by L. Wilder
I was just about to give up hope when I heard the faint sound of music playing. I tried to concentrate on the rhythm, hoping I might remember the name of the song, but it was nothing I’d heard before. Like a moth to a flame, I found myself drawn to the soothing melody. The tension in my body began to diminish, and as my breathing steadied, I started to relax.
“You’re going to be okay.” Her voice seemed so far away, but I could still hear everything she said. “You scared me for a minute. The doctor is worried about the swelling in your brain, so they’ve put you in a medically induced coma. It’s supposed to help give your brain a chance to heal so you can get better faster. The breathing tube will help…” Her voice trailed off, and I had to strain even harder to hear her. “I can’t stay much longer. I’ve got to get a few hours of sleep before work, but I’ll be back when my shift is over. Try to get some rest.”
I was in a heavy fog, but there was still something gnawing at me. There was something I needed to remember, something important, but the memory was too far in the back of my mind. No matter how hard it tried, it just wouldn’t come to me. Instead, I was bombarded with other memories—memories long forgotten. I was just a kid, maybe twelve years old, when my oldest brother Jax decided to give me his old dirt bike. He’d had it for years and never once let me come near it, so when he told me I could actually have it, I was skeptical.
“What?”
He stood by his red and white Yamaha BW200 smiling like he was up to something. “It’s yours.”
“Huh?” It just didn’t make sense. My brother had always been overprotective where I was concerned. He was always trying to keep me out of trouble, and when it came to his bike, he wouldn’t even let me ride with him, much less alone. Now he was handing it over, and I couldn’t help but think there had to be a catch. “You’re giving it to me?”
“You want it, don’t ya?” He offered me the keys as he shook his head. “I thought you’d be excited about it.”
Still feeling doubtful, I took the keys from him as I looked at the bike. “You’re being for real?”
“Yeah. It’s not like I can ride it anymore, and Eric and Hunter could care less about it.”
“Seriously?” I was excited beyond words. It was my first bike, and even then, I knew it wouldn’t be my last.
“Yeah. Seriously. Just be careful. Dad will have my ass if you break your neck.”
“This is so freaking cool.” I rushed over to him and gave him a big hug. “Thanks, Jax.”
“Start out slow until you get used to it, and then give her the gas.” He started walking to the house as he shouted, “And stay around here.”
My hands were shaking with excitement as I climbed on and started the engine. I gave it a good rev, and then I was off. The sun was beating down on my neck and shoulders as I headed to the fields behind our house. I couldn’t get enough of that feeling. I rode for hours. It was like I was soaring through the air as the wind whipped around me. There was no better feeling in the world.
I wanted to hold onto that memory, but the low rumble of the doctors talking at my side pulled me from my thoughts. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but the tone in their voices told me it wasn’t good.
Chapter 4
Zoe
After I left the hospital, I went home and tried to get some rest before work. I spent a few hours tossing and turning, but sleep never came. I couldn’t stop thinking about something my father had said to me: “In a moment, everything can change, and in a moment, you can change everything.” When he first said them, they were just words with no real meaning, but after last night, I finally was starting to understand. I’d been living a lie. I’d convinced myself that I was trapped, that there was no way I could cut ties with the club and all the indecency they represented, but that was a copout. I was a coward. I let my fear keep me from going for what I wanted, for what I dreamed about since I was a little girl, and just settled for whatever scraps the brothers threw my way. After the hell that unfolded the night before—having someone dragged into the craziness that was my life—I was determined to make a change. A match had been struck, lighting a fire inside me that couldn’t be denied. I was done being afraid. No matter the consequence, I would find a way out. It was just a matter of patience. Until I found my out, I would have to play the game and pretend nothing had changed. I would go to work, take my classes, and continue to put up with the brothers’ crap. I just had to wait for my chance. Otherwise, I’d just be dragged right back in with no way of ever getting free.
I’d already missed my class for the day, and by the time I made it to work, it was almost two in the afternoon. Luckily, no one seemed to notice as I headed back to my office. I’d just sat down and started going through the timesheets when there was a tap at my door. Before I had a chance to answer, Kat came in with a shocked look on her face. “What’s wrong?”
“There are two guys at the bar,” she whispered.
“Okay?”
“They are asking about that guy from last night.” My breath caught in my throat as she continued, “I tried telling them I hadn’t seen him, but they aren’t budging. We’ve got to get rid of them before the guys…”
Trying to swallow my panic, I stood up and started towards the door. “I’ll talk to them.”
“What are you going to tell them?”
“I don’t know,” I replied, giving her an honest answer. “I’ll figure it out.”
Kat followed as I walked over to the bar. My fingers trembled with nerves as I approached the two men. The man with long, tousled hair wasted no time as he asked, “You Zoe?”
“Yes.”
“Good to meet ya, Zoe. You can call me Thomas. I’m looking for a friend of mine.” He held out his cell phone and showed me a picture of the man from last night. “This is my friend Seth. Have you seen him?”
I stared at the photograph for a moment as I connected his face to his name. Seth. It was a good name. I looked over to Thomas and considered lying to him. It was right there on the tip of my tongue, but I just couldn’t do it. Before I considered the consequences, I answered, “Yes. He was here last night.”
“How long was he here?”
“Zo,” Kat warned.
I rubbed the palms of my hands together as I worked up the courage to say, “There was an altercation.”
“What kind of altercation?”
I looked up at the clock and panic washed over me when I realized what time it was. At any time, the prospects could start rolling in with God-knows-who following behind. “He’s over at the county hospital. I can take you there.”
“What the hell happened?”
“It’s complicated. I’ll explain when we get there.”
Kat reached for my arm, pulling me towards her. “What the hell are you doing?”
“I’m doing the only thing I can do. Just cover for me. I won’t be long.”
She rolled her eyes as she released her grip on my arm. “You’re going to get yourself into a mountain of trouble with this whole thing.”
“Maybe so, but we can’t very well let the brothers find them here. I’ll take them to the hospital, and then I’ll come straight back. No big deal.”
“Fine. Just please be careful.”
I turned back to Seth’s friends. “I’m ready when you are.”
They both stood, and I followed them towards the door. When we stepped outside, I was relieved to see that none of the guys had shown up just yet. I just had to get back before anyone realized I was gone. As I started for my car, Thomas motioned me over to their SUV. “You can ride with us, if you want.”
For reasons I couldn’t explain, I knew I could trust them, but knowing I didn’t have much time, I insisted, “Thanks, but I’ll take my car. I’ll need to get back.”
He nodded before opening the door to his truck and hopping inside. They followed as I pulled out of the parking lot and started towards the hospital. I looked back in my rearview mirror at the men who had come to f
ind their friend—the men who were going to have questions, lots of questions. I gripped the steering wheel as I tried to think of the best way to explain everything that had happened with Seth. I went over it a hundred times in my head, but there was no way to put a spin on it. Seth was in that hospital fighting for his life because of me, plain and simple.
When we pulled into the hospital parking lot, I parked the car and got out. I headed straight over to their SUV. As soon as the door opened, I started talking. “I tried to get him to leave, but he just wouldn’t listen.”
Thomas got out of the SUV and stepped towards me. “You’re gonna have to give me more than that.”
Trying my best to explain everything without falling apart, I told him about Slider and how Seth tried to intervene. As soon as I’d finished telling them how Kat and I got him to the hospital, I added, “He’s in pretty bad shape.”
“How bad are we talking?”
“He has several broken ribs. One of those punctured his lung, and he’s pretty bruised and swollen. There were some complications from his concussion, so they put him in a medically induced coma. He’s on a ventilator.”
“Fuck.”
“They did a real number on him, but he was still holding on when I was here last night. I would’ve stayed longer, but didn’t want to take a chance on the brothers finding out I was here.”
Thomas gave me half a smile. “He’s a fighter. He’ll come out of this just fine.”
“I’m really sorry about all of this. The last thing I wanted was for anyone to get hurt.”
Thomas came over to me and placed his hand on my shoulder. “Let’s be clear. None of this was your fault, Zoe. If anything, you saved his life by getting him to the hospital. I know that was a big risk for you. He owes you. We all do.”
“He’s in there fighting for his life because of me.”
Thomas shook his head as he said, “No. He’s there because he was standing up for what was right. That’s who he is, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.” He took a few steps back. “Now, take us to see him.”
I led them up to Seth’s room, and even though I’d warned them, I could still see they were both shocked by his condition. He didn’t look any better. In fact, the swelling seemed to be worse, and all the tubes and wires connected to him were daunting, making it difficult to believe he’d pull through. I felt like an intruder as they walked over to him and started whispering words of encouragement. The guilt of it all became too much, so I started walking towards the door. I was just about to leave when Thomas called out to me.
“Zoe?”
I tried to hold back my tears as I turned to him. “Yes?”
“Thanks for looking after him.”
I nodded and was about to turn for the door, but couldn’t make that step. The thought of never seeing Seth again and never knowing if he was going to be okay made my heart sink to the pit of my stomach. I had no right to ask, but I couldn’t stop myself. “I know it’s asking a lot, but would it be okay if I came back to check on him?”
He paused for a moment as he considered his answer. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. You said yourself that you were worried about the club finding out you were here.”
Knowing he was right, I answered, “I understand.”
I turned and walked out of the room, and by the time I made it down the hall, tears were streaming down my face. I felt like a complete idiot as I pressed the button for the elevator. The whole thing was ridiculous. There was no reason for me to be upset. I’d done my part. Seth was safe, and I knew his friends would make sure he was okay. I knew me being there would only cause problems for him, but that didn’t stop my heart from breaking as I stepped onto the elevator. Just as the elevators were about to close, I heard Thomas call out my name again.
“Zoe!”
I reached out and stopped the elevator doors from closing. “Is something wrong?”
“What’s your connection to the Chosen Knights?”
I stepped out of the elevator. “What?”
“You an ol’ lady or something?”
“Hmmm… No.”
“Then, what’s the tie?”
There was a time when I was proud of the club and what they represented, but now, I was just plain embarrassed. “My father was the president.”
“Lucky was your dad?”
“You knew him?”
He smiled, and I knew right away my dad had left him with a good impression. “He was a good man.”
“He was.” My eyes dropped to the ground. “A lot has changed without him around. The way things are now… my father would never want this.”
“Tank is a different kind of leader.”
“You have no idea. He’d shut the club down if he knew it had come to this. I wish I could do it myself, but I just don’t have the means to do it.”
“Things have a way of working out.”
“Maybe, but I’m not holding my breath.”
“You know…” He studied me for a moment before continuing. “I’ve been thinking. It would be okay if you wanted to check in on him later.”
“Are you sure?”
“Just watch your back and be careful. Don’t make me regret it.”
“I won’t. I give you my word.”
“We’ve got some things to tend to, so my guy Jacob will be there to keep an eye on him when we are gone. I’ll let him know you’ll be coming.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
“And Zoe...”
I knew he was concerned about the brothers finding out that I was seeing him, so I tried to reassure him. “No one will know I’m here.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear.” He handed me a slip of paper with a number on it. “If something comes up, just let me know.”
I placed the number in my back pocket and pushed the button for the elevator. “I will, and thank you for trusting me to do this.”
I rushed back to work and went directly into my office. I figured staying out of sight was the best thing I could do. The last thing I needed was another altercation with one of the brothers. I spent the entire day to myself working on timesheets and anything else I could find to keep me busy. It was late, and I was starting to get stir crazy when Kat walked in. She shut the door behind her before she walked over and sat in the chair in front of my desk. A worried look crossed her face as she looked over at me. “Are you going to tell me what happened?”
I hated lying to her, but I didn’t have a choice. “Nothing. It’s over.”
“Seriously? That’s all you’re going to say? You and I know there’s more to it than that.”
“Kat.”
“I can’t help it. I’m worried about all this. I don’t know what it is about this guy, but I smell trouble coming. I don’t want you to get mixed up in something you can’t get out of.”
“I’m not getting mixed up in anything.”
She sighed with one of her dramatic eye rolls. “I wish that was true.”
“Look. There’s nothing for you to worry about. His friends are there now. They will take care of him and make sure he gets home safe. That’s all that matters.”
“And you don’t think they are the kind of men that will want payback or something? At the very least, they will want to press assault charges. Their friend is in the hospital and could’ve died. They aren’t just going to let that go.”
“I… I don’t know. Maybe they won’t make a big deal out of it.”
“You’re kidding, right?” She ran her hands over her face as she sighed once again. “Just tell me you are going to steer clear of this guy. That you are going to let it go.”
I tried to sound convincing when I answered, “I am.”
“Oh, crap. You’re going to get yourself killed, Zo.”
“No, I’m not. I did my part. I got the guy to the hospital, helped his friends find him, and now I’m done.” I leaned back in my chair and held up my hands. “There’s nothing else I can do.”
“How long have we
been best friends?”
“Kat.”
“How long have we been best friends?” she repeated.
“Since we were two years old.”
“And you don’t think I know when you’re lying?”
“Okay. You’re right.”
“You don’t even know this guy.”
“I know.”
“He could be a complete asshole.”
“I know.”
“He could be a psychopath.”
“I know.”
“Did he even hit on you? He could be… gay!”
“He’s not gay, Kat, not with the way he was looking at me. But you’re right. I don’t know anything about this guy, but…”
“There is no ‘but’, Zoe. You need to let this go.”
“I can’t do that. I just can’t.”
Chapter 5
Two Bit
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t find my way back. I was lost in the darkness, unable to move or speak, and it was driving me crazy. To make matters worse, I knew my brothers were there in the room with me. I could hear them talking, but I couldn’t make out the words. They were speaking in just above a whisper, making it impossible to grasp what was being said. I tried to concentrate, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t understand. Regardless, I could still tell there was something wrong. It was in the tone of their voices and the tension I felt hovering in the room. I desperately wanted to know what was going on, but I was trapped in the darkness, unable to reach the surface. I was becoming more and more frustrated, and it only got worse when I heard someone’s cellphone ring.
Seconds later, I heard Clutch’s voice. “No change. He’s still out, but his stats are looking better.” He paused for a few seconds, then continued, “Yeah. Stitch is looking into those leads right now. Hopefully he’ll find something we can use to get these motherfuckers.” There was another pause, this one much longer, before he said, “It has to be someone local, and they had to have someone on the inside to find out the location of our drop. Whoever it is, we will find them.”
