Chapter 25
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
KODIAK
“I’m admitting you, Luna,” Dr. Limons informs her as we sit in her office. “Your heart rate is higher than I’d like it to be and you’re a little lethargic, that can be caused by numerous things.”
“Like what?” I ask, my tone brash, laced with fear for my woman.
As if a mask slips into place, she shuts her emotions down and tells us what some of the higher probabilities could be. “Like preeclampsia, high blood pressure, the endless vomiting could be the cause too. We just don’t know until I can admit her and run some tests. I don’t want y’all to worry until there’s due cause. I also want to get you on an IV drip to help calm your nausea and give you the vitamins your body desperately needs.”
“How long do you expect her to be in for?” The reason I’m asking is because I’ll need to head back to the clubhouse and inform my brothers. Xavier will have to be in charge until I come back, and hopefully the club is still standing when that happens.
Of course, that’s the least of my worries. If he and the brothers burn it all down, we can rebuild. The important thing is that Luna gets better.
“Let's plan for an overnight stay and if we need to add to that time we will,” Dr. Limons suggests.
“Whatever helps Luna get better,” I tell the doc before switching my attention to Luna so I can apprise her of my plans. “Once you’re settled in a room, I’m gonna head to the clubhouse and let the guys know what’s going on so they’re aware I’ll be out of touch for a day or so. Text me a list of things you need from the house and I’ll pack us an overnight bag with enough clothes to get us through three or four days.”
“Why are you packing for three or four days?” Luna inquires. “Dr. Limons said overnight, Marcum!”
“She said we’d start there, my moon,” I reply, leaning in to kiss her temple. “Besides, while you’ll have a lovely gown on, I’m not about staying in the same clothes for days on end.”
She wrinkles her nose at me then says, “Fine, whatever.”
Great, she’s using two of the deadliest words in a woman’s arsenal. “Don’t you want clean panties?” I ask, uncaring that the doctor is still in the room, sending something on her tablet if the tapping on the screen is any indication. “Or your toothbrush? Socks? Deodorant?”
“I said it was fine, Marcum,” she says as she pats my arm. “It really is, I’m just being snarky, I guess. I hate feeling sick all the time and I especially hate how many times I’ve thrown up.”
When Luna’s eyes closed and she fell asleep, I jotted down a note letting her know I was taking off but would be back later. Dr. Limons had already informed us that the medication to help with her curdling stomach would knock her out.
I don’t like leaving her vulnerable in that room while she’s passed out, but it’s also the best time for me to go and get my errands done. I have to trust the nursing staff to see to her welfare while I’m away. It’s not easy for me since I don’t know them, but I’d rather be doing this now instead of while she’s awake.
As I pull up to the clubhouse and shut down my engine, I decide to talk to the guys first before gathering our belongings. The club bitch’s rooms are on the first floor so I have to pass by their rooms on my way to my office where I plan on gathering some files Xavier will need for our upcoming job. A conversation taking place between the five of them has my feet faltering.
I lean my ear closer to the door and recognize Peaches’s voice as she complains about mine and Luna’s relationship. “That bitch thinks she can waltz in here and steal my man. We all know that Kodiak and I have something between us. We have a spark and I’m the better woman to wear his patch.”
“I don’t know why you think that, Peaches,” Heels says. “He only came to you, came to any of us when he had an itch to scratch and even then it wasn’t that often.”
“And Kodiak would never put a patch on one of our backs, Peaches. You know that, why do you want to torture yourself like this?” Kitty questions. “Women like us are only good for one thing to men like them and they tell us that before we accepted our position of club girl.”
“You know what’s going to happen if she stays, right?” Peaches asks, totally ignoring what the other women are saying to her. “Then other brothers will find their ol’ ladies and soon, they’re not going to want any of us around.”
“Don’t we want them to be happy, though?” Kitty muses. “I mean, it’s not like fucking the brothers is the only thing we do around here. We help keep the place clean, cook, and tend the bar which frees the prospects up for other, more important club responsibilities.”
I decide that if Kitty wants to live out her life as a club house mouse, she can do so. The other women are still up for being kicked to the curb depending on what else I hear.
“That’s my point, Kitty! We’re basically married to them with everything we do. Why not have the added benefit of their name on our backs? Think about the bigger picture instead of settling for what you have.”
“But they’ve also helped those of us who wanted to change our lives by going to school,” Heels states. “Hell, I’m two quarters away from having my associate’s degree. So what if I sucked a lot of cock? I don’t have any student loan debt and both Kodiak and Xavier have promised to help me find a good job and leave this life if I want to do so. They’ve given that same vow to each one of us, remember?”
I briefly wonder how Heels will feel about being the office manager for the security business because I fucking hate paperwork and Xavier fucks it up more often than not. At least she’d know what she was doing.
“What about you, Fancy? Don’t you have something going with Stixx?” Peaches asks.
“Stop stirring pots, Peaches,” Pepper admonishes. “These guys may not end up being our forever, but they’ll always be our family and we’re not supposed to be plotting and planning against their old ladies. That’s treason and you know it. So just stop trying to incite a riot.”
“I’m not talking against what Kodiak and Luna have going on,” Fancy says. “I like her, she doesn’t treat us like we’re the scum of the earth. Plus, the club has helped me keep my grandma in a nice assisted living home.”
So far, the only bitch whose ass I’ll be kicking will be Peaches. I like the way the other women are standing up for the club, the brothers, and my old lady. I know the other guys will appreciate it too once they start bringing women here who they are considering making theirs.
“Well, I’ll let y’all handle your shit if you want to because I’ve been handling mine,” Peaches states, a bit too much satisfaction in her voice.
“What have you done, Peaches?” Pepper growls, and if I’m not mistaken, there will be some claws coming out soon. I’m going to let it play out though because if Peaches is the reason Luna is so sick, I want to hear it firsthand.
“Nothing too serious. She won’t die or anything but it should get rid of that brat she’s carrying. Because that kid is the only reason she’s still around,” Peaches brags.
“Again, what did you do?” Fancy reiterates the question Pepper asked.
“Did you know you can find anything on the internet? I found this nice little herb called Lobelia. It is a toxic herb that if given in large doses, can cause nausea and convulsions, and sometimes it could put the person in a coma. I’ve avoided that because I don’t want to kill the bitch, I’m not a murderer. I just want to get rid of the baby so it’s not in my way. Can’t you see it? Me being a shoulder for Kodiak to lean on while Luna is drowning in depression?”
“How did you manage to get her to ingest that?” Kitty probes and thank fuck that she does because it has me stopping from barging into the room and slitting the cunt’s throat like I want to. In this case, I need every drop of detail I can get so I can advise Dr. Limons.
“I went to the pharmacy and got some syringes and punctured the top of the case of water Kodiak went and got for her. He dropped it in the kitchen long enough to have church. It was the perfect opportunity, I knew I wouldn’t get another one like it again, so I took advantage of it and inserted the herb into her water. Thankfully, it blended in and didn’t discolor it.”
Agony claws at me as I realize I’ve unintentionally been helping Peaches with her nefarious plan, since every time Luna gets sick, I grab her a bottle of water to drink to try and keep her hydrated.
Fuck. My. Life.
“Have we heard enough yet?” Xavier asks, causing me to jump. I was so invested in what the women were saying that I didn’t hear anybody else join me in the hallway. I turn my head to see him, Stixx, and Regulator standing behind me, all wearing different expressions on their faces.
Fury.
Bewilderment.
Disappointment.
Revulsion.
Fear.
Pure, unadulterated rage.
Every single emotion flowing through me seems to be streaming through them too. The fact that I’ve been unintentionally complicit in keeping Luna so sick is gutting me right now. How Peaches could be so fucking delusional as to think any of the brothers would make her their old lady is beyond me. Not that any of us look down on them for what they choose to do, because we’ve got our own sexual pasts. It’s more that none of us want to make one of the club girls ours knowing that all of our brothers have fucked them. Maybe that’s misogynistic, but I don’t think so; I don’t think a woman would like to have a permanent relationship with someone all of her girlfriends had screwed.
“I think we have enough evidence to find them guilty,” Regulator tells me, cracking his knuckles while mean mugging the door.
“I’m of the same mindset,” I state, not bothering to announce my presence as I barge into the room. All of the women jump and turn to look at the doorway.
“Peaches, you’ve been a bad, bad girl,” Xavier croons. “You’ve been tried and convicted. We’re now at the punishment phase.”
“Better let the hospital know you’re going to be late, Kodiak,” Stixx advises. “Unless we’re going to keep her on ice until Luna’s released.”
“I think we should show her what it’s like when we cool someone down,” I proclaim. “I want to give Dr. Limons the information we just overheard and don’t want to leave my old lady alone any longer than necessary. She’ll keep.”
“We’ll make sure to give her the five star treatment,” Xavier says, a sneer plastered on his face.