by E. C. Land
Tears soak my shirt as she presses into me. “I love you two so much,” she cries.
36
Connors
Pregnant! Holy shit, my mind is blown. I mean, it’s not like we were using any form of birth control. I just didn’t think it would happen this fast. We’ve been together for a few months now, but as a doctor I know it can happen at any time when protection isn’t used, just depends on when you ovulate.
Ugh, I could smack myself for getting pregnant right now. We still have the situation with Hydro looming over our heads and the guys still need to find their brother. Emerson is the key to that and until she wakes up, no one knows where to start.
Since Emerson came back, she’s yet to wake up and I’m starting to become worried. That’s why I’ve been sitting with her every day, checking on her stitches as well as cleaning her up the best I can.
That’s why this morning as soon as I was able to get out of the room, I darted off to the infirmary room, as I started calling it, needing my sister. God, how I wish she would wake up and talk to me. I simply want to hear her voice.
Holding her hand in mine, I lean forward and lay my head on the bed, letting the tears fall. I’m so scared, but I’ve been trying hard not to show it.
“What are you crying for, Steph?” my sister’s voice croaks.
Jerking my head up, my eyes go to her face to find her staring at me. “You’re awake,” I say while grabbing a cup of water next to the sink and a straw.
“Yeah, now why the hell are you crying?” she winces as she tries to sit up some to drink it.
“Don’t move too fast, Em. You’ve got some serious lacerations to your entire body.” I go into action, asking her questions about her pain level, if she is hurt anywhere else, and whatnot.
Shaking her head at each question, Emerson asks how long she’s been asleep. When I tell her, her face pales.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“They still have Hayden,” she whispers, tears filling her eyes.
“Who’s Hayden?”
“Hades,” Emerson says sadly.
“Oh, do you remember where they held you?”
Nodding, Emerson goes on to tell me about the building they were held at and I know exactly where. Then she begins to sob as she explains how Hades helped her escape but was caught. He told her not to turn back, rather run and get the club to come for him.
“I’ve been asleep while he’s being tortured,” she finishes. Something must have happened with the two of them for her to this upset.
“We’ll get him, okay. I promise. Let me go tell the guys and I’ll be right back.” Emerson doesn’t say anything in response. She merely nods her head while staring blankly at the wall in front of her. I don’t know what’s going through her head right now, but I’m pretty sure it’s not good.
Walking out of the room, I make my way toward the main room in search of the guys, finding no one in there except a prospect and a few clubwhores. Furrowing my brows, I ask the prospect where everyone went to.
“Church was called, so they’re in there, and the girls took Logan outside to play with Shadow tagging along,” the prospect says while wiping the bar down.
“Thanks,” I say, turning toward the room where they hold their meeting. I know I’m not supposed to do this but it’s important. Knocking on the door, I wait for someone to open it.
Dagen opens it, furrowing his brow. “Babe, we’re in church. Something wrong?”
“Least she fuckin’ knocked,” I heard from behind him, pretty sure the voice belonged to Burner.
“I need to tell you something,” I state.
“Can it wait a little bit?” I shake my head before he finishes. “Alright, baby, come on,” he murmurs, pulling me into him.
Sitting back down, he puts me in his lap and Casey takes my hand and kisses it before asking, “What’s going on?”
“Emerson is awake,” I murmur quietly, looking from Casey and Dagen to the rest of the men in the room.
“Is she okay?”
“Is she able to talk?”
“Does she remember anything?”
Question after question is thrown at me and I feel myself becoming overwhelmed.
“Brothers, calm the fuck down. Our woman is fuckin’ pregnant. She doesn’t need y’all yelling at her.”
Silence descends the room at Dagen’s growl.
“Umm, honey, you aren’t supposed to be talking, remember?” I say in an attempt to calm him down.
“Don’t give a fuck right now, baby. No one is going to upset you more than I know you already are,” he says before leaning into me. “Besides, I saw you earlier in the room with you sister. We’ll be having words tonight about why you were crying,” he whispers into my ear.
Casey squeezes my hand that he’s still holding, giving me the courage I need to speak up.
“I know where Hades is,” I say.
“Where is he, baby?” Casey asks.
“You know where Zuni is?”
“Yeah, we go through there whenever we head to Stoney’s charter,” Rage speaks up.
Nodding, I turn toward him. “You know that old post office that’s boarded up?” I ask.
It takes him a minute but he nods his head. “Yeah, I know what you’re talking about. It’s right there next to the tunnel for the train,” he says, his brows furrowing.
“That’s where Emerson said they’d been held,” I inform them.
“Wait a minute, we’ve all patrolled that area and none of us have seen action in that building. It’s completely abandoned. The only reason they haven’t torn it down is because it’s supposedly a historical landmark,” Burner growls.
“Thank you, Doc, for letting us know,” Twister states.
Nodding, I stand, knowing they will need to talk about the new information I just gave them. Dagen and Casey both give me a kiss before I leave them. Making my way out of the room, I head in search of the rest of the women and Logan before heading back to check on Emerson.
37
Gadget
Soon as the door closes behind Connors, I pull up a map of Zuni on the big screen for all the guys to see, switching it to a satellite to show the exterior of the building and what surrounds it. Unfortunately, the place is a ghost town used mainly for farmland with one section off of the highway where you drive half a mile from one end to the next.
“Alright, so here’s the building Connors is talking about. There’s two entrances, and we all know all the windows are boarded up,” I inform them.
“How the hell did she get away and he didn’t,” Burner growls.
“I don’t have a fuckin’ clue and right now I don’t give a fuck. All that matters is getting out there and bringing our brother home,” Twister slams his fist down before getting up.
Everyone around me nods their heads in agreement as we follow him. No one here wants to wait another minute before we go get our brother.
“Badger, I want you to stay behind with the women.” Twister calls over his shoulder.
“You got it, Prez,” Badger says.
Making our way out of the clubhouse, I don’t see our woman. I call out to the prospect behind the bar to ask where she is.
“Outside with the rest of the women and Logan,” he says, not once looking up from wiping the bar top off.
“Why aren’t you out there with them?” Dagen asks before I can.
“Shadow’s out there with them,” he says nonchalantly.
“Prospect, get your fuckin’ ass out there with them. Just ‘cause Shadow’s out there doesn’t mean shit. Those women and Logan are more fuckin’ important than you wiping the damn bar down. Fuck, we don’t have time for this,” Twister roars.
“Yes, sir,” the prospect says, eyes widening as he puts the towel down and all but runs for the door.
“Time to bring our brother home. Burner, grab the cage. I’m sure we’ll need it,” Twister orders.
No one speaks again as we all head to our bikes. I
follow the motion of my brothers as we all pull out of the parking lot in order, with Twister and Horse in front. As we fly down the road, I send a silent prayer to whoever the fuck is up there that our brother is okay.
“Where the fuck are they?” Burner grumbles as we all stand in the middle of the building Connors told us about.
From the looks of the place, someone’s been here. The stench of death fills the entire building. Wincing at the thought, I begin going from room to room, searching for clues. When we got here, the doors were left wide the fuck open and no one was inside.
Stepping into one room, I find a man’s body on the floor surrounded by blood. From the backside, it almost seems to be Hades but as I kneel next to the body, rolling it to the back, I want to vomit as I stare into the blank eyes of the man who’d taken the both of them.
“Isn’t that Timothy Rogers?” Thorn asks.
“Yep,” I mutter.
“What the fuck, man?” Thorn grumbles.
“Check his pockets to see if he has a phone,” Dragon tells me.
Running my hands over the fucker, I grumble about having to stick my hand in his pants to grab the phone.
“The fucker was stupid enough to get his ass killed but not stupid enough to get a burner. Let’s hope I can get something off this piece of shit’s phone,” I state while holding the phone up.
“Thorn, Rage, I want you two to do a patrol around the area to see if you might spot Hades. Burner, stay with them just in case. The rest of us will head back to the clubhouse. Gadget, when we get there, check that motherfucker’s phone,” Twister orders.
I’m fuckin’ aggravated we didn’t find Hades, but we at least hopefully have a clue as to where to look for him. Maybe.
Starting my bike, I headed back toward the clubhouse, my mind circling through all the information I had found on Timothy Rogers. As much as I wanted him dead for fuckin’ with my family, I need answers and dead men don’t talk. Well, not in voice at least. With the cell phone in my possession, that will hopefully give me what I need.
It’s going to suck having to face Connors. She’s gonna be as disappointed as my brothers. Worse than that is having Emerson find out. I don’t know much about her, but what I do know is she’s loyal to her family and we’re her family.
Doesn’t take me long to get back to the clubhouse. At least, it feels like it since my mind is running a mile a minute.
I’m focused on one thing and that’s getting to my computers. I don’t even take time to find my woman. Dragon will let her know what’s going on and Connors will understand. She’s fuckin’ amazing, and even though she doesn’t think we see it, I know she’s scared. Scared something’s gonna happen.
Hydro still hasn’t made his move and I’m getting fuckin’ tired of it. Maybe we should go back to the house and spend a few nights there. That might be a good idea to contemplate.
She was complaining about Christmas not being the same. This might be a good way to cheer her up, spending Christmas at the house. Let Santa come down the chimney, eat his cookies, and fuck his woman. Yeah, sounds good to me.
Opening the door to my computer room, I clear my head of all thoughts, pushing them to the corners of my mind until after I can figure this shit out. Right now, it’s time to see if I can find something on this phone to bring our brother back.
38
Connors
“The guys still haven’t found him, have they?” It’s the first thing Emerson has asked each time I’ve walked into her room or I should say Hades’s room. It’s been a week since she woke up. When I told her she could go back to staying in the room she was using before, Emerson snapped, stating she’d be staying in Hades’s room for the time being.
She has yet to come out of his room. I feel weird about having to go into Hades’s room to check on her and make sure she’s eating.
She wouldn’t even come with us when Dagen and Casey decided it was time to go home. I was ecstatic when they told me two days ago. I would finally get to feel somewhat normal being in my own home. At first, I thought it would be completely different with the guys here and Emerson still at the clubhouse. But it’s not. It feels as if we’ve lived together all our lives.
I still have to go to the clubhouse with them and hang there while they take care of club business, but at least I get to be home at night.
This morning, though, we’re not going straight to the clubhouse. I was able to make a doctor’s appointment with a friend of mine who’s an OB/GYN. And afterward, I intend to drag the guys shopping, determined to get Logan his Santa gift and not do it through the damn internet.
I know they have to get to the clubhouse and handle shit, but right now I’m being selfish and keeping them to myself for at least a little while. As much as I love everyone at the clubhouse, there’s only so many times you can walk into the main room for a glass of water in the middle of the night to find one of the single guys getting their rocks off with one of the clubwhores. I mean, seriously, I’ve seen more of Susie Cue and Bunny than I ever wanted to.
Grimacing at the thought, I finish getting ready for the day. I feel guilty about taking the day for me and the guys, however, at the same time, I need this. I’ve been cooped up in that damn clubhouse for a month and I need a break from it. Being home helps, but it’s Christmas time and now with the guys, I want to make it the best Christmas I can. I know it won’t make things better with Hades still missing, but I can try my best to do what I can.
“Babe, you ready?” Casey calls out from the other room.
“Coming,” I throw back as I put my boots on. Besides my work shoes and flip flops, that’s all I wear. Grabbing my purse, I head toward my men, finding them talking to Shadow in the living room. “What’s goin’ on?” I ask.
“Shadow’s gonna stay here and watch Logan while we go to the doctor,” Dagen informs me as he ruffles Logan’s hair.
“Aw-sum,” Logan yells out, pumping his arms up and down before turning to Shadow. Can we watch Power Rangers and play with my Hot Wheels? he signs enthusiastically.
Not missing a beat, Shadow smiles and agrees to doing both while they hang out.
“Alright, Lo-man, behave while we’re gone. We won’t be too long. And listen to Shadow, okay?” I say, throwing my purse over my shoulder.
“O-Otay,” Logan says excitedly while giving me a hug.
Leaving the house, I climb in the driver’s seat of my car only to be pulled right back out of it by Casey. “Not happening, baby. I’m driving and Dagen is following on the bike,” he informs me as he walks me to the other side of my car where Dagen is holding the door open for me.
Well, okay, then.
“Guess the alpha male has spoken,” I mutter to myself once the door is closed.
Getting to the doctor’s office was uneventful as neither Casey nor I spoke. I didn’t like the way he just decided he was gonna drive without talking to me. Yeah, that shit doesn’t fly. I’ve always driven myself, even when I went into labor with Logan.
The moment Casey pulls into a parking spot, I’m out of the car and storming my way toward the building.
“What the fuck?” Casey calls after me. Dagen reaches me first and grabs me by the waist, keeping me from going any further. Spinning to glare at the two of them as Casey catches up, I huff.
“Babe, what the fuck is up with that shit? You should have waited until I had the car in park,” Casey states.
“I agree with him, baby, what the fuck?” Dagen furrows his brows.
“You need to stop talking. In fact, both of you do. I’m done with the alpha he-man ‘I’m gonna make her feel like a little woman’ act.” Both their faces turn to shock as I yell, throwing my hands in the air and turning back toward the building. Neither of them utters another word.
Opening the door to the doctor’s office, I hate all the heated looks my guys get from some of the women in the waiting room. Doesn’t matter if they were ready to pop or not, the women simply stared.
“I sho
uld have put paper bags over their faces, least then no one would be gaping at them,” I mutter to myself. Or so I thought. Both Dagen and Casey burst out laughing before each of them wrap an arm around me.
“Nothing to be worried about, baby. We’re yours.” Dagen chuckles as he kisses the side of my head.
“Stephanie Connors?” My name is called out from the entrance. As I stand, so do the guys, and the nurse takes them in. “I’m sorry, only one other person is allowed back with you,” she mutters while eye-fucking each of my men.
“Well, that’s too bad because they’re both coming with me. They’re the fathers, so you can stop eating them with your eyes. They have better taste than that,” I say, storming past her.
“I’m sorry, it’s policy,” she stutters.
“Is there a problem here?” Doctor Taylors asks, rounding the corner. “Oh hey, Doctor Connors, come on back. Bring those two men you were bragging about with you.” She laughs. Turning toward Dagen and Casey, I blush at the fact my friend told on me. Doctor Taylors might be older than me by several years, but out of all the staff I work with, she and Doctor Longsten are the best.
As the guys follow me into one of the exam rooms, I attempt to not let it get to me that I’m about to get huge. And as it seems, I’m also becoming a crazed hormonal lunatic with a switch that flips without warning.
“Alright, missy, let’s see how far along you are,” Doctor Taylors states as she wheels in an ultrasound machine. Yep, she called me missy. It’s what she’s called me since we first met.
“Don’t you have questions to ask or something?” Casey asks, confused.
“Oh, I’ll get to the questions but I’m going a little backward than how I usually go about handling patients. Don’t you know doctors and nurses make horrible patients? Figured we’d start with seeing the little peanut and go from there,” Doctor Taylors states nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders.