I gave a little mew of protest as he deposited me back in my seat. He smiled, it was tight and his eyes were stormy, but it was a smile.
Cade got back into the car, getting us back on the road home. I looked over at him, he had one hand on the wheel, the other lay on my bare thigh.
“Honey, I know the concern you have for me comes from a place of love, but can we maybe skip the hospital visit? It’s just a couple of bruises, nothing that Ibuprofen and a bottle of wine can’t fix.”
I attempted to sound breezy, but my voice was shaky. I wasn’t going to deny that I was hanging on by a thread, I had been kidnapped and beaten by murderers for crissake, which was kind of scary. But I also knew I wanted to steer clear of hospitals, not only due to the fact I fucking hated those places, but I was scared at the memories those sterile walls might uncover.
“A couple of bruises?” Cade replied quietly, his knuckles were white on the steering wheel. “Look in the fucking mirror, Gwen. Half of your face is swollen and bruised, your lip is busted. Best case scenario is your ribs are badly bruised, but they’re more likely cracked so you’re going to the hospital. And you’re staying there until someone can assure me beyond a shadow of a fucking doubt you will make a full recovery, in addition to prescribing painkillers that numb everything down to a broken fuckin’ fingernail.” His tone brokered no argument.
“Okay, I get your need to protect me, and your alpha male blood is probably boiling right now, but I hate hospitals. Not just because they are full of germs and death or because the bed sheets are as scratchy as a fleabag motel’s – don’t even get me started on the gowns. I could get over all of that to give you peace of mind, but I just can’t go into another hospital, not after spending weeks in one a year ago. I don’t think I can stand being the victim again. Please, Cade.” I knew my tone might have bordered on pathetic, but I would rather wear Crocs for a month than be back in a hospital bed.
Cade glanced at me, I knew he was battling internally, and my puppy dog eyes didn’t help his struggle, but they helped mine.
“I’m getting a doctor to meet us at your place, he can check you over there, but if he even thinks you might need a hospital visit, you’ll be going.” He sighed as if he was dealing with a child who didn’t want to have a nap.
“Thanks, Cade,” I replied quietly, placing my hand atop his.
The hand at my thigh squeezed. “Sure, baby. We can’t have my precious princess in scratchy sheets.” A hint of teasing was in his voice.
Now that was settled, my mind wandered to some important points. “Okay, um, Cade?” I asked hesitantly.
“Yeah, babe?” he answered, eyes back on the road.
I fiddled my hands together, trying to ignore the throbbing in my face. “Some pretty heavy shit happened back there, I was kind of kidnapped and you and the boys killed those men.” My voice was quiet, almost trembling.
Cade didn’t say anything, his hand was still tight on my thigh, fury seemed to pulse through the cabin of the truck.
“Aren’t we going to call the police?” I asked. “I mean, I don’t think you guys will get in trouble for shooting those men, it was self defense and all,” I added quickly.
I knew the chances of the club letting law enforcement know they had killed three rival gang members was slim to none. I didn’t know how to get right with that, even though these men were evil. I was struggling because at the same time, a small part of me was glad they were dead after what they had done to Laurie, and most likely other women.
“Already called them,” Cade replied and I blinked.
“Really?”
“Yeah, babe, really. Called Crawford the second I found out you were gone. Wanted every available man looking for you.” He glanced at me. “You’re the most precious thing in my world. I love the club, but there’s no competition. Your safety is everything to me. After today, boys will be questioning the way we do business. We aren’t losing another woman.” His tone was determined.
I squeezed his hand. “You haven’t lost me. I’m right here.”
He brought our intertwined hands together and kissed mine.
“What do I tell the police, though?” I asked.
I was very conflicted about lying to the police. Those men were evil, there was no doubt about that, but I couldn’t get right with the fact they were dead. Things were spiraling, I really hoped this wouldn’t be my life, lying to the police, covering up murders. And I was a terrible liar, I could never tell a lie, my family would always see right through it. So would the police, for that matter.
When I was fifteen, I got caught by the cops drinking by the river. When they had asked my name and age I had replied, “Jane Miller, twenty years old.” I had also managed to blather on about how I was here on holiday from Australia, all the time talking in a terrible accent. They didn’t buy it, maybe because my accent sucked, or maybe because one of the cops was my dad’s friend and had known me since I was five. I had been a little too tipsy to realize that. I bought myself a month’s grounding with that lie. I feared the consequences could be much worse if I was to lie badly this time around.
“Fuck, baby. I would never ask this of you unless I had to, I hate dragging you into this shit. I promise I’ll fix everything. This isn’t going to be your life, I’ll make sure of it.” His eyes were blazing on mine, silently apologetic.
“Okay, just tell me what I need to say. I’ll try my best not to put on an accent,” I mumbled.
“I was going out the back to put the money in the safe when I saw the back door was open. I knew something wasn’t right so I started to yell, but he was there.” I was recounting it like it happened to someone else. Like I’d been an observer to my own kidnapping. “He was bald, had a spider tattoo crawling up his neck and a scar underneath his eye. His whole face was tattooed actually. He touched me with something, a Taser I guess, then it all went black.”
Cade was stiff beside me as I recounted what happened. My voice was unusually strong, it had something to do with the man who had refused to let me go since we had arrived home.
Luke was already waiting for us, Cade insisted on paramedics checking me out before I said a word. There was nothing seriously wrong with me apart from the fact I was going to have one hell of a shiner for the next couple of days. And I would have an uncomfortable mid-section for a couple of weeks until my ribs healed.
“I woke up tied to the ceiling, I don’t remember getting there. All I remember is seeing that man and then everything goes black,” I explained to Luke, who was sitting in my living room with a tight expression on his face, writing this down on a notepad.
The sheriff, whom I had only just met, was sitting beside him. He was an older man who looked tired and jaded. His grey hair was thinning, and he had a slight paunch hanging over his belt. His eyes were kind, though.
“When I woke up, he was there with two other men.” I paused. “He said something about Laurie,” I continued and I heard Cade’s sharp intake of breath. Luke’s face turned stormy. I told them what he said quickly, the energy in the room electric.
“That’s when I kneed the bastard in the nuts.” This earned a kiss on the head from Cade, a tender look from Luke and a smirk from the sheriff.