Dancing With Danger

by Christine Michelle

  “I know,” the words came out, which made me immensely happy while also sounding like I gargled gravel and fire all at once. I moved to sit up, but strong arms pulled me back tight against him. A round of chuckles went through the room at that. I just held a hand up like I was writing in air and someone put a phone in it for me to use.

  Josh invested almost all of his NFL money in a brothel two counties over from where we lived in Vegas. It was why he’d ended up so desperate for money, because he didn’t hold anything back in case the brothel failed. Didn’t take off as quickly as he hoped either. He was an investor for what I thought was just a business group. The name was Lovely Saints for Modern Sinners, but there were Modern Saints things around our house too.

  “Well, fuck me running. That explains a lot then,” Iceman said after he read the message out loud.

  Someone was laughing now, as if that were good news. “What?” Rage bit out.

  “Well, it seems if something were to happen to this Josh asshole that Charlie here would be part owner in Modern Saints’ latest business venture since she’s next of kin as his spouse.” It had definitely been Spinner talking earlier. Rabbit wasn’t here. Shameless, Iceman, and the red-haired guy, Mech, were all present and accounted for though. Great, and they all saw me drooling on Rage’s chest. I felt the slippery trail down my cheek now that I was moving around. I was definitely drooling. I wiped my face with the back of my hand and then proceeded to wipe the drool off Rage’s chest while everyone was distracted with one more person entering my room. I felt Rage chuckling, but refused to look up at his face.

  “Sorry, came to check on my patient. Didn’t realize a meeting was going on,” Doc offered.

  “S’ok, Doc. Get in here, and check on our girl.” Of course that had been was really beginning to love that man.

  “She spoke a minute ago, but sounded like it hurt a lot,” Rage informed him.

  “I bet it did,” Doc told him. Then he looked at me. “I have an ultrasound machine coming later today. Earliest we could get it here was around noon. I don’t want you trying to talk until then, okay?” I nodded. “If there is damage, vibrating those chords, and straining to make sounds could aggravate the situation. Let’s let it all rest until I have a complete picture.” He reached into a bag and pulled a tablet out. “With that in mind, I brought you this. You can use the stylus to write out whatever you need or you can use the typing feature. I figure it has to be better than doing all that typing using an old flip phone and cycling through letters. That shit takes forever.” I smiled appreciatively at him, because yeah, it sucked since I tended to have a lot to say. I tipped my fingers up to my chin and brought them out to him in the ASL gesture for thank you. I didn’t even think about whether he’d understand. “You’re welcome.” I glanced up, and he laughed. “ASL basics help in my field. Don’t try to carry on a full conversation with me, but I know enough to recognize ‘thank you’ when I see it.”

  Doc waited a moment while I tried to sit up again only to be promptly caged in by some very solid arms that had no intention of letting me go anywhere. Doc chuckled at my helpless expression. “Rage, my man, I’m gonna need you to let go so I can take a good look at what she’s got going on there.”

  “Fine, after these chuckleheads get the fuck out. She doesn’t need another audience for this shit especially since she’s barely wearing anything.” He grumbled out. I glanced down at myself and realized someone had pulled my shirt off last night, and thank fuck I had a camisole on under my shirt instead of a slinky bra or something. Jesus. I frowned and everyone got a laugh out of that.

  “Don’t worry sweet girl, you did that all by yourself last night. Got hot for some damn reason,” Shameless grumbled while throwing a glare in Rage’s direction. “He did at least stop you to make sure you had something on underneath before you showed anything off.” With that more laughter and chuckling followed all the men out of the room. Suddenly, it seemed like a cavernous space without all their large bodies filling the space.

  Once they were gone Rage helped me sit up with my back against the headboard and a boat load of pillows. Doc came forward to check on me once I was comfortable. He gently felt around my neck, and commented that some of the swelling had subsided which was probably why I was able to speak a little this morning. He had me open my mouth, and he took a peek inside, which was disturbing on a lot of levels, not the least of which being my morning breath situation, and the fact that Rage was looking rather murderous the closer Doc moved in on me.

  Doc glanced at Rage and just shook his head while trying to rein in his smile. “Calm down, buddy. I’m doing this as a professional, no one’s moving in on your woman.” I would have argued that I wasn’t his woman, but they both cut their eyes back to me in warning when I got ready to say as much.

  “No using your voice, remember? And there’s no use fighting it either. It’s happening, so wrap your head around that now while you can’t talk, and then you can save up all your arguments for when you need to work your voice out.” Rage was laughing as he said that bit so I tossed a relatively nasty glare his way that only made him laugh more.

  “Everything is looking good, Charlie. You seem to be a quick healer, which will help you tremendously.” He glanced down at his watch and then back up at me. “I’ll have an ultrasound rolled in here in about three hours. Until then, no talking. No solid foods. Probably stick to cold drinks to help with any residual swelling. I’ll see if someone can whip you up a protein shake with ice cream for breakfast. That should help tide you over until after we get through checking you later.”

  Again I responded with the non-verbal thank you, and he tipped his head in response before gathering his things and leaving as quietly as he’d come in the first place. I took the tablet in hand and wrote out, ‘sorry for drooling on you’ and flashed it to Rage. He just smiled at me, forcing those dimples of his out of hiding.

  “You don’t have to apologize for that, darlin’. Never apologize for being comfortable with me.”

  Being unconscious and being comfortable are two VERY different things. I wrote out as a joke. He stiffened beside me when he read it. So I finished up by writing, Joke – laugh.

  He smiled briefly, and then put his serious face back on. “Charlie,” he started. I shook my head while I started writing immediately which made him hesitate.

  Not now, Rage. Wait until I get my voice back for whatever talk this is. I don’t have the energy for serious right now. I just want to forget all the bad shit in my life for a minute.

  He swallowed hard and nodded in agreement so I put the tablet and stylus aside and snuggled back into his chest, because he was damn comfortable. At least that’s what I was telling myself. I heard him sigh, “thank fuck,” before he started playing with my hair again. I don’t know how long we stayed like that wrapped around one another again, but in too short a time someone was knocking on the door and Rabbit was walking in with a large glass of frosty goodness in his hands for me. He also had a needle in the other hand.

  I pointed to the needle and shook my head. “Calm down. Doc sent this in with me just in case you needed it. He said the cold might help your throat, but it could cause you pain too. The meds are just in case.” I tossed up an ‘ok’ sign and sat up in order to take the drink. Rage, once again, reluctantly let me go. I was two sips into the best shake I’d ever had in my life when Rabbit spit out, “So, I hear you two were cozy enough that Showgirl was drooling all over your chest, man.” I shot an immediate glare up to Rabbit and signaled slitting his throat to which both men started laughing. So I moved my glare between them both, but as I took another sip of the yummy, cold, goodness I ended up rolling my eyes back in my head and just enjoying the smooth icy feeling cooling the fires in my throat. I moaned, inadvertently, at the ecstasy of having any relief there.

  “Okay, that’s it. Get out!” Rage told Rabbit who laughed, but got up to leave. He placed the syringe on the nightstand closer to Rage and said, “it doesn’t sou
nd like she’ll need that, but just in case.”

  Chapter 9

  Three days later and my boys finally eased up on me enough to allow me out of my room to move around and see something other than the walls of my room and bathroom. Granted, Rage did at least bring me a TV and Rabbit thought to download the Kindle App on the tablet Doc had given me, because – and I quote – “girls like books and shit, right?” They were too much. Feeling genuinely cared for by everyone left me feeling extremely thankful for my situation. No the murder for hire part of it, but being lead here to these people and this place in time had been a godsend. I was finally talking a bit more since the ultrasound came back clear. My voice continued to come out a bit gravelly when I spoke, but Doc assured me that would go away with time as long as I didn’t over-do the talking.

  The guys had gone to Church, which I learned was a closed meeting for the brothers. This one in particular was only for the officers in the MC though, which pretty much took away all my guard dogs. I was just stepping out in the hall when the player who lived across from me stepped out to greet the ridiculously handsome man that was standing there. “What’s up, Steel?” My across the way neighbor, Flint, asked.

  “Is she in there?” Steel asked as the other man blanched.

  “Wh-” he didn’t even get the full three letter word out before Steel was on him jacking him into the wall. I quickly pulled my phone out and typed 911 into a text to the guys.

  “You know who the fuck I’m talking about. Is Jenn in there?”

  “Now, listen…” my neighbor started to say.

  “We’ve been stuck together like glue since diapers, Flint, why the fuck would you do this?” There was devastation laced in Steel’s words. That much was clear by the way his voice cracked as much as how his shoulders slumped when he took a step back. Thundering boot-steps came charging down the hall about the same time. Steel glanced over and noticed them all heading in our direction. He seemed to resolve himself to something, and then turned back to my neighbor, who I now knew was Flint, and landed a solid thwacking punch to the other man’s jaw that took him immediately down to the floor. “We’re done, man. I can put up with a lot of shit, but fucking my girl behind my back, even if she is a worthless cunt… that isn’t one we come back from.”

  “We fucked after you guys split last time. I was drunk, man.” Flint was massaging his jaw. “I wasn’t going to touch her again, but she kept coming around, and now she’s here to tell me that…” he didn’t get to finish explaining what she was there to tell him, because the door to his room opened and a hysterical, crying blond slip of a girl came barreling out and slammed into Steel’s chest, wrapping her arms around his waist and clinging to him as she did.

  He immediately shoved her away though. The push wasn’t hard enough to make her fall, but definitely enough to make the point that he didn’t want her touching him. “Let me guess, she came with the sob story about being pregnant with my baby and me not giving a shit?”

  Flint sucked in a harsh breath. “No, she came with a sob story about being pregnant with my baby, actually. She says it had to be from the party after you said you were definitely done with her.”

  “Well, she claims to have fucked me while I was passed out a couple months ago at a party. That party was three weeks later, so that’s a hell of a time window to possibly be pregnant by either of us. And just so we are all clear, fucking someone who is passed out is still rape even if the person doing the deed is a woman, if it’s true.” He seethed. Then he turned to the other men who had run up here thanks to my 911 texts. “So…” he turned to Iceman who was standing there with Rabbit, Shameless, Spinner, and Rage. “She probably needs to be banned from the joint for her disloyalty and abuse of members.”

  “You can’t do that,” she shrieked out. “I’m carrying a baby and it belongs to one of you.”

  “If it’s mine, I’ll be going after custody, and you won’t need to be here anyway, considering I can have you thrown in prison for your admitted rape,” Steel commented as he pointed around to everyone present. “Plenty of witnesses to the fact that you didn’t deny saying it, and if you’re claiming I’m still a potential baby daddy, that’s the only fucking way it happened, or else it would have been so long ago you would already be showing.”

  “Likewise, on the custody thing,” Flint agreed.

  “Well, I can’t say I don’t agree.” Iceman said coolly.

  “When she’s able to have DNA testing done, I want it to happen, but until then I’m asking to transfer to the new chapter in Georgia that Sweet is putting together,” Steel stated simply.

  “Steel,” Flint spoke softly, as if he couldn’t believe his friend would choose to move away.

  “Fuck you! I have nothing to say to you.” He turned to Iceman then. “We good with that transfer?”

  Iceman nodded. “You can file a club grievance against your brother for taking your woman that was off limits,” Iceman started. Steel shook his head violently.

  “He’s not worth the grievance, and neither is she.”

  Iceman continued to keep his eyes on Steel alone. “If that’s the way you want it to go down I will honor your wishes and your request for transfer, but you’re going to be the one to tell your momma.” He huffed out a sigh as he ran a hand over his bearded face. “I’ll never hear the end of it from her as is.”

  “Sorry man, but I can’t stay here. Technically, he didn’t poach while we were together, but the fact that he went there at all just… I can’t fuckin’ stomach seeing him daily, and I won’t ask that he’s sent away. I need a fresh start.”

  “You got it son,” Iceman confirmed. “When you heading out?”

  “Soon as I’m packed. I already talked to Sweet. He said I was more than welcome once he gets the okay for the transfer from you.” Steel laughed then. “Apparently the only good bike mechanic down there is a chick, and they’ve managed to piss her off somehow.” All the men in the hallway chuckled at that except Flint. “They can definitely use some skilled hands.”

  Iceman stepped forward then and hugged the man. “You better stop in and see your dad on the way down, Hopper will be happy for the visit.”

  “Yeah, it’s part of the plan. I’ll tell mom I’m going, but she isn’t to know anything about this supposed pregnancy shit until I see DNA results. If it doesn’t end up concerning me, she doesn’t need to be getting her hopes up in advance.”

  “You got it. Hey, Rabbit,” Iceman called, and he moved forward. “Get this bitch out of here, and put one of the prospects on her. We need to make sure we keep eyes on her at all times until we find out whose kid she’s carrying, and to make sure she doesn’t do anything to harm it on purpose.”

  Steel turned back then with a wicked grin, “just keep in mind, statute of limitations on rape is seven years in South Dakota. Keep that kid safe, because if anything happens to it before we find out, I’m exercising my right to have your ass tossed in prison.”

  Well, damn. Looks like I wasn’t the only one bringing the drama to the clubhouse. As much as I felt for the people involved, I was kind of glad I wasn’t alone in causing the big scenes. Rage had made his way over to me and squeezed me to him with his arm around my waist. “Thanks for letting us know,” he whispered in my ear.

  “Flint, we’ll be talking in my office later today.”

  “Just let me know what time,” he confirmed to Iceman in a solemn voice with his head hung low.

  “Come on, let’s go get you something to eat before you get to work,” Rage said. “Are you sure you need to go back to work already?”

  “Definitely. I love the room I’m in, but if I have to keep looking at those walls for one more day, I’m going to lose my shit.”

  “Noted,” he said as he led me away with Shameless hot on my heels. Rabbit was still back there trying to pick up the blond who was throwing a hellacious hissy fit.

  “So, that was pretty dramatic. Does that kind of thing happen often around here?” I finally
asked. Both men chuckled.

  “That particular brand of bullshit, not really. For the most part brothers won’t stick it in a chick that another of us has a claim on, or at least not without express permission from both parties that it’s over. That’s rarely done though. Iceman and his old lady are one exception. She was with Steel’s dad, Hopper, first but they were never really together. Steel was a result of a one-nighter. They tried briefly to make it work when they found out he was on the way, but those two are like oil and water. Their personalities didn’t mix at all. Iceman took her in though, and has been regretting it ever since.” Shameless explained on a chuckle.

  “Oh,” I stated simply. Rage just smiled at me.

  “It’s okay to ask questions, we’ll tell you if its personal or not. Just so you know, the clubhouse always has a certain level of drama. It comes with the territory with so many rough, high-strung men, and the crazy bitches they tend to attract. Also, we have a lot different women in and out of here anyway. Whether it’s the BRATs, club sluts, hangers on, or the girls from Ruby’s there are always dramatics going on with them.”

  “Especially when you get any of them and the old ladies in the same place all at the same time,” Shameless added with an exaggerated bob of his head.

  “I really feel like the time I’ve spent here so far has been an education into a foreign land. It’s strange and familiar all at once though. I guess my dad never left his biker edge, so the way you guys carry yourselves and speak reminds me of him in some ways. Honestly, I wish I could remember what it was like to be around this environment when I was younger.”

  “Well, you were only at the clubhouse in Cedar Falls on certain occasions so that you wouldn’t see a bunch of this shit. Lulu definitely made sure you weren’t around when any of the club whores were. One of the things she did right was always being a good mom to you.”