I squinted up to look at him, the sunstreaming behind his emotion stricken face. “Okay,” I agreed quietly.
We were soon surrounded by Harley’sand Cal’s SUV.
“Come on, baby,” Cole coaxed, pickingme up off the ground and carrying me carefully in his arms to the backseat. Salwas depositing Kat gently in on the other side.
“Shit, we’re back in another SUV,” Igroaned over to Kat. And despite ourselves we both burst out laughing. Maybe wewere both just completely hysterical, or maybe it was just really funny. Colelooked at me like I had completely lost it before he shut the door.
“That mother fucker is dead, do youhear me?” I heard him demand of his father. The words were muffled through thedoor but there was no mistaking his rage.
“Notdisputin’that shit, son, but you need to lock yourself down,” Cal ordered.
“Did you see her?” Cole roared. “Didyou fucking see her face?”
I winced at the raw emotion in hisvoice.
“I said, lock that shit down. Comehere,” Cal commanded, pulling Cole out of hearing distance.
Kat and I regarded each other for amoment.
“If you even think of saying you’resorry I’ll blacken your other eye,” she warned tersely as Sal hopped up intothe passenger side. “This isn’t your fault,” she reached a hand over to mine,squeezing gently. “Love you, Scar.”
I simply nodded swallowing back mytears, unable to speak, and laid my head back and closed my eyes. The pain wasgetting worse now that the shock was wearing off. My skin felt like it had beentorn off in certain places and my face and joints throbbed.
Cole returned quickly and hopped intothe driver’s seat, peeling out and gunning it for the hospital.
“What’s the story?” I asked hoarsely.
“Story?” Cole asked, peering at methrough the rearview mirror. Even in my state I had to admire the color of hiseyes as they locked with mine.
“Well, I assume telling the hospitalthat a rival motorcycle club kidnapped us and threw us from a moving vehicle isout,” I replied dryly.
“Right, that story,” Cole muttered.
“We’ll just tell them we were fuckingaround trying to learn how to ride motorcycles and ditched them,” Kat answered,her voice weak with pain.
Sal twisted in his seat to look ather, his face full of concern, “What about her face?” he asked turning to lookat me briefly before his eyes found Kat again.
“Best to stick with one story,” Isaid, my own voice growing more and more quiet. “They won’t push too hard.” Isighed.
“How do you know so much about this?”Cole barked at me. He clearly had a fairly loose hold on himself.
“You have got to chill, Bud,” Sal saidquietly but firmly.
The lump rose again in my throat atwhat my past was doing to the people dearest to me. Cole was clearly torn upinside while Kat was quite literally torn up. I gazed out the window thinkingabout how much easier it would be if I just removed myself from both of theirlives. I was confident that with me out of the picture, any twisted interestJake had taken would fall to the wayside.
Cole nodded briefly, his jaw settightly and the rest of the short drive was silent.
Both Sal and Cole carried us into theemergency room while barking orders at the staff. Words were exchanged, but Iwas in too much pain and too overwhelmed by the day to pay attention.Everything went relatively smoothly until the nurses asked Cole to leave theroom.
“I’m notleavin’,”he scowled with his feet planted firmly, arms crossed over his formidablechest.
“Baby, it’s okay,” I assured him. “I’msure these nice women are just doing their jobs,” I said quietly from the bedthey placed me in. I knew they just wanted to question me in private about mystory, something I was sure from Cole’s expression that he knew as well. I alsofelt it prudent that he didn’t witness the extent of my injuries, at least notat the moment, when he clearly didn’t have a handle on his anger. He was stillvisibly seething, which wasn’t helping the nurses to believe my story.
“Fine, ten minutes. No more,” he saidfirmly before turning on his heel and stalking off.
The nurse turned to me, concern in hereyes as she began to gingerly remove my clothing with scissors. They already gaveme something for the pain and I focused on the ceiling, not wanting to see theextent of my injuries.
“Are you safe at home?” she askedquietly when she had me situated with a gown covering my naked body. “You cantell me, I swear it won’t get back to him,” she added. Her eyes brimmed withsincerity, and I knew had the situation called for it that I would have trustedher.