That’s the last thought I have before I blackout.
LEXI
What just happened?
How can this be?
One minute I’m in the throes of passion with a man that I hate, and the next Rhyder appears ready to save me.
When I realized who it was, I couldn’t believe he’d found me. Honestly, I thought I was hallucinating. There stood this man with anger pouring off him. He had Gail in a headlock and with a gun pointed to her head. When he finally looked down at me, shame washed over every inch of my body. Rhyder knew I’d been intimate with Master, how could he not. I was lying there practically naked and flushed.
Rhyder had come for me. I prayed he would, yet I didn’t think it was possible. But somehow, he found me. And now, he could be taken away from me.
I cry and scream as I crouch down on the ground, begging for him to keep his eyes open telling him I don’t want to lose him. His eyes look at me, but they’re distant. I place two hands on his wound to keep pressure there, but blood gushes out through my fingers.
Master’s saying something, but I don’t listen, I can’t.
Shame washes over me when I think about how I let that man touch me, how I wanted to be touched. He’s not who I wanted—it’s Rhyder, it’s always been Rhyder.
I should have let Rhyder kill him.
But how could I?
I’m not the monster Master is.
As Master says something else, a group of men, wearing biker cuts burst around the corner with guns aimed. They point them at Master. One of them, who has the clearest blue eyes, drops to his knees opposite me and takes over my hands as he fights hard to keep the blood from flowing out of Rhyder’s chest. He looks at me and yells, “What happened?”
No words seem to come out, and I mumble, “Who shot him?” Not making any sense.
My eyes travel to his leather cut, and I see the President patch followed by Quill. This must be the President of the Blood Brothers MC. He grinds his jaw and looks up. “Hawke, call an ambulance. He’s been shot bad.” I follow his line of sight, and a man with blond hair grabs out his cell and dials. I hear him conveying where we are and about Rhyder’s gunshot wound.
Two men have Master forced down on his knees, while his arms are yanked behind his back. His gun is lying on the ground. He looks at me, and I turn away when I hear Rhyder struggling to breathe.
I cry out in mental anguish and yell, “Hurry. We’re losing him.”
Quill grabs Rhyder by his leather cut and growls, “Don’t you fuckin’ die, do you hear me? You fuckin’ die, then I’m going to kill you with my bare hands.”
I don’t try and make sense of his words, I just run my fingers through Rhyder’s hair trying to wipe away the blood that’s seeping out of his mouth. I can hear commotion beside me and see two of them dragging Master away.
“What will they do with him,” I ask.
Quill looks up at me, his face set in stone. “None of your concern. He will get what’s coming to him.”
I swallow hard, understanding his meaning, but my attention turns back to Rhyder when he begins to choke. “Help him. Help him,” I cry. In the distance, I hear sirens. “Stay with me, Rhyder. Help is here. Just a little longer.” I force his face to mine. “I won’t lose you. Do you hear me? I won’t.” I cry and rest my head on his shoulder. “Please, please, don’t leave me.”
The ambulance parks in front of us, and two EMT officers run with a stretcher. Quill and I move back when one EMT kneels beside Rhyder checking his vitals. He states medical terminology to the other EMT, and then he yells, “He’s going into shock, begin CPR.
I watch in horror as one covers his mouth and nose with a breathing machine while the other does his counts. Guilt washes over me when I see Rhyder lying there helpless and fighting for his life.
“It’s all my fault. It’s all my fault…” I cover my face with my hands yelling over and over again. “It’s all my fault. It’s all my fault…”
Hands force me to stop and turn around and look into piercing blue eyes. “Stop it! You’re not to blame. Do you understand? You didn’t come here of your own free will. Did you?”
“But… but… I shouldn’t have—”
“Don’t! Rhyder wouldn’t want you to blame yourself. It was his choice to come here, not yours. Right now, you need to be strong. Not just for you but for him.” Quill’s eyes move to Rhyder on the ground. He clears his throat, then says, “Rhyder needs you. Now is not the time—”
“We are going to transport him to the hospital,” an EMT interrupts.
Quill lets go of me, and I turn around as they’re lifting Rhyder onto the gurney. I run to his side. “Will he be okay? Please tell me?”
“We’ve stabilized him, but he’s lost a lot of blood. We need to move.” The EMT officers transfer Rhyder into the back of the ambulance, and I stand back, watching them do their duty.
My hands are covered in blood—Rhyder’s blood.
“Which hospital are you taking him to?” Quill asks.
“We will be transporting to Napa Valley Hospital.”
“I want to ride with him,” I yell at the paramedic.
He shakes his head. “Sorry, we can’t allow any passengers. You’re going to have to meet us there.”
“I’ll get you there,” Quill tells me, and I nod, content for now until I can see Rhyder again.
“Quick, come on, let’s go,” I say.
Quill grabs my arm and leads me to where bikes and a black van is parked. He straddles his bike, yelling over to another biker who’s standing with the other two holding Master flat on his stomach and a gun pointed to his head.
“What will they do with him?” I ask, not sure how I feel if they shoot him.
“Nothing that concerns you.”
Master’s head tilts up, and his eyes latch onto me.
Right now, all I feel for him is hatred—hatred for what he did to Rhyder. He could die because of that man. I don’t dwell on it for too long because what’s the point.
“Torch, get Lexi to the hospital. She’d be better off in the van.”
I look up and notice Torch. Torch was with Rhyder the day Rhyder saved me from my rapist.
Torch waves me over, and I run to him. He opens the door of the van, and I jump in running my hands down my now stained, green dress. I bring my trembling hands up to my face.
“Here, drink this,” Torch says as he hands me a can of soda.
“No thanks, I don’t want anything.”
“Drink it! You need the sugar, you’re shaking.”
He starts the engine, and I accept the can. Popping it open, I take a few sips. We drive off, and I see the blond biker and a bald one drag Master up from the ground with a gun to his head.
Will they kill him?
I don’t want to think about it because if I do, I might go crazy.
Right now, Rhyder needs me, and he’s the only one I need to be thinking about.
We make our way following the bikers. Quill leads the way behind the ambulance. My heart is beating at a hundred miles an hour as I gaze out the window realizing I’m free. I’m free.
A small smile reaches my lips, and I hang onto that feeling.
You’re going to be okay, Rhyder.
I’m sure of it.
RHYDER
Please, sir, you need to lie down back down, you can’t get up.
“Like fuck I can’t. I’ve had enough lying down like I’m dead. I am sick of eating this crap. Do you hear me? I’m leaving,” I shout back to the nurse on duty.
I stand in a hospital gown the hospital made me wear. I’ve been here for over three weeks, mostly spent in ICU.
Three fucking weeks of damn hell.
Telling me what to eat, what drugs to take, and continually taking my vitals.
I was shot in the chest, the hit causing my lung to collapse. I bled out, needed a blood transfusion, but the doctor tells me it’s a miracle I survived. They say I will heal completely, but, in the me
antime, I need to take it easy and quit smoking.
I expected to see Lexi every day right here by my side, but other than the first night, she hasn’t returned. Every time I ask for her, my brothers change the subject.
Prez told me he got her home, her parents were ecstatic, and it was all over the news that she survived. I understand she’s been through a lot and is probably dealing with her own shit, but why she’s not coming to visit, I have no fucking clue. I need to know where she’s been and if she’s okay. Lexi’s not answering my calls, and it’s damn well killing me.
I pull the plastic tubes from my arm and nose, and the nurse runs over to me. “Sir, you must listen… you need to get back in bed.”
“You can’t keep me here,” I growl. I remove the gown I’m wearing and stand there butt naked.
The nurse blushes and turns away. “Sir, put that gown back on.”
I smirk. “Not on my fuckin’ watch.” There’s a bag Torch brought me a couple of days ago with some personal belongings, so I find a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. I quickly change and pull on my boots. Feeling a little lightheaded, I take a seat on the bed and shut my eyes to stop the sensation.
“Sir, you’re still weak. You must listen to me, you need to rest.”
I breathe in and out, saying, “I’ll be fine.” I stand, grab my cut off the back of the chair and my bag. My chest aches where the bandage is covering my wound, but I don’t let it get to me. If I make a fuss, then she won’t let me go. Not that she could stop me anyway, she’s such a small little thing.
Grabbing my cell off the table, I wink at the nurse as I storm out of there. Once in the hallway, I come face to face with Torch, who’s bringing some food in a takeout bag. “Man, what you doin’? You got the all-clear to leave?”
“Nope. But I’m gettin’ the fuck out of here. I’m going home.”
“You can’t be serious. Do you get you nearly died, brother?”
I grab the food off Torch and throw my bag at him. He catches it before it lands on the floor. Removing a burger, I continue to walk out of the hospital, taking a giant bite out of it in the process. Once outside, I inhale fresh air into my lungs.
Torch stands beside me.
“How’d you get here?”
“Luke’s bike. Why?” he asks, nodding to the left.
“Give me the keys.”
“No, fucking, way,” Torch says while dropping the bag. “You ain’t driving. Are you fuckin’ crazy?”
“Yeah, maybe I am, but I’m still ridin’ the bike. I need to catch the first flight out of here and see Lexi.”
“How the fuck am I gonna get back to the motel?”
I shrug my shoulders. “Grab a cab. Now give me the keys.”
Torch stands there for a while, looking between Luke’s bike and me. “Don’t know about this, brother, why don’t you wait for us to all fly out together?”
“Not happenin’. I need to leave now and see Lexi.”
Sighing, Torch pulls his keys out and hangs them in front of me.
I snatch them from his hand, not giving him a chance to think twice about it. I hand the burger back to him and say, “Thanks, brother. I owe you one.” I take out my wallet and keys from my bag then hand it back to Torch. “Take my bag with you. The bike will be left at the airport for Luke.” I storm over to the bike, straddle it, and start the engine kicking the kickstand up.
I take off kicking up rubber with only one place in mind—the airport, and then to Lexi’s house.
***
Standing at Lexi’s front door, I run my hand through my hair for the tenth time. I am nervous to see Lexi and how she’s coping with what she went through. After a flight home and a cab to the clubhouse, I was exhausted. My plan was to see Lexi as soon as I landed. However, the pain in my body was telling me I’ve overdone it and needed to rest. So instead, I decided the best thing I could do was to get some sleep and see her first thing in the morning.
So, here I am, anxious as hell, wondering what her reaction will be when she sees me.
Knocking on the front door, it’s immediately opened, and Paige runs out. She hugs me instantly, and I grab her before she knocks me over in the process.
“Hey, Paige. I’m glad you’re doing okay.”
“They let you out. I wanted to call you, but Lexi said it wasn’t a good idea.”
I place her back down and flinch.
“Are you okay?”
I blow out a breath. “I’ll be fine, just sore, that’s all.”
“I’m so sorry. I hurt you, didn’t I?”
I look past Paige and see Lexi in the doorway, and my heart sings.
God, she’s beautiful.
I gently move Paige aside and walk up to Lexi.
She’s standing there, and I see in her eyes she’s happy to see me. Tears start to well as I get closer. “You’re okay,” she whispers.
I cup her cheek. “Yes, baby. I am. Where have you been?”
Lexi looks away, and I notice a tear rolling down her face.
Forcing her face to me, I say, “What’s going on, Lexi? What is it?”
She looks at me, and my heart melts that little more.
I run my thumb over her cheek. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“I… um… I wanted to come and visit you after it all, I did, but I didn’t know what to say.” Lexi sniffles and continues, “You saved me, Rhyder. Again. You kept your word.”
Paige walks past, and she says as she passes, “I’ll just go inside.”
I don’t reply, I’m too focused on Lexi and how beautiful she looks. “Of course, I kept my word. I was never gonna let anythin’ happen to you.”
Lexi stands back out of my hold and leans against the door. “I’ve gotta go. I’m so glad you’re okay, Rhyder. Really, I am,” she says sincerely.
For the life of me, I can’t work out why she’s so distant.
“Lexi, what the fuck is goin’ on? I thought—”
“I have to go now. Again… thank you for saving my life.” Before I can say anything else, she shuts the door and vanishes before my eyes.
“Lexi, Lexi,” I yell against the door. “Lexi, I’m not gonna leave until you talk to me.” As I go to bang on the door again, it opens and standing there is her father, Mr. Ambers.
“Listen, son,” he says, stepping out and shutting the door behind him. “We cannot express how thankful we are to you and your friends for finding our daughters. If it weren’t for what you did, who knows where they would be. Believe me, the police weren’t getting anywhere.”
“I would do it again if I had to.”
Mr. Ambers stares at me for a while, and I sense he wants to talk to me about something. “Son, Alexandra has been through a lot. As you can understand, she needs some space right now, and surely, I don’t have to tell you that.”
“Sir, I care about your daughter.”
He stands there with his suit pants and a white button-down shirt and places his hands in his front pockets. “I know you do, son. But this can’t go any further. I’m willing to pay you a sum of money for your trouble.”
“Money? I never did this for the money, sir. I have feelin’s for your daughter.”
Mr. Ambers looks down at the ground then back up to me. “I’m sorry, but the two of you can never happen. Lexi has her life mapped out ahead of her, she’s come too far to throw that all away.”
Furious that Mr. Ambers is trying to cut me out of Lexi’s life, I look around the front of the house and windows and yell out, “Lexi.”
“Stop it,” he grunts. “She doesn’t want to see you.”
“She doesn’t, or you don’t want her to?”
“Does that matter? Either way, here is a check for your trouble.” He hands me the piece of paper, and I can’t believe my eyes when I read one hundred thousand dollars.
I snicker. “You can keep your fuckin’ money, sir, I don’t want it. All I want is Lexi.” I flick the piece of paper at him, then make my way down the steps toward my
bike. I straddle the bike and yell out, “Not you or your money can keep me away from Lexi, and that’s a promise.”
Mr. Ambers stares at me with anger, and I start the bike, and notice Lexi upstairs in a window looking down at me.
It all makes sense now.
Why she was acting so strange at the door and why she never came to see me or call.
But don’t you worry, Lexi, I’m not giving up.
***
A couple of months have passed since I saw Lexi. I’ve tried calling her, but she won’t return my calls. I’ve driven past her house even though her old man told me to stay away, but that’s not going to happen. I need to see Lexi and have a talk with her.
Just when I found her, I lost her all over again.
I’m going out of my fucking mind.
I know her dad is behind all this, and to be honest, I get it. However, she’s eighteen, and surely, she can stand up to her dad. I take a swig of my beer at the bar.
Prez and Torch convinced me to come down to Mike’s Bar for a drink. They want to celebrate my return from the dead, and even though I didn’t feel like celebrating anything, I figured it’s the least I can do. My brothers put their own lives on the line to rescue the girl I love.
Wait a fucking minute! Did I just use the love word?
Fuck. Me.
Never thought those words would come out of my mouth.
I’m listening to Gunner as he talks to me about some fight or other he got into the other day. I look over his shoulder seeing Blaze and Tess flirting with one another and Trigger and Charity. Jasmine and Luisa are here somewhere, and I can’t help but feel like I’m missing out on something. I want to have that something with Lexi. I want her here by my side. I want her to be my ol’ lady, my woman, and the one who’s on the back of my bike. I don’t care if she’s college material, she can still study to become a doctor. I would never stand in the way of her fulfilling her dreams. I just want to make sure I’m the one beside her when she does.
“Cheer up, brother. This is for you.”
I look up at Torch who’s just entered the bar. “Where have you been, bro.”
Lexi, Property of Rhyder: A Motorcycle Club Romance (Blood Brothers MC Book 6) Page 19
