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“With the rise of gang violence in Merry Field lately, I expect the hospital will soon be busier than usual.”
Henry had been so diligent about dodging the topic of work that it was a shock to hear him bring up the hospital now. But it didn’t stop me from blurting out an immediate response.
“Club,” I said. “It’s a club. Not a gang.”
Henry glanced up in surprise, a forkful of salmon and steamed vegetables halfway to his mouth.
“Pardon?”
A prickle of heat crept up the back of my neck at putting myself in this situation but it was too late to back out now. I cleared my throat.
“A motorcycle club is not the same as a gang. Members are diligently vetted and voted in, or denied access if they’re not a good fit.”
Henry blinked at me once with a wide-eyed stare. Then he set his fork down carefully.
“Well, you’re certainly full of surprises. How do you know so much about motorcycle clubs?”
I struggled to stop myself from fidgeting and clutched the napkin in my lap for reassurance. I shrugged, hoping it came across as nonchalant rather than nervous.
“I overheard some things when that patient was brought in the other day—the victim who’d been stabbed and beaten. I guess there’s a turf war going on between these two clubs and it’s going to get ugly.”
The more I talked, the more I realized I was revealing far too much and I needed to shut up. I grabbed the glass of wine I’d barely touched for the entire meal and gulped it down. Then I switched tactics.
“Besides, everyone gets into trouble now and then. Didn’t you do stupid stuff when you were eighteen?”
You didn’t get pregnant from a biker after a one-night-stand like me, I thought,but let’s hope there’s a little dirt to scuff up your flawless facade somewhere.
Henry hummed with a slow shake of his head.
“Not really. If I wasn’t volunteering at a local clinic, I was studying to get into med school.”
“Oh,” I said in a small voice.
Henry continued talking but I didn’t hear a word he said. In the back of my mind, a voice told me that this might be the most boring date I’d been on in my life. I couldn’t imagine this man touching me with any kind of passion or heat. I couldn’t imagine letting this man see the stretch marks on my stomach and hips after pregnancy when there wasn’t a single hair out of place on his head. I couldn’t imagine this man making any effort to find common ground with my daughter, especially when he found out Cam had more interest in mechanics than nursing.
Cam would have called him a Ken doll—plastic, unfeeling, rigid. More like a mannequin than a human being.
She was supposed to text me every hour and keep me updated on her movie outing, but I hadn’t checked my phone in a while. While Henry continued to talk, I slipped my hand into my purse sitting on the chair beside me. I slid my phone out, surreptitiously glanced at the screen.
A selfie from Cam popped up, showing her in the theater with a bunch of girls crowded around her, candy and popcorn in hand. She looked like she was enjoying herself more than I was…
The roar of motorcycle engines split the air, followed by howls and yips like coyotes. A moment later, a deafening explosion cracked through the noise and glass shattered around me like stinging shards of ice.
Chapter Seven
Red
When Diablo walked into the clubhouse, applause erupted at seeing him standing on his own two feet. I nudged a bar stool out with my foot, inviting him to sit.
“You look like hell warmed over, brother,” I said.
I surveyed the fading bruises on his face. His busted lip and black eye. The slight limp in his right leg and the way he walked carefully, indicating he was still tender despite the painkillers he must have been on.
“I feel better than I did in that ambulance ride to the hospital, trust me,” Diablo replied, easing onto the stool with a wince. “Please tell me we’re nailing these assholes to the wall after this.”
Before anyone could reply, the front door banged open. An unfamiliar silhouette stepped over the threshold—tall and lean, with a ragged looking kut, as if he had no pride in taking care of it.
“Good afternoon, boys,” the stranger said. “I heard Diablo was released from the hospital and I thought I’d drop by. Just to pay my respects,” he added with a predatory smile.
