Primal Fury by Piper Davenport
Indigo
I heard the unmistakable sound of my father’s snore, and although I tried to block it out, it just kept growing in volume, so I forced my eyes open, relieved to find I was able to see much better than I had the day before.
Or was it two days before?
It didn’t really matter, I suppose.
Let’s be honest, I was still in a great deal of pain and feeling a bit sorry for myself, so trying to figure out exactly which day I was beat to shit was merely an exercise in distraction.
The crunch of leather diverted my attention, then Jekyll was hovering with a gentle smile. “Hey.”
“Hi,” I whispered.
“You need anything?”
“Water?”
He nodded, grabbing my water bottle, and holding the straw to my mouth. I drank slowly, then took a deep breath. “What are you doing here? Don’t you have bikes to ride and people to terrorize? Other people.”
If he was going to answer my question, he didn’t get the chance, as my father sat up with a start, then stepped to my side. “How are you, love?”
“I’m fine, Daddy,” I said, glaring up at Jekyll, who simply gave me a cheeky smile before sitting on the bench by the window. “I need to get out of here. Check on my kids.”
“Bellamy said if you try to come back in before the doctor says you’re clear, she will slap you upside the head,” Jekyll murmured.
“When did you talk to Bellamy?”
“Yesterday.”
“I believe the words she used were, ‘tell that bitch if she tries to come back early, I’ll slap her upside the head,’” Dad corrected.
Jekyll grinned and gave him a nod.
I sighed. “Dad, don’t be dramatic.”
“No drama,” Dad countered. “I believe I quoted her warmly and accurately. Right, Jekyll?”
“Yep,” Jekyll said.
“Didn’t you have a date, Dad?” I asked, trying to change the subject.
He ignored me.
“Bell also said, she’s takin’ care of Brianna’s issue,” Dad said. “Right, Jekyll?”
“Yep,” Jekyll confirmed.
I frowned. When the hell did my dad and Jekyll get so chummy?
Yet another answer that would have to wait, since a nurse walked into the room and informed me it was time to get up and move.
“I’m walkin’ with her,” Jekyll said.
“What?” I breathed out. “No. It’s good.”
“Not really up for—”
I stared up at the nurse. “I don’t want him to walk with me.”
She smiled gently. “Then he won’t walk with you.”
I gave Jekyll a triumphant smirk even as I sighed in relief.
“Everyone out,” the nurse ordered, and my dad and Jekyll left the room.
* * *
An hour later, I was in a massive amount of pain from my exertion, but I was showered and back in bed, pain pump reconnected to my IV, which I pressed immediately. I closed my eyes, the pain easing almost immediately.
Light flashed over my eyes briefly and I forced them open to see my hospital room door closing. “Who’s there?”
“It’s me, GoGo,” Jekyll whispered. “Did I wake you?”
I sighed. “Yes.”
“Sorry, baby. Go back to sleep.”
“Where’s my dad?” I asked, closing my eyes again.
“He ran home to shower. He said he’ll be back soon with some real food.”
“Okay,” I whispered.
“Need anything?”
I opened my eyes again. “Would you mind grabbing me some water?”
He nodded, guiding the straw to my mouth so I could drink. Once I’d had my fill, he pulled a chair up beside my bed and sat in it.
I studied him. “Why are you here?”
“I already told you.”
“My dad can protect me just fine, Hyde,” I argued. “There’s no reason for you to be here.”
“Can we chalk it up to me just wanting to be here?”
I raised an eyebrow. “You want to be in the hospital room of a woman you don’t know while she convalesces from a beating that had nothing to do with you?”
“Why not?”
I wrinkled my nose. “Because it’s weird.”
“Why’s it weird?”
“Why isn’t it weird?” I challenged.
“I like you, Indigo.”
“You don’t know me.”
“Yeah, well, we’re gonna change that.”
“Oh, we are, are we?” I asked with a quiet snort.
He grinned. “Yep.”
I closed my eyes. “Whatever.”
“Where’d you get your dazzle?” Jekyll asked.
I opened my eyes again, cocking my head in question. “Huh?”
He smiled gently. “Your dazzle. Which side?”
“You think I have dazzle?”
“Hell, yeah. You dazzle me,” he said. “Like the fuckin’ sun.”
“Because you don’t see color?” I heard this a lot right before someone made some dumb shit, diet racist comment.
He frowned. “Baby, I see color. I just happen to think different colors are what make up rainbows, and one color on a rainbow would be pretty fuckin’ boring.”
Oh my god, I loved that answer. “My mom’s Japanese.”
He smiled slowly. “Fuckin’ beautiful.”
I blushed. “Thanks.”
“Am I gonna meet her?”
I shook my head. “She died when I was six. Dad said it was cancer.”
“You don’t think it was?”
“No, I do. It all just happened so fast. I was a kid, so I’m sure I’m conflating emotions and facts,” I admitted.
“Shit, baby, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. My dad was a phenomenal Mr. Mom.”
“Yeah?”
I nodded.
“You got any siblings?” he asked.
“No. Dad said it took them a while to get me.”
“Do you keep in touch with your mom’s side of the family?”
“No,” I admitted. “My mom’s parents completely disowned her when she married my father. She was supposed to marry the son of her father’s business associate, but she traveled to Ireland and met my dad. It was over for her.”
“Why don’t you have any kind of social media?”
“I have social media.”
“No you don’t. Not personal shit.”
“Dad said it wasn’t a good idea to put personal stuff out there for anyone to find, so I just never did it, I guess.”
I couldn’t believe I was telling him all this crap.
I blamed it on the drugs and forced myself to shut up.
“What does your dad do?” Jekyll asked.
“You should ask him that.”
“I will. But do you know what he does?”
“He sells aluminum siding,” I said. “What’s with the twenty questions?”
“Just gettin’ to know you, baby.”
I frowned. “Why do I feel like that’s not true? Why do I feel like I’m being interrogated?”
He shrugged. “Don’t know.”
I couldn’t bite back a yawn as the meds kicked in.
“Sleep, Indigo. I’m gonna be here for a bit.”
I didn’t have the energy to argue and sleep quickly took me.
* * *
Jekyll
Once I knew Indigo was out, I stepped out of her room and called my president.
“Hey, brother, you talk to your girl?” Sundance asked as he answered.
“Yeah. Don’t think she knows anything about her pop’s shit.”
“No?”
I dragged my hand over my beard. “She thinks he’s in sales. Aluminum siding or some shit.”
“Well, fuck me and call me Linda.”
I sighed. “Yeah.”
“How do you wanna play this, brother?”
“Jesus, I have no idea.”
“You should have a chat with her pop.”
“You think that’s a good idea?” I asked.
“He’s into somethin’ that’s bleeding onto Indigo, Jekyll. The fact we can’t go as deep as we want to go, indicates to me he’s into some shit that he doesn’t want anyone touchin’.”
“Agreed.”
“Which potentially puts Indigo at risk.”
“Yeah, maybe,” I breathed out. “I’m gonna reach out to Rabbit.”
“You wanna go that deep?”
“Not sure yet.”
“Up to you, brother, so you gotta decide how much this woman means to you, because once you open that Pandora’s Box, there’s no turnin’ back.”
“Yeah.”
“Right. You let me know what you decide to do. We’ll talk later.”
“Okay, brother.”
We rang off and I headed back into Indigo’s room. Her dad walked in about twenty minutes later, and Indigo was still dead to the world.
“How long’s she been out?” Hugh whispered, setting bags of fast food on the counter by the door.
“About an hour.”
“I’m awake,” Indigo groaned. “I don’t want to be, but apparently men don’t know how to shut the fuck up.”
I grinned at her dad, and he stepped to her bed. “Sorry, mo stoirín. You hungry?”
“Yes, but I need to pee first. Can you get me a nurse?”
* * *
Indigo
I couldn’t believe I had to wait for someone to help me pee. Could my day get any more humiliating? Once I was back in my bed, I asked the nurse to give me a few minutes before letting my dad and Jekyll back in. I needed some time to process. I was starting to catch some feelings I’d rather not, but it wasn’t just a fear of falling for Jekyll giving me pause. I was sure Jekyll was hiding something. I just didn’t know what.
“Can I come in, sweetness?” Dad called.
“Yes, of course.” I shifted so I could meet his eyes. “But can Jekyll stay away for a while?”
“If you don’t want him in here, he won’t come in here. I’ll make sure of it.”
“Thanks, Da.”
He stepped out of the room, then back in. “All good. I brought burgers.” He started pulling food out of the bags, laying a plethora of choices in front of me.
“You’re not expecting me to eat all of this, are you?”
“No.” He chuckled. “Figured your friend would eat what we didn’t.”
“He’s not really my friend, Dad.”
“I’d say a man who saves your life automatically becomes your friend, honey.”
“It looks like you two have become besties,” I said, popping a fry into my mouth.
“Anyone who saves the life of the most important person in mine, automatically becomes a friend, sweetness. It’s the way of the world…”
“The world, Dad?” I asked. “Really?”
“Well, it’s the way of my world.” He grinned, taking a bite of his burger.
“We don’t know him, Dad. He’s part of a gang, so maybe we don’t rush into a lovefest for the moment, hm?”
Dad chuckled. “Roger.”
“I don’t think I can deal with a burger,” I admitted. “Chewing this fry just about killed me.”
“Don’t push it.”
I nodded, my jaw throbbing. “I’m going to try and sleep.”
“Okay, honey. I’ll stay quiet.”
“Thanks, Daddy.”
I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.
* * *
Jekyll
To admit that I was disappointed Indigo wanted me to leave would make me a pussy. To admit I wanted to stalk back into her room, pull her into my arms and kiss her until she couldn’t breathe because of that disappointment, would make me an insane pussy.
But both were true.
So, in an effort to distract myself, I decided to pull the trigger on a deep dive, calling Rabbit in Savannah.
“Rabbit.”
“Hey, brother. It’s Jekyll.”
“Shit, Jekyll? Howlers’ Jekyll?”
I chuckled. “Yeah.”
“Since you’re callin’ me instead of Scrappy, I’m assumin’ you got a more sensitive issue?”
“Yeah, man, you got a little time?”
“For you, absolutely.”
“Thanks.”
“Give me everything you got,” Rabbit said.
I told him what I needed and gave him what I had before hanging up, confident Rabbit would probably find me more than I asked for.
Just as I slid my phone back into my pocket, Indigo’s father stepped into the hallway, holding out a bag of fast food. “Her jaw’s too sore to eat. Want it?”
I frowned, taking the bags from him. “She okay?”
“She’s sleeping now. Just a little pain.”
“Did you call the doctor?” I demanded.
“She didn’t want me to. She said she just wanted to sleep.”
“Don’t like that, Hugh. She should be checked.”
“She knows her body, Jekyll. She’s also an adult.” He raised an eyebrow. “That being said, if I felt my daughter needed more care, I’d make sure she got it.”
“Right.”
“You hearin’ me?” Hugh pressed.
“Yeah.” I kept eye contact with him. “Loud and clear.”
He nodded and stepped back into Indigo’s room while I tried to get control of my anger. Fucking irrational anger but anger all the same. Jesus, this woman was under my goddamn skin, and I needed to figure out how to exorcise her out of my soul, so I made my way out of the building.
I decided to head back to the club for a little relief. Beer, pussy, and pot were my top three choices, but I was open to suggestions should anyone offer a viable alternative. I shoved the food in my saddlebag, then made my way home.
My shoulders finally started to uncoil as I drove through the gates and guided my bike to the rear of the cabin, backing into my spot.
Grabbing my shit, I headed inside to find the great room milling with most of my unattached brethren, although, Sundance was there with Wyatt’s brother, Teddy. Teddy had a few learning challenges, but he was a really good guy and he fit in well with all of us. We’d nicknamed him Shotgun.
“Jekyll!”
I grinned. “Hey, Shotgun. How ya doin’, bud?”
“Sundance is teaching me how to play poker.”
“Oh, yeah?” I glanced at Sundance who smiled.
“He keeps winnin’,” Sundance said.
Teddy clapped and nodded. “He says I’m a shark.”
I chuckled. “Good job.”
“You wanna play?”
“And have you take all my money? No way.”
Teddy dropped his head back and laughed. “Because I’m a shark.”
“Yeah, because you’re a shark.” I turned to Sundance. “Where’s your woman?”
“Home. Baby’s not sleepin’ which was worrying Teddy, so we came up here to take a little break.”
Sundance had built a home on club land for his growing family which kept them close and safe.
“Good plan.”
“You need me?” he asked. “How’s your girl?”
“Nope, I’m good and she’s sleepin’, so I’m gonna chill here for a bit.”
He studied me for a few seconds, then nodded, and I headed into the kitchen to grab a beer. I had just twisted the top off when Ilene walked in and leaned against the doorjamb. “Hey, sexy.”
I chuckled. “Hey, Ilene.”
She ran her tongue over her top lip. “I got a hankerin’ for some D, babe. You interested?”
I opened my mouth to answer on the affirmative but couldn’t seem to get the words out because I realized, much to my irritation, Ilene was the last bitch I wanted blowin’ me.
Fuck.
Goddamn it all to hell.
I shook my head and her face fell before turning and walking out of the kitchen.
So much for exorcising Indigo.
Jesus.
I took a swig of my beer, pulled my food out of the microwave, and made my way up to my room, the sudden need to smoke at the forefront of my mind. Lucky for me, my club had a shit ton of green relief at our disposal.
I stepped into my closet and grabbed my stash just as my cell phone buzzed in my pocket. I contemplated not answering, but it might be Indigo, so I pulled it out and looked at the screen, surprised to see Leo’s name.
“You better not be calling with some lame excuse to get out of doing inventory tomorrow.”
“Some guys have broken in,” Leo whispered.
“Where are you?” I asked.
“Walker House. We’re hiding in the pantry.”
“Stay right where you are. I’m on my way.”
I was halfway into the great room when I hung up the call.
“Emergency! I need a crew!” I bellowed, and Rocky, and Wrath didn’t hesitate to follow me out to our bikes. Scrappy was sober enough to join us, so I had him drive one of the club’s delivery vans as the follow vehicle.
I filled the guys in on what I knew, then we fired up and rode out. Not wanting to alert whoever was inside, we parked about a block away, then hoofed it the rest of the way to Walker House.
It took us less than seven minutes from the cabin to the dorms, but we still arrived to find doors kicked in and chaos inside the walls. Kids and adults were rushing around, picking up upturned lamps, chairs, and attempting to clean up broken glass.
“Where’s Leo?” I growled.
A woman about Indigo’s age, stepped toward me, phone in hand. “He’s gone.”
“What the fuck do you mean, he’s gone?”
She held up a finger. “I’m calling 9-1-1.”
“Hang up,” I said.
“Shhh,” she replied, turning away from me.
I grabbed her phone and hung up before the call was completed.
“What the hell are you doing? Give me back my phone,” she demanded.
“No cops,” I said.
“I don’t know why you think you’re in charge here, but you’re not,” she snarled.
“I’m in charge because I know where Leo is,” I said, pulling my phone from my pocket, replacing it with hers.
“Give that back to me right now,” she said.
“No. You’ll just call the cops, and I don’t need them getting in my way,” I said pulling up the tracker app on my phone, which located Leo’s phone instantly.
“Gotta go,” I said, turning to leave.
“Oh, my fucking god, you neanderthal piece of shit. Don’t you dare turn your back on me,” she snarled. “And give me back my fucking phone.”
I leaned down so I was face-to-face with her. “Lady, I don’t know who the fuck you—”
She got even closer and mean-mugged me. “I’m Bellamy, asshole. We talked on the phone yesterday. You might not know who I am, but I sure as hell know who you are, biker boy, so how about you shove your tiny dick back in your pants, give me my phone back, and shut the fuck up so I can find Leo!”
I had to admit I was impressed by this badass bitch’s bark but wasn’t about to let her run my ass. “Well, Bellamy. You’re not gonna do shit,” I said. “We’re gonna find Leo while you hang here, safe and sound.”
“Yeah, I was really safe and sound when men broke in and busted up the joint, taking someone Indigo would likely put herself in more danger to protect, so excuse me if I don’t have time to stand here and spar with you.” She jabbed a finger at my chest. “I have to get Leo back into his bed before my best friend finds out he’s gone.”
“I’m gonna leave a couple of guys to help clean up and fix anything broken. You’re gonna quickly tell me everything you know about what happened here, then I’m gonna go get Leo.”
“The cops—”
“No cops,” I growled. “We’ll be faster than them anyway.”
She crossed her arms and scowled at me. “No bullshit. How quickly can you find him?”
“I’ve installed tracking software on his phone and as of now it’s actively sending a signal. The sooner I leave, the sooner I can bring him back. No bullshit.”
She threw her hands in the air. “Fine, but I swear to whatever God will punish you the most in the afterlife, that if you don’t bring that boy back in one piece, I will personally end your life.”
If I hadn’t already picked a sassy, sexy savior-type, Bellamy would be right up my alley.