Electra Chapter 12
I was exhausted after sharing my story with Swerve and the others.
I knew it had been as painful for Rhodes as it had been for me to relive those memories.
The death of his sister destroyed his family.
Their mom never recovered from losing Selah, and a year after her murder, Mrs. Boone committed suicide.
It had devastated an already heartbroken family.
I included myself in that. A year after Mrs. Boone’s death, their dad suffered a massive heart attack and died. This left me and Rhodes.
Rho had tried after his dad’s death to get me to take a desk job.
He told me that if he lost me, he’d never be able to stand it.
I was all he had left. As much as I loved him and saw him as my big brother, I couldn’t do it.
There was this burning rage inside of me that I had to have some outlet for.
If I couldn’t bring those bastards down, what would happen to me and my sanity?
I typically didn’t report to him, but since the assignment was in St. Augustine and Gainesville was the closest office, I was placed under his supervision.
Only a few people within the office knew what I was doing, but that didn’t mean others couldn’t look it up.
This made it hard to narrow down who the betrayer was.
After I was done, we answered a couple of general questions for Swerve and his guys, then we were left to rest. I thought I’d spend the night in Sick Bay, but instead, we were given rooms. Ours were to be in the clubhouse next to each other.
We’d been shown to them by Scorpion and Swerve.
Boden and Darian, the prospects, were posted outside our rooms in case we needed anything, but we knew it was so that we wouldn’t leave.
Before leaving us, our phones and other communication devices were taken.
They weren’t leaving us with any way to communicate with each other or anyone if we found a way around their jammer.
We were told that Diablo and his guys were meeting to discuss what Rho and I shared, and they’d talk to us in the morning.
I was told that Wolverine would be checking on me throughout the night, so not to be alarmed.
I was too exhausted and in pain to care.
It was all I could do to think about getting undressed after they left the room.
My clothes were stiff with blood, and I felt sticky and nasty.
I couldn’t get the bandage wet, according to Wolverine.
If I had the energy, I would give myself a sponge bath, but I was too tired.
A soft knock on the door made me groan. I called out to whoever it was. “It’s unlocked.”
The door opened, and a woman stuck her head around the corner. She was a tall strawberry blonde whom I hadn’t met. She gave me a sweet smile as she closed the door.
“Hi, I hope I’m not intruding. Swerve asked me to come and see if I can help you get cleaned up. He said you’re covered in blood, and he’s right. My name is Paige, I’m Scorpion’s old lady. We haven’t gotten a chance to meet yet.”
While Scorpion had dropped by during my time at Recovery, his wife hadn’t. I knew from Swerve that she was a registered nurse who had worked in the ICU, and she was pregnant with twins. He seemed to be very close to her and Scorpion. I gave her a weak smile.
“Hello, Paige, that’s sweet of you to offer, but I can’t ask you to do that. It’s late, and you’re pregnant with twins. I know how tired that makes you. I’ll be fine. I’ll get these off and wash the hot spots tonight.”
“It’s no trouble, and you didn’t ask. Swerve did. And if I go back and tell him I didn’t, he’ll be upset. I don’t like my best friend upset. You’ll feel better if you clean the major areas. I always do. I can get a basin and bring it out here, or we can do it in the bathroom. It’s your call.”
I heard the resolve in her tone. She was determined to do it one way or the other. I grinned at her.
“You’re a tough one, aren’t you?” I teased.
“Hell yeah, I am. How else do you think I got the nickname Dragon Lady? I breathe fire if you make me.”
Her growl made me laugh. It shook my arm and made me flinch, but it felt good in a different way. My mood lightened. I wasn’t so ready to scream and throw shit. That would be bad manners. Plus, it wouldn’t do me any good.
“I’d prefer to do it in the bathroom. Thank you,” I told her, as I eased up to the edge of the bed. I groaned halfway there and found myself assisted by her arm around my shoulders.
“Let me help you. It keeps me from getting rusty.” She grinned.
I chuckled at her apparent lie. Paige kept an arm behind me, in case I was weak or unsteady.
When I got to the bathroom, she had me sit on the closed toilet lid as she ran water in the sink.
As she worked, she kept a light chatter going, which had me answering her.
I realized when I was sitting in my underwear that she had distracted me from any awkwardness of being practically naked before a stranger.
However, because she was a nurse, I didn’t feel that way.
Paige worked with me to ensure I could do what I could comfortably do, then she seamlessly took care of the rest. Getting the itchy, dry blood off my skin felt good, along with removing the sweat that my pain had caused to break out all over me.
She did leave me alone to wash my privates and returned to give me my nightgown and a clean pair of panties from my suitcases. Those had been placed in the room.
“I hope you don’t mind that I got in your suitcase to get these. I thought you’d feel better in your stuff.”
“I appreciate it. And you’re right, I do feel better in my things.”
“Here, let me help you get your arms in it, then you can remove your towel, and we’ll get your panties on, unless you don’t wear them to bed. To tell you a secret, I don’t,” she whispered conspiratorially.
I chuckled and whispered back, “I don’t either.”
There was more chatter, and before I knew it, I was dressed and had even put on deodorant and brushed my teeth. That was something else she got out for me, my personal care bag. By the time I was propped back in bed, I was surprised at how tired I felt.
“You’re hitting the adrenaline dump, aren’t you? Do you need more pain meds? You can now have another dose at any time. What Wolverine gave you should be wearing off.”
“It is, but I don’t want to yet.”
There was a brisk knock on the door.
“Excuse me for a moment,” Paige said as she got up to answer it. There was murmuring, and then she returned, holding a tray. The smell of tantalizing food hit my nose. I hadn’t known I was hungry until it did. After she fussed over getting me set so I could eat, I thanked her.
“Paige, thank you, really. You’ve been so sweet and have done more than you should. You don’t even know me.”
“That doesn’t mean I can’t treat you with common respect and offer help. And from what I’m hearing, you’re not to be a stranger for long.”
“What does that mean?” I asked. She gave me a knowing smile but no answer. Before I could ask again, she went off in another direction.
“In case you’re worried, your friend, Rhodes, has been fed as well.
Scorpion told me what you shared with them.
I hope that’s alright. I’m so sorry and can’t imagine the pain the two of you suffered losing not only a friend, but your best friend and his sister.
He said Rhodes is like a brother to you? ”
I nodded as I finished chewing, then spoke.
“He is. When I met Selah, we were five, and Rhodes was almost seventeen. With that age difference, you’d expect him to ignore his sister and her friend or complain about us being annoying.
He did no such thing. He always had time for us.
Selah had been a surprise baby for their parents.
They thought her mom couldn’t have any more children after Rho’s birth due to complications.
They got a big, yet wonderful, shock when she found herself pregnant with Selah.
“I ended up spending more time at their house than mine. My mom was a single parent who didn’t have a lot of free time.
She worked a lot, and when she was home, she wanted to be left alone.
She made sure my basic needs were met, but Mom wasn’t big on expressing feelings.
The Boones were the opposite. They hugged, kissed, and said I love you a lot, even the kids.
“They embraced me, and I got affection and love from them. Mom was fine with me spending as much time as I wanted with them. When I got older, I heard Jerry, Mr. Boone, tell Mona, his wife, that he wished he could take me away from my mom. But she wasn’t technically neglecting or endangering me, so he had no grounds to do it.
Mona told him she felt the same, but since they couldn’t, they’d make sure to have me at their house as often as possible.
They referred to me as their other daughter when they introduced me to people. ” The memory made me smile.
“They sound like amazing people. I didn’t get along with my family, but growing up, I wasn’t as fortunate as you.
However, since Scorpion and I got together, I’ve gained that from the Horsemen and their families.
And I gained a best friend in Swerve. He and Scorpion have been besties since birth.
Both of them are legacies. Do you know what that is? ”
“No, I don’t.”
“Their fathers were members. Anyone who can claim a parent, grandparent, or other family member as a club member is considered a legacy. Scorpion and Swerve grew up wanting to be in the club. For Scorpion, it happened when he was twenty-two years old. For Swerve, he unfortunately didn’t get in until last year. ”
I hesitated a moment, but then I asked, “Was it due to his condition? I admit that I was shocked to learn he was a Horseman. I didn’t know clubs allowed anyone who uses alternative mobility aids in their clubs.”