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We wonder around the garden center for close to an hour. Jack and Levi take turns helping us load up the trollies while the other keeps watch. I’m not sure what danger they expect to encounter here, but I know Hex gave them orders to protect us. Neither wants to let him down. Jack is close to getting patched in while Levi wants to earn their trust.
Cleo uses the club credit card to pay for the plants and the tools before we head outside to load up the SUV. Knowing we can’t fit everything into one SUV, Jack calls the clubhouse and asks Irish to grab the other vehicle to come meet us. While we wait, Jack loads as many plants as he can into our ride while Levi stands guard. Our SUV is almost full when a sense of dread washes over me. When the dread morphs into excruciating pain, I sage against the SUV. Levi rushes to my side, garnering the attention of my daughters.
“Mom? What’s wrong?” Shayna asks, wrapping her arm around my waist.
“I don’t know,” I say as I close my eyes against the pain. “I need to sit down.”
She helps me into the SUV while Olivia rushes to the other side. She crawls in next to me and takes my pulse.
“Your heart is beating too fast,” she says before placing her hand on my forehead, then my cheeks, and finally, the base of my neck. “You don’t feel warm. Where is the pain?”
I slowly lift my right hand and place it over my left breast. “Here. I feel like I’m on fire.”
“Levi, take the women back to the clubhouse. I’ll wait for Irish, and he can give me a lift back after we load the rest of the plants.”
I want to argue and tell everyone I’m fine, but I can’t quite get the words out. The pain is too intense for me to ignore.
Shayna and Sasha stand on either side of me as we enter the clubhouse. Cleo leads the way to the infirmary with Olivia following behind. When we step into the infirmary, we all freeze at the sight before us.
Sitting on the exam table is Dixie. He has his shirt off while Lake applies a salve to what looks like a massive burn shaped as the letter ‘D.’ The skin looks red and angry. Dixie has his eyes closed as Lake applies a bandage over the wound, but he must sense us, because his eyes fly open and lock with mine. At least now I know what caused the pain I felt. Seeing him and knowing what happened has the pain in me dissipating.
“Delphine…” he starts, but I just shake my head as I move toward him. Reaching up, I let my fingers hover over the bandage, but I don’t touch it.
“What happened?” I choke out. He reaches up to brush a tear from face.
“I’m okay,” Dixie assures me, but I don’t believe him. Glaring at him, he sighs and brushes his hand over my hair. “I really am okay. It hurts like a bitch. I won’t lie, but I’m handling it.”
“Who did this…” I ask, but I already know the answer. “Hex. Where is he?” I turn to leave, but Dixie slides off the table and stops me.
“Don’t,” he says.
“Why not? How could he do this to you? He marked you for life. He hurt you. I can’t let this go,” I argue, but Dixie simply pulls me in for a hug. He keeps my head on the opposite side of the wound, but I still hear him suck in a gasp of pain. I go rigid, but he soothes me by stroking my back and planting a kiss on the top of my head.
“It was take the brand or lose my position as VP, or worse, my kutte. I’d choose the brand every time. This will heal and it will serve as a reminder of how I almost lost everything because I didn’t put my trust in the club and in my brothers.”
“It’s barbaric,” I hiss, not willing to let it go.
“Maybe, but that’s the life I’ve chosen. This club means everything to me. I didn’t realize how much until I almost lost it. I know you don’t approve and that you’ll struggle with this for a few days. But, I’m asking you to not say anything to Hex. This will heal, but more importantly, branding me healed the fracture in my friendship with Hex. Losing him, the club, and you? That’s a pain I’d never survive.”
I stay silent in his arms as I consider his words. When Hex started this club, I had my doubts about whether I could live with his choices. I know Hex wants the club to earn their money through legit means, but they still cross into the grey occasionally. After all, they wear the 1% patch. They don’t always work within the law. I know Hex and his men have tortured and killed, but I also know those they hurt are ones who earned it. Hex would never hurt an innocent. Although, knowing how much pain Dixie must be in makes me question that assumption. “He hurt you,” I finally say, because that’s what bothers me. The amount of pain Dixie must have felt and still feels.
“After I hurt him and the others. I know you’re looking at this from my viewpoint and not theirs, but I need you to consider Hex’s position. By not telling the club about my extracurricular activities, I put the club at serious risk. I thought I was protecting them, but that was because I didn’t think through the consequences. Please believe me when I say that I don’t resent getting branded, and I want you to not resent it either,” Dixie says softly. I hear the plea in voice, and the conviction. My anger thaws as I tighten my hold on Dixie.
“I’ll try,” I finally tell him, knowing that I’ll only be able to suppress the anger until Dixie’s no longer in pain.
“So, does this mean you forgive me?” Dixie asks.
I push back to look into his face. “That depends. Are you going to kill my son?”
“I will not kill your son. You have my word,” Dixie says, kissing my forehead.
“Then I forgive you,” I grin at him.
“How was your trip to the spa?” he asks me.
I shrug, still angry about what Hex did to Dixie.
“Did you get a massage?” I just shake my head. “How about we play masseuse and his delectable client later and I’ll give you a massage that has a happy ending?”
