11. Gray
11
GRAY
I was hanging at the clubhouse, wasting time until I needed to go and pick up Ellie.
We are all shooting the shit when Jason looks down at his phone.
“Fuck!” he says.
“What—”
Before I can get the question out, he is running toward his bike. He’s hollering over his shoulder. “There’s a robbery at Red’s.”
I have never in my life been as scared as I am in this moment. All of our phones go off at once, but I don’t even look at it because I’m on my bike, ripping down the highway. I drive as fast as I can, and when we get into town, we stop at the end of the back alley of Red’s Diner. A plan is put into place fast because there’s no way I’m going to stay outside any longer, knowing that Ellie is inside and probably scared out of her mind.
We’re fortunate to already know all the ins and outs of the diner, and as soon as we have people at the front and rear of the restaurant, we make our entrance. The two men inside don’t stand a chance.
The takedown is an easy one, especially since there are only two of them and around fifteen of us. There’s broken glass everywhere and one dead body, but I just step over him, looking for Ellie.
I get to her at the same time as Jason gets to Tara.
I put a hand on Ellie’s shoulder, praying she’s not hurt. She’s lying down in the booth, and she tenses under my touch. When she raises her head and sees it’s me, she starts to cry uncontrollably. I try to calm her, but it’s not happening. I pull her into my arms and start to walk with her outside. “Tara, we can’t leave Tara,” she says.
Of course, she’s worried about her new friend. With my lips next to her ear, I tell her, “Jason’s got her, honey. Let me get you out of here.”
When we get outside, we stop, and I see the pres waiting on us. “She okay?”
“She’s shaken up pretty badly. I’m going to take her to get her checked out.”
She shudders next to me. “I’m fine, can I just go home?”
I turn, facing her, trying to block everything else. “We need to make sure the baby is okay too. Do this for me, Ellie. Please?”
She nods, and Pres holds his hand out. “Take the van. She doesn’t need to be on the back of a bike right now.”
I give him the keys to my bike. “Thanks.”
Pres pulls out his phone. “No problem. Take her to Doc’s. I’ll let him know you’re on your way.”
I walk her to the van, and the whole way, she’s trying to convince me she’s okay. Most likely she is, but I still need to be sure.
I help her into the passenger seat and buckle her seatbelt. “Humor me, will you, honey?”
She nods, and I can’t stop myself from leaning in and kissing her. When I pull away, I lean my forehead against hers. “I was so scared.”
Her hand comes up, and she cups my cheek. “Me too. I was wishing that I was home in bed and back in your arms.”
I hold back the emotion even though it’s overwhelming me. “We’ll do that right after you get checked out, okay?”
She nods, and I tell her, “Lie back and close your eyes. Rest, okay?”
She nods again, but already, her eyes are closed. I drive the three blocks to Doc’s office. We sit outside a few minutes, and when I see him pull up, I get out and meet him. I break down everything that happened, and he’s nodding his head. The man is unfazed by it all, but it’s probably because we’ve brought him some weird shit in the past, so I don’t think anything could surprise him at this point.
Doc looks through the front windshield of the van, and Ellie still has her eyes closed. “I’m going to get unlocked and set up. Bring her on in.”
I nod and rush around to the passenger side. “Ellie, honey, we’re here.”
Her eyes snap open, and she sits up. “This is a waste of time, Gray. I promise I’m fine.”
I help her out of the car and put my arm around her shoulder. “That’s good. I just want to hear him say it, okay?”
She isn’t happy with me. “Come on, it will be quick, and then I’ll let you rest.”
She stops and looks up at me. “Are you staying at the apartment tonight?”
I bring my hand up and rub it over my heart. I swear ever since Jason said the diner was being robbed, it’s been racing. “Yeah, honey. There’s no way I’m leaving you tonight.”
She smiles up at me. “Promise?”
“Yeah, I promise.”
She walks ahead of me. “You should have started with that, Gray.”
She gets to the door, and I can’t take my eyes off her. I’m all kinds of confused. Has she been wanting me to stay the night with her? I thought I was doing the right thing by staying at the clubhouse, but maybe not.
Ellie opens the office door. “You coming or not?”
I walk to her and grab on to the door to hold it open. We walk hand in hand to the back of the office. There are so many things we need to talk about, but now is not the time. After the night she’s had, she needs to rest, and I’m going to make sure that happens.