29. Dax
DAX
“Where’s your brother?” I asked as Eagle pulled me further onto the small bed.
“He was going stir-crazy sitting here, so he decided to take a walk and find something to eat. Pretty sure he said that but was really planning on finding out what the hell was going on in the effort to try and find you. What the hell happened? Are the others okay?” Eagle asked, looking from me to Cam.
Cam chose wisely to just let me answer the questions as he found a comfortable spot to lean against the wall while I filled Eagle in.
“Can you text Picasso and let him know we’re here so I can tell them both at once?” I asked as Eagle nuzzled his face into my neck like he still didn’t believe I was here. Cam grabbed his phone and did as I asked, pausing to look at the nurse who walked in.
“They told me you had visitors, and it was too quiet in here, but now I see why,” the nurse commented with a smile. “You must be his wife.”
Cam coughed as he tried to cover up his growl, wiping his face free of any reaction the nurse could pick up on.
“Yes, he’s mine,” I answered patting his chest. “Can you give me an update on what’s happened? How long will he need to be here?”
The nurse grabbed his chart to double-check something, then gave me the run-through.
“He had minor surgery to stop the bleeding from the bullet. Nothing vital was hit, so the recovery should be pretty straightforward. It looks like they had to give him a transfusion of blood, but he’s a common blood type so that shouldn’t cause any problems. We’d like to keep him here overnight, possibly longer to ensure there isn’t any chance of the bleeding occurring again.
Of course, this will be at the doctor’s discretion, but in my personal opinion, I don’t see the need to keep him longer than a day or two at most.”
“We have a private nurse who can look after him as well since we live in California, and we’ll need to get him back there,” I shared.
“As a matter of fact, that nurse is on her way up with Teo,” Cam interjected.
A smile flashed across my face. I knew giving Dani the job and having her around would be the best thing I ever did. “What perfect timing.”
The nurse blinked in surprise. “Oh well… this is… I mean, I’m not sure she can be of any help right now since she doesn’t have any authority to practice here.”
“Don’t worry about it. She’s just going to look after him in my place and make sure everything is being handled in the best manner possible.
She has the medical power of attorney, so she’s allowed to make any decisions regardless of my presence or not,” I informed the nurse.
“Do you think the doctor is available to chat?”
Speechless, the nurse just nodded and headed out of the room as Picasso and Dani entered. I kissed Eagle’s forehead and scooted out of the bed to be swept up in a hug from Picasso.
“Fucking hell, spitfire, you about gave me a stroke having to sit here and wonder what happened to you,” Picasso rumbled in my ear as he peppered my face with kisses.
I chuckled as I pushed back from him to give Dani a wink. “Still glad you got the job?”
Dani, the nurse who looked after me, crossed her arms, giving me a baleful look with her cerulean-blue eyes.
Her long, wavy blonde hair was up in a high pony, and she was dressed in dark wash jeans and a T-shirt with a leather jacket.
The woman knew how to adapt to a situation perfectly.
“You know I said I wanted a life of adventure, but I wasn’t looking to get blown the fuck up. ”
“True, but this is why I had you with the backup so you didn’t get blown up,” I countered, then my face fell, remembering the explosions. “How bad is it? Have you seen the others who got hurt?”
Dani sighed and rubbed her face with her hands.
“They all got sent between three different hospitals, so I’ve been dealing with that.
I don’t know what kind of legal voodoo you gave me, but whatever it is I’ve been able to do what’s needed for them.
Ten of the thirty people you had with you died on the scene while the others have various levels of injury.
Some will need to spend a few days in the hospital, and others can head back home right away.
Brian reached out to me, and I’ve been working with him on how to get them back. ”
I let out an impressed whistle. “Damn girl, you were absolutely the perfect person to take on this job. Keep working with Brian on getting things settled. There are a few loose ends I need to clean up. Eagle is going to stay overnight, but I want him brought back tomorrow. Things should be resolved by then.”
“The fuck I’m going to be left here… no offense, Dani,” Eagle snapped.
“If I have to handcuff you to the bed myself to make sure it happens, I will,” I answered, looking him dead in the eye.
“Don’t fuck with me on this, Eagle. I almost lost you once today, I’m not going to let it happen twice.
They sent another wave to the compound.” Raising a hand, I stopped him from talking.
“Stop. I called Gator, and they know, plus I sent all the backup I could, and I have a helicopter coming to pick us up so we can head right there after dealing with things here. Mastiff and all his leadership are dead unless they sent someone with that second group, but the Mad Dogs are finished here in Vegas. The FBI will make sure of that. Now, you’re going to stay in this bed and play nice with the doctors so they let you go, and I don’t have to make some phone calls and piss off some important people.
Dani is going to make sure everything is being done right by you, then and only then will you come home to me. Understood?”
Eagle gritted his teeth together, but he nodded his agreement. “Fine, but the moment things are settled, you call Dani and tell me what happened. I’m not happy at all about sitting on the sidelines while you go in and save my people.”
I leaned in and held my lips back just from touching. “Seeing as we’re married and all, I like to think of them as our people,” I teased before silencing his argument.
Knowing the longer I stayed, the harder it would be to leave, I stepped back and pulled Picasso after me. With Eagle down, Picasso was now acting president, and I needed him to make sure the Phantom Saints believed me when I gave them orders.
“Do you really have a chopper waiting for us?” Picasso asked as we hurried to the elevator.
Turning to face Picasso as Cam hit the button for the lobby, I smirked. “Out of everything I said back there, this is what you want to ask me?”
He shrugged and pulled me to him. “You know you really need to change your shirt. I told you wearing black would be better than gray.”
“Yeah, well, in the desert, black will get you roasted alive. I was thinking we might need to sit in the sun for the whole day,” I muttered. “Why bother changing? What we’re going to do will get it dirty again.”
“She has a point there,” Cam said.
Picasso just glared at him. “God, when will you stop being such a kiss-ass? We get it, alright? We know you were her boyfriend way back in the day and know a lot about her. You would be so much more tolerable if you just took a fucking chill pill and a deep breath. None of us are going anywhere, so we’re going to need to find a way to get along enough and not want to kill each other. ”
“I don’t want to kill you,” Cam responded with a creased brow.
Picasso rolled his eyes. “I was talking about myself, idiot.”
“Do you mind if we put a pin in this conversation?” I asked as the doors opened, and we returned to the ER. “Hello, Sally, do you know if Juan is able to leave yet?”
Sally gave me the same glower as she had when I first talked to her.
“Word is you’re married to the man you were looking for up in ICU.
Now you’re leading on Juan too,” Sally tisked at me.
“Girl, why can’t you leave some for the rest of us?
I’ve half a mind to tell him you married and console him myself. You sleeping with the agent too?”
“What would you do if I told you I had seven men who I’m fully committed to and all know about each other?” I asked, leaning an arm on the counter and pointing at Void and Wes sitting in the waiting room. “Those two are mine as well.”
Sally gaped at me. “No! They all know and don’t care? Wait, do they have other girls?” her voice hopeful.
As if he were summoned out of thin air, Cognac came up behind me, wrapped an arm around my waist, and kissed me on the cheek.
“Nah, this one is way too possessive to share us. Good thing we love her and think she’s the most amazing woman that sharing with men I consider my brothers isn’t all bad.
Except him,” Cognac added, motioning to Cam with his thumb.
“He’s new to the mix and a bit of an asshole, but we’ll train him in time. ”
“I hardly think this is the time or place for this conversation,” Cam pointed out. “We have a helicopter to catch.”
Leaning over my shoulder, Cognac winked at Sally. “See what I mean? Thanks for looking after me, Sally, but as the agent says, we have a ride to catch.”
Sally just waved with a confused look on her face as I grabbed Wes’s hand while Cognac still had his arm around my shoulders as we walked out.
“Problems?” Wes asked.
“Not anything I don’t have to get used to,” I answered, not really wanting to go into detail, knowing it would start a whole thing.
Cognac chuckled and caught Wes’s attention. “She told Sally we’re all hers because she didn’t like that Sally kept flirting with me.”
This made my best friend smile and look down at me. “Is that right? So does that mean it’s official now?”
“What the hell kind of question is that? You think I tell people I love them every day without it meaning something?” I growled.
“Easy there, loba, lower the hackles. None of us wanted to be the first one to pin you into a label if you weren’t ready for that. I mean, I sure as fuck was calling you my girlfriend in my head, although it doesn’t seem to be the right term for it now, does it?” Cognac mused to himself.
“That’s because she’s our soul mate, and that kind of connection is deeper than merely being boyfriend and girlfriend,” Void pointed out.
“Hmm, you might be on to something there, big guy,” Cognac said, slapping Void on the back. “Now who’s excited to fly in a helicopter for the first time!”
“You know we’re flying into a war, right?” Picasso blurted. Clearly, he’d shifted his thoughts from dealing with Eagle to now protecting the Saints.
Letting out a huff, I waved the others off into the helicopter and turned on Picasso.
“Okay, listen up and listen good. I have a plan. It’s already set in motion, but I’m not trying to step on anyone’s toes.
They needed help fast which I was willing and able to do right away.
We’re partners in this, you all looked after me and the Empire when I was out of it, so if you tell me to scrap the plan, I’ll think you’re fucking insane, but these are your people.
So tell me now… is your head in the game to be president during war, or should I handle things? ”
Picasso didn’t answer right away, a little stunned at my aggressive pep talk.
Then his expression shifted, and I could tell he was pulling himself together.
“No, we’ll stick to the plan you set in motion.
We don’t know how soon the Mad Dogs will show up, so whatever we show up to, we’ll deal with it at that moment.
” He paused and took my hand, clutching it tightly.
“We’re together in this, equal footing. I know that’s what Eagle would want, and so do I.
You’re the queen of the Hidden Empire as well as the Phantom Saints.
This is just going to be one hell of an introduction. ”
I couldn’t hold back the smile at hearing those words from him, and he was right—this was going to be one hell of an introduction.
“Get in the damn bird then, Picasso, We have a battle to win,” I ordered, winking at him.