Chapter 14

It’s Father’s Day, so thank a mother fucker.

-Not a Hallmark card

Freya

“Can you tell me how this happened?” I asked the man.

The man didn’t answer me, his face a mask of agony as he strained on the bed.

His left foot was just…meat.

That’s all it resembled. Any evidence that it used to be a foot was no longer there.

“He was pulled under by a gator,” the man that came with him into the department said. “I tried to stop the bleeding.”

That would be the belt that was tied around his foot.

“That was good thinking,” I said, moving to the side to let the doctor get a look at the mess.

“He needs to go straight to surgery,” the surgeon said. “Frito, get him going.”

I rolled my eyes at the doctor. “My name’s Freya, and you darn well know it.”

The surgeon smiled at me. It was devastating, that smile of his.

He could easily be a model with those good looks.

But he also had those same looks for nearly everyone in the department

“Yes, ma’am,” Dr. Chace said. “You allergic to anything?”

And so it went, but I couldn’t get the eyes of the injured man’s friend off of me. Everywhere I went, his gaze followed me.

By the time the patient was transferred to the OR, I had goosebumps running all over my skin as I took the man to the waiting room.

“You can wait in here,” I said to the man. “They should call you on that red phone right there,” I indicated the phone with a pointed finger. “Do you need me to get you anything?”

He came close…too close…and stared at me for a long moment before shaking his head.

“No. I think that’s all I needed,” he said finally, taking a step back.

My smile was tight as I backed up.

“Okay,” I said. “Holler if you need anything.”

“Oh, I will, baby. I definitely will,” he said, watching me go.

I walked a little too fast to the elevators, and by the time I was back where I belonged, my heart was beating way too fast.

It was a combination of the exertion and his creepy stare that had my heart palpitating.

“Whoa,” Kelsey said. “Slow down.”

“Shit,” I said. “Sorry.”

Kelsey looked at me.

“Are you ready?” she asked.

I looked down at her hands.

She had both of our jackets in her hands, as well as my purse and hers.

“Oh,” I said. “It’s time to leave already?”

Kelsey had proven to be a great new friend over the last couple of days. We’d been here for two weeks, in total, and each day went by so fast that I barely had time to think about it, let alone stare at the clock like I used to do at my old job.

“Yep,” Kelsey said. “I can’t believe we’re already done.”

“Yeah, me either, but it’s nice that they got it all worked out. The nurses deserve it,” I offered my opinion.

The strike had been resolved, and all parties were now happy.

They’d be returning to work tomorrow, and our contracts would be paid out to the end of the month even though we’d only spent half of our time there.

“That man that you took to the waiting room is following you.”

I looked surreptitiously behind my back and winced.

He sure had followed.

He’d gone down the stairs though, making me think I was doing good with my getaway.

“He’s freakin’ me out,” I said, putting the coat on she’d handed me and holding my hand out for our purses.

She handed them to me and followed suit with her own jacket.

Handing over her purse, I slung mine over my shoulder and started out the side door that led to the parking lot.

My head was down as I casually tossed glances behind me at the man who was following me, meaning I didn’t see the one in front of me until I face planted into him.

“Oomph,” I said when my face hit the brick wall of his chest.

Kelsey gasped and tried to tug me back, but the brick wall enclosed me in thick arms that wrapped around my waist and held me tight.

“Mine,” the brick wall said.

I gasped, my eyes lifting to see that Ridley was the brick wall of a man that I was now plastered up against.

“What are you doing here?” I asked. “And what do you mean, ‘mine?’”

“You’re mine,” he said.

Kelsey stopped tugging me.

“Freya?” she asked me worriedly.

I sighed.

“He’s mine,” I allowed. “Well, not really mine, but still kind of mine. We’ve…well, um…shit.”

“We’ve fucked?” Ridley asked, a smile in his voice. “Were those the words you were trying to get out?”

I glared at him.

“You didn’t have to say it so vulgarly,” I said, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

He smiled at me, his white teeth gleaming in the darkness.

Then the door opened behind us, and he was no longer smiling.

He was cursing.

He pushed me back behind him, then reached for Kelsey to push her behind me, and put his body in front of whatever had come out the door.

I looked up and saw the man who had followed me down.

“Shit,” I said. “Ridley…”

“Shh,” he hissed. “Not another word while I talk to Hanson. Boys.”

Then, with the mention of that name, we were no longer alone.

Bodies started to fill the area around us, all of them large and in shape.

All of them with the same leather cuts on that Ridley had on.

His club.

We were surrounded.

They surrounded us on all sides, and my heart started to pound for a different reason now.

He’d come for me and had brought his club with him.

I wasn’t sure how he knew the guy who’d followed us out, but he did.

And I suddenly became very thankful that Ridley had come.

Had he not, that man might have followed us out and done more than just creep me out and follow us.

The bodies pushed me and Kelsey backwards until we were a good fifteen feet away from Ridley and the man who I now realized must’ve been Hanson.

The name Ridley had said about two seconds before the buff, badass biker blockade had surrounded us.

“What’s going on?” Kelsey asked.

I shook my head. “No clue.”

“Shh,” she said. “Listen.”

I listened, trying to peek through a gap in between the bodies.

“What are you doing here?” Ridley asked.

“What are you doing here?” Hanson countered. “I was here first. Been here for over two weeks.”

Ridley growled. “Stay the fuck away from her.”

“Why?” he asked. “You were the one who left her. I watched.”

My brows furrowed.

“What?” I asked, trying to push through the bodies holding me back.

They pushed closer together, an impenetrable wall of men, preventing me from moving forward and effectively closing me off from the rest of their conversation.

“I can’t hear anymore,” I said. “What’d he say?”

Kelsey strained forward until she could see over the bodies.

I looked over and saw her standing on the bumper of her car, and the visual she made nearly had me laughing out loud.

I didn’t, though, but I did follow her lead.

“Get the fuck out of here,” Ridley said. “She’s mine. Not yours. Keep your fucking eyes and hands away from her. Go now.”

“This is a free country.”

“Fine, then we’ll leave,” Ridley said.

Ridley turned, giving Hanson his back, and walked towards me.

His eyes were all for me, not anybody around us, as he walked with purpose in my direction.

His eyes were pinned to mine, and I accidentally leaned forward into the man in front of me to catch my balance.

Ridley’s eyes narrowed and I yanked my hand away.

“Shit,” I said. “Sorry, Peek.”

Peek chuckled and moved away, giving Ridley access to me without asking.

“Ridley…,” I said.

“Not another word. You drive?” he asked.

I shook my head.

“No. I rode with Kelsey.” I pointed to Kelsey’s car that I was still standing on.

The car bounced when Kelsey hopped down.

When I started to follow suit, Ridley’s arms went around me and pulled me into his chest.

I looked into his eyes warily.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“We’ll go to where you’re staying. I’ll tell you there,” he said.

I bit my lip to hold in the denial that sprung to my lips.

“Fine,” I said. “Kelsey…”

“You’re riding with me,” Ridley ordered, pulling me in the direction of his bike.

I turned my glare back on him before I turned back to Kelsey. “I’ll see you back at the hotel.”

Kelsey nodded, her eyes wide, and then she smiled.

“I’ll probably see you tomorrow at the earliest,” she amended.

For some reason, I believed her.

Ridley, though, proved to be nothing but effective.

And entertaining.

And sexy.

I could go on, but I won’t.