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“Great. Go for it. How long for delivery?”

“He can have it to us within two days. I’ll get Bank on it right away and I’ll let you know when I have hands on it. Seeya.”

The line goes dead, and I’m left excited but bewildered at the same time. That was fast, but an armored pickup should be just what the doctor ordered. I can’t help but grin at my own unintended pun.

Arriving back at the clubhouse gate, I’m just in time to follow Breaker through into the compound. As he gets off his hog, I wave him over.

“What can I do for you, Fury?” Breaker walks over and leans on the hood of the SUV.

“I’ve been over to see Jamie’s vehicle. I was going to pay for the repairs as a gesture, but man, have you seen that thing?” I watch him for his reaction.

“I haven’t seen it, but some of the brothers have said it’s totaled.”

“Well, I went over and talked a while with Smoker. We go along with Wraith’s conclusion that it was a deliberate attempt on Jamie’s life.” I tell him all that we’d spoken about, and I can see him straighten up from where he’s leaning on the hood.

“Fury, just how sure are you that someone might try again?”

“Sure enough that I’ve just spent forty-five thousand dollars on an armored pickup to help keep her safe.”

“An armored pickup might not be enough to save her in a crash, Fury. That’s no guarantee.” Breaker shakes his head at me.

“No, Breaker, it might not. They already tried that and failed, so I’m thinking that next time might be more of a bullet to the head type of attempt. I didn’t mention it to Smoker outright, but I think we were on the same wavelength.”

Chapter 6

*~* Jamie *~*

So, day one of my forced exile from my working life. Day two actually, but Molly put her foot down and I suppose technically she’s correct. It’s not just my working life though, I have to admit. Apart from when I let Fury into my life the practice has been my everything for some time.

Fury! Damn that man. I truly thought we had the makings of something special, even though he’d said he wasn’t doing relationships. He must have seen the potential we had and known that I wasn’t just some fuck-toy to be used and cast aside. For the likes of Floss, for Christ’s sake. If it had been someone worthwhile maybe I could get past it, but a club whore that’s been around the brotherhood more times than a shopping mall has opened its doors!

Coffee, I need caffeine and then a long, hot shower. What the hell I’m going to do with myself for the rest of the day, God only knows. That’s something else that’s come crashing home in the last few days. I don’t have a personal life. No hobbies… No family… No friends, hardly any friends I should say. Okay, the MC are my friends, but they don’t count. They’re not like social friends, although I do go to their club and attend some of their social gatherings. It is where Fury and I got together from the get-go. It’s where I met Molly, and she is a true friend.

Goddamnit. So, I do have friends, a social network. I just don’t use it as such. Crap. I need to reevaluate my life and make something of it, other than work. I am feeling so sorry for myself. What a pity-party! This is all Fury’s fault, damn him and his dick. If he’d only kept it in his pants I wouldn’t be in this mess.

That’s not true either. It wasn’t because of his dick that someone aimed their van at me and accelerated head-on into my truck. Hmmm. How do I know they accelerated into me? Because I remember hearing their engine roaring louder as they got closer. The driver was wearing a balaclava, and I saw his long beard hanging out the bottom of it.

Grabbing my cell, I send a text to Molly asking her and Breaker to come round later for a meal. If I pick their brains on the accident before I tell them what I’ve just remembered, I might recall something else.

Finishing my coffee and feeling not too displeased with myself, I head for a shower. Letting it run to get steamy and hot in the cubicle, I brush my teeth and do a quick self-examination of my bruised body.

Heck, I look a mess. The bruising is like a rainbow covering my body. Even areas that weren’t originally bruised are now covered. It looks like the bruises have all banded together so there is no unbruised skin to be seen. My body is still in better shape and far healthier looking than that bitch Floss, I’ll wager. Look what you’re missing out on, Fury. You asshole.

Preening makes me wince, and I stand under the hot shower spray to let it run down me in rivers. Just the act of soaping and washing myself has me in pain all over. Standing under the spray once again, I let the warmth ease the aches and hopefully bring the bruising out faster. Someone is going to pay for all my suffering, that’s for sure.

Back in the kitchen in my joggers and sweatshirt, I make some pancakes with bacon and maple syrup on top. I’ve just sat down to eat them when there is a knock at the front door.

Walking to the front door, I’m just about to throw it open when I stop myself. “Who is it?” I call out and I think that is probably the first time I have ever asked who is at my door.

“It’s me, Bandit. You okay, Jamie?”

Opening the door, I see a concerned Bandit looking past me and down the hall.

“Yeah, I’m good. Not sure what made me ask, but it just seemed the right thing to do.” I give him a smile and stand aside to let him walk inside.

“Under the circumstances, it is definitely the right thing to do. Good for you.” He squeezes his not inconsiderable frame past me and walks to the kitchen. He raises his eyebrows at me when he sees my breakfast, so I just nod and set to making more pancakes and bacon.

He has an enormous bouquet of flowers in his hand, but I say nothing until he suddenly remembers they are there.