Ryker (Kings of Korruption MC Book 1) (3 page)

Charlotte just nods.
 
“Ok.
 
Well, let me know if he needs anything.
 
I’ll be back in a while to check on him.”
 
She smiles again before leaving the room.
 
It’s quiet in here and I wish she could have stayed, but what the fuck would I talk to her about.
 
She’s a nurse and I’m a criminal – not exactly a whole lot in common.
 
Regardless, I’m drawn to her; I want to know her.
 

Smokey continues his nap and I continue reading the thriller novel I’ve been reading on my phone.
 
About an hour later, Smokey’s breathing becomes more labored, his breaths coming out in a scary combination of strangled wheezes and gasps.

I jump up and hurry to the bed.
 
“Smoke?
 
Brother?
 
You cool?”
 
His face is turning a strange shade of red and he’s staring at me with panic in his eyes.
 
He shakes his head violently, indicating that no, he is
not
cool.
 
My heart pounds in my chest.
 
He can’t breathe.
 
He’s gonna fucking die!
 
Like, right now, he is going to fucking die!
 
I’m not ready for this shit.
 

Reaching over Smokey’s shoulder, I quickly stab at the call button, praying to whatever God will listen that the nurse is an Olympic athlete and will be here in a flash.
 
I’m relieved when Charlotte runs into the room just seconds later.

She takes one look at Smokey and rushes over.
 
Automatically, she pushes the button on his IV, causing more morphine to run into his drip.
 
Then she grabs his hand, leans in real close and starts to whisper to him.
 

“Shhhhh.
 
Smokey?
 
I need you to settle down, honey.”
 
She grips his huge hand in her tiny one, smoothing his sweaty hair back from his forehead.
 
“Ryker and I are right here with you.
 
I need you to take a deep breath for me, ok?” Her voice has a soothing quality to it, which not only instantly calms Smokey, but works wonders to calm me too.
 
She continues talking in that soft, calming voice as Smokey’s breathing returns to normal.
 
His eyes drift closed, then he’s asleep once again.

Still stroking his head and holding his hand, Charlotte turns her eyes on me.
 
“How about you?
 
You ok, Ryker?”

I’m not, but fuck me if I’m going to admit that to her.
 
I just nod and stare at Smoke, unable to tear my eyes away from the slight rise and fall of his chest.

“It can be really scary watching that.”
 
She nods her head at the man who was like a father to me.
 
“He had a panic attack.
 
Once they lose their breath, even a little, some people tend to panic, and that throws their breathing right off.
 
It’s very scary for them too.”
 
She smiles at me with sympathy in those deep brown eyes of hers.

“Well …” I clear my throat, stalling to think of something to say.
 
My brain is still paused on the scene of my buddy turning fucking red, gasping desperately for breath.
 
“Thanks for calming him down, Charlie.
 
I didn’t know what the fuck to do.”
 
I feel like a god damned pussy.
 

I hear her quick intake of breath when I call her “Charlie,” and watch her standing there, wide eyes on me before her expression clears and she gives a small shake of her head, as if clearing it.
 
Her cheeks flush a beautiful shade of pink before she smiles again.
 
“Press the button if you need me.”
 
She turns to leave but then stops.
 
“Oh and Ryker?”
 
Her hand lands hesitantly on my shoulder.
 
“You did great.”
 
And with those parting words, she was gone.

I stand by Smokey’s bed, staring at the door she’d just exited from, trying to figure out what this feeling is that I just can’t seem to shake.
 
Jesus
.
 
She’s so fucking sweet.
 
She genuinely seemed to care about how I was feeling, and her “you did great” was not something I’d ever heard from anybody but Smoke.
 
Somehow, those words are different coming from a beautiful nurse with deep brown eyes.

I shake my head.
 
I can’t believe I’d called her Charlie.
 
I’d been doing it in my mind, but never before had I said it out loud.
 
I need to pull my head out of my ass.
 
Thinking about her all the time is doing me no favors.
 
Charlie’s a civilian.
 
Getting involved with me and the MC isn’t in her best interest.
 
It’s something that I’ve seen happen before and I’ll be damned if I let it happen to someone like her.
 
Charlie is not for me.

***

Charlotte

Throughout the night, I’ve been in and out of Smokey's room.
 
He’d spent most of that time sleeping and Ryker stayed quiet, letting his friend sleep.
 
I’ve struggled to avoid eye contact with him at all times, but the couple of times I do risk a glance, his eyes are always pinned in my direction, causing my heart to pound erratically in my chest .
 

He’d called me Charlie.
 
Nobody had ever called me Charlie and gotten away with it.
 
I’ve always hated that name, but when it came from Ryker’s mouth, voice full of such gruff affection, my brain had pretty much turned to mush.
 
It’d taken a great amount of effort to not show him how much I liked hearing him call me that name.
 
To not tackle the poor guy to the ground and screw the ass right off him.
 
Charlie is my new favorite name.

My shift almost over, I’m just finishing up my final rounds and have only one patient left to check.
 
Knocking softly on the door to room 239, I quietly enter the room.
 
Smokey and Ryker are sound asleep.
 
This is the perfect opportunity to get a closer look at the man that seems to be consuming my every thought lately.

His leather cut lays on the back of a chair, at the other side of the room.
 
Without it, Ryker looks a lot less menacing.
 
He’s slumped down, right ankle resting casually on his knee, head against the back of the chair.
 
My chest tightens as I take a step closer.
 
He looks so peaceful in sleep, his face relaxed.
 
That lock of dark hair lays across his forehead, my hand itching to reach out and smooth it back.
 
Absolutely gorgeous.

What the hell is it with this guy?
 
I can't remember ever being so affected by anyone before, let alone a stranger – and a biker at that.
 
Shaking my head, I turn towards Smokey.
 
He’s lying there, eyes on me, quietly watching me while I check out his friend.
 
The blush on my face is instant and he lets out a small chuckle.
 
“Don't worry, honey.
 
You’re not the first girl to look at him like that.
 
Likely the first nice girl though, and that may mean somethin' to Ryk.”

I frown, trying to hide my embarrassment and step up to the bed to take his vitals.
 
“You feeling any pain at the moment?”

“No, darlin'.
 
I'm good.
 
Just tired.”
 
He gives me a weary smile.
 
“You scared of my boy over there?”

My eyes widen at his bluntness.
 
“Um ... well ... honestly?
 
A little.
 
I don't have many good experiences with bad boys, if you know what I mean.”
 
My blush deepens and I aim a shy smile in his direction before turning to leave the room.

“Honey.”
 
Turning back to Smokey, I focus on him.
 
I know it’s difficult for him to be saying so much right now.
 
“He ain't nearly as bad as he's gonna want you to think he is.”

Flustered, I just nod, pat his hand and bid him a good night.
 
Risking one last glance at Ryker, I leave the room.

Chapter Three

Charlotte

The next evening, I find Smokey alone in his room.
 
He’s asleep, but I can’t stand the thought of him waking and nobody being there.
 
After finishing my rounds, I grab my stack of patient files and head back down the hall to Smokey’s room.

Grabbing a chair, I pull it over to the chair beside his bed, where Ryker usually sits each night.
 
After placing my files on one chair, I sit back in the other and start my paperwork.
 
Smokey’s breathing has become more labored since he was admitted.
 
His meds seem to be keeping him free from pain, but I can tell that breathing is even more of a struggle for him.
 
Where’s his family?
 
Or Ryker for that matter?
 
He’s always here at this time.

I’m halfway through my reports when the door opens.
 
I look up with a smile on my face, expecting to see Ryker, but the smile wavers when I see it’s not him.
 
Standing before me is the scary biker from the hall, the day Smokey was admitted.
 
He steps into the room and closes the door.
 
My heart races, realizing that I’m closed inside a room with this guy.
 
He glances at Smokey and then spears me in place with narrowed, angry eyes.

“What the hell are you sittin’ in here for?”
 
His voice is rough and accusatory.
 
Completely caught off guard, words fail me and I sit there staring at him with wide eyes, my mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.
 
What the hell does he think I’m doing in here?

“I … I just.”
 
I clear my throat and try again.
 
“I’m just keeping Smokey company.
 
Nobody was here, so I thought I’d sit with him in case he wakes up.”
 
I stand and quickly begin gathering my things.
 
“But you’re here now, so I will leave you to your visit.”
 
I fumble while gathering up my files and they fall to the ground, papers scattering across the floor.
 

“Why’s he breathin’ so rough?
 
Can’t you give him somethin’ to help him breathe?”
 
He takes a menacing step towards me while I kneel on the floor, once again collecting my folders.
 
My hands are shaking, my heart threatening to leap out of my chest entirely.
 
“We brought the poor fucker here so he could be at peace.
 
This doesn’t look too fuckin’ peaceful.”

As he takes another step, getting far too close for my comfort, I jump to my feet.
 
“He …” My throat won’t cooperate with me at all and I just can’t get out the words.
 
Struggling to swallow back my fear, I take a step back from the giant monster in front of me.
 

Just as I’m about to try another attempt at explaining, the door opens again and Ryker fills the doorway.
 
Relief floods my entire body.
 
He steps inside, his eyes flicking from the angry monster to me.
 
I watch his face darken, his jaw tightening.

“What the fuck, Reaper?”
 
So monster man’s name is Reaper?
 
I shiver.
 
Charming.
 
“What’d you do to Charlie?”
 
My eyes snap from one man to the other.
 

Ryker storms past his buddy, shoulder slamming into him as he passes.
 
He heads directly towards me, and now my pulse is racing for an entirely different reason.
 
It’s not fear, but I don’t have time to figure out what it is before he reaches me.

“Jesus Christ, baby girl.
 
You’re shaking like a leaf!”
 
He places his giant hands on my upper arms, rubbing them gently up and down, then turns his head to glare at Reaper once more.
 
“Why the fuck is she so pale?
 
What’d you do to her?”

Reaper opens his mouth to respond, but I beat him to it.
 
I just want to get the hell out of this room.
 
“Mr … Reaper didn’t do anything to me, Ryker.”
 
I place my hand on his arm.
 
Touching him skin on skin sends a jolt of electricity straight through me, causing the hair on the back of my neck to stand on end.
 

Leaning over so I can see around Ryker, I look directly at his friend, feeling bolder now with him here – touching me.
 
I feel safe.
 
“Smokey
is
on medication.
 
His pain is mostly gone.
 
Unfortunately, with lung cancer, his breathing is going to get more and more difficult as it progresses.
 
Aside from pain medications and oxygen, there isn’t much we can do for him.”