“Don’t tell me you’d be treating her any different if you were in my position,” I growl back at him.
“I wouldn’t be actin’ like I had a damn stick up my ass, treatin’ her like shit.” Axel comes to Shiloh’s defense.
Does he not remember the way she cut us off, acted like she never gave a rat’s ass about us? ‘Cause I do. I remember bein’ the happiest man to walk the Earth and then how the woman of my dreams tore everything to shreds.
I would’ve made her my ol’ lady.
I would’ve made her my fuckin’ wife.
I would’ve sunk my cock so far into her, she’d be pregnant every nine months.
But she didn’t tell me what she wanted. Instead, I thought she was fine with the arrangement between Axel, Zorro and I. I thought she wanted to be shared, that she was like Roxy in that way . . . and when shit went down, it was too far gone to even put the pieces back together.
I’m still bitter about it, but I do hope one day I won’t be. Fuck, I don’t even think she realizes what she did. All I know is how deep she cut into me. I don’t know how Axel and Zorro feel about everything after this long. They might not even give a damn anymore.
I shift my eyes back to Shiloh, seeing tears streaming down her cheeks in a heavy flow. Fuck. I didn’t mean to start the waterworks. “Shi’ . . . I don’t mean to be rude; I just don’t even get why you’re here. You shouldn’t have come, not unless you wanted me to think there was more to it and . . . I’m sorry, but we’re not gonna go down that route. ‘Cause I know you don’t want anything. You’re just here to show me your support and all, but it fucks with my head, girl.”
“God, I forgot how much of an ass you can be.” Shiloh hisses, rises from her chair beside me and struts out of the hospital room.
I roll my eyes, ‘cause if I don’t, I’ll start giving a damn, and that’s something I can’t do.
“You really had to act like that?” Axel questions as he walks over and takes a seat in the chair Shiloh was just in.
“You can’t blame me. If you were in my position you wouldn’t want her here either.”
Axel chuckles, shakin’ his head. “No, you’re dead wrong about that. I would’ve taken whatever attention I could’ve gotten to get my dick wet. I wasn’t the one in love with her, brother. That was always you, and damn Zorro and I knew it. The only one who couldn’t tell was her.”
“Thanks for that lovely reminder,” I retort with sarcasm laced through my tone.
He shrugs. “Yeah, well . . . Shiloh might be a smart woman, but damn she can be oblivious to some things.”
“It doesn’t even fuckin’ matter anymore. What’s in the past, is in the past.”
“Damn straight. Doc said we could get you outta here tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” I snap. Tell me this is a joke. I don’t wanna be cooped up in some bleach smellin’ nuthouse like this.
“Yeah, wants to wait and make sure you’re really okay. Monitor you overnight and all that shit.”
“Motherfucker. Can’t I get outta here any sooner? There’s a medical release I can sign, right?”
Axel nods, “Sure you can, if you wanna be a fuckin’ fool by all means go ahead. God forbid you start some internal bleeding or somethin’ else goes wrong.”
“You know I don’t like hospitals.” I grumble, looking out through the doorway to the nurses’ station.
“I know, but I hope you’ll stay here, at least just stay the night. I’m not ready to lose another brother, Grim. I don’t know if I ever will be.”
Dammit. He knows how he’s just talked me into staying. He had to guilt trip me. “Fine. I’ll stay the night.”
“Thank you.” Axel hardly ever thanks anyone for anything, but I know why he’s nervous. It’s ‘cause I could’ve died today, and I just pulled the same shit our brother did. He signed himself out of the hospital against the professional’s advice. He ended up dying from a brain bleed. If he wasn’t such a bullheaded piece of shit, he’d still be here with us.
Axel looks at his phone and his eyes widen. “What the hell? Somethin’ goin’ on you haven’t told me about?”
Axel’s eyes meet my own. He sucks in a deep breath. “Ruby is on her way.”
No.
He can’t be fucking serious.
“Tell me you’re joking.”
Axel remains quiet, giving me a knowing look.
“Why the fuck did you tell her?!” I holler. The machines I’m hooked up to start beeping and making ridiculous sounds. Within an instant a nurse is coming into the room to check on me. She walks right up to the machines and looks at me with a stern expression.
“I don’t know what’s got you so riled up but calm down. Your blood pressure is through the roof.”
“Our baby sister is coming to town.” Axel laughs his ass off, getting a smirk from the nurse.
“Well, she must be a hell of a woman.”
“You could say that.” Axel comments.
Jesus Christ. I can’t believe he told Ruby. She’s . . . indescribable.
Chapter Two
You deserve to be chosen over and over again, not merely considered
~ J.W.
Grim
“Just when I think things are starting to go well again, you gotta fuck something up.” Zane shakes his head in disbelief.
“To be fair, Prez, I only fucked my body up a bit. I’ll be right as rain soon.” I state from where I stand in church. That’s right, only a few hours back in the club and we’re already having a meeting.
Zane runs his hand over his jaw, laughing but he doesn’t find what I’ve said amusing. “I watched you walk back in here and it sure as fuck looked like you won’t be good for a bit, brother. Honestly, you’re lucky to be walking at all.”
Axel chuckles under his breath and I shoot him a glare.
“What did the doc say before you left?” Zane questions, turning church into some sort of medical interview.
“Take it easy, rest, all that shit.” I mutter, crossing my arms over my chest. The sooner we get off this subject, the better.
Zane raises a brow and I wonder if Axel overheard the doc. I’m supposed to be doin’ more than just takin’ it easy. He gave me this entire snazzy treatment plan and all that, set me up an appointment with a physical therapist next week, and gave me a card to this ‘cutting edge’ chiropractor office in downtown Billings. I thought chiropractors were quacks. Never thought a doc would give me a card for one of them.
“Right,” Zane says while lookin’ right at me. He knows I’m bullshittin’ him right now, but he won’t call me out for it and I appreciate that.
Zane taps his fingers on the table over and over again. Silence fills the room and no one dares to try and speak. We all must get the memo that our Prez has some serious shit on his mind. Zane hardly ever grows quiet, but something is makin’ him quiet as a mouse, though it’s obvious whatever it is . . . it’s surely weighin’ on his mind.