by Lane Hart
“Okay. Thanks, Charlotte.”
“I’m sorry, Paul.”
“Yeah, I know,” he says taking one last longing look at her closed door before he walks away, shoulders slumped in defeat.
Roman
I’ve been pacing around the waiting room where the rest of my guys are hanging out, trying to figure out what more I could’ve done to avoid this situation.
There are four women in the hospital getting treated after being held hostage in fucking storage units like animals. One of the girls they found was so malnourished the doctors aren’t sure if she’ll make it. Another, well, she has several broken bones. A third won’t say a word to anyone, so they have no clue what her name is or where she’s from to contact her family. It’s the worst thing I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been to fucking war.
“There you are!” Charlotte says, making my pacing feet stop abruptly.
“I shouldn’t have brought you here,” is the first thing I say to her. I hate that she saw her best friend like that, restrained in the dark storage container. “And if I had known Tessa was missing last night, if we had started looking for her sooner, maybe we could’ve found the van before they brought Tessa…”
My words cut off when Charlotte grabs the sides of my face and pulls my mouth down to hers, kissing me hard on the lips right there in front of a room full of Kings. She keeps it up while a few guys whistle, until our lips part and our tongues briefly meet before pulling away. “Thank you,” she whispers, sounding out of breath from the kiss. “You promised me you would find her, and you did. That’s all that matters right now.”
“I wish I could’ve done more,” I tell her.
“You did plenty,” she says, letting go of my face. “Now, you should go home, all of you. It was so sweet of you to come and wait, but you need to go get some rest.”
“What about you?” I ask her.
“I’m staying,” Charlotte replies. “The nurse is getting me a cot so I can sleep in Tessa’s room. She doesn’t want to be alone, and I don’t want to let her out of my sight again.”
“Then I’m staying too,” I tell her.
“I’ll stay with you,” Verek offers from behind me.
“Thanks,” I tell him over my shoulder with a nod of my chin.
“If you’re sure?” Charlotte asks. “I know Tessa and I both would feel safer with you here. She thinks…she keeps saying that those men are going to find her again.”
“We’ll sit outside her room, and no one without a legitimate hospital badge will get past us,” I assure her and am rewarded with another quick peck on the lips.
“Then I guess I’ll see you in the morning?” she asks.
“I’ll see you then,” I promise her before she turns around and walks out of the waiting room.
“Verek and I are staying, but the rest of you should go on home and get some sleep,” I tell my guys.
“What about the fuckers responsible?” Winston asks.
“Tomorrow, we’ll start hunting them down until we find all four of them who were in the van and anyone else who knew what they were doing.”
Everyone nods their heads in agreement, all of them wanting revenge as much as I do, before they say their goodbyes and head out.
“Do the Emerald Isle Kings know we’re in town?” Verek asks.
“Yes. Marcus gave all the chapters an update and told the originals we were in their state. Torin said to let him know if we need anything.”
“Good,” he replies with a sigh.
“So why are you staying?” I ask him.
“You saw her, prez,” he replies. “That shit was wrong on so many levels. Tessa told the paramedics she saw their faces, all of them. They weren’t planning on letting these women go alive.” Lowering his voice, he says, “What if they do come back to try and silence them?”
“I didn’t know all of that, or I would’ve had more men watch the doors,” I admit. “Grab a chair and let’s get down the hall. I think all the women are on the same floor. We’ll keep watch there.”
“Good,” Verek says.
We both pick up one of the waiting room chairs and head toward Tessa’s room where we place them directly across from each other in the hallway.
“Guess we can take turns sleeping.”
“No need,” Verek says as he takes his seat and I lower myself into my own. “I’m wide the fuck awake.”
“Me too.”
“Do you think we should call some of the guys back to watch the parking lot?” he asks, glancing up and down the hall.
“Nah, I think we can handle it.”
“Yeah,” he agrees.
“They would have to be idiots to show their faces here.”
“Or ruthless,” Verek mutters. “That’s why I’m not sleeping a wink tonight.”
“Me either, man. Me either.”
Chapter Ten
Charlotte
The next morning, the doctor comes in bright and early for an exam closely followed by a woman, who identifies herself as a psychologist. Since they asked me to step outside, I go out into the hall, intending to find some coffee to get awake after only nodding off on the cot for a few minutes at a time.
I had no idea I would find Roman and Verek sitting in chairs in the hallway. Roman told me that he would sit outside her room, and he literally did.
“Hey,” I say to them.
“Hey,” Roman replies, his eyelids heavy and voice gruffer than normal.
One minute I’m standing, and the next he’s pulling me down onto his lap and burying his face in my hair while his arms lock tightly around my waist. “Did you sleep any?”
“Not much. You?” I ask, enjoying his strong arms and warmth more than I should.
“Nah, but that’s okay,” he says. “Saw the doc and shrink go in.”
“Yeah, we’ll see what they say after talking to Tessa this morning.”
“Verek, you mind going to get us some coffee?” Roman asks the other man, who is slumped in the chair across from us, arms crossed over his chest.
“On it,” he agrees when he gets to his feet and stretches his arms over his head, so tall he can nearly touch the ceiling. The stretching shifts his cut around, revealing the gun holster underneath his arm. After he walks away, I reach underneath Roman’s left arm and find a similar holster holding a hard object that can only be a firearm.
“You’re wearing a gun?” I whisper to him.
“Always,” he says. “I have a concealed carry permit, although no one is supposed to have them in hospitals.”
“How did I not know that?” I ask.
“Is that a problem?” he asks, brushing my hair back behind my shoulder.
“No,” I tell him. “I mean, after what happened, I may consider getting one myself.”
“Only if you know how to use one.”
“Maybe you could teach me,” I suggest.
“Yeah, I could…” he trails off as we both think the same thing. Today, Tessa and I may be going home to Raleigh, and I don’t know if I’ll see Roman again.
Before either of us can discuss it further, the hospital door opens, and the doctors come out.
“So?” I jump up off Roman’s lap to ask them.
“Physically, I would feel confident in releasing her to go home,” he starts. “But mentally…”
“We think Tessa would do better to transition into a therapeutic center,” the psychiatrist explains. “Some place with tough security, group and one-on-one therapy sessions. Thirty days would be the least amount of time I would recommend, with six months being the longest.”
“You want to commit her?” I whisper.
“No, it’s not an involuntary commitment or anything like that. It’s completely voluntary, and it’s more of a rehabilitation to help Tessa feel safe to return to her normal life. Right now she doesn’t, and she’s verbalizing some severely paranoid thoughts that may be exacerbated if she tries to return to her normal life too quickly.”
“And
she wants to go to this place?”
“Yes, she seemed very interested, as did the other women. The only problem is that it costs around twenty thousand a month, and she had concerns about her health insurance that she wanted us to check into.”
“I’ll pay it,” Roman speaks up and says.
“What? No, you don’t have to do that,” I tell him.
“I want to. For all of the women,” he declares. To the doctors, he says, “If this is what they want to do and it’s what you think is best for them, then just tell me where to send the money.”
“I would be happy to provide you with the contact information for the center’s financial department,” the psychiatrist says, flashing a beaming smile at Roman. “If you want to come down to my office with me?”
Is this woman seriously hitting on him right in front of me while we’re talking about how to help my best friend recover? The nerve of some people.
“I’ll come too,” I say. “I want to know more about this place, where it is, their accreditations and all.”
“Of course,” she replies, looking only a little disappointed that I’m going to be a third wheel.
“In that case,” the doctor starts, “I’ll get Tessa’s release papers ready for her to sign while you make arrangements. Some of the other women will need to stay a few more days, but one other is ready to be released today as well. We can arrange transportation for both of them to the center.”
“Great, thank you,” I tell him. “Let me just speak to Tessa for a second to make sure we’re all on the same page.”
“Sure,” he agrees. “I’ll be right back,” I tell Roman, and he gives me a nod that I know means he won’t go anywhere while I’m inside.
“Hey,” I say to Tessa when I go inside her room and shut the door behind me. “Did the exam go okay?”
“Yeah,” she replies from where she’s sitting up in the bed, still under a mountain of blankets. The psychiatrist is right. She’s not ready to face the real world just yet.
“And did they talk to you about the recovery center?”
“They did. I think it’s probably a good idea, you know? I’m not ready to go home, but I want to leave here.”
“So you’re okay with it?”
“Yeah, except it costs a small fortune.”
“Roman’s offered to cover the expense for you and the other women.”
“He did? Why?” she asks in surprise.
“I think he feels guilty and just wants to help.”
“That’s nice of him,” Tessa replies. “He seems like a nice guy.”
“Roman and Verek both stayed all night, right outside the door.”
“Really?” she asks.
“Yeah.”
“I wish I had known that,” she replies. “Maybe I would’ve slept more than ten minutes at a time.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s okay. This facility Dr. Kirkpatrick told me about is constantly locked. Visitors have to get buzzed into a room, and they can’t get through any other doors unless they’re on someone’s list and have had a background check.”
“That sounds…very thorough,” I tell her.
“Yeah. I think I might feel safer there.”
“Okay, so we’ll go make all of the arrangements. Verek will be outside if you need anything.”
“Thanks, Charlotte. Oh, and, Charlotte…make sure Verek is on the list of approved visitors.”
Chapter Eleven
Charlotte
The trip to the psychiatric facility is only an hour, but it feels like an eternity. Roman and I are on his bike following the ambulance that the doctor insisted should transport Tessa and one of the other victims. It’s not like I could protest since I had to hitch a ride with Roman and I don’t know if the small, rural town even has Uber yet.
At least Roman and I get to go back with Tessa this time to help her fill out paperwork and pay. Then they give the three of us a tour around the entire facility before we come to a stop at what will be Tessa’s room for the next month.
“It’s…cozy,” I say, even though it looks like a small dorm room, one with just a bed, dresser and nightstand. There’s not even a radio or television.
“We’ll give Tessa everything she needs to heal, without any of life’s usual distractions,” the doctor escorting us explains. “And while I hate to be the bearer of bad news, visiting hours will be ending in ten minutes.”
“Oh, I’m staying,” I declare.
“I’m so sorry, Charlotte, but only patients are allowed to stay overnight. Everyone else must abide by the visiting hours,” the doctor tells me.
“Tessa?” I ask, looking to her because I’m not sure how she feels about being left alone in a new place after what she’s been through.
“I’ll be fine,” she says when she goes and sits down on the bed. “The doors are always locked out front, right?” she asks the doctor.
“That’s right. We have to buzz visitors into the waiting area that is always locked as well. Only once we are shown photo identification and match them up to the visitor list are they allowed inside the group room with an employee escort.”
“See? I’ll be fine,” Tessa assures me, even though I’m not one hundred percent sure I believe her.
“I want to visit her every day,” I tell the doctor, who gives me a nod.
“As long as you can be flexible with Tessa’s scheduled activities and appointments necessary for her treatment, then we can accommodate you for daily visits.”
“Good,” I say with a sigh of relief. “Do you need anything before I go?”
“No, I think I have everything I need. Thank you for deciding to stay in town, Charlotte. Knowing I’ll get to see you each day will give me something to look forward to.”
“Absolutely,” I tell her, my eyes burning with tears that I try to hold back. If anyone should be upset and crying, it should be Tessa. She’s holding it together and being so unbelievably strong despite what has happened to her.
“Roman, you may have to drag her out of here,” Tessa teases.
“I’m going!” I say with a smile. “Call me later? She can call me, right?” I ask the doctor.
“Only on our landline phones. Cell phones are not allowed, to protect the privacy of our patients.”
“Not to mention the fact that people can be tracked by phones,” Roman adds, the first thing he’s said in a while. It’s not exactly reassuring, which is why I narrow my eyes at him in warning. “I just meant that it’s safer in here not to have cell phones on.”
“He’s right,” the doctor says. “You won’t find a more secure facility than ours.”
“Except maybe a prison,” Roman jokes.
“Tessa knows that she is free to leave at any time,” the doc replies, sounding a bit indignant.
“I know, and I want to stay at least for a while,” Tessa agrees.
“In that case then, we’ll get going,” I agree. “See you tomorrow, and we’ll talk later tonight,” I tell Tessa when I give her a hug goodbye.
“We will, so don’t worry about me,” she says when we break apart. “Roman, you can take her away now.”
“It will be my pleasure,” he answers with a grin before I give his shoulder a gentle shove.
With one last wave at Tessa, I finally lead the way to the exit, hoping that this place will be everything Tessa needs it to be.
Roman
“So, what are you going to do since you can only see Tessa during visiting hours?” I ask Charlotte on the walk back to my bike when we leave the center.
“I-I guess I’ll get a hotel room,” she replies, her eyes blinking rapidly. She’s about to cry because she’s worried about her best friend and doesn’t want to leave her. Hell, I barely know Tessa and even I feel protective of her. But I’ve done my own research and only heard great things about this place. Thanks to the constant guard patrol and surveillance, Tessa will be as safe here as she would be sleeping in the Savage Kings’ clubhouse.
“You’re going to stay in a hotel room for a month?” I ask her.
“Sure. Why not?” she questions when we come to a stop next to my Harley.
“Because spring break is coming up soon and all the hotels are probably booked. Not to mention the resorts will be hiking their rates to make up for the winter lull, which means you’re probably looking to pay at least two or three thousand a week, if you can find someplace vacant that doesn’t have big-ass water bugs running around everywhere.”
Charlotte winces. “Water bugs?”
“Yeah, they’re like cockroaches except bigger. Supersized, if you will.”
“S-supersized roaches?” Her throat works as she swallows hard, imagining the creepy bastards crawling around where she would be eating and sleeping, just as I wanted.
“Uh-huh. They’re a big problem on the coast unless you’re serious about spraying.”
“I didn’t see any bugs at your rental house,” Charlotte points out with her hands on her hips, as if she thinks I’m making this shit up.
“Because we’re high class, baby,” I joke. “But you get what you pay for out here. A hundred bucks a night during spring break will only get you water bugs or bed bugs. Possibly both.”
“Ew, yuck,” she mutters. “What about the beach house?”
“What about it?” I reply, leaning my ass against my bike with my arms crossed, pretending I’m clueless and don’t know that she’s asking to stay there for a month.
“All my stuff is already there. Is it available for the next month?”
“Booked solid through September like all the other decent places,” I tell her truthfully. “I had to put up this last group that came in Sunday in the penthouse of one of the hotels to make up for the fact that you, Paul, and his brother are still staying there.”
“Oh, crap. Sorry,” she says with a cringe. “So, um, what do you suggest I do? Where am I supposed to live for the next thirty days?”
“You could stay with me.”
The words barely leave my mouth before she grins and laughs aloud. “Try again, Roman!”
