Reckoning: An MC Shifter Romance

by Aja Foxx

  That didn't leave a lot of time for romance.

  Chapter Thirteen

  ~ Gunner ~

  Finding out that Harry was a shifter—and the very intimate moment I'd shared with Henry—changed everything for me. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Butch would want to be in Harry's life, which meant he'd be in Henry's life as well. Once Henry learned about shifters—and he would—maybe he'd be open to being my mate.

  I had hope, which was more than I had a couple of days ago.

  If Harry was a shifter like Butch said, then once he got off most of the drugs and shifted, the shift would push out all the remaining drugs that had been put into his system and he'd start to heal whatever damage had been done to his body over the years. It wouldn't be immediate, but it would happen.

  And that would make Henry happy.

  I brushed the back of my hand over Henry's cheek. "He's going to be okay, you know."

  I couldn't promise that because not everyone made it through their first shift. Harry was in a weakened state, which put him at an even bigger disadvantage, but I had to remain positive, if not for me, then for Henry.

  Henry shot me a look. "You know it's impossible for Butch to cure him, right?"

  "I thought you wanted Butch to get tested so he could."

  "Yes, but that's done at a hospital. Can you honestly tell me that is where we are going?"

  No, I couldn't.

  "We're headed back home."

  Henry's lips twisted. "I figured."

  "You don't know me well enough to trust me, Henry, but can you give me the benefit of a doubt, just for a little while? I swear I only want what's best for your brother and dying in that room of death is not it."

  Henry drew in a very deep breath and then nodded. "Even if he dies tomorrow, you're right. Anything is better than dying in that room." Henry bent forward and rubbed his hands over his face. "God, I've spent so much time looking for a cure, I forgot that he's still alive and living through this shit. That room was horrible."

  "How often do you actually see your brother?"

  "I call him at least once a day, but between work and my research, I don't get to see him except every couple of weeks." Henry shrugged as he sat back. "It's not real comfortable for me going back to that house. Besides the fact that it hurts to see Harry so sick, my mother starts in on me the moment I walk through the door. I do my best to avoid her."

  My bear growled and grew wrestles even as I frowned. "Starts in on you about what?"

  Henry was pretty perfect from what I could see.

  "She doesn't like me working in an emergency room. She wants me to quit and go into private practice."

  "Why?"

  "Money, prestige, being able to tell her country club friends how accomplished her doctor son is."

  Sarah sounded like a joy.

  Not.

  First she'd screw over Butch and kept his kids from him, not to mentioned keeping Henry and Harry from their father, and now I find out that she'd been screwing with Henry. This woman was not endearing herself to me one damn bit.

  "If you're doing what you love, why would she care?"

  Henry chuckled. "You need to understand, my mother is all about appearances. She married the man chosen for her by her father, she produced two sons, and attends fundraisers no less than two times a month. She is the perfect society wife and mother. Having a doctor in the family only adds to the image she has created for herself. A doctor who works in an emergency room with drug addicts, gang members, and the homeless might look good from a helping society point of view, but it does not look good when I could be a heart surgeon or something more glamorous."

  I didn't get it. I could never dream of being a doctor. I didn't think I was stupid by any means, but I certainly wasn't medical school smart. I was better with my fists than a scalpel.

  "But, you're a doctor," I insisted. "That's amazing."

  Henry's cheeks flushed. "Thank you."

  "You know Bug spend six years on the streets. He never did drugs and he never sold himself, but he was homeless until Bear found him." I frowned. "Or he found Bear. I've never quite figured that out."

  "I found Bug first," Bear said from the front seat, "and then he found me. Gunner is right though. Bug is the best thing that ever happened to me and I will thank the fates until the day I die that we found each other. Being homeless wasn't a choice. He didn't know of any other way to take care of himself."

  "What I'm saying here is that you being a doctor is amazing in its own right, but devoting yourself to people who really need medical care in the worst moments of their lives makes it even more amazing. The people who live on the streets, most of them aren't there by choice, and they don't get sick by choice, but they need someone who is willing to care for them no matter how much money they have, or don't have. That's what makes you so amazing."

  "It's too plebian for my mother."

  Considering I was probably one of the people she considered beneath her, I didn't get it. Granted, I understood what Henry was saying, but I never understood looking down on someone because they weren't born with a silver spoon in their mouths.

  I had more respect for someone who worked hard and made their own way in the world than I did for someone who was born into money and thought their shit didn't stink.

  I wrapped my arm around Henry's shoulders and pulled him as close as our seatbelts allowed. "Spend a little time with us and we'll show you why people like you are so desperately needed."

  "I've seen your place," Henry replied. "You don't need a doctor; you need an interior decorator and an etiquette coach."

  "Etiquette coach?" What the hell was that?

  "Yes, someone needs to teach your prospects that no means no because I don't fix injuries I cause."

  My bear growled and sat up as I glanced toward the front of the car. "Bear, who was the prospect that assaulted Henry?"

  I needed to make sure it was the same guy so I could track him down and rip his head off.

  "Doesn't matter," Bear replied. "I took care of him."

  Henry gasped. "You didn't kill him, did you?"

  "No, I kicked him out then called around to a few of the other clubs to let them know why I kicked him out. He's going to have a pretty damn hard time prospecting when no one wants him in their club."

  Ouch.

  That might even be worse than jail time.

  "And what happens when he leaves town and goes somewhere else?" Henry asked. "He could go somewhere that they don't know what an ass he is."

  "Not to worry, Doc," Bear said. "In clubs like ours, word gets around, even to other cities."

  "I was able to defend myself," Henry said, "but I'd hate for someone else to go through something like that if they couldn't fight back."

  "I can make some more phone calls, Henry," Bear said. "I can put out the word that he's dangerous."

  Henry grimaced. "I'm not sure that's any good. He could just go after someone not part of your world."

  "We can't kill him," I insisted. "That's not what we do."

  Most of the time. There were occasions when it was called for, and as much as my bear wanted to tear this guy apart one piece at a time, this wasn't one of those times.

  "I know," Henry said. "I just worry about the next guy, or girl, he goes after. Accepting no doesn't seem to be something he is capable of. When he didn't get what he wanted the first time, he brought his buddies to help him out the second time."

  Bear had a deep frown on his face when he glanced back at us. "Henry, could this guy have been the one to put the bomb in your car?"

  "I don't know," Henry replied. "I suppose it could have been him. I do remember a motorcycle following me from the hospital. I just didn't get a good enough look at him to be able to give you a description."

  I coughed as embarrassment clogged my throat. "That was me."

  Bear chuckled, but Henry turned to look at me.

  "That was you?" he asked.

  I shrugged.


  "Why would you follow me?"

  "I wanted to kiss you."

  Henry's face flushed again. He tucked in his lips then glanced down at his hands. I chuckled and gave him a squeeze. So, maybe stalking him hadn't been as bad as I thought it was.

  "I promise I'm not creepy or anything. Unless you want me to be."

  Henry chuckled.

  "I just wished I'd stuck around after you went into the grocery store. It kills me that I wasn't there to help you when your car blew up."

  Henry frowned. "Then how did you know I was going to be at the hospital?"

  "What?"

  "Weren't you parked outside the hospital after I got discharged?"

  "No."

  "Well, someone was. I remember that he was riding a red and chrome colored motorcycle."

  My jaw clenched. "Fucking Brick."

  Henry's eyebrows lifted. "Brick?"

  "Brick is the guy who accosted you at the clubhouse."

  "Why would he be waiting for me at the hospital?"

  "He accosted you and you handed him his head. I suspect he was looking for a little revenge"

  "Do you think he might have been the one to put the bomb in my car?"

  I shook my head. "With Brick, his revenge would be more personal. A bomb isn't personal."

  "It was to me," Henry murmured.

  I was going to kill Brick if I ever saw him again.

  "We're almost home."

  There was a part of me that feared what was to come. If Harry made it through his first transition, it would give me a much better base to stand on to convince Henry to be my mate. If he died, I doubted Henry would want anything to do with me.

  "We've got company," Bear said as we slowed to turn into the parking lot of the clubhouse. "Dark four-door sedan parked across the street about half a block down. There's someone in the driver's seat smoking a cigarette."

  As we turned into the parking lot, I glanced down the street. With my shifter vision, I was able to easily pick out the car Bear indicated.

  "Do you think they're watching the clubhouse?"

  "Not much else to watch on this street."

  That was true. One of the reasons we'd chosen this spot for our clubhouse was the fact that it was pretty much an industrial area with empty warehouses—which we owned—on either side of us. There really wasn't much here to interest anyone except bikers, and this was no biker.

  "Pull around back," I directed Bear. "I don't want Henry spotted if we can help it. The less people know of his presence here, the better."

  Bear met my eyes in the rearview mirror. "You'd better call Butch and let him know."

  "He knows," I said. "He's pulling in behind us."

  "Good." Bear drove around to the back of the clubhouse and parked. Butch's vehicle pulled in right beside us. Henry jumped out before I could stop him and ran around to Harry's door.

  I was a little slower getting out of the vehicle. "Bear, put Tex on the car. I want to know what that guy is doing and if he leaves."

  "You want me to have Tex follow him if he leaves?"

  I shook my head. "No, not yet. I just want to know if he leaves." We had bigger things to deal with right now, like getting Harry and Henry settled and then deciding how much to tell Henry and when to have Harry try to shift.

  I walked over and joined Henry. I didn't like how exposed we were out here, especially if someone was watching the place. "Let's get Harry inside, okay?"

  "Is there someplace he can lay down?"

  I nodded. "We have guestrooms just for situations like this."

  "Get a lot of people with leukemia, do you?"

  "One or two a week, at least," I said with a totally straight face.

  Henry cracked a smile, which was what I'd been hoping for. He was growing way too tense. I knew the situation was hard on him because he didn't know what I knew. I wanted to tell him, but that wasn't up to me.

  I glanced at Butch.

  The man must have seen the question on my face because he shook his head. "We need to let Harry rest first."

  I didn't like it, but I wasn't going to argue.

  At least, not yet.

  I could see how much Harry was wilting and I imagined Henry could do with a rest as well.

  My concern for his welfare was a little out of the ordinary for me. Usually, I didn't care, at least not for people who didn't belong to the club. But even then, I cared for the entire club, not really so much for individual members. They were grown ass men. They could care for themselves.

  Henry walked beside Butch as the man carried Harry into the clubhouse. Jefferson walked right behind them. I followed after, trying to stay as close as I could without hovering. As much as I wanted to grab Henry and run for the hills, I knew I couldn't.

  His concern for his brother was just as heartwarming as it was frustrating. I doubted he'd even entertain my claim until he knew his brother was okay. The downside to that was once he learned how his brother became healed, it might be the thing that drove Henry away from me.

  I was damned any way I looked at it.

  Butch carried Harry up to one of the guestrooms on the second floor. He laid him down on the bed with more care than I'd ever seen the MC president use. He even grabbed a blanket from the bottom of the bed, shook it out, then spread it over Harry.

  "You rest for a little while," Butch said. "I need to go explain things to your brother."

  Oh boy.

  "I'm going to leave Jefferson here with you in case you need anything," Butch continued. "I'll get someone bring you both up some food."

  I wondered if everyone could see the relief in Jefferson's face or if it was just me? Now that Harry knew about shifters—and I was assuming he did since he was here—Jefferson seriously needed to explain mates to him.

  I needed to explain mates to Henry.

  I think I'd rather fight Fang again. At least then, my entire future wasn't in limbo. I knew we'd beat Fang one way or another. The man had been too full of himself when we fought, too confident that he had the upper hand. He'd paid the price for his arrogance and would continue to pay for the rest of his life behind bars. It was a fate worse than death for a shifter.

  When Butch walked out of the room, Henry continued to stand beside the bed. He glanced toward the doorway a couple of times, but I could see that he didn't want to leave his brother.

  "Hey, Jefferson is going to be here," I said. "If Harry has any problems or he needs anything, Jefferson will come get us, okay?"

  "Yes, but..." Henry chewed on his bottom lip. The indecisiveness in his eyes gutted me. I could see that he wanted to talk to Butch so he could figure out what in the hell was going on, but he was terrified of leaving his brother.

  "We're going to be right downstairs, Henry."

  "Go on, Henry," Harry said. "I'm just going to close my eyes and rest for a little while. Jefferson will be here if I need anything."

  Henry's shoulders slumped.

  "I'll be fine, Henry," Harry assured his brother. Considering how pale he was, I could understand Henry's reluctance to leave, but I also knew Butch needed to talk to him.

  I held out my hand. "Come on, Henry. Let your brother rest."

  Henry took my hand before turning to look at Jefferson. "You'll call me?"

  Jefferson gave a curt nod. "Of course, sir."

  Henry grimaced and then turned and walked out of the room with me. As we passed the door leading to my room, I glanced at it longingly. I'd much rather be escorting Henry in there than to Butch's office. Again, I knew that had to wait.

  Man, my bear was a patient creature.

  That in itself was a rarity.

  Usually, my bear was the first one to jump into a fight. He enjoyed the exhilaration and the edginess that came with battle, and the simple physical exertion it took to fight. He did not sit on the sidelines and wait for others to do his explaining for him, and yet, that was exactly what we were doing.

  When we got down to the main floor, I led Henry into
the kitchen. I wanted to make sure Harry had everything he needed before we went to talk to Butch. I didn't want any interruptions. This was going to be a very interesting conversation.

  "Rooster, can you make up something light for Harry?" I asked. "He can't have anything heavy on his stomach."

  "Yeah, sure," Rooster replied. "I think I can come up with something."

  "Thanks, man. He's up in guestroom two. We'll be in Butch's office if you need anything."

  Rooster nodded before going back to work.

  I glanced at Henry. "Do you need something to eat?"

  Henry shook his head and then grimaced as he rubbed a hand across his stomach. "I don't think I could eat anything right now."

  "Maybe later Rooster can cook us up something good." I knew Rooster would make us whatever we wanted. As a member of our club, the kitchen was kind of his domain. No one had been stupid enough to try and take it away from the man.

  I led Henry out of the kitchen and then down the hallway to Butch's office. I knocked on the door and then opened it when I heard the man's deep voice give us permission to enter. Butch was sitting in his customary place behind his desk, a drink in one hand, a cigar in the other.

  Bear was there along with Bug and Rocky, Razor, and Ryder. I made quick introduction before leading Henry over to one of the vacant chairs in front of Butch's desk. I didn't want to get into the long conversation about what each member of our club did. We had more important things to discuss.

  Once I was seated, I stretched my arm along the back of Henry's chair and then nodded to Butch. I wasn't sure exactly what he was going to say to Henry, but I was glad I didn't have to explain the birds and the bees and the bears to him.

  This was not going to be an easy conversation.

  Chapter Fourteen

  ~ Henry ~

  I could feel a gamut of perplexing emotions flowing through me as I stared around all the men sitting in Butch's office. I knew they had something to talk to me about, but my only concern was my brother.

  "Are you going to give blood sample?"

  "No," Butch replied.

  Everything in me welled up in protest. My breath came raggedly in impotent anger. "Then what in the hell are we doing here? Why drag Harry out of his bed just so he can die?"