Mace’s Madonna (Pagan Souls of Cherokee MC #5)

Jessamy Chapter 17

Iceman had made it through the night. Mace had forced me to return to the compound, but not until I had a chance to see Iceman after he was out of recovery. The rule that only family could see someone in the ICU was apparently not enforced when it came to the Pagans and their people. He was groggy, but he still tried to comfort me when I cried over his state. He told Mace to get me out of there before I totally fell in love with him and dumped Mace’s ass. That made me giggle. I kissed his cheek and told him to behave.

Eliana was back at the clinic today. It was only set to be open for two more days, and she didn’t want people waiting to get the care they needed. I tried to go to work with her, but she insisted I stay home or visit Iceman. While I hated to let her down, I ended up doing that. Everyone, whether they were a Pagan or not, was taking turns checking on him. They didn’t tire him out, but there was a rotation of guys guarding him at the hospital. I asked Mace if they were worried the Black Outlaws would come after him. His answer was that as long as they were out there, especially when one of ours was vulnerable and the enemy was in the hospital, too, they’d have men there.

Yeah, that’s right. The guy I stabbed was still in the hospital. Apparently, I did more damage than I thought. I was proud of myself. It might be awful of me, but as I prayed for Iceman to recover and the Pagans and their friends to stay safe, I prayed equally as hard that the bastard would die.

When I mentioned it to Mace, he chuckled and said to ask God to wait until they could get some information out of him before doing it. I told him I’d put in the request. I knew that even if he didn’t tell me everything, the club was anxious to find out for sure if the man was an actual Black Outlaw and why they were out to get me. The cops were unaware of who they were, or Laramie wasn’t telling the club.

When I went to see Iceman, I was happy to see they were moving my attacker out of ICU. I heard a nurse telling the officer who stood outside his room which room he was being moved to. While he needed medical attention, he’d remain here rather than in lockup at the jail. However, his surgeries had repaired him enough he could go to a general surgical floor. I was mad that I hadn’t tried for different spots when I stabbed him.

I’d been escorted here by Atticus and Rune, but they stayed outside the ICU doors. Before entering Iceman’s room, I sent off a text letting Mace know what I heard. It might not be helpful, but I still did it. Entering the room after I sent it, I found Renegade was in there. He grinned when he saw me.

“Hey, your girlfriend is back. Man, you’d better watch it. If Mace finds out how gaga she is for you, he’ll be here in a shot to take you out. He’s kinda crazy about her, not that I can blame him.” Renegade winked at me while Iceman grinned. He started to chuckle, then grabbed his chest and stopped. I rushed to his side.

“Don’t make him laugh! We don’t want him undoing all the work the doctors did,” I admonished Renegade, smiling as I did to take the sting out of it.

Renegade groaned. “Don’t act tough, then be sweet at the same time. It’s kryptonite for guys like us. We want women who are soft at times but fiery and filled with steel at others. That’s the key to a biker’s heart, babe. No wonder Mace fell so hard and fast. You wouldn’t happen to have any sisters or cousins, would ya?”

“Sorry, I have no sisters and, as far as I know, no cousins. However, I don’t think I’m unique. Keep your eyes open, and I bet you’ll find someone like that.”

“Shit, we’ve been doing that, but it seems they’ve stopped coming to Hunters Creek. Bull and the other settled members seem to have nabbed them all,” Iceman grumbled.

I took the other chair by his bed, on the opposite side from Renegade. “You wait. It’ll be when you least expect it or come from out of nowhere. Would you think one of you would find your old lady hiding in a truck stop bathroom stall? That’s how Mace ended up with me.”

They seemed to think about it, and then Iceman nodded. “You’re right. Ren, when I’m able to leave here, we’re going to the closest truck stop and stake out the ladies’ room.”

It made all three of us laugh, though Iceman did it softly and with a pillow clutched to his chest. They kept me entertained for the next hour. I hope I helped do the same for them. Seeing Iceman grimacing, we got him to call for a dose of pain medicine. Luckily, it was in his IV, so it took effect within no time. As he yawned, I excused myself. It was time to head home.

Stepping outside the ICU, my phone vibrated. I took it out to see who had texted.

Mace: Are you still with Iceman?

Me: Just walked out of his room. Why?

Mace: I need you to go to the floor where that suspected Outlaw is. Start a commotion. Need his guard away from the room. Can you do it? Keep him occupied as long as you can. I hate to ask, but you’re the best bet.

Me: I’ll make it loud and Oscar-worthy.

Mace: TY. Love you.

My heart skipped. He hadn’t told me that he loved me. I knew he cared deeply for me. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have given me a property cut and moved me into his house. I’d been praying he was moving toward the big L. Lord knows, I loved him, but I’d been waiting for him to say it first. Did he mean it? Wait, forget that. You’ve got a job to do. You can worry about whether the man loves you or not later, I lectured myself.

Rune and Atticus were patiently standing there waiting for me. “I’ve got a job to do before we can leave,” I told them.

Their eyebrows raised. I filled them in on what I was tasked to do. They had no problem fading away when I got to that floor so I could do my thing. It wouldn’t work if I had them hanging around. When I got there, I saw no Pagans or others anywhere. Had Mace warned them away? Hopefully, it would make my job easier. Taking a deep breath, I marched toward the officer. He was a young guy, probably a couple of years younger than me. He was in a chair outside the room. I was scowling when I got to him. He rose up.

“Why are you protecting that animal? Do you know what he tried to do to me? He tried to kidnap me! I was threatened with a gun and knife. I had to defend myself. You protect him, but no one is standing outside our friend’s room. The man who saved my life and got shot for his trouble.”

“Ma’am, I’m here as his guard. He’s a prisoner. I’m sorry for what you went through.”

“Isn’t he cuffed to the bed?” I asked.

“He is,” he said, sounding puzzled about why I asked or what it had to do with anything.

“Well, then, he can’t go anywhere, can he? What if more like him, his friends, end up coming here, and they try to kill poor Iceman for what he did? Did you ever think of that? You should be guarding him, not this guy. Please, I need you to come with me. At least tell me he’s in a safe place.”

As I got into my act, I poured on the theatrics and began swinging from one topic to another, becoming more upset. It wasn’t long before I was sobbing. I even brought on the waterworks. As I ranted, I kept moving away. The officer followed me, doing his best to calm and reassure me. I didn’t react when I saw Mace, Bodie, and Bones sneaking into the room, even with the way they were dressed. Now, to buy them as much time as possible. I prayed they wouldn’t get caught. I didn’t know what would happen if they were, but it wasn’t likely to be good.