Sal (The Ride Series) (18 page)

I felt a warm, slow smile spread over my face. His delivery might have been harsh, but his words spoke volumes.

I bit my lip, hesitant to push him further but feeling greedy for affection. “Do you think you can fit up here with me?” I asked, indicating my small hospital bed.

His expression softened a degree and swept over my face. “Yeah, I think I can manage as long as I won’t hurt you.”

“It’s just my right arm. As long as you lay on my left side it’ll be fine,” I assured him, my heart soaring as he bent down to unlace his boots. He climbed as gingerly into the bed as his big body allowed and carefully pulled me against him.

“You know the cops will come; they’ll want a statement,” I said quietly after he’d gotten situated. I snuggled into his warm, firm chest and breathed him in.

“Yeah,” he replied, his deep voice vibrating through his body. His fingers stroked idly through my hair, and I marveled at my fierce man’s capacity for tenderness.

“What do you want to do?” I asked. Situations like this one were tricky. I’d been in enough scrapes with the Knights to know the police were not a part of the way justice was delivered in their world. If the cops knew about Parker and something happened to him, well that was a hell of a lot of heat on the club that they didn’t need.

“I need to talk to Cole, but if names are named then any retribution would be a lot tougher for us. I want my own justice with Parker, and it doesn’t include a comfortable cell and cable TV.”

I swallowed hard but nodded. I didn’t ask for more detail. Sal and I had an understanding of sorts about his life with the Knights. I knew in general they stayed on the right side of the law. They owned several businesses and kept out of trouble for the most part. But I also knew they had their own laws, their own sense of justice. And if someone hurt or threatened one of their own, they didn’t hesitate. Part of being with Sal meant I had to understand that. I couldn’t ask questions I didn’t truly want the answers to.

“You okay with that?” he asked gruffly.

I knew what he was asking me, to lie to the police in order to allow him to handle this his way. “Yeah,” I murmured, feeling his lips brush against my temple.

My fingers traced over the tattoos that covered his right arm, appreciating the black and grays contrasting with the vibrant colors.

“Your arm is like a work of art,” I whispered, my voice sounding scratchy as I traced the eyes of the day of the dead emblem on his inner forearm.

“Hmm,” his voice rumbled.

“Why this one?” I asked, tracing the haunting yet beautiful image.

He shrugged. “I always thought the idea that death is a part of life is sort of beautiful,” he admitted, and I could tell he was almost bashful about his explanation. “I felt in a way when I left home it was a death of sorts, but a good one.”

I nodded. That made a hell of a lot of sense to me.

My fingers traced under his shirt and up to his chest, outlining the Knight insignia that I knew blazed across his pecs. His skin felt so warm and smooth, it soothed me to touch him.

“Sleep, Birdie. I’m here,” he assured me, squeezing me gently.

I nodded and allowed my heavy lids to shut.

I was first aware of the damn beeping when I began to stir. Hospitals were not easy places to rest in, that was for sure. I was alone in bed and my eyes opened to search the room for Sal.

“Hey, girl,” Hank’s voice came from the doorway, surprising me.

“Hey,” I rasped, trying to sit up. “Where’s Sal?”

“Meetin’ with Cole and Cal downstairs, he’ll be back soon as he can. Axel, Tag, and I are here,” he told me, his huge arms crossing over his chest. Hank was a bear of a man, and I always found it slightly amusing that the women who piqued his interest were always so petite.

“Is Connie okay? Have you talked to Wes?” I asked. They were supposed to get married in a few days.

“Just shaken up,” he replied, stepping farther into the room. “Mind if I sit?” he asked, indicating the chair beside my bed.

I shook my head.

Of all the guys, Hank was probably the warmest and the most approachable. He was like a big teddy bear most of the time. But, this morning I saw none of that softness in him. He looked beyond pissed. “We’re all sorry for what happened to you, Kat. There’ll be hell to pay. You know that, right?” he demanded.

“Yeah, I know,” I answered quietly. Really, there wasn’t anything else I could say. I couldn’t stop them even if I tried. It was as good as done the minute Parker had made a move against me and, in doing so, against the entire club.

“What’s the latest on Jeb?” I asked.

“He came through the night,” Hank answered, providing unexpected good news. “Punctured lung but they were able to stop the bleeding and get him stable.”

“That’s great news.” I breathed a sigh of relief. “Is someone with him?”

Hank nodded. “His girl.”

I’d never met his girlfriend; didn’t know he had one because I didn’t know Jeb all that well, but I was glad he wasn’t alone.

“Can I get you anything?” he asked, interrupted by the swishing of the curtain as the doctor stepped into view.

“How are you feeling this morning, Miss Jennings?” he asked kindly, looking at me briefly before studying my chart.

“Okay,” I replied. And I did feel okay. My arm was sore as hell, but I wasn’t hurt anywhere else and wanted to get the hell out of there.

“Let’s take some vitals and then I’m going to check your wounds, okay?” he asked.

Behind the doctor stepped in two men dressed in suits. Detectives, shit. I hadn’t talked to Sal yet, and I wasn’t sure how he wanted me to play this. I glanced briefly over at Hank who was suddenly typing furiously on his phone.

“Miss Jennings?” The blond-haired detective spoke, coming into the room. “I’m Detective Rawlings. This is Detective Marx,” he introduced the attractive black detective standing next to him. “We wanted to talk to you about what happened last night.”

“Can this wait?” I replied, hoping to stall for time. “I’m still a bit shook up, I’d rather not go into the details just yet,” I told them, which wasn’t a lie.

“Unfortunately, no. We’d like to get your information as quickly as possible. The man with you, Mr. Harris, almost died. This was attempted murder and aggravated assault, in a public place no less. We want to get to the bottom of this and we want to do that today,” Detective Marx returned forcefully.

Clearly, these guys weren’t fooling around.

“I’ll come back shortly,” the doctor said, leaving the room. I sighed regretfully at his departure. I’d rather have him push and prod my open wounds than deal with the detectives.

“What’s going on?” Sal demanded, appearing behind the detectives. He was wearing the same clothes as last night and sporting new smudges under his eyes from lack of sleep. He looked exhausted and seriously pissed, but he immediately stepped to my bedside, a standing sentry between me and the law.

“We’re here to get a statement and we’re not leaving until we do,” Rawlings returned as his gaze narrowed on Sal and then on Hank. No doubt he’d already labeled them as anything but law abiding.

I looked up at Sal, hoping like hell he would understand the subtle question in my eyes. He looked down at me and gave me the slightest of nods.

Apparently it was time for my performance. I was slightly cranky about not having any coffee first, but I’d just have to do without.

Unfortunately, I had way more practice with lying than I would have liked. I knew in order to be believable, I had to stick as closely to the truth as possible. Growing up, I lied to my parents on a daily basis. I had gotten pretty damn good at it, especially because the consequences were less than pleasant if they didn’t believe me. I’d get hit, or worse.

So, I told the story as it had unraveled. Except in this version, I’d never seen either man before and had no idea why they’d targeted us. When asked for descriptions, I altered them slightly. I could tell the detectives were skeptical at best as they took notes, their gazes sweeping suspiciously to Sal and Hank every now and then. I refused to be questioned alone when they asked, not wanting to draw this out any further.

“You think of anything else, you give us a call,” Marx instructed while handing me a card.

“Will do,” I agreed.

“We’ll be in touch,” Rawlings added gruffly, and I could tell he was pissed off. He knew I wasn’t telling them everything, but he didn’t have any proof.

Sal stood with his feet planted apart and his arms crossed over his chest as he watched them go. When the door clicked shut behind them, I took a deep breath and relaxed slightly.

“Good job, babe,” Sal said quietly, loosening his stance slightly and cupping my neck with his large hand.

I nodded. “Before the doctor comes back can I have a huge cup of coffee? A girl can only deal with so much without caffeine,” I grumbled.

Sal chuckled quietly as Hank stood. “I’ll get it,” he offered with a nod to Sal as he left the room.

“Sounds like Jeb might be okay?” I hedged as Sal claimed Hank’s former seat next to the bed.

He nodded, resting his elbows on his knees in what I recognized as a contemplative stance. “Looks like he’ll pull through. And if we can get your doctor back in here, I’m going to try like hell to have you outta here as soon as possible.”

“Good,” I replied emphatically. “You look tired, honey,” I added quietly, reaching a hand over to smooth his cheek with my thumb.

He nodded in agreement. “We can both catch up on sleep once we get home.”

He’d been using the term “home” for weeks with us, and for some reason at that moment it rankled me.

Where was Hank with my coffee?

“It’s not
my
home you know, Sal,” I pointed out. His brows rose, clearly surprised by my response. “You keep calling it that, but I’ve basically been staying with you because it’s safer,” I argued.

His raised brows turned downward in a glare, which would have had me retreating in fear if not for the fact Sal, didn’t scare me, he never had. Instead, I crossed my arms, daring him to take me on.

“What’re you gettin’ at?” he demanded.

I sighed. “I want us to live together because we want to not because you feel like you have to protect me,” I answered honestly.

“Why do you think I feel the need to protect you?” he countered.

I shrugged, not sure what he was getting at.

“Christ, for a smart woman, you can be blind as shit sometimes,” he grumbled. “You clearly don’t get it. I want to protect you because you’re mine. And you’re mine because the moment I set eyes on you, there wasn’t another living soul who could move me the way you do.”

Holy shit. That was a
really
good answer.

“You’re under my roof because I want you there. You’re mine to protect. Hell, you’re mine period,” he corrected. “And, fuck that, you’re not staying with me. You’re moving in and you’re not moving out. I’ve wasted too much time. Life’s too short. You don’t like it, then I’ll chain you to the bed till you come around.”

I was full-on grinning now as he ranted. I half expected him to pound his chest and slam his club into the ground as any self-respecting caveman would.

“What are you grinning about?” he groused.

“I love you,” I absentmindedly professed, biting back a laugh before slapping my hand over my mouth. I hadn’t meant to let that slip out, though I meant every word.

He drew closer, replacing my hand with his full lips and pressing them against mine. “Well, in case you haven’t figured it out yet, I love you, too,” he said against my mouth.

I beamed as my heart soared. “I had sort of figured,” I admitted.

He chuckled and kissed me again.

“And I don’t think you’ll have to chain me to anything, unless you want to that is,” I added.

“Well, okay then, good,” he said as he nodded, moving to stand up.

“Come here,” I beckoned with my good arm as he stood over me. I took his shirt in my fist, pulling him down into a soul-searing kiss.

“Did we just agree to live together?” I asked quietly against his lips.

“I thought we already were,” he replied with a shrug.

“Of course you did,” I replied, fighting off another smile as he kissed me again.

Chapter 16

“Y
ou may kiss the bride!” the reverend declared as Wes pulled Connie into a tongue-tangling kiss. It was so typical of them to have a full-on make out session when they were announced as husband and wife.

I rolled my eyes good-naturedly and grinned over at Sal as he stood beside Wes, looking strikingly handsome. He smiled in return, his eyes shining as they swept over my form-fitting bridesmaid’s dress.

It was a casual wedding at the Italian restaurant Wes’ family ran, but it was beautiful. They’d decorated the entire back patio with lights and candles. It created a casual elegance, which suited the couple getting married to a T.

Glasses clinked, music blasted, and everyone was ready to let loose.

“Dance with me,” I pleaded, trying to pull Sal from his chair where he sat next to Cole. Gracie was sitting contentedly on her daddy’s lap and looking beautiful in her tiny little dress. She was growing every day, becoming more aware of her surroundings. She’d started smiling now, and I saw Cole visibly melt every time her gummy grin was directed at him.

“Don’t dance, babe,” Sal said as he shook his head with a smirk. I knew this of course, but it didn’t stop me from trying.

“Just one dance?” I tried with a small pout.

His eyes zeroed in on my lower lip and he pulled me down to bite it gently. “The only place I need to know how to move is inside you,” his deep voice rumbled against my mouth. “If you’re good I’ll prove it to you as soon as we get home,” he said, his promise making my panties instantly wet.

I nodded in agreement and accepted Scarlet’s hand as she came to retrieve me. None of the guys really danced. Mack would on occasion with Ettie. Wes had agreed to one dance with his new bride, but that was pretty much it. So, all of the girls had perfected the art of dancing together. Sometimes I wondered if the guys said they didn’t dance because they liked watching us so much.