“Absolutely fucking not. What kind of asinine question is that? My sister is lying in a bed while her stomach is being pumped and you are questioning her family about stupid shit like that? For Christ’s sake, someone call Sheriff George so we can figure out how she got poisoned to begin with. That would have been a better question, Dr. Northwood.”
“Miss, I apologize, as I don’t mean to offend you, this is our normal questioning. I was going to ask if she has a new boyfriend/girlfriend or if there is someone new hanging around?”
Shadow leans over glaring at me until Dottie elbows her in the rib area. It gets totally quiet until I hear a voice coming from the entrance.
“Where the hell is Dottie and how is Dani? Why can’t I get any goddamn answers, for Christ’s sake? Find me Yoggie, he’ll know what the fuck is going on. Oh shit, I see my daughter. Zoey, what the fuck is going on?”
Well, guess the sheriff is here. As he works his way through the mass of people the woman doctor steps forward. This gets everyone’s attention.
“Hi, my name is Dr. Veronica Truncher and between Dr. Northwood and me, we’ve been treating Dani. Now besides the questions asked, I have a few more questions if you don’t mind. This is just my perception, but it seems like this wasn’t a one and done type of poisoning. Your sister shows signs of chronic poisoning, which means this has been going on for a while. I can’t say, maybe a week, month, or longer. When she woke up briefly, I asked if she had any pain and she told me her stomach has been bothering her for quite some time now. Then she shared that she has had bloody diarrhea most of the time while her stomach aches all the time. Also she noticed her hair comingout more than usual. Finally, before she fell back asleep she said that at times her mouth tasted like some kind of metal. We are running tests and I’m going to have a few other tests done while we can on Dani. If you would like to go back and see her you can, but not the whole bunch of you. Any questions?”
Everyone just shakes their heads while I watch closely. If this has been going on for weeks or months, then fingers can’t point at me ’cause I just got into Timber-Ghost within the last week or two, if memory serves me right, and I have no reason to poison anyone here. Dottie grabs my hand, which sends a shock up my arm and then down my back. Knowing the skin on that hand was burned pretty bad, I want to pull it back but don’t. She took a chance during a very emotional moment to reach out to me for support, and I’ll be damned if I’m not available. I squeeze her hand back and hear her soft gasp of shock. When she starts to walk toward the doctors and nurse I start to let go, but she again holds on tightly, pulling me with her. I hear the gasps, but fuck them, for some ungodly reason this woman wants me at her side. I kind of feel like a total asshole as I’ve not disclosed many things to her, but not since before I was a POW have I felt the way I do when I’m with Dottie. As we follow the nurse down one hallway to another, I can feel the tension rolling off of her body. I ask the nurse to give us a minute then I move to the short hallway to our left to give us some privacy. She looks up at me with that look in her eyes that says everything. Her sister is her life, especially because they are twins. I’m sorry now that I just met Dani so never really talked with her, though all I’ve heard from the guys and Avalanche is that she’s the direct opposite of Dottie. When I asked what that meant, they either smiled or chuckled saying where Dottie is direct and blunt, Dani is shy and reserved. Avalanche told me about the time four of the girls went down to Texas for a book signing and got into tons of trouble. When half the club went down to save them, all Dani wanted to do wassit in their cabin and read. And when they finally got to go to the signing, Dani bought like—I forget what he told me—fifty or more paperbacks. She was beyond ecstatic because they were all signed by her favorite authors too.
“Don’t think the worst yet. Neither doctor sounded gloom and doom, so before you make yourself sick, check in on her first. If I’m overstepping, just tell me, Dottie, but I get the feeling you need a ‘new friend’ for this. Hope I’m reading it correctly ’cause I don’t want to upset ya any more than you already are.”
She leans into me so I wrap my arms loosely around her waist. When she drops her head on my shoulder, I just hang on to her until it hits Dottie so hard; first I feel the trembling before her soft sobs start. The adrenaline dump can be brutal but better here than in front of her sister. I hear footsteps so I partially turn, putting my hand up for one more minute. When the nurse sees Dottie she gets it and walks away. Never one to push or pressure anyone, I just let her have all the time she needs. Once Dottie has cried her soul out and has herself under control, she tilts her head up to me with a quiet, “Thank you, Benji.” I dip my head down, watching her eyes getting big while her pupils dilate. I gently kiss the top of her head then let her go.
“Come on, let’s check on your sister, see how she’s doing. Just a forewarning, she’s gonna feel like total dog shit for a few days. Gettin’ your stomach pumped sucks.”
She just nods and we find the nurse, who takes us to Dani’s room. When Dottie tries to pull me in, I resist.
“You go in by yourself first. If she seems okay then I’ll step in, but this is between you two. I haven’t even gotten to know her yet as we just recently met, like today, Dottie, and I don’t want to start off on the wrong foot by making her feel uncomfortable.”
It takes her a second or two, but she lets my hand go reluctantly and walks in the room. I lean up against the wall next to the door, one heel on the wall, the other out in frontof me. Looking up and down the hallway, I feel that tingling I would sometimes get when I was overseas in the military, or worse, when I was a prisoner of war. Haven’t had these feelings for a long time so this tells me something isn’t right. First Dottie then Dani and now me. But the three of us have no connection. Well, that ain’t exactly true, Dottie is our connection. That thought makes me even more nervous to think someone is after her. Could this episode have been directed toward Dottie, but someone may have mistaken Dani for Dottie? They do look quite a bit like each other if you don’t know them. Also, if you are seeing them from a distance because close up you can see their differences, especially since Dottie is covered in tattoos.
I don’t know much yet about them, but Dottie said they grew up with very fanatical parents who leaned hard on their religious beliefs. Ain’t nothing wrong with that except the last part Dottie told me. Their father had promised them each to an elder of the organization when the time came, and after their first period they would be considered women. That was the final straw for the girls as the two men were well into their golden years.
Could it be something to do with that? I doubt two seventy-or eighty-year-old men are driving around trying to kidnap two twenty somethings so they can marry them. Fuck, I can never just stay in my lane. I’m supposed to be up in Buttfuck, Montana, to help myself find some peace and tranquility, but instead I’m on a trail that is feeling like something huge is in the air and about to explode. So into my thoughts, I literally jump when someone touches my arm. Thinking it’s Dottie, I hold in my terror when I look down to see Shadow glaring at me with those icy-blue eyes. Before I can even move or say a word, she’s grabbed my arm and is twisting my thumb up to get me to move. What the fuck? Is this woman crazy? Thinking I can outmaneuver her, I try to turn the tables on her, and instead ofher letting me go, she twists more on the thumb. Goddamn, she’s got some strength.
Pushing me into a conference room, she slams the door behind her, then pushes me forward as she lets me go. When I turn around she’s got an automatic aimed directly at my heart.
“Okay, motherfucker, the game is over. Right now spill your guts on who, what, and where, and I might put you out of your misery quick like. Otherwise, and listen well to me, Halo, I’ll tear you apart layer by layer and piece by piece. No one, and I mean not a soul, is gonna fuck with my sisters, you hear me? Now spit it out. What’s the endgame for you here?”
I can’t help it, I smile, which pisses her off even more. Then I get real.
“Shadow, you don’t know me from Jack, but I’ll share a bit. I don’t take orders from you or anyone any motherfucking more. Those days are long gone. I came out here to get some help from the Blue Sky Sanctuary and your ‘sisters’ or club were never in my short or long-term plan. To be honest, I’d never heard of the Devil’s Handmaidens Motorcycle Club here or anywhere else. Also, I have no idea who’s been poisoning Dani, you might want to check whenever she’s eaten food from The Wooden Spirits Bar & Grill. No, listen to me, it’s pretty easy to slip in as a bartender, busser, or even waitress for a short stint to get the job done. Maybe, just a thought, have a talk to whoever manages it and see if there’s been a history of employee turnover. Besides that, I can’t help you. Now if you’ll excuse me, need to make sure Dottie is okay.”
When I turn to leave, I feel her before she says a single word to me. Her hands grab my arms, not roughly, but gentle like. She leans toward me though up on her tippy-toes.
“You’re not fooling me, Halo. I see ya and I mean all of you. I also get it, as I’ve been there. Nope, zip it, my turn so just listen to me. Get your head cleared from that shrink at the sanctuary.We’ll give ya work at the ranch so you got money coming in and some health benefits. Once we both have had some time, let’s get together and run shit between us, seeing you got all that military information, and I got—well—my life experiences. Oh, don’t think I don’t know about your secret. Just make sure to share with Dottie sooner rather than later because I don’t want to be the one to tell her. Nothin’ to be embarrassed about, it’s just who you are now. Go on, get back to your post. We’ll talk soon. Keep Avalanche in the know with what’s going on. Yeah?”
Turning, I give her a chin lift then remember something.
“Hey, Shadow, I know both Dani and Dottie got that feeling of being watched. When the nurse left me in the hallway earlier, I got the same damn feeling. I looked but only saw hospital staff. What do you think, maybe you can have someone watching Dani while she’s here?”
She grins, which has me taking a step back, it’s beyond frightening. She chuckles, then shocks me, not sure why, should have known she’d have it covered.
“Sure, good idea there, Halo, though already have a rotation of Devil’s Handmaidens, Intruders, and the sanctuary folks to watch over her ’til we get her back home. You might want to stick really close to Dottie for the time being. Just know,Delta Force,if you hurt her, I’ll find out and then I’ll have to hurt you even worse.”
How the fuck does she know I was part of a Delta Force unit? Like she can read my mind, she spits out at me as I walk away.
“Dude, know this now, there is nothing we can’t find out or actually locate with some time. Never forget that, especially if your plan is to stick around for Dottie. Now we’re done here, go make sure Dottie, fuck, I gave her a name and keep forgetting to use it. Okay, go make sure Storm is okay.”
And that is exactly what I do when she releases me. I go to check on Dottie.
EIGHT
STORM
