by C. M. Steele
“Baby, be careful.” Oh, he’s worried about me. “Why the fuck is she in our house and fighting with you?” I need to remember that she’s a liar and that Joe loves me, but all I can think about is him fucking her.
“Your whore claims that you two have been fucking since long before we met and until you came to get me. Let me go,” I demand, pushing his arms to fight his hold on me and trying to break free.
He growls in my ear, tightening his grip, “No. You know damn well I’m never letting you go.”
“I don’t want to be in the same room as your whore. I might kill the bitch.” I direct my gaze toward her, and she’s sitting up, resting her weight on her palms. I feel like kicking her arms out and watching her ass fall back. Her face is a little mangled, but nothing too bad. I guess I need to work on my strikes.
“I’ve never touched her, but I’m ready to murder her for creating doubt in your mind.”
I lose my cool and fly off the handle. “She didn’t do that. You are the one who did that. I can’t believe I let you fool me into thinking I was someone special.” I feel the tears behind my eyelids, but I won’t give that bitch on the floor the satisfaction of seeing my pain.
Boomer stares at me and says, “Sophia, listen, and listen well. Doc loves you and sure as fuck didn’t do anything with this woman while you were apart. I know because he’s been miserable since you left.” I want to believe that, but a part of me is too damn raw from the pain of the past three months to let the truth sink in. I thought it was a thing of the past, but the doubt reared its ugly head.
Joe spins me slightly in his arms so I can see his face. He looks as tormented as I feel. “I’ve never done anything with her. I know I’ve got a lot to make up for and obviously the past isn’t easily forgotten like I hoped it would be, but I swear on everything I’ve never been intimate with her—not ever.”
“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” Boomer roars, steering our attention toward the bitch who is scooting closer and closer to the door.
“I’m going to have her arrested for assault.”
A rumble rips through Joe’s chest, but it’s Boomer who speaks first. “Look, you little bitch. I’m this close to putting my hands on a woman. You touched my wife’s little sister. You invaded their home, spread lies, and I don’t tolerate that kind of shit. As far as I see it, you have only two options, and that’s to leave the hospital quietly, or leave in a motherfucking pine box. Call the cops, and I’ll have you in jail for assault.” Boomer turns to me and asks in a calm, concerned tone, “Not that it matters, but did she hit you first?”
“Yes, she slapped me across the face after she told me to have an abortion.”
Joe snarls at her, holding me tighter to his side. “What? You’re a dead bitch. I can’t believe that after all this time, you thought there would be anything between us. I’m so fucking disgusted it’s not even possible to explain. What you are going to do is what Boomer said. If I hear any whispers, I’ll ruin you. I can and will bury your ass so deep in ethics violations that you’ll never work as a nurse again. And if my wife is pregnant and our baby is harmed because of this, there will be nowhere you can run where I won’t find you. Get the fuck out.” I’ve never seen him this angry before. It would be sexy if I wasn’t dying inside.
One of the guards came in and escorted her to her car. I pull away from Joe because the visions of her and him won’t go away. It breaks my heart to even picture them together. The lies she told don’t make the pain of my initial reaction any less valid. “Don’t go, Sophia.”
“I need to be alone.” I can’t be around him at the moment.
Chapter Seventeen
Doc
My phone buzzes as Law talks about the rumors he’s been hearing around the station about Cortez’s thugs. The entire crew is here and eager to plan our next move. Once we have a plan, we’ll contact the guys I met over in Paxton. I half listen to the discussion, checking my phone. I have a nagging feeling that something isn’t right. It’s the home monitoring system linked to my front gate. Who the fuck could it be? Sophia doesn’t know anyone, and Sammie and Crystal know the code to get in. Someone’s there, but before I can answer it and respond to the person, Sophia opens it, letting in Nurse Alma. How does she know where I live?
I stand up, catching everyone’s attention, stopping Law mid-sentence. “Sorry to interrupt, but I have to leave. One of my nurses just showed up at my house.”
“Bro, is there something wrong with that?” Jackson says, sipping on his beer.
“They don’t or shouldn’t know where I live and the hospital is well aware that I’m off until next week, so there’s no reason for her to be there.”
“I’ll ride with you,” Boomer tells me. I nod, accepting his help even if I don’t need it, but something tells me I will. Thoughts of things Sammie mentioned to me play in my head. Even if Alma is attracted to me, she wouldn’t do anything to hurt Sophia. Fuck, I hope she doesn’t, or I will put a bullet in her head and worry about the consequences later.
“We’ll all ride with you.”
“Nah, hang here and talk. I don’t want a mob to gang up on one woman.”
We race to the house and see the prospects sitting at the gate. “What are you guys doing here?”
“My security cam went off.”
“Well, she’s allowed to have friends, right?”
“They don’t even know each other.”
“Shit. Our bad.” They follow behind me as I open my door. I’m shocked to see my beloved wife on top of Alma, swinging away. I rush to her, unsure what comes out of my mouth as I pull her off. The thought of her getting hurt is more than I care to witness.
What unfolds next surprises the fuck out of me. All I see is red when I hear the words abortion come out of Sophia’s mouth. The thought that this woman wanted my wife and kid out of the way sent me into a rage. Holding onto Sophia is the only reason I didn’t put a bullet in Alma’s head. I’d been packing since we returned to Steeleville.
My urge to kill Alma only intensifies as my wife tries to fight me, wanting me to let her go. Didn’t Sophia understand that I’d never let that happen? She can be mad at me, but we have to work things out. I let her go into the bedroom once Alma is escorted out of the house, even though I know it’s a bad idea. She needs to be checked for any serious injuries.
“I need to make sure she’s okay. She need some meds or ice, at the very least,” I explain to Boomer. “But, damn, did you see the look she gave me? It’s like I ripped her heart out. Fuck, I haven’t had sex with anyone but her in over a damn decade. I need her, and I sure as fuck would never betray her.”
“I understand, brother. Don’t stress. She looked pretty clean for someone in a fight, but it might be that she has two brothers as MMA fighters.” I can’t stop looking toward the staircase to our bedroom. Boomer taps me on the shoulder. “Relax. I’ll bring Crystal over.”
“Until then, I’m going to check in on her whether she likes it or not. I’ll be right back.”
"I'll stay down here and wait for the guys to return," Boomer says. I have a medical kit in our bathroom upstairs. I take the steps two at a time.
Taking a deep breath, I knock on the door. "Soph, baby, unlock this door. I need to look over your injuries. I know you don't want to talk to me, but I need to know you're okay,” I plead. I don’t want to force her, but I will get in there if she refuses.
I hear movement and the lock clicks. She opens the door, walking away from it as I step in. Suddenly, I hear movement behind me, and it’s Sammie.
"What? I thought you were at work." She’s still wearing her manager tag on her blouse.
She’s supposed to be at work today. She left right after the wedding to come back home and move out. The Riders helped her move within a few hours. This is the first time we’re seeing her since we got back, though.
"I was. I still have the security on my phone. I saw the gate and then you two guys rushing back a few minutes la
ter like bats out of hell.” She turns her attention to Sophia, stepping past me. "Holy fuck." Sammie gasps, rushing up to Sophia, cupping her face and brushing her hair out of her face. "I'm going to kill that bitch myself. What the shit? Who was it?" Boomer must have filled her in a little before she rushed up here.
"Nurse Alma," I mutter. I know she's going to pull the "told you so." For a year now, she’s insisted that Alma was never just being kind. She wanted me, but I was blind to it.
"I told you she wasn't just being nice to be nice." And there it is.
"You met her before?" Sophia asks with a cracking voice, glaring at me.
"Yes, at the hospital for a Christmas party. I told this dumbass that she wanted him. He didn't believe me and now this happened."
"I didn't think anything about it. I never gave her any encouragement." I look at Sophia as I say it. I want her to know that I didn't have a past relationship with her either.
Sammie claps the back of my head. "Duh, but some women think that if they give you enough hints and you are lonely enough, you'll bite."
"I'm so damn sorry, my love. I really had no idea why she would lie like that. I know you don't have a reason to believe me, but I never touched her." I tip Sophia’s chin and turn her head, looking for any swelling or abrasions. Her cheeks have red blotches, some from crying, others from fingers.
"I want to believe that, but I have that image in my head and it's painful." I cup the sides of her head and bend it down to see the missing patch of hair.
"Well, I'll never see her again. I'm going to talk to Boomer about starting the hospital sooner rather than later," I promise, pulling out the alcohol swabs to cleanse the area. “I’m sorry, but this may sting a little.” My heart's breaking just seeing the missing patch of hair on her scalp. It's not more than a half an inch, but it was enough.
“Yes, Doc.”
Sammie is huffing at Sophia’s side, watching with anger growing in her expression. "I can't believe the bitch was dumb enough to come here,” Sammie snaps. I agree. She had no idea where we lived.
Sophia twists her head to look at Sammie and says, "I don't think she expected me to be here. At first when I answered, she thought it was you. When I opened the door, disappointment splashed across her face before she turned into the crazy bitch that needed her ass beat."
"Please tell me you got in some good licks."
"Of course. My brothers are MMA fighters. They taught me how to protect myself. She caught me off guard." She hisses and flinches when I put the alcohol on her wound. “Shit.”
"Sorry,” I apologize, regretting that I have to give her another ounce of pain.
"It's fine. I should have been expecting that. Doc, I want to lay down for a while." She calls me Doc when she’s pissed at me. I’ve learned that very quickly. I’ve never been bothered being called Doc until her. Before I can stop her she leans back, trying to snuggle into the pillow.
"Not yet. I need to ask you questions,” I tell her.
"I don't want to talk about us."
I’m starting to get pissed at her pushing me away, but I brush it off because if the tables were turned, I would have shot the piece of shit who tried that with me. "That's not what I mean. I need to know where she hit you."
"Oh...Just a slap, a punch to my body, and then the hair pulling. Oh, and she hit me in the shoulder with an umbrella." She moves her shirt off her shoulder, revealing a large, elongated bruise that’s forming.
“Damn it. Okay. You should be okay, but I'm going to give you some Tylenol to take. Then we are going to talk later."
I go into our bathroom and pull out the bottle, dumping two into my hand, and bring them to her with a glass of water. She takes them without looking at me. I run my hand down her cheek. She closes her eyes, absorbing my touch. It gives me hope that we can move past this nonsense. I step back and put away the medical kit.
I stand by the bathroom door and say, "I'll be here if you need me." She waves me off without a word. And that’s my cue to leave. Sammie comes with me, closing the door behind her.
"She needs time, but she loves you so much,” Sammie offers.
"I live for her. It's my fault that she has a reason to distrust me."
"You suffered the whole time she was gone. We all understand that. Soon she'll see that you worship her and always have.” She gives me a hug before asking one of the prospects to walk her out. I create my own vigil downstairs where Boomer is waiting.
Chapter Eighteen
Sophia
I wake up to someone running their hand over my hair, but they are avoiding my wound. It’s a soft, gentle hand, telling me it’s not Joe. I open my eyes, and it's pitch black outside. How long was I sleeping?
Crystal is sitting on the bed, smiling down at me. "I'm glad you're awake. Doc's out there losing his mind with worry."
I sit up and hug my sister as tightly as I can without hurting her. "Thank you for coming."
"Girl, you know I wish I could have been here sooner, but I had to finish out the school day. In fact, that husband of mine didn’t tell me until he picked me up from the school.”
"I regret pushing Joe away,” I confess.
"If you told him to come in here and comfort you, he'd run like a mad man. For those three months, he was miserable without you.”
"Do you really believe that?"
"I know that. Do you think that I would even let him near you if I thought he was a piece of shit? He's just as bad with you as Boomer is with me. Doc loves you. He hated to leave you back home with Dad and Mom. I swear Boomer loves you too, and he won't let anyone hurt you."
"Because it would hurt you."
"Exactly. Doc has been dying to be with you. You're all he's thought about. I'm surprised he held back so long, but I also wasn't there when the shooting was happening, and he was. He watched Morgan almost be taken away and that stuck with him. Shit, Mick nearly died in his arms and all he thought of was that you wouldn't be safe around us."
"But goodness. That bullshit she spat out made me so damn unsure of our relationship. It's so hard to let that go."
"You've missed a few months together. Don't let someone's vicious lies separate you any longer."
"You're right. Can you call him in here?"
"Of course." She kisses my forehead and then stands up. "He loves you. Remember that above all else."
It doesn't take more than twenty seconds from the time she stepped out for him to reach our bedroom door. He doesn’t enter, like he’s waiting for permission to come into his own bedroom. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I have a lot to make up for. It's my fault that you doubted me." He pushes off the door frame and closes the door behind him before walking to the bed. I sit up, wanting to be held by my husband. He doesn't disappoint. Joe wraps his arms around my shoulders, pressing my head to his chest. "I love you, Sophia. From the first moment we met, I knew that I'd do anything to keep you happy and safe. Unfortunately, I haven't truly done that."
"Well, my happiness is tied to you. Maybe that's why this hurt so much. I'm yours, and that scares me because I'm not sure that I'm enough."
"Enough? You're all I need. I want to eat and drink your love. I think about you until I can't stand it. I never slept with her no matter what lies she told you."
"She said you would hook up in the closets at the hospital during your long shifts.”
“Holy fuck, no wonder you don’t trust me. Let me say this. I’ve never slept with anyone I’ve ever worked with, and never have I had sex in a hospital. Fuck, it’s been so long that I don’t remember when it was. I’m sorry that I’m a lot older than you, and that I have a past.”
“It’s not your past that bothers me. It’s our present that I believed you betrayed. Those three months, I had been so sad and hurt, missing you like crazy, while everyone kept trying to reassure me that you were hurting too. Then that hooker comes in here claiming you two were fucking the whole time.”
"I promise you none of what she said wa
s true." He brushes his fingers over my clasped hands.
I unfold my hands and reach for his, squeezing them as I confess, "I believe you. I really do. I just...well—I'm young and naïve."
"Honey, I wouldn't know what to do if you'd fucked that jackass back in Tennessee, so I get it. I really do. Can we go back to enjoying our love?"
"I don't feel like having sex tonight," I explain. I want him, but my body and mind are exhausted.
He chuckles lightly, smiling, rubbing his thumb over my chin. "I don't mean sex. I want to hold you. God, for hours I've longed to hold you. Please don't ever push me away again. It's fucking unbearable."
"Same thing goes for me."
"You're my heart and soul." His mouth crashes down on mine, kissing me until I'm breathless. My hands cling to his shoulders, and I lift myself onto his lap. His hands thrust into my hair, and I yelp out in pain.
He quickly releases me, guilt written on his face. "Oh fuck. I'm so damn sorry. I got carried away. Please forgive me."
"It's okay. I'm the one who threw myself on you." I giggle uncontrollably. It’s the first time since he left that I’ve been able to laugh.
"How about we go to bed?"
"What about everyone out there?"
"Lie down. I'm going to kick them all out." He kisses my hand and then gets out of bed. As soon as he leaves, I get out of bed and go to our bathroom. I want to freshen up. My face feels like shit from that bitch and the many tears I've shed over this crap.
I turn on the faucet and let it warm up, soaking my hands before lathering them up into a nice soapy foam with my favorite Aveeno wash. It hurts to scrub so I lightly do it, splashing the water over my face.
"So beautiful." I turn to look up at him and he's smiling so serenely. "I love watching you do something so normal. You are so damn perfect."
"That's hardly true," I scoff, grabbing a towel to dry my face and then hanging it up.
"It's true for me." He reaches out his hand and I take it. He pulls me to him and swiftly bends, swinging me into his arms.
