by J. C. Allen
“The club is going to protect you. We’re family. It’s what we do.”
He stepped back and sighed, clearing his throat.
“I can still defend myself against my Uncle, away from here, where no one else will get hurt.”
Jaxson gave me an annoyed look he tried to blink away quickly.
“I also wouldn’t recommend that. You’d just leave Simon worried sick and Michael out where he doesn’t know how to hide, if you tell him to. This is the best place for you.”
“They almost burned down your club.”
He laughed at that. Bikers could sometimes have rather peculiar senses of humor.
“Well it’s a historical landmark now so the city would have just rebuilt it for us.”
“Jaxson… why are you doing this?”
For one of the few times since I had known him, he didn’t sound flippant or caustic; he sounded completely serious.
“I almost let Isabelle go when I didn’t have to. But she fought for me, she was—she is better than me in that way. And now she’s my wife. She was right about the whole thing. It’s not what’s around us, it’s just us. Always. So let it be just you and Simon, and everything will be fine. Plus, that kid over there needs his dad,”
So many things in what he had said were right, including the last part. If nothing else, I knew there’d be hell to pay from the Kinsmen if Simon didn’t get to be a dad—it wasn’t a threat, but it was definitely reality.
I sighed with the realization that he was right. I couldn’t really defend myself on the run, nor could I live on the run forever. I had put roots down her at the hospital and the day care. Even Michael has too. If I was to build a life here, I had to be better at not running when things got hard. Especially ff I am to build a life with Simon and Michael and his family.
“Okay. I won’t leave. I promise.”
Jaxson noded and visibly let out a breath of relief.
“Let’s go then. Simon’s waiting for you.”
It scared me silly when Michael got on Zeke’s bike, but his squeals weren’t of terror. He had a helmet on anyways, and apparently Zeke rode a bike at the age of ten, just two years ahead of Michael. I hung on to Jaxson as he woulnd through the woods, but it definitely did not give me the same feeling as riding with Simon. That was for Isabelle to feel.
She had seemed capable and strong each time I met her but still leaned into Jaxson the way he did with her. I wanted that with Simon. I had it with him in the past and was so close to it again now.
I hung on to that taste of hope and prayed for it to become reality.
15
Simon
I made up with Mom shortly after.
I knew she only wanted the best for me, just like my brothers. Sometimes, she could be a pain in the ass, but overall, I really loved my mom and knew I had lucked out with her. It didn’t hurt matters that she had privately expressed her true, positive feelings for Ella, and things were on the upswing in that regard.
I was now just waiting for Jaxson and Zeke to bring Rosella on home to me so that all could be good again.
Everyone else, for the time being, went back to the club. I had to stay at the hospital overnight and most of the day tomorrow to be observed. I didn’t have any head injuries on admittance, but the doctor wanted to make sure something wasn’t there that wasn’t on the scan. I guess I appreciated the chance to heal, but mostly, I just wanted to get back on my bike and ride.
For the time being, though, I rolled over in bed and waited.
And waited.
And then waited some more.
It was starting to get real frustrating as I wondered why the hell they hadn’t come back with Ella. Had something happened to them? Had something happened to her? Had she just chosen not to come back unless I made the effort?
In times like these, I just would have hopped on my bike under normal circumstances and made my way over to her. But, obviously, in my condition, thanks to the work of some asshole, I wasn’t able to. So, I was reduced to having to rely on my brain to get my way out of this—a truly terrifying feeling for me.
It was after midnight when I felt the hospital slowly start to go to sleep. The lights in the hall went off. I shut my television off to try and sleep, and maybe wake up to Elle back here again. I knew nurses would be around if I needed them, but honestly, I was just so damn tired and so drained that I couldn’t even fake being awake that long. I just wanted to get some R&R.
Sleep was fortunately easy to find, but I found myself falling in my dream. At first, it was peaceful.
But then it got violent. Dangerous, even. I began to fear for my life. I gasped for air. I had the feeling of being strangled. I tried to shoot up and awaken from my dream.
Only then did I realize that I was not dreaming. I was under attack in real life—someone, almost certainly whoever had tried to run me off the road, was now trying to kill me.
I felt the plush of the pillow press into my face. My legs kicked up, and my hands went flying out. I grabbed the face of whoever the fuck was doing this and pulled back to punch them. It wasn’t hard, but it got them off me just enough so I could wiggle out of bed. My IVs and needles came out again, fortunately setting off that alarm.
Never had I been so grateful that a whole shitload of nurses would be in here within seconds, checking to see why they thought I was being difficult.
Whoever had done this got the smart sense to get the hell out of there then. I flipped on a switch, but it wasn’t in time to get enough details; just to see that it was a slender, taller man who looked older than me.
But then he paused at the doorway, as if half turning his head to see if he had finished the job. His pause was so short that it wasn’t long enough for me to see his face, but it was long enough for me to notice a few things—a tattoo, a shaved head, and a black shirt.
Maybe it wouldn’t be enough to identify him, but it was enough to narrow it down. I tried to get out and stop him, but I was too physically weakened. There wasn’t going to be any catching this guy tonight.
Tomorrow, though? Or whenever I get out of here? I’m going to find out who you are, bud. And I am going to kill you.
Seconds later, the nurses came in with one hospital security guard. They looked flustered—none of them had probably ever suspected that their hospital would have been a place where a crime would have occurred.
Unfortunately, an awful lot of “firsts” were getting violated these days, none of them good.
“He broke in! He just went to the left!”
The guard went after him, but I knew it was no use. He wouldn’t get to him fast enough. Whoever it was, they broke in without being detected, and they had left the same way. The person who had done this had experience and the know-how to cause trouble like that.
“Are you alright, Mr. Kinsmen?”
The nurse was young and blonde, and I recognized her from earlier. But despite being an employee here, she looked more shaken up than even me. Who could blame her? She was probably wondering if other patients were at risk or if she and her colleagues were at risk. And what was I going to do, tell her that only I would get targeted?
There was just no way. I had a limit on what sort of magic I could work with the hospital staff. And frankly, given that I’d almost gotten murdered, I wasn’t in the mood to console anyone else. I was just in the mood to kill that asshole.
I barely nodded as I coughed; my lungs were still bothered by the smoke, now almost smothered.
Someone really wants me dead, and they won’t stop until I am.
Or they are.
“Did you see his face or any identifying marks?”
From the looks of it, the detective was not at all excited about this. First the club went up in flames, and now an attack in a civilian hospital had taken place. I learned he had knocked out a security guard and a young nurse to get to me. I didn’t blame the detective for not wanting to tread into some seriously dangerous territory.
I took a
second to remember what I could. Although the rush of the experience had made it difficult to catch things in the moment, with a cooler head, more details slowly returned.
“He had tattoo of a beacon on his neck. Dark hair, heavy build.”
He nodded, jotting it down in his pocket notebook. The detective still didn’t look thrilled, although he was at least asking the important questions.
“Hm. And did he say anything?”
“No, but I can say with reasonable confidence that he was the same guy from before that hit me with his car.”
I rolled my neck and used the oxygen mask to catch my breath. I had taken a beating and was now feeling it thanks to the adrenaline wearing off.
I was still in the hospital bed, having increased my stay here by half a day or so. I hadn’t heard from Jaxson yet or Zeke, so in the back of my mind, it felt like Ella has left me. It didn’t help my case much.
It was entirely plausible, of course, that they had heard of my attack and knew better than to bring Ella into my presence at this time. Really, bringing anyone into my presence at this time was a dangerous game. But I would have liked some word at some point.
“Really? You’re sure about that?”
“Yeah, I saw the tattoo in the side mirror.”
At the time, I hadn’t made any connection. But now, with everything starting to click together, it was brutally and painfully honest how much everything that had happened was interconnected.
It was Nic Cavaro. Ella had shown me pictures that she kept of him so I could know if he was coming. But they were years old, and he had wisely stopped taking photos to be less easily identified. Unfortunately, it seemed to have worked rather well.
“Okay, that helps. You rest up.”
He nodded at me and then turned to leave.
Seconds later, in walked Mom and Matthew. She, not surprisingly, looked worried sick, which I suspected, but Matthew had his usual nonchalant expression on.
“Simon, oh God!”
Mom flew to my side and surveyed my body like I was visibly coming apart at the seams. Perhaps I am. My mind was torn up, thinking about Ella and Michael out there alone. If it was smart, it wasn’t any less stressful.
“Don’t worry Mom, I’m fine.”
That wasn’t true, of course, but Ella and Michael had serious potential to be less fine than me.
Mom, of course, didn’t bye it.
“Fine? Someone tried to smother you, how is that fine!”
“I’m alive Mom, nothing happened.”
“This is the second time in one night that someone has tried to kill you and you are acting like it is nothing at all.”
I sighed. The only thing I felt that had happened to me was Ella leaving and taking Michael with her.
Again.
My mother had made it very clear how she felt about that whole situation, and even though I had forgiven her for accidentally putting ideas in her head, I wasn’t ready to disclose everything.
“Relax Mom,” Matthew said, probably doing a poor job of quelling her. “No one died tonight. Except Simon’s pride.”
I rolled my eyes at him, but it made Mom laugh. Granted, it felt like a laugh that doubled as being on the verge of tears, but at least it was a laugh.
“Some of the guys from the site came by,” Matthew said. “I told them you were knocked out. But, listen, are you sure you feel okay though? I can increase the oxygen.”
I shook my head and set the mask on the bed. I only needed it every now and then, and the doctor said I should be cleared up by tomorrow. The sooner I could get to the safety of the club, the better.
“No, I’m okay. I promise.”
“You won’t pass out?” my mother said.
I laughed and shook my head. By now, the whole situation was just too ridiculous for me to not do anything but laugh.
“Okay, good.”
She leaned down to kiss my cheek and smooth my hair in her usual motherly way and then left.
I looked at Matthew. His eyes softened as he sets his hand on my shoulder.
“I’m glad you’re okay.”
He exhaled behind the rough of his voice.
“Thanks. Any word on Ella?”
Just as he opened his mouth, the door swung open. Guess I got my answer—and for the better.
“Caught her right before she left,” Zeke said. “I was hoping for a dramatic grab and toss, but Jaxson talked her out of it.”
Zeke snorted and laughed like this wasn’t serious at all. At that moment, though, I was past serious or humorous or somewhere in between.
I just wanted Ella.
She was even more gorgeous and light, even simpler like rain fall now. She was so beautiful. Her golden hair and green eyes made her radiate against her tanned skin. Even in the worst of times, she could erase whatever pain might be in my heart.
“Hi,” she whispered, her voice emotional and wavering.
Michael waved at me as he chewed on his lip. I finally had my family—now all I needed was some privacy.
I nodded to my brothers, and they all left accordingly. My eyes lingered on Jaxson and Zeke to thank them. I can only imagine how fast they had to go to catch her. The door clicked shut, and then, it was just the three of us.
“I’m glad you came back.”
I coughed under my breath and hoped I didn’t have to use the mask in front of them; I especially didn’t want to look weak in front of Michael.
“I barely left,” Ella said, dropping one of her shoulders holding Michael’s little hand. “I heard about what happened. I’m sorry.”
I shook my head at her and waved her forward. She brought Michael with her and stood at the side of my bed. I maneuver her so she could lay down and Michael could crawl on the bed at our feet.
“I’m fine. Really.”
I turned and kissed her cheek, though all I wanted to do was kiss her lips and to be close to her again. But if I did that, I have might just lose it and this hospital wasn’t the place to do so.
“I don’t know what to do,” Ella said.
She reached around and grasped my arm, her palm searing against my bicep with her heat. Her body was so warm against mine, her scent was all I needed to inhale and feel better.
“We’ll figure it out together. I promise.”
She nodded against me, turning to kiss my cheek.
“Are you okay, Dad?” Michael said, nudging my leg.
“I’m fine kid, don’t worry about me.”
I reached forward to ruffle his hair and ignored the sharp sting it gave my ribs.
“Okay.”
He yawned, and Ella got up to set him down on the floor. He was short for his age, though not so short as to be concerning.
“Come go to sleep bub, you’re exhausted.”
She led him to the cot in the corner and got blankets out of a cabinet by the television. She tucked him in, and he seemed to be out like a light within a few seconds. I started trying to get up to use the bathroom but got more lightheaded than usual.
“Let me help you.”
Ella hooked her arm around my waist as I clutched at my bad side. My body was just so badly aching from the exertion and surprise of this whole night. I finished and came back, laying on the hospital bed as Ella cuddled close to me. She tucked herself in and gently rubbed me.
But something was bugging at me I had to know.
“You didn’t know it was your uncle, did you?” I asked.
“No. I thought my father sent him. But Jaxson was right, he doesn’t care about me or Michael. He’s… hunting to kill all of you Kinsmen.”
She shivered. I wanted to as well, despite all my reassurances that I was calm.
“Does your dad know?”
“No.”
“What if you called him?”
She shook her head vigorously.
“I don’t know.”
Then not much we can do but be here.
“What if we just laid here?”
I kiss
ed the top of her head. She looked up at me with a wry smile and sad eyes. I wished I could take away all her pain.
But for now, I would just give her the pleasure of being with me, without the fear of death for at least a few minutes.
“Okay. I love you, Simon.”
16
Rosella
My world crashed around me.
I thought I could leave and eliminate myself as the problem. But unfortunately, it did not work that way. It was like I had made it worse. In fact, it wasn’t “like” I had made it worse—I just had made it worse.
I returned to the hospital feeling worse than ever before. Someone tried to kill Simon, the man I love, with their bare hands.
And I knew who did it, which made it all worse.
My uncle. The most ruthless man alive—and I didn’t realize by just how much until discovering his true plans. I knew my uncle was a savage man who was uncontrolled, but I didn’t think a human was capable of going into a hospital, finding someone who was a patient there, and trying to strangle them with a pillow in their sleep. It literally seemed inhumane.
And yet, my uncle had done it.
“Don’t worry about Simon, he’s a tough guy.”
Zeke tried to reassure me by rubbing my shoulder. Admittedly, his grin did make me feel better. But “better” was a very relative term. “Better,” in this case, just meant that I went from feeling like total shit to feeling a little less shitty. But I still felt like shit.
“Thank you.”
I tried to smile back at him, but it didn’t work. I was still feeling a little miserable and stressed. At least I had Michael gripping my hand tightly and walking close to my side to make me feel better. My little one just had that soothing, calming effect on me, even in the most stressful of times like this.
We reached Simon’s room but had to wait, as apparently a detective was in there to get his statement. I was frustrated as hell and was on the verge of saying as much, but thankfully, Zeke made some stupid joke that kept me from getting too angry. I didn’t even hear it; I just know he laughed at himself, and I guess it was contagious enough that I didn’t break.
