Chapter Thirty-Two
Iwas awake again when Glory showed up, and she took one look at me and burst into tears, standing in the middle of the bikers that had amassed in the room again, her arms around her middle as she took in the state of my fucking face and body.
“Bit harsh, love. He’s still pretty,” Rocket said, gesturing at her to come closer.
Yes. That was all I wanted. I lifted a heavy arm toward her and she sobbed, running to the bed, and throwing herself at me, which hurt, and jolted me and the bed, but if she wanted comfort from me, she’d always get it.
“Let’s give them a minute. We’ll be outside, brother. You’re not alone. Ever.”
I smiled at Micro, appreciating the fact that this club were rallying around me like this, that they were planning retribution for me, and that they felt like a huge fucking family. One I’d needed, one I knew Glory needed too.
“I’m okay,” I whispered, kissing the top of her head as she moved to press it against my neck, her sobbing breaths sending heat across my skin, even though my body was sure as hell not up for anything heated right now.
“Sweetheart, I’ll be fine. It’s just a few scratches.”
“They… stabbed… you…” she sobbed out, and I squeezed my eyes closed, because who the fuck told her that? No wonder she was panicking.
“It was a scratch, Glory, nothing more. I’m fine. Just being a bit lazy for a few hours.”
She lifted her head, her cheeks reddened and wet with tears, her eyes filled with water.
“I almost lost you, you fucking idiot!”
Whoa. “I didn’t ask them to jump me,” I protested, but I couldn’t help feeling a little relieved by her reaction, because whether we were gelling sexually or not, she was clearly really attached to me, and that was a damn good start.
“I’m sorry. I promise it’s not as bad as it looks. I’m more pissed about my ride, because they tried to fucking trash it.”
Her eyes narrowed dangerously at me. “More worried about a fucking motorbike?”
“It’s my favourite ride! Of course I’m more worried about that! I’ll need to replace… god knows what got damaged by those fuckers, and it’ll probably need a respray, and-”
“Shut up about the damn motorbike!” She yelled, slapping my chest, which roared with pain since I’d been punched or kicked there several times.
I gasped, pressing a hand against my chest and she reared back, her hands over her mouth.
“Oh god. I just hurt you!”
“You didn’t. I’m… fine.” Breathe slowly, it’ll ease. Jesus fuck.
“I’m no better than them. No better than… than him. I just abused you, the man I love!”
Breathing forgotten, my hand shot out, catching her wrist as she tried to back further away.
“Wait. Love. You said love. I’m the man you love.”
“Duh,” she grumbled, tugging at my grip, but for once I was not fucking letting go.
“No, I mean, love me as in… you’re in love with me. You love me as more than a friend.”
She nodded. “I feel like we’ve said it, but maybe I didn’t realise just how much I meant it until now. I thought they’d taken you away from me, and I didn’t want to live in a world you’re not in. You’re the light I need to survive.”
“That’s what you are for me, so can you get your sweet ass back over here and look after me? I’m wounded!”
She giggled, letting me drag her closer, and that’s when I reached out with the other arm, the one now being tugged viciously at by all the shit attached to it, but I wanted to cup her face and hold her here to tell her this.
“You’re the love of my fucking life, Glory. It was always you, and will always be you. I’m never letting you go. You get that, right? This is us. No more pussyfooting around. We’re each other’s forever, and where you go, I go.”
She nodded, her hand settling warmly over mine as she stepped as close as possible.
“Forever.”
A sound by the door had me glaring around her, because who’d interrupt this fucking moment for us? There had never been a more important moment than this one.
“Sorry, I get that the timing’s bad, but Glory… did you make a fucking phone call?”
A sudden flash of guilt across her sweet features told me that was a big yes, and she pulled away from me, smoothing her hands over her face, to try and hide the evidence of her sorrow.
I pointed directly at Micro, ignoring the frustrated look on his face.
“Don’t talk to her like that.”
Glory pressed her lips together, looking from him to me, and back again.
“Did they show up?”
“What do you think? Any opportunity to get all up in our business, right?”
Oh no. I had a suspicion I knew exactly what she’d done, and no wonder Micro was pissed. We didn’t want their involvement in anything else, not when they seemed to be keeping a damn list.
“Glory, you didn’t?”
She shrugged helplessly. “I was upset. I was freaking out, and I knew she’d send help. I mean, you want to take these bastards down, right?”
“Yes,” Micro gritted out, “but we didn’t need their fucking help too. Why don’t you come and help us get rid of them.”
I opened my mouth, but I knew I couldn’t do anything right now, not unless I climbed out of this damn bed, and, actually, yeah, I could get out of this damn bed. I grabbed the blankets and threw them away from me, trying to shuffle down the bed to get out.
“Stop! What are you doing?!”
“Going to back up my girl.”
“Idiot.” Glory started shoving me back on the bed, and Micro groaned.
“Can you guys get it on later? I need to go and see these dickheads off.” He left the room, and I tried again to get out of the bed. Truthfully, the movement was reminding me of every cut and bruise, and the swelling, and that wound in my back which was apparently small, but hurt like a bitch.
“No! You need to rest!” That damn nurse had returned, or been sent for me, and between her and Glory, I had no choice but to lay back down, and have more painkillers. The fucking things were so strong that I was starting to feel woozy.
“Love… you… swee-hear…”
Glory
Imade a mistake, and I knew it, but it’d seemed logical at the time.
I knew tough people who could help the club out, people who knew them, and had helped before.
Now it seemed like the dumbest thing I’d done, so I headed back out into the waiting room, to a group of leather clad bikers glaring at the two big guys standing there.
“Hello, Glory, love. Me and Tone are here to help.” The one with the buzz cut hair said, slapping his friend on the back in a way I’d seen many of these people do to each other. Abuse seemed to be their love language when it came to other men.
“I shouldn’t have phoned Lenore,” I said straight away, “I wasn’t sure how bad it was, and I was scared.”
He nodded, looking as gentle as a huge guy with thick arms and muscles could.
“It’s okay, love. We were closest, so the Bennetts sent us to see what we can do. More are on the way. We’ve all seen the footage, and that was some cowardly bullshit they pulled. Your man doing okay?”
I nodded, darting a wary gaze at the bikers who were waiting for us to finish our conversation, barely suppressed frustration and rage on their faces, evident in their tight shoulders, and clenched fists. All except Micro, who had a hand in his pocket and a smirk on his face.
“See, I was just telling these lovely gents we don’t need their help.”
“I’m so sorry I wasted your time!”
Deano grinned at his buddy, and that guy shook his head.
“Didn’t waste anything. We love hanging with our new friends, right, Deano?”
“Always up for a fight. Been learning Krav, and I want to break some faces. One on one is so boring lately, I wanna take on five or so at once.”
Micro groaned. “That’s lovely, really, but we don’t need help. We didn’t ask for help, and when the other chapter all arrive, we’re doing this. So thank you, but please go on with your lives, far away from us.”
“It’s almost like they don’t want us here, man.”
“Yeah, they probably sent out one of their call to arms messages saying something like ‘brother needs avenged, get your asses to town’ right?”
“How the fuck do you know that?”
“You hacked our channel?” Grease blurted, lifting his phone to his ear and striding away from us.
“We didn’t hack anything. We’re not the brainy types.”
I stepped between all the big men bristling at each other.
“I’m sorry. This was my fault. I messed up, and I panicked, and I’m sorry. It wasn’t my place to ask for help, and they seem like they don’t need it, so-”
“Hang on, love…” Tony, the dark haired one held his phone out and I heard a brusque voice on the other end.
“Nige, you wanna update these lovely folks for us?”
“Sure, because I answer to you, Tony.”
“Come onnn.”
The man sighed huffily. “Yesterday, the Double Ds as you call them, lovely name by the way, took delivery of a rather disturbing selection of stolen firearms. Don’t ask how I found that out.
I have my ways, but I’d say they have enough to mount a very dangerous defence.
I’ve already mapped out their compound, and a way into that storage area, to remove the threat before you attack.
But… you know… if you guys already have all this in hand, and are looking forward to gaining some extra holes, just go right on ahead. ”
The call ended, and we all silently absorbed his chilling words.
“Guns?” I whispered, and Micro cursed, actually a number of them cursed in response.
Deano cleared his throat. “Here’s the offer from the Bennetts. Nige’s information, and our backup to make sure you guys don’t get ambushed and dead. I think that’s a fair offer, don’t you?”
“In exchange for what?” Micro gritted out, watching Grease arguing with someone on his phone, then lifting his head to shake it at Micro. Whoever he was speaking to wasn’t giving him the answers they needed.
Deano grinned. “Ah I’m sure they’ll think of something somewhere down the road.”
Tony nudged his friend with his elbow. “I mean, they could still say yes to the initial request of help with the hen night, since it got postponed with Julie needing bedrest.”
“We already said fuck no to that!”
He shrugged again. “If someone like the Bennetts were doing favours for me and all they’d asked in return was security for a hen night, I’d be saying fuck yeah, that’s an easy way to pay them back.”
Deano nodded. “Our women will be there, and just like you value your old ladies, and would do anything for them, that’s how we treat ours. They’re our fucking world. You’re gonna let them be at risk?”
Micro cursed, digging out his own phone, and marching off to speak to someone.
“Aw was that a yes, or is he phoning daddy for permission?”
Harley took up Micro’s position while he was across the waiting room, a waiting room by the way that had some very uneasy hospital staff watching us closely, while pretending to do just the opposite.
“Listen, it’s kind of you fellas to offer help, but you have to understand, we’re getting constant help we haven’t actually asked for, and it’s coming with demands of payback. That’s extortion at the very least.”
“True. That’s the Bennetts’ entire business, basically.”
“A hen night doesn’t sound so bad. We can discuss that after tonight, but I really think we can manage to-”
“We accept your help, with the following conditions,” Micro interrupted, tucking his phone back in his pocket as he stepped up beside Harley again, “sorry, brother.”
Harley nodded, moving aside again.
“Go on, we’ll put them to our bosses.”
“One, we do the hen night, and that’s going to cover payback for everything to date, except tonight.
Secondly, we get the power of veto against any favour they ask for in return for tonight.
I will not put my club, or my family at risk.
Thirdly, this is the last time we get enforced assistance if we didn’t ask for it.
It’s one thing to offer, but this is like being held to ransom, and it won’t work again.
You’re offering help and that’s great, but don’t underestimate how big this club is, and how many allies we already have.
I’m betting our reach is wider than you realise. ”
The men exchanged looks, and I want to say they looked grudgingly impressed, but they simply nodded slowly, and one tapped something in his ear.
“Catch all that, boss?”
Oh my god. They had earpieces and were listening this whole time? Micro grinned, clearly not having missed that detail.
“Gotcha. The bosses agree. Hen night wipes the slate clean before tonight. They agree to the rest.”
Wow. All that left now was the retribution, right?