“Hey, babe.” My voice cracks when I see that he’s not any better looking than Hoodrat. I really did a number on my boys.
“Beretta.”
“You okay?” I ask and put my hand out for him.
He scoffs and drops his head. Making his way over to me, he sits down in the seat next to my bed. “No, not really. This is a lot. But let’s not worry about me. What about you? How are you feeling?”
My mouth turns down into a small pout when he puts his hand out for me instead of leaning down and giving me a kiss. I guess he’s trying to be easy on me, but that’s not what I want. I just want him. “I’m feeling like everyone is treating me like I’m a freaking China doll. I’m not a fan.” With a raised eyebrow, I shoot him an annoyed glance.
“Everything is fine now. We just need you to stay calm, okay? Nothing else matters besides that.” He’s being weird now. Too weird. I’m hoping it’s only because I’ve been hurt because I really don’t want to start an argument with him right now.
“Mmm hmm, that’s what the doctor said too, and the nurse, and my brother. Everyone wants me to stay calm as if I’m going to blow a gasket at any damn second.” I suck my teeth, and my head throbs. “What about my phone? I need to make some calls, I’m assuming. Let people know I’m okay.”
Muffler’s hands move away from mine, and he leans back in the chair. “Your phone is broken. It’s going to take a few weeks for us to get a new one for you, and then we can switch over all your SIM card information.”
“A few weeks? Since when?”
“We had to put in an insurance claim. It takes a little longer than just going in and buying one from the store.” He swallows hard.
“I guess that would make sense. No matter, I don’t really want to talk to anyone anyway.” I shrug and lay back against the bed. Just staying up to talk to him for a few minutes is more than enough to drain me.”
“Look at you. You’re probably laying here in a heap of pain but haven’t said anything. I don’t want you to worry about anything. I promise you I’ve got it all under control. All you have to do is get better. I hate seeing you in here.” Muffler rubs the back of his neck and stretches his head from side to side.
“I’m not in that much pain. Besides, I know any pain medication would be bad for the baby.” I lower my voice. We haven’t told anyone yet, but I’m sure once we get passed the first trimester, we’ll let everyone know. I can’t see them being anything but happy for me. “Did the doctor say anything to you about the baby? It was like they didn’t want to tell me anything.”
Muffler’s eyes squeeze shut, and when he opens them, they are rimmed red.
“What’s wrong? What did they say?” I try to sit back up and finally take the mask off my face, so I can speak correctly.
“Nothing. Everything is fine,” he says, and luckily at that moment, the doctor comes back in.
“Looks like your readouts are showing a bit of activity. You still doing okay in here?” the doctor asks, his eyes bouncing from me to Muffler and back again.
“Everything is fine. I just want to get out of here. When can we talk about that?” Even though I’m not trying to be rude, my words are clipped, and I’m glaring at the man that probably saved my life.
“Well, I’ve been monitoring you since you woke up, and even though you do have a nasty bump on the head, all of your images and scans have come back normal. As long as you keep yourself stable, you should be able to be out of here by tomorrow,” the doctor says and then turns to address Muffler. “Even though everything seems normal right now, we all know this is going to be a long road. It’ll be tough.”
Muffler nods absently.
I’m not sure what kind of secret code the two of them are speaking in right now, but I refuse to let it bother me. I’m going to do just what the doctor told me to do. Keep myself even. One more night here, and then I can go back home, and things can go back to normal.
Once I’m in the clubhouse, I know I’ll get some answers once and for all.
CHAPTERTHREE
Muffler
If someone would’ve told me I’d be playing house with my ex, I would’ve told them they were out of their mind.
Now I’m rushing around the clubhouse, trying to find anything that might trigger Beretta’s memories too quickly. As I pull out the firestick from the tv in my bedroom, my eyes scan my surroundings until I find a small box where I can hide it.
It feels like I’m one step behind on everything. If I’d only gotten out of the fucking truck sooner, I would’ve been able to get to Beretta faster. If only I had been there when they came for her. I could’ve stopped them from beating her down and causing her to miscarry.If only . . .
I rub the tattoo I had placed right under my heart for Lily, my unborn child, and even now, this shit still burns deep in my soul.
I never deserved someone like Beretta. I got her to believe me last time. Now doing it again shouldn’t be so bad.
A swift knock on my door has Ricochet poking his head in, “Muffler, Boss wants to talk to you. I don’t know how you all are gonna pull this shit off.” He shakes his head as I push a duffle bag full of shit that shouldn’t be around into the closet. He’s right. There’s no way we’re going to be able to pull this shit off. At least not for long.