Chapter 31
CHAPTER
THIRTY-ONE
KING
“You leave here, and you’ll bust your stitches open,” the doctor grunts.
He’s one of us, even though nobody here at the hospital knows it. And thank fuck for it, too, because he didn’t call the cops and made sure nobody else did either. Not that I did anything wrong, but we don’t need to answer any fucking questions.
We take care of our own shit.
“I’m sure I will. Lucky for me, I know a doctor.”
He shakes his head, his gaze finding mine, and levels me. He’s in doctor mode and not brother mode at the moment. I take him for all his seriousness and watch him for a moment. He clears his throat before he speaks.
“You could have died. Just keep that in mind when you go to do whatever the fuck it is you’re going to do.”
My lips twitch into a smirk. “You mean get my woman back?” I ask. “It’s been days.”
“They’re trying not to start a whole war,” he murmurs.
Biting the inside of my cheek, I try not to lose my shit, mainly because none of this shit is the doc’s fault. I’m pissed at Atomic. He’s supposed to have my back, have my woman’s back, and he doesn’t have her after days of the Nomad Kings taking her right out of her own home.
I don’t give a fuck what kind of excuses he’s giving. I am not just going to accept any of them. And war? The Nomads started this shit. Not me, not us—them. But I’ll tell you what. I’m going to end this shit, then, as I promised, I’m sending that whole fucking club sky fucking high.
“So, am I good?” I demand.
Doc shakes his head. “No, but I’ll release you. Try not to get into anything physical. I still don’t fucking agree with this shit, but I know you’ll just walk out even if I don’t release your ass,” he mutters.
He’s right. I absolutely will.
The door opens a few moments later, and I’m glad to see Strings standing in front of me, a bag of my clothes in his hand.
“The bitch is waiting for you.”
I almost ask him which one, but I know who he’s referring to, and it isn’t the bitch I can’t get off my mind.
It’s the one I want to forget ever existed.
My woman’s fucking sister. What are the goddamn odds of that?
Any other time, I would think it was hot fucking both sisters.
I would probably try to get them to fuck me together, but not in this instance.
Standing, I try not to wince at the pain in my side from the still-healing knife wound. I walk over to him and take the bag, then go into the bathroom to change. It takes me a hell of a lot longer than it should to put on my clothes.
When I’m ready, I make my way back into the room but then realize I can’t put my boots on by myself. But I’m also not about to ask Strings to help me. Thankfully, I don’t have to because he jerks his chin toward the sofa, and I sink down as he helps me with my boots.
“This is bullshit,” I grunt.
He chuckles. “It is, but I remember what it was like.”
I’d forgotten that he was stabbed about a year ago himself. He really does know exactly how the fuck this feels. When he’s finished lacing up my boots, he helps me stand to my feet, then frowns as he watches me.
“You should really rest,” he murmurs.
“Apparently, nobody else is getting my woman. I’ll rest after I have her safely at my side.”
He nods his head. “There’s a reason. When Poison started talking, I think that’s what caused Atomic to halt.”
I couldn’t give a fuck less. Honest to God, I do not give a fuck what Poison or Atomic or anyone has to say. The reason could be the best fucking one on the planet, and I still would not give a flying fuck. Not a single one.
“Then we go get your woman,” he murmurs. “But after you talk to Atomic.”
Everything inside of me screams to go and get Shawn before I even think about discussing a goddamn thing with anyone else. But as loyal as I am to her and our relationship, the club comes first, as much as I don’t want it to.
“Let’s get this shit done,” I grind out.
Together, we walk out of the room, even though every goddamn step hurts worse than the last. I see Doc standing with a nurse as I make my way down the hall. He leaves her and jogs up to me.
“Take these,” he murmurs, slipping a pill bottle into my hand. “Just don’t drive on them, but they’re going to help your pain. Maybe smoke a blunt, too.”
Chuckling, I groan at the pain, then jerk my chin toward him. “Doctor’s orders?” I ask.
“Yeah, doctor’s fuckin’ orders.”
“Thanks, brother,” I murmur.
He doesn’t say anything else. Instead, he turns and walks back to the nurse, who is waiting for him.
Strings and I turn back toward the exit and make our way out of the fucking hospital.
Everything hurts, but as soon as I climb into his pickup, I pop a couple of the doc’s pills into my mouth and close my eyes.
Strings doesn’t say anything to me as he drives toward the clubhouse. I’m glad, because even though I’ve mostly been alone in the hospital, there’s been very little silence, and I’m grateful for it now.
When the truck stops, I lift my head from the headrest and look straight ahead. It’s the clubhouse, but it’s not just the clubhouse. The parking lot is fucking packed, almost as if we’re having a party.
“What the fuck?” I ask, but as my gaze scans the lot, I notice it. It’s painted with shiny electric-blue flames and the Dark Horse MC insignia. “My dad’s here.”
When I talked to him a few days ago, he seemed pretty chill about me and Shawn. He wasn’t thrilled with who her father was but understood the circumstance and said it shouldn’t be a problem.
Except it was.
It is.
“He and his group just got in this afternoon,” Strings explains.
“Is this part of the reason Atomic waited?” I ask.
Strings shrugs, but I know he knows. I don’t push it because I’m not sure I actually want to know. Instead, I nod my head, then open the door and gnash my teeth together as I climb out of the truck.
The pain meds are starting to kick in, thank fuck, but they aren’t all the way there yet. Slowly, I move toward the clubhouse's front door. I’m not quite sure what I’m going to be met with, but right now, my focus needs to be on Poison and my woman—for completely different reasons.
As soon as I open the door, I’m surprised to find my father standing several feet away, his eyes focused on me. He doesn’t move, though. He just watches, and I can’t help but chuckle at the sight of him.
My father wasn’t really in my life when I was a kid. He didn’t take care of me when I was sick. He wasn’t there if I was ever hurt, so this is completely out of the scope of our relationship. But when he walks toward me, I watch as his expression changes.
He stops a few feet away from me and curls his fingers around the back of my neck before he rests his forehead against mine.
“Scared the fuck out of me,” he says, his voice deep and rumbling. It’s full of emotion, but I decide to ignore that because I don’t know what to do with it. He clears his throat before he continues. “We’re going to take care of this shit,” he growls. “Those fucks will not get away with this.”
I almost ask him why he hasn’t asked Atomic what the fuck is going on and why they haven’t already taken care of it, but I decide against it. He squeezes my neck, then releases it, his hand dropping to his side as he takes a step backward.
“The girl was talking a bit. We didn’t get much,” he states.
“Did you talk to her?” I ask, surprised.
His lips curve up into a grin. “Yeah, the second I walked through the door. She’s useless.
He turned her out on the street when she was thirteen.
She hates him, and it doesn’t seem like he gives much of a fuck about her.
She was the one who begged to come here as a spy.
Don’t think he gave much of a fuck what she did or didn’t do. ”
“But she’s the one who told him about Shawn?” I ask.
He jerks his chin. “So she claims. Trying to get Daddy’s approval.”
“I still don’t understand why he wants Shawn at all. She said she didn’t even know who her father was.”
“This is your woman?” he asks. “You’re not backing away now that you know what you have to do?”
I grin at him. “Not at all. She’s my old lady. Fuckin’ special.”
“Then let’s get to the bottom of this,” he states.
A thought flashes in my mind. Before I tell him what I’m thinking, I turn to the prospect Zombie. His eyes find mine, and I jerk my chin. “Get Shawn’s mother and brother. Bring them to me.”
My father chuckles, and I turn to him. “I’m going to find out what the fuck is going on here, and fast. I don’t have time to fuck around. He’s had her for days, and I’m not fucking okay with any of this shit.”
“That’s my son,” my father murmurs. He sounds proud, and I’m glad for it, but I can’t bask in his approval. At least not right now.
SHAWN
After much discussion, some name-calling, and then an agreement to allow one of the men to use me as he wishes while the other one marries me, decisions have been made.
I feel sick to my stomach about the whole thing, but it appears that time is of the essence, as my father announces that the wedding will take place the next evening.
That doesn’t give me much time at all. In fact, I don’t think I’m going to be able to run away like I originally planned. Maybe I should have gone for the hooker route. It seems like that’s essentially what I am anyway. I don’t think it would have mattered either way.
I’m also not let out of my cage.
When the decision is made, all three of the men leave me alone. No food, no bathroom, no water—nothing. I hate them all. I’m not sure how bad Elvis’s group is, but I hope they hurt all these men… badly.
Curling into a ball, I try not to cry, but I fail. No tears fall, because I ran out of those a while ago. Instead, my body jolts and jerks as I cry, my eyes dry but my body heaving. I haven’t completely given up, but I decide I need a few moments to cry and feel sorry for myself.
I’ll get myself together and try to escape when I can, but right now, I just need a moment. My strength will return to me… eventually. I inhale a deep breath, hold it, then slowly let it out.
Opening my eyes, I stare at the doorway. Someone will walk through again eventually. Someone will open the cage eventually. I make a pact with myself that I’m going to say, do, be whatever I need to be to get the fuck out of here.
No limits.
I’ll think about what I’ve done after I’m safe… maybe.