21. Chapter 21
Chapter 21
I woke up disoriented. I was not in my own room or even my own house. My entire face felt swollen, and my body ached as if I’d been in an accident of some kind. I was having difficulty getting my brain to focus. Where was I, and why was I feeling so lost and alone? Where was the confusion and grogginess coming from?
I sat up and looked over the room. It wasn’t large, and its contents were unremarkable. I was in a full-sized bed that had basic white sheets and a blue covering. The walls were white and held only two pictures, both were in poster frames and depicted motorcycles traveling through large stately trees. There was a desk, an accompanying chair, and a dresser. It was growing dark outside as the view from the window told me.
The pictures of the motorcycles gave me a clue as to my whereabouts. Memories came flooding back about a fight and blood. They confused me because I was certain I’d left the bar and told Sweet to stay away from me. Why was I back in the bar now? Or at least I assumed that’s where I was considering the décor.
I stumbled out of bed and opened the door but there was none of the noise I expected. The bar was a rowdy place in the evenings, yet this space was almost quiet. I vaguely heard the sound of voices coming from down the hall. The loud music was missing as was the clink of bottles and the shouting. I was thirsty and desperately needed a bathroom, so I ventured out. My skirt and blouse were a wrinkled mess and stuck firmly to my body. I must have been sweating beneath the warm, blue quilt.
I was following the sound of voices when I accidently found the bathroom I was seeking. I stopped to take care of business before seeing myself in the mirror. My hair was tangled, my face was pale, and my eyes were red and swollen. They also seemed to be haunted. I sucked in a breath as my head cleared and reality came rushing back. Jackson! The cartel had taken him. My baby was missing, and I’d come to Sweet begging for help. Where was he? Had he found my son?
I ran toward the voices, praying that one of them belonged to Jackson. What I found was Sweet, Doc, and Flame. They were calmly eating pizza and drinking beer instead of searching for Jackson. I attacked Sweet first, my nails biting into the skin of his cheek and tearing it open.
“How can you just sit here and relax? Get off your lazy ass and find Jackson! Doesn’t he mean anything to you?” I screamed in his face as he grabbed my wrists to keep me from causing more damage.
“Don’t do this, Jemma. Nobody’s relaxing. We’re doing all we can to find Jackson,” he stated, his eyes boring into mine.
“By sitting here drinking beer and eating pizza? If you’ve let them kill him I’ll never forgive you! I’ll rip your skin off inch by agonizing inch until you die,” I continued to rant. “Flame, I thought better of you than this. I could strangle you for not forcing Sweet to do something, anything!”
I bared my claws and squirmed to get away from Sweet’s clutches. I fought like a tiger to get to Flame and make her pay.
“No Doc, no more,” Sweet ordered.
I turned slightly to see Doc with a syringe in his hand. He was ready to plunge it into my arm, but Sweet’s words stopped him.
“Calm down, Jemma, so we can explain. You don’t want another sedative, do you?” Flame asked.
I managed to stop snarling by the sheer force of my will. I didn’t want to be knocked out while others searched for Jackson. It wasn’t easy to calm down. I was afraid of losing everything that mattered. Fear and anger urged me on.
“What do you have to say for yourself?” I growled at Sweet.
“First of all, we’re not relaxed. We’re waiting for information. The food is a distraction. We’re just as on edge as you are. None of us had any clue where to look for Jackson, so instead of wandering around lost and wasting time and energy we went to our allies for aid. They have connections that can find where Jackson is being held and also tell us what kind of security issues we’re up against. We’re waiting for answers, then we’ll finish this.”
I simply stared at him and said, “Are you crazy? What happens to Jackson in the meantime?”
He closed his eyes briefly before saying, “We hope nothing. I know it sounds insane to sit here and eat while he’s locked up, scared, and alone. But what else can we do? Where do you suggest we look for him? He may not even be in Texas, or this country for that matter. We need some clue, baby. Prime’s calling in favors, big ones. We’ll be paying the mafia back until doomsday. You’ve got to understand.”
I did understand. Sweet had gone to the wall for me and Jackson. The entire club was now involved. They were willing to risk everything to find my son, and I’d ripped Sweet’s face open as a thank you. I’d have done the same to Flame if he hadn’t stopped me. I was an asshole.
“You can let me go. I won’t hurt you again. I’m sorry,” I softly replied.
“It’s okay. You’re his mother, and you’re terrified. We all understand. Please, just give us some credit and some time. We’ll get him back,” Sweet stated.
“Do you want to sleep through all of it? Would that be easier? I can do that for you,” Doc offered.
I gave him a sad smile and answered, “No. It appears I’ve slept through too much already. I don’t remember everything I did today, but I’m sure there was a reason you drugged me. I apologize for whatever I did. Are we still at the bar?”
“No apology is necessary. We were only afraid of you losing your sanity and hoped knocking you out would let your brain absorb the mental trauma. It seems to have worked except for the mama bear attitude which is understandable. We’re not at the bar. This is the official clubhouse. We brought you here to keep you safe. One hostage is enough to deal with. The Sinners voted for you to remain here, under their protection, and to rescue Jackson. We’re all willing to die to get him back. I hope you understand how exceptional that is,” Doc said, raising his eyebrow in question.
“I think I do. I’ve ranted against all the things the Sinners do. I’ve accused them of terrible things when I didn’t even know them personally. I wouldn’t listen to explanations or agree to think outside the box. I’ve been rude on several occasions and pushed Sweet away. Still, you’re all coming to our rescue. You’re putting your club and your lives on the line for an ungrateful bitch. Isn’t that right, Flame?”
Her lips quivered until she gave way to a smile. “I couldn’t have said it better.”
“Come back to the room. We’ll talk and find a way to pass the time. You need to eat something, too. You’ll need your strength to care for Jackson when he comes home,” Sweet said.
“Take the rest of the pizza and a couple of beers,” Doc added.
“I’m going to find Rod and harass him. I’m thinking Rage is going to have to do double runs to appease Petrov. I think I’ll make a bet with Rod on it,” Flame announced.
“Be careful making bets with him, chica. He’ll be wanting his payout in sex,” Doc teased.
I was shocked to see Flame blush.
The room felt smaller with Sweet in it. I watched as he set the leftover pizza and beers on the desk before taking a seat in the chair. I was afraid the chair wouldn’t hold him, but it did. He looked uncomfortable with his long legs and muscular body overflowing the seat meant for a much smaller person. It struck me that I found him beautiful. That had as much to do with his kind and forgiving heart as it did his face.