Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 33767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 169(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 169(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
I glanced at the chart on my tablet. “Mother fuck…” This couldn’t be right. I stepped into the room, tossing the tablet on the counter by the sink and crossed to the bed where a small woman lay battered and bruised. Her arms were covered in finger marks and there were several scrapes and small cuts. Her face had been beaten so badly it was hard to recognize her, but when she opened her eyes and looked up at me…
“Atticus?”
“Yeah, honey. It’s me.” I sat on the bed next to her, taking her hand in mine and bringing it to my lips. “I’m here.”
“You know her, Dr. Benedict?”
Fuck. How could I have completely forgotten Dr. Mason was there?
“Yeah. Cecilia Reyes.”
“Do you want to pass her case to someone else?”
“Absolutely not.” My response was immediate and probably too vehement given how CeCe flinched, but there was no way in hell I was letting anyone else take care of CeCe as long as I had privileges at this fucking hospital. “She’s under my care and will be until she’s ready to go home. You make sure everyone knows that.”
“You won’t be here twenty-four/seven, Atticus.”
“For her, I will.”
He raised his hands. “I’m on the next six nights, Atticus. If you need me, I’ll be happy to look after your girl while you’re off shift.”
CeCe whimpered, her gaze clinging to mine even as she tightened her hand around mine weakly.
“I’ve got her. I’ll take care of her.”
“I understand.” He gripped my shoulder. “Keep her safe, Bullet.”
That got my attention, and I turned my head sharply to give him a hard look. “How do you know that name?”
He tapped his finger to his temple. “Ask Crush and Byte.”
“Oh, I will.” I gave him a death stare. I liked John, but I wouldn’t hesitate to kill him if he was a threat to the club.
“Got my own secrets, Bullet. I just want you to know, I’ll do my best to keep the heat off you if necessary.” There was a wealth of meaning in that declaration. “If you need anything, call me.”
What the fuck? I made myself a mental note to discuss this with Crush and Byte at the first opportunity…
I stilled. Yeah. I needed to get Grim Road involved with this sooner rather than later. Why? Because what Rocket knew, Lemon knew. If she thought I was trying to keep secrets, especially ones involving someone vulnerable, she’d have my balls and I wouldn’t blame her.
CeCe had closed her eyes again. I glanced at the monitor to confirm her vitals were stable and her heart was in the right rhythm, then pulled out my phone and called Lemon.
“Wassup, Doc?”
I winced. Yeah. I really shouldn’t get mad at Intern Iggy when my vice president was just as bad.
“I need club help. I have a woman I need to bring there to disappear.”
“What do you need?” It was a demand more than a question. Lemon was now all business. The VP of Grim Road.
This surprised me. I knew Lemon was protective of the women and kids in the compound, but I had no idea how that would translate to someone she didn’t know. Instead of asking a lot of questions before making a decision, or deferring to Rocket, Lemon simply demanded to know what I needed.
“She needs to disappear, Lemon. Then I need to go hunting.”
“How many men do you want ready?” Again, no questions asked about why. Just what did I need.
“I’ll discuss it with Rocket. I’ll need his help planning because this could have some serious blowback, so I’ll defer to him.”
“I’ll have Rocket call church. Can you get details to Crush discreetly so we can make a game plan?” Which was code for can I do it in a way that couldn’t be traced back to me or to the club. Thankfully, Crush and Byte already had that system in place. It was the first thing they’d done when Lemon took over as VP after the incident with Hammer and Claw.
“Tell him I’ll text him what I have.”
“What does she need, Bullet? What do I need to have ready to make her comfortable?”
God, this woman was the perfect vice president. I know a few of the guys were leery or even outright objected when Bear had first brought us the idea to make Lemon vice president, but I knew without a doubt it had been the right choice. The more time passed, the more I knew I’d been right. Bear had been right.
“A comfortable room with enough space I can have some hospital equipment brought in. Can you get her some clothes too? Loose-fitting stuff.”
“I’ll have it by the afternoon. What do you need to get her home?”
“Tell Knox I’ll call him. I’ll need something easy for her to get in and out of. Might need the RV so she can lie down.”