“The little fucker is hardheaded, but he’ll learn.” My brother shrugs.
After the whole warrant fiasco, we made sure the dumbass paid off his debt to the bar in Georgia. Then Fifth, the lawyer in our club, arranged for him to perform his community service in Silver Spoon Falls. This is the last chance the little shit will get from us. Brady has his brother to thank for our generosity. I wanted to kick him out and let the law have him. After straightening out the whole mess, I asked Cowboy to put him to work on the ranch. Hopefully, he’ll take this last shot to stay in the club.
I glance at the time and see it’s getting late. We’ve finished the important business, so I pack up to head out.
My brothers aren’t dummies. They know why I’m leaving. “This chick really has you tied in knots.”
Hands coughs violently before holding his stomach and groaning. His normally tan face is pale and lined, and his clothes look like he’s slept in them. “You look like shit,” I tell him.
He flips me off, then grumbles under his breath about my rudeness. They’re a little put out that I haven’t brought her around to meet them, but I haven’t found the time. Between my work, her job, and club business, I’m catching myself in both directions and spend all my free time wooing my kitten.
“She’s not some chick; she’s my soulmate. My future,” I tell him and wince when he goes into another coughing fit.
“We’d like to meet her,” Playboy tells me as he moves far away from Hands.
“I’ll bring her around,” I promise. The clubhouse has been mostly empty. Bender is in Europe on tour, Giant is out of town on a security assignment, and Angel is in Belldonnia for his country’s elections. We’ve been going in so many different directions, I haven’t had time to introduce Hadley to my brothers. “I love her,” I admit out loud for the first time. The moment we met, I knew she was my soulmate, but I haven’t shared that with anyone yet. “She has me tied in so many knots, I know I’ll never be free,” I confess and a shocked look passes between my brothers. “For the first time in my life, I know what jealousy feels like, and I’m still getting used to the sensation.”
“Is someone coming after your girl?” Fifth frowns.
“No.” I shake my head. “That’s the problem. I can’t stand the thought of other men being near her.” I wonder if I’m losing my mind. “My little kitten turned me into a territorial beast.”
“Damn. If I ever turn into him, please shoot me,” Hands groans, and I flip him off. Over the past few weeks, I’ve learned to keep it under control, but it was touch and go at first.
“Congrats, man.” Playboy stands and walks all the way around the room to avoid Hands. He slaps my back. “When can we meet her?”
“Soon.” I point to my sick brother. “As soon as he gets over whatever bug he’s got.”
“I’m fine,” Hands argues, then starts coughing again.
“You look like hammered shit,” I tell him while Playboy and Fifth both nod their heads in agreement. This is the first meeting Playboy has attended in several weeks. The latest shit show happening at Romano Shipping has him up to his eyeballs in alligators.
“Man, you better not be coming down with the flu,” Fifth cuts in. As the club lawyer and one of the best attorneys in Texas, he has a full plate, too.
“I never get sick,” Hands insists.
“Famous last words,” I tease my friend. “I seem to remember the great illness of 2019.” I remind him of the time he brought the flu home, and it made rounds through everyone except Rulie and Gloria.
nine
CASH
A few days later, Karma, the bitch, punches me right between the eyes for making fun of Hands the other evening. In the middle of my afternoon meeting, sweat breaks out on my forehead as my stomach grumbles and rolls. By the time I escape the monotony and drag my ass back to the executive floor, I’m freezing, and my guts are trying to burst from my body.
“Fuck. You’re white as a marshmallow.” Rulie takes one look at the sweat rolling down my face and rushes to open my office door. “Damn flu.”
I flip him off over my shoulder as I run for my private bathroom. Minutes, hours, days later, I’m not sure how long I’ve been laying on the cool marble tile, my stomach settles enough for me to attempt to sit up. After the room stops spinning, I manage to crawl to the sofa in my office.
“What can I do for you?” Rulie comes in with his collar pulled up over his mouth and hands me a wet towel to wipe my face. “You look like shit.” He moves to stand across the room.
“Thanks,” I grumble. Laying my head back, I stare at the ceiling trying to pull myself together. “My asshole doctor best friend gave me his flu,” I state the obvious.
“Yep,” Rulie agrees. “I bet it makes rounds through the clubhouse.” He shakes his head. “I can’t wait to deal with grown men acting like toddlers.”
As he grumbles about his salary, a thought hits me. Fuck. There’s no way I can expose my girl to this crap. I’ll have to cancel our date tonight. It takes three tries, but I manage to pull my cellphone from my pocket and dial Hadley’s number.
“Hey there.” Her sweet voice sends hunger cutting through my sick body. “I just got my hair done for tonight.”
“I can’t wait to see it,” I croak. “But it won’t be tonight.”
“What’s wrong?” Her lovely voice trembles. “Are you okay?”
“I caught Hands’ bug,” I admit. “I’m sick.” God. Do I sound like a wailing toddler?
“Where are you?” she asks, and I hear her moving around in the background. “I’ll come get you. You shouldn’t be alone right now.”
“No,” I refuse. There’s no way I’ll let my woman catch this shit. “I don’t want you to get this.”
“Are you at the office?”
I tell her, “Rulie is going to take me back to the clubhouse. They already have a sickroom set up for Tate.” To keep this shit from spreading, we put him in the empty quarters all the way in the back of the first floor. We’ve been taking turns dropping off fluids and over-the-counter medicines outside the door. The surly asshole has been sick for three days, so I assume that’s what I can expect. Fuck.
I promise to call her frequently, then Rulie helps me down to the garage and throws me in the backseat of my SUV. “You must be sick if you’re letting me drive,” he snorts, but the walk down has drained me. I don’t have the energy to respond.
The rest of the night is a blur. At some point, I crawl under the sheets and pass the fuck out. My body might be down for the count, but my mind still spends the night fantasizing about my girl’s luscious curves.
Over the next two days, I alternate between fighting off the flu and praying to die. Gloria keeps me hydrated and shoves fever medicine down my throat every now and then. “How’s Tate?” I ask her when she comes in to check on me.
“Annoying the hell out of us. We’re about to pull straws to see who can suffocate him with a pillow,” she teases, and I attempt to laugh but it hurts too much.