Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 44562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)
“Cool it. Both of you.” Lord stared at him, that cold look that made most people piss their pants. “I was starting to wonder if you were the mole, moonlighting with the enemy. A chick, I can handle.”
“I’d never betray you, Lord. I’d fucking die for the club.” He glared at Reaper to punctuate the statement.
None of the hospital staff made a move to clear them out of the hospital, even though they were loud and covered in ink. They wouldn’t even make eye contact with them.
“So, what happened tonight?”
“I rode out to see Callie. It was supposed to be a quick visit. When I showed up, she’d been hurt bad. Last time I saw her, I may have sent a message to one of the Skull Nation, but they didn’t know who I was. As far as they’re concerned, I’m just a chicken farmer.”
Tank snorted.
“What the fuck is happening?” Lord asked.
“It’s a long story.”
He wished he hadn’t kept all this from Lord, but none of this was supposed to go so far. Callie was a forbidden pleasure, a walk on the other side of the fence. Then he fell hard for her without seeing it coming.
There was no backtracking now.
“And you want us to wipe out the Skull Nation in honor of your girl?” Reaper asked.
“No, I want you to go fuck yourself.” Brick shoved the enforcer, one of the waiting room chairs falling back with an echo.
“Enough,” Lord said. “What’s her condition? She give you details?”
“I’ve only been here an hour or so. No one will tell me anything, and when I brought her in, she was in and out of consciousness.”
“Find out.”
Brick approached the main counter again. “I need an update on Callie Johnson.”
The woman at the desk made a call, then pointed to the side doors. “A doctor is coming out to help you.”
The automatic doors opened a few minutes later. Two doctors met them in the lobby.
“You’re the one who brought in Ms. Johnson.”
“Yes, tell me how she is,” Brick insisted.
“She’ll be fine. She has a pulmonary contusion—a bruised lung. We’ve already aspirated the fluid from her lungs and given her IV meds. It’s a small impact area, so she’ll recover quickly. Some painkillers and deep breathing exercises for a couple of weeks are all that she’ll need.”
“Is she awake?”
“Oh, yes, she’s been awake for some time,” said the doctor.
“When can she leave?”
“It’s already late. I think it’s best for her to rest here the night so we can monitor her. Tomorrow, she’ll be discharged. Will you be able to pick her up, or is there someone else we need to contact?”
“I’ll be here.”
“Can he talk to her before we leave?” asked Lord.
The doctor nodded, urging him to follow. His prez told Reaper and Tank to wait for them in the lobby, then came along without being invited.
As they walked behind the doctors, Brick whispered, “She just found out about me. This is all new, and I know she’ll be pissed.”
“So you’ve lied to both of us.”
“No, I didn’t lie to anyone. I just didn’t offer all the details.”
“Same shit,” Lord said. “You’re VP because I trust you with my life. Don’t let me down now, especially with all the talk that’ll be going around the club now.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “It wasn’t supposed to go down like this. She wasn’t supposed to matter.”
“Until she did. Women have a way of doing that to a man. Are you sure she’s the one?”
He didn’t need to think twice. “A million percent.”
“Okay then, let’s make sure she’s safe,” Lord said.
They entered a room halfway down the hall. Callie was partially upright in the bed. Wires came from her arms.
“Brick.”
He rushed over and carefully took her hand in his. “How you feeling, baby?”
“Better,” she said. “I don’t remember much.”
Hopefully, she’d forgotten everything. Especially the part about the Straight to Hell MC.
“When you opened the door, you passed right out. I brought you to the hospital.”
She frowned. “I can’t afford this.”
“Shit, Callie, don’t worry about the bill. Just rest and get better.”
The moment she noticed Lord behind him, she visibly tensed up. “Who’s that?”
“He wants to know what happened to you. Who hurt you, Callie?”
“He’s a biker,” she whispered, looking at Lord.
Brick had to stop from smiling. She was so damn innocent and had no clue how fucked up he was. He wished he could live those two separate lives forever, but it wasn’t possible. Eventually, he’d have to come clean, but was terrified she’d bolt.
“Nothing to worry about. Was it the Skull Nation? Don’t be scared. He just needs to know.”
She shook her head. “No, they never hurt me, just my boss. It was all an accident. He shoved me, and I hit the counter. He was just stressed. Jeff didn’t mean it.”
“Don’t defend him.”
Brick’s jaw clenched. He remembered that little prick from the lumber yard. Maybe the truth coming out was for the best. For weeks, Brick wished Callie didn’t have to work at that place or pinch pennies. If she lived at the club, he could take care of her. She wouldn’t have to work or worry about a thing.