“I want you both to rest,” Doc interrupted. “No sneaking back and forth between rooms. When I clear you both, then you can see each other. Until then, don’t even think about it.”
Yeah, right.
“Like she’ll follow that rule,” her dad muttered her thoughts, almost exactly.
She smiled at him.
“That’s what you were thinking, wasn’t it?” He returned her grin.
“Basically,” she admitted.
Doc sighed. “You and he are both going to drive me insane.” He rubbed his forehead. “I’ll let him come in here,” he told her. “But until I can get an X-ray machine over here and take a look at that leg, I don’t want you out of bed, Steph. I mean it. I don’t know if any other damage was done. And until I do, I…” He trailed off and shook his head. “Just, please. Stay in bed.”
She nodded in agreement, having no desire to get out of it. Her entire body hurt like hell. She felt like she’d been beaten with a baseball bat, which reminded her… “Williams is definitely working with Franco,” she blurted.
“What?” Diesel asked.
Steph explained what had happened the night she was shot. She told them about setting the building on fire and then heading back to her bike. She explained everything, even the part about Franco giving her an ultimatum.
“I want to kill that son of a bitch myself,” her mom seethed. “Who the fuck says that shit? Hello! Fourteen fifty-three called, they want their forced marriage proposal back, Jackass!”
Steph smiled. It wasn’t often that her mother got all up in her feelings, but when she did, she had a way with words.
“So, you said no, and he just started shooting?” Doc asked.
“More or less.”
“Wow.” His brows raised and he nodded his head. “That’s a bit extravagant for a temper tantrum.”
“Ya think?” she deadpanned.
“Alright,” Diesel said. “I’ll update Sledge and see what he wants to do.”
“I want Franco dead,” Steph told the room. “As long as he’s in the picture, Rafa will never be free.”
“Is that why you went off all vigilante?” her dad asked.
“You know as well as I do, Franco will never stop coming after Rafa,” she defended. “The only way to free him, and his mom and sister, is to take Franco out.”
“And we will,” Diesel replied. “When the time is right.”
“And when will that be?” she asked, irritated.
“Stephanie…”
“No!” She stopped him from finishing whatever he was going to say. “That man took everything from me. Four years of my life that I will never get back. I will not allow him to take another second.”
“So, what?” Diesel threw up his hands. “You let him take your life instead? Yeah, smart choice.”
“Diesel!” her mother chastised.
“No, Mom.” Steph raised a hand. “Let him finish.”
“No,” Rachel replied. “That man has done enough. I will not allow him to tear our family apart. Did she do something stupid? Yes! No doubt. But she felt justified in her actions. Just as you did when you went after the men who burned down our home, with us in it,” she reminded her father. “Congratulations, Marcus! Your daughter is the spitting image of you in temperament and decision making!”
And then her mom stormed out of the room.
Steph raised her brows and looked at Doc, who was also looking at her. She watched as he fought hard to hide his smile. Simultaneously, they both burst out laughing.
Steph groaned as the jostling caused her arm and leg to hurt.
“You deserve that, brat,” her dad said as he walked out of the room to go after her mom.
Which only caused her to laugh harder. “Oh my God,” she moaned. “That hurts.”
“Those two are something else,” Doc chuckled.
“They really are.”
Steph had always wanted a relationship like her parents. They loved each other fiercely but didn’t think twice about putting the other in their place when needed. And then, one or the other would walk away, while the other chased. It was a cycle for them, and it worked. Whatever they had going on, it had helped them create a marriage that, so far, had lasted them for almost three decades.
“Anyway,” Doc said, interrupting her thoughts. “I’ll let Rafa know that he can come to visit you. I’m sure he’ll be grateful to be released from his cell.”
“Cell?” she asked, confused. “What the fuck…”
“I had to lock him in his room to prevent him from barging in here.” Doc smiled.
“Lock him in?”
“Yep.” He laughed. “It was great! Aside from the fact that your dad will probably have to replace a wall or two.”
Her brows creased as she shook her head.
“Anyway, stay in bed,” he told her. “I mean it.”
“Scout’s honor.” She held up two fingers.
“You were never a scout,” he replied. “And that’s the hand gesture that girl from the damn Hunger Games did.” Doc looked at her like she’d lost her mind. “Put your damn hand down. You’re embarrassing yourself.”
Steph just shrugged.
She smiled as Doc exited the room, excited to see Rafa. She needed to thank him because, without him, she knew she would have never been able to hang on for as long as she had. He had truly saved her life. And for that, she owed him… well, everything.
Chapter Twenty
Rafael
He paced around the room. Or, more so, he limped. He still couldn’t believe that he was still alive.
He glanced up at the ceiling. “Thanks, Papa,” he whispered, knowing the only reason he was there was because someone from above had been looking out for him. That’s all Rafa could say to explain it.
And he was equally grateful that Tinker and the boys had come to his rescue. The last thing he needed was to be listed in some hospital’s database. There, he would have been easy pickings for his brother and whoever else Franco had working for him. However, now that he was healed up a bit, he was anxious to see Stephanie.
Walking back over to the door, he jiggled the knob. It was still locked. He couldn’t believe Doc had locked him in there. When the man had threatened to keep him under lock and key, he’d thought he was joking. But Rafa found out quickly, just how serious he was.
He paced to the other side of the room, but as he turned, he heard voices out in the hall. Limping back to the door, he banged on it. “Let me out of here, you asshole!”
He heard a set of keys rattle and seconds later, the knob turned, and the door opened. “Calm down,” Doc told him. “You brought this on yourself.”
“I’m pretty sure locking someone in a room, against their will, is illegal in a few states,” Rafa retorted. “Actually, no. I’m fairly certain, it’s illegal in all states.”
“And?” Doc didn’t seem worried. “What are you gonna do? Call the cops? Go for it.”
Rafa wanted to hit him, but he refrained. The man had saved Stephanie’s life, and for that, Rafa would give him a pass. At least, just this once.
“Anyway,” Doc continued. “Steph is awake.”
Rafa moved to push past him, but Doc stepped in his way.
“Not so fast.” He raised a hand. “There are some ground rules.”
“Like?” At this point, Rafa would agree to just about anything. He just wanted to see her.
“She is not allowed to get out of bed. Period,” Doc answered. “I’m trying to get an X-ray machine over here to make sure there isn’t any hidden damage to the leg.”
“Okay.” Rafa would make sure she stayed put. “Anything else?”
“Don’t upset her,” Doc warned. “She’s been through enough. She needs to heal. Mentally as well as physically.”
“Understood.” And he did. What Stephanie had been through was traumatizing, even for a hardass like her.
“Okay.” Doc nodded once, then stepped to the side.
Rafa l
imped around him and headed down the short hallway to where he knew Stephanie was resting. The house wasn’t that big, thankfully, but by the time he knocked on the door and entered the room, his leg felt like someone had taken a baseball bat to it and his ribs made it difficult to pull in a deep breath.
But none of that mattered as his eyes met hers. The world seemed to brighten and everything around him fell away and he shortened the distance between them. His hand caressed the side of her face as his lips descended onto hers. The moment they touched, Rafa’s heart screamed out in victory. Everything wrong in the world seemed to right itself.
A throat cleared behind them.
Slowly, he ended the kiss, all too soon, and pulled away. Turning slowly, he saw the smile on Rachel’s face and the scowl on Diesel’s. He didn’t pay any attention to either of them. Stephanie was not only a grown woman, but she was his woman and nothing and nobody would ever take that away from him again.
“We’re about to head out,” Diesel said. “We’ll be back tomorrow.”
“Okay,” Stephanie replied.
“Rest,” her mom told them both. “Y’all need it.”
“Yes, ma’am,” they agreed in unison.
Rachel walked over to the bed and gave Stephanie a brief hug before turning to Rafael. “Take care of her,” she whispered. “And yourself.”
“I will.” He smiled at her.
He liked Rachel. Diesel… that was still debatable. The two both wanted the best for Stephanie, but Rafael had a feeling that even though Diesel spoke all the right words, that he didn’t think Rafael was the man for the job. But that was just his personal feeling, so Rafa kept his opinion to himself.
Diesel squeezed Stephanie’s foot but looked at Rafael. “If y’all need anything, just holler.”
“Will do.”
Diesel nodded, placed his hand on Rachel’s lower back, then after a quick wave of his hand, they walked out of the room.
“Wanna climb up here with me?” Stephanie patted the side of the bed when they were finally alone again.
“Nope.” Rafael chuckled.
Not even five seconds and she was already trying to get him in trouble. He grabbed a chair and carefully maneuvered it over to the side of the bed. Slowly, he eased himself down onto it and carefully lifted his legs until they were propped on the edge of the bed. “This will do,” he said, trying to get comfortable.
“Rafa,” she sighed. “It’s a queen-size bed. There’s plenty of room.”
“Yep, for you.” He wasn’t going to crowd her. “Now hush it and relax.”
Stephanie shook her head but smiled at him. Rafa reached over to the side table and grabbed the TV remote. After turning it on, he flipped through the channels until he found something interesting for them to watch.
“Oh!” Stephanie exclaimed. “That right there.”
Rafael looked at the show, then at her. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No.” She laughed. “You haven’t seen this?”
He shook his head. “Laundering dirty money hasn’t left a lot of time for TV watching,” he admitted.
“This show is great,” she beamed. “It follows a lot of couples for like ninety-days before they get married. It’s crazy! And some of the people are totally whacked.”
He smiled at her enthusiasm and set the remote down. If Stephanie wanted to watch snails travel the globe, then that’s what he’d do. Time spent together, was just that – time spent together. And that was what he needed the most. After losing out the last four years, Rafael would take every second he could get.
So, that’s how they spent their day – binge-watching TV, eating snacks, and laughing. Doc poked his head in several times to check on them and even popped in with a portable X-ray machine. He quickly took the images he needed and then left, leaving them to enjoy the rest of their day together. All in all, Rafael had more fun than he’d had in an exceptionally long time.
A knock on the door interrupted their latest show. “Came in,” Stephanie called out.
Doc walked in carrying two tiny paper cups. “Pain meds.” Rafa and Stephanie both took their cups and downed the pills with the drinks they already had. “Time to call it a night,” Doc told them. “Both of you need your rest.”
“We’re fine,” Stephanie argued.
“Nope.” Doc shook his head. “Doctor’s orders. Let’s go.”
Rafael grinned when Stephanie narrowed her eyes. While he wanted to stay and spend as much time with her as he could, he could also see that she was getting tired. He stood up from his chair, leaned over, and placed a sweet kiss atop her head.
“Get some sleep, baby,” Rafael said. “I’ll be back in the morning.”
“Why can’t he just sleep in here?” Stephanie asked.
“What if he accidentally knees you in the middle of the night?” Doc questioned. “It’s not worth the chance of the damage that could possibly be done.”
“Says you,” she mumbled.
“Exactly,” Doc replied. “I’m the doctor. You’re the patient. Now, stop pouting.”
Rafael chuckled as Stephanie began to grumble. “It’s fine, baby. Really. I will see you in the morning. Now, sleep.”
He gave her another kiss before heading toward the door. He stopped for a moment, blew a kiss her direction, and with a wink, he walked out of the room and back to his own.
“Don’t you dare lock this door,” he warned Doc. “I will kick the damn thing down if I have to.”
“No need, my friend,” Doc replied. “Sleep well.”
Rafael walked into his room and carefully stripped out of his shirt and basketball shorts. His ribs still bothered him and when he tried to take a deep breath, it felt like he’d been punched in the side. The bruise on his thigh hurt like hell, too, but it would heal, just like everything else. He eased himself down onto the bed and groaned as he had to lift his legs onto the mattress. It took him a bit longer to find a comfortable position, but once he did, it didn’t take long for sleep to pull him under.
Chapter Twenty-One
Stephanie
Something jarred her from her sleep.
She opened her eyes and tried to look around the room, but without any sunlight to shine through the windows, it was nearly pitch black. But that didn’t stop her from blinking several times as she tried to get her eyes to adjust.
Somewhere, outside of her room, she heard a loud noise and it caused her to jerk. The movement sent a shockwave of pain radiating up and down her leg. She was about to call out to whoever was in the hall when suddenly the door burst open.
“We have to go!” Doc shouted, moving toward the bed.
“What’s going on?” Stephanie asked, suddenly on high-alert due to the urgency in Doc’s voice.
“Holston’s crew is here,” he informed.
“Rafa?” That was all she could think about.
If Holston got ahold of Rafa, Stephanie knew he was a dead man. She couldn’t allow that to happen. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she moved to get out of bed. She had to protect Rafa. That was all that mattered.
“Whoa!” Doc said, grabbing her. “Easy.”
“I don’t have time for easy,” she told him. “I have to get to Rafa.”
“No, you don’t,” Doc argued. “Ink is with him. They are buying me time to get you out of here.”
“No!” She shook her head. “I won’t leave without him.”
“You will,” he countered, “and you are.”
Suddenly, Doc hoisted her up into his arms. She tried to fight him off, but she couldn’t. Steph felt too weak. Her heart pounded in her chest as they headed for the door. She couldn’t lose him. Not now. Not after just getting him back.
“Please, Doc,” she cried. “We can’t leave him.”
“Steph!” Doc shouted in her face. “Look around you! This place is on fire. Now stop your shit and let’s go. Rafa will be fine. He and Ink will be right behind us.”
As he stepped into the hallway, Steph f
inally registered the smoke in the air. The house was definitely on fire. But where was Rafa?
Doc carried her down the hall toward the rear door. And when he stepped outside, a car was already waiting. Ink hopped out of the driver’s seat and rushed to open the back door.
If Ink was there, that meant Rafa was too, right?
She hurried to get into the car, fully expecting to see Rafa in one of the other seats. But as the door closed and she looked around, he was nowhere to be found. Panic hit her. “Where’s Rafa?” She looked out the car window, hoping to find him just outside.
“He’ll be right behind us,” Ink replied as he put the car in gear and sped off.
Ignoring the screaming pain she felt, Steph turned in the seat to see the fiery blaze that had once been her parents' guest house. Just like the main house, it had been torched by those who meant to harm them.
Not only that, but Rafa was nowhere to be seen. “Stop the car,” she told Ink.
But he just continued down the drive and when he hit the main road, the car skidded to the right as he stomped on the gas.
“Stop the fucking car!” she yelled.
“No!” Doc yelled back. “Sit there. Shut up. And calm down.”
“Fuck you!” she hollered at him. “I am not leaving Rafa behind. Franco will kill him!”
“No, he won’t, Steph,” Ink replied, the calmest of the three. “Rafa knows what he’s doing. You are more important than he is. Allow him to do his job.”
But Steph didn’t see it that way. She stared back behind them, willing him to somehow show up, but he didn’t. Tears leaked from her eyes and she didn’t even bother to wipe them away. She felt like her entire world was being ripped apart again. But this time, it was by her family.
Please. Please. Please. Oh, God. Please. Come on, Rafa!
“Steph, he’s coming,” Ink said to her. “I promise.”
She turned back to glance at Ink’s face. She could see the conviction in his eyes through the rear mirror, but she didn’t trust it. There was no way to know if what he said was the truth. There were too many variables. Too many unknowns.
A huge explosion shook the car. Steph’s head jerked around as the blaze from the house could easily be seen over the tree line.
Capturing Stephanie: Devil's Henchmen MC Next Generation, Book Three Page 10
