CHAPTER TEN
– LINA –
Heart curses and then I notice what I just did. Shit. I’m pretty sure Heart will never give me a knife again. He takes the knife from me, places it on the floor and starts to tug at my belt.
“Drop the pants, I need to check the wound,” he orders.
I glance around, even if I know it’s only Fatal standing near us and hiss, “No.”
His voice turns soft. “Let me fix the wound, Floraline.”
My heart skips a beat when I hear my full name flow from his lips.
“Fine,” I huff and bat his hands away to unbutton my jeans and shove them down.
He glances at the small cut and takes something from his denim vest. I can feel my eyes go wide.
“How did you get that?” I ask.
The corner of his mouth twitches. “I messaged a brother last night and he gave it to me this morning in church. Good thing I did, yeah?”
I can’t answer due to my throat clogging up and only manage to nod. Heart uses the skin glue he apparently had delivered to him this morning. He knew it would come in handy. No one has ever taken precautions when it involves me.
They never even gave me a second thought. Well, not counting Karev’s overbearing interference because he spits out rules and barks warnings, all while living his own life on the other side of the state. Heart? I’ve known the man for almost a day and he’s giving me more than anyone ever has.
No limitations, and solutions instead of restriction and interference.
The man wins massive bonus points in my book.
The man adds many firsts in my life if you count the extremely pleasurable sex and orgasms. Okay, my half-brother might not completely suck because he’s the reason why Heart is my old man.
“Why the fuck is my sister standing in her damn underwear?” Karev bellows.
Okay, he does suck.
“All done,” Heart states, and tells me, “It’s better than stitches. This way it’s also a waterproof layer. It’ll fall off in a few days while the wound heals. You should keep one on you as well, but for now you won’t leave my sight. So, I got you.”
Karev is now standing beside me and glances at the cut on my leg. I glare at him while I tug my jeans back up.
My half-brother smacks Heart on his shoulder and snorts a laugh.
“Not giving her a knife would be better. Though, I like this solution as well.” His voice lacks all humor when he adds, “I need for you guys to head back to the clubhouse and take Lina with you. We have a lead and we’re going to check it out. ”
“Shouldn’t we check the stuff?” Lina wonders the same thing that went through my head.
“Yeah, we just got here so why not check?” I ask, backing my woman up.
Karev looks impatient. “We’re wasting time. Whatever it was they were after is no longer here or was never here in the first place. Take her to safety so we can check out a lead. We’ll be back at the clubhouse to fill you in later.”
He turns and jogs out the back again.
“I can’t just leave. How can I lock up if the locks are busted?” I grumble.
Fatal steps forward and holds up his phone. “Quint and Gael are on their way here. I sent them pictures of the locks and they will pick shit up and make sure everything can be locked safely before they head back to the clubhouse.”
I sigh in relief. “Make sure they leave me an invoice. I can pay them for the work.”
Heart places a hand on my neck and pulls me to him. “Don’t worry about it. You’re my old lady and this is club business.”
“No, it’s not,” I murmur. “It’s my business and I can easily deduct the costs. I want an invoice, understood? Those guys do the work, and I have money to pay.”
“Stubborn,” he murmurs as he guides me toward his bike.
“Nothing stubborn about being a businesswoman,” I murmur.
He smiles as we get on the bike after I’ve put on my helmet.
Fatal turns to Heart. “Straight back to the clubhouse. No detours.”
Heart nods and fires up the bike. I wrap my arms around his waist and hold on tight. My company usually fills my whole day. Either dealing with clients in the store, working in the back, or buying new items through auctions, appointments, or garage sales.
Now I’m being forced to take some time off. Where I should feel annoyed and sad, I actually have a smile on my face. Options I didn’t have are suddenly wide open. No relationship, no sex, has flipped to having both and it’s fantastic.
The bike swerves and my grip on Heart’s waist tightens. What the hell just happened? Did I jinx myself by saying it’s fantastic? Heart curses and I guess I have my answer. I glance over my shoulder and see Fatal palming his gun and shooting at something behind us.
Heart ups the speed and when I follow Fatal’s line of sight by switching to look over my other shoulder...I’m shocked to see a dark van driving right next to us. The sliding door opens and the van swerves closer to us.
I can feel the bike underneath me move and I’m holding onto Heart’s waist but suddenly there’s someone yanking my arm. Gunfire cracks through the air and then I’m roughly pulled into the moving van. A scream rips from me. Not from pain, but from the loss of Heart.
Another one rips from my throat when I watch how he quickly closes the distance as the van speeds off. I’m fighting the one who is holding me when someone else is trying to close the sliding door. Everything inside me wants to go to Heart and it’s why I don’t think but throw my weight to one side.
The driver suddenly hits the brakes. I fall close to the small opening of the sliding door with the fucker who is trying to keep me pinned on top of me.
The driver hits the gas again and I hold onto the guy on top of me.
I shove with my feet and roll, falling through the open doors.
I can’t feel pain, but the fucker who lands on his back does.
We roll and I lose my grip on the fucker.
Once I finally come to a stop, I struggle to get up and focus all my anger on the fucker I pulled with me as I try to kick him.
Try because my body isn’t really working with me and I have no clue why.
Sinking to my knees, I hit the fucker in the face with my elbow.
When I want to hit him again I’m suddenly pulled away and find myself in Heart’s arms.
He pulls away just as quickly and pulls off my helmet to check me over.
I follow his line of sight and have to wince at all the road rash.
Even if I can’t feel shit, it’s going to be a pain with having to bandage it up...
otherwise it’s going to get infected, not to mention the fact that it will stick to my shirt and pants.
Which reminds me...these clothes are ruined.
“Brothers are five minutes out. We need to get the fuck out of here because they might come back,” Fatal snaps and fires off a bullet, hitting the fucker I pulled with me in the leg.
“I can’t ride with her at my back, Prez. Look what they fucking did when I had her on the back of my bike,” Heart snarls.
Fatal shoves his hands away from his body. “Then make her sit backwards in front of you. That way she’ll have your back. You can fire a gun, can’t you?”
“Point and shoot, right?” I mutter, knowing I’m better with a knife.
The roaring of bikes is faint in the distance. Both Fatal and Heart whip their head in the direction where it’s coming from.
“Are they the good guys or more assholes?” I wonder.
“Our brothers,” Fatal states and tugs his gun away as he turns to Heart.
“You’re going to put your old lady in front of you and get her back to the clubhouse.
Call the doc and have him check her out.
She’s bleeding all over the place and fuck knows what internal injuries or broken bones she has.
Fuck. What woman jumps out of a moving van? ”
“The ones who don’t feel shit,” I grumble, and feel the need to clarify. “He was hitting the brakes and the van was slowing down.”
“Was slowing... fuck,” Heart grunts. “He was accelerating again, Lina. You could have landed under the van or broke your damn neck.”
“Point taken,” is all I can say, and lower my voice to add, “I’ll keep it in mind the next time I get kidnapped and dragged into a moving van.”
Heart sighs...probably in frustration. I know I’m a lot to deal with, there’s no reason for him to point it out...his expression tells me as much.