Chapter Ten
A nthony looked over at a sleeping Luke, and all he wanted to do was get back to the hospital. Everyone else had left him alone to take care of him, and it pissed him off. He was not the guy’s babysitter.
He moved across the room, took a seat, slumped down, and waited. This was all he could do.
There was a knock on the door and seconds later, Rachel opened it. She was Nash and Sophia’s daughter.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey.”
“I’m getting Adam to take me to the hospital. I was wondering if you wanted to come with me?”
Anthony looked toward the bed. “I want to, but I’ve got to attend to him.”
Rachel nodded. “Is there anything you’d like me to say to Daisy? Even if she is still sleeping, but what if she wakes?”
He would be so pissed and when Luke was back to full health, he would beat the ever-loving shit out of him for missing the chance to hold his woman when she woke up.
“Tell her I love her and I’ll be with her soon,” Anthony said.
Rachel nodded. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“See you soon.” With that, Rachel left, closing the door.
He sat in his chair, looking over at Luke, and having memories consume him. Luke had been an equal match to Simon when the two had sparred. He and Luke hadn’t been easy, but Anthony knew he had the guy beat, not that he would brag about it.
Anthony knew he was different from Simon. He wasn’t better than Simon, he just ... didn’t stop. It was that simple. There was no chance of losing in his mind.
Sitting back, he tried not to feel anything when it came to Luke, but he couldn’t forget those scars.
There was a knock on the door, and he called for whoever it was to come in. He hoped they’d be bearing a drink. He needed coffee badly.
Tabitha was the one to open the door, and he wasn’t interested in talking to her, until she showed the two cups in her hand.
“You can leave me both cups,” he said.
“Not a chance.”
She closed the door and then looked toward the bed. “What happened?”
“Can’t tell you.”
Tabitha opened her mouth, then closed it, and nodded her head. “Right.”
“You don’t even wear the leather cut,” Anthony said, pointing to her current leather jacket with the Chaos Bleeds patch. She was not a Skull.
“I would never do anything to jeopardize the club.”
Anthony looked at her. It didn’t matter what she would or wouldn’t do. Facts were facts. Chaos Bleeds and Skulls were friends, but they were still different clubs.
“I take it you’re not going to make this easy for me.”
“I hate to break it to you, Tabitha, but you have had a whole lot of easy over the years.”
“What the fuck?” Tabitha asked.
He held his hand up. “I’m not saying it hasn’t come at a cost. I know it has, but let’s face it, the club helped to take the decision right out of your hand. You can hate the Monster Dogs all you want, but without them, you would still be stuck trying to decide where your loyalty lies.”
“You just love keeping it real, don’t you?” she asked.
“I don’t love anything ... but her.” He took a sip of his coffee, and it was a pretty decent cup.
“Daisy will make it through,” Tabitha said.
He didn’t look at her, but glanced toward the bed. He had no idea how much longer Luke was going to be out of it.
“Why are you here and not at the hospital?” Anthony asked.
“I ... I had to make things right with you.”
“No, you didn’t. The only way you’re going to make things right with me is by being there for Daisy. I don’t give a fuck what is going on in your world, Tabitha. Not anymore. You mattered when you were a Skull. Now you don’t.”
“Wow,” Tabitha said. “That is how you feel?”
“You knew it was going to happen the moment Daisy became a second thought to you.”
She sighed. “That’s not fair.”
“That’s life.”
“Damn it, Anthony. I love Daisy, okay? Do you know why I didn’t come right away?”
“Do I look like I give a fuck?”
“Because Daisy needs someone to be strong and when I heard she was in the hospital and in a coma, I broke, okay? I just ... I wasn’t even here and Daisy was in the hospital. She has always had my back. I know what she is capable of. She knew when I needed her, even when I didn’t know I needed her. Through the hospital, through the pregnancy. Where everyone kept expecting me to end it, Daisy was there. She went with me to every single appointment. It got to the stage that people thought she and I were a couple.”
He looked toward Tabitha and saw the tears in her eyes. Daisy had often told him she would be with Tabitha through everything.
“She was there for me when I gave birth.” Tabitha sniffled. “No one knows this and Daisy didn’t tell you, but after I gave birth, I was not the first person to hold Nathan. I turned away from him, and Daisy held him first. She accepted him, but I knew there was a chance he was not Simon’s. It was Daisy who helped me see that no matter what, he was part of me. She loved him first. She accepted him first. That is my guilt to bear.”
Daisy had never told him that, but then he also never asked. She’d walked into his arms after it happened and just held him and asked if one day he wanted kids. One day, he would want everything with her, for her. That was never going to change.
“I needed to get my shit together because I knew over the years, I messed up. I know when it came to Daisy, I was more focused on putting you and her together, of being with Simon, of keeping the name for the Skulls. I didn’t put my all into our friendship, and yet Daisy gave everything. She is always giving everything, and I am always lacking.”
Anthony looked toward her.
“Daisy doesn’t even realize how special she is,” Tabitha said. “And hearing she was in the hospital and then knowing she was in a coma, it hurt.”
“She is going to get out of this.”
“I know for the world’s sake, she needs to get out of this coma, otherwise no one will be safe,” Tabitha said.
He had no doubt there were Monster Dogs still on the loose. If his father wouldn’t kill him, he would leave death and destruction within his wake and kill every last one of them before he put a bullet in his own head.
“Do you know that last Christmas, Daisy asked if I was in love with you?” Anthony said.
Tabitha gasped. “What?”
“Yep, she came right out and asked.”
“Why?”
“Because of my feelings for the Monster Dogs.”
“You don’t love me.”
“I never have,” Anthony said.
“It has always been Daisy.”
“Yes.”
Tabitha shook her head. “I know that, I don’t know how she couldn’t know that.”
“Don’t worry, I told her I had no feelings for you.” He took another sip of his drink.
“Good,” Tabitha said. “Why would she even think that?”
Anthony glanced down at his drink. He wanted to get Tabitha out of the room. He’d seen the change in Luke’s breathing. The other guy was wide awake but pretending so he didn’t have to talk to Tabitha.
“Because Daisy is insecure,” Anthony said. “She doesn’t believe her worth, even after all this time.”
“That can’t be.”
He turned to her. “What do you expect when her best friend needs to take a day to get her shit together before coming to see her?”
“That’s harsh.”
“Then go to her. Stop wasting time and go to her.” With that, he got to his feet. “Rachel is going to be there.”
With that, Tabitha left. He knew she wanted to say something to him, but he wasn’t going to let her have the last say. He managed to get her out the door, shut it, and lock it.
“That was not very nice,” Luke said.
“I’m not a nice guy.”
“I don’t know, I’m starting to think you have your moments,” Luke said, sitting up. “You knew I was awake?”
“You’re not a good actor.”
Luke laughed.
Anthony was not happy and he moved toward his seat and stared across the room at Luke. “Someone knew,” he said. “Someone knew we were coming and alerted the club.”
“I know,” Luke said.
“Who?”
The other man gritted his teeth, ran a hand down his face, and shrugged. “It was Daniella, okay, that’s who found out and alerted everyone.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Anthony asked.
“I didn’t know. Not until it was too late. Daniella called me, told me what was happening, and what she had done. She also mentioned she had gone to my location where I had said I was going to give you the signal, and that you were already there. She was always a sneaky bitch. It was one of the many reasons my father kept her around.”
He looked at Luke.
“Yes, my dad was fucking Daniella, even when we were in high school.”
“Gross,” Anthony said.
Luke shrugged. “She would do anything for him, even sleep with his only son, and try to get all my secrets.”
“Your family is fucked up.”
“You don’t have to tell me. I already know.” He blew out a breath.
“And those scars?”
“They are part of my father’s love, and the fact is, my dad didn’t want to raise a pussy.” Luke laughed. “I guess I was a major disappointment to him, seeing as I didn’t agree to kidnapping girls.” Luke shook his head. “So fucked up.”
“Where is that shipment?” Anthony asked. “We don’t know how long it has been since your club went and checked on them. The Dogs were the ones that were supposed to keep an eye on the girls before shipment.”
Luke sighed. “Shit, I have no idea.”
“We need you to figure out where they are, or where your dad would put them, otherwise there is going to be a container of dead girls,” Anthony said.
****
R achel sat in the chair next to Daisy’s bed. Adam had walked with her to the room, but then left to get some coffee.
“He is still so grumpy,” Rachel said. “I ... want to tell him I love him and I want to be with him. He’s older than me, the same age as my dad, and it’s not like I have daddy issues. I don’t. My own dad is ... yeah, that is so gross. There is just something about Adam, you know? He makes me smile, he makes my stomach flutter, and he is always so ... himself. I know, I’m crazy, right?” She let out a giggle. “Damn, I sound like a girl.” She rubbed her temples.
“He is also the only one at the club who is not pissed at us. He gets it. At least, that is what he says. I don’t know if he is lying or not. Damn it, Daisy. I miss you and I want you to wake up.” Rachel stared at her friend.
She knew she wasn’t close like Tabitha and Daisy, but in recent years, they had gotten closer. Daisy would listen to all her complaints, especially about her parents, or what was bothering her. Daisy was always there.
Reaching out, she slid her hand beneath Daisy’s and held onto her friend. “I love you, Daisy, and I know we all miss you and want you to get well soon. I hope you’re just resting and at peace, and you’re not scared.”
The door to Daisy’s room opened and Adam stepped inside. “Any change?” He held out a Styrofoam cup for her to take. She saw the hot chocolate inside and thanked him for it.
“No change. She is still sleeping.”
“Damn,” Adam said. “She better wake up soon, otherwise Anthony is going to be pissed.”
She couldn’t agree more.
Taking a sip of the hot chocolate, she wrinkled her nose. It was gross, but it was a drink.
“Why are you not angry?” Rachel asked.
She loved this man, who had become quite grumpy in recent years, but she didn’t always know what to talk to him about. There was also the horrible chance she would blush, which was so embarrassing and hard to hide. In fact, she had started learning how to apply makeup, checking to see if it showed her blushing. So far, no, so she kept learning. She had no idea what she was going to do if he realized she was in love with him.
“Why would I get angry?” he asked. “What is the point of getting angry? I can’t change any of it. You guys made a decision and you did it. Sure, you went against Lash, and that is going to have consequences, but you also worked together.”
“Will Lash ... kill us?”
Adam laughed. “Nah, not with who your parents are. That is going to save your asses, but it won’t get you out of trouble every single time.”
Rachel sighed. “I don’t get it. Monster Dogs were the enemy, and now—”
“They’re scattered like pieces of shit.” Adam took a sip of his drink and wrinkled his nose. “Fuck, this is like dog shit.” He wrinkled his nose and took another sip.
“We did what we thought was right.”
“So? And what was right was to go with a half-assed attack that did fuck all. Sure, you killed some people, and I get it, they are the enemy, but if you had waited, there was a chance we would have been able to take them all.”
“Lash had no intention of killing them.”
Adam shook his head and laughed. “Fucking kids.”
“I’m not a kid.”
“All you guys want is right here, right now, instant gratification. You know what I blame?” Adam said.
She was in no mood for a lecture from him. Adam was not supposed to act this way.
“I blame the Internet and Internet shopping. Back in my day, you had to wait for shit. There was none of this binge-watching. You were lucky if television shows even got to video. That’s right, good old VHS, and then some stuff you had to tape off the television. Yep, you had to wait for that shit to be viewed. I was there, when I didn’t have enough money to pay for the movie and had to click on the ‘record’ button.” He laughed. “I was sitting there when ads came on, clicking ‘pause,’ so I could have movies that had uninterrupted breaks.”
She frowned. “Are you for real right now? Giving me a lecture on how it used to be?”
“With care and preparation this wouldn’t have happened,” Adam said. “You want me to congratulate you and say you did a good thing, that’s not going to happen. You are children right now. You’ve been at the club two minutes and you think you know best.”
“I thought you would understand.”
“And I do, but it doesn’t make what you did right. Like I said, at least Lash got to see you guys working as a team, which is great, but you still disobeyed your leader, your prez, and that will have consequences. The first being, he took your patches from you. Some of you might never earn them back. I hope for all of your sakes that it is worth it.”
And with that he got to his feet and walked out the door without a backward glance.
Rachel growled. “Can you believe that? The first time he really talks to me and it is to give me a lecture. I have a good mind to ... fuck. I’m weird because I found his lecture hot, and now I feel like a cretin. What kind of person gets aroused at a guy giving you an old-people lecture?”
There was no response and Rachel sighed. “I miss you, Daisy. I hope for all of our sakes, you come back to us.”
The door to her room opened and Tabitha stepped inside.
“Hey,” Tabitha said.
“Hey.”
Rachel got to her feet. “I better go.”
And with that, she went in search of Adam for a ride.
****
T abitha sat down in the chair and looked over toward her friend. Rachel hadn’t lingered, not that she would expect her to. She was no longer a Skull. She wasn’t part of their little group that tried to wipe out the Monster Dogs.
“You didn’t tell me what was going on,” Tabitha said. That stung. Knowing there was stuff going on in Fort Wills and she was not privy to any of the comings and goings. “I get it, and even though to a point I didn’t get it, Anthony is not exactly the kind of guy to make me forget it, you know.” She chuckled, but it was a forced sound. “He’s ... hurting. I get it. You’re not here and it is killing him that you are not with him. It makes him quite dangerous. I’m sure you already know that.”
She tried to smile, rubbing her hands down her thighs and then looking over to where Daisy’s hand lay with her wedding band on.
“I guess a lot has been going on over here that you didn’t tell me about.” Tabitha reached out and touched her hand, stroking her finger across the ring. “I guess there is now a lot you can’t tell me about. You’re married. We’re both married.” Tabitha sighed. “I miss you, Daisy. I miss how it was between all of us. I think it is why I don’t always come around. I know it can be hard because I’m no longer a Skull. There is only so much we can do together, and it is hard. I wish it wasn’t this way.”
She stopped and pressed her lips together. “Nathan is growing up so fast. I told Anthony you were the first person to hold him. That I was ... that I turned away from the nurse and you actually took him in your arms and loved him instantly, whereas I ... you are a good person, Daisy. You always have been.”
Tabitha looked toward her friend. Even as she lay in the hospital bed hooked up to tubes and the beeping of the machines, she saw that little girl. They had once been tiny children with the whole world ahead of them.
“You’re so pretty,” Daisy said.
“And so are you.”
They had hugged each other. Daisy had later told her she wasn’t pretty. Her parents had often said she was an ugly baby, and that was how Daisy had come to see herself.
Tabitha looked up to see Lacey step into the hospital room. This woman’s hair changed colors so quickly it was hard to keep up. Right now, it was a dark brown and rich purple, each color streaked together.
“Hey,” Tabitha said.
Lacey looked toward her. “Hey. Rachel said you were here.”
“Do you want me to go?” Tabitha wasn’t used to people wanting her to leave, but a lot had changed in recent years.
“No, no, stay. I know it would be good for Daisy to hear your voice. I know she misses you.” Lacey came toward her, putting a hand on her shoulder, before adding another bouquet of flowers to the shelf.
“Ink and Darcy asked me to bring these for Daisy. They want to come, but I know it’s hard for them.”
The whole club had come to the hospital, Tabitha had seen them.
“They’re not coming to visit her?” Tabitha asked.
Lacey sighed. “Yes and no. They ... Daisy means a lot to everyone, and right now, seeing her like this is too hard for them. I know it sounds selfish of them, but right now Lash needs everyone to stand down. He’s got a lot to deal with.”
And Tabitha understood it. Daisy was one of them. She was loved by the whole club, and she had been hurt. To see her hooked up to the machines and not waking up would anger the club. They would want to go to war with the remaining Monsters on the run.
“I get it,” Tabitha said.
“Yes, I get it. You get it. Anthony gets it. Everyone gets it, but Daisy doesn’t. Even to this day, she doesn’t believe she has a place within the Skulls.” Lacey went through some of the flowers, and Tabitha watched as she watered them.
“Daisy’s biological parents fucked her up,” Tabitha said.
She looked toward Lacey, who simply nodded.
“Yes, I know when she moved out, she was doing it so as not to be a burden, and so we could adopt more children.”
“Daisy moved out?” Tabitha asked.
“Yes, quite some time ago, actually. She and Anthony have been living together, not that they have announced it. They never seem to feel the need. No big deal.” Lacey sighed. “They didn’t even need help decorating the place or moving in. It just happened and because they didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, neither did we.”
“I had no idea.”
“They have their reasons.”
“I just thought it would be something she would have told me,” Tabitha said. “It is a big deal.”
“Why? With everything you’ve got going on in Piston County. Daisy didn’t want to worry you.”
She was a horrible friend. She slumped back in her chair. “There is so much going on in her life, and I didn’t ... it’s my fault. Before I left, I told her she got her perfect little life and I ... my life didn’t go the way I wanted.” That was coming back to haunt her now.
Lacey laughed but it was a forced sound. “And knowing Daisy, she would never want to hurt your feelings, so she didn’t. She kept all the good things that were happening, as well as the bad, to herself.”
Anthony was right. She was not a good friend.