She shrugs. “I don’t want you to get in trouble with the club. You said if they found you were short, you were dead. I don’t want you dead, Saint.”
I grin, happy at her words of concern. “I’ve got it covered.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. I have some money, enough to cover this much at least.”
“When are we heading back?”
“We’re not.”
“We’re staying here?”
“Yeah. It’s the kind of invitation you don’t turn down. Not unless you want to be rude.”
There’s a knock on the door, and a woman appears with a smile and a tray of food. Kami takes it and sets it on the nightstand, then proceeds to feed me. I’m not such an invalid that I couldn’t do it myself, but I know she needs to feel useful, so I let her. If I’m being honest, I’m also enjoying the way she’s fussing over me.
I make sure she eats a bite for every one she gives me.
Soon a wave of exhaustion hits me, and I yawn.
She stands, and kisses me. “You rest. I’m going to return this tray to the kitchen.”
I nod, and watch her leave, then close my eyes and drift off.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Kami—
Saint sleeps the day away, and Shades assures me that’s normal with the blood loss. I worry, and check on him periodically, but the women in the club keep me occupied playing cards.
Ghost walks up to the table, and looks at me. “You know how to shoot a gun, darlin’?”
His question catches me by surprise, and I shift my gaze to Jessie, his ol’ lady who sits at the table with Skylar and me. “Um, no.”
Jessie grins. “Sounds like it’s time for a lesson.”
Ghost nods. “After what happened to you last night, I agree, I think you need a lesson. Come on, girls.”
I get up and follow them outside. We all load into a crew-cab pickup and Ghost drives us to a wooded area. As he turns the wheel onto a two-lane dirt road, he meets my eyes in the rearview mirror. “Club’s got a little shooting range setup back here.”
He parks in a grassy open area, and we climb out. There are some crude targets set up across the field.
Ghost pulls out a weapon. “Ever held a gun?”
I shake my head, and he puts it in my hand. It’s heavier than I expected. He shows me the different parts, and how to load it.
Then he goes through all the steps, and my brain files it all away. Don’t forget the safety. Keep your finger off the trigger until you’re prepared to fire. Breathe. Aim carefully. Squeeze the trigger gently; don’t jerk it. Aim small; miss small.
He teaches me how to stand and how to fire.
We go over everything again and again, until I’m comfortable shooting and am able to hit the target most of the time as long as it’s within twenty feet, which Ghost assures me is really the only time I’ll ever need to shoot.
“He gets that close, you’ve got him, babe. You won’t have to ever feel helpless again.”
The girls all cheer me on, and give me a high five when I make a bullseye.
When we’re through, I go to hand the gun back to Ghost. “How much does one of these cost? I like this model.”
He waves it off. “I’m gonna give that to you as a gift.”
Jessie pipes in. “It’s the same one I carry. It’s a good little gun.”
My mouth drops open. “You’re giving it to me?”
Ghost grins. “Just shut up and say thank you, kid.”
I look to Skylar. “Do you think Saint will be okay with this?”
Ghost chuckles. “Tell him I gave it to you, and if he has a problem with it, he can come see me.”
I smile. “Thank you. You’ve all been so wonderful to both of us.”
Ghost looks in my eyes. “Saint stopped to help us when we needed it. You got yourself a good man.” He pats my shoulder. “Hang on to him, darlin’.”
We ride back to the club, and I go with Skylar and Jessie to the kitchen where we whip up some tacos.
I watch the way this club interacts with each other, and realize they really are like a loving family. The men hug and kiss their ol’ ladies, and there’s plenty of laughter. They tease each other, and they make me laugh. I wonder if that’s what Saint experiences with the Kings. Could it be like this for us—the loving way these men are with their women?
It would be nice to be a part of a big family like this, everyone looking out for each other, and are there for each other. I understand for the first time the pull this must have for Saint.
But the fact that right now he lays in a bed with a bullet wound reminds me that this is, under everything else, still a very dangerous way of life.
Finally, I’m getting tired myself, and I say goodnight and retire to the room they’ve given us for the night.
I slip in quietly, but there’s movement from the bed.
“I was just thinking about coming looking for you, babe.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Better. Still tired.”
I sit on the edge of the bed. He still looks pale to me. “Can I see your wound?”
Saint rests propped against the headboard; his chest bare, except for the bandaging. He smiles at my absurd request, humoring me and moving his arms out of the way. I pull back the bandage a bit, because I have to see for myself how bad it is.
He winces, and my eyes flash to his. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay, sweetheart.”
I examine the work the doctor did. The wound is a stitched up gash the length of a lipstick, and it hits me how close the bullet came to hitting vital organs.
Saint lifts his hand to stroke his fingers down my cheek. “Look at you—all bruised. I promised your mom I’d take care of you. You deserve better.”
“Hush.”
“Don’t tell me to hush.” His brows slash down. “I put you in danger leaving you in the truck alone like that with all the money.”
“I didn’t give you much choice.”
“I shouldn’t have done it. You shouldn’t have been in that truck at all that night.”
“I’m okay. But you—you’re the one who’s hurt. I hate this. I wish you’d give up this life. Please? For me.”
“Kami, don’t. You know I’d do anything for you, just don’t ask me to do that. You and me, we’re too different. You come from a different world; me—I’m just the poor kid from the wrong side of the tracks.”
“You’re wrong. To me you’re everything.”
He purses his lips, and shakes his head. “I’m not what you need. I’ve got no right to ask you to stay, to sign up for this and put you in danger again.”
“Saint you’ve been there for me whenever I needed you, over and over again. You held me when I had to say goodbye to my mom, you were there for me when I went to see her. Every sprain and cut, you’ve been there for me. Not to mention you gave me the most special gift I’ve ever gotten. I can’t even imagine facing the future without you in it.”
“You’re stronger than you know, and you’re braver than any girl I’ve ever met. You’re going to be just fine.