Rebel: We’ve got everything just about wrapped up here. Do you know anything yet? Do you need anything?
Me: They took her and rushed her toward the back somewhere. I’m in a surgical waiting room but I don’t know if she’s already gone to surgery or not. It’s a given she’s going to have to have it based on the hole in her gut. I’m going to need some clean clothes, I’ve got her blood on me.
Rebel: I’ll run by the clubhouse and grab you something. Holly and Esther should be there shortly and me and the brothers will be there as soon as we can.
Me: Thanks, brother.
Minutes turn into hours. Holly and her grandmother show up, bearing drinks and food, as do the brothers. I take a few minutes in the bathroom that’s just off the waiting room to clean myself up and get my game face on. I know Rebel and probably his ol’ lady are aware of how I feel about Marnie, but somehow, I’ve managed to keep the rest of the brothers in the dark.
As I return to the room, I hear the phone ring and snatch it up without thinking. “Is she okay?”
“Who is this?” the female voice asks. “I’m looking for the family of Marnie Burgess.”
“This is her fiancé,” I reply, lying through my teeth but in situations like this, we’ll never know a damn thing if I don’t pretend to be her partner. Especially, since right now, we’re no more than boss and employee. The nurse or whoever she is doesn’t know that, however, and I’m not going to say a damn word that contradicts it.
“Miss Burgess made it through surgery and is currently in recovery. She’ll be there for about an hour or so, then she’ll be transported to intensive care. The surgeon will be down shortly to go over her injuries,” she says.
“Thank you,” I murmur, my erratic heartbeat settling for the first time in what seems like days instead of hours. Hanging up the phone, I turn to my family, my brothers, and relay, “She’s in recovery, the doctor will be down in a bit to tell us about her injuries.”
“C’mon, brother, let’s go sit down,” Rebel suggests, walking over and slinging his arm around my shoulders, guiding me away from the phone where I’ve been standing sentry.
I can feel the adrenaline dump happening as he helps lower me to a chair. As I let out a shaky breath, I feel a small hand on top of mine. Glancing over, I see Holly, tears trekking down her face, as she smiles and states, “She’s going to be just fine, Ash. I know it.”
“I’ve got Data on the security tapes,” Rebel admits. Leaning in, he whispers so that nobody else hears, “And he’s doing a deep dive into her past. Based on the little bit I saw, she knew who her attackers were, Ash. Since she’s one of the nicest people any of us know, whoever those two fuckers are, they’re from her past before she moved to town.”
I nod; we did a background check when we hired her, like we do for anyone who’s not part of our club that works in one of our businesses, but there were no red flags of any type. Hell, the woman doesn’t even have so much as a speeding ticket, for fuck’s sake! I had only watched the tape once thanks to the app on my phone, but even I picked up on the fact that she looked scared, no that’s wrong… she was petrified. Then, as if a switch was flipped, her demeanor changed and a determined look crossed her face, one that indicated to me that she was hellbent to get far away from them. Since she’s currently out of commission, it’s best to let Data work his magic; if there’s anything to find, he’ll do so.
“She’s going to be out of work for a while,” Holly cautions, glancing at Rebel. “I wouldn’t be much help, but I could—,” she starts.
“Absofuckinglutely not,” Rebel and I retort in unison. We say it so fast that Holly’s left with her jaw hanging open.
“Do y’all share a brain or something?” she teases, glancing between the two of us.
“Or something,” Rebel grumbles. “We’ll get a few more waitresses in, we’ve got some applications that Data was going through anyhow since the business has picked up.”
Already thinking ahead, I say, “She’s not going to be able to handle the stairs up to her apartment.”
“She might not feel safe there,” Prophet adds, coming up to all of us. “It might not feel like a sanctuary to her since in a sense, she was attacked ‘at home’.”
Fuck. He makes a good point. Most of us who are still single have our suite of rooms at the clubhouse, but I’m not sure she’ll feel comfortable there either. We bought the old elementary school that the town outgrew and then completely gutted and renovated the inside to suit our needs. Each of the brothers has what amounts to a mini apartment on the second floor, while the first floor has the room we use for church, as well as a common room full of couches, large-ass televisions mounted on the wall, and a custom bar. There’s also an industrial size kitchen with a long table so we can eat together.
“Paul and I have plenty of room,” Esther advises in her no-nonsense tone. “Plus, I’ll be there to help take care of her, as will Holly after the baby comes.”
I watch Holly roll her eyes at her grandmother and smirk, the action feeling strange considering the circumstances. “You act like I’ve never been pregnant before,” Holly sasses.
“I act like a woman who knows that the more children you have, the faster things seem to go when it’s time,” Esther retorts. “At least with her there, even if she’s on limited physical activity, she can help with the girls when it’s time.”
Holly tosses her hands in the air and sighs, “Fine, fine.”
FIVE
MARNIE
The smell of antiseptic teases my nose and I groan before opening my eyes to see a nurse next to me. “Oh, good. You’re awake.”
I snort because the smell of a hospital is a distinct one I remember from my last assault. Not to mention, but until she moved it, there was a small fan blowing moisture-filled oxygen in my face. How annoying! “If you say so,” I rasp out.
“Here,” she says, holding up a cup with some ice chips. “Let me give you a few.” She scoops some up on a plastic spoon and brings it to my lips. It’s not much, but the cold feels good sliding down my raw and achy throat. “Your throat is sore due to being intubated,” she tells me as she gives me some more.
