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JJ
“You’re braver than I thought.”
Spinning on my heel, I face Ollie when he speaks. He’s looking very happy with himself, his smile mocking. Once he’s satisfied he has my attention, he cranes his neck to try to read the chart in my hand. My chart. The chart that notes the high—much higher than expected—level of HCG present in the urine test I just finished taking. I snap it closed, right in front of his face, letting him know I don’t appreciate his snooping.
He’s the absolute last person I want to see today. Scratch that—the second last person I’d want to see—numero uno being my father.
I left Maddi in Joel’s room, so I could come down to the clinic to get one of my friends to take a blood test for me and schedule a dating ultrasound as soon as possible. Smoke trailed down here behind me at Maddi’s insistence, despite my protests. Thankfully, I managed to talk him into staying in the waiting room. Right now, however, I’m not so thankful. If he was here, I could get him to get rid of Ollie for me.
“How so?”
Smiling my goodbyes at Abby, who doesn’t like Ollie any more than any of the other women who work at the hospital, I lead him away from my blood samples before he realises what he’s looking at. I’m not ready for my parents to find out.
“I heard about your little display for Daddy yesterday with your biker boyfriend. I assumed you’d be hiding until he calmed down.” He sneers down at me, grabbing my upper arm and pulling me into a vacant office. Shocked at his unexpected action, I don’t begin to object to his change of course until after he’s locked the door. Dragging me to one of the chairs, he pushes me into it and leans over me. With one of his hands on each of the arms of the chair, he’s effectively caged me in. “We have a few things to sort out, JJ.”
Trying my hardest not to show him the fear I’m feeling, I channel as much of Maddi as I can. Ollie’s a tall, lean man, and he has nothing on Lucas size-wise, so I tell myself I can handle him.
Peering into his face through a narrowed gaze, I cross my legs and lean back in the chair. Examining my nails, I drawl, “And what would they be?”
“Let’s not pretend you’ve grown a spine. We both know you’re going to cave the second Daddy tells you to. This rebellion of yours is a splash in the pan. Give it up now, before you lose everything you’ve been given.”
“Been given?” My voice squeaks when I repeat his nasty words. Clearing my throat, I attempt to defend myself again. “I’ve worked my ass off to get where I am.”
When he throws his head back to laugh at my words, I take my chance. After slapping his face, I smack against his chest. He laughs at me, running his hand over the cheek I slapped, before he moves away and lets me stand. I’m surprised by how easily he lets me go.
As I’m making my way to the door, he presses his bulge against my back, pushing me into the door. Trapped between him and the cold wood, I shudder in disgust when he licks the shell of my ear before whispering in it, “I want Daddy’s job. And you’re not getting in the way of what I want. He might think he’s grooming you to take over, but that’s not going to happen. I’m going to have his job and his daughter, even if it is the fake, misfit one they regret buying off a junkie.”
Tears fill my eyes at his words.
My heart hurts.
There’s only one way for him to know my history, and that’s from my parents. For as long as I can remember, it’s been drilled into me not to tell anyone where I came from. Nobody outside of my immediate family knows my parentage because we moved states and started a new life after I was adopted. My family doesn’t speak of it to outsiders. Ever.
Lucas is the only person I’ve ever told about any of it, and I still don’t understand precisely why I did when I barely knew him at the time.
Pressing his erection against my back one last time, he moves away. Flipping the lock, he holds his hand against the door, so I can’t open it when I turn the handle. “You’re going to rescind your statement about our little run-in six months ago. Tell them that the bikers threatened you into corroborating their lies. I don’t care what story you come up with, just get it fixed. Once that’s done, you can bring me home with you for a family dinner.”
“That’s not going to happen. I’m with Lucas.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. You’ll be getting rid of him as well.”
Kissing the top of my head, he smooths my hair. “I hold the power here, JJ. If you want the surgical registrar position, then you’ll do as you’re told. Daddy’s name will only get you so far in my department.”
Swallowing hard, I bite back my retort. He can think what he likes. Right now, I have much bigger problems to worry about. Like juggling impending, unplanned motherhood with my career.
Ignoring him, I pull on the door handle again. He lets it open this time, so I squeeze past him and speed walk down the corridor, my attention channeled on finding Smoke.
I want to go back to the Clubhouse right now.
To tell Lucas about our ultrasound appointment tomorrow and to prepare him for the fact that we’ll be meeting our child a bit sooner than we assumed.
*
Lost in my thoughts, I’m on autopilot as I barrel into the waiting room, walking with unseeing eyes. Glancing around for Smoke, my heart backflips in my chest when I spy my father standing with him. Two security officers surround them. They’re directing Smoke to leave the premises, and he’s making a fuss, refusing to leave without Maddi and myself.
“Your kind is not welcome on the premises. A blanket ban has been instituted for your club. If you do not leave right away, I’ll be forced to call the police, and have you escorted.”
“Listen here, I said I’ll leave.” Smoke sits down, crossing his arms over his chest, his expression daring them to touch him. “Once my friends get down here.”
They’re gaining an audience. I know my father. Direct defiance only makes him worse. I don’t want to—logic tells me not to get involved—but I walk over to them. Coming to a halt near my father, I speak to him, lying my hand on his arm in an effort to calm him. “Daddy. This is my friend. He’s just waiting for us. We’ll leave in a moment.”
Smoke’s lips twitch when I address my father as “Daddy”, his eyebrows pulling together with skepticism. It never bothered me until recently, yet now it makes me feel physically ill. Everyone has the same reaction; weirded out by a nearly thirty-year-old woman using such a juvenile title with a straight face. I understand now that is why my father demanded it. A way to keep me in what he deemed was my place—subservient and kowtowing to him.
“Juliette. You’re not going anywhere. We have things to discuss. Right now.”
Smoke pulls his phone from his pocket and types out a message. When it buzzes moments later, he reads the message, nodding to himself. Slipping the phone back into his pocket, he looks at me. “Maddi’ll be down in a minute. You’re coming with us. Mad Dog will sort this bullshit out.”
I know that Smoke won’t leave without me. He was directed to look after Maddi and me today until the all clear to head back to the Club was given. I agreed to the plan. Lucas won’t be happy if I change my mind now.
“She’s staying.” My father dismisses Smoke’s statement. Smoke smirks, nonplussed.
Our motley assembly falls into silence, the security guards waiting for direction on how to proceed from my father, while Smoke sits without a care in the world as he toys with his lighter, flipping it back and forth over his knuckles. I alternate between looking at my father through lowered lashes, unsure how to answer his decree, and being mesmerized by Smoke’s relaxed movements. I don’t know how they do it, but the Shamrocks legitimately don’t care when other people are upset with them.
I need one of them to teach me the secret.
Dragging in a deep breath, I decide it’s now or never. “Daddy.” My tone is placating, my demeanor respectful, I use every tactic I possess against the temperamental man who raised me. “I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon. We can meet then.”
Lips thinning with displeasure, his eyes bore into mine. Meeting them, I smile as if I’m blasé to the warning in them, all the while hoping against hope that he’s not going to rip me apart in front of the people in the waiting room for defying him.
“All righty, people.” Maddi slings her arm over my shoulder, her air of cheeriness breaking the tension gripping our group. The woman is like a panther, constantly sneaking up on me. “Joel’s good. Real good. I poked my head in on Benji and he’s sedated. Let’s get out of here. I need a decent coffee.”
Pushing to his feet, Smoke towers over my father as he stretches his arms over his head, bending from side to side. “It was nice to meet you, Sir. Someone will be in contact regarding this ban you’ve mentioned. I doubt it’ll be standing afterwards.” Mimicking my father’s refined manner of speaking, he salutes the security guards, before looking at me and Maddi with expectation.
“What ban?” Maddi asks, turning her attention to my father as she steps away from me, the jovial expression on her face from her successful visit with Joel is replaced by her professional mask. I think we’re about to meet Maddi the lawyer. Having received a taste of her when we were being held by the Mavericks, part of me thinks my father might have bitten off more than he can chew right now.
Paying no notice to her question, he runs his eyes over her denim-short-clad legs and then up her singlet-clad body, taking in the tattoos peeking out her top, her battered face, and her blonde hair. I watch as he dismisses her as someone unworthy of his attention with a cursory flick of his eyes. Since I still don’t have any clothes at the Clubhouse, I’m dressed in the clothes I was wearing yesterday. I can imagine his dark thoughts about my attire.
“Who’s he?” Maddi asks me, annoyance at his rudeness very evident.
“My father. The Chief of Medicine.” Reluctance fills my voice when I answer her question. Sympathy flits across her face for a moment, but I pretend I don’t see it. One eyebrow lifted, she wordlessly asks me to elaborate. “He told Smoke he’s had the Shamrocks banned from the hospital.”
“We’ll see about that.”
My father has been watching our exchange, regarding me as if I’ve grown a second head. He’s disappointed in me, a normal state of affairs for our relationship, the difference being that for once the urgent need to salve his dismay at my actions isn’t choking me. I feel no impulse to smooth things over or to bend to what he wants.
“Dr. Patrice.” Maddi sounds determined. “I’m sure you’re aware that this hospital is a public place. It’s illegal to ban anyone from such an area without sufficient cause. The minimum requirement is a prior written warning followed by a meeting to discuss why you feel the need to instigate a ban. And then it will only apply to the individual you feel poses an immediate danger to yourself or your staff. Every member of the Black Shamrocks can come and go as they please until you follow the correct procedures. I’d advise you to think carefully before you pursue that avenue.”
“Are you threatening me?” His regard for Maddi has increased after her speech, his eyes now meeting hers as he re-evaluates his initial assessment of her. “I’d think carefully before you pursue that avenue.”
A big grin covers her face as she listens to his terse rebuke. Slapping Smoke on the shoulder, she points her head toward the exit.
“Dr. Patrice. If I were threatening you, you wouldn’t need to ask. You’d know. We’ll be back later this evening. I look forward to coming and going without any further harassment. Have a great day.”
Wrapping her arm around me again, she nudges me to make me move. Without another glance at my father, I head for the exit with Smoke and Maddi.
“Just who do you think you are?”
Looking back over her shoulder as we wait for the automatic doors to open all of the way, she answers him in a matter-of-fact manner, “Madelaine O’Brien. Daughter of the Black Shamrocks’ President. Old Lady of the Vice President. Junior Attorney at O’Rourke’s Solicitors. JJ’s new best friend. Basically, your worst nightmare.”
Smoke breaks into gigantic guffaws of laughter at her declaration. It’s contagious, and I quickly join in. Lifting her eyebrows at us as we walk into the open air, strangers staring at Smoke and me as we carry on, she asks with a poker face, “What? It’s only fair that I warn the poor man.”
