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Stalking over, Cork grabbed her by her good arm and slammed her down into a seated position on the bed. “You’re damn lucky we’re getting you some medical attention after you intentionally busted open your shoulder again, so shut the fuck up.”
Realizing she was in way over her head, Tiffany tried to reconcile her belief that the men she knew were good people, though they were holding this injured woman hostage in their basement cell. Jesus, for them to even have a room like this was evidence that they were totally off the chain. Who did they normally house in this cold, dark place? Did this woman really shoot Darkness? If so, why wasn’t she in jail? So many questions slammed through her mind, one right after another.
Pulling herself together, Tiffany’s shaking hands opened the first-aid bag, and she began pawing through the medical supplies. Taking out a sterile suture tray, she set it aside and pulled on a pair of gloves.
The overprotective biker eased back to give her space to work. Tiffany was on automatic pilot, as she slowly cut away the blood-soaked bandages covering the woman’s wound. Examining the back, she gave a sigh of relief when she found the exit wound had been properly sewn closed, as had the front. It looked as if a few of the stitches had been compromised and were beginning to bleed again, though. She dabbed at the area with an astringent and carefully repaired the three sutures. Then she went to work along the edges of the other stitches where blood was crusting.
Without warning, the woman leaned forward. “You’ve got to help me escape. They’re going to kill me,” she hissed, sending a fresh jolt of fear shooting through Tiffany’s body.
“Please sit back,” she murmured, trying to keep the tremble out of her voice. Everything about this situation felt wrong. “I need to finish cleaning and bandaging your wound. You probably need a doctor, not a nurse.”
Shaking her head, the woman insisted, “I honestly don’t give a shit who drops a stitch in my shoulder. I got bigger fish to fry. You’ve got to help me.”
Ryder’s deep voice erupted behind them. “My pretty little nurse ain’t got to do nothin’ for you. You best get that through your thick skull.”
Jerking back slightly, the woman gasped. “She’s your old lady. Isn’t that freakin’ nice? You shoot me full of holes, and she stiches them shut again. Aren’t you two a fucking amazing team?”
“It was only one shot,” Ryder placated. “If I hadn’t shot you, then you would have killed Darkness. I caught you lying in wait, zooming him in on your sights. Are you honestly going to sit there and try to tell me I didn’t see what I saw?”
Clearly being less than honest, the woman answered quickly, “No, I was going to wing him. Darkness and I have a history. He knows I’d never kill him.”
“I was there, so I’m afraid I have to call bullshit on that one,” he drawled.
“What’s gonna happen to me?” the woman asked, her eyes wide, and if Tiffany wasn’t mistaken, a hint of trepidation lurked in their depths, despite the badass attitude she was throwing around.
“That’s for Darkness and the brothers to vote on,” Ryder informed her. “Maybe if he speaks for you, you’ll live. I have to admit that I don’t see that happening.”
“He took a bullet for me.”
“I ain’t figured that out yet, but I will.”
“It’ll be weeks before he’s fit to call a meeting. By then it’ll be too late.”
“You tired of eatin’ energy bars already? That’s real sad,” Ryder taunted. “But trust me, you’ll survive.”
“It ain’t about me.” Sitting back down, the woman snubbed back a tear.
“Don’t turn on the waterworks, bitch. I ain’t fallin’ for it.”
“I have a daughter. She’s just a baby,” she said, catching Tiffany’s attention. “If I don’t pick her up, they’ll call the state.”
“It’s already been four days.”
“It’s a special, extreme child care center that includes boarding. You can leave them overnight for three days. After that, they call the state for abandonment.”
Tiffany’s hand tightened on the woman’s arm.
Ryder bit out harshly, “You should have thought about that before you took this job sniping.”
“Please. If you want me to beg, I will,” she pleaded, sounding on the verge of doing exactly that.
“I don’t get off on your misery, you dumb bitch. I’m pissed that you tried to shoot my club president, and I want justice. You ain’t goin’ nowhere.” Turning his back, Ryder headed for the cell door.
“If you won’t do it for me, do it for Darkness.”
Practically freezing mid-step, Ryder slowly turned around, and if looks could kill, the woman would be dead. Tiffany was glad she wasn’t on the receiving end of his anger.
Ryder took a couple of steps back in her direction before he spoke. “If Darkness had a kid, I’d know about it.”
