“Man, that one nurse was smoking hot. Think I can talk her into taking my temperature?”
“Yeah, Moose, maybe she will use a rectal one, that way you could feel like you were back in the joint.” I heard a thud outside my room and then male laughter followed it. I smiled to myself.
“Damn it, Reed, can’t you boys go anywhere without causing problems? You are going to get us thrown out before we even get to check on her. I’m getting too old for this shit.” Wild Bill had been saying that for as long as I could remember.
“If you fuckers don’t be quiet you aren’t going in the damn room. She’s been shot for fuck’s sakes.” My smile left, who did Crusher think he was, bossy asshole.
“Seriously, brother, you need to tone it back or you are going to get blue balls before she lets you touch her.”
“Shut up, Flirt. At least I don’t have to tie mine down to get them to fuc—” That thud was just outside the door. “What did you do that for?”
“Because your assholishness is showing, brother. She doesn’t need that.” The door started sliding open.
“You can see through yours enough to see mine, eh?” Speed was first in the door, followed by the others who were laughing.
“To think I thought you were good enough for my little sister.” Speed smiled at me and then winked. I wanted to be annoyed, but his acceptance of me felt pretty fucking awesome.
“Can’t take it back now, others heard you, no giving me shit later.” Crusher laughed, and walked to the side of my bed. “Hey, baby, what’s the face for? You in pain? Want me to call the nurse?” He reached for the call button on the rail. I just looked at him, I have no idea what the fuck happened while I was in surgery, but it was like I woke up in an alternate universe called, hell. Why was he being so nice? Freaking weird.
“You touch that button and I will slap your hand.” Wild Bill came to the other side of my bed and leaned in and kissed my cheek. I just shook the thoughts out of my head and then looked up at Wild Bill and smiled. When he raised up, he looked over to Crusher and then shook his head and laughed. Crusher was glaring at him. “Did I miss something while I was in surgery?” I looked between the two men. Someone better start talking was all I thought as I watched the two men stare each other down. Holy crap, when Wild Bill was the first to break the stare I was a little shocked. I mean, he was the biggest badass around, and yeah, Speed and the other Black Hawks were badasses, but Wild Bill had been around too long, he had perfected it.
“Not what you are thinking, girl. But I think your brother should be the one to tell you everything that happen after you blacked out at the gas station. Me and the boys are going to head back to Haven. Got a little club business to take care of. You need us, you call. Hear me?” I nodded, and he bent back over and hugged me. Then he stepped back while Moose and Crank did the same. Crusher grunted and turned and walked out. I looked at the door when he pulled it shut behind him and frowned. The other Black Hawk men were chuckling, even my newfound brother. Men, I wondered if I would ever understand them.
“What is wrong with Crusher?” I looked up at Reed who wore a huge grin.
“Ah, nothing for you to worry about. I think he suffers from not wanting to share his toys.” Reed leaned over and hugged and kissed my forehead. When he stood back up the grin was gone. “You take care of yourself, watch your back, and don’t ever scare me like you did today. Call me if you need anything. If I don’t see you sooner, I’ll see you at Ally’s birthday party. Speed said Sami was going to set one up for her. Me and Prez will be down. Love ya, mouse.”
“Love you too, butthead.”
Wild Bill laughed and tilted his head to the door and they moved toward it, but as they walked by Speed, who was standing to the side, Wild Bill stopped and shook his hand. When he reached the door that the others had left open when they’d left, he said over his shoulder, “Don’t forget, she was ours first,” then he was gone.
Speed walked to the side of my bed and pulled up a chair, the others came to stand on the other side and after some whispered voices in the hall, Crusher walked back in.
“So, what went on. What do you have to tell me?” I was starting to get tired but I wanted to know everything first.
“Jag, Flirt, Devil, and Coast are going to head out. They just wanted to tell ya goodbye before they left,” Speed said and they stepped closer to the bed.
“And do it without touching you,” Crusher finished, glaring at the men as they smiled back at him.
Jag and Coast patted my shoulder, told me to take care, then stepped back. Flirt stepped up but instead of patting my shoulder, he winked and leaned down and kissed my cheek.
“Flirt.” His name coming from Crusher was said like a warning but it didn’t seem to affect the man. He laughed and stepped back.
“You’re going to do just fine. See you back home.” After Flirt moved out of the way, Devil moved closer, but before he could speak I did.
“You’re the one the doctor said saved my life. You were a medic in the Army, right?” When he smiled at me, it changed the whole look of him, which wasn’t bad to begin with. It did answer where the name Devil came from. I imagined that look had gotten him into a lot of women’s panties.
“Yeah, darlin’, that’s me. You’re welcome, anytime.” He hugged me and the four men walked out, leaving just me, Crusher, and Speed in the room.
I looked at Speed, “Start talking.”
Speed started to talk and Crusher pulled the other chair closer to my bed. I listened without interrupting as he told me everything that happened, even what Devil had figured out. When he finished, I closed my eyes to absorb all he had said. Crusher and Speed said nothing while I laid there. When I started laughing and opened my eyes, Crusher and Speed were frowning as if I’d lost my mind. Hell, maybe I had.
“You okay?” Crusher asked.
“Sure am.” I looked at Speed, “If my leg didn’t hurt, I’d get out of this bed and freaking dance around the damn room. So much makes sense now, you have no idea.”
“Tell us, baby,” Crusher said.
“Not like we were ever your normal family, but in the beginning Wallace treated me, I guess like a daughter, he’d take me places with him, bought me a bike on my fifth birthday, taught me to ride. They would both come to school shit, though I wished they wouldn’t because you could smell the liquor on him and Clarice’s eyes would always be bloodshot from whatever she was flying high on at the time. As I got older, I actually used to feel bad about not telling them when things were going on at school because I didn’t want to be embarrassed. We spent a lot of time at the clubhouse so I was around Sami and Reed daily. When they would want to go out or not deal with me, Wild Bill’s house was where I stayed. What’s bad is I didn’t mind, I enjoyed the time away from them.
“At fourteen it changed with Wallace, he was hateful when he spoke to me. He even made comments to Clarice in front of me about how he never should have made her his ol’ lady. I was never at the house when his buddies would come over, the one your man Brax killed, Creeper, and another named Jacks, because they’d party to all hours so those were times I’d stay with Sami. Keeping that away from me stopped too. One day I came home and walked in the trailer to Clarice straddling Jacks on the floor with Creeper in her mouth and Wallace taking her from behind. When I turned around to walk back out, Wallace said, ‘You should stay and watch, you are your mother’s daughter after all. Club whore is your future, girl.’” I looked between Crusher and Speed and the two sat with their hands in their laps clenched into fist.
“Did he or they ever touch you, baby?” Crusher gritted out.
“No.” My single answered was at least enough for the two men to relax their hands while they sat waiting for me to continue. “After Clarice overdosed, he drank more and more, and he would stay gone for days, then I would come home from school and he would be there, back from wherever. Jacks and Creeper came over more often and a few times I was woken by loud voices because they would be fighting with each other. One night they were so loud that I could hear what they were arguing about and from then on I lived at Sami’s. Wild Bill never questioned me there. I never told him what they said or what I had seen before.”
“What were they talking about, Carly?” Speed’s fists were balled up again.
“Jacks and Creeper were yelling at Wallace about how he promised I would be Clarice’s replacement if they’d help him. They yelled they had done their part, now he needed to deliver on his promise. Wallace told them to keep their dicks in their pants that it was going to be soon. That’s when I went to Sami’s house and started staying there. I was around seventeen when Wild Bill found out about the takeover and Wallace and the others took off.”
Crusher whispered, “He’s a dead man.” I looked toward him. He wore the same face Speed did and his hands were balled into fist too. I focused back and continued.
“So he knew, I don’t know how and I don’t care. I could dance, because for years I worked not to be them. I know Clarice left you, Speed, trust me, you got the better deal there. I got stuck with her but it is nice to know Wallace isn’t my dad. From what I hear, you got the best there, Speed.”
“Thanks, Carly. And I understand, now you need to also. You never got to meet Cutter, our dad, but if he would have known about you, he would have done anything to get to you. There is a lot of him in you and I just noticed that sitting here listening to you talk and watching your facial expressions. I’m sorry for everything you had to put up with but I’m not sorry that all this has happened because it brought you here.”
I wiped at my eyes at his words, he was right, we had each other now, and fuck everything else. “Sami never had a chance, did she?” Speed smiled and got out of the chair and hugged me. I looked over to Crusher and he winked. Mentioning Sami reminded me, “Why are you here, Speed? Why didn’t you leave when Sami called you today?”
“Because Sami and Ally had a club watching out for them and you didn’t. They’re my family, Carly, but so are you.” I could only nod, I was going to enjoy every minute getting to know my brother.
“Speed’s going to head back with the others though and I am going to stay here until you are released,” Crusher said and I looked at Speed.
“Me and Coast will be back with a truck when you get released because no way you are going to be riding your bike for a while. You can ride in the truck and then Coast can ride your bike back. Until then, you will be in good hands.” Before I could do any protesting, Crusher and Speed did the man hug thing and he was gone and Crusher was back in the chair. My energy was gone and my body was yelling sleep but I couldn’t stop staring at him, leaned back in the chair with his eyes closed.
“Get some rest, baby. I’ll still be here when you wake and you can yell at me then.”
“You’re an ass.”
“I’m your ass. The sooner you accept that, the easier it will be.”
He was right, I could yell at him tomorrow. I closed my eyes.