She eyed him, her lips curled up in an unspoken question. A second later she touched his arm.
“Let’s go before I take you up on that offer. Once I get back to my place, I don’t know if I’ll have the energy to come out again.” Skye headed for the entrance.
He followed, the invisible link between them tightening once again.
“I just…” She rubbed her eyes as the double doors into the hospital lobby slid open. “I never thought he’d go so far to make money.”
Finn put his hand on the small of her back as he followed her to the elevator, feeling the heat through her thin blouse. “A lot of people get taken in by gangs promising easy money. Free tickets to Mexico and all they have to do is come back carrying a few pounds of heroin or cocaine, either on their person or in their luggage, or in a car if they’re going by ground. Then when they’re caught at Customs or by the police, they end up going to jail and the crooks go free. I’m sure they told Robby there was nothing to it—just drive a car to a certain location and here’s a few thousand dollars. Hard to pass up an offer like that.” He hesitated. “Any chance you know the ‘buddy’ who referred him? Be a good place to start.”
She sighed and leaned against the wall as they waited. “No idea. I wish he had told me what he had planned. I would have talked him out of it.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Finn said. “You don’t know. If he was determined enough, nothing you said would stop him.”
“Perhaps.” Her voice tightened up. “We would have paid off our debts eventually, with hard work and a bit of luck.” Skye shook her head. “Now he might die because he tried to give me a better life.”
“He owed you and wanted to pay you back, make you happy,” Finn said. “It’s what family does.” He swallowed past the lump in his throat. “You support each other, no matter what.”
She studied him for a second before nodding. “Yes. You do.”
…
Skye wasn’t sure why she’d brought Finn to the hospital. Since he had the address of her apartment, she could have given him a set of keys and sent him on his way. He’d never have to meet Robby or know anything more about him than what she’d said.
But she had to show him what she was fighting for. Who he was fighting for.
As the elevator rose, she wondered about the catch in his voice when he spoke about family. She filed it away as another mystery about Finn to solve when she had the time.
They stepped off the elevator with a small crowd of other visitors.
“Right. Time for the ten-second tour. Waiting area with vending machines over there.” Skye pointed to the left, noting the people seated and already watching the wide-screen television. “If someone’s gone down for treatment or tests they can wait here instead of hanging out in the room. Robby is at the end of the hall, past the nursing station.”
Finn nodded, keeping up with her step for step, his hand again on her back.
In another time and place, with another man, she might have shrugged off the intimate touch.
This was different. She wasn’t sure how or why, nor did she want to think about it too much, but she didn’t mind it. It was hard not to lean in and feed off his strength and confidence.
“I need to check in at the nurses’ station,” Skye said. “They’ve got my cell phone number but…”
He smiled, alleviating a bit of her nervousness. “Never hurts to stop in and say hello.”
Pat was at the desk, her light purple scrubs clean and pressed. Her face lit up as they approached. “Skye. Robby’s doing well today. Swelling around his eyes is down, so he looks a whole lot better.”
“Has he moved yet?” Her heart raced in anticipation, in hope.
“Nothing yet.” Pat’s comforting smile didn’t work this time. “We’ll be sure to let you know the second he wakes up.” Her attention fell on Finn, and she nodded. “Pleased to see you. Glad you could make it. The private nurses you sent over have been a great help.”
A knowing look passed between the two.
Skye held back, resisting the urge to ask how Pat knew about Finn, Dylan, and the Brotherhood. She suspected the story of how Pat earned one of those prized business cards would be pretty interesting.
But right now, all her energy and attention was focused on Robby.
“Thank you.” She headed for the room, increasing her pace. She sensed Finn was behind her but she couldn’t think about him right now, couldn’t think about anyone other than her baby brother.
The door swung open at her touch.
Skye caught her breath as she stared at the man lying in the bed. The black and blue bruises on his face and arms had begun to fade to a sickly yellow, and the grotesque swelling on his face had gone down, letting her see her brother again instead of a gargoyle.
It took a few seconds to fight through the guilt of leaving him alone, even if it was for a good cause.
A dark-haired man wearing dark scrubs got up from the chair in the corner. He had a generic look about him, as if he could fit in anywhere. His gaze went to her first, a fast assessment and identification before moving to Finn. He didn’t appear to be armed, but Skye suspected he didn’t have to be.
“Take five,” Finn said. “Thanks, Wyatt.”
“No problem.” He nodded at Skye before walking out of the room, leaving them alone.
She moved beside Robby and automatically checked the intravenous drip, making sure it was still flowing. The monitors kept their silent vigil, the jagged lines showing that he was alive.
“They said he could wake up anytime.” She pulled her hands into fists, her nails digging into the flesh of her palms. “I had to do something, stand up for him. Stand up against Smith.”
Finn stepped up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. “He’s lucky,” he said in a low, steady voice. “Robby probably got a double or triple dose in a single shot. They thought it’d kill him, but it didn’t. Takes a strong man to come through this. He’s tough, and he’s going to make it.”
“This is why I want them gone. Out of my town, out of our lives.”
“I understand. That’s what I’m here for. I’ll make this right.” He leaned in, his soft whisper caressing her ear. “Trust me on this. Focus on him, focus on his recovery. That’s your job now.”
The words soothed her, tamped her anger down to a dull roar.
He squeezed her shoulders, tempting her to lean back into his touch, to wallow in the safety his arms offered.
But they both had jobs to do, and nothing was going to happen as long as they were standing around in a hospital room.
She leaned over and brushed a lock of Robby’s hair off his forehead. “I’ll be back soon. Got to get some work done while you’re lazing around here. Just take care, and come back when you’re ready.”
She stayed for another few seconds, fussing with the blankets and sheets before feeling she could leave. Through it all Finn stood to one side, a silent witness to her attempt to alleviate her guilt.
The last thing she did was make sure the nurse’s call button was under her brother’s hand before leaving.
Wyatt was out in the corridor, chatting to one of the nurses. He exchanged glances with Finn before going back inside Robby’s room.
“How do your bosses feel about you taking time off?” Finn asked as they walked out to their cars. “Are you worried about losing any of your jobs?”
“No, thank goodness. I work at the Lucky Dollar Diner as a waitress whenever they can schedule me, I clean a real estate office three times a week, late at night, and on Sunday’s I tend the cash out at a truck stop for the Watleys. It’s an easy four hours minding the shop, and it does give me a break at the end of the week. Everyone’s been very understanding and helpful, at least for now. The hospital’s financial department says we’ll make arrangements about the bills, work out some sort of payment plan. They’re not getting pushy, at least not yet. They know my situation. But I’ve got rent coming due, and I can’t stay at Robby’s bedside all day and
night.” She leaned against the driver’s side of her Jeep, a mixture of exhaustion and relief washing over her now that she’d seen Robby. “Thank you for putting Wyatt and Ace on watch. So, now what?”
“We go back to your place, and you see about getting back on an even keel, maybe start going back to work.” His smile was soothing, a calming balm on her jagged nerves. “Let me worry about everything else.”
…
He followed her back to her apartment building, hoping Skye had taken his suggestion to heart. The last thing he needed was for her to become obsessed with taking Smith down, the tunnel vision of revenge and anger blinding her to everything else, to everyone else around her. That way lay danger and death.
This he knew from personal experience.
He didn’t want Robby to wake up and find his sister irrevocably changed, either physically or mentally.
Finn studied her as he pulled the duffel bag out of his truck and perched it on his shoulder, going around to meet her by the side of her Jeep. The dark circles under her eyes were still there, but there was a hint of a smile and a lightness in her step, likely the result of seeing her brother.
It was a good start, but the adrenaline rush didn’t last. She leaned against the door, her eyes closed as she let out a long, pained sigh, and for a second he thought she might faint again.
He went to her, taking hold of her forearm as he had back in the nightclub.
She looked up. “I’m okay. Just a little tired.”
“Understandable.” He didn’t let go, sliding his hand down to entwine with her fingers as they walked to the building. “You’ve been through a lot.”
The simple human touch sent a surge of warmth through his body.
Careful, he warned himself. Stay focused on the job. Nothing wrong with giving her support, but keep your eye on the goal.
Finn still allowed himself to enjoy the contact, keeping hold as long as he could.
He let go as they got into the elevator and made their way to the third floor. She led him down the hall, stopping in front of a weary wooden door with 317 marked on it in cold, white, metal numbers.
Skye unlocked it. “Come on in. Robby’s room is down the hallway to your left. Don’t be afraid to shuffle stuff around, get things where you want them to be.”
“Thanks.” Finn walked by, watching her turn toward the kitchen.
The bedroom held a single bed and a desk, the latter with used college textbooks piled up neatly in the corner. A few movie posters hung on the wall, action movies filled with exploding cars. A small pile of DVDs sat on a shelf, mostly action-adventure titles.
Finn put the duffel bag on the floor before heading back out to the living room. He took off his leather jacket and placed it on one of the pegs set in the wall, noting the family pictures hanging nearby.
There were only a handful that had Skye’s parents in them, looking dated from the settings and the quality of the photographs. A more recent one showed Robby in his black graduation gown, beaming as he hugged his sister. Skye wore a huge smile as she proudly posed with her little brother.
It was hard to not think of his own mother and the delight she’d shown when he’d come home after his first tour, the pride in her eyes and the relief at his return. Every time he’d come home, she’d just been as excited, as eager to see him as the first.
Until the last time, when he returned to bury her.
Finn pushed the thought to the back of his mind, into the mental box where he shoved all those memories. It wasn’t the time or place to go there.
He walked back out to the main room.
Skye glanced up from where she was standing in the kitchen, making coffee. “Are you serious about me going back to work?”
“Yes.” He seated himself on one of the bar stools lined up at the counter. “I don’t want you to do anything different than you were doing before you came to the Playground. As far as anyone’s concerned, you went for a long overnight drive to clear your head, stayed out all night and howled at the stars.” He pulled out his wallet. “And, for the record, I’m now Finn Trotter.” He flipped it open to display his driver’s license. “Got all the bits and pieces in here to make it work. Including some overdue parking tickets from Los Angeles.”
She peered at the false identification. “This is fake? Looks real to me.”
“Good.” Finn nodded his approval. “Trey’s laid down some paperwork behind it. Nothing big, just some felonies and time served. Makes me less appealing.”
She shook her head, a hint of a smile on her lips. “Not working.”
“I want you to use the cover story that I’m an old friend of Robby’s, come by to offer emotional support and help you out in your time of need. That’s why I’m staying with you.”
Skye poured two fresh cups of coffee and put one down in front of him. “You think Smith’ll try to attack me?”
Finn noticed she’d remembered he took his coffee black from the diner. This woman wasn’t slow or stupid, and woe betide the man who assumed that about her.
He paused, weighing his words. “He might. I saw a gang member at the hospital, the one watching Robby.”
“What?” Skye dropped her mug back on the counter. It didn’t break, but hot coffee sloshed up over the edge and onto the faux marble. She pressed her palm to her forehead. “God, I didn’t even think to look for anyone.”
“There was no reason for you to. You were focused on Robby, as you should be. He was out in the waiting room when we passed through.” Finn snagged a paper towel from the nearby dispenser and passed it to her without missing a beat. “Fellow was dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, and he wore motorcycle boots. His right, inside pant leg was burned. It was the type of burn you get when you slip and hit the hot pipe on your bike. The guy hadn’t moved from the same chair when we left. It could be a coincidence, but I don’t believe in those when I’m working.”
Skye drew a shallow breath. “Shouldn’t he be wearing his leather vest then? His, what do you call it, his gang colors?”
“True. My bet’s that he’s on probation, trying to earn his colors. They must have put him on guard duty, waiting to see if Robby wakes up.”
Her eyes widened.
“And by ‘if,’ I mean ‘when,’” Finn added, cursing himself for the slip of the tongue.
Skye cleaned up the spilled coffee in silence.
“We’re betting they’ll only act when Robby wakes up. That’s why Wyatt and Ace are there. And why I’m here with you. Covering all the bases.” He held up a hand. “Smith’s not going to want to do anything to draw attention to himself unless it’s absolutely necessary. As long as Robby stays unconscious, there’s no need for him to worry about you or your brother.”
She tossed the soaked paper into the trash. “I won’t stop going to the hospital. I’m not afraid to walk right by this punk and go see my brother.”
“I don’t want you to,” Finn said. “Act like nothing’s going on.”
“Should I tell Pat?”
“She already knows, if she’s talking to Wyatt and Ace. They recognized him for who he is, and they’ll keep her informed. If anyone asks about the private nurses, say you’re using the last of your savings to pay for them. It’ll do for now, and Pat will cover for you if necessary.”
“Right.” She opened the drawer and took out a key. “Here’s the spare.”
Finn pocketed it. “Thanks.” He hesitated, unsure how to approach the next topic. “I’ve got some cash if you need it.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I didn’t come to you for a loan.”
“No. But I can’t afford to have you be evicted while we deal with this.” Finn pulled out his wallet. He dug out five bills and placed them on the counter.
She didn’t move.
“Look.” He leaned in. “Consider it advance payment for room and board. Part of my cover. Friends don’t let friends go bankrupt.”
Skye studied the hundred-dollar bills for a second before pocketing them. “Co
nsider it a loan. I’ll pay you back when this is all finished.”
He wasn’t in the mood to argue with her, so he let it go.
They sat quietly for a few minutes.
“So how did you join Dylan’s crew?” Skye asked.
Finn laughed, comfortable with the easy question. “He asked.”
Chapter Six
In the early afternoon, Finn drove around Whistling Willows, taking notes and compiling information. He’d gotten a good start from Trey’s briefing, but nothing could replace putting boots on the ground and seeing it for himself.
The small town had only a handful of bars. It was easy to find the one the bikers frequented, thanks to the number of motorcycles parked out front despite it being relatively early in the day for drinking. He noted the name, the Broken Spoke, and continued on. A variety of stores were scattered through the streets, local businesses living off the charity of the tour buses that raced into the center of town to discharge their cargo for anywhere from fifteen minutes to an hour, depending on where they were headed. As Finn passed by, one bus was discharging a load of hungry passengers in front of the Lucky Dollar, which advertised the best fish and chips in town. Judging by the traffic, it must deliver on the promise of good food.
Last on his list of things to check out was the business district, set on the edge of town in a long-defunct industrial park. The one and only tenant, a wind turbine manufacturer, had been gone for years.
A perfect place for the Wolf’s Teeth to make their headquarters, Trey had suggested.
He’d guessed correctly.
The double doors at the front of the building were sealed shut with plywood. The compound was ringed with a tall barbed-wire fence, and a single gate allowing entry and exit was set at the back where the loading docks were.
Finn parked far down the street and settled in for some long-distance surveillance using a pair of high-powered binoculars to zoom in on the complex.
The gate was manned by one guard, who seemed to know the members on sight, opening and closing the rolling barrier to let the bikes through. He sat on a folding chair when not busy, chugging from a water bottle.
Hard Run Page 4
