Even though he was sick, Beck gave me a crooked grin. “Yes, ma’am.” As soon as his eyes closed again, he drifted into a restless sleep.
There was a knock on the door.
I opened it cautiously. A man stood there with dirty-blonde hair and brown eyes. He would have been handsome except for the large scar running from the corner of his mouth down one side of his throat. It was Stain, Beck’s best friend.
“Hi, Taryn. Nash told me Beck was back. Imagine my surprise when he told me who was with him.” He frowned in confusion. “Whyareyou with him?”
“It’s a really long story, and I don’t have time to tell it right now.” I saw my bat had been brought into the room and propped against the wall near the bed.
Every move Beck made was in my best interest. Why didn’t I lock him up years ago? Apparently, I wasn’t nearly as smart as I thought.
“Beck isn’t feeling well. Is there any ibuprofen around this place?” I rubbed my face tiredly.
He looked at me with concern. "Shit.” Stain nodded towards Beck, lying on the bed. “Maybe you shouldn’t stay in here. We’ve been keeping sick people in a room together in case they turn into deadheads.”
“NO!” He jumped at my raised voice. “That’s not what’s happening with Beck.”
Stain raised his hands in a calming gesture. “I truly hope not, but you need to stay alert. I won’t tell the others, but I’m warning you now—if they find out, even Nash will insist he be locked up.”
I narrowed my eyes, “We’ll just see about that.”
“Follow me, and I’ll find some medicine and food for you to bring back.” He held the door open, then closed it firmly behind us. “Nash and the guys are having Church to discuss their plans for tonight, so we should be able to get you back to Beck’s room without them noticing."
“Church?” I questioned.
He smiled, “Yeah, it’s a meeting of sorts between the patched members in the club.”
I looked pointedly at the patch on his jacket.
“I just rode in. They wanted me to take a turn around town and get a lay of the land.” He led me into a small kitchen with a door leading outside. “I’ll step in after I get you fixed up.”
I heard growling and barking coming from beyond the back door.
“Y’all have dogs?” I questioned as I opened the door.
There was a row of five cages, all of which were empty except for two. As I walked closer, I saw that the dog in the nearest cage was obviously dead. His water bowl was dry as a bone. The dog in the last cage was standing up, staring at me suspiciously.
“Our Prez enjoys dog fights. He’s been sick for a few days, and I guess with everything going on, we forgot about them.” Stain shrugged. “Come back in here and let’s get those meds to Beck.”
I ignored him and headed toward the cage with the standing dog. He growled as I got closer, but it seemed more like a greeting than a threat. He was a pitbull mix. Red and white, covered in dirt and scars, with one ear half gone.
He was ugly, to say the least, but there was something about his eyes that spoke to me.
They looked sad and lost.
“You poor, sweet thing,” I murmured, as I slowly reached out my hand to the side of the cage.
“Don’t do that!” Stain yelled. “That dog is crazy. Last time I tried to open his cage to feed him, he damn near bit my arm off.”
I rolled my eyes and kept my hand in place. The dog slowly approached, sniffed cautiously, then gently licked my fingers.
“He seemssovicious,” I said, sarcastically, then unlocked his cage to let him out.
“He doesn’tseemshit, he is vicious.” Stain scratched his head. “At least he usually is.”
He watched in amazement as the big dog lay on the ground and rolled over so I could scratch his belly. “I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.”
“I’d bite the assholes who forgot to feed and water me, too.” I stood, “Come, dog. Let’s get that medicine to Beck and feed you both.”
