Biker

by Ashley Harma

  The man gave her a shrewd look and hesitated, but finally handed over the supplies he was using.

  “Now clear the room,” Noelle ordered, “this isn’t a show.” No one moved. “Get the hell out!” she commanded, and this time, people listened. When she looked up, she saw that Blaze’s father and James were the only ones who stayed behind.

  “Do what you can,” his father said, his voice gruff.

  Noelle nodded.

  “Do you need help?” James asked softly. Noelle had never spoken much to James, though he had always seemed civil enough.

  “Yes, that would be great.”

  At her direction, James slipped on a pair of surgical gloves, as did Noelle, and she set about trying to remove the bullet. She would not allow the use of any painkillers, as Blaze was already slipping in and out of consciousness, and she feared that any more sedation might push him over the edge.

  “I have to try to get the bullet out, but the pain is going to be excruciating. I think you may need to hold him down.” Her voice shook.

  James nodded. “Just tell me when you’re ready.”

  Noelle picked up a pair of long thin forceps, and then took a deep breath to steady herself. She looked over at James. “Ok, ready.”

  James grasped Blaze’s arms and leaned down hard as Noelle slid the instrument into Blaze’s flesh, and just as she had predicted, he screamed in pain and writhed on the table, legs thrashing.

  “It’s alright, man,” James said gruffly, “I got you. We’re gonna fix you up.”

  Noelle forced back her tears and focused only on fixing Blaze.

  Chapter Thirteen

  After a painstaking hour, she felt that she had done the best she possibly could, given the situation and limited resources.

  “Thank you,” she said to James.

  He nodded. “You’ll let me know if you need anything else, alright?”

  “Yes. Thank you so much, James”

  Crying softly now, she lay down next to Blaze and tried to get some sleep. She awoke every hour or so, checking on him, cleaning his wound and changing his dressing. The sutures she had done were coarse, and she was hoping that they would not separate or get infected.

  Blaze’s father came in periodically to check on him, and he must have told the other gang members not to disturb them, because no one else came in as the night wore on.

  Just after six in the morning, Blaze began to stir. He groaned in pain, and Noelle wondered if she had done the right thing by not giving him the drugs that would have provided him some relief. Yet she knew that Blaze had a strong family history of addiction, and she didn’t want to set him up for failure.

  “Where am I?” he mumbled.

  “You’re okay, Blaze. You’re at the clubhouse.”

  He tried to sit up, but Noelle pushed him back down. “Relax. You’ve suffered a pretty bad injury.”

  Blaze groaned as he tried to shift his body. “It fucking hurts.”

  She cringed. “I know. I was afraid to give you any painkillers. Was I wrong? Do you want some?”

  He grimaced and shook his head. “No. That was smart of you. It’s probably best if I don’t start.”

  “I need to change the dressing on your wound again. You’re still bleeding.” She paused, unsure if she should say more. “You really need a hospital, Blaze, but your club won’t allow it.”

  Blaze’s jaw set in a hard line. “They were right. I can’t go to a hospital. We all would end up in jail.” He looked over at Noelle again, who was concentrating on his wound. “I don’t remember everything, but it was bad last night, wasn’t it?”

  She looked up at him, stubborn tears filling her eyes. She nodded, unable to speak. Noelle knew if she opened her mouth that only sobs would come out. She still couldn’t believe that innocent people died. She still couldn’t believe that they had lost Derek, had left him lying there alone on a sidewalk in Vegas.

  “It’s on the news by now,” Blaze said, “I need to speak to someone. I don’t want to see my father. Maybe James?”

  “Sure. I’ll get him.” Noelle hurried off. As much as she hated the main room, she knew that would be her best bet for locating James. She moved quietly through the hallways, feeling more exhausted than at any other time in her life. She was supposed to be on a flight heading home soon, but she couldn’t imagine leaving Blaze in his condition. She made a mental note to call out of work for the following day.

  She reached the big room, and the atmosphere was somber. Some people were crying; others were seated together in tight clusters, speaking in hushed tones.

  Thankfully, Noelle saw James across the room. He saw her at the same time, and he strode across the room toward her.

  “What is it?” he asked, his eyes worried.

  “It’s Blaze. He wants to see you. He doesn’t remember much of last night, and he has a lot of questions. Be very careful with what you say, he’s still in a very vulnerable state.”

  James nodded and followed Noelle back to the room where Blaze was recovering.

  “Hey buddy,” James said softly when he entered the room. Blaze lay still, his face ashen.

  “James,” he wheezed, “What’s going on? What’s the news reporting? What went down at the Wynn?”

  Noelle shrank back into a corner, trying to make herself invisible. She didn’t necessarily feel like she should be privy to this conversation, but she wasn’t leaving Blaze, and she was curious. Would James lie? She herself hadn’t seen the local news, and didn’t know the extent of the carnage. How many dead? How many injured?

  “It’s bad,” James said gravely, “It’s all over the news stations – local and national. There don’t seem to be any ties to us – no one really knows who the victims are yet, but we definitely need to lay low for a while. Your dad is freaking out pretty badly.”

  Blaze took this in, wincing as he tried to sit up in bed. Noelle hurried over, propping pillows up behind him and helping him sit up.

  “And what did we make? What did those lives cost us?” Blaze asked, his tone bitter. Noelle wondered if he regretted the heist now. How could he not? They lost far more than they could have ever anticipated. She knew Blaze well enough to know that he never would have moved forward if he had suspected they would lose so many people.

  “We did well, very well. We brought in nearly forty million.”

  “Holy shit.”

  “I know.”

  Noelle sucked in a deep breath. The number was staggering, but she also just remembered that there was an additional duffle bag in Blaze’s room. No one seemed to remember that there was more money to be counted.

  She didn’t speak up.

  Blaze winced again and this time Noelle spoke up. “You need to rest more. I don’t want to scare you Blaze, but it’s a really bad wound.”

  Blaze nodded and looked at James. “Thanks for coming in here. Do me a favor and tell my old man that I’ll be fine.”

  James nodded and started to leave. Noelle stood by the door and James stopped and looked intently at her. “Thank you,” he said quietly. “I know, and so does everyone else, that Blaze wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for you.”

  “I appreciate your saying that, James. I care about him, so I did what I had to do.”

  James nodded, and reached for the doorknob. He stopped, then turned around, lowering his voice. “You didn’t hear this from me, but you would be wise to leave here soon. Blaze would be better off far away from here too. Regardless of the huge payout from the heist, once the dust settles, they are going to come after you like a pack of angry wolves.”

  Noelle’s face paled. “What do you mean? Who’s coming after me?”

  “The club, Noelle. They’re going to look for a scapegoat and you are the perfect person to blame for the members we lost last night.”

  Noelle was shocked and sickened at the same time. “Me? But this wasn’t my idea! Blaze talked me into coming back here, and I had nothing to do with the planning!”

 
; “I know. But I’m just telling you how it is. There are a lot of upset women who’ve lost their men. And there are a lot of angry men who have dead friends. I think the second that Blaze can stand on his own two feet, you both should get the hell out of here.”

  James’ warning horrified Noelle, but she knew he was absolutely right.

  “But what about you?” she asked. “You were just as much a part of this plan as we were.”

  James’ face whitened a bit. “I know... and I’m leaving tonight.” He actually looked nervous. “Not sure what I’m going to do, but I’ll figure something out.”

  Noelle suddenly thought of something. “Wait right here,” she said quickly, “I’ll be right back.”

  She hurried out of the room, moving as quickly as she could through the halls without drawing attention. She slipped into Blaze’s room and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the duffle bag still underneath the bed.

  Moving swiftly, she grabbed the bag and unzipped it.

  “Oh my God.”

  The bag was stuffed with cash.

  On closer examination, Noelle saw that the bag was filled with thick rolls of one hundred dollar bills. She went to Blaze’s closet and found a backpack jammed in the corner. She grabbed it and crammed rolls of the bills into the backpack until it was full. She’d hardly made a dent in the duffle bag.

  Her heart pounding, Noelle tucked the duffle bag in the bottom of Blaze’s closet and covered it with a heap of clothes. She then slung the backpack over her shoulder and hurried out of the room.

  She was nervous moving through the hallways and she felt that at any moment she might be caught and the money discovered. She managed to make it back to the room, and James gave her an odd look when she entered the room carrying a heavy backpack.

  “Take this,” she said, thrusting it at him.

  “What is it?” He unzipped it and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. “Where did you get this?”

  “I had one of the duffle bags on me last night. No one knew or asked. If you’re going to leave, then you’re going to need some money.”

  James’ eyes widened as he looked at the bills. “There must be a million dollars here!”

  “Will that be enough?” she asked, biting her lip.

  James nodded. “It will be more than enough.” And then, in an uncharacteristic gesture, he hugged her tightly. “Thank you, Noelle. And please don’t give up on Blaze. He’s a good guy. He needs someone like you.”

  Noelle felt tears prick her eyes again and she nodded.

  “Don’t let him die,” James said, his voice cracking. He squeezed Noelle’s hand and then he was gone.

  Noelle sighed, sinking down onto the bed next to Blaze. She was more anxious now than ever, and she knew that she needed to get Blaze well enough to leave the clubhouse with her. She felt that once James left, then the heat would really be on them. She wished they could leave tonight with James.

  Blaze had fallen back to sleep and Noelle paced the room, trying to devise a plan. If she could somehow get Blaze out of the clubhouse tonight, she could move him to a hotel where she could take care of him. Of course, she knew that the Widowmakers would come looking for them, so they’d need to move again in a short period of time.

  Frustrated, she threw her hands up. Getting Blaze out of the clubhouse in his condition just seemed impossible.

  Taking a deep breath, Noelle tried to concentrate. She sat down on the bed, continuing to take deep, calming breaths. She took Blaze’s hand and tried to think of a way to protect them both.

  Chapter Fourteen

  A few hours later, Blaze woke up and saw Noelle sitting next to him.

  “Hey,” he croaked.

  “Hi,” she smoothed the hair on his forehead, “How do you feel?”

  “Alright. Thirsty.”

  Noelle was finally feeling calm after a nerve-wracking day. She rose to change Blaze’s dressing and bring him a cool drink.

  “You’re improving slowly, but you’re not out of the woods yet.”

  “There’s something you’re not telling me,” he observed. Even hanging on the edge of death, Blaze was exceptionally smart and perceptive.

  Noelle was going to have to tell him eventually. “We need to talk. And we don’t have a lot of time.” She quickly recounted her conversation with James and she observed Blaze’s face as he realized that James was right. She also told him about the duffle bag.

  “Yes, we need to leave tonight,” he agreed.

  “But you can hardly move. And the truth is, moving you right now could kill you.”

  Blaze groaned as he tried to shift positions. “Well, that’s a risk we’re going to have to take, because staying here will kill us both,” he pointed out.

  Noelle gulped.

  “We leave tonight. Around midnight. You call a cab and tell them to pick us up a quarter mile north of here. Then we leave on foot, and wait for the cab.’’

  “You aren’t going to make it that far!”

  Blaze set his mouth in a determined line. “I’m going to have to.” He groaned in pain again and it made Noelle ache to see him hurting.

  “I’m going to need pain killers,” he admitted. Noelle tried to interrupt but he held his hand up. “I’m going to trust you to help me. You won’t let me have any more than I and you won’t let me get addicted.”

  “Don’t be an idiot! It’s not that easy!”

  “You said it yourself – I’m never going to make it that far on foot tonight. But if I have painkillers, then I just might.”

  Noelle cursed under her breath.

  “Go back to the room and pack two small bags. Just a few things for you and a few for me.” Noelle got up to leave. “Wait. There’s one more thing.” Noelle turned around. “In the bottom of my dresser there is a small white key. It unlocks a box in the very back of my left desk drawer. Find the key, unlock the box and grab the slip of paper in there.”

  Noelle gave him a strange look.

  “Just do it, please. Also, clear out the box of cash on the other side of my desk. The one where you’ve seen me take out money to pay you. Then come straight back here. Once you’re back, we can figure out the painkillers.”

  Noelle left Blaze for a second time, rushing back to his room, quickly throwing clothes together in their bags, and emptying the cash from the lock box. She didn’t know how much money was there, but it was certainly several hundred thousand.

  She suddenly realized she’d forgotten about calling work, and she hurriedly punched the number on her cell phone. Reaching one of the nurses on her floor, Noelle explained that she had a family emergency and needed the next two to three days off.

  She didn’t say that she might need much more time than that.

  She certainly didn’t say that she might never return to work.

  With shaking fingers, she ended the call, and then retrieved the key, as Blaze had directed. Carefully, she unlocked the metal box in the bottom of Blaze’s drawer. The slip of paper he had mentioned was folded many times, and she pulled it out, curiously unfolding it.

  It was a blank check drawn from an account in the Cayman Islands. Blaze’s father had signed it.

  A million questions flooded her mind, but she stashed the check in her bag, pulled the duffel bag from under Blaze’s bed, and did one final check of the room. It seemed that Noelle had everything they would need, and she flipped off the light, shutting the door behind her.

  She knew it would be the last time that she would see that room.

  Noelle hugged the walls and kept her head down as she made her way back to Blaze, not wanting to attract any attention to herself. A few people passed her, but they seemed so self-involved that they barely noticed her.

  She made it back to the room where Blaze was staying, and once safely inside, she grabbed the check and thrust it toward him.

  “What is this?”

  Blaze managed to snatch it from her. “What does it look like? A blank check.”

  Noelle
gave him an accusatory look.

  “It’s not what you think. This is my money that my father set aside for me. He gave me this check. I’m not stealing anything.”

  Noelle wasn’t sure what to believe, and even if Blaze was in fact stealing the money, she wasn’t sure she cared. Especially if the money belonged to his father.

  “I’ll explain more later. Our next order of business is getting painkillers.”

  Noelle rolled her eyes. “That shouldn’t be too hard here. Everybody here seems high most of the time.”

  “Right. Except they’re usually doing lines of coke. I know my mom has some stuff, but I don’t want to deal with her. You’re not going to like this, but you have to find my father and tell him I’m in pain and he needs to give you something to help me out for a few days. He might try to disagree, but he’ll eventually get them for you.”

  This wasn’t going to be an errand that Noelle enjoyed, but she did as Blaze told her. It wasn’t hard to find his father – he was sitting in a large chair in the big room, four empty beer bottles in front of him. His eyes were glassy and he looked defeated.

  “What do you want?” he asked, barely glancing at Noelle.

  “I need to speak to you about Blaze.”

  There was a momentary flicker in his eyes, and then it was gone.

  “He’s alright,” Noelle continued, “I mean, he’s not alright, but his condition is stable. The only problem is that he’s in a lot of pain. I didn’t want to give him painkillers but he can’t tolerate it anymore. The pain has become too much.”

  His father narrowed his eyes. “And you think that’s a good idea?”

  Noelle held his gaze defiantly, not wanting to seem afraid. “No, I don’t think it’s a good idea,” she said clearly, “but he can’t heal and recover when his body is in such agony. He can’t sleep, he can’t eat, and he’s going to get weaker if he doesn’t get some relief.”

  Blaze’s father stared at her, his eyes hard and cold. Noelle thought he was going to fight her further, but instead he gave up and shrugged. He pushed himself up from his chair, swaying slightly.