by Wilder, L.
“If you say so,” he groaned as he took off for the field.
“Good luck!”
“Thanks, Dad!”
I made my way up to the bleachers and found a place to sit right at the fifty-yard line. Since there were only third and fourth grade kids playing, there wasn’t much of a crowd. My folks weren’t going to be able to make it, so I figured I would be sitting alone, until I saw Riggs, Runt, and Murphy heading up the steps. The game was just about to start when they plopped down beside me, and I couldn’t help but notice that Riggs and Runt looked like shit. With a knowing smile, I asked, “Long night?”
“Yeah, but we had one hell of a time.” Riggs chuckled. “Didn’t we Runt?”
“Um hmm.” He was looking a little rough around the edges as he grumbled, “Would’ve been better if you hadn’t bought so many fucking drinks for her friend.”
“How was I supposed to know she couldn’t handle her liquor?”
“The chick was practically green when you got that last round.”
“Green or not, she still looked hot as fuck in that miniskirt and those boots,” Riggs smirked. “You got yourself a real stunner, brother.”
“You ain’t lying.” Runt snickered.
“You two care to tell me who you’re talking about?” I asked.
“The chick from the other night at Daisy’s.” When I looked at him with confusion, Riggs added, “You remember … the hot, fucking nurse who was practically crawling in Runt’s lap.”
“Oh, yeah.” I thought back to the beautiful brunette who had caught my eye, and when I thought about her being out with Riggs and Runt, my blood ran hot. For reasons I didn’t understand, I had to fight the urge to reach for my brother’s throat. “I remember.”
His eyebrows furrowed. “You alright?”
“I’m fine.” I lied as I ran my hand over my beard. “Just wanted to know who the fuck you were talking about.”
“If you say so.” Riggs shrugged. “You should’ve come out with us. You missed out on a real good time.”
Dreading the answer, I asked, “What kind of good time?”
Riggs had always been one to exaggerate, so I knew to take it with a grain of salt as he explained, “Runt called up Robyn. You know … the hot, fucking nurse…”
“Yeah, I got it. The hot, fucking nurse,” I snapped.
He gave me a strange look as he continued, “Anyway, he called and asked if she wanted to meet up. Since she was already out with some of her friends, we decided to meet up at Silky Sullivans.”
I asked, “What happened after that?”
“Nothing much, I guess. We sat out on the patio and had a few drinks.”
“A lot of drinks.” Runt snickered.
“Okay. Yes, we had a lot of drinks.”
“And?” I pushed.
He shrugged. “When the bar started shutting down, they invited us back to their place.”
“So, you hooked up?” I asked, biting back my anger.
With his eyebrow cocked high, he shrugged. “You know I’m not one to kiss and tell, brother.”
“The fuck you’re not,” I spat.
“What’s crawled up your ass?” Riggs asked.
“I already told you. Nothing.”
“Well, I’m not buying it. You’re obviously ticked about something. Maybe if you’d gone out with us last night, you would’ve gotten you some action and wouldn’t be in such a bad mood.”
“I feel ya. All I got were blue balls last night,” Runt grumbled. “When we got back to Robyn’s place, her roommate was home. I might’ve stayed until Robyn sobered up or something, but that roommate of hers wasn’t having it. She just stood there, giving me the stink eye until I left.”
“Hold up. I thought Robyn’s roommate was out with you and Riggs.”
Like it was no big deal, Riggs said, “Yeah. She was for a little while, but she went home early. She had to work or something.”
“So, who exactly did you hook up with last night?”
“One of the chicks Robyn was out with last night. They were having a bachelorette party or something, and there was a whole slew of them.”
Before he could respond, Murphy motioned out to the field and said, “Hey, Blaze. The coach is putting Kevin in.”
And just like that, my attention was drawn to the game, and as I watched Kevin make one great play after the next, I got to thinking. For years, it had been just the two of us, and I was good with that. We both were. We had my folks and the club, and that’s all we really needed—or so I thought. While our encounter was brief, there was something about the chick from the diner that made me wonder if my life was missing something. It was a thought that caught me by surprise. I hadn’t realized what an impression she’d made on me until today, when Riggs had me thinking he’d hooked up with her. Just the thought of him touching her had me on edge, and I hadn’t felt like that about anyone in years. I liked the feeling. I liked it a lot.
CHAPTER 4
Kenadee
My bad night turned into an even worse morning when I woke up to the sounds of Robyn getting sick in the bathroom. It was partly my fault. I should’ve never left her alone at that bachelorette party. When I’d agreed to tag along, I thought it would be a quiet night, especially since we were all older and those wild college nights of partying were over. Unfortunately for me, a quiet night was not what they had in mind. They were all about having the night of their lives, and when Robyn mentioned that the hot biker she’d met was coming to meet us, and he was bringing some friends along, the girls couldn’t have been more intrigued. I was, too, for that matter. I found myself watching the door, curious to see if the man who’d brought butterflies to my stomach would come walking into the bar. I hadn’t seen him since that night at the diner, and I found myself wishing that I would get another chance to talk to him. Sadly, my hopes were quickly dashed when the door opened, and Runt walked in with a different guy entirely—one that wasn’t nearly as handsome and far less charming. I tried to make the best of it, but I just wanted the night to end. When I’d had enough of the loud music and the obnoxious flirting, I left, telling the girls I had to work the following morning.
When I heard Robyn vomiting again, I asked, “You okay in there?”
“No,” she groaned. “I feel like a semi-truck ran over my head and a cat shit in my mouth.”
As I pulled myself out of bed, I told her, “Thanks for the oh, so vivid description, jerk-face. I could’ve done without that.”
When I walked into the bathroom, her head was down in the toilet bowl, making her words echo as she said, “I think I may be dying. Seriously. You need to check my pulse.”
“Stop being so dramatic.” I fussed as I tried to ignore the horrid smell that had filled the room. “Get your head out of the toilet and go get in bed. I’ll bring you some water and Tylenol.”
“No. I can’t move,” she whined. “The room is still spinning, and I hurt everywhere.”
“Well, it might do you good to remember this moment,” I told her as I reached for her arm and helped her up on her feet. “You’re not as young as you used to be.”
“I could do without a lecture from you right now. Just saying.”
“You know I’m right. Just saying. Now, go get in the bed!” Once we were in the hallway, I let her go and as I headed towards the kitchen, I asked, “Why did you drink so much?”
“I wasn’t thinking.”
“No. You weren’t.” I grabbed her water and Tylenol, and when I returned, I found her sprawled out on the hallway floor with her arm covering her eyes. “Really?”
“I’m dying, Dee,” she cried.
I reached down and helped her back up to her feet, then I led her over to her bed. Once she was settled, I continued, “You really worried me last night.”
“Why? I was fine.”
“Obviously, you weren’t. Runt had to carry you to your room, Robyn,” I snapped. I was beyond furious when that asshole showed up at our door with my best
friend passed out in his arms. He just came strolling in our apartment like it was no big deal. I followed him down the hallway into Robyn’s room, and it was all I could do not to kick him right in the balls when he started to kick off his boots. Thankfully, he stopped when he noticed me standing at the door, eventually taking the hint that it was time for him to leave. “There’s no telling what could’ve happened if I wasn’t here.”
“Wait … Runt brought me home?” she asked, sounding confused.
“Oh, dear lord. You mean you don’t remember?”
She winced as she replied, “Um … Not exactly.”
“Do you have any idea what could’ve happened…” I stopped myself midsentence and sighed. As much as I loved Robyn, it wasn’t my job to keep her in line. With a wave of my hand, I turned to leave. “Never mind. Just get some sleep.”
“Wait.” Robyn pouted. “Please don’t go.”
“Oh, come on. Don’t go and get all pitiful on me.” I sat down on the edge of her bed and asked, “Why don’t you tell me about last night? Did you have fun?”
“Yeah, I really did,” she answered with a half-smile.
“So, you like this guy?”
“Umm … He’s hot and all that, but he’s a little intense. And we have absolutely nothing in common. Like nothing at all.”
“So, are you going to see him again?”
“I seriously doubt it. Like you said, I’m not as young as I used to be. Maybe it’s time I start settling down.”
“You settling down? Let’s not get carried away.” I teased. “Besides, you still have plenty of time to find your Mr. Right.”
“With the way I feel right now, I don’t care if I ever find him.” She rolled on her side to face me and asked, “Do you really have to work today?”
I shrugged. “No. I just said that so I could leave without looking like a lame-ass.”
“Good. I don’t want to be here alone … especially since I’m on my death bed and all.”
“Give it a rest. You’re not going to die. You’ve just got a hangover.” I stood up and started towards the door. “I’m going to get you some crackers and ginger ale. Maybe that will help settle your stomach.”
“Thank you, sweetie,” she mumbled. “You know, you’re too good to me.”
“I know. I keep telling myself that.” I teased.
We spent the entire weekend bumming around, watching TV and eating comfort food as Robyn recuperated from her night out. It was nice to have some time to just chill out, to catch up on laundry, and spend time relaxing at home. By the time Monday rolled around, I thought we’d be prepared for anything, but I was wrong. It was the Monday of all Mondays, and with the amount of crazy people coming into the hospital, I started to wonder if it was a full moon. My latest patients had come in with their six-month-old daughter who had a high fever. She’d been crying for hours, and the parents were frantic. While I couldn’t blame them for being upset, they were taking their frustrations out on me.
“Where the hell is the doctor?” the guy asked as I checked the baby’s oxygen level.
“He should be here shortly.”
“We’ve been waiting for over three goddamn hours.” He was young, maybe twenty-one and he was skinny with dark circles under his eyes, making him look like he hadn’t slept in days. The girl next to him didn’t look like she was in much better condition, but she was at least trying to keep herself under control. “How long does it fucking take to check on a baby?”
“Sir, I know you are worried about your daughter, but you need to try to calm down. We’re doing the best that we can,” I explained.
“She’s my niece, not my daughter, and your best isn’t good enough!”
“Your niece?”
The blonde woman turned to me and said, “I’m Kate Dillon. Lacie is my daughter. Her father was killed a few weeks ago, and Terry has been helping out. He watches Lacie at night while I’m at work.”
“I’m sorry to hear that about Lacie’s dad.”
“It’s okay. He was a total deadbeat.” She looked over at her brother as she said, “I’m sorry that he’s being such an asshole. He’s just worried about the baby.”
“I wouldn’t have to be such an asshole if these fucking doctors would just do their damn jobs, and Johnny wasn’t a deadbeat, Kate. He tried to do right by you and the baby, and he got himself killed for it. That wasn’t his fault!” he roared.
“Sir, there are young children—”
“I don’t give a fuck.” When he waved his arm in the air, I thought I saw several track marks, but I couldn’t be sure.
“Terry. That’s enough. Seriously. She’s doing the best she can.” Kate ran her hand over Lacie’s head and sighed. “Besides, she’s finally stopped crying. If you keep shouting like that, you’re going to upset her.”
“Well, on a positive note, her oxygen level is good,” I told them.
“What about her fever?” Terry asked. “And her blood pressure?”
“Well, those are both a little concerning. I’m sure the doctor will want some blood work drawn to see what is going on.”
“Can’t you go on and get that started?”
“Not without the doctor’s orders.”
“What a load of bullshit!” Terry complained.
Just then, Dr. Daniel Tate stepped into the room. He was one of the younger, more attractive doctors who worked at the hospital, and he was often the topic of idle gossip with the nurses. Not only was he easy on the eyes, I found him to be friendly and easy to talk to. I caught him up to speed with Lacie’s symptoms and waited as he gave her a thorough examination. Once he was done, he looked over to Kate and said, “It looks like she has an ear infection. I’ll call her in a round of antibiotics, and she should be fine in a couple of days. Take her in to see her pediatrician next week if she doesn’t feel better.”
“Thank you, doctor.” Kate smiled as she held her daughter close to her chest. “I was so scared it was something serious, especially with all her crying.”
“Ear infections can be very painful. Be sure to give her infant Tylenol every four hours for the fever and for the pain.”
“Yes. Of course.”
“Alright.” Daniel gave me a quick smile and said, “That should do it, Kenadee.”
“Okay. Thanks, Dr. Tate.”
Even though I was a little concerned that he didn’t call for bloodwork, I didn’t say anything, assuming he knew better than I did. I waited for him to write the information in the file, and once he was done, I took the chart over to the desk to start the discharge paperwork. I was just finishing up when Robyn came over to me. “If you don’t get me some coffee or some chocolate, I’m going to throat punch someone.”
“I see you’re having a bad day, too.”
“A bad day doesn’t even begin to describe it,” she complained. “Please tell me this day is almost over.”
“Um … it’s nine o’clock.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah.” I chuckled. “It’s gonna be a long one, but we’ll get through it.”
“Hey, I overheard Daniel talking.” She leaned forward as she whispered, “The word is he’s planning to ask one of the nurses out.”
“Yeah, I know.” I’d heard the same rumors myself, and I wasn’t surprised by them in the least. “You should go out with him. He’s a really nice guy, and he’s so good looking.”
“Me? Why would I go out with him when he’s been talking about asking you out?”
“What?”
“You heard me. He’s going to ask you out.”
“No way. You’ve got to be kidding me”
“Nope. I heard him talking to Dr. Sheridan this morning, and he was definitely talking about you.”
I glanced back over at Daniel and found him staring in my direction. When our eyes met, he smiled at me with a big, goofy grin, and I immediately wanted to duck in a corner and hide. I quickly turned to her and gasped, “Oh, shit.”
“I don’t see what the big
deal is. You said yourself he’s a nice guy, and he’s hot and…”
I simply didn’t want to talk about him a moment longer, so I pleaded, “Can we not talk about this right now?”
She was right. He was nice and handsome, but when I was around him, I just didn’t feel a spark—none whatsoever—especially not like the ones I’d felt that night when I came face to face with the mysterious biker. With him, there was a sense of mystery, danger and intrigue that should’ve made me run for the hills, but I’d found myself longing for it—longing for him. I knew Daniel was a safer bet, and I should give him a chance, but I needed to know if the feelings I had for the biker were just in my head or if they were something more.
CHAPTER 5
Blaze
When Gus started the garage, he knew it would be an ideal way to launder money. With parts and remodels, cash would exchange hands easily on a daily basis. As the garage had grown bigger, those sums of money had also increased, which had helped immensely, especially since we’d established the pipeline. Cars and bikes were moving in and out of the garage faster than I could count. There were times when I found it hard to keep up, but just when I was at my wits end, one of the brothers would come through and help get us caught up. It was one of the great things about having so many brothers who knew their way around an engine. After one of the busiest weeks we’ve had in months, Alex Avery, one of our best customers, came in with a huge order. He had three Chevy pickup trucks that he wanted remodeled, and, as usual, he was crystal clear in how and when he wanted them done. Even with the quick turnaround, we could handle the job, but I’d have to make a run to Conway, Arkansas, to get the right parts. I’d need to get a custom-made grille and a couple of wide vintage bumpers for the ’57 Chevy 3100, and while I was there, I’d also need to grab new headlights for the ’69 Chevy C10 and a rear fender for the ’63 Chevy C10. I didn’t like the idea of being on the road on a Saturday, especially when Kevin had a football game, but I didn’t have a choice.
Before I headed home, I stopped by the clubhouse to see Gus. When I got there, I found him in his office with Moose. The tension in the room was palpable, and from the look on Gus’s face, it was clear that he was pissed about something. “Is everything alright?”