Cocky Biker: A Stand Alone MC Romance Novel (Cocker Brothers of Atlanta Book 2) (9 page)

“
H
ey hey hey
!” Tonk calls in, announcing his arrival from outside the hospital room before I even open my eyes.

With the recent turn of events I’m ecstatic to see him. Finally have good news after all these months.

My friends have been worried.

I get it.

They respect this, but I know most of ‘em are wonderin’ when I was gonna give up. Never once occurred to me to throw in the towel.

The Ciphers have done missions without me since they left L.A., but I told them I’d be back – I just didn’t know when. I had faith. It wasn’t easy watching the days pass and not knowing what would happen.

But it sure was worth it.

Glancing over to make sure she’s awake, I receive a small, closed-mouth smile. Her color is better this morning. There’s an orange juice on her little table. Must have slept through the last rounds of vitals checking.

I greet him with my morning voice, deep but happy. “Hey, Tonk! It’s cool. Come on in.”

Luna half-waves at him as he enters, looking like she feels a little like a creature in a zoo.

His eyes gleam at the sight of her. “Wow. Okay if Carmen comes in?” he asks, looking between me and Luna.

She doesn’t know about Carmen.

I haven’t had the chance to tell her and I’m not sure how she’ll take it.

But I’m not making the girl sit outside in the corridor.

“Yeah, ‘course. Bring her in. Just give us a minute.”

“Sure. I’ll get you some coffee from the cafeteria.”

Throwing the blanket off me as my friend heads out, I walk the couple steps to Luna’s bed. “She’s one of Matias’s girls, Sunshine.” Her face contorts with surprise and confusion. In a hushed voice, I reassure her, “He’s in love with the girl. Gonna take care of her
and
the baby.”

“What?”

“Yeah. I’m gonna brush my teeth. You want help?”

With her mind now on Carmen, she mutters, “Just give me the thing full of water. I’ll do the rest.”

“You got it.”

In no time Carmen — now nineteen and ready to pop — gets guided in to meet the woman who saved her, for the first time.

We were in it together, after all, in a weird roundabout way. It wasn’t my idea for Tonk to tell Carmen that Luna’s a hero, but he did it anyway because — the way he explained it to me — she did take out the bastard behind the whole cold-blooded enterprise. Permanently.

Carmen smiles with admiration and whispers a gentle, “Hello,” then glances to me with a small nod. “Hello, Jett.”

Luna’s dark eyes are misty as she takes the girl in, huge stomach and all. She’s clutching her hospital blanket, and the room is tense as we all wait for her to say something. She’s just staring at Carmen, which is making the pregnant girl self-conscious. Tonk takes her hand protectively, but remains quiet. This is a dicey situation crackling with emotion. Tonk is aware of Luna’s history, to the extent of what we know, which isn’t much but enough.

Luna starts getting out of the bed, but stops and whispers, “Dizzy.” She meets Carmen’s eyes again, and holds out her hand. “Can you come here?”

Tonk releases her as he exchanges a look with me. I nod that I understand this is tense.

Carmen walks to the bed and nervously smiles. Sunshine offers her an open palm and the young, pregnant girl lays her hand on it. A tear slides down Sunshine’s cheeks and she croaks, “I’m so sorry.”

Carmen starts to cry. Luna rises up on her knees and encircles Carmen in a hug. The two women close their eyes and hold each other. Tonk and I drop our gazes to the floor to give them respectful privacy.

“Thank you for saving my life,” Carmen whispers.

Luna pulls away, shaking her head. “It was them. It wasn’t me.”

Tonk’s voice is hoarse now, too, but he’s not having it. “No! It was all of us.”

Carmen buries herself into his side as he goes to her, her belly pressed against his.

“You hear from Honey Badger?” he asks me, trying to change the subject for his own sanity. He really wishes he was the one who killed Matias. He’s told me many times.

I get it.

I kinda wish I’d done it, too.

“Nah. What’s up?” I cross my arms with my feet spread wide.

“Mission accomplished. He said it was a piece of chocolate cake with gooey frosting after what we did here.”

Smiling at the description, I say, “No doubt.”

“Well,” He smiles at Luna. “Carmen’s due soon, so we were thinking of headin’ home, but I’m glad we saw you alright before we left.”

Tonk’s manner has changed dramatically since Carmen has come into his life. He still looks like a huge badass, but his heart is on his sleeve now. There’s a soft light in his eyes, and it shines like crazy when he looks at her like he’s doing now.

My eyebrows knit as I think about what he’s said. “Huh. Hadn’t thought of the next move. Been busy.”

I don’t have to look to know Luna’s watching me. I can feel her staring, wondering what I’m gonna do now.

Massaging Carmen’s back with the hand that’s holding her to him, Tonk explains, “I want the baby to be born there. Los Angeles isn’t our home.”

I mutter, under my breath, “Right. I guess I’ll meet you there later on.”

“Well, I was thinkin,’ Jett, that she can’t ride the back of my bike like this. And it’s too late for flyin’ — she can’t go on airplanes at nine months, so…what about the train? Amtrak?”

“By herself?” I ask with a deep frown. “I don’t like it.”

Tonk’s eyes drift to Luna and I realize what he’s trying to get at. I look over to see her reaction. She’s smart enough that she’s caught on, too, that Tonk wants her to watch over Carmen for the trip, while we ride our motorcycles. The hopeful look on his face gives him away.

Fuck, I wish he would’ve brought this up with me, first. Springing it on her like this isn’t a good idea. “Sunshine’s just woke up, man.”

“I know…”

“They haven’t even set her free, yet.”

“Yeah.” He looks at Carmen. “Guess I’m gettin’ anxious. Any day now.”

“Two more weeks,” I tell him.

“Anything can happen, man. I want the guys around. And Melodi and Hannah.”

“Melodi’s fuckin’ nuts,” I mutter, thinking of Fuse’s crazy woman.

“She’s good with kids, though. Just has a jealous streak, that’s all.”

With amusement I raise my eyebrows at him, remembering well his speech about how jealous bitches bring men down and that Fuse should leave his. But motivation changes opinions. And Melodi is a good mother. She’s even better than Hannah whose got three runnin’ around from Scythe. Since he’s on the road the most of any of us, Melodi cares for Hannah’s kids thanks to her depression from missing her man. It’s a vicious circle, but we all take care of each other.

“True,” I mutter, shaking my head at how twisted life is.

A nurse enters with the machine to check Luna’s vitals. Behind her is that physical therapist I don’t want near her. I straighten up and eyeball him. Tonk notices and glances over as the tight-shirted fuckhead nods to us, then smiles at Luna.

“Well, look at you!”

She frowns at him and glances to me. “Who the hell is this?” she asks me as the nurse wraps the blood pressure Velcro on.

Relief relaxes me into a low laugh. She doesn’t find the dude attractive. Good. “He’s gonna help you get stronger, baby.”

She sneers from me to him. Perplexed by this reaction, he looks around with a lot less confidence that he walked in with. Tonk’s trying not to laugh.

“Sunshine likes her men dirty,” I tell the poor guy.

Luna laughs and tries to get serious as quickly as she can. “Sorry. What do you need me to do?”

As soon as the nurse finishes up, he guides Luna out of the bed and tells her, “It’s normal to feel dizzy.” Holding her up, he walks her around the small room until she finally pulls away.

“I think I’ve got it.”

Tonk and I exchange a look, but Carmen is just watching Luna like she’s the most interesting woman in the world. There’s an invisible pedestal erecting under her bare feet with ever passing second.

Holding onto the wall, Luna walks around and breathes deeply in and out. The hospital therapist watches her and walks with her, but doesn’t dare make a move to help.

She glances to me out of the corner of her beautiful eyes, and smiles. “I’m gonna be fine.”

I’m feeling more pride than I ever have for anything or anyone, ever.

“
Yeah
you are,” I tell her. “You’re gonna be better than fine, baby.”

I
groan
, “Mmm…” as I take another bite of the Fatburger Jett brought me. “This is amazing.”

“Best in town,” he grins, chomping on one of his own. “And best name for a burger place, ever.”

We eat in silence for a while.

When a nurse knocks on the door, he calls to the door, “Yeah?”

She walks in, and it’s the woman who was ogling Jett before, right in front of me. Her admiring face has transformed to embarrassed and awkward, which means it was her who walked in on us the other night. Ha! I was hoping it was. It’s all over her face that she knows her fantasy is over. He’s not ever going to be hers.

Good.

Wait…what am I talking about?

I don’t have any claims on him. In fact, I know we’ll be saying goodbye soon. I guess I haven’t given a lot of thought to what I’m going to do now that it’s over and Matias is finally gone for good.

What do you do when you’ve fulfilled your dream?

“How are you feeling today?” she asks, carrying in the machine to check my vitals. They do this every two fucking hours. It’s annoying as hell.

“Third days a charm. Feel like my old self. Can you get the doctor for me after this?”

She turns right around to do it now. That’s how uncomfortable she was. Silently laughing to myself, I gobble up some delicious, thick French fries.

“You eat like a guy, Sunshine,” Jett tells me, highly entertained.

“I eat like I love food.”

“And so delicately,” he teases.

“Fuck being delicate.” I open my empty mouth wide and take the biggest bite of burger I can fit.

He starts laughing when I realize it was too big and I can’t chew it. “Ha! You remind me of my brother Jason. He’s done that shit so many times!” Bending over in laughter, he hands me a napkin. “Here. Spit it out and start again.”

Dr. Mackey, the one who’s been checking on me for the past three days, and who performed my surgery, walks in with smile.

“Fatburger? I’m jealous. I have to eat what’s in the cafeteria.”

“Oh, please,” I say with an eye-roll. “Everyone knows doctors can afford the good stuff.”

I pretty much shock this guy every time he sees me by saying things well-mannered — and boring — people don’t say. He pauses then shrugs. “When I’m off duty, sure. But I work twenty-four hour shifts, sometimes longer. In surgeries for eight ten hours at a time.”

“Holy shit,” I whisper, impressed.

He smiles. “Yeah, not able to go anywhere but downstairs and eat what’s there.”

Jett offers up his half-eaten burger. “Want a bite?”

Dr. Mackey laughs. “Thanks, but I just ate.”

Jett smirks and chews away.

“How’re you feeling?” the doctor asks me.

“I want to get out of here.”

“Well…” he picks up my chart and reads, frowning like he needs glasses. “Looks good. Looks really good.”

“Can I go?”

“Well, you’re not being held here, Luna.” He slips his hands into the enormous pockets of his lab coat. “You’re free to go at any time. We’d like to keep you here longer, to make sure your brain has healed properly.”

I bring my knee up under the blanket and lean on it. “It’ll heal wherever I am. It’s in
my
head. Not going anywhere.”

“But if you’re here, we can do something if…need be.”

“Like what, cut my skull open?”

On a glance to the floor, he says, “Maybe.”

“Fuck that. I’d rather be out in the sun again if anything that drastic goes down. I’ll take my chances, thanks.”

He nods and glances from me to Jett. I look over to see Jett staring back at the doctor with a look that says,
She’s the boss
. And he’s got a smile on his face filled with certainty that I’m going to be fine.

Can I just admit that he’s scaring the fuck out of me?

It’s like he’s tuned in and knows what I need.

But in my mind?

We just met five, six days ago.

He’s got three months on me that I just don’t have.

“I’ll have them draw up the release form for you to sign, saying this is your choice, and that you won’t hold us liable if something happens to you.” Dr. Mackey waits for me to understand.

“Okay. Do what you have to do. I’ll sign it.”

“It was good meeting you, Luna.” He steps closer and extends his hand. “Didn’t know if I’d have the chance to.”

Shaking it, I only nod. It’s so crazy to have almost died and be looking at two of the men who saved your life. I know Honey Badger is included in that list. And I guess Scratch, too. Jett’s told me about them, but I’ve yet to officially meet them. That night at the motel doesn’t count.

I’ll have to tell Jett to let them know I’m grateful.

Before the doctor disappears, I call after him, “Dr. Mackey!”

He leans into the room with his eyebrows up, hand on the doorframe. “Yes?”

“
Thank you
.”

He smiles. “You’re welcome.” He nods to Jett and holds his look a moment. He’s known Jett longer than I have, too. The men silently say goodbye to each other and the doctor leaves for the last time.

“I don’t know what I’m gonna do now,” I say aloud, but mostly to myself.

Jett leans forward in his chair. “Come with me.”

Meeting his confident eyes, I shake my head. “No, Jett.”

They darken as he takes this in. “Why not?”

Because I don’t know what love is.

I’ve never had anyone care about me like this before.

Because I’ll lose you one day when you realize I’m a piece of shit, and then it’ll hurt too badly.

This way I’m in control.

“Because I like to travel alone,” I whisper, staring at the stupid hospital blanket.

He stands up so quickly I feel a soft wind lick my face. But I keep my eyes down because I don’t want to see how much this is hurting him.

“Fuck,” he mutters with pain in his deep voice. “Okay...Fine.”

The sound of his feet heading for the door and then it closing brings my head up. I expected to be alone now, but there he is leaning against the wall, arms crossed, eyes locked on the tile floor. The muscles in his face are tense with confusion. “What do you do out there, Luna? How do your survive?”

I hate it when he calls me by my real name. I’ve gotten really used to Sunshine.

“I get by.”

“How?”

“None of your business, Jett.”

“Do you help or hurt?”

“What?”

He pushes off the wall, hard, and walks toward me, unzipping his fly. I blink at him, wondering what the fuck he’s doing. He yanks down the front of his pants just low enough so I can read the tattoo again.

I lift my eyes to lock with his. “Why are you showing me that now?”

“Tear ‘em down to stand ‘em up. That’s what we do. We ride around this fuckin’ country and leave it better than we found it. We do it rough, because some people need to have their face shoved into the dirt before they can stand up on their own. But when we ride away, we’ve changed lives.”

I pull my knees up and hug myself, soaking it in. I didn’t know that’s what the tat meant. I mean, I kinda grasped the gist when I read it, but thought it was just something cool to have on your body. Like when people tattoo Japanese words about courage into their skin, when they’re not Asian.

“Okay. What do you want me to do with this piece of information?” I ask him.

He zips and buttons his pants up, scowling at me. “When you’re out there – that place you want to be alone in – do you hurt or help?”

The truth is I do both, but mostly hurt.

I shout right in his face, “I came back here to free those women!” Totally flustered at how wrong it felt to yell at him, I stammer, “I didn’t know they were pregnant, but I knew they were in a hell they couldn’t get out of on their own!”

Jett paces away in balled up rage. “I know about the blankets,” he growls over his shoulder. “I know what you stole my credit card for.”

“Then why are you standing there accusing me of being a bad person!”

“I’M SAYING YOU’RE A GOOD PERSON!” He hits the wall, then storms at me. “I’M SAYING,
JOIN US!
”

“Jett.” My shoulders soften with my voice. “I don’t know how to love you.”

I watch his nostrils flare and his eyes widen, stunned speechless. He stares at me like he wants to make me understand something, but doesn’t know the way. Fiercely rubbing his beard, he walks to the shitty bed he’s been sleeping on for over three months and sits down on it, laying his head in his hands.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper.

“Sunshine,” he groans and lifts his head to look at me with eyes that tear me up inside. “Let me teach you.”

The silence that follows kills us both.

He lays his head in his hands again and waits for me to say something.

Anything.

I just can’t.

Finally after what feels like weeks, Jett rasps, the whole time staring at the floor. “Carmen needs someone with her on that train. Tonk wants her with family when that baby comes. If you don’t want to be with me, I understand. I won’t force you, Sunshine.” He pauses and closes his eyes for a second. “But come with us as far as Louisiana. Then you can go. Ride that train with the girl. She trusts you. I trust you. And Tonk trusts you. Make sure she doesn’t pop, and if she does, that she’s not alone until the train’s next stop.”

He meets my eyes, waiting for my answer.

I owe him my life. I’m terrified of getting close to him, but I would be a real piece of shit if I said no. I want to do it. I want to help Carmen, and I want that baby to have a good start in life, because I sure didn’t have one.

So I don’t even hesitate. “Okay, Jett. I’ll do that for you.”

He nods with a beaten-down resolve, rises up and walks to the dresser where his jacket sits waiting. He stares at it before putting it on, like he’s seeing a memory. “Tonk and I will ride by the train, so if anything happens we’re there and ready. We’ll pick a place to stop for a night because we can’t make that distance without sleep.” Pulling out his keys, he mutters on his way out, “I’m goin’ for a ride. Need to clear my head.”

Without looking back, he vanishes.

Numbly I stare after him, wishing I was a better woman.