Sacred by Caitlyn Dare
Sadie
“Is this a good idea?” I ask the nurse.
“He’s a grown man, sweetheart. If he wants to discharge himself against doctor’s orders, there’s not much we can do.”
“Told ya, princess.” Dane smirks, shooting the nurse a flirty wink.
Jealousy snakes through me, but then Rhett slides his arms around my waist and pulls me back against his chest. “He’s better off with us.”
I nod because I want to believe him, and I want Dane with us, I do. But I also want him safe, where Darren Creed can never touch him again.
God, I am so not looking forward to that conversation. But we can’t keep the truth from him forever. He deserves to know where he came from.
Even if it does change everything.
“Okay, I think we’re all set. You have a prescription for more pain meds if you run out, and the rest of your medication is in the bag. If you get any new symptoms, seek advice immediately.”
“I will, don’t worry, Nurse Nadine.”
The way he says her name makes me bristle. Laughter rumbles in Rhett’s chest, and he whispers, “Jealousy looks good on you.”
I elbow him in the ribs, effectively shutting him up. Dane shoots me a knowing grin. “Ready to get out of here?”
“You could always stay another night,” I suggest again.
“Not gonna happen, Sadie, girl. This bed isn’t big enough for the three of us.”
My eyes widen, heat flooding my cheeks. The nurse smothers a chuckle, saying her farewells and leaving us to it.
“I can’t believe you just said that, asshole.”
“What? Nurse Nadine is cool.”
“Cool, huh?” I quip. “Maybe you should ask Nurse Nadine to come back with you and play nurse.”
“Jealous, princess?”
“She’s like, thirty, I’m not—”
Dane shuffles over to us, pinning me between him and Rhett. His hand slides up the side of my neck, collaring me. “I’m gonna need lots of sponge baths, princess. Maybe a massage or two.”
“You’re such a goofball.” I roll my eyes.
“But I’m your goofball.” He lowers his face, ghosting his lips over mine.
“Dane…” I inhale a shuddering breath.
“Yeah, baby, I know.” He kisses me, soft and sure, licking my mouth with his tongue. Rhett groans behind me and I feel his dick grow hard against my ass. Wiggling against him, I fight a smile as Dane claims my mouth.
“Okay, lovebirds,” Rhett growls. “Let’s go, before I do something I’ll probably regret.”
“Oh, I don’t know, brother…” Dane pulls away, locking eyes with him over my shoulder. “I reckon we could make her come before anyone notices.”
My breath hitches.
“What do you say? Want me and Rhett to get you off before we leave?”
Yes.
Yes, I do.
But it’s a hospital room, and the nurses’ station is right outside.
“We should probably go.” I force out the words.
“Spoilsport.” Dane pouts, kissing the end of my nose. “But later, your ass is mine.”
“You can barely walk,” I point out.
“Good thing I don’t need my legs to fuck you raw then.” Dane tries to sling his arm around my shoulder but cries out in pain.
“Fuck, that hurts.”
“No sex for you until you’re healed.” I flash him a saccharine smile.
His brows knit. “Is that a challenge?”
“Come on, we should go. I want to call Wes on the way.” I haven’t heard from him since last night, and I want to check if he and his mom are okay.
But when we finally get Dane in the truck—Rhett drove his bike back to the compound this morning and returned in it—and I call Wes, he doesn’t answer.
And I can’t shake the feeling that something has happened.
* * *
When we get back to the compound, Dane can barely stand. It takes Rhett and two other guys to get him into his room.
“Sadie Ray?” Rosita approaches me as I watch them carry him awkwardly down the hall.
“What’s up, Rosi?”
“We need to talk.” There’s something in her expression that sends a bolt of fear through me.
“Is it my dad? Micky?”
“No,” she smiles, “Micky is okay. He’s out of the woods. Your dad, Dee, and Quinn are still with him. But you should probably come with me.”
“O-okay.” She leads me down the second hall where a couple of the older members have rooms. They don’t tend to use them anymore, preferring to stay at their homes with their old ladies and families.
“I didn’t know what to do, but I knew you wouldn’t want me to—”
“Rosita,” I snap, “just tell me what’s going on?”
She gives me a sympathetic smile and opens the door to Munster’s room. It swings open, and what I see almost brings me to my knees.
“Wes,” I cry, rushing inside. He’s slumped in a chair, holding an ice pack to his swollen face. But it isn’t the sight of him that makes my heart splinter—it’s the broken, bloody woman lying on the bed.
“Victoria?” I gasp, going to the bed and dropping to my knees.
“She’s okay,” Jada says, stroking Victoria’s hair from her face. She murmurs in her sleep, turning into Jada’s touch. “We cleaned her up and gave her some strong pain meds. She’ll be out for a while.”
“What happened?” I turn to Wes and lose the fight against the tears pooled in the corners of my eyes.
“Come here,” he rasps, reaching for me.
I shuffle across the floor on my knees and take his hand, bringing my other one to his face. He winces as I gently touch a patch of untainted skin.
“He… he knows.”
“Fuck,” I breathe. “He did this? He hurt you both?”
Wes nods, moisture shimmering in his eyes. “She stepped in to protect me… she fucking—” His body trembles as pain bleeds from him. “I managed to get us out and bring her here. I… I hit him, Sadie. I don’t know if… fuck, what the fuck am I going to do?”
“It’s going to be okay.” I lean in, gently touching my head to his. “We’re going to figure this out.”
“I can’t go back there. Not now. And Mom, she—”
“You can stay here for as long as you need to.” I glance over at Rosita, and she nods. But she’s wearing a strange expression.
“Give me a second, okay? I need to talk to Rosita and check in with Rhett. I’ll be right back.”
He gives me a weary smile, leaning his head back on the chair.
“I’ll watch them,” Jada says, and I mouth, “Thank you,” before following Rosita out into the hall.
Closing the door behind me, we move down the way a little. “What’s up?”
“Did your dad say anything to you the last time Victoria was here?”
“No.” I frown. “Why?”
“Victoria and your dad… well, it’s not my story to tell. But when Ray finds out about this, you need to make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.”
“What are you saying, Rosi?”
Victoria and my dad?
It doesn’t make sense…
And yet, I had picked up on something that night she came here.
I’d assumed it was to do with the fact that Grant Noble had it out for the club.
“It was a long time ago, sweetheart, and I’m probably overthinking it. But after everything with Julia, I just don’t want you to be blindsided again.”
“Are you saying that Victoria and my dad were… together?”
“They have history, yes.”
“Wow, I don’t even know what to say.” Just when I think things can’t get any worse, she goes and drops that bombshell.
“When he gets back, you should talk to him. Jada and I will take care of Vic, but there’s no going back now. Ray will never let her go back to Grant after this.”
I let out a weary breath, all these revelations too much for my brain to process.
“I need to go check on Dane,” I say. “Thank you, for everything.”
“If things had been different, Victoria would have been a part of the MC.”
If things had been different, I might never have been born… or worse, Wes and I would have been siblings.
That’s too much to unpack right now. So I take off down the hall, wondering when life got so fucking complicated.
* * *
“Hey.” I slip into Dane’s room, smiling at the sight of Rhett trying to help him change into some clean clothes. “I’m so getting a photo of this.” I chuckle.
“Watch it, princess,” Rhett glowers at me, “or I’ll have to put you over my knee and spank you.”
“I want front row seats.”
“You’re a terrible patient.”
“Me?” Dane grins, gingerly lying on the bed. “I’m the best.” He winces.
“You need to rest,” Rhett barks.
“Yeah, yeah. Doctor Savage. Keep your hair on. These pain meds are no joke. I feel like I could sleep for a week.”
“We’ll give you some space,” I say. “I just wanted to know you’re okay.”
“I’ll be better if you come over here and kiss me.”
Unable to resist his charm, I slip over to him and sit on the edge of the bed. “When this is all over, I think we should take a vacation. Just the four of us and no interruptions.”
“Where would we go?” He plays along, twirling a strand of my hair around his finger.
“Anywhere. Somewhere with a hot tub and a pool. Maybe somewhere right on the beach. I don’t care, so long as all we have to think about is sun, sand, and—”
“Sexy times.”
“Do you ever stop?” My brow lifts.
“Admit it. You’re thinking of having your wicked way with all three of us.”
“You, Dane Stray,” guilt floods me as I say the word, and I swallow over the lump in my throat, “are insufferable.”
“But you love me.” He brings my hand to his lips and kisses my palm. “I need to sleep,” he says before I can answer.
“Okay, get some rest.” I trace my finger down his cheek. “I’ll check on you later.”
He’s asleep before Rhett and I even slip out of his room.
“What’s up?” Rhett asks the second I close the door.
“We have a problem.”
“Creed?”
I shake my head. “Wes and his mom, they’re here.”
“The fuck?” He scrubs his jaw.
“It’s bad, Rhett. Really bad. And I don’t know what to do.”
“We’ll figure it out,” he says, fierce determination burning in his eyes.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, princess.” He hooks his finger into my belt loop and tugs me closer. “I still don’t really like the guy. Maybe I never will. But I get it, part of you needs him. And I’m beginning to think that maybe Pretty needs you too.”
