself and his woman, standing behind her in support.
“Which means, you know where he is,” Dalton deduced.
“That’s not at all what it means,” Lyric countered. “But we might be in a position to locate and deliver him to you.”
“When?” Dalton demanded.
Doc narrowed his eyes at Lyric, but she charged on, “Forty-eight hours?”
“No,” Doc growled.
“Twenty-four,” Dalton said.
“Jesus Christ,” Doc hissed. “No.”
“Honey, please,” I begged. “If you know where he is, or think you can find him, why won’t you tell Dalt?”
His scowl focused on me.
“Rabbit can find anyone, anywhere,” I continued, knowing full well Sugar Bear was less than a hundred feet from me. Actually, below me, zip-tied to a pole in the basement with a gag in his mouth and a hood over his face. “Dalton. Please. Uncuff him and we’ll put Rabbit onto locating him,” I promised.
“Give us forty-eight hours,” Lyric continued. “Twenty-four just isn’t enough time.”
Doc gave me a look that spoke volumes, and I knew I’d get an earful later, but I didn’t care. Dalton could do some damage to the club and there was no way in hell I was going to let that happen.
“You gonna make that happen, Doc?” Dalton asked.
Doc glanced at Doom, then Alamo, before letting out a frustrated sigh. “Yeah, we can make that happen.”
“If you don’t, I’ve got plenty more handcuffs where these came from.”
“Nobody asked about your private life,” Doc retorted.
Dalton uncuffed him and focused on the three senior officers. “Forty-eight hours, gentlemen. Or sooner. Sooner would be better.”
“Mouse, walk Agent Moore out,” Doc said, and waited for Mouse and Dalton to leave the building before turning to me. “Upstairs,” he growled at the same time as Doom issued a similar growl to Lyric.
I made my way upstairs and waited for Doc to close the door behind us before facing him. “I’m not apologizing.”
He crossed his arms and glared at me.
I mimicked his stance and was shocked as hell when he burst out laughing. “Jesus Christ, woman, you drive me insane.”
“I can’t tell if you’re pissed about that or not.” He crooked his finger at me, and I cocked my head. “Are you mad?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Come here.”
I let out a quiet huff and went there. He slid his hand to my neck and tugged me forward, kissing my temple. I wrapped my arms around his waist and snuggled against his chest. “I’m still not apologizing.”
“I had it under control.”
“I’m sure Hatch thought the same thing before they hauled his ass out of his shop, then held him for two weeks in a place Maisie couldn’t get to him.”
He gave me a gentle squeeze. “Well, now I’ve only got forty-eight hours to make Sugar pay.”
I met his eyes. “I can live with that. Dalton will make him hurt in other ways.”
“Maybe,” he said, leaning down to kiss me quickly.
“Just to be clear, you’re not mad, right?”
He smiled. “No, sweetness, I’m not mad. Truth be told, it solves a couple of problems.”
“Of course it does. I’m brilliant.”
Doc laughed. “Yeah, you are. But try not to make a habit of arguing with me publicly, huh?”
“I am not promising anything,” I said.
He rolled his eyes. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
“Have we been up here long enough for everyone to think you’ve given me an adequate dressing down?”
“Yeah, I think we can head back down.”
“Good, because I’m starving and Willow’s cooking.”
He kissed me again and then we headed back downstairs.
Olivia
I GLANCED AROUND the room, confused but intrigued by Doc’s order for the officers’ women to join them for Church. He’d never done this before, so we were all a little surprised.
It had been two weeks since the blow-out with the Spiders’ and life had started to settle back to normal, at least, as normal as our life could be. Doc had left Sugar Bear, naked, chained to a tree on Tybee Island, then informed Dalton where he could be found. Dalton wasn’t happy that he had to haul ass to Tybee to retrieve him, but Doc didn’t want him anywhere near the barn again. At least, in an official capacity.
Doc and I had booked time with a realtor to see a few houses on Friday, one being right next door to Doom and Lyric, but it would need work, so Doc was hesitant to take on a renovation and twins. I pointed out that it was his fault we were in the twins mess, so I wanted him to keep an open mind. I’d ended up with a deliciously sore ass after multiple orgasms and vowed we’d be ‘discussing’ the house subject again. Soon.
“Any idea what these weirdos want?” Jasmine asked, and I chuckled.
“No clue.”
“I hate surprises,” she grumbled.
“I know,” I said, and squeezed her hand.
Doc, Alamo, Doom, Lyric, Badger and Quin walked in, followed by Dash and Willow, and each man sat beside their woman around the table. Jasmine gave Alamo a look of suspicion as he grinned, leaning down to kiss her quickly.
“Thanks for coming,” Doc said, setting a stack of boxes on the table with a grin. “These have been a long time coming, so today’s the day. Wait until everyone has their box before you open, okay?”
We were still totally confused, but nodded our agreement and Doc handed each one of us a box.
“What did you do?” I asked.
“Patience,” he retorted.
“Fuck patience,” I said, and Doc laughed.
“Okay, open them.”
I opened my box and pulled out a leather cut, flipping it over to find the Dogs of Fire patch, along with a banner that read, ‘Property of Doc.’
Jasmine’s read, ‘Property of Alamo,’ and the rest of the women’s listed their men.
“I am not wearing this,” Jasmine said.
I laughed. “Well, I love it. I�
��m totally gonna wear mine.”
“I belong to no man,” Quin said.
“Oh, you belong to me, baby,” Badger corrected. “No doubt about it.”
I slid mine on as the rest of the women decided whether or not they’d do the same, and I rose to my feet, sliding my arms around Doc’s waist. “I love it. Thank you.”
He grinned, leaning down to kiss me. “You’re welcome.”
“Can we party now?”
“Yeah, sweetness, we can party.” He addressed the group, “Time to drink.”
We filed out of the room and into the great room where most of the club was waiting, and I wore my cut proudly as we partied into the early morning.
* * *
Olivia
About four months later…
Pain shot through my belly and I cried out, reaching for Doc. He wasn’t in bed. “Tristan?” I rasped. There was no answer, so I drew my knees up and tried to breathe through the obvious contraction.
I was alone in our bed at the compound, and I had no idea what time it was, or where my husband might be. Once the pain subsided, I grabbed my cell phone and texted Doc…just as another contraction hit.
Shit. This hurts!
“Sweetness, you okay?” Doc panted out as he rushed into the room.
“No,” I squeaked. “Where were you?”
“Talkin’ to Doom,” he said, sliding the covers back and settling his hand on my belly. “Breathe, baby.”
“You breathe, asshole!” I snapped, and grabbed for his hand.
He smiled and waited for my body to relax. “I’m gonna do a quick check, then we’ll head to the hospital.”
I nodded. “Make it really quick. I want an epidural. I’m not willing to accept a Poppy scenario here.”
He grabbed a glove and checked me as I squealed out in pain. “I know, baby, sorry. You’re at about two centimeters.” He smiled, removing the glove. “Are you ready to have our kids?”
“Yes. If you get me an epidural.”
“Stay put and I’ll grab our stuff.”
Another contraction hit, so I stayed put and Doc had my go-bag with a change of clothes, plus outfits to bring the babies home in, loaded in my car within minutes. It took longer for him to walk me down the stairs and outside, as my contractions were now about three minutes apart.
Keeping the Biker's Oath (Dogs of Fire: Savannah Chapter Book 5) Page 15