Emerald

by Rebekah Thompson

“Look what we have here,” a man drawls, “Wolf’s little sister and one of her little friends.”

  Dropping my bags, I spin around to find three men, standing there. My eyes rake over their cuts. HELL RIDERS is patched above an ugly image of a demon riding a Harley. All three men are standing with smirks on their faces with unkempt hair and scraggly, long beards. They look like they haven’t washed their clothes in at least two days, and I’m sure if I step closer, I could smell them.

  One of them steps forward, and, on instinct, I push Lacy behind me. “Don’t even think about it,” I spit, reaching for the pistol in the waistband of my shorts.

  “Oh, and what if we don’t, baby?” Man number one sneers.

  I whip my pistol out, load it, and point it at him, “I blow your brains out.” I glance at the other men as he stumbles back from the unexpected turn of events. Lacy’s hand touches my arm, but I don’t look back at her.

  “What do you want?” I ask. The man smirks and his eyes fall on Lacy.

  “Her,” he snarls, “And we’ll go through you to get her.” He lunges forward, and before I can pull the trigger, he grabs my wrist and snaps it. Pain rides up my arm, making me cry out. I throw a left hook to his jaw. The force makes him stumble back, and I kick him, sending him to the floor.

  Holding my injured wrist to my chest, I spin, landing a roundhouse kick to his head and knocking him out.

  “Who’s next?” I ask the other two men. My self-defense classes are coming in handy right now.

  Man number two lunges, and I dodge a hit. “Run and call someone!” I yell to Lacy, pushing her. She hesitates and I scream, “Now!” She runs toward the mall.

  Pain slams into my cheek, sending me falling back. I steady myself and kick my right leg out, burying it in man number two’s gut. Man number three lunges. I stop his fist mid-air and kick his knee. He falls to the ground as the second man gets back up.

  The second man grabs my wrist and the third man runs off after Lacy. I whimper from the pain as the second man lifts me off the ground and slams a fist into my face. My head snaps back. “No,” I groan, reaching for the man with my uninjured hand.

  He moves to hit me again, but I grab his hand and kick out. My foot slams into his crotch, which makes him groan in pain and drops me to the ground.

  Scrambling to my feet, I use my good hand to punch him, hitting his temple and knocking him out. His body slumps to the ground in a messy lump. I wait a second, watching to make sure he’s out, before I take off after man number three.

  My thoughts turn to Lacy as I run. If that man got to her and hurt her, I’ll kill him. I won’t be able to live with myself if she got hurt while she is with me.

  My wrist and face burn like fire is crawling across them. I’ve been through worse pain than this, but I don’t know about Lacy. I push the thoughts aside and sprint, panting, into the mall. I look around to see if I can find Lacy and spot several men from the Saints MC restraining the third man from outside.

  Lacy, who is crying on a man’s chest, looks to be unharmed.

  “Lacy!” I call out, skidding to a stop in front of them. I cradle my wrist to my chest. “Are you okay?” I ask. She spins to look at me and cries out.

  “Me? I’m fine,” she cries, throwing her arms around me. She squeezes me to her and asks, “Are you okay?”

  I nod. “Just a little beat up, but I’m okay,” I tell her, then turn to the men. “The other two were unconscious in the parking lot when I ran this way. Both belong to the Hell Riders,” I say. The man that was holding Lacy nods and sends several men out, but he stays with us. The men holding the Hell Rider stay, keeping him restrained and down.

  The man is holding Lacy again, and I study him. His patch says President, so I assume this is Maverick. His arms are wrapped around Lacy, his lips resting on Lacy’s forehead.

  Definitely dating.

  “Did someone call Wolf or Dominic?”

  “I called him,” Maverick says, taking a seat and holding Lacy in his lap. She curls up to him. I watch as they interact and as Maverick whispers sweet things in her ear.

  Black dots swim in my vision. I shake my head to clear them out, but they seem to swarm like gnats. “Um, can someone get me some ice or… or something?” I ask no one in particular.

  One man jogs off to fulfill the request.

  “Lacy! Angel!” Wolf’s voice calls.

  “Angel!” I look up, fighting the dizziness and spots clouding my vision. Wolf and Dominic run toward us, only stopping when they reach us. A few Black Hawk riders follow, scanning the area as they reach us.

  “Are you okay?” Dominic asks, looking me over. Wolf asks the same thing to both me and Lacy. I look back to Dominic and nod, but the motion makes me even more dizzy. The man from the Saints comes back and hands me the ice. I give him a slight smile in thanks.

  Placing the ice on my wrist makes me cry from pain.

  “You’re not okay,” Dominic growls, gritting his teeth. “What happened?” He demands. I begin to tell him of the men and then attacking us, but dizziness falls over me, my body swaying.

  “Angel?” Dominic mutters.

  Darkness takes over.

  “Angel!” Dominic shouts, jumping forward to grab me as I plunge into darkness.

  Chapter 6

  An annoying, continuous beeping sound pulls me from my sleep. The noise is coming from beside me, very close. I sweep my arm out, thinking it’s my alarm clock. Nothing happens.

  Opening my eyes is my next step, but I immediately close them because of the bright light that blinds me. I lift my other hand to block the light but wince as pain travels up my arm.

  “Angel? Can you hear me?” A deep voice asks, making me open my eyes slowly.

  “D-Dominic,” I rasp, “Where am I?”

  He sighs and runs a hand through his very soft looking hair and sits down in a chair beside me. “You’re in the hospital,” he tells me. “You passed out at the mall because you have a concussion and a fractured wrist.”

  I can’t believe that man broke my wrist. I attempt to pull myself into a sitting position to be more comfortable. Of course, I can’t use my hand, so Dominic helps me and then pushes the call button for the nurse.

  I haven’t been in a hospital since I gave birth. After I was taken by Viper, I took care of myself. I didn’t go to the hospital because I knew they’d contact the cops and I didn’t know if I could deal with that. I didn’t know how I’d deal with that.

  My mind snaps back when I realize Dominic is the only one here.

  “Where’s Lacy? Where are my kids?”

  “Lacy is fine, thanks to you,” he answers. “What were you thinking? You should have run or called for help or… or…” He groans, a loud, tortured sound. Having someone sound so worried and upset about me is new, or at least somewhat new to me. It’s refreshing. Different.

  “I couldn’t run. I’m not a scared little girl,” I spit. How could he just expect me to run? “I learned to fight, to protect myself for a reason. I wasn’t about to let someone wreck all the progress I’ve made over the years since my abduction,” I defend, glaring at the man. He has no say over me, no power over me.

  He moves to say something, but I cut him off. “No, I know what it’s like to be kidnapped,” I tell him. “Those men were after Lacy. I wasn’t about to let them get her.”

  Dominic stares. But he doesn’t look mad anymore. He looks resigned as he runs his hands over his face over and over. “Where the hell is the nurse?” He growls, standing and pacing. If he continues, he’ll run a hole in the floor. The impatience is a little endearing. It shows that he cares.

  Not a second later, a man in scrubs enters the room. “You’re awake. Good,” the nurse says. “My name is Alex and if you need anything, I’m your man.” He winks and gives a dashing smile. He explains the extent of my injuries; I have a concussion, a fractured wrist, which means I need this cast for six to eight weeks, and I’ve got minor bruises and scrapes from the fight.

&
nbsp; He informs me that if I start throwing up, blacking out, or pain from my wrist travels to my upper arm, I need to come back. Apparently, these are things that can cause more damage from either of my more major injuries.

  All the while the nurse is talking, Dominic is glaring. Especially when the nurse winks and flirts with me.

  “Other than those few things, you’re free to go once you’ve signed your release papers,” the nurse says, giving me a slip of paper. “And if you need anything, call me.” He winks again. That’s what… the sixth or seventh wink he’s sent my way since he’s been talking to me. I’m starting to think there’s something wrong with his eye, even when I know he’s trying to flirt.

  The small paper seems to burn a hole in my hand, so I glance at it. His name and number are scrawled across the paper.

  “Um.” I try to think of something to say that won’t hurt his feelings, but I’m stopped when Dominic growls and grabs the man’s collar, yanking him back.

  “Don’t make me report your for being unprofessional,” Dominic snarls, “And she won’t be calling.” He shoves the man toward the door. I bite my lip to keep from giggling as the nurse stumbles, practically running out of the room. It’s surprising that he didn’t pee himself with how scary Dominic’s glare is.

  Dominic keeps his eyes on the door for a minute before turning to me. His dark eyes melt when he looks at me, the anger gone, replaced by a softer, more caring expression. That is until his eyes narrow at the little paper in my hand.

  Is he acting possessive because he likes me? Or is it because I’m injured?

  Holding my hand out, I let him take the paper.

  “I don’t want it,” I tell him truthfully. What I don’t say is that I want him, not some not some blond-haired blue-eyed nurse that looks like Hitler’s idea of perfection. I watch in amusement as he rips the tiny paper up and throws it in the trash.

  When he comes back to my bedside, I hold my arm out. One thing the nurse forgot was to take the IV out. “Will you get this stupid thing out of my arm?” I ask, and Dominic smiles.

  “As you wish,” he says, then carefully pulls the needle out of my arm. Then he continues to help unhook me from all the machines. The nurse turned the machines off, which is good, but he was too focused on flirting to remember anything else.

  “You never told me where my kids are,” I say as he finishes and helps me to my feet.

  Hawk grabs a bag and hands it to me. “They’re with Wolf,” he says. “Wolf wanted to make sure they’re okay, and with someone they know, because we weren’t sure how long you’d be in here.”

  Nodding, I ask, “Do you have clothes I can wear?”

  “Right here,” he says, motioning to the bag he has. He pulls out a black shirt, one that isn’t mine, as well as a pair of jean shorts. Lacy must have grabbed those for me, but Dominic must have gotten the shirt. If I had to guess, it’s his.

  “Exactly how long have I been here?” I question.

  “All night. I told Lacy she needed to go rest, so Maverick took her home and that’s when I called Wolf and he got the kids,” he tells me. I nod and sheepishly look up at him.

  “Can you help me?” I ask. Because of my cast, I can’t fully get dressed on my own.

  Dominic stares for a second before nodding. While I lean against the bed, Dominic helps me slide into my shorts. What I like about him is the fact he’s not trying to look under my hospital gown. He slides the shorts up until they’re in place, then lifts the gown to button them.

  Next, he grabs a bra that Lacy packed. Heat sears my cheeks as I turn to allow him to snap the bra on. After that, I allow him to lift the paper gown and pull the shirt over my head, maneuvering my casted wrist through the hole.

  The shirt hangs very loose on me, being probably three sizes too big, because let’s face it, he’s huge. Muscles on muscles, honestly. And the smell. God, the shirt smells just like him. Leather, spice, and a bit of an oil smell.

  When I look up, he’s mere inches from me. My heart thumps faster and faster until it feels like it’s running in my chest. This is starting to become a familiar feeling around Dominic. Men usually make my heart race for a completely different reason, but I can’t help but like when Dominic makes my heart race.

  “You look great in my shirt,” he mutters, his voice husky. Brushing his knuckles down my cheek makes me bite my lip to hold in a gasp. A shiver runs down my spine as my heart kicks up to a million miles an hour.

  An unknown expression settles on his face, and he pulls back. “We should go.” He grabs the bag as I nod in response. What just happened? One minute he was leaning in, touching my cheek and the next, he’s moved back and blank faced. Did I do something wrong or did he realize he didn’t want me?

  I thought he was going to kiss me. Why didn’t he kiss me?

  Wait, what am I saying? I told myself I wasn’t here to meet a man. How could I not be drawn to him? He’s kind, caring, strong, and even though I haven’t known him for long, he’s been there for me.

  So, we silently make our way out to the nurse’s station to fill out the discharge paperwork.

  ~*~

  A day later, I walk into the Roadhouse. Lacy has the kids, and I don’t like sitting around doing nothing. I spent all day yesterday with my kids, explaining what happened to my wrist. They got scared at first, but I explained to them that I’m okay.

  “What are you doing here, lass?” Wolf asks as I walk up to the bar. “How are you feeling?” I take a seat at the bar and give him a smile.

  “Other than the tenderness and pain in my wrist, and the headaches when I wake up, I’m okay. I’ve had worse and you know it. I’d rather die than let someone else go through what I went through,” I tell him. He slides water over to me, his friendly smile dropping.

  “Look, Angel, I’m thankful you helped my sister. However, that doesnae mean you should fight off three guys twice your size, Angel,” he says, leaning over the counter. He stares right into my eyes.

  Sighing, I settle my chin in my good hand. Wolf is silent for a few minutes before a smirk spreads across his face. “You know, Hawk was pissed when he heard what happened, then when he saw you pass out,” he tells me. “It took four men holdin’ him back from killin’ those Hell Riders,” he explains.

  My mouth drops open, one question running through my head. “Why?”

  Wolf rolls his eyes and chuckles. “You’re serious? Do you no’ see how he looks at you, lass?” He questions. I shake my head, not particularly liking that he’s laughing at me. “I’ve known Hawk for our whole lives, and he’s never looked at anyone like he looks at you,” he explains.

  I hum in response. If Dominic liked me, would he tell me, or would he keep it to himself? Wolf is trustworthy, so if he says it’s so, I can believe him. I know he wouldn’t lie to me if he thinks what he’s saying is right, so the question is whether he’s right or not.

  “You two would make a good couple,” Wolf says as he hands a drink to the waitress. He sounds just like Lacy.

  “Look, Angel, if you’re here to work, then you’re out of luck,” he says, “I’m not letting you work today.” I huff and mock glare at him.

  “You expect me to sit around and sulk?” I question. “I have two kids to take care of. I need money to do that.” I need this job. If I can’t pay rent or even pay for food, I’ll have to move again. Honestly, I don’t think that Wolf would let me go under, but I still don’t like thinking about it.

  Wolf stops and stares at me. What is with men staring at me? They make me feel like I’ve got something on my face.

  “I’m not in pain and I’m going to be in this cast for the next six weeks, so what would be the point in staying home?” I ask. The noise in the bar becomes background noise as we discuss work. I want to work, but he doesn’t want me to hurt myself more. We argue back and forth before Wolf grabs my hands.

  “You dinnae have anything to prove, Angel,” he promises, his accent thickening with each word. I shake my head and
stare down at the bar.

  “Yes, I do. I want you, and everyone,” I pause, motioning to the surrounding people, “to see that I’m not the seventeen-year-old girl you had to save three years ago.” The people in the room go about their business, unknowing of their part in the conversation.

  Wolf smiles and a sense of calm washes over me. He knows how I feel and isn’t trying to get under my skin. All he wants to do is help me.

  “Angel, you’re strong and beautiful. You’ve become an amazing person in these three years and I’m glad that, other than the nightmares, you’re not letting your past hold you down,” Wolf tells me, squeezing my hand. I give him a smile as he goes back to work.

  Sitting there, I think over his words. He didn’t know me well, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t seen a change in me. I’ve seen a change in me. The naivety I possessed before I was seventeen was blown away, replaced by a boiling fear and paranoia that I’ve worked to repress. Sometimes it still comes out, but I believe I’ve gotten better at thinking things through before freaking out.

  After sitting here for a while, I notice Reaper sauntering up to the bar. I glance around, looking for Dominic, but I don’t see anyone with Reaper. He nods to me before ordering a beer from Wolf. I reach over the car and grab one from under and hand it to Reaper.

  “Here you go,” I say, smiling. He glances at Wolf, whose eyebrows are pulled together above narrowed eyes.

  “Thanks,” he grunts, walks away, and sits alone at a table in the back. I watch him. No one goes to him. He doesn’t go to anyone. At one point, Kayden and Jayden walk up to talk to him, but other than that, he stays to himself.