Cal (The Ride Series Book 5)

by O'Brien,Megan

  “I can’t believe they left me.”

  “Junkies don’t make the best of friends,” I growled meaningfully. I couldn’t believe she was worrying about that while her sister was bleeding on the floor.

  Clearly I needed to take matters into my own hands. I managed to crawl toward the couch to grab a shabby looking throw blanket. It wasn’t the ideal size but it would have to do. I cinched it as tightly around my leg as the material would allow before leaning heavily against the wall, exhausted from that small effort. I sat watching as Janelle paced the room like a lunatic.

  I closed my eyes and let myself drift in and out of consciousness knowing my body needed to recover.

  When the door slammed open an indeterminable amount of time later, Brandon and Casey were shoved violently through, followed by Axel and Tag.

  I sucked in a ragged breath of relief when Cal filled the doorway a second later. His chest heaved with anger as his steely gaze cut down to me, growing enraged and fearful all at once when he saw the amount of blood surrounding me.

  Two bikers I didn’t recognize entered the room behind him, followed by Cole.

  Cal dropped to his knees beside me, soaking them with my blood in the process.

  “I-I need a towel or something to wrap my leg tighter with,” I told him as I pulled off the nearly useless blanket.

  He whipped off his cut followed by his long-sleeved henley, which he wrapped tightly above my kneecap.

  I watched in a daze as Axel grabbed Janelle and sat her against the far wall where Corey and Brandon had been shoved. While his movements were forceful, he was still gentle with her. Clearly this wasn’t the case with the men. Brandon’s nose bled and Corey’s left eye was already swelling shut.

  “Call an ambulance,” Cal barked to the room at large, knowing someone would follow his command immediately.

  Cole put his phone to his ear without delay.

  “Cops are probably en route. Shots fired in a suburban area,” Cole clipped. “How do you want this played?”

  Cal’s furious gaze fell to the three against the wall before returning to me. “Which one shot you?” he demanded.

  He was in full command mode and I knew it best not to argue or delay. “The blond,” I replied.

  His jaw clenched as he nodded once toward his son. “Take the blond. Leave the other two. We’ll need a police report for this one.”

  I knew what he was thinking. We needed this on record for custody.

  “A minute, babe.” He squeezed my thigh briefly before standing to his full height. He stalked over to where my sister and her companions sat shaking against the wall. “You thought you could take my woman from me? That you could try to take my boy?” he thundered. He reached down and pulled Corey up by the collar. “You shot my fucking woman—left her bleeding on the fucking floor. You’ll give more than your time in jail.” He threw the man like a rag doll at one of the bikers I didn’t recognize. “Take him in. You two clear out. We don’t want the police threatened with this one. Cole—you too. I need you at the club.”

  All three men nodded, dragging a now sobbing Corey from the room. That left Axel and Tag, who stood like sentries to the side with their arms crossed over their broad chests. The amount of anger in the room was stifling.

  Cal turned hard eyes on my sister as sirens wailed in the distance. He kneeled down, his face an inch from hers. “You will never threaten my family again. I’ll see to it you serve every minute of the longest sentence they can throw at you.”

  She nodded, appearing to accept that fate. Hell, maybe part of her was relieved.

  He stood up, every muscle on his bare torso on prominent display as he crossed the room toward me. He dropped back to my side. “Cops’ll probably cuff me, babe,” he informed me quietly. “I don’t want you to be worried. They’re gonna storm in here, see blood and a bunch of bikers. They’ll cuff first and ask questions later. I’d do the same if I was them. We’ll get it sorted.”

  I bit my lip and nodded.

  His gaze turned to my wound. “Bleeding’s slowing,” he murmured darkly.

  “Are the kids okay?” I asked worriedly. “Is Mason okay? The car wrecked…. I was so scared,” I rasped.

  His expression turned soft as he stroked a hand over my head. “Yeah, babe. Kids are fine. They’re at home with nearly every woman of the club doting on them.”

  I smiled despite the circumstances. That sounded about right.

  “They need you, though. Gonna get you back to them.” He looked me in the eye, his hand continuing its journey over my hair. “You make us whole, Jill. You make me whole. Christ, if I ever lost you….” His voice trailed off on a rasp. “Love you, baby.”

  “I love you too, honey,” I murmured as the sound of sirens wailing outside and doors slamming filled the room.

  “Brace, babe,” Cal ordered gently.

  It was a good thing I listened and did exactly that. Seconds later, the room erupted in chaos.

  Chapter 28

  The police entered the house with guns drawn, hollering for everyone to put their hands on their heads. Cal remained by my side, complying with their orders with calm, steady movements. Axel and Tag did the same.

  The paramedics made their way inside once the police had the room secured. One of them dropped to my side as a police officer stood over us, nodding in recognition at Cal.

  Cal dropped his arms and offered a chin lift in return. “Harris.”

  I knew the club had a lot of free rein with the local Hawthorne PD. The Knights kept their less-than-lawful business dealings quiet and the police stayed out of their way. I was curious to see how that understanding extended beyond Hawthorne.

  “Glad to answer any questions you and the team have, but I need my woman seen to,” Cal stated, eyeing the officer steadily.

  The officer nodded.

  The paramedic began to do a preliminary once-over. “The bullet was a clean through and through. Blood loss has slowed and is clotting normally,” I told him. “I’m a nurse at Hawthorne Medical,” I explained when he looked at me questioningly.

  He nodded. “All right, let’s get you to the hospital.” He began to guide me onto the stretcher.

  “Stop. I’ll do it,” Cal barked. “Only arms she’s in are mine,” he added gruffly.

  My man was in full alpha mode. With expert tenderness, he lifted me onto the stretcher.

  The paramedics watched us with avid curiosity.

  “This is my….” I realized I’d never had to introduce Cal before. Boyfriend felt completely inadequate.

  “Man,” Cal clipped. “I’m her man.” He looked down at me his eyes dark with possession.

  I reached out, grasping his hand, squeezing it once. “My man,” I murmured, knowing he needed the words from me.

  His expression softened some at that.

  My gaze swept over to where Janelle and Brandon still sat being questioned by the detective that had come on scene. “What’s going to happen?” I asked as exhaustion threatened to consume me. My entire body felt weak. “Where—”

  “Babe.” Cal interrupted what could have been a ramble, since I was out of it. “I’ll take care of this. You don’t need to be bleedin’ and worrying yourself at the same time.”

  I nodded. I trusted him to do just that.

  The paramedics began to guide my stretcher out of the house. Fear sliced through me at being parted from him. It’d been a hell of a night. “Cal.” I gulped.

  “Hang on a second,” Cal commanded the paramedics, who paused in pushing me out of the room. His handsome face appeared over me. “I’m not leaving your side, Jill,” he assured me firmly. “I’m gonna make sure Harris knows the score with your sister and that other fuck. I’ll make sure he knows where to find me for a statement, and then I’ll be hopping up in that ambulance to ride with you.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay.”

  He kept his word only a few moments later as he hopped up into the back of the ambulance, sliding
onto the bench beside me. He took my hand, kissing my knuckles as the ambulance sped off.

  It was only then I took what felt like my first real breath since this whole ordeal started.

  ****

  “She needs rest,” Cal growled to the detective who’d been taking my statement for the past hour.

  To say Cal was on edge was an understatement.

  Having to hear firsthand what had happened had him fit to be tied. He also didn’t like how long it was taking or how close the detective had gotten to me.

  The man had merely shaken my hand, a perfectly reasonable thing to do. But Cal was anything but reasonable at the moment.

  I’d been examined and stitched up. All in all I’d been lucky, and all signs pointed to a relatively quick recovery. They still wanted to keep me overnight for observation.

  Cal had nodded with restrained, albeit brooding silence.

  The detective looked at Cal warily, his pen poised over the notepad he’d been taking my statement with. “I’ve got what I need.”

  “What happens now?” I asked quietly.

  “The DA will be bringing up charges. It’s far from a first offense for Miss Turner or Mr. Reeds,” he explained, referring to my sister and Brandon. “Based on the kidnapping plot and the amount of drug paraphernalia found on the premises, there will be serious jail time involved. That doesn’t include your being shot or the host of unlicensed weapons found at the house. And, as I understand it, she abandoned her children. The list of offenses is a mile long.”

  My thoughts immediately went to Max and Emmie. I swallowed against the lump in my throat as my heart broke for them. Despite everything, they loved their mom. This would hit them hard, Max in particular. Emmie was still so young. I didn’t know what she’d understand.

  I felt anger toward my sister juxtaposed with utter despair. She’d done this to herself, I knew that. That didn’t mean it didn’t pain me that she’d lost the opportunity to raise such amazing kids, that she’d wasted a life full of potential.

  Cal took one look at me and knew I couldn’t speak. “Janelle’s children, Jill’s niece and nephew, have been placed in our custody,” he explained. “We’ll need this filed with CPS. We’ll be filing for permanent custody.”

  My divorce lawyer had offered to take on our case. Though family law wasn’t his typical practice, this was, as he called it, an “open and shut” case.

  The detective nodded.

  Despite all the ugliness surrounding how it had come about, from the darkness had emerged something beautiful. A dream of family. And a family we would be.

  ****

  Despite being utterly exhausted, I couldn’t sleep. I spent a large amount of time in a hospital as a nurse, but being a patient was something else entirely. All the noises were unfamiliar. Being checked every few hours by a nurse who, though capable, was somewhat brusque, made sleep feel impossible.

  I just wanted to be home.

  “Jill, you need to sleep, darlin’.” Cal’s voice sounded through the dark from his makeshift bed.

  I sighed in exasperation. “I can’t.”

  “What can I do?” he asked as I heard him sit up.

  “Can you lie with me? Do you think you can fit?”

  His deep chuckle rumbled through the room. “I didn’t think I could fit on this fuckin’ thing but somehow I did,” he replied, and I knew he was referring to his improvised bed. His large body loomed over me as he stood beside the bed. “Scoot. We gotta watch your leg, babe.”

  I nodded, eager to have him close to me.

  He eased down with remarkable grace and slid in beside me, pulling me carefully into his arms. He kissed my temple. “Okay?”

  “Yeah.” I sighed. “I just needed your sweet.”

  “My sweet?” he asked in confusion.

  I nodded against his chest. “Sometimes I need your bossy. Sometimes I need your happy. Sometimes, even your anger. It’s there to protect me when I need it, like tonight. Sometimes, like now, I just need your sweet.”

  “Babe.” His voice was full of tenderness as he kissed the side of my head.

  “How did you find me?” I murmured.

  His body tensed slightly before he relaxed into me. I could tell he didn’t want to relive it, but I was curious. “Tag got the plates and ran them. SUV was registered to that asshole, Pergotti, who accosted you at the motel.”

  “Wow, he got screwed,” I muttered, cracking a small smile despite myself. My sister had stolen his stash and his car. Somehow I wasn’t dredging up any sympathy.

  “Fucking idiot, that guy,” Cal agreed. “I got the Sinners mobilized—they know the territory better—and we tracked him here. Took some convincing, but he eventually shared where those assholes would likely hole up. “Dumb fucking luck we spotted the SUV on the way here. Dragged those assholes back.” He chuckled darkly.

  I could only imagine what type of convincing had been required.

  “If he knew where they were, why wouldn’t he go to try to get his car back?” I asked in confusion.

  “Because he’s a pussy,” Cal replied succinctly.

  I fought a laugh at that.

  It was quiet for a few minutes as we listened to the incessant beeping all around us. “Max is gonna take this hard.” Cal spoke the thought on both our minds.

  “I know,” I murmured.

  “We’ll do everything we can but you can’t fix it, babe. I know you’re gonna want to try. It’s how you’re wired.”

  He was so right. On both counts.

  “I figure best we can do is give them as much stability and love as we can. Which means we need to get things sorted with CPS. I want them in our home permanently without fear of more change. And someday soon, I want them to have my name. But not before you do.”

  I sucked in a ragged breath.

  “You get me?” he asked. “You get that I love those kids and Mason like my own?”

  “I get you,” I murmured through the lump in my throat. “But I expect a proper proposal when that day comes,” I added tartly, needing to inject some levity into our conversation.

  He grinned. “Noted, baby.”

  Chapter 29

  I was surprised that with the exception of a few, the street and driveway were devoid of bikes and cars when we pulled up in front of our house the following afternoon.

  “I wanted to keep everyone off us for a bit,” Cal explained before I could ask the question. “Sophie, Scarlet, and Cole are the only ones here.”

  “They should be at Piper’s,” I complained.

  After a very heated argument with Cal that ended with the doctor backing him up, I’d be spending the rest of the day in bed, which meant missing Piper’s wedding. I couldn’t believe she was getting married and I was going to miss it. The thought pained me.

  “They’ll go over later,” he replied. “It’s early yet.”

  I nodded. I hadn’t spoken much since we’d left the hospital. What to say to the kids, especially Max, weighed heavily on me.

  He turned to me. “What’s going on, babe?”

  “I don’t know what to say to them,” I murmured hoarsely. “The kids, I mean. I want to be honest and shield them at the same time.”

  “Don’t think it’s the kind of thing you can plan, baby. Let’s just go on in and get settled,” he coaxed as he cut the engine.

  “Okay,” I agreed.

  When we walked in we were greeted with the sounds of a baby wailing, kids squealing in glee, and giggling from the kitchen. Despite the chaos, it was music to my ears.

  Cole was on the ground in the living room with Gracie and Mason on top of him in a heap. Max and Emmie were in the kitchen with Sophie, baking something that would hopefully be edible at some point, and Tatum was screaming his newborn head off, probably wanting to be fed.

  Everyone looked up when we walked in. There was a moment of silence in which my breath caught before several pairs of feet came rushing for me. I scooped Emmie up since she reached me first, and Ma
son and Max hugged my legs. I didn’t even care that my leg was sore as hell.

  “Hi guys.” I grinned, kissing Emmie’s sweet cheek as I ruffled both boys’ hair. “How are things here? Wait, what is that?” I laughed, peering down at my jeans now covered in some mysterious goo.

  “It’s chocolate,” Sophie explained, coming in to join us from the kitchen. “We’re baking brownies.”

  “Trying to bake brownies,” Cole stage-whispered from his spot on the floor.

  Sophie shot him a glare. “I’ll have you know that I have baking pretty much down pat. If you don’t believe me, then all the more for everyone else.”

  I fought back a laugh as I reached over with one arm to hug my friend.

  “I’m sure they’ll be delicious,” I lied.

  Scarlet shot me a knowing wink from the couch where she’d started feeding Tatum under a nursing blanket.

  “Where were you?” Max asked, peering up at me, his dark eyes assessing.

  The room went silent as I fought for what to say. “I got into a bit of an accident, sweetie,” I explained softly. “But I’m okay now,” I assured him, stroking my hand over his head.

  Emmie peered at me with concern. “Owwie, Jilly?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, sweetie, a little bit of an owwie.” I smiled at her. “You know what? I think I need some brownies to make me feel all better.”

  She squealed in delight but Max remained serious. “I’m okay, Max,” I assured him again gently. “I missed you guys. What happened while I was gone?” I asked, wanting to distract him.

  To some degree, it worked. His eyes brightened some. “We went swimming. I put my head under this time,” he said proudly.

  “Good job!” I exclaimed as Cal reached for Emmie. I dropped her into his waiting arms and scooped Mason up as I continued to talk to Max. “Who took you swimming?”

  “Everybody!” Max replied with a grin.

  The room broke into quiet laughter.

  “Well, I can’t wait to see you guys swim.” I smiled.

  Max nodded seriously.

  I looked up at my friends, unable to convey my gratitude but needing to try. “Thank you guys, so much.”