by Marla Monroe
He looked back to be sure that Ginger was with them. She had hold of Ajax’s waistband and the railing as they slowly descended the steps. He could see that she was trembling, and he worried she would fall. He wanted to fuss at Ajax to see about her first, but didn’t have the strength at the moment.
When they got downstairs, Ajax sat him on the floor by the door with Ginger holding his side where he was bleeding. When his buddy returned, he had padding and gauze. After covering the wound with the padding, he wrapped gauze then tape around him a million times it seemed like then they got up once more and headed for the truck. Ajax put him in the middle so Ginger could hold his side since it was on the right.
He cursed as they bumped out of the compound and lost consciousness after the second rut they hit on the way down the drive.
* * * *
Ginger sat up on the stretcher wearing the gown they’d given her when they’d taken Ajax’s shirt and what was left of her jeans and underwear from her as evidence. She felt as if she’d been hit by a truck and dragged a few hundred feet. She hadn’t seen anyone she knew in the two hours she’d been there, and no one would tell her how Murdock was. Fear that he was dead burned a hole in her stomach.
On the way to the hospital in Sky, Ajax had called the sheriff’s office and told them what happened and that there were men down at the camp. Then he called the hospital and asked for an ambulance to meet them on the way. After that, he called Dominic to tell them what had happened. She kept expecting one of them, but so far, she was still alone.
The doctor and nurses had been in and out. They’d taken her for X-rays and put stitches in her head and several places on her arms from the window when she’d shoved the guy through it. They’d wanted to do a rape kit, but she’d assured them she hadn’t been raped. Instead they left her alone wearing an oxygen tube under her nose to brood and worry.
After what seemed like another hour, the door opened and Jessie and Raven hurried in. She immediately started crying at the sight of them.
“Oh, honey. Are you okay?” Jessie asked.
“They won’t tell me how Murdock and Ajax are. Murdock wasn’t even conscious when we got here.” She hiccupped as she tried to talk through the tears.
“Ajax is fine. They had to put some stitches in him, but he’s fine. Murdock is in surgery. I don’t know anything more than that.” Raven grabbed a cloth and wet it then began gently wiping her face.
“The sheriff is talking to Ajax right now. He’ll be in here next. I think they were holding him off till one of us could get here for you. They won’t let Ajax in until the sheriff has talked to you,” Jessie explained.
“Thank you for coming. I’ve been so scared sitting here not knowing anything.” Ginger gripped Jessie’s hand.
“You’re family, honey. We’d have been here sooner except we had to wait for the guys to bring us. They wouldn’t let us come on our own,” Jessie said.
“I’m just glad you’re here.”
“Honey, did they…” Raven started to ask.
“No. They didn’t rape me. Murdock got there before they could. They were trying to wear me out so I wouldn’t fight so much I guess.” Ginger shivered at the memory.
There was a knock at the door, and Sheriff Platt walked in with his hat in his hands. He nodded at Raven and Jessie. Ginger noted he didn’t look at Jessie very long.
“Ma’am. I need to ask you a few questions if you feel up to it,” he said, laying his hat down and pulling out a pad and pen.
“I understand. What do you need to know?” she asked.
With Raven and Jessie there holding her hands, it wasn’t nearly as hard to answer his questions as it would have been if she’d been alone. She managed to get through the ordeal without breaking down, even when he asked the same questions several times in several different ways. She didn’t hide anything that happened and made sure he understood the men had saved her life.
Before he left, he picked up his hat and thanked her for her time. “We might have more questions later, ma’am. Please don’t leave town without checking with us first.”
“He’ll be back later to ask the same questions again to see if you stick with your story,” Jessie told her.
Ginger knew Jessie had been through much worse than she had. She would know exactly what to expect. Even so, Ginger wasn’t looking forward to another round of question and answer.
“I wish I knew how Murdock was doing.” She hated waiting.
“I’m going to run out and talk to the guys to see if they’ve heard anything. I’ll be right back.” Raven squeezed her hand before hurrying out the door.
“Ginger. Just because they didn’t rape you doesn’t mean you won’t have problems from this. You know I’m here if you need me.” Jessie looked her in the eye as she spoke.
“I know. I’ll be fine though. As long as Murdock and Ajax are okay, I’ll be fine.”
“Sounds like you made your decision.”
“Yeah. I decided last night that I was stupid for even thinking I could walk away from them. I wish I hadn’t taken so long to figure that out.” She sighed and leaned back against the elevated head of the stretcher.
“All that matters is that you made the decision yourself and are happy about it. It doesn’t matter how long it took. If you’d let anyone talk you into something, you would have regretted it in the long run.”
“Oh, Jessie. What will I do if Murdock doesn’t make it?” She started weeping again.
Jessie pulled her head down to her shoulder and held her as she cried. Her chest and her sides hurt so badly, but she didn’t want Jessie to think she was hurting her. She felt so alone right then, and without Jessie it would have been even worse.
A few minutes later, Raven hurried back in. “He’s still in surgery, but he’s holding his own. He needed blood, but that’s all I know right now. Ajax is arguing with the doctor about letting him in to see about you. It’s taking Dom and Reece both to hold him back from killing the doctor so it may be a while. I’m sure the doctor is holding back now out of spite.”
Ginger couldn’t help but smile at that. She was sure Raven was right. Ajax was just making things worse with his temper, but she loved him for it at the same time. His temper had saved her and Murdock’s lives. Now it was showing her how much he loved her. She knew he’d never use it on her.
Thirty minutes later, Ajax burst through the door with Reese and Dominic right behind him. He stopped right in front of her and gently cupped her face in his hands. There were tears in his eyes.
“I’m so sorry, baby. We never should have left you alone.” He wrapped her head in his arms and held it against his chest.
“I’m okay, Ajax.” She wasn’t sure he could hear her with her face muffled in his chest.
“Ajax, you might want to let her breathe, man,” Reece’s voice sounded amused.
He released her head and kissed her lightly on the lips. “Do you need anything? Can I get you something to drink or eat?”
She grabbed his unbandaged hand and squeezed it. “I just need you and for Murdock to be okay.”
“He’s tough. He’ll be fine.”
“We’re going back out to the waiting room so the doctor doesn’t try and throw us all out,” Dominic said.
“Thanks for letting the girls see about her for me,” Ajax said.
“Like they could have kept us away,” Raven said with a chuckle.
“We’re right out here if you need us.” Reece herded them out the door.
Ajax looked at her closely before kissing her again. She could tell there was something on his mind.
“What is it, Ajax? I can tell something is upsetting you.”
“If it wasn’t for us, you never would have been attacked. Maybe you…”
“Stop it right there. If you’re about to say what I think you are, then shut the fuck up. I love you and Murdock. I don’t regret anything. If I’d never met you, I would still be living in that dingy apartment working my ass off just
to make ends meet. I didn’t have any friends because I worked all the time. Now I have not just friends, but family, a family that loves me. And I have two men who not only love me, but put their lives on the line for me today. I have it all here with you two.” She leaned down and kissed him but couldn’t stop the groan when she bent over.
“What is it? Where are you hurting?” he asked.
“I’m fine. My sides hurt some.”
“Hell, the way you were bruised earlier, you probably have broken ribs.” He ran his hand down her arm and kissed her chin.
“As soon as we hear about Murdock, I’m taking you back to the clubhouse to rest.”
“No, you’re not. I’m staying here with Murdock. You can go back and rest if you need to.”
He opened his mouth to fuss at her when the door opened and the doctor walked in with one of the nurses.
“Your friend is out of surgery and in recovery. He’ll be there for another hour. You might as well go home and rest. It will be tomorrow before you will be able to see him,” the doctor said.
Chapter Fourteen
Ginger and Ajax went back to the clubhouse long enough to shower, change clothes, and eat something before returning to the hospital. Ginger had to threaten to walk all the way back to Sky if Ajax didn’t agree to take her back. She didn’t want Murdock there alone even if they couldn’t stay with him while he was in the intensive care unit. Ajax finally gave in as long as she ate something and took the pain medication the doctor had given her. No doubt he’d thought she would end up falling asleep from it, but he underestimated her will power.
She lay with her head on Ajax’s lap and her feet draped over the love seat in the waiting room as they waited for visiting hours that started at six in the morning. The doctor had said she had two cracked ribs but that all of them were bruised. She was to be careful with them for the next six to eight weeks. He said in most cases, broken ribs healed in two to two and a half months.
“Ajax? How did you hurt your wrist?”
“I was pulling up a toilet out of one of the cabins and it broke and cut me. I cursed that thing to high heaven. When we go back, I’m going to glue it back together and make a planter out of it. If it wasn’t for that, we wouldn’t have come back to the lodge. When I think about what would have happened—I can’t even go there, baby.” He squeezed her shoulder.
“No matter what, Ajax. I love you.” She kissed the bandage over his wrist.
She had just drifted off to sleep when a nurse walked into the waiting room toward them, jarring her awake. She sat up with Ajax’s help.
“Are you Ginger?” the nurse asked with a concerned expression.
“Yes. Is Murdock okay?”
“He’s very restless and won’t settle down. He keeps asking about you. Will you come back and assure him that you’re okay?”
“Yes. Of course.” She jumped up and nearly fell back from moving too quickly.
Ajax caught her and held her steady. The nurse looked at them closer and winced.
“Maybe you should come with her. I don’t want her to fall or pass out. That wouldn’t help the patient and wouldn’t do her much good either. Wash your hands at the sink before coming to the back. I’ll meet you at the nursing desk.” She turned and walked back the way she’d come.
Ajax led her through the double doors leading to the back. They stopped at a sink and washed and dried their hands before hurrying to the nurse’s desk. There the nurse led them to one of the three rooms. When she slid the glass door open and opened the curtain for them to enter, Ginger steeled herself for what she would see.
Murdock had all types of machines hooked up to him with wires and tubes across his body. She winced but kept from making a noise. Instead, she eased over to the closest side and took his hand in hers and squeezed.
“Hey Murdock. It’s Ginger. I’m right here with you. I’m fine.”
He opened his eyes and smiled weakly. “I knew if I made a big enough stink they’d let you back here.”
“You should be ashamed of yourself. The nurses were worried about you.” She kissed the back of his hand.
“How are you really, babe? I can’t see you too well in this light.”
“I’m banged up, but I’m fine. You concentrate on getting well. You scared me to death.”
“I’m sorry, Ginger. I’m so sorry,” he said.
“Ajax and I’ve already been over that, Murdock. I’m fine. I love you.”
“She’s right, M. You just need to concentrate on getting well now. The sooner you get well and get home, the sooner she’ll rest. You know she’s not going to rest as long as you’re down like this.” Ajax squeezed her shoulder.
“Don’t tell him that. He’ll worry the nurses to death and sign himself out before he’s ready,” she fussed, hip bumping Ajax.
“I’m fine. You two go home and rest. You can come see me tomorrow when they put me in a room. They said they would around noon.”
“You know as soon as the sheriff knows you’re awake he’s going to be harassing you with questions,” Ajax told him.
“I know. Best to get them over with. Now you two go on back to the clubhouse. I mean it. I promise I’ll rest now that I know Ginger is okay.” He closed his eyes as if they were too heavy for him to keep open.
“I love you, Murdock. I’ll be back to see you later,” Ginger promised him.
“Not before noon.”
Ajax chuckled. “I’ll do my best to keep her there as long as possible.”
“See that you do, A.” Murdock’s voice grew quieter.
They slipped out the door and informed the nurse he was sleeping and would behave now. She smiled and promised to call if anything changed when they left her several numbers. Ajax led her back to the truck and helped her inside. On the drive back to the clubhouse, Ginger fell asleep. She didn’t even notice when Ajax carried her inside and undressed her but woke when he crawled into bed next to her.
“Our cell phones,” she managed to get out around a yawn.
“They’re both on the table next to the bed over here. I’ll hear them if they ring. Now go back to sleep, baby girl. We’re going to have a bear on our hands when Murdock gets home. The last time he was hurt this bad I nearly killed him myself.”
She chuckled tiredly. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of him for you.”
* * * *
Five days later, Ginger was ready to strangle Murdock. He complained about everything. The bed wasn’t comfortable. The couch wasn’t comfortable. He wanted beer not juice, and his stitches itched. When Ajax started to tell her he told her so, she walloped him with a pillow that she was taking to make Murdock more comfortable.
“Don’t say it, Ajax. I’ll make you wish you’d never said a word if you do.” Ginger stomped back to the bedroom with the demanded pillow.
Ajax followed her into the room, closing and locking the door behind him. Ginger stood over Murdock wondering if she should smother him with it instead of easing it under his shoulder. She sighed and helped him ease up so she could add it to his pile.
“Thanks, babe. That feels better. Why don’t you hop up and keep me company now?” he asked.
She narrowed her eyes at him for a second then shrugged. “I’ll sit with you for a little while, but you need to rest. You didn’t rest last night.”
“I promise I’ll take a nap if you lie down with me,” he said.
She kicked off her shoes and climbed up on the other side of him. He smiled and squeezed her hand in his.
“Thanks, babe. I know I’ve been a bear the last few days.”
“More like an ass,” she said but grinned. “I still love you though.”
He chuckled. “I know. Give me a kiss and let’s take a quick nap.”
She leaned over and kissed him, making sure not to put any pressure on him. They’d switched sides of the bed so his injured side was now on the outside so they didn’t accidently hurt him in the night.
When she settled back down on th
e bed, it was to find a very naked Ajax behind her. Before she could say anything, he kissed her.
“Ajax is going to take care of you while I watch, babe. I want to hear you scream his name, Ginger.”
“Murdock. We can’t do that with you in the bed.”
Ajax chuckled as he pulled on her shirt. “Of course we can. He likes to watch, babe. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”
When he went for her jeans next, she tried once more to protest only to have Murdock kiss her. She went very still, afraid if she moved she’d hurt him. It gave Ajax all the time he needed to remove her clothes. When Murdock released her, she scowled at him.
“That wasn’t fair. I couldn’t move in case I hurt you.”
“All’s fair in love and war, babe. Let Ajax love you for me. I want to see your face when you come.”
Ginger gasped as Ajax licked her pussy. He spread her wide and began nibbling at her pussy lips before circling her clit with his tongue. She knew she was a goner as he teased the bundle of nerves over and over before leaving it high and dry to lap at the juices he’d stirred up.
“God, I love you, Murdock!” she gasped out.
“I love you, too, babe.”
“You’re my life, baby girl. I need you to keep me straight. Don’t ever leave us, Ginger.” Ajax kissed her belly before plunging his tongue deep into her pussy once more.
“I love you both so much. I’d never leave you.” It came out breathy as Ajax tortured her clit before plunging two fingers into her aching cunt.
“Murdock has something he wants to ask you, babe. Your only answer is yes when he does.” He wiggled his fingers close to her hot spot.
“Oh, God! Anything, Ajax. Anything, Murdock.”
“Be our old lady, Ginger,” Murdock whispered next to her ear.
Confusion dampened her arousal as she turned to stare at Murdock. She thought she was already their biker bitch. Was becoming their old lady different somehow?
“I thought I already was, Murdock.” She looked down at Ajax. “Is there some kind of ceremony for this sort of thing?”
