Page 42 of Healed

“You can’t bar us from one of our own clubs,” Eagle laughed, trying to slip past her.

She responded by kneeing him between the legs. He bent over, his face turning red. He grabbed his bollocks, as though protecting them from further attacks.

“I have, I will, and I will do so again in the future. Go and keep guard.”

“Dante?” Eagle wheezed, still clutching his balls.

“You heard the lady,” Dante said, not even bothering to look at the scene. He simply waved his hand, dismissing the matter.

“You did this to yourself,” Rachel said with a smug grin, pushing him backwards and shutting the door in his face.

She looked at me then and came over to me. “Watch out for that one,” she said. “He once tried to put his hands on me.”

“And clearly he’s still paying the price for it.”

“Long may he continue suffering. Do you want a drink or anything?”

“No. But thanks.”

She patted the table in response, looking as though she were about to say something. At that moment, the door opened and Eagle stuck his head back inside.

“Dante…”

“What did I fucking tell you?” Rachel raged, storming back over to him.

He quickly pulled his head back outside and slammed the door. But Rachel wasn’t content this time. She followed him outside and I could hear her yelling even from way back here.

“You good?” Vienna’s voice came from my left. I turned to find him with two drinks in his hand—one of which he extended to me.

“I’m good. Thanks.”

“You don’t have to sit here, you know.”

“I know. But I’m okay. I’m just…”

“Watching?”

“Watching,” I said with a small smile.

Vienna had been true to his word. He hadn’t avoided me, but he also hadn’t made any attempt to draw me into conversation unnecessarily. Other than checking in on me on an hourly basis—did I need anything? Was I in any pain? Etc—he pretty much left me to my own devices. So long as I was in his vision.

“Will you stop wandering off,” Doc said, shuffling over to us. “You’re like a fucking toddler. You’re never where I left you.”

He pulled out a thermometer and stuck it in Vienna’s mouth.

“Is this necessary?” Vienna asked, his words slightly muffled.

“Couldn’t give a shit if your temperature makes that thing explode, so long as it helps keep you quiet,” Doc replied as he lifted Vienna’s shirt to inspect his bandages.

The sight of Vienna’s naked, golden skin had my stomach flipping. I had to turn away before I drooled into my drink. Even wounded and stabbed, he had the best-looking body I had ever seen.

“Ahh, shit,” Doc sighed. “I’m not happy with this. Come on.” He grabbed hold of Vienna’s cut and pulled him into one of the backrooms—one that I knew belonged to Dante and served as his office.

As he closed the door, I breathed a sigh of relief—not that Vienna was gone, just that some of the tension that always surrounded us had gone with him. And then I looked around, seeing this as my opportunity to go to the bathroom without being monitored.

Pushing through the crowd, I was easily able to find the toilets—they were just through the archway, at the bottom of the stairs before the club transitioned into the living quarters.

I went into one of the two stalls, washing my hands at the small sink before staring at myself in the mirror.