“How many were there besides Cougar?” Maniac asked.
“Three. They said they were going to kill him, and they meant it.”
“Of course they did,” a blond-haired biker growled.
“He’s going to need a doctor,” she said weakly.
“Scalpel’s on his way.”
The sirens sounded closer, and Maniac looked over at her.
“I didn’t call them. I don’t know who did, I swear.”
“No worries. We’ll take care of them.” A man with short, spikey hair walked out with three other men.
Lena had no idea what had been said outside in front of the restaurant. All she knew was that Sheriff Windsor and three deputies left the area without even coming into the eatery. She overheard the spikey-haired biker tell Maniac that the sheriff was going to be calling someone named Hammer.
For the next half hour, the bikers busied themselves cleaning up the bistro until it looked like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Scalpel, who Lena had learned was a real doctor, had Tank in a medical van, working on his injuries. Lena sat in a white, wrought iron chair, chewing on her cuticles as she waited to hear how Tank was doing.
Maniac came up to her. “You’re not safe here, and neither is Tank. We’ll take you both to a safe haven.”
Lena’s stomach clenched. “I can’t go. I have a business to run. I have, and events to cater.”
Maniac nodded. “You can stay, but we need to know who to inform about your death.”
The blood drained from her face. “You’re going to kill me if I don’t go?”
“Not us—Cougar and the others. We got some heavy shit going on. I’m trying to keep you safe because I know Tank would want that.”
“What happens to my business?”
“We’ll have a couple of people keep watch on it. Just tell your help you’re going on a vacation. You can’t tell anyone what happened here, but I’m sure you know that since your Tank’s woman.”
Tank’s woman. I like the sound of that.
“How long do we have to stay there?”
“Until it’s safe, which we’re hoping won’t be too long. I can’t say anything more about it.”
Scalpel walked in, putting an end to her questioning of Maniac. When the doctor went over to the biker, she took a few steps closer to hear what he had to say. She’d caught on that none of them were keen on sharing any information with her.
“The wound to the back of his head is minor, but the knife wound right above his shoulder blades is where the blood’s coming from. I stitched it up, but there’s still a risk of infection. His legs got pretty messed up. I’m not sure what happened there, but I stitched up the deeper cuts. He’ll need someone to stay with him for the next week or so to make sure he’s okay.”
Maniac nodded. “His woman’s gonna take care of him.”
“That’s good. Give her my number, and have her call me if there’s a problem.”
“Can he be moved to the SUV?”
“Yeah. Just lay the seats flat. He’s still out of it. He’s got a temperature, and I gave him some medication for his pain. I know you’ll disagree, but he should be in a hospital, at least for the next forty-eight hours.”
“We’ll take care of it.” Maniac gripped the doctor’s shoulder. “Thanks, man.”
The doctor nodded and walked away, and several bikers followed him outside.
An hour later, Lena was in a cottage by the ocean in a coastal town she’d never heard of. The beachy décor surprised her, and she figured the bikers’ wives or girlfriends must’ve had a hand in fixing it up.
In less than twenty-four hours, her world had turned upside down. It was unbelievable and surreal. She padded back to the bedroom and scooted the chair closer to the bed Tank lay on his side, sleeping. Gently smoothing back his hair, she placed a cool, damp cloth over his forehead. The doctor had told her to watch his fever, and instructed her on what to do, how much medication to give, and how often to change and dress his wounds. She’d already set her phone alarm to wake her up every three hours to check up on him.
Lena ran her fingers lightly down his arms and smiled when she felt the goose bumps on his skin. Dipping her head down, she kissed him tenderly on the cheek and whispered, “I love you,” into his ear. Pulling a light blanket over her, she leaned back in the cushy chair and closed her eyes.
Tank
Over the next several days, Tank drifted in and out of a burning sea of fog. Shadowy figures hovered over him, soft hands stroked him, and muffled voices whispered through his ears. Pain rippled through his body, and as hard as he tried, he couldn’t climb out of bed to ease his muscles. It was like he was stuck in quicksand and couldn’t get out.
The burning fever that had been his companion for days had finally broken. Opening his eyes, he took in the room that seemed foreign and familiar at the same time. Where the hell am I? A carousel of images spun through his head. Demon swinging a chain. Him choking Fire. Lena bringing down a rolling pin on Rubble’s skull. A slow grin spread across his face, but he grimaced at the ache on the right side of his mouth. An explosion of pain tore through his body as he struggled to move. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself up, then fell back against the headboard panting, and sweating profusely.
“Fuck.”
After a while of working himself up, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and tried to stand, but his knees buckled beneath him. To keep from landing on the floor, he grabbed hold of the nightstand and used it to thrust his ass back on the bed.
“Double fuck!”
Not intending to give up, he waited to get his breathing under control and pushed up to a sitting position. With all the strength he could muster, he planted his feet on the floor and groaned as he got himself up, using the nightstand for balance.
“This is pussy bullshit,” he wheezed.
“What are you doing?”
Tank looked over and saw Lena crossing the room, wearing a pair of denim shorts and a fuchsia crop top.
“Hey.”
A smile lit up her face. “You’re finally awake. Finally. You’ve been out of it for days.” Rushing over, she put her arm around his waist. “Here, let me help you.”
“I smell like ass. I need a shower.”
“Okay. Can you hold on for a second? Scalpel brought a pair of crutches and a cane for you to use when you were up and about.”
“I don’t need that shit.”
“Yes, you do. This isn’t about proving you’re a badass. This is about healing and getting better. Don’t tell me you’re going to be one of those pain in the butt patients?”
A smile twitched on his lips. “Still a smartass, even when I’m on death’s door.”
“Just don’t move,” she commanded before scurrying out of the room.
Has she been here the whole time? The memory of gentle hands caressing his skin, and whispers in his ear flowed through his mind. She’s been the one taking care of me. Elation rushed through him. Tank had told himself he wasn’t going to fall for her. He tried damn hard not to, but she’d slipped into his heart. When he’d told Quinn that he loved Lena, it wasn’t just Quinn who had been shocked. The realization that he loved Lena hit him like a ton of bricks, but he wasn’t sure how she felt. Yeah, she was taking care of him, but it could have been out of pity.