Page 24 of Bleed Me

I cringed as she came even closer, “I’m good. Thanks,” hoping she’d just leave, but delicate fingers with blue nail polish hooked around the edge of the curtain as if preparing to open it. I lowered my voice in warning, “I said I’m good.”

After a jolt of rejection, her fingers slipped away. “Got it.”

The bathroom door shut.

By the time I washed up and got dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that fit as if meant for me, I walked into my empty bedroom. My bed was made, pillows fluffed, and puke cleaned up. On one of the nightstands, next to the Advil and water Art had brought me, there was a can of Canada Dry ginger ale. My shoulders sulked. I instantly felt like an asshole. She was trying to be nice, and I had basically denied her for something she probably thought was part of her job, as twisted as that sounded.

I rushed to the hallway to thank her but only found Art and Diesel whispering. As soon as they saw me, they stopped. My chest tightened. “What? Is it Delilah? What’s wrong?”

Rubbing the back of his neck, Diesel scuffed his biker boots toward me along the wood floor hallway. “Art and I gotta go home.”

I was about to be left alone with a bunch of strangers, which was scary as fuck, but there was only one thing I needed to know. “Please. Is she okay?”

Artist leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms to stare at the floor.

Anger burst from me. I told Diesel, “I’m doing what you asked, ain’t I? Jesus fucking Christ! I didn’t even shave!”

My new VP appeared at the end of the hallway that led into the big room, his hand motioning for me to take it down a notch. The resemblance between the two brothers was now so clear I was shocked the truth had blinded me.

I could feel the veins in my neck begin to bulge as I tried to follow orders yet voice my frustrations. “I hear ya, Dagger, but I’m not even allowed to talk about who I’ve been all my life.” My head dropped forward. “I don’t even truly know who that is.” I tried again with his brother. “Diesel. Please.”

Silence.

If Diesel was going to deny me simple words, I turned to the only man I had left in my life. “Dagger, please. I will do anything you ask. Just… please, man. Please. Let me know if she’s okay. Can’t you see I’m doing it all for her?” My voice cracked. “I’m giving up everything. All I’m asking for in return is one answer. That’s it. If she’s not okay, none of this is worth it.”

Maybe I was losing it. Maybe I was dealing with my last bit of fight. Either way, my VP came through. He came closer, telling Diesel, “He deserves an answer.”

Diesel was the President of his own club but seemed to appreciate someone having my back. I think that is why he dipped his chin, honoring his brother’s request when telling me, “V says Delilah is struggling. That she wants to set your ashes… free.”

I fell back into my doorjamb.

“In the river.” He blew out air. “I think it will help her let you go.”

My teeth were smashing together as I begged myself not to cry in front of the toughest men I’d ever know. My nostrils fought to open wider in order to get enough air in my lungs so I wouldn’t crumble to the floor. This was it. What I believed to be my final goodbye. Her sending my ashes down a river.

I looked to Art, who had yet to have the balls to face me. I growled, “You get her through this.”

He chose to stare at the opposite end of the hallway instead of replying.

Neither VP nor Redemption Prez stopped me as I charged Art, grabbed his vest, and got in his face. “No. You don’t get to puss out. Get. Her. Through. This.”

His blue eyes glared at me. “Like you did?”

Up close—no room between us—I stared into those blue eyes and suddenly realized he had more than biker brothers to count on. He had family. Considerably younger, I was betting one of the men watching me was his father.

Not releasing Art, I glared at Dagger and Diesel. Their eyes were wide when realizing I had discovered… a lie.

Art may not have known it yet, but he was not only getting to go home. He had kin on this earth. That pissed me off even more. He may have given me a beat down while I was strung up at the barn, but it was different when my hands were free. Dagger and Diesel stayed back and let the violent tussle take place. It was bound to happen. We were both in love with the same girl.

As we took turns slamming each other’s backs into the wall and landing fists on each other’s faces and guts, we gained an audience. They didn’t interfere either. No one did until a deep voice boomed, “Hey! Knock it off!”

The Prez of the Steel Stallions.

Art and I stopped moving but refused to unlock from the hold we had on one another.

Prez laughed at Dagger and Diesel. “Can you two knuckleheads get your boys and save my goddamn hallway?” Dagger and Diesel chuckled as they moved in to untwine the two angry young bulls. Prez instructed, “The rest of you grab some chow. Breakfast is ready, damn it.”

With his arm loosely around my neck, Dagger guided me down the hallway. “You’ve given the boys so much ammunition in such a short time, I’m a little nervous what your road name will be. Pukey? SlipDick? FatLip?” He studied Art. “FatLipGiver?”