Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CRASH
Watching my girl sleeping in the hospital bed makes so many fucking emotions swirl around my gut.
Anger like I have never felt before burns through me because those fuckers took Stevie and then shot her. Regret follows close behind for not ending this crew before they got to her.
She looks so fucking small lying in that bed, connected up to oxygen. Her leg is propped up on a pillow, and thankfully the bullet skimmed her bone. They cleaned out the wound in surgery and had to remove the bullet, so she is on antibiotics to fend off infection.
Cass and Cale left not long ago to go home to get some rest and freshen up. When they arrived, I expected them to kick me out, but Cass hugged me, and Cale thanked me for saving their daughter.
I felt their words like a punch to the solar plexus, regret weighing heavy on me for not protecting her better.
“How is she?” I turn to see Racer, Target, and Savage stroll into the room.
“No change. She will wake up soon, they said.”
“The rest is good for her,” Target replies.
“She is strong, brother,” Pres adds, and I nod.
“She is.” I run my hands through my hair, frustration riddling my body. “I should have protected her better.”
A hand lands on my shoulder, heavy and full of authority.
“You are not at fault here, brother. These pricks who took her are to blame for this. Val is to blame for this, for putting her on their radar,” Racer states.
I know what he is saying but it really doesn’t help the shitty way I feel.
“Logan.” My name is like whisper from the fucking racing gods.
“Baby.” I am at her side in a flash, taking her hand in mine. “Shit, it is good to see you awake.”
She goes to speak, but croaks, her throat dry.
“Here.” Racer hands me a cup of water with a straw. I help her take a sip.
“Slowly, babe.” She takes a few small sips, and nods, gracing me with a smile that brings me to my knees.
Sitting on the bed, I lean in, kissing her head.
“How long have I been out?”
“A few hours. What do you remember?” She looks to the bottom of her bed, seeing my brothers there.
I tense, waiting to see what she says. I know she heard what Pres said about getting stories straight, but I could never ask her to lie to her cousin for us— for me. Stevie should never be put in this situation; she is too good to be dragged into shit like this.
What we just dealt with is not an everyday occurrence for the Rugged Skulls as we are not a one-percenter club. We do have run-ins with some shitty people we have to face head on, as trouble always seems to finds us.
Bringing her gaze back to me, she sighs.
“I got a text from Val, saying she wanted to meet and talk. I went. Not my finest moment, but what can I say? I was curious. You know me.” I kiss the back of her hand.
“Then what?” I ask.
“I got there, but did not see anyone at first, so I went inside. You know when you scream at a horror movie, telling the hot chick not to go inside? Well, that was playing in my head, but I still went in.”
“I knew I fucking liked you, babe,” Savage speaks up, and Stevie winks at him.
Fucking winks. Chuckling, I gain her attention.
“Then?”
“I got grabbed by some men. I didn’t really see their faces, but they took me into a room where I found Val dead on the floor,” she states firmly.
“Fucking love her. if you do not wife her up, I fucking will and she can wear a fucking strap-on,” Savage threatens.
Stevie giggles, her hand gripping mine. I flip my brother off over my shoulder and he chuckles.
“Stevie, you were a brave girl, I will give you that. Fucking proud of you. If that is what you want to tell the cops, then we will support you,” Racer starts, then my girl cuts him off.
“I won’t lie to Grady.” He nods to her. “But that is what I will tell the police. I do not want Logan or the club in any sort of trouble. I will add that Logan was tracking me and got a bad vibe, so he followed and found me hurt. Got me to the hospital.”
“Okay, then the club owes you a debt.”
“No you don’t. Family helps family.” She grips my hand tighter and shit, it hits me like a sledgehammer.
I fucking love her.
“Still. You are now a Rugged Skull, honey, and we do what we can for family. No one stands alone, that is the club’s motto. You showed that you belong with our brother, so you always have the club’s protection. So do your folks.”
“My folks?” she asks him, then looks to me with a frown.
“Cass and Cale. They have made it clear to the docs here that they are your parents,” I fill her in. “They love you, baby.”
“I know,” she cries. “I love them, too. They have been more parents to me than my own, even though I have only known Cale for a few years.”
“I got an earful from her.” Racer chuckles. “She is hot, but scary as fuck, and keeps it in check that I do not need or want a fucking woman.”
She chuckles and each sound hits me in the chest that I could have lost her.
“You, Racer, will meet a woman who will challenge you, who will keep you on your toes but you will love her fiercely.”
His brow arches, his lips twitch. He folds his arms across his chest, staring at her, while we wait for him to shoot down her thoughts of him finding a woman.
“She will need to be extra fucking special and have a golden pussy to capture the heart of our broody Pres, here.” Savage nudges his shoulder.
“Don’t be crass, Savage,” my girl scolds him but I hear the humor in her tone.
She is no wilting flower and just seeing her now, hurting, and recovering, she is handling my brothers like a champ.
“Oh, baby, if you stay with this handsome man, you will know that I say what I feel, and have no regrets. Life is too short. Be you, always, babe. It makes life so much fucking easier, and funnier.” He winks.
She yawns.
“That is our cue to leave,” Target speaks up while coming around the bed, leaning in to kiss the top of her head, then brushes her bangs to one side.
A low growl slips past my lips, making the fucker grin.
“I get it brother, I have a hot woman of my own,” he says to me, then looks back to Stevie. “You rest up, then you can have girly time with Mads and Darian.”
His words trigger something in her.
“Glory,” she cries out.
“She is at the clubhouse; a prospect went to get her. She is loving life with my dogs,” Target tells her
“Oh, okay. Damn, she might not want to come home.” She smiles.
“We will let you rest. You need anything, honey, you tell your man and we will get it. We will send a nurse in.”
“I will, thank you.” She gives Pres a sweet smile that I know melts the broody fucker.
My brothers leave, but not before Savage has the last word.
“You stole my man, so you had better take good care of him, lady,” he says to her, and she giggles.
With her hand over her heart, she smiles.
“I promise to take care of his heart, Savage.”
“And his dick, it is a pretty one.” Her eyes widen, before she nods, then bites her lip.
“And his dick.” I laugh at her reply.
He blows us a kiss and leaves.
Turning back to Stevie I lean in, pressing a kiss to her lips. Her hand goes to my jaw, and I break the connection, resting my forehead against hers.
“How are you really?” I ask, my voice low.
Since she was taken from me and into surgery, my fucking mind wandered to so many bad scenarios. Waiting was agony, but so was having to tell Cass what had happened.
“Sore, but I suppose that is a given since I had surgery. I thought I was going to die.” She chokes up, tears flooding her eyes.
“Me too, baby. I have never been so scared in my life.”
I gently hold her, until the nurse comes in and does her check, informing us that she will have a doctor to come and look at her when they come to do rounds.
“Come lie with me,” she asks as soon as the nurse leaves.
She gently scoots over, cautious of her leg. I slide my body along her body, careful of wires and shit. My arm goes around her shoulder, she leans on my chest, and it is awkward but she needs it and whatever she needs, she will get.
We lie in silence for a beat, both just enjoying each other, knowing how bad things could have gotten.
“I love you, Stevie. I think I have since I saw you again. Something inside of me just clicked into place,” I murmur, against her hair.
Her breath hitches, the hand resting on my stomach fisting around the material of my shirt. She sighs, and I feel her lips under my jaw.
“I love you, too.”
Music to my fucking ears.
I pick her hand up off my stomach, and bringing it to my mouth, I kiss the little scratch on her knuckles.
“I am sorry that I did not protect you, but I swear to all my days, I will never let anyone hurt you again.” I look down at her.
She cries softly, but with a smile on her face. Needing to taste her, I lean in, kissing her again. The kiss is a way for my heart and soul to finally recognize that she is here and alive.
Not bleeding out on a dirty floor, like the others.
What she doesn’t know and will never know, is that Vinnie was killed in jail, the day before Valarie was shot and killed. Racer got information from Maverick that it looks like Zeno put a hit on him, to end whatever link he had with the siblings.
“You got me to safety, Logan. Besides, it was me that went inside. I could have told Val, no, but I wanted to hold on to a little shred of hope that we could reconcile. I hate that she is dead, honey, but I can’t help but think she brought this on herself.”
I kiss her frown. “Me too. She will be buried with her crew deep in the mountains. Pres reached out to Maverick, who is a member of my old club.”
“In Fort Lauderdale?”
“Yeah. I will have to take you there to meet them.” She beams at me and I know I said the right thing.
“I would love that.”
“I will make it happen once you are fully recovered. Maybe we can do a club ride, and stop to do some sightseeing along the way. Maybe try some outdoor sex.” I wiggle my eyebrows.
“You are insatiable, Logan Vaughan.”
Pressing my lips to hers, I kiss her long and deep, letting it be known through the kiss what she means to me.
“Only for you, baby. Only for you.”
“Maybe,” she says after a minute, and my cock stirs in my pants.
“Yeah?” She nods, her hand finding its way to my crotch, pressing down on the denim.
“Why not? You only live once, so don’t live it with regrets, right?”
How the hell did I get so damned lucky? She is someone I never thought I would have in my life, after Val. Women were always kept at a distance but I knew one day I would want to settle down. Now, I know that a high power brought me home to be with her.
“Fucking love you. Stevie.”
“And I love you, babe.”
I kiss her, then let her sleep while I watch. With a smile on my face, a plan forms in my head about this upcoming trip, that I need to get passed by Pres. I do not see why he would refuse it, as he is always up for long rides.
I have my woman, so there is only one more thing to do.