After throwing up what little food she’d eaten that day, she managed to get back on her feet. Leaning heavily against the bathroom counter, she turned the tap on. Cuppi
ng some water in her hand, she rinsed her mouth from the taste of vomit.
Meds. She needed her meds.
Grabbing them from the top of the sink where she’d left them earlier, she was grateful that she knew the different bottles by heart since she certainly couldn’t focus her eyesight to read what was written on them. In fact, her sight was nearly completely gone.
Really not good, Millie.
She managed to swallow some pills, hoping they stayed down. Then she heard a small whimper. Shoot. The dog.
“It’s okay, puppy. Momma’s just not feeling well.”
What was she going to do with him? She wasn’t sure she was even allowed to keep a dog in the motel room but she wasn’t going to ask, either.
Better to ask for forgiveness than permission, right? That was the mantra she liked to live by anyway.
This wasn’t the best motel. She could have afforded something better. She really should have done more research before she booked it. Especially since she’d paid for a week in advance, sight unseen. But she didn’t like to spend money on things that didn’t matter. She hadn’t planned on spending much time in here anyway.
Stumbling out to the small kitchen area, she found a bowl and poured some water in it. Then she grabbed a handful of the beef jerky sitting on the kitchen counter and placed it on the floor.
She needed something for him to go potty on.
Think, Millie, think.
It was nearly impossible with how ill she was. Finally, she remembered that there was a pile of fliers for fast food restaurants around here that had already been in the room. Not ideal, but it would have to do. She snatched them up, placing them on the floor by the door.
Then she stumbled her way to the bed, lying down with a whimper and reaching over to grab Chompers, her stuffed T-Rex, hugging him tight. He was the only one who could ever bring her any sort of comfort during these migraines.
She closed her eyes and tried to wipe her mind clear. Tried to forget that she was in a strange city, far away from home.
She’d never felt more alone.
* * *
“Now that we’re all here, let’s get down to business.” Reyes gave Ink a pointed look. The other man had arrived last. As usual. And as usual, he looked completely unrepentant and unimpressed at Reyes’ reprimand.
Reyes liked to run things with an almost-military command. Kind of at odds with who they were. But at the same time, it worked. The MC was now back in a good financial position and had cut most criminal ties since Reyes had kicked the old president out and taken over.
Most. Because there were some ties that couldn’t be severed.
“What business is that?” Ink drawled. “Some of us have better places to be you know.”
“Rub it in, why don’t ya, kid,” Razor teased. “Some of us don’t have a pretty Little waiting at home for us. We got no place better to be than hanging out here with you ugly fuckers.”
Razor was a big, dark-skinned man pushing fifty. While he looked intimidating, he had a softer side.
“Actually, Betsy insisted on coming with me,” Ink replied. “She’s out in the main bar with Sunny and Jewel.”
“That sounds like a recipe for disaster,” Razor commented.
Spike agreed. There were few people he trusted and most of them were in this room. Even his other brothers in the Iron Shadows hadn’t earned his full trust. And he wouldn’t leave his Little out in the main bar.
Nope, she’d be right by his side. All the time. And if he couldn’t be with her, he’d have someone watching over her. Not that it was an issue since he had no intentions of having a woman or a Little again.
“And Royal and Baron,” Ink added.
“You brought the twins with you?” Duke asked. “Are you crazy?”