by Romi Hart
His mind drifted to Rory, and he hoped she would make an appearance here so they could talk. He’d sent her a message that he’d had to leave the clubhouse, but she hadn’t responded to it. He didn’t know when to expect her, but he hoped nothing went down. He needed to see her, and he needed to be able to walk away from his post for a few minutes to have this discussion in private.
He felt rather than heard Skye come up behind him as she came out of the dressing room. "Have you heard from your girl yet?"
Eli had only shared his issues with Skye because she confronted him about the way he was acting and wouldn’t let it go. She’d given him hell about it at first, but when she’d seen how frantic he actually was, she’d become supportive. Which he appreciated, since most of his MC brothers wanted to talk shit and give him a hard time about it.
"Yes, I have," he said, almost smiling with the relief he felt at just saying it. "She told me she wanted to talk. It sounded like she might swing by."
"She must be pretty damn important to get your attention," she smirked. “I’ll keep an eye out for a fish out of water.” She sashayed off to whatever business she wanted to tackle before they opened. Mother hen, checking on her chicks, he supposed.
He turned his attention back to safety. The show would be starting soon, which meant doors were opening any second. "Hey, Jesse!" he hollered, "I’m taking a leak!"
Jesse nodded and grumbled across the room as Eli slipped through the door that led to the dressing rooms. He turned the opposite direction toward the men’s employee bathroom, little more than a hole in the ground behind a door that didn’t lock and hadn’t been oiled in who knew when.
The place was falling apart, and he was still waiting for the owner to sign the papers to sell it to the MC. Not only would that improve security, but the MC had the capital to make repairs and shine it up. Maybe then it wouldn’t drag in every drunk moron within twenty miles.
As he zipped up, he heard the a motorcycle, pulling up near the back door, and it made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. There were no other members scheduled to work tonight, just those who were already here. He was certain it was one of Gomez’s men. He didn’t hesitate pulling his knife and popping his head out the door.
Definitely a Raven. He could see the cut. And he was more than likely coming after the redheads.
Eli growled as the man approached, stopping just out of arm’s reach. But Eli was fast and would strike like a coiled snake if he had to. “I thought you and your asshole friends knew better than to come back. This is our territory. Get out before you start a war.”
Eli leveled the warning, wishing that he had a signed bill of sale in his hands, but he hoped their protection contract would be enough to solidify his claim.
“This is not MC business. This is personal. Let me talk to Scarlet, and I won’t cut either one of you from navel to nose,” he hissed, flashing his own knife.
“You can’t take me, and you know it, so why don’t you scurry back to Gomez and forget about the girl. You didn’t want the kid, and only want her as a punching bag. Grow up, go home.” Eli warned him, making sure the knife caught the glimmer of the lamppost.
“A Flame can handle a fight without all his boys.” The Raven gave a sinister grin.
Eli opened his mouth to retort, but gunshots in the distance made his blood run cold.
Fuck.
He should have known better than to come out here and deal with this shithead. It was bait. He turned to yank the door open and get the situation under control when a bullet flew past, nearly clipping his ear and burying itself in the back side of the building. Spinning, he found the Raven had his gun drawn and leveled, straight at his chest.
“I’m not a bad aim. That was a warning. Tango with me, and earn your right to stop the murder scene about to go down inside.” Eli was disgusted by this asshole, thinking he and his pals needed to go after a bunch of women, mothers. But he had to be smart. The gun was already out, and they were in close proximity. He would have to get closer, close enough to disarm this jackass and pull his own weapon.
As he heard another round being shot off inside the club, the Raven’s eyes darted to the side for a split second, and he lunged.
* * *
Eli spat on the dead body lying on the concrete and yanked the door open, entering the club with long strides and instantly caught a woman collapsing in his arms, just inside. His heart stopped, and his breath came out in a rush as he recognized her blonde hair, her sleek frame. Screaming in fear and rage, he lifted the gun still in his hand and shot at the man in front of him.
He kept firing as Skye peered around the corner and then ducked, another man appearing behind her and taking several more of his bullets. And only when he was surrounded by silence and bodies did he look down, terrified at the blood covering Rory and let the absolute terror and grief overtake him.
17
Rory’s eyes fluttered open and darted around the sterile, bleach white room until they rested on the hulk of a person next to her.
Eli.
His head rested on the bed, and he appeared to be sleeping, his hand intertwined in hers. He looked so peaceful. She tried to say his name but realized there was something in her throat preventing her from talking. And there was pain, so much pain that she winced, trying to find a way to push it down. She needed to alert him that she was awake.
She wiggled her fingers free of his hand, running them through his hair, and the movement had him lifting his head and blinking at her. “Rory! Thank god,” he exclaimed, the tension in his face easing.
Rory started to gag on the breathing tube and reached to pull it out. Eli caught her hand and stopped her, pressing the call button for a nurse.
“We need help in here!” he called. To her, he said quietly, “Just a minute. We’ll get that out of the way. Just hold on.”
The nurse came in, a doctor not far behind, but it wasn’t fast enough. Rory panicked, and the beeping of the heart monitor increased. She tried to pull away from Eli and once again to get a grip on the tube and pull it from her throat until the nurse held her down.
“You need to stay calm. We’re taking the tube out now, and then the doctor needs to take a look at you,” the nurse cooed, trying to help her relax.
It seemed to take forever to remove the tube, and then Rory gasped and coughed, feeling like she might choke as air filled her lungs, rasping in and out past her raw throat.
When she’d gotten control of her breathing, the doctor examined her, and she simply tried to ignore the pain. “Well, it appears this young lady has experienced a miracle,” the doctor said as he backed away.
Eli moved in beside her, holding her hand so tightly she thought he might eventually crush her bones. And she didn’t care, because he was here.
“Breathing deeply might be difficult for some time, since the bullet punctured your lung, but I am confident you’ll make a full recovery,” the doctor said as he washed his hands and left the room.
The nurse checked Rory’s vitals and logged them before leaving her and Eli alone. Rory nervously adjusted the nasal cannula on her face as she stared at Eli, noting the dark circles under his eyes and the haggard appearance, the growth of beard he obviously hadn’t shaved. “How long have I been here?” Rory rasped.
Eli sat down, leaning forward in his chair. “A few days. Four, maybe. I cannot remember exactly. It’s all a little blurry.”
Rory laid back, eyes closed, realizing that she had come very close to death. The events that landed her here were hazy, but she didn’t know if she wanted Eli to clarify, at least not just yet. She opened her eyes and looked back at the man who had obviously stayed by her side the entire time she’d been here and wondered how she’d gotten so lucky.
She watched as he dozed off, his hair a mess and clothes hanging oddly from too much wear. He was still ruggedly sexy despite his desperate need for a shower, and he had to be exhausted. She looked around the bare room at the stark white walls and
thought to herself that they needed to hire an interior decorator to cheer the place up, especially for family and friends who stayed.
She squeezed his hand, getting his attention and waking him. “Eli, go home, take a shower, and get some sleep. You look like a zombie.” She kept her voice soft, at least, as much as she could with the irritation of the tube still bothering her.
Eli leaned closer and gripped her hand tighter, kissing the back of it. “I’m not leaving your side, Rory. It is my fault you’re here in the first place,” he said as he shook his head.
“No, I’m the reason I’m here. You’re not going to take on that guilt. I’m the one who came to the club looking for you. And before you tell me you wanted me to come find you, remember that I’m the one who ran away rather than just talking things through with you. I knew you were working, and I should have waited until you were off. But my patience had worn out,” Rory admitted. “And my jealousy overtook me.”
“Jealousy? Why on earth would you be jealous?” Eli asked as the nurse returned.
“Sorry to bother you, but I have to check your IV lines,” the nurse said as she began poking and prodding.
Rory and Eli waited in silence, the tension in the room escalating, and she watched as Eli shifted nervously in his seat when the nurse finally left.
“Are you going to answer my question?” Eli urged.
“Are you sure that you want me to answer your question?” Rory countered. Her strength was waning fast, but she had to know where he stood and had to tell him how she felt.
“Of course, I do. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t want to know.”
Rory gave a weak smile at the frustration in his voice.
She tried to turn to face him directly, getting a better look at his tired face, but the pain was too much, and she hissed out a breath as she winced.
“Be still,” he told her, standing and settling on the edge of the bed so she could face him. “You have a hole in your chest, Rory. You were shot, pierced a lung, barely missed your heart.” She saw the concern and regret on his face. “You lost a lot of blood and nearly died. Take it easy.”
She nodded and took in his rugged handsomeness, lifting her free hand to feel his stubble covered jaw. She looked deep into his sleep deprived eyes and knew that there was no one else who would ever make her feel the way he did. He smiled back at her through his exhaustion, leaning into her palm, and she knew that she had to convince him to go home.
“I’ll answer you once you go home and shower, get something to eat, and rest a while,” she bargained.
“No, damn it! I don’t want to leave you here alone. They might come to finish the job just to get back at me,” Eli hissed, adamant in his refusal.
“I’ll be fine. I don’t remember much, but for all they know I’m dead. You can’t function like this. It’s important that you take care of you, or you can’t protect me or anyone else. And lord only knows how little you’ve eaten or slept in the past few days. You can’t even remember how long it’s been. Right now, what matters is you getting the things you need. Just go, there’s no need to worry. The nurses will take care of me, and there’s tons of security here. I’m safe, Eli, and I’m going to rest. You won’t miss anything. Go take care of yourself. Please, for me,” Rory said.
Eli sighed and stood, kissing the top of her head before turning toward the door. He stopped and looked back at her once more, still hesitant to leave, and she sent him along with an encouraging wave and the biggest smile she could muster.
She felt a bit nervous about being there alone with everything that had transpired, but she wasn’t willing to let him see it. She wanted him to get some good food and rest, so she smiled and waved until he finally stepped out of her room. As she watched him disappear down the hallway, a lady from the dietary department brought her a tray of food, all liquid. She eagerly but gingerly started eating the meal, hoping Eli would also feed his body and his soul. He needed some time with his club brothers, probably needed an update on how the girls at the club were doing, too.
She needed the time to rest anyway, her body drained from the healing process it was going through and the emotions that had rolled over her, both before and after the incident. They weighed heavily on her, even now.
She felt like her stomach was going to explode as she pushed the tray away. The nurses would be in to check her vitals again soon, and they would take the tray away shortly after. She leaned back against the pillows and closed her eyes, welcoming the peace and the rhythmic beeping of the machines that lulled her into a quiet place. She needed to sleep, and she let the exhaustion pull her under.
* * *
She woke to the sound of the door opening and cracked an eye to see the nurse coming in.
“Hello dear, I am sorry to have to bother you while you are resting, but we have to get these vitals,” the nurse said as she started the task of taking Rory’s vitals.
Rory laid still as the nurse worked and wondered how long she would have to stay in the hospital. It was difficult to rest and recuperate if, every time she got close to falling asleep, it was time to check her vitals again. As the nurse worked, Rory thought about her family and wondered if they had even been notified of the incident. She decided she would ask Eli when he returned.
Or maybe Leigh. Where was she? Rory groaned internally, realizing that, if she’d been in here for three or four days, she’d missed the ceremony. Leigh was probably mad at her, though she could hardly help being shot. Again, she chastised herself for her impatience, as well as for her weakness in leaving in the first place without telling Eli the truth.
“Okay hon, I’m all finished for now. The doctor wants some blood drawn with the next vital check,” the nurse informed her as she left the room.
Rory closed her eyes and tried to get herself to fall asleep before that happened. She knew if she didn’t get any rest, she’d be in worse shape than Eli had been.
She drifted into a fitful sleep. She tried to get comfortable, but movement only made her hurt and kept her conscious. Just as she started to wonder if she would ever fall into a deep sleep, the pain meds she requested kicked in, and she plunged into dreamland.
Rory found herself outside the strip club. She had been jealous of Eli’s work here since they entered their complicated relationship, and she frowned at the façade. The lights flashed letting people know the place was open for business, and music blared through the open doors. She walked inside the club and looked around, searching for Eli. She weaved around the tables and made her way past the stage where dancers were shaking their bodies at the drooling men before them.
She rounded the stage, as a dancer threw her bikini top and hit her shoulder with it. She brushed if off and found Eli at the back of the room, trying to break up an argument between two men. She watched as one of them planted a right hook directly onto Eli’s cheek. He stumbled back a few steps, then recovered, punching the guy in the nose. The man’s nose flattened as a sickening crunch echoed through the air over the dance music.
Rory winced at the sound and hurried after Eli as he walked the man toward the door, the unwelcome patron holding his gushing nose. Eli caught sight of her and shoved the bleeding man at one of the other security guards as he walked over to her.
“What are you doing here? I thought you would meet me at the clubhouse or your place or something.” He seemed frantic as he moved her out of the way of a cat fight.
“I was, but you told me you’d be here, and there are some things I need to say,” she explained.
Before either of them could say another thing, men she didn’t recognize busted through the front and back doors and started shooting. Eli grabbed her and quickly pulled her down against the wall under a table. He stood and pulled his weapon, firing back. She watched from under the table as he dropped several of the other men with clear, precise aim. It was sexy and frightening at the same time.
As Rory watched the chaos unfold and people drop everywhere around her, a sharp, stabbing
pain in her chest made her double over.
“Eli!” she screamed as blood gurgled up into her mouth.
Eli rush in her direction as things went dark.
She woke with a start, and the beeping from her heart monitor was erratic as her pulse pounded in her ears. It made her feel short of breath, and her chest ached terribly. The nurse came in and checked the monitor, looking at Rory in concern.
“I’m going to give you a shot of Ativan to calm you down, before you rupture the sutures inside,” the nurse said as she left the room.
Rory closed her eyes and started counting her breaths and letting them out slowly. The nightmare was nothing like the reality. It hadn’t gone down that way. But it rattled her, and she could see it now the reason he didn’t want her around the strip club, the reason she should be more afraid than she had been. She still wanted him, but she understood the separation between the dangerous aspects of Eli’s life versus his personal experiences. He could handle himself, and she had no business in there with no warning or weapon.
Especially since she could be a distraction that might get him killed.
She opened her eyes as the nurse returned, injecting the sedative into the IV line, and she heard the beep even out.
The nurse went ahead and took vitals and drew blood, claiming she didn’t want to disturb Rory again for a while. She must have rested and lost track of time because, suddenly, Eli came into the room. He sat in the chair at the end of the bed as she fought for full consciousness. Once she was awake, he moved the chair to the side of her bed.
He grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it as he scooted closer. “I’m clean, fed, and rested,” he said teasingly. “Now can I get that answer?”
Rory rolled her eyes and made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat. “Men. You creatures have a one track mind,” she teased with a smile. He just stared at her expectantly and smiled. Reminding herself that she had made up her mind, and she would regret it if she didn’t speak up, she told him, “I was jealous because of your work at the strip club.” She turned away from him, a little embarrassed that this had ever been a problem.
