Thank God. She didn’t know what she’d do if he never woke up. When she arrived at the hospital, she’d been a mess. Grizzly and Nat had found out Razor had been taken to the emergency room. The next few hours had been grueling.
No one would tell her if Razor would live or die. Finally, the doctor came out and told them the operation was a success. The bullet had been taken out of Razor’s chest. Fortunately, it didn’t hit any vital organs.
Nat headed downstairs to the cafeteria. She picked up two sandwiches and hot coffee for Razor. As she was leaving the cafeteria, she was stopped by a sandy-haired man. She tensed up, then relaxed, seeing the Ruthless Reapers MC patch on his jacket.
The jacket looked a little too big for him. On the heels of that thought came another. She’d never seen this biker before. Then again, the Ruthless Reapers MC had plenty of members. Some of them were out on the road for long periods of time.
“Hey, I’m Terry. King assigned me to be your bodyguard,” he told her with an easy smile.
Something about him didn’t sit quite right with her. Then again, Nat had barely gotten any sleep. She’d also become a little paranoid after Razor was shot.
“Hi, Terry,” she said, trying to sound friendly. “I’m heading back to Razor’s room.”
“I’ll go with you. King just left earlier,” he said. That strange smile hadn’t left his face. She didn’t like it when he placed a hand on her back.
“Sorry,” he said with a laugh. “I forgot you’re off-limits to anyone but Razor.”
Nat and Terry entered the elevator. She was relieved it was crowded, so she didn’t have to be alone with Terry. As the elevator emptied, Nat found herself sweating a little, but they arrived safely on the fifth floor where Razor’s room was.
She could tell Terry she was fine on her own, but if King really sent him, then that meant King trusted him. Oh, screw it. Nat made a mental note to call King and ask for another biker to watch them. Something felt off about Terry. Wrong somehow.
Nat led the way, clutching the bag of sandwiches and hot coffee close to her. She knocked on the door and entered. Like Terry had said, King was already gone.
“Hey, beautiful. Been waiting for you,” Razor said with a smile, then his eyes narrowed when he spotted Terry behind her. Terry clicked the door shut behind him. “Who the fuck are you? I know everyone in the club, and I’ve never seen you before in my life.”
****
Something clicked into place when Razor spotted the stranger entering the room with Nat. King said when he spoke to Tank, Tank had somehow lost his cut. This stranger had taken it and tricked Nat into believing he was part of the club.
Razor reached for the gun under his pillow. He might be in a hospital, a place of healing, but it always paid to be extra careful. Nat spun on her heel, and Terry slipped his hand under his jacket. Fuck. How was Razor going to take care of this asshole while Nat was in the way?
“Nat, duck!” he yelled.
Nat did something even more amazing. She tossed the steaming coffee cup she was holding right at the pretender’s face. The man screamed, touching his scalded face. Then he groped for Nat, cursing her. She stumbled but managed to kick him away.
Nat dropped to the ground, giving Razor a clear shot. Should he risk shooting this bastard in a hospital? Instead of popping the guy in the chest, he aimed for his leg instead. The stranger screamed, falling on one knee.
The door opened, revealing Tank in a hospital gown. He took in the situation, then wrapped his good arm around the man’s neck. The muscles there bulged and strained. The man began to turn purple. Tank used to be a former Navy SEAL, and he’d kept in shape all these years. No matter how much the guy struggled, Tank held him in place.
Razor painstakingly got out of bed, or at least he tried.
“What are you doing?” Nat demanded, hurrying up to him to help him.
“I need to ask him one important question,” Razor said, already out of breath. Damn it. Getting shot sucked big time. Nat helped him walk over to where Tank still apprehended their would-be assassin.
“He said his name was Terry. I knew something was off,” Nat whispered.
“It’s okay. We got him now,” Razor told her in a reassuring voice. He leveled his gaze at the choking man. “I know Vulture sent you. Tell me where he is.”
Tank loosened his hold so the man could talk. “Why would I?” the guy asked, glaring defiantly at all of them. “I’m done for anyway.”
“Yeah, you are, but Vulture sent you here to take care of his dirty laundry. He can’t even do it himself. Don’t you want to get some revenge on the asshole who sent you to your death?”
Terry seemed to chew on that for a few moments, then uttered a location. Razor nodded to Tank, and Tank broke his neck.
“Thank you,” Razor told the dead man.
This was a hell of a mess, Razor thought, but the MC had been in this situation before. The hospital staff on this floor would need to be bribed to be silenced. If the police got involved, then they had to be paid as well.
If Terry had lied to him about where Vulture was, then so be it. Razor intended to hunt Vulture down once and for all after he got out of this place.