King’s Wrath

by Nina Levine

  That’s because you’re the good girl who always falls for the bad boy.

  It’s time you got your shit together and found yourself a nice stable man.

  Ugh.

  I sounded like my mother.

  Brynn was right.

  I was turning into her.

  “So you think she may be able to leave here in a couple of days?” King asked as I finished up Skylar’s session.

  I smiled at Skylar who settled herself on the chair next to the bed. She’d worked hard today, and I was more than happy with her progress. “Yes.” I passed him my list of recommended physiotherapists. “Here’s that list I promised.”

  “Appreciate it,” he said, taking the list and perusing it. “There are only a few names on here.”

  “Yes.” When he glanced back up at me, questioningly, I added, “I’m fussy with my recommendations. I would never give you the name of someone if I wouldn’t personally use them.”

  “Good to know.” He folded the piece of paper and pushed it into the pocket of his jeans. Then to his sister, he said, “I’ll get the guys to set up a room for you with everything you want, so text me a list today.” He glanced back at me. “Is there anything you recommend I get to make shit easier for her?”

  Yesterday, I’d thought King a rude man. Maybe he was, but I couldn’t help softening my opinion of him as I took in how much he cared for his sister. I’d worked with a lot of families in my role at the hospital, and sadly, I wasn’t surprised anymore when it was clear some of them treated caring for an injured family member as the biggest burden they’d ever endured. That kind of scenario happened all too often. King was different. He cared deeply and by the looks of it, would do whatever it took to help Skylar recover.

  I listed a few things I thought would help and had just finished when his phone rang. He checked the caller ID and said, “I’ve gotta take this,” before stepping out of the room.

  “Thank you for all your help,” Skylar said, distracting me from watching King go. It was hard to draw my gaze from him though. When jeans hugged a man’s ass the way King’s did, it was almost impossible.

  When I finally turned to Skylar, she watched me like she was entertained by me. Ignoring that, I said, “Absolutely.”

  Smiling, she shook her head. “I can never work out why women are so freaking attracted to my brother.”

  “It’s his ass,” I said, deadpan. “Because it sure isn’t his friendly vibes or anything like that.”

  Her smile morphed into a laugh. “Honestly, I’ve watched women throw themselves at him, even when he turns assholey on them.”

  I shrugged. “What can I say? We women are screwed up when it comes to men. I’ve always liked the bad boys, but almost everything about your brother tells me he’s more than just a bad boy. I’d take that ass, though.”

  She continued to laugh. “I like you, Lily. You just say it like it is.”

  I gathered my stuff to leave. I still had two more patients to see before I could go home and lay down the law to my daughter. “Between an ex I wanna strangle, three kids who cause me heart palpitations most days, and a mother who tests my patience with her crazy-ass way of living, I don’t have the time in my life or the energy to say it like it isn’t.” I paused for a beat before smiling at her and adding, “I’ll be back tomorrow morning. Do those exercises I gave you, okay?”

  She nodded. “I wouldn’t dream of not doing them. My physio is bossy and will give me hell if I don’t.”

  “Yes she is, and yes she will,” I agreed before exiting her room.

  I’d almost made it to the lift at the end of the corridor when King came towards me, a look of deep concentration on his face. I had no idea what was going on his life, but from what I’d observed of him so far, it felt like he was dealing with something big.

  His eyes met mine as we moved closer, and I did my best to ignore the way his attention stirred butterflies in my stomach. I’d never met a man like King before. He exuded power without even trying. It surprised me that I found this a turn on, because I’d never been about a man taking charge of me. But a girl had no freaking say over what got her excited, as much as she tried. And God knew, I’d tried.

  “Thanks for all your work with Skylar.”

  The butterflies in my stomach flapped their wings all over the place as his voice vibrated across my skin.

  I decided then and there that dangerous wasn’t a strong enough word to describe King. If a man could elicit this kind of response simply from uttering a few words, I didn’t want to imagine how I would react to anything more. It was a good thing his sister would be going home in a couple of days.

  I smiled. “Just doing my job.”

  “Something tells me that you doing your job means a lot more than what it would mean for most people.”

  My breathing slowed.

  Not many patients or their family members acknowledged the efforts I went to. Most just thanked me and moved on to the next phase of their recovery.

  “Thank you. That means a lot.”

  His gaze swept down my body briefly before coming back to meet mine, and oh good freaking Lord did that cause a riot in my belly.

  Dangerous? Freaking hazardous, more like it.

  “I’ll go through this list of physios this afternoon and will be back in touch if I need you.”

  With that, he left me to go back into his sister’s room, leaving me staring after him wondering what he meant by getting back in touch if he needed me. His statement bamboozled me, but then again, maybe it was just his ass that did that.

  “Shit,” I muttered to myself. I had better things to do than stand here lusting after a man who probably went through more women in a month than I went through men in a decade.

  I’m going to get through this weekend.

  I’m going to survive my kids.

  I’m not going to kill my mother.

  I slid down the bath and submerged my entire body as I chanted positive affirmations that not even I believed.

  I quite possibly might kill Linc.

  That one rang true.

  I’d had to drag him over this afternoon after I got home from work to retract his approval for Zara to go on a date tonight. He hadn’t wanted to, because he hated not being the fun parent, but I’d threatened to report him for late child support payments if he didn’t. Heaven knew why I hadn’t already. When we’d divorced, I promised myself I’d do everything to keep his relationship with the kids close, and for some fucked-up reason that I couldn’t let go of, I thought that not reporting him would help with that. He always came through with the money in the end, so while it could be stressful, it always worked out. If that changed, I’d definitely reconsider my stance.

  I came up for air as a knock sounded on my bathroom door, followed by my sister’s voice. “Lil, can I come in?”

  “Yeah, but only if you have wine for me.”

  The door opened, and she held up a bottle of wine. “I have supplies.”

  “Thank God, because it might be the only thing that will stop me from committing a crime tonight.”

  She grinned as she sat on the edge of the bath and passed me the glass of wine she’d already poured. “I’m not sure if Holly has ever ushered me inside the house faster than she just did. Tell me everything.” Brynn’d had to rush off to a massage appointment when I’d arrived home, so she’d missed out on all the drama with Zara and Linc.

  I gulped some wine down and squeezed my eyes closed for a moment before taking another gulp. Opening my eyes, I took a deep breath and said, “Zara hates me, and I doubt she’ll speak to me for a good month. Maybe a year. Mum stuck her nose in and told Linc off. They had a huge fight, which then led to me having a huge fight with Mum. She left in a huff, at which point I told Linc he’d pretty much reached my limit, and that if he didn’t get his shit together and back me on parenting decisions rather than going against me in order to gain the kids’ approval, then he and I were done.” I took another deep breath and d
owned the rest of the wine in my glass.

  Brynn refilled my glass. “What do you mean by you guys being done? As far as I’m aware, you’re already done. Are you planning murder? Or is it code for something else?”

  “Murder is definitely on my list of options, but I’d need to watch a heap more crime shows first to figure out how to get away with it, and honestly, when does a girl have time for that?”

  Her eyes sparkled with amusement. “So, what then?”

  I sighed and drank some more wine. “You know, I could really do with a smoke right about now, but I made a decision at lunch to give them up.”

  Brynn cocked her head to the side. “Lil, stop avoiding my question.”

  I stared at her, not wanting to admit the truth of the matter because I knew it could lead to an “I told you so” moment, and I really, really hated those moments. “Okay, fine, you were right—I need to stop letting him get away with so much.”

  “Which means?”

  “Jesus, Brynn, why do you have to push me on this? I know what I have to do, and I’m gonna do it.”

  “I push you because your heart is too kind and I know you too well. You’re angry with Linc today, but what happens when that anger subsides? Will you still be so ready to let go of your tendency to go easy on him? I just want what’s best for you, and I don’t think the way you two have been co-existing for the past three years is the best for you anymore.”

  “I agree.” I took a sip of wine. “And that’s why I told him we’re doing things differently from now on. He’s going to have the kids every second weekend, he’s not going to drop by unannounced, he’s going to pay child support on time, and he’s going to take the kids every alternating Wednesday night. And on those Wednesday nights, he’s going to help the kids with their assignments rather than just doing fun stuff with them.”

  Brynn’s eyes widened. “You guys worked all this out this afternoon?”

  I nodded. “Yes, and I’m serious about making it happen. I can’t go on in this super-stressed state anymore.”

  “Good,” she said, standing.

  “Where are you going?”

  She jerked her head towards the door. “I’m going to check in on Zara. When Holly called, she said Zara was asking for me. I just needed to make sure you were okay first.”

  I frowned. “Holly called you to come over?”

  “Yeah, she said shit had gone down and she figured you’d need me. You raised some good kids, babe.”

  “If only they all still loved me like that.”

  “They do. Zara will come around.”

  As she exited the bathroom, I called out, “Wait! Is tomorrow your fishing date with the prostitute?”

  She looked back at me. “Yes, but can we not refer to it as a date? It’s just fishing.”

  “We both know it’s not fishing.”

  “We do not.”

  “We do. And by the way, what’s his name?”

  She poked her tongue at me. “I’m not telling you.” She closed the door and left me alone.

  “I’m going to find out!” I called after her, laughing as I thought about my sister ending up on a fishing date with a prostitute our mother ordered for her. It was the kind of story that people just wouldn’t believe. And it was the exact kind of story that helped me through my days. Thank God for having Brynn as my sister. The hilarious shit she got up to always made me laugh and eased my stress a little.

  23

  King

  * * *

  “Don’t let him out of your sight,” I said to Devil over the phone early the next morning. I’d pulled him off watching Skylar so he could track Brant.

  “Has he made contact with Romano yet?”

  Devil and Kick were tailing Brant who we’d let leave the clubhouse fifteen minutes earlier. Zane had bugged Brant’s phone so we could keep track of him and also listen to his calls.

  “No.”

  Hyde entered the surveillance room Zane had set up and eyed me. “Ghost just made contact again. The guy he thought we could use to deal with Marx has been moved, so he’s not an option anymore. Ghost is working his contacts to find someone else.”

  “Fuck,” I muttered. “Go through everyone we know again and see if we can do this without Ghost. We need this dealt with as soon as fucking possible.”

  Hyde nodded and left as Axe met my gaze. “Do you know what Marx has given the feds yet?”

  “Not yet. Bronze is working on that, but they’ve locked the case down tight apparently, so he hasn’t been able to access the info.”

  “I’ve got a guy who might be able to help. I’ll mention it to him.”

  Zane cut into the conversation. “Here he goes.”

  The room turned silent while the three of us listened to Brant’s call with Romano.

  “Where have you been?” It was Romano.

  “I’m in Sydney. I’ve been looking for Ivy for you.”

  Silence followed for a moment. “Did you find her?”

  “No, but I found out something that might interest you.”

  “Keep talking.”

  “I visited the Storm clubhouse, thinking Ivy might have gone to King. She hasn’t, but they’re knocking themselves out looking for whoever’s been fucking with them. I heard one of the guys mention something about a rat in the club.”

  I’d threatened his life if he didn’t come through for us with this, and it seemed he’d taken me seriously.

  “And what the fuck makes you think I’d have any interest in that?”

  “I figure if the guy’s working with you, feeding you information, you might wanna look out for him. Warn him or something.”

  Romano laughed, his contempt bleeding through the phone. “They’re looking in the wrong place.” He paused before saying, “Get your ass back to Melbourne. I’ve got shit for you to do.”

  Zane glanced at me as the call ended. “Romano’s playing with him. He’s gotta know where Brant’s been.”

  I nodded. “Agreed. And now we wait for him to come for Brant.”

  “That comment about you looking in the wrong place, though,” Axe said, “That didn’t sound like a play.”

  “Yeah,” I said, “I’ll get Hyde to extend the search.” I met Zane’s gaze again. “You need to deal with Don.” Kree’s husband.

  His movements slowed, and he gave me his full attention. “I am.”

  “No, you’re fucking about trying not to step on fucking toes, Zane. That’s not dealing with anything. Don needs to be removed from Kree’s life for good.”

  “I don’t remove people like you do, King, and you know that. I’ve got a plan in place that should neutralise the threat to Kree.”

  “Should?”

  His jaw clenched. “It will fix the problem.”

  “When? Because if this fucking problem isn’t fixed in the next couple of days, I’ll take care of it.”

  “Fuck.” He rubbed the back of his neck as he swore. “Give me a week. If it’s not done then, it’s all yours.”

  I contemplated that. Kree and the kids were safe here, and I had enough other shit to take care of so this was probably the best option. Against my better judgement, though, I nodded in agreement. “A week. Make sure it’s done.”

  Winter stuck his head in the room as Zane went back to what he was doing. Eyeing me, he said, “We need to get onto the doctor again. Ivy’s getting worse.”

  Fuck.

  After the argument I’d had with her yesterday, seeing her was the last thing I wanted to be doing.

  “How?” I asked. “And has the doc given you any idea when he can make it?”

  “She hasn’t left her room since you said she could. I’ve been checking on her, and there’s blood on her sheets. When I asked her about it, she refused to discuss it. Doc said he’d come by this afternoon. He was swamped yesterday. But I don’t think we can wait that long.”

  “How much blood, Winter?” For all I fucking knew, it could be something as simple as a nosebleed.

&
nbsp; “The amount of blood I’d be worried about if she were my sister.”

  “Jesus. Okay, I’ll deal with this.”

  I made my way to the room we’d allocated Ivy and entered it without knocking. Concern sparked through me when I found her hunched over on the side of the bed.

  “Do you need a doctor?”

  She took her time looking up at me. When her gaze met mine, she nodded. Standing, she came my way, clutching her stomach. “Yes, I think so.”

  Pulling out my phone, I hit the number for our club doctor. “What’s wrong?” I asked her, putting the phone to my ear.

  Her mouth opened, but all that came out was a scream of pain as she doubled over. It was then, as her hands grabbed hold of my shirt, that I saw the pool of blood on the bed sheet.

  Winter had been right to be worried.

  It looked like Ivy had lost half her fucking blood.

  “A miscarriage?” I stared at the doctor, hating every word coming out of his mouth. “So you can’t save the baby?”

  He sighed as he pulled the gloves off his hands and threw them in the bin. “There is no baby to save, King. She’d already lost it. Two weeks ago. But it was an incomplete miscarriage. That’s why she’s still experiencing cramping and bleeding. She needs to go to the hospital for a D&C.”

  I glanced beyond him at Ivy sitting in the bed staring at the wall in front of her.

  Fuck.

  My fucking chest hurt just looking at her.

  Ivy had wanted three kids. It had been all she’d talked about at one stage while we were together. She’d picked out three girl names and three boy names to cover all bases. When I’d asked her why the fuck she wanted to bring children into this fucked-up world, she’d smiled at me and said we would do it right. That she and I would be the best type of parents. The complete opposite of our parents.

  I nodded at the doctor. “I’ll take her now.”

  Moving past him, I went to her. “I need to get you to the hospital.”