by Cat Mason
Along with the bed sheets and underwear I had to burn the next morning...
“Okay.” I swipe at my forehead with my hand. “Ready when you are.”
“I, uh,” he stammers, tugging at the collar of his uniform shirt. “Thought we could talk privately. You know?”
“No,” Donnie and Colt snap in unison.
“It’s fine,” I reply, dismissively. “Donnie’s my brother and Colt was there when it happened. They can stay.”
“You’re sure?” he asks, tilting his head as he studies me. “I really think—”
“If it’s all the same to you,” I begin, shutting him down before he can finish. “I’d like to get this over with.”
“Well.” Levi steps toward me. Tilting his head to the side, his eyes soften. “I’ve been worried about you. How are you feeling?”
“I was run down and left for dead in the parking lot like a stray cat,” I blurt, unable to bite back my frustration. “I’ll live, but I’m pretty sure I won’t be doing that 5k next weekend in Knoxville.”
His brows knit together. “Right,” he replies, pulling a pen and small notepad from his pocket. “From what Dr. Gage told me, it sounds like you were very lucky.”
“Lucky?” Donnie and Colt say in unison, both sounding as shocked as I am with his choice of words.
“Yeah,” I deadpan. “I was just telling Colt I should play the Powerball this weekend.”
“Sorry,” he says, apologetically. “I guess I just don’t like that you were walking to your car alone so late at night. You could’ve called me.”
“If I wanted to debate what ifs, I’d go back a lot further than last night,” I bite out, driving home my point by waving around the candy in my hand. “No offense.”
“I want some of whatever she’s on,” Colt chuckles. Snatching the candy from my fingers, he tosses it into his mouth. “This is fuckin’ great.”
“I assume she’s been heavily medicated,” Levi says, nodding his head.
“Obviously not enough,” I mutter, rolling my eyes. “How about we cut through the shit and you ask what you need to know to catch the asshole who hit me?”
“Did you see anything before—” he stops mid-sentence, clearly second guessing the delivery of his question.
“Before I was flung ass over hood?” I finish for him, my hand squeezing into a tight fist. If this dumbass were five feet closer, I would punch him in the balls. The pain in my ribs and shoulder afterword would be worth it. So would the felony charge I’d catch for assaulting a police officer. Colt chuckles again, while my brother looks like he wants to slap me upside the head. However, at this point, I couldn’t give a shit. “I saw headlights. Two of them.”
“Henley,” Donnie bites out in warning.
Levi sighs heavily. “This is awkward,” he admits, looking from Colt to Donnie, before meeting my eyes again. “Don’t let our personal relationship interfere with me finding the people responsible for hurting you.”
“Fuckin’ hell,” Colt growls under his breath.
“Look.” Adjusting in the bed again, I sit up as straight as my body will allow. “The only one making this awkward is you. We,” I continue, gesturing between us with my index finger. “Don’t have a relationship, Levi. Never will.”
Reminding myself to breathe, I attempt to rein in my temper. It’s no secret that I have a short fuse and a bit of an anger management issue. Especially when I have to deal with Donnie fussing over me for long periods of time. Or moronic fucking men like Levi Fowler. Things like that tend to make my patience snap like a rubber band.
“No bullshit.” Taking a deep breath, I blow it out slowly, trying to gather my sanity and composure. “I remember talking to Colt and the guys, then started walking to my car. I barely managed to whip around in time to see the lights before they hit me. I honestly didn’t see anything else.”
“Is there anyone you think would have reason to hurt you?” Levi asks. “Maybe an enemy with a score to settle? If not with you, maybe the club?”
“Excuse me?” I ask, gaping at him slack-jawed. The last of my patience officially fizzles. As much as I want to cooperate and make sure whoever who put me in this bed gets his very own spot on the prison block, I am having a hard time not wanting to take all my frustration out on this cock-knocker who, apparently, thinks that random hit-and-runs are everyday occurrences around here.
Colt growls, pushing from his chair at the same time Donnie shoves from the wall. They look murderous, causing Levi to take a step back toward the door. “Levi, I don’t know what you think you know about me or my involvement with the club my brother is in, but I don’t make it a habit to go out and make enemies. I work sixty plus hours a week sometimes. I don’t really have time to stir the shit pot.”
“I understand what you’re saying, Henley,” he says, sounding skeptical. “I have to ask these questions. Especially, since we have footage from the cameras across the street showing the car in question had been parked there for nearly half an hour before pulling into the hospital lot.”
“What?” I mutter, unable to believe what he just said. My eyes shoot to Colt who doesn’t look shocked. He looks mad as hell. When I see Donnie’s expression matches Colt’s, a chill rushes over my skin. “They knew what time my shift ended.”
“We believe so,” Levi nods.
“This wasn’t an accident, was it?” My question hangs in the air, slapping me in the face with a hard dose of reality. Shaking my head in disbelief, I look at Colt. “Someone tried to kill me.”
“That’s enough for now,” Donnie snaps, stepping between Levi and my bed when he attempts to come toward me.
“Fine.” Shifting, Levi meets my eyes. “If you think of anything, Henley, I want you to call me. Day or night. You’ve got my cell number. I’ll be in touch.”
“Better yet,” Donnie blurts before I can answer. “How ‘bout you tell Dobbs next time he has questions for Henley, he puts down the remote and brings his lazy ass out to ask them himself.”
Without saying another word, Levi turns and stalks from the room. The moment the door closes, Donnie erupts like a volcano. “You and him, Henley?” he barks, making my entire body tense. “Are you fuckin’ kidding?”
“Drop it, Donnie,” I sigh, letting my eyes close. “We’re not doing this.”
“What the hell did you see in that clown, Henley?”
“I could tell you what I saw in him, but some topics should be off-limits between siblings, don’t ya think?”
“Are you insane?” he roars, getting louder. “Fucking around with a cop is never a good idea.”
“True story,” I mutter, nodding my head thoughtfully. “Sadly, my vagina can’t see the future.”
“Henley this is serious,” Donnie argues, not amused by my joke.
“Calm down. Levi’s harmless,” I fire back, opening my eyes to stare him down. If he wants a dose of truth, I’m about to make this little heart to heart moment very uncomfortable for him. “The guy can’t find a clit with a GPS and neon signs. Pretty safe to say he’s a shitty cop, too.”
“Ouch,” Colt blurts, earning him a dirty look from Donnie.
“Goddammit, Henley,” my brother groans, swallowing hard. “That’s not what I meant and you know it.”
Son of a bitch. I can’t get out of this bed and home soon enough. At least in my apartment I can lock Donnie out and ignore his existence when he is this goddamn irritating. Taking a deep breath, I blow it out slowly, feeling the damn meds working to pull me toward oblivion. I can’t think of anything better right now than to go to sleep and ignore all of this shit happening around me.
“Colt?”
“Yes, ma’am?” I can hear the amusement in his voice. I have no doubt he knows where this is going.
Licking my overly dry lips, I smile. “Jellybean.”
“You got it, babe.” His words wash over me like warm whiskey. Or maybe it is the drugs. I prefer to believe it’s him.
Like he said he would, C
olt tells Donnie it’s time to go. As expected, my brother argues, but ends up giving in much easier than I thought he would. The last sounds I hear before I drift off is their hushed voices and the door closing.
Six
Colt
“You want to tell me what the hell is going on?” Torch barks, shoving at my chest the moment we step outside the main doors of the hospital.
“Putting space between you two before shit goes bad,” I explain. “We’ve got enough on our plate without you makin’ a scene while the law’s still sniffin’ around.”
“Didn’t ask for your help,” he argues, looking ready to take a swing at me. “My sister isn’t club business. This is my call, not yours.”
“Wrong,” I fire back, crowding his space. Adrenaline courses through my veins, the thrill of a good fight just within reach. Though I know a few good rounds would ease the frustration we both have building, it falls on me to be the one that keeps his head on straight. This isn’t the time or place to lose control. “When what you’re about to do could blow back on everyone, including this club, you’re goddamn right I’ll step in before I let you go off half-cocked. It’s my job to have your back. Even if your head’s too far up your own ass to see it that way.”
Stepping back, he looks up at the sky and takes several deep breaths before speaking again. “You heard what he said. That fucker lives in her building.” He shakes his head. “Nothin’ good about that, Brother.”
“Agreed,” I reply, not wanting that bastard anywhere near Henley.
Him living there gives him the excuse to pop in on her any time he damn well pleases. That doesn’t work for me. Not that I need to tell Torch, but I already plan to make sure Fowler gets the message that he and his cock won’t be getting any private time with Henley ever again. For now, I will keep my cards close and wait to play my hand until the time is right.
“I want her out of Milford,” he blurts, his fists clenching tightly at his sides. “When she’s released here, she comes to the clubhouse.”
“Henley know that yet?” I chuckle, knowing that woman is even more bullheaded than he is.
“She will soon enough,” he bites out confidently.
“We both know you need to take a minute before you go back in there,” I say, stopping him when he heads for the doors. “Unless you wanna end up getting hauled out by security, or in a bed of your own across the hall,” I chuckle, remembering Henley threatening to do exactly that.
“I know what I’m doing,” he argues stubbornly.
“Trust me, Torch. You walk in there like this, she kicks your ass out and doesn’t hear a goddamn thing you say. If protecting her is your top priority—”
“It is!” he roars, charging me. “Don’t question my motives, Colt. Or my priorities. The club and my family outrank everything else. Always.”
“Then take a ride,” I bark, shoving him back a good three feet. “Shower, grab some food that doesn’t come from a vending machine, and take care of the shit waiting for you at the shop. Hell, get some pussy. Don’t give a fuck what you do, but you’ll give her some time to breathe.”
“I’m not leavin’ her alone,” he fires back, his tone wearing my patience thinner by the second.
“She won’t be alone,” I assure him, reminding myself that he’s too twisted up in his own damn head to see that I’m right. “I’ll be here.” Crossing my arms over my chest, I flash him a smile, daring him to push the subject.
“You?” His expression changes, his rage fading into disbelief.
“Me,” I reply immediately. “Now go.”
“Yeah,” he growls, but doesn’t push like I expect him to. “Whatever you say, V.P..”
Waiting until Torch pulls out of the lot, I make a call letting Stone know what’s up. After explaining what went down, Stone agrees to keep him busy for a few hours so that I can do a round of Q&A with Henley myself when she wakes up. Something that I guarantee will go over a lot better if Torch isn’t hovering over her like a mother hen.
Henley is smart. I have no doubt she knew to watch what she said when it came to the law. Sure, she could be telling Fowler the truth. At this point the jury is still out. What I do know is having been seen with us so many times in the last year or so connects her to the club. That connection, while it can be a shield of protection for the women we care about, also brings unwanted enemies and heat. I also know if Henley has any idea who hurt her, she wasn’t about to give that info to him. The look on her face said it all. That shithead was the last person on Earth she wanted to see walking into her hospital room.
Eager to get back inside to Henley, I make a quick stop at the vending machine, using the last of my change on snacks before heading back up to her room. Vending machines and their bullshit tiny portions sizes are a fucking joke. You bet your ass it takes more than four cookies and a small bag of pretzels to maintain this shit without feeling the need to gnaw off a table leg.
With Henley still asleep when I make it back to her room, I attempt to get comfortable in the chair without waking her. After I tear into one of the candy bars I bought, I crack open a soda and grab the remote from the hook on her bed rail, hoping to pass the time.
All the shit swirling in my head makes it hard as fuck to concentrate on anything I find on television. Time ticks by, every fucking hour feels more like days. My eyes keep shifting from the bullshit on TV to her, finding an odd contentment in watching her get in what little rest she can around this damn place before that revolving door opens again.
Any doctor or nurse will tell you how important it is for you to get as much rest as possible. It’s vital to the healing process and all that shit. The only problem with that is it’s damn near impossible to do that in these places. Who the hell can get any kind of rest when they come in and fuck with you every single time you doze off?
I have come real close to calling Jace and telling him to take his ass down to the No Tell Motel in town and snatch one of those Do Not Disturb sings for me to hang on her door.
Not that it would help.
Snagging the bag of Reese’s Pieces from the inside pocket of my cut, I prop my feet up on the foot rail of the bed. Tearing the corner with my teeth, I pour some into my mouth. “You’re like the Mary Poppins of snack foods,” Henley mutters sleepily. Looking her way, I catch her studying me. “Do you have a vending machine in there? A mini fridge?”
Pouring in another mouthful, I wink at her. “And an open bar.”
“A man after my own heart,” she smiles. “I’ll take a shot of Cuervo and a lime. Leave the bottle.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I nod my head. “Soon as you’re outta here and at the clubhouse.”
“I’m not going to the clubhouse, Colt.” Her voice is calm and confident. “When they discharge me, I’m going home. I refuse to let this make me afraid to live my life normally. You can tell Donnie that too. The last thing I want to do is spend time repeating myself.”
“Quit being so goddamn stubborn and hear me out before you throw attitude at me, woman. Me wantin’ you protected has fuck all to do with Torch. It has to do with me givin’ a damn about you.” Dropping my feet to the floor, I sit up straight. “We have to assume the fucker who put you in this bed is already puttin’ a plan together to finish the job. And you can bet that fine ass of yours if they’ve been watchin’ you at the hospital, they’ve got eyes on your place. See the bigger picture here and prepare to react accordingly, babe.”
“React accordingly? Did you really just say that to me?” she asks, huffing out a laugh. “Men. You’re all the same. All of you dick-wieldin’ assholes think that us lowly little women should bow to your superior knowledge. Well, I hate to break it to you, Beefcake, not every woman jumps when she’s told like some well-trained pup.”
“Lowly little women?” I ask, arching a brow questioningly.
Her stare hardens. “I won’t be commanded to heel, Colt.”
There’s that fire. Fuck. Fury rages in those stormy eyes. Though, as m
uch as I want to sit back and watch it burn, I need her to know that this isn’t about some need to control her every move. It’s about protecting everyone, especially her, against the bigger threat.
“I’m not about takin’ your power, Henley.” Sitting back in the chair, I nod appreciatively at her, not even trying to hide the smile that spreads across my face. “It’s theirs I want.”
“That’s not very reassuring.”
“Sweet promises won’t keep you alive,” I inform her, pinning her with my stare. “I will.” Dumping the last of the candy into my mouth, I toss the wrapper to the table.
“You will,” she murmurs sarcastically. “And it only involves me changing every single aspect of my life while you tell me what you think I need to hear?”
“Trust is my only requirement,” I answer honestly. “The rest is up for negotiation.”
“And if I tell you to fuck off?” she asks, clearly testing me. “What then?”
“You won’t,” I inform her, confident that I know this woman a lot fucking better than she gives me credit for. “Because the alternative is big brother becoming your permanent shadow.”
“I’ve already been run over once this week, Colt. The thought of days, possibly weeks, of Donnie in his traditional steamroller mode makes the car seem like a dodge ball.”
“Understandable.” Nodding, I can’t help agree. Especially after seeing Torch go full throttle over little sister hitting the sheets with a member of the local law. Not that I am feeling especially thrilled with that shit myself. Me keeping her close is just as much for my benefit as it is hers.
A knock at the door stops our conversation. When it swings open, Phyllis strides in, carrying a large vase of pink and white roses. “Looks like someone wanted to brighten your spirits,” she sings, arranging it on the bedside table. “Aren’t they just beautiful? I was starting to worry they wouldn’t arrive before I left for the day.”