GAUGE
“Jesus, Belle, that fuckin’ hurts!” Iwinced.
She flinched as my voice rose but she carried on regardless. Despite her serene and timid appearance, Iknew she was made of tougher stuff than what people gave her credit for. After all, she was Beast’swoman and he wasn’texactly agoddamn puppy. He loved that girl, but his temper was the stuff of legends—even more so after his recent attack.
Yet where there was Beast, there was always Belle—that much was pretty much guaranteed. She was his kryptonite. She brought him to his knees. She calmed him the fuck down—though Iwasn’tsure how, because all she’ddone so far was hurt me.
She threaded the needle through my skin again and Ipractically growled at her. Blood was everywhere, God knows how Iwas still alive because it seemed like all the blood in my body was on the damned floor.
“He good now?” Shooter asked from the doorway. He was holding an ice pack to the back of his head, dried blood matted into his long hair. He’dfared better than me, because his head wound seemed to be just asmall split, whereas mine felt fucking huge. Surprised my goddamn brain hadn’tfallen out yet.
“When you say good, what exactly do you mean? Because I’ve had to stitch him upagain, pump him with an absurd amount of bloodagain, bandage him upagain,and…” Belle began reeling off the list and Shooter huffed impatiently. She looked up, the needle tight between her fingertips. “Itold you he shouldn’tbe moving. No alcohol, no drugs, other than what Iprescribe, and Itold you he needed to rest.”
Shooter nodded, his jaw twitching. “Shit happened,” he said by way of explanation.
“Yeah?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he grunted.
“Well that shit that happened could have killed him,” she scolded. Fucking scolded him like he was achild. How things had changed. It wasn’tthat long ago that she’dbeen shit scared of every one of us. She turned her eyes back to me and Ifrowned at the ferocity in her steely gaze. “Do you get that? You almost died, Gauge, you great big fucking idiot!” Her voice rose in temper when Ididn’treply. She tutted and stabbed me with the needle again.
Casa burst out laughing. “Belle cussed!” He looked surprised when our gazes shot to him. “What? That shit is hot. It’slike aprim and proper princess swearing.”
“Shut up, ya fucking idiot,” Shooter said, shoving him.
“Like he said, shit happened,” Igrunted as Belle turned back to look at me once more.
“I’ll meet you out there,” Shooter said, and left the room.
Belle tutted again and tied off the last stitch in my side before reaching for another roll of bandage. She covered my fresh stitches with an adhesive dressing and then proceeded to wrap it with aclean white bandage. Despite her anger at both me and Shooter, her hands had been steady for every stitch. She’dbeen treating everyone that had come back from the Vipers’ nest, and it was clear that she was tired by the dark rings under her eyes. But her hands? They were as steady as fucking rocks.
She was angry because she cared, Igot that. And she cared because she loved Beast and we were his family. We were his family and now we were hers too. When Ithought about it though, Iguess, she cared because she just fucking cared. She was just like that. It was in her blood to give adamn, just like it was in mine not to.
She was agood girl, and for some reason Ihated seeing her disappointed in me.
Maybe Iwasgetting old.
Iplaced aheavy, tattooed hand on hers and her scowl fell fractionally as she looked at me, her gaze softening further. “Just be more careful, Gauge, okay? You’re not invincible.”
“Yeah yeah,” Isaid with afirm nod, and when she looked at me in questioning Ipatted her hand. “Fine, I’ll be more careful. Scout’shonor.”
She nodded and pulled off her gloves before throwing them in the trash can next to the bed. “Okay, I’mjust about done.” She gave another heavy sigh. “You men all seem to have adeath wish.”
She turned and started gathering her things together and Iforced myself to sit up carefully, putting my feet over the side of the bed. She glanced at me and Icould see she wanted to tell me to lie back down but she restrained herself, already knowing that that wasn’tpossible just then.
The club had been hurt, badly. We’dlost good men and we’dtaken prisoners. There was no time to rest—not while those Viper bastards were still out there. And after what I’dseen down on that boat, there was no way in hell I’drest until the Vipers were down and out for good.
“Thanks,” Igrunted, and walked away.
Ishuffled out of the room, moving slowly while Igot my bearings back, each careful step making me wince. Iheld an arm over the thick white bandage around my abdomen on instinct. Belle had tried to bandage my head but I’dpoint blank refused it, so she’dglued and stapled the shit out of the wound and covered it the best she could. Ifelt like my entire body had been put in avise and crushed. Every bone and muscle hurt. But Iwas alive—that was the most important thing.
Not everyone had made it out alive.
Out in the clubhouse, the mood was somber. Men were covered in cuts and bruises, bandaged, stitched, and taped back together by Belle and her aunt. They sat perched on chairs at the bar or lay across the small sofas, their voices low as they came to terms with what we’dgained and what we’dlost that day. Belle came out behind me and headed toward Beast, and despite being deep in conversation with someone, he cut them off and wrapped his arms around her. He leaned down, talking in low whispers to her, and she held ahand to his cheek as she looked up at him, nodding every once in awhile.
Shooter was still holding the ice pack to the back of his head while he talked to Beefcake who, miraculously, looked completely unhurt. As Iwatched, Shooter threw the ice pack onto the table and shook Beefcake’shand before turning and heading outside. Casa looked up from his place at the bar. He was examining his knuckles, popping each broken finger back into place with agleeful grimace. Crazy motherfucker looked like he was enjoying it too.
Max and Thomas were sitting further along the bar, with large whiskeys in front of them. Their faces were bloody and swollen, and one of Max’seyes was completely closed. Athin line of dried blood trailed from his split lip and down his chin, getting lost in his short beard. They were both quiet, their gazes faraway, but they were alive. That was more than could be said for Aden. Poor fucking kid.
