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He took a few steps, heading straight for the bathroom, before stopping in his tracks when his eyes caught on me, still half sprawled across the faded bed cover, as I stared up at him with wide eyes. He gaped at me for a long minute, his eyes raking over my body, not in desire but in a clinical way, as if he were mentally accessing my injuries. He turned his head back to Bones but shook it without saying a word and continued heading into the bathroom.
I watched as he stalked past me, staring after his back, then turned back to look at the MC president. He stood there next to the door still, with his tattooed arms crossed over his broad chest. He was glaring at me. All I could do was raise an eyebrow in question. I had no idea what I had done to make him mad this time other than to cause him the aggravation of having to be here at all.
In no time, the man, a doctor, I presumed, considering the bag he was carrying in his freshly washed hand, stepped back into the room and straight to the end of the bed where I was lying.
"So, what happened?" He didn't look over at Bones; his question was directed straight at me. I swallowed, wincing slightly at the pain there, and began speaking, the words coming out raspy through my raw throat. As I told him what had happened, his face softened, then grew hard in turn. Before I had finished my explanation, he was already moving, setting his bag down and reaching for my shirt.
I heard a growl and froze, looking over at Zero, but he was sitting quietly, watching every move the doctor made. I looked up at Bones to realize he was the one making the sound of a pissed-off wolf.
"Relax, man. I've got to check her injuries. That involves being able to see them." He raised an eyebrow in Bones' direction but carried on what he'd been doing without waiting for an answer. Bones moved over, away from the door and closer to the bed. I watched as he grabbed the chair from the corner of the room, pulled it closer, then sat sprawled on it. All without taking his eyes off me.
The doctor chuckled as he revealed my bruised ribs, probing with gentle fingers that still hurt like a bitch. "Never thought I'd see the day."
I tore my eyes away from Bones' gaze, which had been holding me captive, and looked up at the doctor, wondering what he was talking about.
"Shut the fuck up unless you want me to feed your tongue to Zero." At Bones' growled words, Zero thumped his tail on the floor. I scrunched up my nose at the disgusting visual. After what I'd seen the dog do, I had a feeling he wouldn't be opposed to eating a man's tongue.
"Ewww," I muttered, causing the man to chuckle again.
"I get it, man. But that's fine. If you want to pretend it isn't happening, that's on you." He turned to meet Bones' gaze. "But don't kid yourself. And don't wait too long, or you might watch it slip from your fingers before you even have a good grip." He turned back and winked at me before resuming his thorough exam.
Bones seemed to choose to ignore the cryptic words, and before long, I had been bandaged from my scraped up knees and palms to the wrap around my ribs that made breathing a little bit easier. He stepped back when he was done examining my throat and snapped off the gloves he'd been wearing. He stuffed them and the rest of the discarded trash back into his bag.
"That's about all I can do. You probably should have an antibiotic shot to ward off any germs you picked up from the alley, but I don't have one in my bag with me. I'll come by the compound in the morning to check on you and bring one then. Overall, I'd say you're lucky. Your ribs aren't broken, but bruised ribs can hurt like a bitch and will take four to six weeks to fully heal. Your throat is damaged, but nothing permanent. I suggest soft foods for a few days to allow the swelling to go down." He snapped his bag closed and turned to Bones. "You don't expect to take her on your bike, do you? I can drive her if you want."
I watched as Bones' eyes narrowed dangerously, the black irises seeming to glow with dark flames. Again, the doctor chuckled. "Yeah, I get it. But you don't want your girl to be in any more pain than she needs to, right?"
My mouth dropped open at his words. "I'm not his girl," I spluttered, stumbling over the words. I didn't want him to get the wrong idea and have Bones angry at me for this man that I still couldn't tell was a friend of his or not misunderstanding the situation. "He just… saved me," I trailed off as both men stared at me. One with amusement and a raised eyebrow and the other with a dangerous glare that had me snapping my mouth shut and swallowing hard.
Bones stood abruptly, walking over to my suitcases and wheeling them to the door. "You can drive her," he grunted before wrenching the door open and stalking out into the night. I thought that was all he was going to say, but he paused, Zero on his heels, wagging his white, furry tail. "But don't touch." Then he turned on his heel and strode over to a black SUV, opened the back, and deposited my every earthly possession inside.
"Hey!” I protested, my voice croaking painfully as I raised it in panic. "What are you doing with my things? I need those!"
"I think, beautiful," the doctor winked as he took my arm gently, helping me to stand unsteadily, "that you won't be staying here anymore." He looked around the room with disgust, wrinkling his nose. "It's not safe, and you need to have someone watch over you while you heal."
"But," I began, thinking over what he said. "Where am I going?"
"Somewhere safe, I promise. Where the Boogeymen can't get you."
I swallowed as a wave of terror washed over me. "You aren't talking about the mythical boogeyman that likes to hide under the bed, are you?"
He led me to the door and out into the dark parking lot, swinging the door closed behind us. "Some monsters are worse than the ones in our nightmares, Red." He looked over to where Bones was sitting astride his huge all black motorcycle with his arms crossed over his chest, shooting daggers with his dark eyes. "And, sometimes, it takes a monster to keep you safe."
I ducked my head to avoid the dark glare sent my way. I caught myself rubbing the center of my chest as the thoughts of Bones hating me sent jolts of pain through my system. Once we made it to the SUV, the doctor held the door open for me, but I couldn't climb up without my ribs screaming in agony. In the end, he had to boost me up. The positioning was awkward, and one hand ended up on my ass. I jolted at the feel of his hand there and gave out a muffled squeal.
Suddenly, the hands that had been holding me up abruptly disappeared, and for a split second, I was in a freefall. My heart lurched just as my entire body tensed up painfully, preparing for a fall to the hard pavement. Only, it never happened. Instead, strong arms wrapped around my body and held me tight to a broad chest. I didn't have to look down to see that the arms were covered in solid black ink except for the places that showed shadowed bones.
"Breathe with me. You're okay." The rough voice whispered directly into my ear, making me shiver. But I did as instructed, feeling the chest behind me rising and falling slowly. As my frightened breathing slowed to a bearable pace, I dropped my head back on his shoulder. After a couple of minutes, when I was calm and ready to move again, Bones maneuvered me into the seat with more gentleness and care than I would have thought he was capable of.
He smoothed back the tangled hair that was still in my face and ran his eyes over my body, ensuring I was okay. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." His jaw was clenched tight as he spoke, almost gritting out the words. But I could see the remorse he was feeling just beneath the surface. "I just… didn't like seeing his hands on you."
I nodded with acceptance, unsure how to respond to this new side of Bones. I hadn't expected him to be so possessive. Or maybe he was jealous. He had fucked my mouth—twice, after all. Perhaps he was the type of guy that didn't like to share. I had no idea what was going on, but I couldn't deny the little thrill of excitement.
He stepped back with his fists clenched tightly at his sides, and I had the distinct feeling that he didn't want to leave me alone with the other man. But then, without another word or glance in my direction, he slammed the door shut and stalked back to his bike. I watched as he let out a shrill whistle, calling Zero to him. In a swift, graceful movement, he swung his leg over the motorcycle and started it with a ground shaking roar. In the next second, he was gone, nothing but taillights disappearing down the street and the blur of a white dog running behind him.
ChapterFifteen
SALLY
