BITTER SWEET CRAVINGS (The Kingsmen MC Book 6) (15 page)

I spit on the ground, backing up. “Yeah, I’m leaving, man. Thanks for all the help.”

I rev my engine extra load before passing dangerously close to where he stands, causing him to jump back. The far parking lot, or long-term parking is a few minutes away, and I can see the prick of a cop was right. There are hospital-gown clad patients in wheelchairs, on gurneys, even roaming around if they’re healthy and able enough. Nurses and doctors are darting around tending to them.

I know Charlie’s not scheduled to actually be working this morning so I scan through the scrubs and paper gowns to find her. No sign. I do, however find Blue standing guard next to Sable as she’s propped up in a wheelchair.

Jay’s found him, too, pointing. I nod and we approach.

“What the fuck, man? I get here just in time to be let in for visiting and cops storm the place!” He explains.

Sable looks like she’s at death’s door right now, not a stitch of her usual thick makeup on. Her teased out hair is flat and stringy, but the bitch is breathing. That’s all that really matters right now.

The experience must really be affecting her, though, cause she looks scared. Terrified.

“How you doin’, darling?” I ask her.

She blinks. “Been better. Been worse.”

I try to crack a smile.

“Listen, Clink… I want to thank you, thank Charlie for what you two did. She here?”

I turn and lock eyes with Jay, who looks equally as worried.

“She came here to see you. You tellin’ me she never showed?”

Sable shakes her head. “Haven’t seen her.” She closes her eyes, “shit” is mumbled under her breath.

“What? You know something?” Blue asks her.

She looks to Blue, and shakes her head. “Nah. I just hope she didn’t get caught up in all this shit.”

Her eyes dart down the hill to the hospital that’s now become a crime scene.

Shit! So now I know Charlie never even made it to see Sable this morning. I pull out my phone and check my messages. Nothing. I add one more to the growing collection of unanswered texts to my girl.

I SWEAR TO GOD YOU BETTER ANSWER ME SOON SUGAR.

Jay searched my eyes in question. I shake my head, “Nothing.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose wondering what the hell to do next. I have no idea where she is, I have no idea what’s wrong. I just know she’s in trouble.

The pinging alert from my phone causes all four of us to jump.

I’M FINE. COULDN’T TEXT. I’M IN THE HOSPITAL, BROOM CLOSET THIRD FLOOR BY THE CHAPEL.

“Got her!” I shout. A couple of bystanders look over in surprise. I lower my voice.

“She’s in the building.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“Sorry, sir. No visitors are allowed in the building at this time. Patients and staff only. Visiting hours will resume as normal tonight,” the hospital security guard speaks to Jay, Blue, and myself as we wheel Sable through the crowd back toward the recently threat-cleared building.

It’s been nearly an hour of waiting, nearly an hour of coming dangerously close to lashing out and now I’m
this
close and I’m going to be turned away. No fucking way.

“Step aside, sir. We’ll have one of the orderlies take it from here. You!” he calls over to the man about ten feet away.

I turn to follow the direction of his call and I thank Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. I know the guy walking toward me. He knows me, too. Enrique I think is his name.

“Take this patient back to her room.
Only
the patient. And-” his attention gets diverted away by a gurney dangerously close to tipping over as it’s being pushed aside by eager patients scrambling to pass through the two main doors.

The guard steps aside to redirect traffic but keeps a clear side eye on us.

“I
need
to get in that building,” I whisper to the orderly that I’ve paid off a few weeks back after Sugar’s surgery. He’s been passing me information the entire time I was out of town. He’s also been paid handsomely for it.

His eyes dart around, unsure of what to do. “It’ll cost you a grand.”

Dumb fucker
. This is no time to negotiate a pay hike.

“Fine. Get me in there.” I grit my teeth.

“Go around to the left of the building. There’s a door that says FLORAL on it. It’s the delivery entrance for the gift shop. I’ll unlock it from the inside. Give me five minutes.”

He takes the handles of the wheelchair and pushes forward, with Sable holding tight to Blue’s hand until they can no longer reach. We watch them enter the building and I finally notice the metal detectors and police patting down everyone.

Thank God we found another way to get in… all three of us are carrying and would be locked up on weapons possession. As soon as Sable’s wheelchair has passed far enough into the building we back up, slowly and as inconspicuously as possible, around to the side of the brick building just as we were told.

True to his word, a single painted entry door with stenciled letters becomes visible. I take advantage of the moment and text Sugar that I’m on my way. This time her response is almost immediate.

I HAD TO MOVE. THEY’LL COME BACK NOW. I’M IN SABLE’S ROOM. COME QUICK.

What the fuck is she talking about,
they’ll come back?

I hear a clicking from the inside of the door and we take it as a sign that the orderly’s followed through on his end of the bargain. We file in, one at a time into the abandoned gift shop.

We’re alone, the orderly having split so as not to get caught. I don’t blame him. We’re on our own now. Static breaks through the silence as a walkie-talkie can be heard.

“East wing of the first floor is clear,” some cop talks into his radio.

I back up and hide flush against the wall that conceals me, against the display of custom hospital gowns and robes. An expensive alternative to the cheap little paper ones they provide you.

I get an idea.

I take three of the larger size and hastily rip off the tags, tossing one to each of my sidekicks.

Jay slips into his and ties it closed, kicking off his boots and rolling up his jeans so nothing’s peeking out.

“Pink’s not really my color,” Blue holds up the disguise.

I stare him down, Jay having to intervene and hold me back.

“Put the fucking gown on now before I make it red from the blood spewing from your nose when I break it,” I ball up my fist.

“All right, all right. Damn. I’m just sayin’…” Jay got a white one. Blue replies while putting on the gown.

He kicks out of his shoes, mumbling his complaints. I grab a white gown and toss it at him hard enough to shut him up.

“Fuckin’ pansy ass.”

Once we’re all gowned up in new attire, we join the passing crowd to reach Sable’s room as unsuspecting hospital patients.

CHARLIE

I keep the bathroom door closed until I’m sure the attendant’s have settled Sable in and left.

“Hey! Clink’s looking for you!” Sable greets me as I make my escape from the restroom.

I press my finger up to my lips for her to quiet down.

“I know. He’s on his way up. Sable, I need to talk to you before they get here. What was that man doing in your room this morning? The dark one with the leather jacket?”

Her eyes open wide. “Shit! You saw that? Oh fuck, Charlie! You can’t tell anyone. You can’t say anything.”

“Who was he?” I ask again, knowing that our time is growing short.

She looks petrified, shaking. “I can’t-- he said he’ll kill me. He can do it, too.”

“Who is he,” I repeat. “You know the club can protect you, Sable.”

She shakes her head. “Not against these guys.”

I think quick. “I promise I won’t tell. But, I need to know. Who is he? Either you tell me or you tell the boys when I let them know what I saw.”

She breathes deep, weighing her options. “He’s a part of some cartel. They’re moving in, slowly. Got some kind of connection here in Chisolm. It’s been real hard for me to find any shit around here without having to drive to Riverdale. He’s been selling me what I need.”

I step back.

Cartel
?
As in Mexican drug cartel
?

My heart jumps into my throat.

“Somehow he found out that I OD’d and about my connection to Blue, to the club. He came here to let me know if I told them where I got the drugs he’d finish off the job. I’m supposed to say I got them from some Slayer instead. Charlie… these guys are the real deal.”

I close my eyes.

“Hey, you.” I nearly jump sky high as Harris enters the room, clipboard in hand. “I’ve been looking for you.”

I feel my heart still. “You- you have?” I try to sound casual, but I feel a cold sweat starting.

He nods. “Yeah. You were supposed to call me. Set up that dinner date.”

I swallow hard, laughing nervously. “I’m so sorry! I forgot! I got so tied up last night. Sable got into some trouble down at my dad’s bar. Thank God I was there to help out. Completely lost track of everything else.”

He nods. “I heard. That was some crazy stuff. I read the report. It was amazing what you did… really quick thinking.”

I smile as best I can. “Thanks. You know… working around such great doctors. I’ve learned a lot.”

He closes the flip top to the metal clipboard. “I’ll bet you have… Listen, about that dinner?”

“Uh, yeah. Let’s- let’s do it. How ‘bout tonight? Seven?” I feel myself stuttering.

I can see Sable’s confused expression, and I pray she’ll have the sense to just shut the hell up and not say anything right now that could blow this.

“Seven’s perfect. I’ll pick you up, just got my car back.” He steps closer and slips his arms around my waist. “You’re shivering….”

Oh God! I control my muscles and do my best to hide my fear. “You have that effect on me, I guess.”

He growls deep, pulling me in closer. “Let’s see what other effects I can have on you.” He leans in and takes my lips in his, quickly. I don’t push him off. I’m too scared. He releases me soon enough though. “Tonight.”

I let out a nervous sound that I’m able to mask as a giggle as Harris leaves the room to finish his rounds. Once he’s gone I feel my knees buckle and I stumble into the vinyl-covered chair nearby.

“Um… I may not be an Ol’ lady, but I know damn well enough it’s not a good idea to be doin’ this shit behind Clink’s back, Charlie.”

I feel the onset of some sort of panic attack.

Drugs. Cartel. Harris being involved. Cartel. The only person who knows enough about this other than the leather-jacketed man who threatened Sable is Harris.

I may have only flirted with him to make Clink jealous and thanks to that, I now have some of the pieces to put this all together.

“You don’t want me telling your secrets? Then don’t go telling mine,” I clearly threaten Sable into staying quiet. She may think I’m a trashy slut right now, fucking around on my Ol’ man, but this crazy turn of events just may come in handy.

The hospital room door opens again, and it takes my eyes a few seconds to register that the men entering are not truly patients, but Kingsmen.

“Oh, thank God!” I run into Clink’s arms, holding tight, clambering to him.

“Shh… It’s Okay, Sugar. Everything’s Okay now.” He tried to calm me. It’s not Okay. He has no idea how fucking not Okay it is.

Blue moves past us to reach Sable. I pull out of Clink’s arms and I can feel her eyes on me, wondering if I’ll keep my work or sell her out.

“Broom closet,” I stutter. “The one I told you about. He’ll go back, trying to find me as soon as he can get back in the building.”

Clink’s shaking his head. “Who? Who’s going to go back looking for you?”

I try to sort out as much of the details as I can without having to relinquish any of Sable’s connection to it.

“Drug cartel member. I… I overheard him. I ran. He chased me to the closet and I locked myself inside. Go! Go quick!”

Jay steps in between Clink and me. “Did you say
drug cartel?
”

~*~

CLINK

“You don’t really think he’ll be stupid enough to come back?” Jay whispers from behind me.

We both stand, at the ready, weapons drawn. I’ve got my gun in the right hand, knife in the left, aimed at the door. Yeah, I silently answer Jay’s own question in my head.

I
do
think he’s stupid enough to come back. He may not expect to find anyone, let alone two armed bikers ready to tear him apart for goin’ after Charlie, but I’m sure he’s at least expecting to find some clue as to who spotted him.

Guys like this don’t leave any trails. No witnesses, no evidence. In his mind, whoever saw him, overheard him, is as big a liability to him as she or he is to the Cartel.

If he was sent here to scope things out to possibly set up shop and have the cartel move in, then he’s going to be held directly responsible for anything that fucks it up.

No way his bosses are gonna let him live if he’s the reason this deal goes sour. He’s got every single reason to come back here and clean up after himself rather than risk that.

It’s what I’d do in his position.

“Shh! I think that’s him,” I whisper through the dark as the knob begins to click.

I’ve kept the light off to give us an advantage. He won’t be able to see us, but we’ll be able to see him.

I move aside and step to the side wall. The door opens and I see an aimed gun slowly make its way passed me into the small room. A wrist. An elbow.

It’s firm, steady. He’s not nervous, he’s not scared. He’s a trained killer, I can tell by the way he confidently moves into the space.

But he has no idea who the fuck I am. He has no idea how I’m practically fighting off a boner, just itching to get my hands on him, thinking he can get away with comin’ after my woman.

Once I see his shoulder, I move. I take the hilt of my marine issued knife and pound it down hilt first onto his skull. He drops in my arms like a lump of dead weight, and Jay quickly moves to disarm him, kicking his gun out of the way.

“Shut the door, throw the light on,” I instruct him.

It takes my eyes a moment to adjust, blinking wildly, holding this fucker down tight in case he’s gonna decide to give us a fight.

He’s out cold, a thin trail of blood streaming down the side of his head. I check his breathing, find his chest moving unevenly, but moving nonetheless. For now, anyway.

Give me some time. I’ll fix that.

“Text them,” I ask Jay to set the plan in motion. We didn’t have much time to piece it together, but it’s the best we could do with such short notice. Should work, though.

It doesn’t exactly help that the hospital is still on lockdown, with cops crawling all over the fucking place. Jay makes good use of our time and quickly checks this guy’s pockets.

A cell. Some cash. Both are stashed in Jay’s pockets for now. We work the dipshit out of his jacket and t-shirt, studying the multicolored tats and scars on his torso. He’s definitely affiliated. Once the door knock comes, we’re ready to move forward.

Blue opens the door, fully dressed in scrubs and a lab coat, throwing a pile of the same garments to each of us. We quickly tear off the hospital gowns throw them on, stashing our own jeans and leather cuts on the gurney that Blue’s brought with him.

He hands each of us the boots he managed to collect from where we’d kicked them off earlier in the gift shop, and we put not only them on, but the little blue elastic surgical shoe covers to hide the black leather that would most definitely give us away.