TWENTY-SIX
Salute
Lucky
“Every single time you go chase someone down, you almost end up getting yourself killed.” Even as she scolded me, Hanna was smiling. I groaned as she helped me settle into bed. My body still ached but at least my heart was still beating.
Surprisingly, a bullet from our enemy’s gun hadn’t been the thing to knock me down, but blood loss. After taking two and then running for what felt like miles, it had finally taken its toll on me, leaving me no choice but to get a blood transfusion.
How embarrassing was it that I had passed out while taking to Seven? Hastie had said she’d had been hysterical when they found me passed out on the ground, thinking the worst had happened. But I hadn’t been dead, just unconscious.
After taking me back to Neptune’s, Hanna removed the bullets from my leg. “Maybe I should retire,” I said as Seven came into the room. I focused on her and not on the aches in my body. Her hips swayed as she came towards me, and I wished I could sit up and pull her into my lap.
“Maybe you should,” she agreed. “But then you wouldn’t have those biker babes all over you.” Hanna laughed.
“As long as I got you, I’m all right.”
Hanna shook her head. “Even injured and pale from blood loss, you can still be charming.”
I couldn’t help but grin at the older woman. She’d saved my life. “Hanna, if you’ll excuse us, I’d like to speak to Seven.” Alone didn’t need to be said. Hanna left with a smile, leaving me with Seven. I felt like I hadn’t seen her in forever.
“What do you want to talk about?”
I gave her my best smoldering look. “Hop on.”
“I’m not touching you! You’re still bleeding through your bandages.”
“Hey, a little blood play never hurt anyone.”
“That blood play almost got you killed and it’s my fault.”
My playful smile immediately disappeared. “It’s not your fault, Seven. You didn’t know that turning down a guy would result in him breaking into your house and trying to kidnap you.”
“But it happened,” she said. “And you’re in this bed because of it.”
“I’m here because I made a decision for myself. Because I care about you, not because I felt forced to act. Anyway, it’s not over yet.”
“What do you mean? Trey is dead.”
“But you heard him. He succeeded in breaking into your house but was stopped before he could go in. By whom?”
Seven nodded. “I almost forgot about that.”
“While that person may have saved your life if you had been home, we need to find out who it is.”
“Not ‘we,’” she corrected. “You can hardly sit up.”
“I’m fine.” My energy was already gathering.
Seven shook her head and placed a hand on my chest. “Just relax. I’m going to make you some food.”
Ooh, I liked that idea. “Will you make some more of that stew?” It’d been delicious.
She paused by the door and smiled back at me. “No. You’ll have whatever I make you.”
I grinned. She was so mean. And I loved it.
Seven
I’d gone slightly crazy with tonight’s dinner because Neptune’s was recently stocked with items that I hadn’t seen in a long time. As everyone settled at the tables, Lucky was rolled in, looking like a triumphant king as he grinned at me. “This is fresh, isn’t it?” he said, indicating the fact that Kitt was pushing him around everywhere in a wheelchair.
Kitt, however, looked irritated. “Could you get out of the way so I can dump him here and eat?” Laughing, I stepped back from the table so that he could push Lucky right up against it.
“Oh, baby.” Hastie approached the table with hungry eyes. “This is gonna be so good.”
Beside him, Indy laughed. “You sound more excited than when we had sex.”
Everyone at the table chortled at that. “Don’t worry, babe. After I eat this, I’ll have you for dessert.”
“What’s for dinner?” Hanna asked as she approached.
“Just a classic meal of meat and potatoes.”
“Holy crap, Seven. Where did you learn how to cook like this?”
I shrugged. “It was something I whipped up when I was studying in cooking school.”
“It’s amazing!” she cried as she took her first bite.
“Thank you.” As everyone else dug in, there were more shouts of approval and praise. The room, which was formerly filled with stress and pain, was now temporarily brimming with good spirits. Food always had a special power like that and that was why I loved it.
“Come. Sit,” Lucky said as I watched everyone eat. “You’ve been working hard in that kitchen all day. You must be starved.” Well, I was. But it was enough for me to just sit and watch everyone else enjoy.
“Eat, eat!” Hastie cried when I still remained standing. With a smile, I sat in the chair beside Lucky, grinning at him when he popped a whole potato in his mouth. “I don’t know what the hell you were doing working at Giovanni’s. You’re a great cook.”
“Yeah, well, since I’m out of a job, I guess I’ll need to find someplace else that will take me.”
“You’re not out of a job,” Hanna called out. “You’re working for me.” Everyone at our table turned to her.
“I am?”
“Yup, you can start tomorrow if you want. You’ve got talent, girl, and I can’t let it go to waste.”
I slid a delighted glance at Lucky, who was beaming with pride. “See? I’ve always said you’re a great cook.”
“You’ll have to come up with your dishes,” Hanna explained. “And also make sure you stock the fridge and pantry with everything you need. Since the alliance with Ward Three, we’ve had weekly deliveries of fresh wheat and produce. If your recipes require more than what they provide, you’ll need to get those yourself.”
“I can do that.”
“Good, then I guess I should welcome you to the family, shouldn’t I?” She raised her glass high in the air and paused as everyone did the same. Surrounded by bikers on all sides, it didn’t seem strange when Hanna called out, “Cheers to good food and good friends.”
The group of bikers roared, causing me to throw my head back with a laugh. With all that had happened recently, this was the first time we had all gotten a chance to sit down and just appreciate the fact that we were all here.
Well, all of us except for Knuckle. “Where the hell is he anyway?” Beck asked when he realized the prez of the club was missing from the group.
“He’s at the safe house with Vincent,” Kitt answered before taking a pull from his beer.
“Again?”
“Yup. The guy’s determined to break him or something.”
“He’s obsessed with it,” Hastie said. “Been at him for days.”
“We should go check on him.” Everyone simply stared at Lucky as he finished speaking. “Or you guys should,” he corrected.
“Right.” Hastie straightened, Kitt and Beck following. “Just rest up, and for fuck’s sake, the next time you decide to chase someone down, try not to kill yourself in the process.”
Lucky’s only response to that was a one-finger salute.