Inferno: A Devil Chaser's MC Romance

by Wilder, L

  “Thank you, Doctor. When can I see her?” Bishop pleaded.

  “She’s still heavily sedated, but you can see her now. I’ll show you to her room.”

  Tessa was sleeping soundly when Bishop entered the room. She looked so peaceful lying in the hospital bed. It was like the whole thing had never happened. Bishop pulled a chair close to her bed and took her hand in his. He brought her hand to his mouth, lightly kissing her as she continued to sleep. He sat with her for several hours until he dozed off in his chair.

  Bishop lifted his head when Courtney stormed into the room with Bobby following behind. “What the hell happened? Is she okay?” She yelled with tears in her eyes. “I should have never told her to go out with you. How could you let something like this happen to her?”

  Bobby put his hand on her shoulder and said, “This wasn’t his fault, Court. No one thought Duce would do something like this.”

  “It never would’ve happened if she wasn’t involved with him. Now she’s laid up here sliced and diced like a fucking tomato, and it’s all his fault!”

  Bishop stood facing her, “You’re right. It’s all my fault. I should’ve been there with her. I shouldn’t have left this morning. I knew he was fucked up, and I should’ve kept her safe. I gotta live with that. I just hope she can forgive me for not being there when he showed up.”

  “Would you both stop please?” Tessa muttered. She reached out and took Bishop’s hand. Her voice was weak as she said, “I’m fine, Courtney. Things would’ve been a lot worse if he didn’t get there when he did. Bishop saved my life, and I don’t blame him for any of this. Bobby’s right. There was no way he could have known Sam would come after me like that.”

  “Who’s Sam? I thought Duce kidnapped her,” Bobby asked.

  “We don’t have to talk about that right now. Duce is gone. It’s over, and you’re safe,” Bishop began.

  “Duce was my brother. His real name was Sam. I’m so sorry he did all that to your club and Bishop’s bike. I can’t believe he would do all that to you…or me,” Tessa told Bobby.

  Bishop squeezed her hand and bent over to kiss her on her forehead. “Stop. None of that matters right now. I know you feel bad about your brother, and I’m sorry how things turned out for him. But you have to focus on getting better now. How ya feeling?”

  “I feel kinda drunk or something, but I’m doing pretty good I think. They must have me on some pretty good pain medicine,” Tessa said with a smile. “Have you checked on the kids? I’m sure they’re wondering why I haven’t called.”

  “They’re fine. I talked to your mom a few hours ago. She’s going to come by later today to check on you. You need to get some rest.”

  He turned to Courtney and said, “I’m going to need your help today. I want you to get with some of the girls from the club and go get some things for Tessa and the kids. She’s gonna need some clothes and things when we get home. You’ll need to get enough to last a couple of weeks. Just bring them over to my house when you’re done.”

  “What are you talking about, Cole? Why would she take them to your house?” Tessa asked.

  “You and the kids are moving in with me,” Bishop said firmly.

  “No. We. Are. Not! I’ll have to find a place or go stay with my mother for a while. We can’t just up and move in with you!”

  “Yes, you can, and you will. There’s no way I’m letting you out of my sight after all of this. I’ve already had the girls from the club working on the house to get things ready for you to move in. Myles and Drake will have to share a room for a little while, but Izzie will have her own room. They should have everything ready by the time we leave here tomorrow.”

  “You’ve truly lost your mind, Cole Bishop. We’ve only known each other for like a day. Now you’re telling me that I’m moving in with you. That’s not going to happen. You’re only saying that because I’m hurt. You’ll think differently when I’m better.”

  “You said you loved me. I love you more than you can even begin to understand. You’re coming to my house, so I can take care of you. Now, get some rest. I’m going out in the hall to talk to Courtney and Bobby.” He gave her a hasty kiss on her lips before he walked out of the room. He motioned for Bobby to follow.

  “If you need me, call me. I will be here in two seconds flat. The guy is obviously nuts about you. Just know that if he hurts you, I am gonna chop off his balls!”

  “Oh good god… Don’t tell him that! He will get all excited thinking you have his balls on your mind. Trust me. Those threats don’t really seem to faze him. I’m gonna be fine. Thank you for checking on me. Love ya girl.”

  “Love you, too. Take care of yourself, and I’ll come see you tomorrow at Bishop’s when you get settled,” Courtney said. Tessa sighed with frustration as she watched her walk out of the room.

  When Courtney made it into the hall, Bishop and Bobby were talking quietly. Bobby was taking down notes on an old receipt. “We’ll take care of it. You go take care of your girl. We’ll grab everything she’ll need and bring it over to your place tonight. It’ll be ready when she gets there. Just let me know if you think of anything else she may need,” Bobby assured him.

  “Thanks man. I really appreciate it,” Bishop patted him on the shoulder and headed for Tessa’s room.

  “Bishop?” Courtney called as she walked over to him. She placed her hand on his arm and said, “I’m sorry about what I said in there. I know you didn’t mean for that to happen to her. When I get upset, words just seem to spew from my mouth! I know you care about her. I was just worried about her.

  “It’s okay, Courtney. I know you meant well, and you love her. It’s easy to see why you’d be mad at me. I deserved it. I just hope she’ll give me the chance to make it up to her.”

  “She will. She’s already forgiven you. You just need to take care of her and make her rest. I’ll call her mom and see if she can keep the kids a little longer. They can stay with me for a little while if that helps.”

  “Thanks. I think that’d be good. I’m sure she’s gonna want to see them soon, but she needs some time to heal. Maybe I can get her to wait a few days before she gets them to come home. I’ll see you both at the house tomorrow.”

  Courtney gave him a bear hug before she turned to leave. Bishop noticed that Bobby reached for her hand as they walked down the hall.

  When he walked back into Tessa’s room, she was sitting up waiting on him with an intense look on her face. “We need to talk.”

  “Whatcha got on your mind?”

  “I need to know how you see this all playing out. You and Myles have been on your own for a long time. We haven’t even talked about what’s going on between us, and now you’re talking about moving us all into your home. That’s a lot to take on, Cole. I’m not sure we’re ready for that. What if you don’t like having us there? What if we don’t work out? I don’t want my kids to get hurt again.”

  “I wouldn’t do this if I wasn’t sure, Tess. The kids will be fine. They already get along great, and Drake and Myles have become friends without us even trying. It’ll be good for Myles to have y’all around. I told you last night that you were mine. I take care of what’s mine, and I plan on taking real good care of you. You just have to trust me.”

  “Is anything ever easy with you?” Tessa asked with sarcasm.

  “Loving you has been pretty easy. The rest will work itself out.” Bishop sat on the bed beside her. “We’ve got a good thing here. I don’t plan on letting anything happen to us. It’ll take some time to get used to the change, but it’ll be worth it. You’re worth it.”

  “I hope you’ll remember that when things get crazy. Having three kids under one roof is gonna be tough.”

  “I’m looking forward to it. Now, stop worrying about all this and get some rest. We’ll get you settled tomorrow, and the kids can come at the end of the week when you’re feeling better.”

  “Okay.” Tessa said as she began to settle into her pillow.

  “I
love ya.” Bishop said kissing her lightly on her lips.

  “I love you, more.” Tessa replied as she closed her eyes. She quickly fell back to sleep with Bishop sitting by her side.

  Chapter 27

  Tessa

  “This place is awesome! I’d move in here any day!” Courtney said with enthusiasm. “Did you see how he fixed up the room for Izzie? She’s going to go nuts over it. You know how she loves all that chevron stuff. It’s so cute.”

  “He was really sweet to do all that for her. The boys’ room looks great, too. Drake’s going to love the fishing theme and the new Xbox. He’ll never want to leave that room,” Tessa said with a smile. She was in the bed resting in Bishop’s bedroom. He had a king size sleigh bed with a matching dresser and end tables. There was a large flatscreen TV mounted on the wall and several masculine pictures hanging above the bed. “I’m going to have to do a little bit to this room, though.”

  “Yeah, it kinda has that den of sin feel to it. It needs a feminine touch. It’ll give you something to think about while you’re all laid up for the next week or so.”

  “Where are the guys?” Tessa asked.

  “They’re over at the garage. They’re adding the final touches to the new garage. I think it’s almost finished. Bobby is really excited about it. He’s going to be the one that adds the electronics to the cars they’re working on.”

  “I think he’ll be really good at that. How are things going with you and Bobby?”

  “I think he’s pretty great. He never fusses about how much I talk like some people I know. And he’s an amazing kisser! I really like him, like a lot.” Courtney said with a huge grin.

  “I hope things work out with you two. He seems like a really nice guy. Do you know when my mom is bringing the kids?”

  “I think they’re coming tomorrow afternoon. They’re going to the zoo today, and then they’re going to watch that new kid’s movie, Earth to Echo.”

  “Good. I’m ready to see them. I miss them so much. Do you mind giving me some of my pain medicine? It’s on the dresser by the TV.”

  “Sure. And I’ll tell Bishop that it’s time to change your bandages when he gets back,” Courtney said reaching for the bottle of medicine. “Are you healing up okay?”

  “I think so. I try not to look at my stiches while he’s changing my bandages. It still freaks me out. I’d rather not even look until I have to.”

  “Are you handling everything okay? That deal with your brother is bound to have you all messed up in the head.”

  “I’m trying not to think about it too much. I focus on the fact that Cole was there when I needed him. I wish things could have been different. There was a time when my brother was my best friend. He would have done anything for me, and I hate that the drugs changed him so much,” Tessa said as a tear rolled down her check.

  “You know I’m here if you ever need to talk about it, Tessa. Don’t bottle it up inside. You gotta let that shit out, so it doesn’t come back to bite you in the ass later.”

  “I will. I’m just not ready to talk about it,” Tessa answered.

  “Okay. Get some rest. I’ll send Bishop up when he gets back. Holler if you need anything.”

  Tessa tried to close her eyes to sleep, but she couldn’t get Sam’s face out of her mind. She still couldn’t handle all the damage her brother had caused. She had lost her home and almost her life because of the choices he had made. Bishop had been dealing with him for weeks, and she’d never even realized it was her brother that was causing all the trouble. She couldn’t believe how much he had changed over the years. He didn’t even look like the same person with his Diablo’s cut and slicked back hair.

  She was deep in thought when Bishop walked into the room. She was staring out the window when he said, “Are you okay?”

  Her body jerked in fear as she turned to face him. “Shit! You scared me!”

  She wiped her hand over her face and rubbed the tears out of her eyes. “I didn’t even hear you come up the stairs.”

  “I was trying to be quiet in case you were asleep. It’s time to change your bandages, but I can do it a little later if you wanna wait.”

  “No, it’s fine. We can change them,” Tessa replied quietly.

  Bishop began assembling the bandages and ointment he would need to redo them. He was always careful to do it just the way the doctor showed him to.

  “How’s the garage coming? Courtney said they’re almost finished.”

  He continued to lay out her dressings as he said, “Yeah, they’re almost done. We ordered some new equipment that should be here late tomorrow afternoon. That’ll need to be installed before we can open that part of the garage. Once that’s done, we should be ready to go.”

  Tessa slowly lifted her t-shirt so Bishop could remove the old bandages. The expression on his face never faltered as removed the bandages and checked her wounds. He gently pulled the tape free as his calloused fingers lightly brushed across her delicate skin.

  She missed the warmth of his touch. It would be a while before they could be intimate again, but she worried that he might not find her attractive anymore. The doctor had told her the scars from the bullet wound on her chest and back would be faint, but they would always be there as a reminder of what happened to her. Without realizing she was crying, tears began to stream down her face.

  “Damn baby, did I hurt you?” Bishop asked with concern in his voice.

  “No, not at all. It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

  He sat there silently for a moment before he shook his head and said, “Don’t do that, Tess. If you have something that’s weighing on your mind, I want you to tell me about it.”

  Tessa sat silently for a moment as she gathered her thoughts. Tears continued to flow down her check as she thought about their future.

  Tessa’s hand reached up to her chest as she said, “Cole… these scars are never going away. They’re always going to be there. They’re going to remind you of what my brother did every time we make love. You’re not going to want to be with me if you have to look at these damn scars every time I take my clothes off.”

  “Are you being serious right now? Do you really think I give a damn about those fucking scars? You have a beautiful body Tessa, but that isn’t the only thing I love about you.”

  He brushed his knuckles across her cheek. “You don’t realize how amazing and special you really are. People gravitate to you. You love with all of your heart, and you don’t hold back with your children, your friends, or even the students in your class.”

  Tears continued to fall from Tessa’s eyes as Bishop kept talking. “Your smile lights up a room, and you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. You’ve got nothing to worry about, Tess. There’s no way I won’t find you sexy as hell, and I’ll prove it to you as soon as you get better.” He reached out and gently pulled her closer to him. His lips pressed against her mouth. His tongue explored her mouth as her moan vibrated through her chest. He pulled away from the kiss and stared at her with lust in his eyes.

  “I love you, Cole.”

  “I love you, too. I’m going to get Courtney and Bobby to go rent us a movie. I’ll get dinner, and we’ll watch some stupid chick flick to get your mind off things. Now, let me finish changing these, so we can get you in a better mood,” Bishop said with a smile.

  “That sounds like a great plan. Tell them to get something funny. I really need a good laugh.”

  “You got it.”

  Chapter 28

  Bishop

  Bobby pulled through with the movie. They rented Ride Along, and Tessa laughed so hard, Bishop worried she might bust her stitches. They ate Chinese food and spent the night in his room watching movies and talking. He could tell she was feeling better about things, and he hoped seeing her kids would help her even more.

  Tessa’s mother rang the doorbell around noon the following day. She brought the kids and some of her old clothes she thought Tessa might need. She had a worried lo
ok in her eyes as she entered the house.

  “How’s she doing? Is she ready to have the kids here? I can keep them a little while longer if she needs me to,” she told him.

  “I think she’s ready for them to be here. She’s come a long way since Sunday. It’s been almost a week, and she’s getting back to her old self. She’s been up and walking around for the past couple of days. I know she’s been missing the kids. It’ll be good for her to have them here.”

  Drake and Isabelle rushed into the house. “This place is awesome!” Drake shouted. “You’ve got a pond and everything! Are we really gonna stay here?”

  “That’s the plan. I got you set up downstairs in Myles’s room for now. Isabelle, your room is upstairs next to mine. You can go check it out if you want to. You can go show your grandmother. Your mom is waiting for you, so don’t be long.”

  The kids raced to their new rooms. The sounds of their excitement drew Tessa out of the bedroom. “Hey guys! What do you think?” Tessa said as she walked into Isabelle’s new room.

  “It’s so pretty, Momma. I love it!” Isabelle jumped up and down, thrilled with her new room. She ran over to Tessa and gave her a big hug.

  “Easy there, darling. Your mom is still sore from her boo boos. You need to be careful with her for a few days,” Tessa’s mother tried to explain.

  “Oh no…I forgot. I’m sorry, Momma. Did I hurt you?” Isabelle said with concern in her eyes.

  “No, sweetheart. I’m feeling much better now. I’m so glad to see you. I’ve missed you so much! Did you have fun at Grandmomma’s house?”

  “Yes! We did all kinds of stuff. We even went to the zoo. It started to rain, but we got these cool ponchos to keep us from getting all wet.”

  “That’s great. I’m glad you had a good time. We’re going to a cookout later tonight at Bishop’s clubhouse. Why don’t you put your things away, and I’ll come get you when it’s time to go.”