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After the doctor examines me, he confirms that nothing is broken and the swelling around my eye will go down in a few days, but to expect the bruising to take a bit longer. I don’t bother telling him I’m used to dealing with the bruising and discomfort from being punched, worried the entire hospital will deem any biker in the building a woman beater I’m covering for. Nothing could be further from the truth.
“Do you have an update on Linc,” I ask Jude for the millionth time.
“Not since the last time you asked fifteen minutes ago.” Jude looks up from his phone and notices the hurt expression on my face. “Shit, Charlie. I’m sorry. That was rude as hell.”
“It’s okay,” I tell him, even though my tone implies it was anything but.
He closes his eyes and inhales a deep breath, letting it out slowly through his nose.
“No, it wasn’t,” he says, looking at me with an apology swimming in his gaze. “There’s a lot of shit going on with trying to clean all this up, and right now, we’re right in the thick of it. I have no right to talk to you like that when you’re as worried about your man as we all are.”
“Thank you.” I’m not used to men apologizing to me when they’re in the wrong, so I’m not exactly sure how to handle the stressed-out biker.
The nurse comes back with my discharge paperwork as Linc gets a call from Ozzy.
“Oh, thank fucking Christ,” he says into the phone before hanging up. “Linc’s out of surgery and in a room. Not sure about visitors yet, but Ozzy said they’ll let him know as soon as we can see him.”
Relief flows through me. He made it out of surgery. Tears begin pouring out of my eyes again. If I was in a place emotionally to laugh at anything right now, the incredibly uncomfortable look on Jude’s face as he awkwardly pats my back would have me in hysterics.
“This is good news. No need to cry, love.”
“They’re happy tears,” I attempt to reassure him.
“Whatever you say.” He tilts his head toward the thin curtain separating us from the rest of the ER. “Let’s get out of here and meet up with the brothers that are here. Lucy is here, too. She’s been texting nonstop since they would only let one person stay with you in the ER.” I’d venture to guess the reason that person is Jude is because he knew Linc would give him hell for leaving me without protection.
Though Jude would never admit to being grateful for anything concerning Lucy, he’s probably pretty happy he won’t be the one to deal with my hysterical waterworks anymore.
When we meet everyone in the waiting room, my best friend runs up to me, throwing her arms around me.
“Oh, thank God. You have no idea how scared I was when Jude and I went back to the cabin and found you gone and Linc bleeding on the floor. I’ve never been so terrified in my entire life.” She walks us over to the plastic chairs and sits down, holding tightly to my hand the entire time.
“What happened at the lake?” I ask her.
“We heard the gunshot then a couple guys came out of the woods and started firing at us. It wasn’t the same guys from Texas. I’d never seen these guys before.”
“Were they in suits?” I ask, wondering just how involved the Italians were in all this.
“No, they looked like your run-of-the-mill scumbags. Jude grabbed me, and we took cover behind some trees. I honestly thought that was going to be it for me. Then we heard your ex shout they needed to go, and the guys ran toward the cabin. That’s when I saw Jace carry you out. Jude started to take off after them, but they had ATVs or something. We didn’t see them, but we heard them. He was too far away to catch up.” Lucy’s gaze holds an apology that is completely unnecessary.
“Hey,” I say, squeezing her hand. “It’s no one’s fault except Jace’s.”
Lucy blows out a breath and continues her story. “When we got back to the cabin, Linc was unconscious on the floor. God, I was so scared he was dead. Jude ran over and checked his pulse, then called his brother. I guess one of the guys on his team was an army medic and was close by, so he was there minutes later. Liam called an ambulance for us, and we came straight here.”
I’m so fucking thankful my best friend wasn’t hurt and was able to get to Linc in time. God, this could have all turned out so differently.
Tanya and Trick come through the doors to the waiting room, frantically looking around for someone to give them answers. When she spots Ozzy, she runs to him, begging for information.
“He’s stable, and they’re setting him up in a room now. Let’s find a nurse who can give us more information,” he tells the distraught mother.
Tanya turns and sees me standing next to Lucy, who still hasn’t let go of my hand.
“It’ll be okay, sweetie. I can guarantee that boy has no intention of leaving you because of some bullet wound.” The fact this woman is trying to console me while her son is just coming out of surgery that, let’s face it, had it not been for me, he wouldn’t have needed in the first place, leaves me speechless.
Tanya turns as she, Trick, and Ozzy go to talk to the woman at the nurses’ station.
“This is all my fault,” I say, collapsing back into the chair.
“Hey, now,” Lucy says. “If I can’t blame myself for not being able to get to you, then you can’t blame yourself, either. You heard the doctors. He is going to be fine.”
