by Debra Kayn
The room tilted. Cam's hand tightened on Christina's. She pressed her free hand to her forehead. Her confession to Cam about Merk scaring her put him in a rage. He planned to kill Merk, and instead Merk almost killed Cam.
The nightmare wouldn't end. She never imagined she'd be standing in a hospital room, scared Cam would die, and having the club ripped apart.
"I think that's enough questions. He's tired," Christina said. "Can you please let him rest?"
"Thank you for your time. If we have any other questions, we'll be in contact." Agent Bronson faced Christina, nodded, and walked out of the room.
She concentrated on remaining on her feet as the room spun. If the police were involved, it meant Cam's freedom was at stake.
"Hey," Cam whispered. "I need a drink."
Christina walked over to the mobile table at the end of the bed and retrieved the cup of water the nurse left for him. Holding the cup to his lips, she cradled his head in her hand and lifted him high enough to sip from the straw.
He drank several swallows of water and laid his head down on the pillow. "Stop worrying."
"I can't help it." She studied his large body in the white and blue checked gown. Always strong and forceful, he laid weak and in pain. She wanted to take him home and make him better. "What's going to happen?"
"Take the railing on the bed down," he said, ignoring her question.
She searched the side of the bed, found the button, and lowered the safety barrier.
"Lay down."
Her chest squeezed. "I'll hurt you."
"Damn it. Lay down," he said.
Being careful, she propped her hip on the side of the bed, and squeezed onto the slim mattress. Cam groaned, moving his arm. She stilled, afraid of hurting him more. He put his arm underneath her and cupped her head with his hand, pressing her down to his shoulder. Instantly, her body relaxed, opening up the gate for her tears.
He held her while all the emotions she'd carefully guarded wet his shoulder. She inhaled a fragile breath, gaining strength from him. Even though he'd almost died and lacked his own strength to sit up and walk across the room, he remained her foundation, the reason why she could go on loving him. Through bad decisions, even worse actions, and brushes with his freedom, he protected her. Loving him wasn't an option she could walk away from, but a necessity.
"Thank you," he whispered, kissing the top of her head.
She lifted her chin without moving from him. "For what?"
"Trusting me to take care of you and having my back," he said. "Don't give up on me, baby."
"Never." She watched him close his eyes as exhaustion took over.
Merk proved that even within Cam's own club there was danger. Cam lived through numerous prison sentences, oversaw the lives of more than two hundred Moroad MC members, and protected her and Jeremy. There were questions she needed answers to, but not today. Today, she only wanted to hold him and be thankful he lived.
Chapter Thirty Three
Cam stared up at the ceiling in his hospital room. The comfort of knowing everything went according to his plan settled over him, and he palmed Christina's head. Wearing the latex gloves inside the stolen pair of Merk's gloves he took out of Merk's pouch on his motorcycle worked. The only fingerprints the Feds got were Merk's and having Pretaro tip them off to the evidence buried in the vacant lot besides Cranley's house came off without a hitch.
However, he'd made one costly mistake.
He failed to predict Merk making his move on Christina before law enforcement issued a warrant for his arrest or Merk shooting him at the house.
If he could do it all again, he would've called Gunner to pick up the package of pay and make the wire transfers. His lack of foresight caused Christina pain. He never meant for her to hurt in the process of taking out Merk.
He allowed no one to double cross him, and Merk deserved the punishment coming to him. He'd trusted Merk to keep Christina safe while he'd served his time. He never gave Merk permission to fall in love with Christina.
Setting Merk up to take the fall for Judge Cranley's murder came together easier than he'd hoped. Merk would finally pay his debt for betraying Cam.
Because the FBI agents verified Merk's refusal to talk, Cam would make sure Moroad MC protected Merk on the inside. He'd do that for the club, for the patch, for the oath. His personal retaliation would come later.
If Merk received a life sentence, he'd continue to work for Moroad if he wanted to stay alive. If there was a chance of him walking away in thirty years, Cam would be waiting for him, and he'd finish the job of killing him.
Nobody fucked him over.
A beam of light appeared on the ceiling. Cam turned his head toward the door.
Gunner slipped inside and shut the door. Cam held on tighter to Christina, surprised any of the Moroad members would chance coming inside the hospital.
"Hey," Gunner whispered. "How are you doing?"
Cam kept his voice low. "I'll live. The doctor said I could get out of here in two days. Who's on the run tonight?"
"Meese, Bear, Johnson, Jacko, and Mayor." Stache grinned. "I thought I better get Mayor out of town before he does something stupid."
Cam's chest rumbled and he held his side. Damn, it hurt to breathe.
Gunner lost his smile. "I need to talk to you though, and I don't want..." Stache looked at Christina.
"It's okay, she's asleep. It's been hard for her, and she finally crashed."
Gunner nodded. "I don't know how to tell you this."
"Say it," Cam said.
"Jeremy's gone." Gunner's forehead wrinkled. "While everything was happening yesterday, Bear took off to find him before he heard the news in town. When he couldn't find Jeremy, Bear came back and got the rest of us to help search. We've looked everywhere and there's no sign of his motorcycle or him."
Cam slipped his hand down to cover Christina's ear. "Tiff?"
"We found her at her mom's house. She said she talked with Jeremy earlier in the day and he rode off." Gunner inhaled deeply. "Once I got her away from her bitch of a mom, nothing stopped Tiff from riding my ass and blaming Moroad for Jeremy leaving her. We're all a little concerned, given the information she handed us."
"What did she say?"
"Jeremy's not your kid." Gunner held up his hand. "We're not judging, Cam. Every Moroad is dedicated to the club and you. Jeremy's one of us. I'm only passing on the information Tiff gave us."
"Fuck," he whispered. "How'd she find out?"
"She overheard Merk and you arguing. Apparently she'd tried to talk to Jeremy a few other times and it wasn't until last night that the kid sat down with her and she had her opportunity."
Cam thought back to the night on the porch when Merk let him know Ferris told him about Jeremy. He should've killed Merk then, but Tiff's scream distracted him. The girl must've listened to Merk spout off and came to her own conclusion, and now she'd taken the kid from him.
"What should we do?" Gunner straightened.
"Say nothing to nobody." Cam reached for the control that moved the bed and pushed the button.
Christina moaned at the change in position. Stabbing pain burned Cam's side and he gritted his teeth.
"Baby?" Cam muffled his groan. "Wake up, Christina."
She jolted away. "What's wrong?"
"Time to get up, we're going home." Cam pushed himself until he sat on the bed.
Christina scooted off the mattress and stood, looking at Gunner. "I didn't know you were here."
"I just got here." Gunner reached out to help Cam.
Cam waved him off. "Call one of the guys and have them bring the truck to the hospital and some clean clothes for me."
"Wait. What do you think you're doing?" Christina stepped in front of him and blocked him from getting off the bed. "You can't leave. The doctor said—"
"I know what he said, and I know what I want to do. I'm not going to stay in this room, locked up like a God damn inmate when my woman's exhausted and I can tak
e a piss on my own." He stood and let Christina grab his arms.
The floor rolled like a fucking ocean. He kissed her forehead, because he couldn't stop his body from leaning forward. "Do me a favor and see if the nurse will send some pain pills or something home with me."
"I'm not letting you leave." Christina spine stiffened. "You need to get back in bed."
Gunner walked back to him from the corner of the room where he'd used his cell. "It'll take Stache forty minutes to get here."
"Stop it." Christina glared at Gunner. "He's not going anywhere. There's nothing so important that he needs to kill himself by leaving the hospital tonight."
"Baby..."
She snapped her head toward Cam. "Don't baby me. I almost lost you yesterday. I'm going to make sure you stay and get better."
"I need you to be strong right now and do what I ask. Go out and see about getting me some pills. Tell them I'm checking myself out, and I'll go to a damn doctor in a few days." Cam lifted his hand and cupped her cheek. "I need to get out of here."
"Why?" she mouthed.
He braced his body and held on to her. "Jeremy found out the truth that I'm not his father, and he's taken off."
She covered her mouth and shook her head in denial. He nodded, refusing to let her step away from him.
"I need to find him," he whispered. "I'm the only one he'll listen to."
A tear rolled down her cheek. "But you said Moroad members can't leave and you'd—"
"I will find him." He pushed through the pain and dizziness. "We're all leaving as soon as Stache shows up with the truck. I'll make this right, baby. Trust me."
"I-is Jeremy okay?" Her brows pitched together.
"That's what I'm going to find out, but to do that I need to get out of the hospital." He held his breath against the pain. "Go talk to the nurse, so I can get out of here and find the kid."
Christina hesitated, looking down at her hands. She shuddered, shaking her head, and faced Gunner. "Watch him, and don't let him pass out."
She walked out of the room with her shoulders back and determination in her step. Cam sank back on the edge of the mattress. Awed at the strength Christina gathered, knowing she'd do anything for Jeremy, even putting the kid before Cam, pleased him. She'd done everything in her power to give Cam and Jeremy everything, while she struggled every day between right or wrong. Her love had no boundaries, no line she wouldn't cross for him.
"Cam, if Jeremy's planning on leaving Moroad, the club won't let him leave alive." Gunner ran his hand over the back of his neck. "We don't give second chances."
"He's young." Cam held his ribs.
"Young or not, he's a Moroad member. No one—"
"I know what fucking needs to be done." Cam gritted his teeth against the wave of nausea threatening to come up. "I said, I'll handle it. That's a fucking order. Nobody goes after him, but me."
Christina rushed into the room, followed by the nurse. Despite being covered in sweat, Cam's arms and legs shook from the chill in the room.
"Mr. Farrell, the doctor wants you to remain at the hospital until he releases you," the nurse said.
"I'm checking myself out." He stood and this time he'd prepared for the weakness in his body.
"You'll have to sign a statement that you're going against the doctor's orders." The nurse steadied him with her hand on his arm. "I really think you need to stay at least one more day in the hospital and give yourself time to heal a little more."
"Bring me the papers." He paused, swallowing down the pain. "Can I get something for the pain to take with me?"
"I'll phone the doctor and bring the paperwork to you. Please sit down and I'll see what I can do." The nurse frowned, looking at the others for support and finding none.
Christina stood at the end of the bed, chewing on her fingernail. Cam held on to the bed and walked to her. She shook her head for him to stay away from her whether in disbelief or frustration over the news, he could only guess.
He waited, knowing she'd figured out why he had to leave and couldn't stay in the hospital. He damned the situation. She needed him and he couldn’t even hold her.
"I'm going to wait outside for Stache and then grab a wheelchair," Gunner said.
Christina walked to the window and gazed out into the darkness. Cam wanted to go to her. He wanted to tell her everything would be okay. He wanted to show her that he had everything under control. Hell, he wasn't in prison right now. He was right here with her, and he'd take care of her.
"Make me a promise, right here, right now. You'll find Jeremy and bring him home to me alive," she said.
He closed his eyes against the odd chance of him succeeding. Jeremy took an oath when he took the Moroad patch and pledged his life to the club. Running away from the club meant death. The kid's life sat in his own hands. If Cam let Jeremy go free, the next member who decided to walk away from Moroad MC would expect the same treatment. The size of the club and commitment the men gave to Moroad, the success, the gun chain, the crimes, every member's freedom was put at risk if he allowed one member to leave the lifestyle.
"I will find him and bring him home," Cam said, doing what he'd promised of taking care of Christina.
She turned around, her shoulders sagging. "I almost lost you. I can't lose Jeremy," she said.
"I will never leave, and I'll bring him back."
The door swung open and the nurse entered the room. Cam sat on the bed and signed the bottom of each paper she set in front of him, while keeping an eye on Christina.
Pale and tired, she barely hung on. He had to get her home where she could rest and where he could find answers that'd lead him to Jeremy.
"The doctor is allowing you two days of antibiotics and pain medicine. We've made an appointment with Dr. Stein in two days at the clinic. He'll be able to remove the stitches and make sure your lung is healing." The nurse laid 2 small sealed envelopes in his hand. "If you spike a fever, notice any redness around the wound, any oozing at the incision area, call the number at the bottom of the paper and they can see you in urgent care during the day or come ot the emergency room if it's after hours."
"Thank you," he said, folding the papers in half and holding the envelopes with his medicine.
"Mr. Farrell...take care, please," the nurse said, frowning.
Gunner came in the room with a wheelchair and a paper bag. Cam dumped the sack on the bed and found a clean pair of jeans. Christina kneeled at his feet.
She gazed up at him, holding out her hand. "Let me help you."
His lack of energy proved his undoing. He allowed Christina to dress him and tie his boots. Stache handed him his vest. He clasped it in his hand, knowing he couldn't lift his arms anymore tonight without hurting his side more, and held the vest tightly in his hand.
In the wheelchair, he held out his free hand for Christina. She slipped her fingers into his and walked beside him out of the room, while Gunner pushed the wheelchair. Cam closed his eyes in the hallway and kept them shut in the elevator, through the lobby, and out the front door. His thumb rubbed the Moroad patch on the back of his vest.
Life changed in a matter of a second. He no longer worried about his own life. Jeremy needed him.
At the truck, he stood. Gunner wheeled the empty chair back into the hospital and Cam hooked Christina's neck. She stiffened and then leaned into him, being careful not to hurt him.
"I will bring back my son," he said. "I will make this right."
She nodded, and helped him get up into the truck. Once settled, she ran around to the driver's side, and scooted over to the middle. Stache drove them away without saying a word.
At the news of Jeremy missing, he wanted to kill anyone who dared take the kid away from him. Not for himself. Not for the club. For Christina.
In all likelihood if a Moroad member found Jeremy, they'd follow through with the rules of the club and end up putting a nine-millimeter between his eyes. He needed to find the kid first. He needed Christina to continue loving him.<
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He knew what she needed, even when she didn't know herself. Losing Jeremy would push her over the line between good and bad, and there'd be no pulling her back. He'd lose her, and he'd never recover.
Cam reached over Christina's lap and held her hand. He found her silver ring and turned the band with his fingers. The heat of her gaze studying him warmed his cold body. He squeezed her hand, making sure her ring never came off. He loved her. It wasn't a promise, it wasn't a threat, it was real.
Coming Soon
HIS CRIME, book 3 in the Moroad MC series, will complete Cam and Christina's story. A sneak peek at Chapter One is included after the Dear Readers letter from Debra.
Dear Readers –
When I started writing Wrapped Around Him, book 1, I went in thinking each couple within the Moroad MC would get their own book. As you can see, Cam is a difficult and twisted man. His story is long, his motive is deep, and his love is tested. His story needed 3 novels. Luckily, I've been able to keep them from being total cliffhangers, and left you with a couple who are together, they're working things out, and you know they'll be together. Each book will take you deeper into what makes them capable of having a happily ever after in a hard lifestyle. It's just Cam—sigh— demanded more than his fair share of the series.
The fourth book of Moroad MC series will be about a new couple in the Moroad MC. That new couple will get their happily-ever-after in one book. I'm currently writing the fifth book of the series, so no worries about waiting long between books.
While you wait, feel free to stop by my website at www.debrakayn.com and click on the bonus material. Since I've set my Bantorus MC series and Moroad MC series in my hometown, I have pictures of places and locations that are included in the books.
Love, Deb
SNEAK PEEK – HIS CRIME
Chapter One
Every Moroad Motorcycle Club member not in prison stood inside their president's house. Christina Nickelson sat beside the man drawing all the attention, staring at Cam's fingers sprawled over her thigh. The skin on his hand bruised from the intravenous needle used during surgery to repair his lung and remove the bullet that almost killed him.
