Chapter 15
Serena
The drive from my house to the club is long and silent.
I think mostly because I am in shock. That, and the fact that I was alone in the car, with Isaac closely behind on his bike.
I’m glad that he had to ride, because I don’t think I could have suffered through his eyes burning a hole in the side of my head the entire way there, wondering if I was going to completely lose it.
It was difficult going inside. Seeing the aftermath of what happened that night. The broken glass, dirt on the floor from the plants falling over, and the unfinished breakfast all over the kitchen. My shoulder and face stung when I saw the grease on the wall.
Isaac lingered in the front doorway as I made my way past the kitchen into the living room to the broken glass and dried blood. I knelt next to the area where her body laid.
Where my baby died protecting me.
It wasn’t red anymore, but a deep dark rusty brown that weaved into the floorboard, staining the wood as if the memory itself had seeped into them.
My fingers brushed against the smooth hardwood. I will never forget the look in her eyes as the sparkle in them faded, turning them from bright and warm, to dull and cold. Until now, Isaac had been lingering in the front doorway, giving me my space.
Silent tears streamed down my face as he approached me.
He knelt beside me and placed his arm around my shoulders. “I know it’s hard being here, and I want to be able to give you more time, but we need to get your things and leave. We can’t spend a moment longer than we need to in case they are watching your place.”
Without a word, I wiped the tears from my face, braced myself on his shoulder and walked to my bedroom to pack my bags.
Now those bags are taking up space in the back seat of my car, as I pull into the parking lot of Sanctuary.
Isaac pulls up and parks behind my car, mounting his helmet on his handlebar.
While getting out of the car, I remember something that Tyler said.
I’ve been working my ass off trying to protect you…
Protect me? Protect me from what?
Isaac leads us through the front doors of the club and locks them behind us. It looks so different with all the lights on and no people. So empty.
We head towards the back of the club to a set of tall black doors with signs that say Employees Only. Opening the door, I walk into a hallway lined with lockers from floor to ceiling.
As we walk further down the hall, I see two more doors that I can only assume are the employee bathrooms and then at the end of the hallway there is a large oak door with an ornate handle and rounded top.
Seems a little fancy to me for a club, but whatever.
Next to the door there is a callbox, like the ones used to buzz people in apartment buildings. Isaac presses the “call” button on the bottom below the speaker. A camera in the upper lefthand corner of the wall pans down towards us, following a low buzz from the speaker.
A deep rough-edged voice crackles through. “Come on up Isaac.”
A soft click echoes through the hall before Isaac pulls open the door.
Beyond it, is a large spiral staircase with iron railing leading up to the next floor.
He steps through, and I follow, my footsteps quiet as we ascend the stairs.
At the top, another hallway, shorter this time, takes us to yet another door.
Isaac doesn’t even bother knocking before opening and entering through.
I follow him into the room and see another man sitting at a large desk toward the back of the office. He has sandy blonde hair, green eyes, and tanned skin. A black shirt shows off his arms and rippling muscles.
When we enter, he looks up and greets me with a dazzling white smile. Are all the men here disgustingly handsome? Or is it just these two?
“So, you must be Serena. Nice to finally meet the woman who has caused Isaac to fall behind at work.”
I feel the heat rise to my face and glance up at Isaac. Panic fills my body as I start to overthink about how I have affected his life. I never meant to cause anyone any trouble.
Isaac looks back down at me, takes one look in my eyes and almost as if he was reading my mind says, “Piss off Cole. You know as well as I do that this club would flounder if you didn’t have me behind the bar.”
A loud guttural laugh tears through the room and I freeze. I blink at him, completely thrown. It’s the last sound I expected to come out of a man who looks like he kills mobsters as a side hustle.
“Please, have a seat.” He gestures towards his leather couch next to his desk. Isaac places his hand on the small of my back, guiding me forward until I sit. I shift on the cushion, unable to stay still, as I wait to find out what it is we are doing here. My eyes flick as I take in my surroundings.
Isaac is the first to break the silence between us. “I was hoping you could take a look at Serena’s wrist. She banged it up bad and I want to make sure that it is okay for her to wait, or if we need to have her seen sooner. Trying to avoid the hospital as much as possible.”
Why would Cole know what to do about my wrist? He’s a club owner, not a doctor.
“Yeah, I’d be happy to examine it for you guys.” He stands up from his black marble desk and crouches before me, holding out his hand. “May I?”
Suddenly a wave of shyness washes over me, and nerves tighten in my chest. I look up at Isaac, and he gives me a small, comforting nod. Drawing in a breath, I reach my arm out, and Cole carefully unwraps the bandaging I had put on before we left.
When he reaches the end of the bandaging, he turns my hand over, causing me to wince. “Not a bad wrap job, but it still doesn’t look good.”
This is the first time I am seeing my hand since the accident. My wrist is about twice its normal size, and my hand looks like I got freaky with Grimace. Dark, deep purple mottles the heel of my hand and spreads to the back, covering the base of my thumb and wrist.
I knew I injured it when I fell, but I didn’t realize it was that bad.
Cole turns it around again so he can look at the palm of my hand, and I let out a whimper when he presses on the base of my thumb.
Isaac tenses next to me and I can tell he wants to say something but is restraining himself.
The look he gives Cole would cause any regular man to back down, and the look Cole gives him right back tells me that he is no ordinary man.
“What were you doing when you injured yourself?” He muses.
“Ummm…. I tripped over my dog and fell. Caught myself with my hands.” I decided not to tell him that I was actually being strangled by my psycho ex-boyfriend and fell from two feet off the ground. Isaac doesn’t even know exactly what happened, and for some reason, I’m ashamed to tell him.
I already look like some pathetic damsel in distress, and I don’t want to make it worse.
He looks up at me with skepticism. “Do you want to try that again?”
Damn. I mean, I know I wasn’t the best liar on the planet, but I didn’t think I was that bad. I fall silent and just stare into my lap.
His tone softens and he places a hand on my leg. “Serena, I can’t properly help you unless I know exactly what happened to cause your injury.” I look from Cole to Isaac and then back to Cole. There is a quiet understanding in his eyes when his gaze meets mine.
“Isaac, can you wait outside?” Nodding towards the door, still holding my hand.
“The fuck I will.” Isaac’s body seized up beside me.
“I’m not asking.” Cole shoots him a steely look. Isaac returns his glare, and then his shoulders sink in defeat.
He stands up and leans down to kiss the top of my head. I can tell he isn’t happy about getting kicked out, but I don’t think I’d be able to tell Cole about what happened with him here. Isaac hesitates, waiting for a protest from me that isn’t coming.
“I’ll be right outside the door.” Disappointment trails in his voice. Hesitating once more, quiet and hopeful, and then turns and walks out the door. I feel his lingering gaze on me before the door shuts behind him.
Guilt washes over me and I almost change my mind and call him back in. He’s saved my life twice now, yet I can’t bring myself to open up in front of him.
I didn’t have any trouble opening up last night.
Good lord what is wrong with me?
“Alright. Are you ready to tell me what really happened?” Cole has a fatherly type of energy coming from him, allowing my body to relax slightly in my seat.
I take a deep breath in and explain to him all of the events that happened yesterday, leaving out the extra curricular activities from later that night. By the end of it, I feel a little lighter and I managed to make it through the whole thing without crying.
Look at me being all healed and shit.
Completely unfazed from my story, he says, “From what you’ve told me, it’s likely fractured. But you won’t know for sure until you get an x-ray.”
“Oh, I don-.”
“I will send you to my guy at the hospital. She will see you after hours and get you taken care of.” He has a guy? Well in this case, a girl by the sound of it.
Cole stands up and walks to a storage cabinet on the opposite side of the room. After rummaging through a few drawers, he returns with a handful of supplies. Kneeling in front of me once again, he places his items beside me on the couch.
The first thing he grabs is an aluminum splint with some padding underneath. “Hold out your hand for me again, keeping it in a neutral position.”
I’ve splinted a handful of wrists before in my time as a medical assistant to know what he needs me to do. It’s the same instructions I would give a patient. Still, I feel like all my experience has gone out the window right now.