Dark Steel
Bloodshed
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Chapter One
Tanner
My fingers danced around the rim of the shot glass. I lifted it up to eye level and swirled the alcohol around. The shot of Jameson burned as it ran down my throat, warming my insides. I slammed the glass down on the bar and waved the bartender over.
Randy and I had known each other since we were boys. I remembered us playing cops and robbers in the trailer park, the old people yelling at us to keep it down. Those were carefree days. Now Randy owned the Stinky Goat and I joined the Black Widow MC. It's weird how things turned out.
“Want another, Tanner?” Randy grunted, wiping the bar with a white towel.
I nodded and watched as he poured me another shot of whiskey. I nursed this one slowly, taking a few sips at a time. My head was already fuzzy and the room was spinning. Soon enough I'd be in the restroom puking my guts out into the nasty toilet.
“Anymore and you won't be able to drive home,” Randy said.
I grinned stupidly. “I think we passed that point a long time ago.” Randy left the bottle of whiskey next to me and I filled my glass again.
“Who looks good tonight?”
I looked over to find Caleb sitting next to me at the bar. I wasn't sure if he'd been sitting there the entire time or not. He wore the same leather cut as me with a big black widow spider on the back. He ran his hand through his shoulder-length blond hair and scratched the stubble hugging his chin. Caleb was the Vice President of the motorcycle club and he was the one that pushed me to become a prospect. Now I was a full-fledged member and there was no turning back.
I looked around the room at all the chicks. It was Friday night and the bar was almost half-full. The Stinky Goat had become a become a popular hangout over the years for outlaws and degenerates. Randy wasn't entirely pleased by the type of customers but he loved the cash it brought in. I scanned through the crowd and recognized most of the women—that meant I'd slept with each and every one at least once or twice. I glanced back at Caleb. “Looks a little boring tonight.”
“How about that one?” Caleb pointed over my shoulder. My eyes followed his finger and landed on a brunette with tattoo sleeves.
“Been there already—twice.” I took another sip of whiskey and let the alcohol relax me.
“And that one?”
“She likes to call me Daddy in bed.”
Caleb chuckled and seemed impressed. I could get any girl I wanted. It just came naturally to me. I had the uncanny ability to get panties to drop to the floor. I've been neck deep in women ever since.
Caleb put his hand on my shoulder. “Okay hot stuff, how about that looker over there?”
I gazed over and locked eyes with a curly red head I'd never seen before. Her large tits were falling out of her under-sized bra and her short shorts stopped right at the bottom of her ass cheeks. She held a pool cue in her hands and bent over to take a shot. The view was glorious. I'd definitely remember if I fucked her before.
“Now Caleb, that is one chick I've never had.”
Caleb slapped me on the back. “Go get em' champ.”
I lifted my butt off the bar stool and had to hold onto Caleb to steady myself. My stomach was turning over and over again and it took all the willpower in the world to keep myself from throwing up. I took a deep breath and waited for the nausea to pass. I swaggered over behind the girl and slipped my hands around her waist.
“How about you come home with me and I'll show you what heaven looks like.”
She turned around and flushed, her chest heaving up and down. My pants tightened as my erection stiffened. This chick was smoking hot. Tonight was going to be fun.
A voice came from behind me. “Get your hands off my girl, motherfucker.”
Me? A motherfucker? Nobody talks to me that way.
My hands left the girl's waist and I clenched my right fist. I spun around, swinging my elbow in the air until it connected with the man's face—except he stopped me. The whiskey must have made me slow, because next thing I know I'm on the ground and his fists are pummeling my head. I tried to block as many of the blows as I could. Good thing about alcohol is that the more you drink, the less pain you feel.
I gathered myself and threw the attacker off me, slamming him into a table. Glasses of beer fell to the ground and shattered. A crowd had formed around us they were all cheering. Everyone loves a good bar fight. The MC had taken notice and they were taking bets. I better get a cut of the money after I smashed this little guy into the ground.
I stood up and wiped blood from my lips. This guy was going to pay. The girl we were fighting over looked right at me and gave me those doe eyes. A new fuel powered me. I swung right and left, hitting him over and over again in the jaw. My knuckles became bloodied and broken. I wouldn't be able to take much more.
Caleb threw me a beer bottle and I smashed it over his head, sending broken pieces of glass flying. The man doubled over and fell to his knees. I used the opportunity to spit blood onto his head before ramming my knee into his face, knocking him on his back. I raised my hands over my head like a boxer winning the title.
I didn't even notice him grab a piece of the broken bottle.
Sharp, scolding pain hit my side and I screamed. I looked behind to find the boyfriend stabbing me again in the back. Another spike of pain and blood leaked out of me everywhere. My rage was uncontrollable. I swung around and broke the man's nose. The crunch was clearly heard throughout the bar. My vision was getting blurry and I was able to get one more punch in—dislocating his jaw. I fell to the ground, my own blood staining my white wife-beater. My MC came flying in, kicking and spitting on the boyfriend.
Randy bent down over me and whispered into my ear but I couldn't hear a thing. Everything went black.
Chapter Two
Grace
It was the eleventh hour of my twelve-hour shift and my feet were really feeling it now. Three in the morning at the ER could be really slow and a quick power nap would help me get through to the end. I went to an empty room and shut off all the lights. The hospital bed was hard and smelled funny but it felt better than anything in the world right now.
I let out one big breath and my eyelids slowly fell. Sleep never felt so good.
Not even a moment later, the door opened and a burst of light blinded me.
“Doctor Holmes, we got incoming.”
I shielded my eyes and noticed it was Nurse Fiona. “Okay, I'll be right out.”
I rubbed my face and combed my hair with a little travel comb I kept in my pocket. I knew I looked like a mess but I didn't have time to fix myself up. At least my appearance might keep Dr. Green away from me.
The ER was in a stir as nurses ran around frantically trying to prepare for the 911 call. I found Nurse Fiona behind the desk. “What do we have coming?”
“Bar fight at the Stinky Goat.”
It figured. Where else would lowlifes be this late at night? At least with bar fights, the injuries tended to minor—concussions and lacerations to the face from broken glass.
Doctor Green sidled up next to me. “You're looking really good tonight, Grace.” I was wrong about my looks deterring him. Green was the sleazy doctor that tried to sleep with every nurse. I was the only female doctor at Sacks General and Green made sure to focus on me like I was a conquest. I hated how unprofessional he was. Why couldn't he call me by my last name like everyone else?
“Please Dr. Green. We need to focus on the 911 call.”
Green put his hands up in defense. “Sorry, just trying to give a lady a compliment.” Luckily he was harmless.
The ER doors opened and a gurney with two EMTs burst into the hallway. I swung my stethoscope around my neck and ran to them. “What do we got?”
The young EMT yelled out. “Male in his late twenties—two
stab wounds to the back.”
Another gurney with a man with a broken face came rolling in.
Stab wounds. Fuck. Most bar fights were broken hands and bloody noses. Tonight was going to be interesting.
Another gurney with a man with a broken face came rolling in. “Dr. Green, you take that one.”
He winked at me and checked the man's pulse.
I quickly checked my patient's pulse and it was faint. He had already lost a lot of blood. “Get him to OR Two right away.”
The EMT rushed him away and Nurse Fiona came over. “What do you need, Doctor Holmes?”
“We're going to need some O Negative right away,” I said. Fiona nodded. “Try to keep Dr. Green away from me too while you're at it.” Fiona smiled and ran off.
A whole herd of bikers came in through the doors and tried to rush past me. “Everyone stop,” I yelled, looking at the security guard by the door for help.
“Where's Tanner?” one of the men with long hair asked.
I recognized the leather jackets they wore as the same as my patient's. “Tanner is being taken to the operating room now. I'll give you all an update when I have one.”
The security guard held them off as I went to go wash my hands. I entered the OR and Fiona helped me put on my disposable surgical scrubs and mask. The patient was already vented and breathing normally. A crowd of nurses were running around with their heads cut off. One nurse was poking his arm with an IV to give him a transfusion. He would need more than one tonight if he was going to survive.
First order of business was to cut off his clothing to see how much damage there was. His leather cut slid off but I needed scissors to cut away at his bloodied wife-beater.
Oh my. His skin was covered in tattoos. A huge black widow spider dominated his chest. I lost my breath for a moment as I stared at his perfectly formed pecs. This man must work out.
“Doctor, we need to flip him over,” a nurse said, snapping me back to reality.
I nodded and helped flip him over. Two stab wounds lay at the bottom of his back—right above his nice ass cheeks...Holy shit, Grace! Get a hold of yourself. It's just a man. You've seen a million of them before. Nothing special about this one.
There was so much blood that I couldn't see the extent of the damage. “Nurse, I need some suction.”
Fiona came to my side and used what she called “The Little Sucker” to suck up some of the blood. I got a clearer view of inside and realized that nothing major was damaged. He was going to be fine.
With the blood transfusions, his vitals were returning to normal. I stitched up his wounds gently, not wanting to add to the enormous amount of scars that already decorated his back. This man had been through a lot. I looked over and saw the leather cut that resembled the ones I saw outside. They were apart of a motorcycle club. In other words, an outlaw. No wonder he had so many scars.
I finished stitching his wounds and the nurse dabbed the sweat from my brow. “We're all done here,” I announced.
A man with blond hair burst into the OR wearing the same leather cut as the patient. “Sir, you can't be in here,” I calmly said. We always get a family member or friend who don't follow the rules.
“How's Tanner? Is he going to be all right?”
I led him back outside. “Tanner is going to be fine. He lost a lot of blood but they were merely flesh wounds.” The man smiled and I noticed a Vice President patch on his left breast. These men think they ruled the world. “We'll be moving him to a private room shortly. Please go back to waiting room.”
“Thanks, Doc,” he replied.
I tore my scrubs off and threw them in the medical waste trashcan. I only had ten more minutes of my shift left. Just enough time for a cat nap to keep energized for the drive home. I went back to the empty room to find Dr. Green sitting on the bed.
“You know we could sleep here together,” he said, rubbing the spot next to him.
My face contorted out of disgust. Just the thought of his hands on me made me want to vomit. I closed the door and walked down the hallway but Green chased after me.
“Come on, Grace. One date. I promise you won't regret it.” His hand slipped down my back and grabbed my ass.
My open palm cut through the air and slapped him across the cheek. “Touch me one more time Doctor and I'll file a complaint.”
Green felt his hurt cheek. “I love a strong woman. You'll come around.”
I walked away, my hand still stinging from the slap. A smile appeared across my face. I was proud of myself for finally sticking up for myself. Green would think twice before trying that again.
“Everything okay?” Fiona asked me.
“I'm fine. Just dealing with Doctor Green.”
Fiona cringed. “Now that's one mistake I wish I could take back.” We both laughed. “Keep up the defense and he'll soon get discouraged.”
“I hope,” I replied. I looked at my watch and realized my shift was finally over. All the stress in my shoulders finally released. “I'm done for the night. I'm going home now. Thanks for all the great work, Fiona.”
“Drive safe, will ya? I don't want you falling asleep on the road.”
I nodded. I was tired but not that tired.
Chapter Three
Tanner
A rhythmic beeping slowly woke me from rest. My eyes peeled open to see the most beautiful chick I'd ever seen. Her short blonde hair glowed brightly and her blue eyes were as deep as the ocean. I could get lost in those for hours. She was dressed in a white lab coat which confused me. I didn't remember sleeping with a scientist last night. I looked around and realized I was laying in the middle of a hospital room.
The blinds were closed, only letting in a sliver of sunlight. The beeping noise I heard earlier was coming from the monitor next to me. The room had that classic sterile smell that haunted every hospital. A tube ran from my arm to a IV pouch hanging on a coat rack. I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out. The doctor noticed me move and quickly brought out a pen flashlight.
“Don't try to move yet. I don't want you to pull out your stitches.” Her voice was so soothing.
Wait...stitches? What happened to me last night? I tried to remember but my head was blank. It felt like another blackout from being too drunk.
“Follow my pen with your eyes.” She leaned in closer and I got a whiff of her addicting flowery perfume. She drew a line across my face with the flashlight and I tried my best to follow it. “Good job, Tanner.”
I wanted to hear her scream my name.
She poured me a cup of water from a pitcher and brought it to my lips. The water rejuvenated my throat and mouth, bringing me back to life. Her hand grabbed my wrist and a static shock jolted through me. My heart raced at her touch.
The doctor looked confused as she watched the monitor. “We might need to run some tests on your heart.”
“What happened?” My voice was gravelly as the words came out.
Caleb was standing in the doorway with the rest of the MC. “You are one tough son of a bitch, Tanner.”
I tried to sit up but my arms were so weak. “Take it easy,” the beautiful doctor said, lowering me back down onto the bed.
“I'll leave you guys alone to visit but don't strain him too much. He needs his rest.”
“Don't worry, Doc, we'll watch over him,” Caleb said.
The doctor gave me one last look before she left. I didn't want her to go. I wanted her to hold my wrist forever.
Mike, the Sgt-at-Arms, came over to my bedside. He was the biggest out of all of us—almost 6'4'' and strong as an ox. We liked to call him our big oaf.
“What happened?” I choked out.
Big Mike laughed heartily. “You don't remember?”
I shook my head.
Claire came through the crowd and held my hand. She was what you would call our den mother. She dated Mason, our President, for years and decided to stick around after they broke up. Now she took care of us. “Honey, you were in a bar fight and
got stabbed. We thought we lost you.”
The memories of the Stinky Goat came rushing back—the hot red head, the bloody brawl, and the knife in my back. My blood began to boil.
Claire put her hand on my chest to calm me down. She continued, “The doctor told us you lost a lot of blood but the wounds weren't serious. You're going to be fine.”
My muscles relaxed and my heart beat slowed. I lay back down on the hospital bed and let out a sigh. Everything was going to be okay.
Mason: A Black Widow MC Romance Page 9
