“Ready for a shower?” a young woman asked, appearing an hour later with towels and supplies.
“A shower sounds amazing.” Ivy pushed herself up from the snuggly position on Steele’s chest. Her hand had clamped back onto his vest for reassurance in her sleep.
“You’re going to have to let go of me, Little girl, to go get clean.”
“You can help her with her shower if you’d like,” the nurse’s aide chirped helpfully. “We just need to make sure someone is with her in case she gets dizzy. I’d suggest you do the same thing at home for a while as well.”
“Will you stay?” Ivy asked and immediately apologized. “I know it’s awful of me to ask.”
“I’m here. Want me to stand outside the door?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“You got it. Come on.” Steele stood and walked her slowly to the bathroom where the nurse’s aide took over. He crossed his arms over his chest and stood with his back to the bathroom, blocking anyone from going in.
Her quiet, “Can we leave the door open a bit?” went straight to his heart. Ivy wanted to see him to make sure he was there. To reassure her, he started talking.
“Would you like to know about the people you’ll see at the compound?” he asked.
“Yes. Are there a lot? I don’t know if I’ll remember people’s names.”
He could tell she was worrying—the exact opposite of what he wanted to achieve. “It’s a big compound. We work together and play together. It’s like a big dysfunctional family.”
“People don’t get along?”
“Not always, but we always have each other’s back. You’ll love Gabriel. While we all pitch in, he’s the best cook of the lot. His food will help you heal. He’s our chaplain.”
“Like a minister?”
Steele chuckled and heard the aide ask Ivy to tilt her head back so she could wet her hair. “He’d be one of the first in line to punish the guys that hurt you. Gabriel takes care of us in a lot of ways.”
“I think I’ll like him, too. Who’s the worst cook?” she asked, obviously intrigued by the men in the club.
“We all do pretty well. You’ll love it when Bear’s in the kitchen. He loves to spoil the Littles.” When she smiled, Steele knew Ivy would look forward to meeting Bear.
“Do you have a position?”
“I’m the president.” Steele tried to ignore the splash of water and the knowledge that she was wet and naked. He had a serious talk with his cock, twitching in his jeans, making him almost miss that she’d answered.
“That sounds important.”
Not addressing his role in the MC, Steele continued to focus on the people she’d meet. He didn’t want her to be scared. “Storm is the vice president. He’s the most likely to rampage over anything, but he’s also the best friend I’ve ever had.”
“I’m going to like him,” Ivy said confidently. “Who’s the scariest?”
“Kade,” Steele answered without hesitation. “He’s our enforcer. You can bet he already has people out looking for the guys that did this.”
The door bumped against him. “Sir, I need to get some ointment and bandages to treat the scratches. She’ll be fine enjoying the heat of the shower for a second with you there.”
Immediately, Steele moved away. He didn’t count on the aide opening the door quite as much and caught a glimpse of Ivy sitting naked with her head tilted back into the water, allowing it to course over her. Fuck! His shaft twitched against his fly at that thought, and he reined in his control once again.
“I know I’ll like Kade. I’d love for those guys to be found. Who don’t you like?” she asked perceptively.
“Not a question of like, but more of trust. Virtually everyone I trust one hundred percent. There’s one guy…” Steele shut up. She didn’t know all the group politics. The other members didn’t have a problem with the one he didn’t trust. Maybe it was just him.
This time, he shifted so he wouldn’t see her when the aide returned to finish her shower. Steele heard the water turn off and the sound of material being unfolded before being wrapped around her. Ivy thanked the aide for helping her get clean.
“I’m glad to help. Let me put some medicine on those scratches. And we’ll get you back in bed to rest until all the paperwork is complete.”
“Is there anything I could wear home?” Ivy asked, and Steele cursed himself for not thinking of this.
“There’s a bag at the nurses’ desk for you that someone just dropped off.”
“Really? Do you know who?” Ivy asked.
“Someone named Carlee. I usually don’t remember names, but that’s so pretty. It’s spelled with two E’s at the end,” the chatty aide supplied.
“I don’t know a Carlee,” Ivy said weakly.
Steele could tell her energy was gone. “All dressed?” he asked, turning around to look in the door just as the aide fastened the tie around her neck loosely. He strode in to pick up Ivy as she struggled to continue standing and carried her toward the bed.
“Let me change those sheets before she lies down. She’ll just get dirty again.”
Steele changed course and cradled her on his lap in the recliner. Resting her head on his shoulder, he felt her relax against him. In a few minutes, the aide changed the bed and collected the bag from the nurses’ desk. Carlee had brought Ivy some clothes to wear. He pulled out his phone to update everyone and send Carlee his thanks.
“I’m not going to like him either,” Ivy mumbled when the room was quiet. It took Steele a minute to realize that she was talking about the guy they’d discussed last. “Don’t tell me his name. I’ll try to figure it out.”
“It’s best if you rest in my room or stay with me when I’m working.”
“With you,” she mumbled without hesitation as she drifted into another catnap.
Holding her gently against his frame, Steele knew there were a million other things he could do, but only this one was important. This wisp of a girl whose damp hair soaked his T-shirt occupied the top of the list. He could depend on his second-in-command, Storm, to take care of anything vital for a few hours.
His phone buzzed, and Steele moved carefully to grab it and look at the screen. Storm. The manager at The Hangout had allowed him to view the security tape. A van had pulled close to the dumpster, and the sack had been tossed inside. The van was gone in a flash. The license plate showed in the tape, but something covered the letters and numbers, making it unreadable.
There are hundreds of white vans in the city, Steele thought to himself. They’d have to find them another way. Quickly, he texted his instructions:
A thumbs up symbol appeared and Steele knew Storm would look into all possibilities.