With that, Hawk and Stone stand up, heading for the door. Before Stone walks out, he turns to look at me. “Savannah said she will stop by later to drop off some stuff for Scarlett. Some girly shit or something.”
They walk out, closing the door softly. “That reminds me, Hailey is at the mall with John, the prospect, picking up some stuff as well. So I’m sure she will have everything she needs until she can go and pick up her own stuff.”
Crow stands up and stuffs his laptop into his bag. “If you guys don't need me, I’m gonna head to the clubhouse and to my office to work onthis. I will keep you guys updated.” He walks out, leaving only Blade and Joker.
Before anyone can say anything else, an ear-piercing scream comes from the living room, making me jump from my seat, throwing open the door and racing towards Scarlett with my gun in my hand, the others following behind me searching yelling clear with each room they check. I search for the threat but can't see anyone. Looking at the couch, I race to a thrashing Scarlett, who seems to be in the throes of a nightmare.
She whimpers in her sleep, flinching as if she’s been struck. “Please, I promise I will be a good girl. I was hungry.”
I try to place my hand on her, and she flinches from my touch, making me grind my teeth. She’s too far into her nightmare. “Scarlett, it's just a bad dream. It’s okay, Babydoll, you're safe.” Her whimpers slow down with each word I say. “That’s it, come back to me. I promise you that you're safe. No one can hurt you.”
It takes some coaxing, but she slowly opens her eyes, looking right at me. I watch as a tear falls down her face. Whatever dream she was lost in clearly wasn’t a good one. I gently wipe the tear away, giving her a smile. “Are you with me, Babydoll?”
She clears her throat and nods her head. “Sorry for being such a bother.” She cast her eyes downwards, not looking at me as if she thinks I’m gonna be mad at her.
I lift her face towards mine. “You are never a bother to me or anyone else. With everything you've been through, nightmares are normal, so don’t think you have to hide how you are feeling, okay?”
She looks at me, really looks at me to make sure my words are true, and the moment she does, she gives me a small smile. “Okay.” She pulls the blanket back as I help her sit up, and that’s when she notices Joker and Blade standing there, making her blush in embarrassment.
Not wanting to make it more awkward for her, Blade steps forward. “Alright, I’m gonna head out as well and get a jump start on my contacts. Tink, Hailey will be by later along with Savannah to drop off some stuff for you. I will check in later today if I have any updates.” Blade nods his head at me and heads towards the front door, walking out, leaving Joker and me.
Joker hands Scarlett a bottle of water, and she drinks it greedily. “How are you feeling today, Tink? Any headaches?”
I take the water bottle from her and place it on the table as she faces Joker. “The headache is gone, but my body is still sore and stiff. The pills Ghost gave me helped some.”
Joker pulls stuff out of his bag. “That’s understandable, with everything you’ve been through. With a few more days of full rest, you should start to feel better. Do you mind if I check you over — just your blood pressure and stuff?” He holds up a few things, showing her exactly what he wants to do.
“Ya, that's fine.” She whispers quietly as she sits there and lets Joker check her over. I reach down and grab her hand in mine, letting her know I’m here for her. She doesn’t make a sound or move while he’s doing all this; she just stares off into space, lost in her thoughts.
He puts everything in his bag and sits back, smiling at her. “Alright, Tink, everything looks good. Your blood pressure is perfect. Ghost has more pain pills if you need them; if not, just some Tylenol will work.”
“Thank you, Joker.”
He sends her his signature smile. He holds his arms wide open. “Come, give Joker a hug.”
Scarlett giggles and leans into his hug. An irrational jealousy emerges inside me seeing another man touch her. Joker looks at me and wiggles his eyebrows.
“You know, Tink, you can always come home with me, and I can take care of you.” This fucker is trying my patience now, and he knows it. The little shit is doing it on purpose.
She pulls back and looks at me wide-eyed. I pull her closer to me and give Joker the look. “Um, thanks, I think, but I think I’m going to stay with Ghost.” She looks up at me, and her face goes red, saying that, making me smile.
He puts his hand over his heart, looking sad. “You wound me, Tink. It’s just as well I think I’m going to stop off at the bakery and go see if my woman wants to go to dinner tonight.”
Scarlett gives him a wide-eyed look. “Um, I thought you were banned from the bakery?”
“Pssh, she doesn’t really want me to stay away. I’m wearing her down, Tink, don’t you worry, you'll see.” He waves over his shoulder and walks out the door, whistling.
Scarlett lets out a little laugh. “That’s not going to end well, is it?”
I can’t help but laugh. “I have a feeling Joker has met his match when it comes to Madison. That, or we are going to be getting a call later from the sheriff.”
I watch as Scarlett laughs without a care in the world, knowing that today is day one of her getting her life back.
Six
Scarlett
Shaking my head, I laugh. I can just see Madison getting into it with Joker as he walks in. I don’t know why she’s holding back. I can see the way she looks at him when he’s not looking. She’s infatuated with him, just like I am with a certain someone. I peek at him from the corner of my eye to see him already looking at me with a smile on his face. Ducking my head, my face flushes with embarrassment at being caught looking at him. I can't seem to help myself when he's around me. He is so hot. I don't think I've ever felt this level of attraction to someonein my life.
