CHAPTER TEN
Talon
I don’t know how, but somehow I managed to fall asleep on the couch in the office. The next thing I knew, I was being shaken awake.
“Talon, she’s here, and she’s with Doc,” Hawk said.
I got up immediately and groaned when my head started pounding. Slow movements. I was going to have to go slow, even when I didn’t want to.
I stumbled out to the bar to see Tina perched on a table while Doc bandaged up a long cut on her leg. Her dress was filthy and a little torn and she looked disheveled, but she was alive. “Are you okay?” I asked, going towards her. “Did they hurt you?”
She shook her head. “No, they never got a chance. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, don’t worry about me. How did your leg get cut like that?”
Doc spoke up. “Barbed wire fence,” he said. “She escaped before we even got to the warehouse– Axel is probably blowing it up right now as we speak. You have a tough little lady, Talon.”
I smiled softly as I looked down at her. “I do, don’t I?”
She smiled back at me and then frowned. “What about you?” she asked. “Are you okay? You should sit down.”
“I’m fine, baby girl,” I said. “I had a long rest, and I feel better.” Well, technically, I felt better. The pounding in my head wasn’t great but at least the room wasn’t spinning.
“You slept? What if you had a concussion?”
“Common misconception,” Doc said. “You can sleep just fine with a concussion.” He shot me a stern look. “I’m still looking you over. You might have gotten patched up fine, but I’m checking you out for my own peace of mind.”
I nodded. I didn’t expect anything less.
Hawk leaned back and crossed his arms. “Looks like you have everything under control,” he said. “Ramona and I are going to head out. We have lunch reservations and I don’t want to miss them. It’s nice to meet you, Tina. I’m glad you’re okay.”
She nodded and Hawk left. This time I didn’t feel helpless seeing him go. He believed I could take care of it all. So it had to be true, right?
Tina leaned against me. “I’m okay, Daddy,” she whispered in my ear. “It’s all okay.”
I closed my eyes, smiling. It felt nice just to hold her and know that she was safe.
The next month was hectic and boring all at once. I spent most of it trying to run the club while healing. Luckily I had help. Tina quit her job at the diner and came to Hawk’s Landing to manage the bar. She said she felt safer at the bar than where she had gotten attacked for the first time. I was grateful for the help.
She also stayed at my place, but even though she wanted to take care of me and make sure I was all right, I insisted she focused on healing herself. I was her Daddy after all. It was my job to take care of her.
Axel blew up the warehouse. And once I felt good enough to get on a bike, I led Hell’s Renegade bikers on patrol all through town, looking for Demons to beat the shit out of. It didn’t take long for them to crawl out of the woodwork and get out of Dodge.
After a month, things had started to settle down. One morning, I woke up to see Tina bringing me breakfast in bed. I raised an eyebrow as I sat up. “What have I told you about taking care of me, baby girl?”
“I’m all healed, Daddy,” she said, twirling around for emphasis. Her puffy skirt flew up, revealing her legs. “See? Not even a scar.”
“It’s my job to take care of you, baby girl.”
She crawled into bed next to me and put her arms around my waist. I was finally healed enough so she could touch me without hurting me. “I know. But I like doing nice things for you, Daddy.”
“I know, baby girl.” I brushed a piece of hair out of her face. “You know, I am getting better and I’m able to do things on my own. You don’t have to stay with me if you don’t want to. I can set you up somewhere away from here and make sure you’re safe and taken care of. It’s dangerous with me, baby girl.”
“I know. But I want to stay. And you said you wouldn’t make me go, right?”
I smiled softly. “I did. And it’s true.” I leaned down to kiss her forehead. “I’ll never kick you out.” I had to admit, I was relieved. I wanted her to stay with me. I just wanted her.
She bit her lip as she looked up at me. “Can I kiss you, Daddy?”