Chapter 9—Kooper
“So, want to tell me how all this happened?” The doctor checking over the stitchwork the nurse did on Ruby looks over at me. And the damn sling on my arm.
Considering everything, I say we got off lucky.
A dislocated shoulder for me, a concussion, a gash on the head, and a twisted ankle for Ruby.
I made them look at her leg after she mentioned my minor shoulder issue.
Did it hurt? Yeah. Did it mean I couldn’t drive home and have my brother, someone I trusted, look at it?
Hell no. But the nurses here wouldn’t hear of it, and since my goal is to keep our heads down, I relented and let them do it.
When I saw Ruby open her mouth to call out the shot on my back, I gave her one shake of the head, and that had her shutting up. Just because she’s looking to one-up me doesn’t mean she gets to draw attention to us being in a shooting that’s probably all over the news right about now.
Thankfully, there was no penetration where I got hit, and it only looked like a bruise when the nurses took my shirt and jacket off to examine my arm.
I was able to convince them it was nothing.
An added benefit of the special lining the club invested in for all Hounds to have in their biker jackets.
We don’t always wear them, but I put it on more times than not.
It’s meant to help with road rash if I ever fall off my bike because of some fucker who can’t drive, but it also keeps me alive if some idiot thinks it’s wise to shoot a Hound in the back.
“Just picking up my girl for a ride, and some asshole sideswiped us into a ditch.”
“We can have the police here soon to take your statements to file the report.” He doesn’t even look back at me as he gives Ruby another concussion test. It’s pissing me off.
No way does he need to keep looking at her so much.
The nurse already did the job; he just needs to sign the damn paperwork to let us out of here.
I shake my head at him. “No good, Doc. Didn’t see what the car was. It was too dark for any description.”
My words have him stopping long enough to turn and give me his full attention. “I see. And what about you?” he asks, turning back to Ruby. “You see who it was?”
She shakes her head. “My eyes were closed. I was just enjoying being on the back of my man’s bike without a care in the world.”
I smirk. Her response is part of the job to make this believable.
But it also does something else. It makes the doc take a second to really see my vest and understand that touching her might not be the wisest thing to do if he wants to keep his hands in working condition.
Not that he knows we aren’t together, but it’s my job to keep Ruby safe.
And that means keeping creeps away from her.
“Right. Let me get those discharge papers, and I’ll have the nurse go over the medications I recommended. It’s best if she doesn’t fall asleep for the next twenty-four hours to make sure nothing happens.”
“Oh, trust me, sleeping is the last thing on my mind. Isn’t that right, big guy?” She gives me a dramatic wink, and I don’t hold back the eye roll. That’s over the top, but whatever it takes to get the guy out of the room and us on the road back home is fine by me.
Five seconds after the doctor leaves, Ruby’s smirking, and I just know I’m going to get an earful.
“Just picking up your girl, huh? Why, Kooper, I’ve never been so flattered.”
I shake my head as I look down at my feet.
“Keep saying such sweet things and Dad might have to kick you off my detail.”
Her words trigger something in me. Something deep and dark that I never thought was an issue till two days ago when that image got into my head.
It was only once and never again, but I have this sick fear that somehow Law will know I thought that about his daughter.
Someone I should only see as an assignment and never, ever as anything beyond that.
She stands, her ankle wrapped and her feet in slippers to keep her toes from freezing.
She looks like a temptress with the way her hair is blown out and her normal badass updo isn’t there.
But there’s also a softness about her that anyone would be a fool to think was her real self.
She’s a tigress waiting to pounce on anyone not strong enough for a woman like Ruby.
“So, you going to carry me to our chariot so we can have our long night together, lover?” The sass that comes out of her mouth makes me want to find a way to shut it. And not just with my hand over it.
Her words have my blood boiling. And not all of it is because I’m mad. No. A deep, dark, depraved, sick part of me likes what she says.
“I ain’t here because I want to be, I’m here because I have to be.
Your dad gave me a job, one I don’t intend to fail.
And the only reason I got stuck with you is because everyone else worth their salt turned it down, and I’ve got a background in asset protection.
Trust me, if I had a choice, it wouldn’t be me.
So pack up your shit and let’s go. Your dad wants you home, and I’ve got a vamp waiting on me to give me something good for all the shit I had to do today. ”
She keeps the stupid bright smile on her face, but I see a bit of light fade from her eyes. I watch that spark that’s all her go out, and that same depraved part of me that shouldn’t like her words feels bad that I caused that hurt.
I shake my head and walk out of the room as soon as the nurse comes in. She tries to stop me, but I ain’t having it. A single look has her backing off and talking to Ruby as I walk down the hall. Not enough for full privacy, but this way I can still keep an eye on my pain-in-the-ass charge.
I dial a number and wait for someone to pick up.
“Wrong number.”
“It’s Kooper,” I say quickly before Domino hangs up. I’m calling from an outside line to the one directly inside the tech room, something none of us ever do unless we don’t have a choice.
“Shit, Kooper. What the hell, man? Reports are coming in about a shooting. You and Ruby okay? Why aren’t you calling from your phone? Is this thing secure?”
“Not sure, so keep it light. Ruby and I are fine. At the hospital doing a look-over.”
“She okay?”
“Hit her head. We’ll be back soon once we get the all-clear from here.”
“Got it. And the phone issues?”
“Ran into some problems. Need you to clean and clear the primary phone. I’ll bring this one in.
It’s a new one I picked up real quick.” I know he’s catching what I’m not saying.
My phone was lost or destroyed during what went down.
I didn’t even know I didn’t have my phone when I saw this one on the ground and picked it up before I grabbed Ruby and got us out of there as the sirens closed in.
There was a shootout on campus, so no doubt the cops would show.
I’ll admit that their response time sucks, but I’m not about to complain too much.
We were able to get out and weren’t stopped by anyone. “Need you to do some scrubbing too.”
“Got it,” Domino says. He might not be as good as Flint, but if he finds footage of us on any security cameras on campus or of us leaving, I’m sure it’ll be erased soon.
It’ll also give him some idea of what went down if he hadn’t already been looking into it.
Like I said, he isn’t as good as Flint, so he might not have gotten that far into it yet.
“Talk soon.” I hang up and turn off the phone before popping out the battery and SIM card and putting them in separate pockets. I should toss the whole thing, but I want whatever intel Flint can get off it once we’re back at the clubhouse.
I walk back to the room just as Ruby takes the paperwork, and I hear the nurse comment that her husband’s paperwork about aftercare is in there too.
Jesus fucking Christ.
“Let’s go,” I bark, and Ruby doesn’t jump like the other woman. She just gives the nurse a smile and limps out, not asking for a hand and not waiting for a wheelchair. It’s a slow gait, and that’s the only reason I do what I do.
“Don’t got all day.” I scoop her up and stride out the front doors. I’d like to think the glare on my face keeps Ruby from popping off some ridiculous snark, but one look down at the princess’s smile of expectations has me growling under my breath.
“Now, now, that’s no way to act as you carry me to the chariot we spoke about earlier.”
I so want to drop her on her ass, but I promised the boss I’d keep her alive. And while a fall to the floor won’t kill her, it might cause issues if she complains to Daddy and he asks what she said that made me decide that leaving her behind was a wise idea.
One thing I learned early in life is that any bit of denial about something has at least 1 percent of truth in it. And that’s 1 percent too much for Law to know about.
The drive is quick. I break every damn speed limit and run every red light I see. Don’t give a fuck. I need her off my bike. Her arms no longer wrapped around me. Her heat gone. Every part of her at least ten feet or more away from me right now.
The compound is a mess with everyone coming in, which is perfect. I get her off my bike, and then I’m gone. Another brother can deal with her. Hell, she has a dad. She’s his problem now. I just need space. A minute, an hour, a few days—I’ll take anything.
As I get to my room, I close the door, not slamming it like I want.
I’m in control; no need to show I’m not.
I walk to the attached bath and turn the shower on, then get under the spray and just breathe.
Till I hear a noise I recognize as my door clicking open and someone coming closer.
I close my eyes, already knowing who it is.
“Hey, handsome, need some help washing?” It’s a vamp. Probably has a name, and I probably know it, but right now she’s just a faceless club girl looking for dick.