by Khloe Wren
“I needed to be alone, Eagle. It was my choice to go out there without one of you watching my back. Antonio has been silent the entire time we’ve been here, and it’s been weeks. None of us thought he was going to come for me.” I frowned up at him. “Actually, you got there so fast, I’d assumed you followed me. How did you know I needed help?”
“Instincts. I get this tingling up my spine whenever something is about to go to hell. I got that a split second before they tripped one of Mac’s traps. We grabbed weapons and ran.”
“That’s one hell of an early warning system. Bet that came in handy when you were deployed.”
His body stiffened at my comment, but he didn’t speak.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to bring up bad memories or anything. I’m just trying to say thanks for coming to save me. Again.”
His lips twitched into a smile for the briefest of moments. “You really do need to stop getting into trouble. But I’ll always come for you. You’re my heart, woman. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
I tilted my head and blinked, trying to get my eyes to open further so I could take in his expression. His gaze had turned serious, but not in an icy way, like earlier.
“You saying you care about me?”
“It’s more than that, Silk. I fucking love you. I’ve never loved anyone before. I didn’t think I ever would. I was happy with just having my Marine brothers, until I saw you riding that bike of yours like you owned the fucking world. Now, I can’t live without you. So you have to stop getting fucking kidnapped. My heart can’t take it.”
Tears leaked down my cheeks and emotion clogged my throat, making it hard to talk.
“Love you, too.”
He squeezed his eyes closed, then leaned in to kiss my forehead. The gesture had a wave of warmth flowing over me.
“Right, let’s get you cleaned up.”
He ripped the seams of my shirt so I didn’t have to raise my arms. It had blood all over it anyway, so it was already ruined. The moment the material fell away from me, he started cursing.
“Not sure you’re going to be able to have a shower, baby. It’ll hurt too much.”
I didn’t say anything as he bent to the cupboard and rummaged around. I let my eyes close. My face hurt almost as much as my ribs. I jerked when a cool washcloth gently passed over my face. The cold wetness felt great, but the roughness of the cloth scraping over my raw wounds fucking hurt.
“I’m sorry, baby. I know this is stinging like a bitch but let me get the dirt off. I need to see if you need to go to the hospital.”
I groaned and opened my eyes. I did not want to go to the fucking hospital.
“They punched my ribs and face, and my shoulder hurts from having my arm pinned behind me. My ribs feel like they might be broken, but my face is more of an ache. Help me take a shower. The sting from that will be less painful than that devil cloth.”
The thunderous expression on his face had me leaning away from him. He looked downright frightening. I would not want to run into him in a dark alley looking like this.
He shook himself before he spoke again. “Fine. Let me strip off, then I’ll help get your clothes off. We need to be quick though. I do not want your uncle to catch us in the shower naked together.”
I smiled, until I winced when my busted lip hurt.
“You might want to move your stuff out of our bedroom if you get time, then.”
“Oh, fuck. Yeah. Good idea.”
Keeping my eyes closed, I let Eagle guide me as we showered together. His hands were beyond gentle as he soaped up and rinsed off my body. I did my best to keep any wincing to myself but he knew. His cussing was a clear giveaway, so I stopped trying to hide it.
Before I knew what was happening, I was dried and lying on my bed.
“Back in a minute. Need to grab my kit.”
I let my body relax against the sheets as I focused on trying to take deeper breaths. I hadn’t had broken ribs before, but I’d been around enough men in the club who’d had. I’d heard them talk about how easy it was to end up with pneumonia if you didn’t force yourself to breathe normally. I was completely naked but didn’t have the energy to care that someone other than Eagle might come in on me. I’d hear the club arrive–the rumble of Harleys couldn’t be hidden easily.
With my eyes closed I didn’t hear Eagle return. I jumped a little when he stroked my hair back.
“Can you sit up for me, baby? I’ve got some painkillers for you, and I want to help you put some clothes on.” I tried to smile at him. Uncle Clint finding me buck-ass naked in bed wasn’t going to end well. “You’re breathing too well for you to have a punctured lung, so whether the ribs are cracked or broken, all we can do is ice them and give you some painkillers.”
With Eagle’s hand behind my back, I managed to sit on the side of the bed. I swallowed the two pills he handed me and drank the entire glass of water. Once more with Eagle’s help, I stood so Eagle could help me dress in underwear, a pair of sweats and baggy t-shirt, before he lifted me and laid me down once more.
“This is going to hurt, but I need to feel for broken bones on your cheek and jaw. I also need to tend to a couple of these cuts.”
I nodded and held my breath as he poked and prodded me, then carefully put me back together with butterfly bandages.
“All done. I don’t think anything’s broken. Once the swelling goes down, you might want to get some x-rays, just to be sure. I’ll go get some ice to put on your ribs and face.”
Whatever medicine he’d given me was starting to work its magic, as my brain went fuzzy on me. I tried to nod, but had no idea if I managed to pull it off before I slipped into sleep.
Eagle
By the time I returned with a couple of ice packs, Silk was fast asleep. I gently placed one pack over her eyes and another over her right ribs, where the worst of the bruising had been. She didn’t even flinch at the cold against her skin. I’d given her some fairly heavy pain meds that would make sure she slept for a good six hours, at least. Hopefully, some of the pain would have subsided by then. She’d certainly feel better if I could get the swelling in her face to go down some, so she could see properly when she woke.
Forcing myself to leave her be, I quickly shoved my stuff into my bag and headed down the hallway to Taz’s room. It had two twin beds so I dumped my bag on the floor at the end before I rummaged through it to find some clean clothes. Being in nothing but a towel when Bulldog got here was not going to help my cause. I was fairly certain I was going to feel his wrath as it was. This was twice now that I’d been in charge of Silk’s care when she’d been taken, or hurt. I was just hoping it would be Bulldog on his own, not the whole fucking club coming at me for a beat down. I did help save her both times. Surely that counts for something, right?
Before I could get myself too worked up, the loud rumble of Harleys filled the air. I went in to Silk to remove the ice packs and check she was still peacefully sleeping. A little of the swelling around her eyes had gone down, so hopefully by the time she woke, she’d be able to see. I quickly set the timer on my watch to let me know when the packs needed to go back on. I had a feeling I was about to be distracted from watching the clock.
I opened the front door right as half the bloody club pulled up. Fuck, I was screwed. Especially since Taz and Mac weren’t back yet. I kept my jaw clenched as Scout walked up the stairs. Bulldog was on his heels, along with Silk’s aunt. Scout stopped and ushered the other two to go ahead of him.
Without a word, I turned and led them inside, directly to Silk’s room.
“She’s going to be fine. Her ribs and face are injured. I’ve strapped her ribs and I’ve had ice on them and her face. She’s got another ten minutes before the ice needs to go back on. I’ve also given her some strong pain meds, so I doubt she’ll wake up for at least another few hours.”
Rose gripped my arm briefly as she passed by me into the room. At least she seemed to be on my side, although I doubted she knew I’d been
part of the reason her niece had been injured in the first place. The woman let out a gasp as she dropped to her knees beside the bed. Bulldog ignored me completely as he passed me and went to his wife. I slipped into the kitchen and grabbed a chair, before returning to the bedroom.
Unsure what my welcome would be, I moved toward them and placed the chair behind Rose.
“Here’s a seat for you, Rose. I need to take the others up the mountain. Unless you need me here?”
Bulldog turned his furious gaze to me.
“Rose can take care of Silk. I’m going up that mountain with you.”
I didn’t bother questioning him, I knew Scout would leave at least a couple of men at the house to guard the women. I risked a glance over Silk’s face and body before I turned and left. I made it out to the lounge room, which was now full of club members, all looking pissed off, before Bulldog was on me. He grabbed my shoulder and spun me around to face him.
“What the fuck were you doing when she got snatched this time? This is the second time you’ve let the club down. Let Silk down.”
Before I could answer, his fist came at me. I could have blocked it, could have delivered a blow of my own, but I didn’t. Bulldog’s left hook hit me square in the jaw, but I didn’t move an inch.
“I let you get that one in because I know I deserved it. You won’t get another freebie, though. I don’t care who you are. We’ve heard and seen nothing since we’ve been up here. None of our traps or alarms had been tripped. So, today, the day after the anniversary of her parents’ death, when she wanted a little alone time, we gave it to her. The moment an alarm was triggered, we all ran for her. Thanks to our quick reactions, she’ll be fine. We killed two of the three, and Taz and Mac are still up there with the third. You want to waste time here fighting me, or do you want to go see if he’s dead yet?”
I had no clue how this was going to end. If the club really wanted to punish me, I’d get the beating of my life and be in worse shape than Silk. No way could I fight my way out of this many men. But I would try. For the right to be with Silk, I’d take the beating. It was how the club worked. I’d seen others receive similar treatment when they’d royally fucked up.
Scout stepped between us. “Enough. Dealing with these bastards comes first, then you can have a go at Eagle.” He turned and pointed to two younger club members–no prospects had come with them. “You two stay here and guard the women. The rest of you follow us. Eagle, let’s move out.”
Resisting the urge to rub my aching jaw, I spun and headed out the door and up the path toward where I’d left Mac and Taz.
“We know who sent them?”
I glanced to Scout who was now beside me.
“I’m guessing they’re Sabella’s men. Not sure if you’ll get a chance to question him. Although I guarantee you Mac will get any information he has before he kills him.”
Considering Taz had already shot the bastard in the foot before I left, I was fairly certain all three men would now be dead. I knew Taz and Mac wouldn’t leave the dead bodies lying out in the open to be found, so I’d guessed they were waiting for me to bring the club up to them.
Without needing to remain silent, or needing to be careful of Silk’s injuries, we arrived to the site a lot faster than I had returned from it earlier. I stood to the side to allow the others to pass me. Mac and Taz both stood on the now-bloody rock with a crumpled man between them. The bastard wasn’t going to be moving on his own any time soon, but surprisingly, was still breathing.
“Scout, if you have anything you want to know, I’d recommend making it quick. He’s not got long left.”
“What did he tell you?”
“Not a lot. Sabella sent them here to get the money John left Silk. Seems Sabella isn’t happy with the amount he received. There also seems to be some confusion about a copy of the ledger Silk handed over. Looks to me like Sabella has a leak and the feds got a hold of at least some of its contents. Naturally, the bastard is laying the blame on Silk.”
My head rung with what Mac was saying. Sabella didn’t have a fucking leak. The club did. Us. We’d done this. By handing over the book to our fucking contact, we’d dumped Silk in deep shit. Of course, if Mr. Smith had done his fucking job, no one would have known they’d gotten the information from that ledger. I was done with this undercover shit. I’d never liked Mr. Smith, and this clusterfuck proved he didn’t give a shit about his informants, or innocent people. I wouldn’t be handing over any more of those fucking ledgers to him, that’s for sure.
I was suddenly extremely grateful we’d decided to keep the existence of the other ledgers to ourselves. I held Taz’s gaze for a few moments, then Mac’s, and saw the same conclusion in their eyes. The FBI would be up for a fight to get anything out of any of us on anything, especially anything that affects this club or its families.
“Bulldog? You finish him. By the looks of it, you boys have worked him over, but good. He’d have told you anything he knew. Then I want them bagged and loaded. We’ll put them on ice until we can deliver them back to their owner. We need to think of some way to get this fucker off Silk’s back permanently.”
I cleared my throat. “I’ve got a suggestion.”
Scout came to stand in front of me as Bulldog went over and put a bullet through the downed man’s skull. “Let’s hear it.”
“We give him the N.Y. mob’s ledger. Silk doesn’t want to ever go there, and you said yourself you don’t want to bring their attention to us here. I’m sure Sabella could use that kind of information for his benefit, and easily make more money than whatever he thinks Silk has.”
Scout crossed his arms and glared at me as he was clearly thinking it over.
“It could work. I want it copied first though, just in case the New York boys ever come looking for us.”
With that, he turned back toward the mess of bodies and started giving orders to have them wrapped in the thick, black plastic some of the men had brought up with them.
“You three head down and get cleaned up and packed up. We’re heading back to Bridgewater. We’ve got a couple cages for these fuckers and for Silk and Rose.”
I didn’t like that she was being moved while injured, but I knew better than to argue. My heart sunk as I realized she’d be taken to either the clubhouse or Bulldog’s place. I potentially wouldn’t see her for weeks. For that reason alone, I wanted to take out Sabella.
Chapter 20
Silk
I floated out of my drug-induced haze to a world of pain.
“Eagle?”
I needed more of those painkillers, and more sleep. Maybe a week or so worth would do it.
“Shh, honey. Try not to move so much. What do you need?”
That was not Eagle’s deep voice, but my aunt’s.
“Water?”
My throat was dry, making it hard to speak. I wanted to know where Eagle was. If my uncle had injured him, I didn’t care how much my ribs hurt, I would get up and go deal with him. A small, warm hand slid under my shoulders to help me sit up and a cold glass was pressed against my lips. I swallowed down a few mouthfuls before the glass was removed. I tried to lift my arm but Aunt Rose stopped the movement.
“I’ll take it off, just lie back down first.”
Once I was horizontal again, she peeled what turned out to be a wet cloth from my face. I blinked several times to clear my blurry vision and discovered I was in my room at the clubhouse. Of course, I’d been moved from my cabin back to the safety of the club. No matter how much I understood the logic of the move, I was still pissed off at having my freedom taken from me.
And my time with Eagle was also over now. Until he got patched in, I wouldn’t be close to him again. And depending on what Scout believed about how I’d come to be hurt, he may not get patched in. The club could easily blame the three men for my being alone to be hurt. That wouldn’t end well for Eagle, Taz and Mac. Not at all.
I looked over to Aunt Rose. “Where is he?”
She wince
d. “I’m not entirely sure. Scout and your uncle are not happy with him for leaving you alone like he did. He’s been in charge of your security twice now when you’ve been taken or attacked. The club isn’t going to just let that go, no matter how you feel about it.”
“It wasn’t his fault. Maybe if I talk to Scout? Tell him how I ended up alone?”
My Aunt’s gaze ran over me, seeing way too much.
“You really like this man?”
“I love him. If he had his top rocker, I’d already be his old lady.”
She sighed heavily. “I thought as much. I’ll go get Scout, but I’m not sure you can change what is going to happen. If it hasn’t happened already.”
“How long has it been since the attack?”
“Two days, honey. You’ve woken a few times, but we’ve kept you on pain meds so you could sleep through the worst of the pain.”
Two days later and it still hurt this much? I hated to think how much pain I’d have been in if I hadn’t been drugged up. Aunt Rose left to get Scout and I stared up at the ceiling and tried to plan out what the fuck I was going to say to try to convince him Eagle didn’t need to be beaten.
“Hey there, sugar. You feeling any better?”
I turned to face the club President, a man who’d always been there for me since the day I arrived, fifteen years ago.
“Hey Scout, I’ve been better. I wanted to ask you about Eagle.”
He closed the door and moved to sit in the chair where Aunt Rose had sat earlier.
“Yeah, your aunt told me that. You know I can’t discuss club business with you.”
“You can if it affects me. And any punishment Eagle gets over this will affect me.”
He sighed in much the same way as my aunt had. What was with that?
“He’s failed as your guard twice now, Silk. We can’t let that go. You know that.”
“Are you going to refuse him a top rocker?”
Scout was silent as we stared at each other for a minute or two. “He takes his punishment without complaint, without passing out, he gets a clean slate.”
