Chapter Sixteen
Hope
WAKING UP, I stretch out my aching body.
For the first time I ache and it’s not from the attack at work.
My body used muscles I haven’t used in a very long time yesterday with Jinx and a smile graces my face with the knowledge that we finally seem to both be on the same page.
After the talk we had, and learning things I thought happened really didn’t, I knew there was no way in hell I could hold back when it comes to Jinx.
We’ve both denied our feelings and held back for so long and after almost dying, I didn’t want to wait for anything.
Especially knowing that Becker and the hitman are still out there.
Hell, if I’m attacked again, it doesn’t even have to be the same hitman coming for me.
I’ve learned enough over the years that someone can put a hit out on the dark web and anyone can accept it for the right price.
That means I could actually have multiple people after me and we don’t know anything about it yet.
King has been looking but he can only do so much because he’s human and it’s going to take time to find something like that if Becker wants to keep it hidden.
I know Becker isn’t smart enough to cover his tracks and keep something like that hidden on the dark web.
That doesn’t mean he can’t hire someone to do it for him.
I imagine he has all sorts of shady fuckers working for him that no one knows about.
Especially if he’s the one behind the sale of drugs in Pine View lately.
I have no doubt in my mind that Becker surrounds himself with the worst kind of people because that’s the kind of asshole he is.
He would sell out anyone around him as long as he gets something out of the deal.
The only people I believe he would never do that to are his parents because they’re always the ones bailing him out of whatever shit he gets into.
If not for them, he’d be in prison by now for all the crimes he’s committed over the years.
Now, I have to worry about having multiple people after me because of him and it takes away from the moment Jinx and I had yesterday.
Growing up with Jinx, I knew there was a different side to him.
Yeah, he can be very serious when he needs to be for club business.
He’s competitive when the guys and him are doing anything and last night he showed me that he’s sweet, loving, and very attentive.
After we ate dinner with everyone, we spent the rest of the night in the bedroom watching movies.
Jinx never once complained when I chose a chick flick.
He sat there with my head in his lap and ran his fingers through my hair.
Neither one of us could stop touching one another for longer than a minute or two.
We ended up having sex three more times over the course of the night and into the early morning.
Some of them were fast and hard while one time we took forever exploring one another’s bodies and learning what the other one liked.
Jinx definitely knows what he’s doing when it comes to using his mouth and I gave him a blow job for the first time. I was so nervous because I’d never done it before, but he encouraged me the entire time.
Rolling over, I find the spot in bed where Jinx slept empty.
Sitting up, I look around the room and he’s nowhere in here.
I sigh and carefully push the blankets off of me before turning to sit on the edge of the bed for a minute.
My therapist doesn’t want me to get right out of bed in the morning in case I’m not steady on my feet.
So, I sit on the bed until I feel as if I’ll be stable when I stand up using my cane.
I’m glad that I don’t have to push the walker around anymore because I hate that thing.
The hallways here are wider than normal and I was still running into them when I’d move around the cabin.
It was horrible and I wanted to cry every single day because I was completely frustrated.
Now, I feel better with the cane and I’m steady on my feet as I work on rebuilding the muscles I lost over the month I was in the hospital.
Heading for the bathroom, I take care of business before making my way back to the room to grab my bathing suit.
As I’m getting my suit on, Jinx walks in the room and leans against the closed door to watch me.
Since I’m going to be working with the therapist, I have my one piece on.
If I were just going to swim or lay in the sun, I’d be wearing one of my bikinis.
Though I don’t know how Jinx would feel about that with the other guys here walking around the property.
“Mornin’, Sweet Girl. How are you feelin’ today?”
he asks me once I have my suit on and sit back on the edge of the bed.
“I’m sore in the best way possible,”
I answer him honestly as he slowly stalks over to me with a heated look in his eyes.
“Yeah?”
“Yes,”
I breathe out as he stands in front of me and leans down for a kiss.
Jinx devours my mouth as our tongues tangle and duel for control of the kiss.
I like this side of Jinx.
He’s not letting me control the kiss as I finally give in to his silent demands and he takes what he wants.
Jinx tangles his fingers in my hair and pulls just a little bit as he continues to devour me.
I don’t hold in my moan from the sensations filling me as I reach up and run my hands up Jinx’ shirt to feel his muscles quiver and bunch under my touch.
It makes me feel powerful to elicit a reaction from him.
When Jinx finally pulls back, he slowly slides his eyes open and stares at me.
“Wakin’ up with you in my arms this mornin’ was the best fuckin’ feelin’ in the world,”
he finally tells me, his voice full of the emotions running through his eyes.
“I wouldn’t know,”
I say, giving him a little bit of sass because I can.
“I’m sorry. I wanted to get breakfast started before you woke up. I was hopin’ that you wouldn’t wake up before I was done,”
he tells me, a slight blush covering his cheeks as he continues to look at me.
“It’s okay, Jinx. I didn’t take a shower because you weren’t up here. I know you’re not comfortable with me in the shower alone if you’re not in the bedroom. And I wasn’t going to call in the therapist to stand with me. I’ll take one after I get out of the pool if you wouldn’t mind helping me today,”
I tell him, my voice almost a whisper as I stand and grab my cane so we can leave the bedroom.
“Of course I’ll help you, Sweet Girl,”
he says as if I’m crazy and should already expect him to help me in the shower when we’re still just figuring things out.
We walk out to the kitchen to find King, Bronx, and Raptor already sitting at the table. They all look up and smile at me as Jinx helps me into my seat next to King. Raptor offers a small smile before pulling his eyes from me. I can’t keep doing this shit with him.
“Raptor, I’ve grown up with you and know that you’re taking what happened to me on your shoulders. I told you in the hospital that it wasn’t your fault and I’m gonna tell you again now. If you had been with me, Raptor, you could have been hurt or worse by this stupid fucker. Do you honestly think I could deal with knowing something happened to you because of me? I couldn’t. I would feel so much worse than you currently do because I would know without a doubt that your pain and suffering was caused by me. If the prick had managed to take you from us, I would have disappeared because I would never be able to face Wood, Boy Scout, or your mom ever again,”
I state, my voice wavering with the thought of something happening to Raptor because of me as tears fill my eyes.
Jinx swoops in and lifts me in his lap as he wraps his arms around me. I bury my face in his chest and let the tears flow as I hear someone else enter the kitchen and pull out a seat at the table with us. Instead of looking to see who it is, I keep my face buried.
“You’re right, Hope. I know I shouldn’t feel guilty or anythin’, but I can’t help it. You’re in your early fuckin’ twenties and have to use a cane to get around. We almost fuckin’ lost you and then I had to make the phone calls to Jinx and Vault to let them know what had happened. Worst fuckin’ calls I’ve ever had to make in my life,”
Raptor says, his voice gruff with emotion as I finally look up at him to see my therapist has joined us at the table with her standard breakfast of a protein shake and nothing more.
“But I’m still here, Raptor. I won’t have to use the cane forever. It’s just something for now as I continue to build my muscles back up. I get weak as the day wears on and it just ensures I don’t fall and hurt myself again. As you can see, it didn’t take me long to stop using the walker. If I keep busting my ass and working hard, I don’t see myself having to use the cane for a long period of time either. Please, give me back my friend and stop letting the guilt eat away at you,”
I plead with him as Raptor stands from his seat and leans over to press a kiss against the top of my head before sitting back down to finish his breakfast.
Jinx pulls my plate and cup of orange juice over in front of him as he continues to hold me.
I eat everything on my plate because I know it’s the only way I’ll have the strength to get through one of my therapy sessions.
The one time I didn’t eat a full breakfast, I couldn’t make it through the entire session without almost collapsing as I started to shake uncontrollably.
We all make small talk and leave the heavy subjects alone as we finish our food.
King and Raptor get up to clear the table while Bronx starts washing the dishes and setting them in the drying rack next to the sink.
Jinx helps me stand and makes sure I have my cane before I head to the gym with my therapist so she can torture me some more.
I worked for almost two hours straight before my therapist let me get in the pool.
Today is one of the days it didn’t help my muscles and it hurt with every move I made.
Jinx was with me and didn’t let me out of his arms as I tried to swim around the shallow end of the pool to continue working the muscles that want to give out on me.
When I’m ready to get out, Jinx carries me to our room and helps me shower before drying me off and helping me get in bed so I can take a nap.
The days when I’m so damn sore the pool doesn’t help, I always take a nap for a few hours because I’m so exhausted and can’t force myself to remain up to do anything around the cabin.
My body needs a break and I listen to what it’s telling me without trying to push too hard.
Before I take a nap today though, I want to talk to my dad.
It’s been a few days since we talked and I want to hear his voice and find out how everything is going back home.
Yes, Pine View is my home now and it’s where I’m meant to be.
Jinx hands me the burner phone King gave me before we even left Pine View.
My cell phone is shut off and sitting in my room at the clubhouse so if anyone is able to track it while it’s shut off, it will show me in the city and not several hours away.
I will do everything in my power to keep the men with me safe so no one heard a word of complaint from me.
“I’m gonna leave you alone to talk to your dad. If you need me, just call out and I’ll be back. I’ll get you somethin’ for lunch before you sleep. Do you want me to lay down with you after lunch?”
Jinx asks me as I try to get comfortable in bed.
“Please. I have a feeling I’m going to wake up with a cramp in my legs again and they’re so painful,”
I tell him, knowing we do everything we can to prevent the cramps from happening, but nothing is a hundred percent effective.
“Okay. I’ll make sure King knows you’re callin’ home and that you’re gonna take a few extra minutes today. He’s got the signal jammers or somethin’ up that will allow you to use the phone while no one else will be able to track you. Not that it’s easy to track a burner phone. He’s still takin’ every precaution he can,”
Jinx informs me as he gives me a kiss on my forehead before leaving the room to make us some lunch.
Calling my dad’s phone, I listen to it ring and think he’s going to let my call go to voicemail with how long it rings.
“Baby Girl, are you okay?”
he asks, answering at the very last second possible and sounding out of breath.
“I’m as good as I can be. Are you okay? What’s going on, Dad?”
I ask him, instantly alert because my dad is never out of breath for any reason.
“I’m okay, Hope. We’re in the middle of dealin’ with some shit at the clubhouse. I’m gonna tell you somethin’ but I don’t want you to worry. We have everythin’ under control and there’s no need for you to panic,”
he tells me as I instantly start to panic while trying to think of everything that could possibly be wrong back home.
“You know telling me not to panic is only going to make me do it, right?”
I question him, fear filling my voice as I start to play with the edge of the blankets on the bed.
“I know, Baby Girl. We’re dealin’ with a fire here at the clubhouse. None of us know too much about how it was started, but it’s damaged the back of the buildin’. We got the fire out and the fire department is here now to make sure it’s really out and won’t start blazin’ once again. They’re also startin’ an investigation into where the fire started and why. It’s a new buildin’, only a few years old, so I don’t believe this is faulty wirin’ or any of that other bullshit. Someone started this fire on purpose and didn’t realize as many of us were here as we are. Thankfully, we all just got back to the clubhouse for a break from lookin’ for those people. We’ve got the Wild Kings with us and they’re helpin’ do what they can,”
my dad informs me as I hear muffled noises coming from the other end of the phone.
“Did anyone get hurt?”
I question him, sitting up as straight as I can in the bed while tears fill my eyes and my hands start shaking.
“No, Baby Girl. No one got hurt. Morgan alerted us to the smell of smoke fillin’ her room and we all rushed to the back to find the fire. Vault made sure to have a fire system installed in the clubhouse and pulled the trigger while the rest of us grabbed the fire extinguishers they have stashed around the clubhouse. Between all of us, it didn’t take long to put the fire out. The fire department showed up just as the last of the flames were bein’ extinguished. Shy and Annabell got the women and kids out and kept them away from the clubhouse for now. We won’t be able to stay in here so Annabell is splittin’ everyone up between the houses on the property. Your mom, Faith, and myself are stayin’ with Playboy and Sam in Jinx’ house. I’m sure you’ll come home to a fully furnished house if that’s where you both choose to live,”
my dad informs me, his voice fading in and out as I hear him walking around and others yelling in the background.
“Dad, call me if anything changes please. I’ll let you go so you can help take care of everything. Please be careful. I love you, Mom, and Faith so much,”
I tell him as the first tears spill over and roll down my face as Jinx makes his way back in the bedroom with our lunch.
“We love you too, Baby Girl. I’ll call you when things settle down here,”
he says before hanging up.
I’m not even mad that he just hangs up on me. It’s how all the guys are when they’re on the phone. At first it used to hurt my feelings because it made me feel as if he couldn’t be off the phone fast enough. Then I realized all the guys did the same thing because they hate phones in general and only use them when it’s absolutely necessary. Well, at least our dads feel that way.
“What’s wrong, Sweet Girl?”
Jinx asks, rushing up to the bed and pulling me into his arms as I set the phone down next to me.
“There was a fire at the clubhouse. Morgan smelled smoke in her room and let the guys know. They had all just returned from their search for Becker and the hitman. The Wild Kings are there with them. Vault started the system he had installed to deal with fires while the rest of the guys got fire extinguishers to put the fire out. It was in the back of the clubhouse. Annabell and Shy got the women and kids out. For now, our parents and my sister are going to stay in your house on the compound. Dad said not to be surprised if the house is fully furnished by the time we get back if we choose to live there,”
I inform Jinx of the bombshell my dad just dropped on me.
“Fuck! I need to call Vault to find out more information and let the guys know what’s goin’ on. Are you gonna be okay in here alone while I take care of this?”
he asks me, handing over the plate before standing from the bed and leaning over me to press a kiss against my forehead again.
“I’ll be okay, Jinx. You go do what you gotta do. I’m gonna eat and try to get some sleep. Wake me up if anything happens,”
I tell him as he rushes from the room and I hear muffled conversations from other sections of the house.
I eat the sandwich and chips Jinx got me for lunch.
As I’m eating, I can’t help but worry about everything going on back home.
Deep in my gut, I know this is all because of me and the fact that Becker wants to get his hands on me.
It takes forever to fall asleep as thoughts continue to swirl and loop in my mind.
When I do manage to sleep, it’s not a deep sleep that’s peaceful.
I have one nightmare after another and end up waking feeling worse than I did before my nap.