During the first few years of Joel’s life, she had helped me to raise the boy, but she had died from an epileptic seizure when he was only four. Eyes gleaming with mischief, Jamie slowly walked toward me, sashaying his hips. I watched him in amusement, crossing my foot over the other. The damn boy thrived on attention, and he was loving the fact that I couldn’t keep my eyes off him.
The screech of tires didn’t register at first. A glare of blinding headlights illuminated Jamie, who was halfway across the driveaway to me.
“Jamie!” I yelled when I realized the vehicle wasn’t stopping. Frozen in terror, he stared at the car bearing down at him at a fast pace. I rushed toward him, fear making the short distance seem longer than it was.
It seemed to take me forever to get to him. I hurled my body at him, knocking him off his feet as the car narrowly missed us. I managed to turn us before we went down, shielding Jamie as much as possible from the brunt of the fall.
I tumbled onto my back, hitting the asphalt hard enough to knock the wind out of me. Jamie half landed on top of me, but I barely noticed. The pain that exploded in my back was excruciating enough for me to edge unconsciousness.
“Grimm!” Jamie yelled, and he scrambled off my body. “Oh my God, Grimm, say something.”
I sucked in a deep breath and groaned, pushing past the cloak of darkness that threatened to overwhelm me. I opened my eyes with a grimace and stared at Jamie, who knelt on the ground, peering down at me. His face was pale, eyes still dilated with shock as he ran his hand down the side of my face in a caress.
“Thank God!” he cried out. “Where does it hurt? Did you hit your head?”
I groaned again as I tried to sit up this time despite him pushing me back against the ground. “No, I didn’t hit my head,” I replied.
As though he didn’t believe me, Jamie cupped the back of my head, feeling for I didn’t know what.
“I’m fine,” I lied, my back still hurting from the fall. “What about you? Are you hurt?”
He shook his head. “No, I didn’t hit the asphalt. You did. We need to check you out.”
I staved him off as I tried rising to my feet, but bile rushed in my mouth, and the ground wouldn’t stop moving.
“Please, don’t get up,” Jamie begged, pressing me back to a sitting position on the ground. “Oh my God, Grimm, we were almost hit by that reckless driver!”
Reckless driver or deliberate pursuit? The throbbing in my back was not as strong anymore but still hurt something awful. I was used to the pain, though, this not being the worst I’d ever felt physically.
“Did he stop?” I glanced around us and, for the first time, noticed the people who had gathered close to check out what had happened.
“No, he drove on,” Jamie replied, placing a hand on my shoulder. “I know you said you didn’t hit your head, but let me check you for a concussion.”
“I’m fine, Jamie.”
“What’s happening here? You’re all blocking the driveway.” I turned to the newcomer who had spoken. He was a tall, medium-built man with a ferocious scowl. His gaze landed on Jamie, and a flicker of recognition went through his eyes. “Dehaney, should I be surprised you’re in the middle of this…whatever this is!”
“Dr. Collier!” Jamie released my arm and turned to the man. “We were almost hit by a car that got out of control. Grimm pushed me out of the way, but he took a nasty fall.”
The doctor’s frown deepened as he assessed me, then addressed the small crowd. “For Pete’s sake, everyone, there’s nothing to see here, so why don’t you get about your business and stop blocking the driveway? Unless one of you got the license plate number, you might as well just move along.”
The man spoke with a clipped tone of authority, and I could tell why Jamie felt the need to impress this doctor, who was his attending physician. From what I’d heard of him, I didn’t like him at all and the way he treated Jamie, but I was impressed at his ability to clear a crowd without a cut and a domineering physique.
The admiration promptly turned into a scowl when the doctor pulled a penlight from his pocket and shone it into my eyes, blinding me.
“What the hell are you doing?” I growled at him.
“Checking if you have a concussion,” he replied, his tone stilted, jaw clenched. “Why haven’t you checked him out, Dehaney?”
“He was being stubborn,” Jamie replied, placing a hand on my shoulder.
“He is right here.” I plucked the penlight from the doctor’s hand, switched it off, and tucked it back into the top pocket of his shirt. “I don’t have a concussion, and I’m fine. At least I will be if I can get my hands around the neck of that fucker who almost ran us over. You could be useful then in pronouncing him dead.”
The doctor gasped, and Jamie gave a strained high-pitched giggle. “He’s just joking. I’ll take him home and ensure he’s fine.”
The doctor straightened and stared at Jamie. “You and I need to have a conversation before your shift starts tomorrow.”
With that, he strutted off, his posture stiff as if he hadn’t really been interested in helping out in the first place. Just the sort of thing I expected from doctors when they noticed my cut.
“So that’s the Dr. Collier who’s been making your life miserable?” I asked, rising to my feet. Jamie offered a hand, but I brushed him away. Thankfully my jacket had cushioned the fall a bit. Still, I expected to be black and blue all over tomorrow.
“Yeah.” Jamie chewed on his bottom lip. “Are you sure you’re okay, Grimm?”
“I’ll be fine,” I answered softly, seeing the worry in his eyes. “What about you?”
He shook his head, and a shiver ran through him. He wrapped his arms around himself. “It was so unexpected. I thought…”
He trailed off, and I pulled him into my arms. He burrowed into my chest, shudders racking him from the ripple effect of almost being run over. I tightened my grip on him at the thought of how easily I could have lost him tonight.
“Come on. Let’s take you home.”
Chapter Seventeen
Jamie
As a result of the erratic hours I kept working at the hospital, there was no rhyme or reason to my sleep cycle. Often, I was so tired after a shift I would crash for hours before waking up and preparing to face another day. Still, I usually managed to get at least six solid hours of sleep before my next shift started. I doubted I got even three hours last night, though, after finally crawling into bed with Grimm following the accident.
I would fall asleep only to be yanked awake by Grimm shouting my name or the out-of-body experience of watching a car bear down on me while I was too stunned to move. When I wasn’t being rudely awakened by the nightmares, Grimm’s groans every time he turned in bed kept me up. I worried he was hurt more than he was letting on, but he was too stubborn to seek medical assistance. He wouldn’t even allow me to look him over and had refused the painkillers I’d insisted on him taking.
“You stubborn man,” I murmured at his sleepy frame in the big bed beside me. He lay on his stomach, his head turned in my direction, mouth slightly open. Whatever he was dreaming about left a worried look on his face. Was his dreams plagued with the same event as mine—how close I’d come to being run over last night? If he hadn’t been so quick on his feet, the outcome wouldn’t have been pretty.
My hero.
I’d always thought of him like that, and last night he had demonstrated why I held him in such high regard. Tattoos, patches, and all, Graeme Buckley was still one of the most decent men I’d ever known. He might have a few skeletons—okay a lot— in his closet, but who didn’t?
The light knock on the bedroom door was unexpected. Not wanting to wake him up, I carefully slid out of the bed and padded barefoot to the door. I could only think of one man who would be checking up on Grimm this early, knowing I was here.
Booker waited outside, one hand on his hip as he glanced at me. “Hey, I knocked downstairs but figured you weren’t up yet when n
obody answered the door.”
“Yeah, it was a rough night,” I answered, rubbing at my eyes, which still felt too gritty from the lack of sleep.
“No kidding. You look like shit.”
“Couldn’t you have at least pretended I didn’t?” I asked, trying to glare at him, but I didn’t have the energy, so it fell flat.
“Sorry, kid. That’s not my way. How’s he doing?” He glanced over my head. I wished I wasn’t so much damn smaller than everyone around here. Zak was the closest in height to me, and he was still inches above me.
“Damned if I know,” I replied, crossing my arms over my chest. “He keeps saying he’s fine, but he has to be in pain. He hit the ground hard, Booker.”
“Yeah, well, Grimm’s a tough prez.”
“You know I can hear you both, right?” came Grimm’s voice. Now his glare was perfectly aimed at both Booker and me.
“Sorry, we didn’t mean to wake you up.” Booker stepped around me and entered Grimm’s bedroom. “We didn’t really get a chance to talk after you came home last night, and I thought it might be a good idea to check in on you.”
Grimm sat up in bed, shifting his attention from Booker to me. “Jamie, be a good boy and give Booker and me some privacy to talk?”
I darted my gaze from him to Booker, my lips thinning into a flat line. What did he have to say to Booker that he couldn’t say in front of me?
“Can’t you talk about club business later?” I asked. “You should be resting, Grimm. As tough as you want to act, you’re not made out of iron, and your body needs to recover from the fall last night. I’m not just speaking as your boyfriend either but as a doctor.”
“I’m still in bed, aren’t I?” He gestured toward the door. “We’ll be talking about something that can’t wait. Now get your cute fanny out of my bedroom and knock when you want to get back in.”
I glanced down at his shirt that I had on over my underwear, remembering what had happened the last time I’d ventured outside his bedroom. He must have noticed my dilemma because his features softened. “Don’t worry. Nobody’s allowed in the main house anymore except for Booker. You’ll be safe going down the stairs on your own.”
With a sigh, I nodded. “Okay, I’m going. I might as well make us some coffee, although I can’t guarantee how good it will be.”
“Good boy.”
Or not. I closed the bedroom door behind me, but I didn’t budge. I had no intention of being left in the dark about what Grimm didn’t want me to hear. Once I had an idea of what it was about, I could get started on that coffee, but I needed to know what he couldn’t discuss in my presence.
“Did you track down the car?” Grimm asked, his voice low and barely audible through the door.
“We got the license plate number from our inside source at the PD who checked the traffic cams,” Booker replied. “The make and model were just what you described, and the twins are tracking down the owner as we speak.”
“And they’re instructed not to harm the driver?”
“They know to keep him alive until we get answers. You sure this wasn’t an accident?”
“And the driver didn’t bother to stop? Too convenient for me. In any event, what the asshole did was messed up. You accidentally nearly run somebody over, the decent thing would have been to see if you caused any damage. Either way, when I get my hands on him, he’ll never get behind another steering wheel.”
I placed a hand over my mouth to cover up my gasp. It had never once crossed my mind that last night’s incident hadn’t been an accident. Sure, I’d thought the driver was shitty for not stopping and checking we were okay, but based on their conversation, Grimm obviously thought someone had almost run me over intentionally.
The bedroom door yanked open, and I blinked up at Grimm guiltily when he caught me eavesdropping.
“Are you hankering for a punishment, Jamie?” he snapped at me. “Get your ass downstairs now. What we’re discussing doesn’t concern you.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him if they thought someone had deliberately tried to run me over, then it sure as hell concerned me. The stern warning look he gave me, though, had me skirting toward the staircase. “Fine, I’m going, but I don’t like you keeping secrets from me.”
“I don’t want to worry you for nothing, Half-Way. We’ll talk when I’m certain of something.”
At least that was something.
I nodded and headed down the stairs to the kitchen to make us coffee. The pantry was still sparse with just a few food items. I’d need to persuade him to go shopping so we could eat together sometimes and not at the clubhouse. I didn’t get the whole separationist bullshit they had going on there. Like I was good enough for a fuck but not good enough to eat with?
The coffee I made was decent enough, but I didn’t want to go upstairs and interrupt Grimm’s meeting with his Enforcer. I sat at the kitchen table and tried to let it sink in what Grimm thought of last night. The implication was astounding.
A shiver ran down my spine, and I clutched the coffee cup between my hands, staring into the steamy, murky liquid. Grimm always worried about me being associated with him. So did my dad, and although I was aware of the risks involved, I’d never thought something like this would happen. Sure as hell not so soon.
Who the hell knew we were an item anyway? With the number of hours I worked at the hospital, we hardly ever got to spend time together. Did that mean Grimm was being more scrutinized than I’d thought? I knew for sure the man had enemies. Joel and I had learned from early on to keep out of the path of the Bloodlets, given they were a rival club that shared the same territory with the Reapers.
“I’m on my way out,” Booker stated, stopping at the entrance of the kitchen. “Zak will be here soon to take you home and to work while Grimm recuperates.”
I rose to my feet, wringing my hands. “He wouldn’t even allow me to take a look at his back. How bad is he?”
“Not bad given some of the shit we’ve been through together,” he replied with a reassuring smile. “He’ll be good as new soon. The son of a gun’s just getting old.”
I scowled at him. “He ain’t that old.”
“Whatever, kid. I’m hardly the one to judge. Whatever floats your boat. I should get going.”
“Booker, wait!” He stopped and turned back toward me. “Does he really think that last night’s incident was deliberate?”
He made a strangled sound in his throat. “I can’t talk to you about this.”
“But he won’t say anything!” I cried out in frustration. “If somebody out there is trying to kill me, shouldn’t I know?”
“We don’t know for sure someone’s after you. We’re just being cautious is all. Now you already have me saying too much. Go bring Grimm his coffee, and for once, don’t be too much of a brat while he’s not feeling his best. He doesn’t act like it most times, but he only has one life, and we want him around for as long as possible.”
When he left, I poured a cup of coffee for Grimm and waited until my hands weren’t shaking before I climbed the stairs. I pushed open the bedroom door, fully expecting him to still be in bed. He stood in the center of the room, his arms through the sleeves of a shirt, his back presented to me.
“Oh God!” I gasped, coming perilously close to dropping the tray. His back was an ugly shade of black and blue from his fall.
“Jamie, what did I say about knocking?” Grimm asked.
Ignoring his surly tone, I placed the tray with the coffee on the dresser and walked over to him, even more worried now about the back trauma he had suffered.
“You should at least have an X-ray on your back, Grimm.”
“I told you I’m fine,” he answered, yanking the shirt over his head and down his torso to cover the bruises. “I’ll have it looked at later. Why don’t you go take a shower before Zak comes by to pick you up?”
I placed a hand on his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart. If he didn’t want me to talk about his
back, I wouldn’t, but I had other things to say to him.
“Okay, I’ll stop bothering you about it.”
He covered my hand with his and squeezed. “Good, you’re getting worked up over nothing.”
Despite disagreeing with him, I let it go for now. I pushed up onto my toes and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you for saving me last night.”
He grunted. “Did I, Jamie? What if I was the reason you were almost mowed down last night? Would you still be saying ‘thanks’?”
He didn’t give me a chance to reply but headed for the bedroom door. “We’ll be having a church session in the clubhouse. Stay in until Zak comes for you.”
I was relieved when Zak dropped me off at Dad’s house and he wasn’t home. Having dealt with a surly Grimm this morning, the last thing I needed was to have him confront me with more reasons why Grimm was unsuitable for me.
I had no intention of telling him of last night’s narrow escape. I was already in a bad mood from Grimm’s iciness. He hadn’t even kissed me when he’d walked me to Zak’s car and ensured I was safely buckled in. I would have thought he didn’t care except for him sternly warning Zak that he should be careful with his merchandise.
Merchandise! I should have been pissed at him referring to me like that, but a part of me must have been truly sick. I’d melted under the possessiveness and fierce protectiveness of his tone. At least he’d promised he’d call me.
Zak waited for me to change, and then he drove me to the hospital early enough to meet Dr. Collier before my shift officially began like he had requested. He parked the car and waited for me to get out. Boy did I feel crappy about Zak being my babysitter.
“I’m sorry you’re stuck driving me around,” I said. He was a nice guy, and he would have no doubt preferred being around Booker instead of me, but he was too polite to say that.
“No need to apologize,” he replied. “Driving you around isn’t something Grimm takes lightly, so I know he trusts me since he placed you in my care. His trust doesn’t come easily, so I’m glad to play chauffeur for his pretty boy.”
Biker Daddy (The Grimm Tales of Smoky Vale Book 1) Page 14
