I did my business, washed my face, and rinsed my mouth out with some mouthwash I found under the sink. Unfortunately, after a quick perusal of the medicine cabinet, I didn’t find anything to help with the pain.
Tiptoeing back to the bed, I gingerly sat and inspected my leg. My jeans had been cut away at the knee, and my calf was covered in a large bandage. I teetered back and forth on whether or not I should take a peek. Ultimately, I figured if it was hurting as bad as it was, I should have a look and see what was causing the pain since my memory was still failing me.
Carefully, I pulled the tape back from the top corner of the dressing and lifted the gauze away from my skin. The sight of the grotesque wound on my calf had me gasping in horror. A huge gash surrounded by some serious bruising covered the majority of my calf. But what stumped me even more were the professional looking stitches. Well, thank you to whomever, but I needed to get out of wherever I was and back to my safe haven.
I glanced around the room and found two windows on the back wall of the bedroom. Hobbling over, I peeked outside and realized I was in the cabin. What was I doing inside?
What was even more disturbing was that I couldn’t recall anything. Obviously, someone found me and brought me inside. But how did they find me and what happened to my leg?
Huffing out a breath in frustration, I mentally chastised myself. I needed to focus on getting out of the cabin as soon as possible because I had clearly been discovered by someone, and not knowing who exactly was troubling me the most. It could be any of the three people looking for me, or it could be an all new hell if my history was anything to go by. It would explain why my head was in a fog. I experienced the exact same feelings the last time I was drugged.
Pushing those thoughts away, I eased open the window and mouthed a silent “thank you” for its smooth and soundless slide. Next, I yanked the sheet from the bed and tied it securely to the headboard. Then, I tied a blanket to the end of the sheet, hoping it would be long enough to reach the ground because I didn’t see any other material I could use.
Ignoring the pain in my leg, I climbed through the window and began my descent to the ground below hoping and praying the bed wouldn’t move and alert whomever was in the house to my activities. The sun was barely peeking over the horizon, so, hopefully, the cabin’s occupant was still asleep, and I could get away scot-free.
As soon as my feet touched the ground, I moved as fast as my leg would allow to the bunker I’d been staying in since I managed to escape not one, not two, but three horrible situations. I was beginning to think I had done something to forever piss off Lady Luck until I stumbled upon an unlocked, unoccupied, and fully stocked bunker behind a large cabin.
Once I was safely inside the bunker, I closed the hatch and didn’t come out for two whole days. Those first two nights were horrible. I was terrified of what could possibly be coming for me outside. When I was finally brave enough to leave the bunker, I opened the hatch to find the ground covered in snow. There was no way I could try to hike down the mountain in the snow. The only footwear I had was the pair of flimsy tennis shoes I’d been wearing the day I escaped.
So, I stayed in the bunker and waited for the snow to melt. And it finally did, several weeks later. I should have known if it was warm enough for me to be out and about it was warm enough for the animals in the area to be out scavenging for food. But the thought never occurred to me, and I only made it a few hundred yards from the cabin when I ran into the boars.
I wanted to curl up into a ball and cry, but I couldn’t because I needed to come up with a new game plan. There was no way I would be able to get down the mountain with my leg injury, at least not in one day like I’d originally hoped. My head felt fuzzy, and my leg was killing me. I had no idea what to do, and sheer panic was trying its best to consume me as I ambled around the small space, packing everything I could into a large backpack I found in the bunker.
As I was packing, and panicking, an idea hit me. I didn’t have to make it down the mountain in one day. I could hike a little bit at a time and then pitch a tent for the night. It would likely take me a few days of hiking and camping before I reached the small town at the base, but I could do it. Once there, I could find someone to help me.
Feeling slightly better about my situation, I hurried to gather the items I needed so I could get out of there before the man came looking for me. Wait! A man? How did I know it was a man in the cabin? Little flashes of memories were blinking on my mind’s horizon but refused to light up completely. It didn’t matter. I would remember what happened, or I wouldn’t. Either way, I didn’t have the time to worry about it. Getting away was priority number one.
Once I finished packing, I tossed my loaded backpack through the hatch, followed by the compact two-person tent I found in a storage closet. Then, I climbed out, picked up my belongings, and made a beeline for the trees.
It was taking every bit of my willpower to keep going despite the pain in my leg. I hadn’t even made it a third of a mile when I felt like it would be easier and less painful to cut the damn thing off. Tears began to leak from my eyes, but I gritted my teeth and pushed on. This was no time to be weak. If I wanted to survive, I had to keep going. And keep going is what I did.
Chapter Three
Copper
I couldn’t decide if I was more pissed off or intrigued by the woman as I watched her descend to the ground using a blanket. It was a move I hadn’t expected from her, while at the same time, I wasn’t surprised by it either.
I watched her limp toward the back of the property and thought briefly about calling out to her, to tell her to stop, but something in my gut told me to wait. I always followed my gut instinct. It had never led me in the wrong direction.
My jaw dropped as I watched her open the hatch to the bunker and climb inside. How did she get in there? It was a fucking bunker for crying out loud. It was supposed to be secure! On second thought, maybe my open-ended invitation to use Badger’s cabin had been rescinded, or maybe my brothers in Croftridge were dealing with a situation I wasn’t aware of.
Before I could think better of it, I pulled out my phone and dialed Badger. He would be pissed at the early hour, but it couldn’t be helped.
“This better be good, Copper,” Badger grumbled into the phone.
“It might be; you tell me. Do you have a woman staying in your bunker at the cabin?” I asked, trying to keep my tone light and casual.
“WHAT?” he yelled, damn near rupturing my eardrum.
“You heard me. I came up to the cabin last night to stay for a few days. Found her just inside the tree line sitting on top of a huge boulder trying to get away from a couple of wild boars. This morning, I watched her sneak out of a window upstairs and run off to the bunker.”
“Why was she in the cabin?” he asked.
“Because one of the boars got her leg. She tried to run away after I shot the beasts, but I caught her. I was going to question her, but then I realized she was hurt. Called Splint to come and sew up her leg. She didn’t want to go to the hospital, so I crushed up a sleeping pill and put it in a glass of whiskey for her. She was out within ten minutes and slept until about thirty minutes ago,” I explained.
“How the hell did she get into my bunker?” he asked.
“I take it that means she’s not a Blackwings’ project?”
“Excuse me?”
“She’s got damsel in distress written all over her. I thought she might be someone you guys were helping, like with Ember.”
“Son of a motherfucking bitch!” he cursed.
“Not following, brother.”
“When all that shit went down with Ember, I bet no one thought to lock up the bunker. And I know for a fact no one but me has been up there since then, and I didn’t check it,” he explained.
“That explains how she got in, but I think we need to know how she found it in the first place, and why she is using it.”
“Completely agree. You want me to head up there?�
�
“Not yet. I’m going to hang back and watch. See what she does. If she tries to take off, I’ll follow. No worries, brother. I’ll get some answers from her,” I said.
“You sure?” he asked.
“Yeah, she’s not a threat, but something’s going on with her. Honestly, I think it’ll be fun to see how this plays out.”
He chuckled into the phone, “Only you would. Thanks, Copper. Call if you need me.”
“Will do.”
I quickly threw together a rudimentary pack in case I needed to track her while keeping my eye on the bunker. As expected, the little sneak tossed two bags out of the hatch before she climbed out. She glanced around one time, picked up the bags, and darted for the trees.
I smiled to myself. Let the hunt begin.
***
To my surprise, she only hiked a mile or so from the cabin before she stopped and started setting up a campsite. She worked quickly and efficiently. Once she had her small tent up, she crawled inside and zipped it closed.
I kept my distance, watching her through binoculars. When twenty minutes passed and she still hadn’t come out of the tent, I took that as my opportunity to find my own place to camp. As I got myself setup, I couldn’t keep my mind off of the mysterious woman. I had so many questions for her when the time came. And it would come. I would make sure of it.
I continued to watch her from afar for the rest of the day. She only came out of the tent to gather some wood and get a small fire started. What was she doing? I fully expected her to keep moving, not pitch a tent a mile from the cabin. By nightfall, it was clear she was staying put for the night.
When early afternoon rolled around the next day and she still hadn’t emerged from her tent, I started to worry. I tried to wait her out, but my gut was telling me something was wrong. Giving up on the cat and mouse game, I made my way to her campsite and called out, “Hey! You okay in there?”
Nothing.
I knew she was inside the tent. After spending so many years in the Marines, there was no way she could have gotten past me without me noticing.
“Hello?” I said and lightly shook the tent with my hand.
Nothing.
Chills crept up my spine, and my skin broke out in goosebumps. Something was wrong. I unzipped the tent and crawled half way inside to find her lying on her side with her knees pulled up to her chest, white as a ghost and drenched in sweat. Her eyes were open, staring blankly at me, and she was so still, for a moment, I wondered if I was too late.
“Fuck,” I cursed under my breath. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I’m going to get you some help.”
She blinked, once. I breathed a sigh of relief and took that as her acknowledgment of my words.
I dialed Splint and told him what was going on. “Should I carry her back to the cabin or wait here with her?”
“If you can carry her back to the cabin, that would be best. I’m on my way now. If you’re not at the cabin when I get there, I’ll call and come to you.”
“Thanks. And, Splint, please hurry.”
“Will do, Prez.”
I carefully scooped her into my arms and started walking back to the cabin. She groaned when I first moved her, but remained silent until we reached the cabin. I, on the other hand, couldn’t stop murmuring soothing words to her.
I took her to the same bedroom she was in before and gently placed her on top of the covers. She immediately curled into the fetal position and whimpered. I wanted to help her, but I wasn’t sure what I could do for her before Splint arrived.
Luckily, it wasn’t an issue as Splint walked through the door less than two minutes later. He took one look at her and cursed. “How many doses of the antibiotics did she get?”
“Just the one, brother. She took off before I had even had a chance to talk to her. I still have all the injections and the pills,” I told him.
“All right. I’m going to get an IV started. She needs fluids and antibiotics immediately. Then, I’ll take a look at her wound, which I’m sure is infected. It probably needs to be drained and flushed. In all honesty, Prez, if she doesn’t show signs of improvement in the next few hours, we’re going to need to get her to the hospital,” Splint said, all the while gathering his supplies.
“I have no problem taking her to the hospital. She was the one who insisted on no doctors.”
He quirked a brow, “Did she say why?”
I shook my head, “No, she didn’t. She kind of freaked out at the mention of a doctor.”
Splint nodded and quietly worked on the mystery woman. I sat silently while he tended to her. My mind flooded with questions I wouldn’t get the answers to any time soon.
My thoughts were interrupted when Splint cleared his throat. “I’ve done all I can do for now. I need to stay with her and monitor her closely for the next few hours.”
When I looked up, a wave of the most revolting smell hit me. “The fuck is that smell?”
Splint nodded to the wad of medical supplies he had in his gloved hands. “The pus I drained from her leg. It wasn’t as bad as I was expecting.”
“You don’t consider that bad?” I asked in disbelief.
Splint snorted. “Guess I’m not as sensitive as your delicate ass.”
“Oh, fuck off, man. That’s rank, and you know it.”
“Didn’t say it wasn’t. Why don’t you try to get some sleep while I sit with her? Looks like you could use it.”
“You’re probably right. Sleeping on the ground in a tiny tent isn’t as easy as it once was,” I chuckled. “But I’m not sure I could fall asleep even if I wanted to. Something about this whole situation isn’t sitting right with me.”
“Have you asked Spazz to check her out?”
“No, I don’t have anything to give him. I don’t even know her name,” I said. Sighing, I pushed to my feet, “I’m going to check out the bunker and see if I can find anything that might be helpful.” With that, I quietly closed the door on Splint and the woman I decided to refer to as Locks until I found out her name.
A search of the bunker turned up absolutely nothing. There was not one single thing that hadn’t already been in the bunker. Next, I headed to her campsite to pack it up as well as search through her belongings. To my surprise, there wasn’t anything that didn’t come from the bunker at the campsite other than a dirty t-shirt and a pair of worn out tennis shoes.
Once everything was packed, I hiked back to the cabin with more questions instead of answers.
Chapter Four
Layla
I was dying. That was the only plausible explanation for the way I felt. Or maybe I had been hit by a big Mack truck. What happened to me? Every part of my body ached, but my leg was throbbing. On top of that, I needed to pee. How was I going to use the bathroom when I didn’t have enough energy to open my eyes?
Energy or not, my eyes shot open when I heard an unfamiliar voice. “Hey there. Looks like you’re starting to wake up. Please try to stay calm. You’re very sick, and we’re doing everything we can to help you get better,” a man I was sure I’d never seen before said.
Who was this mind reading man? I blinked stupidly at him. I had no idea what to say. Given how dry my throat felt, I wasn’t even sure I could talk.
“Do you need to use the bathroom?” he asked.
I nodded quickly, eliciting a chuckle from him.
“I need to disconnect your IV first, and then I’ll help you get to the bathroom. I’ll wait outside if you promise to call me if you get dizzy or feel like you’re going to fall, okay?”
“Water,” I managed to croak.
“Oh, sorry. Here you go,” he said as he held a straw to my lips. “Just a few small swallows to start with.”
I did as he instructed and said, “Thank you.”
“All right, let’s do this.” The man’s kindness did not match his exterior whatsoever. Yes, I was judging a book by its cover, but everyone in the world was guilty of that at some point or another. Besides, who would ex
pect a muscular, tattooed, bearded man with a variety of piercings to be so gentle?
Once I did my business, complete with an embarrassingly loud sigh of relief, he helped me back to the bed. It was then that I noticed my surroundings. They looked strangely familiar, but I was drawing a blank.
“Where am I?” I asked.
“We’ll get to that in a minute. First, I need to change the dressing on your leg. Are you in any pain right now?”
I grimaced, “Yes, I am. My whole body aches, but my leg feels like it has its own heartbeat. What happened to me?”
He gave me a tight smile, “Let me get you something for the pain, and then we’ll talk.” Before I could object, he left the room.
Moments later, he returned to the room with a syringe in his hand and another man at his side. He pushed the medicine into my IV and started arranging medical supplies on the bed while I pretended not to have an internal freak out. Both men were huge and scary, but the second man did not give off any gentle vibes like the first man.
“I’m going to start on your leg while we talk. I’m Splint, by the way, and this here is Copper,” the kind man said. When I remained silent, he continued. “What’s your name?”
Without giving it any consideration, I blurted, “Kayla. Kayla West.” I was not about to share my real name, though I wondered if I should have chosen a different name to use. But, Kayla was close to Layla, and I knew I would respond to it as if it were my given name.
“Okay, Kayla, do you remember what happened to your leg?”
“No, but it hurts like a motherfucker. Can I watch whatever you’re doing?” I asked.
Copper (Blackwings MC - Devils Springs Book 1) Page 2