Club X-Dare (Siren Publishing Allure) (14 page)

Condor clicked off the phone, throwing it across the room in an uncharacteristic display of blatant anger. “Fuck!”

Aino stared at him. “Good move, Condor. Did your phone bite your ear?”

“Oh, shut the fuck up,” he replied, laughing at his own stupidity. “Son of a bitch. I can’t believe that little fuck. I don’t have time to look for a new guide right now. I wanted to be with you, not working every night.”

“It’s okay, Condor. It just means that you will have to hire someone else for that slot. As a matter of fact, why don’t you let Benny do it? That’s what he does best. You are really wired up, aren’t you? I don’t ever remember you using so many swear words in one breath before.”

“Yeah, I am. How bad are you bleeding?”

“I don’t know,” she replied, walking into the kitchen and wiping herself with a paper towel. It came away with a slight pinkish stain. “I am not bleeding badly. It wouldn’t even be noticeable if it wasn’t mixed with cum. I am fine, Condor. I am not in a lot of pain, and I really enjoyed that. Don’t get brain-fucked on me. Please. I’m holding myself together. I can’t do it for you, too.”

He walked around the divider and took her in his arms. “Sorry. I just had a momentary temper tantrum. I should have replaced her a long time ago, but I was too damn lazy. Now I have no choice. I can’t believe that she walked out in the middle of a shift. We have to go.”

“I know. Go kill the power and water. I will get the stuff back out of the fridge. Relax.”

“I’m trying,” he replied, giving her a quick kiss before releasing her. Aino got dressed and loaded up the satchel as he closed up the house. Ten minutes later they were back on the road, and she had no way to talk to him without a phone.

She turned up the radio, relaxing into the seat. It was going to be a long day.

Condor was four cars ahead of her when he turned off the highway in Orlando. She coasted around the corner, noting as the light at the bottom turned green. Condor’s Vette sailed through the junction, and as if happening in slow motion, Aino spotted the red truck blast through the opposing red light. Tires screeched on the blazing pavement, and then it slammed into the side of the silver Vette. Condor’s car flipped into the air, rolling to be hit again as the red truck tried to swerve to the side. The second collision was marked with the sound of screeching metal and shattering glass as the trunk veered off Condor’s car. The Vette twisted on its side and then came to a shuttering stop, as the truck lurched into a grand palm that cracked and dropped lengthwise over the cab. Aino slammed on her brakes, the shock of the sight before her almost causing her to hit a third car, struggling to avoid being part of the collision. She threw her door open, running down the street as she dialed the emergency number on her cell phone. The line was busy, and she could only hope that two hundred other people were making the same call. People seemed to converge around her as she raced toward the Vette, trying to avoid the debris from the accident. Condor’s car was teetering on the driver’s side, the entire structure twisted and torn. She slid to a stop, dropping to her knees, oblivious to the broken glass as she reached in through the windshield to touch him. “Condor, talk to me. Tell me you are still alive. Please!”

“I’m alive. Oh fuck, I hurt. Call an ambulance.”

“I already did.”

“Stay with me.”

“I’m not going anywhere. You’re gonna be fine, and when you get out of this, we’re gonna plan the biggest wedding ever. I am such an asshole for not just scooping you up and holding on to you. Don’t you dare die on me!”

Condor’s face was covered with blood, the sticky red fluid dripping down onto her arm as she leaned in further to be closer to him. She heard sirens in the distance. “Condor, can you hear that? They’re almost here.”

“I hear them. Tell me you love me.”

“I do. I love you so much. I am so scared.”

“Call Benny.”

“I will. Don’t worry about the club.”

“He fucking smacked up my baby. How bad is my car?”

“We’ll get it fixed.”

“Bullshit. She’s totaled. Get me a new car? I need something to drive when I get out of the hospital.”

“Okay, you name it, and I will have it waiting.”

“Can you stand up, miss?” a voice asked as if from a distance. She looked up at the officer and blinked in surprise.

“I guess so. Please get him out of this and get him to a hospital.”

“That’s what we are going to do. You need to get out of the way. Were you in the car?”

“No. Condor, I will be right here. When they take you to hospital, I will be right behind the ambulance, okay. Know that I am not leaving you.”

“I love you.”

“Love you, too,” she replied as the officer helped her to her feet. She doubled over in pain, the gashes in her legs suddenly overriding her shock.

The young man grabbed her, helping her over to the side of the road. “I thought you weren’t in the car.”

“I wasn’t, but I think I kneeled on some glass. My car is over at the end of the exit ramp. The man in this car is my fiancé. His name is Brian Kylie. He is twenty-six years old. He was passing through a green light when the truck slammed into him from the cross street. The car flipped a couple of times before it stopped.” She watched as an emergency crew raced around the corner, leaning into the car to access Condor. The officer who had helped her up walked over and pulled her car off the road, shutting it down and taking the key out of the ignition. He headed back to her, grabbing an emergency technician on the way. “Here are your keys, miss, and why don’t you let Ian here take a look at your legs.”

Ian knelt down, opening a small case and taking out a pair of scissors. He cut up the sides of her pant legs and peeled the fabric back to reveal the slices in her skin. There was a shard of glass just below her knee, and he removed it, surprised when she didn’t react. Aino’s eyes were riveted to the car as she watched them fit Condor with a neck brace and pull him out the broken windshield. Ian washed her legs with solution and lightly bandaged the cuts. “I think you should take an ambulance ride to the hospital. You definitely need some stitches.”

“No can do. I am not leaving my car here. I will drive over myself. Are they taking him to Central?”

“Yes, they are. I don’t think it wise for you to drive in your condition.”

“Thank you for removing the glass from my leg. I’m fine,” she replied, limping toward her car. She got inside, dialing the number for the club as she watched them load Condor into an ambulance. “I need to talk to Benny.”

“Is this Aino?”

“Yeah. Hi, Seth. Please find Benny for me.”

“Sure thing. I will page him right now.”

She heard Seth make the page and started the car, putting the phone on speaker as she pulled out behind the ambulance. Central was a short ride, and she knew that following the ambulance was stupidity.

Benny said, “Aino, what’s up?”

“Benny, Condor was just in a really bad accident. He is in an ambulance heading to Central. I am going with him. You’re gonna have to hold down the fort. I will call you as soon as I know anything.”

“What happened, Aino?”

“He got hit by an idiot trying to beat the red light at the off-ramp. He is in pretty bad shape, but he’s still alive.”

“How about you, kid?”

“I’m in shock. I cut my legs up kneeling in broken glass to be near him and didn’t even know it. I suddenly understand what my mother felt like when my father died. Oh god, Benny, I can’t lose him.”

“I’m gonna call Eugene and see if he can come in early. I will be there as soon as I can. He is gonna be all right, Aino. Drive safe.”

Aino pulled into the emergency parking lot and had to stop to wipe her eyes before she could park the car. The guard was about to make her move when she opened the door and he saw the bloodstained bandages on her legs. “Did an ambulance from a car accident just pull in here?”

“Yes. Stay put, let me get you a wheelchair.” He gestured to the second guard to come over and keep her from getting out of the car as he ran into the hospital. He came out with a chair and young girl in a green scrubs. “Hi, I am Karen Black. The ambulance driver said to keep an eye out for you. He says that you are badly in need of stitches, and he advised you not to drive yourself.”

“Yeah, well, you don’t leave a car this expensive sitting on the side of the highway. How is Condor?”

“Who is Condor?”

“Sorry, Brian Kylie. He was brought in by ambulance.”

“Are you a family member?”

“Other than his uncle, I am his only family. We just got engaged yesterday. I was driving a few cars behind him when he was hit. I saw the whole thing. Please tell me that he is alive.”

“I don’t honestly know anything besides that he is not dead. Let’s get you inside and get a look at those legs. How did you do this?”

She gasped in pain as they slid her into the wheelchair. The guard patted her on the shoulder. “As soon as a spot opens up, I will move your car into it. Don’t worry, I will be extra careful.”

“Thanks.”

The other guard pushed her through the doors of the emergency room and down into the triage ward. Karen asked again, “How did this happen?”

“I am not really sure. I stopped my car and ran to Condor’s car. I guess there was broken glass and I knelt in it trying to get to him.”

“Aino!” Her name billowed through the triage unit, the word filled with pain and desperation.

“Please take me to him!”

An older man walked out into the unit, glancing around. He walked up to Aino, looking at the bandages on her legs. “Are you Aino?”

“Yes.”

“The EMT told me that he had wrapped your legs. It made it pretty easy to find you, and we need you. We don’t want to sedate him because we think one of his lungs is punctured, but he is hysterical, calling for you.”

She tried to push herself to her feet, and the doctor put a hand to her shoulder. “Stay put. I will wheel you in there, and we can take a look at your legs. Can you calm him down?”

“Yes.”

The doctor wheeled her into the cubical, and she said, “Condor. You have a big mouth.”

He smiled, the expression looking faded on his blood-streaked face. “Are you being a bad boy? You need to be good and calm down so they can look at you. Okay?”

He closed his eyes. “Okay.”

The doctor gave her a grateful glance as the nurse pushed her toward the side of the cubical. She put on gloves and began to peel the bandages from Aino’s legs. She kept her gaze on Condor, and when his eyes snapped open, she waved to get his attention. He saw her and then seemed to drift back into oblivion. Karen shot her legs full of Lidocaine, prodding the skin gingerly to check for any more broken glass. Aino’s attention drifted between watching the woman and staring at Condor, willing him to live. People milled around him, talking in low voices. They brought in a large metal unit and ran it over Condor’s body. The doctor watched the screen and bent down beside Aino. “We need to take him to surgery. The mobile unit shows that he has crushed ribs, which by all indication have punctured his left lung. His shoulder is broken in three places and left leg and hip are also shattered. You are the only one here. What is your relation to him?”

“We are engaged to be married. He has no other family besides an uncle, and he might not be here for a while. If you need papers signed, I can do it. I am also his legal business partner and executor of his estate should anything happen to him. The papers are out in the car if you want to see them. We were bringing them up to be filed with his lawyer.”

He had a nurse hand her a clipboard, and Aino read through it quickly, seeing that it was release form that said she agreed to take all responsibility for Condor. She was agreeing to allow his surgery and pay any bill that the insurance wouldn’t cover. She signed without question and watched as they took him down the hall, tears dripping down her face.

“He will be fine. Dr. Athens is one of the best on our staff. You couldn’t ask for a better surgeon, and one of the head orthopedists in the state is on his way here. Let’s get you stitched up, and then unfortunately you have some paperwork to fill out.”

“Just what I wanted to do today,” she said with a tired smile. “Life really sucks all of a sudden.”

Aino was at the club on Monday morning when Cynthia called. Condor had been in a coma for two days, and she had spent every possible moment with him between talking with Mark on the phone and helping Benny out at the club. She and Benny had finally decided on a new guide, and Aino was impatiently waiting for her appearance so she could interview the woman and get back to Condor.

Merika strolled over, her hips swaying seductively. “I heard about Condor. I really want to go up and see him, but the hospital said that he has a restricted visiting list and I’m not on it.”

Aino turned to her, her nostrils flaring with irritation. She had to choose her wording tactfully so as not to offend the woman, but Aino honestly wanted to wring her neck. “No, you are not and I’m not putting you on it. Let me make something perfectly clear, Merika. Condor is mine and I don’t share. You are not his girlfriend and there is no reason for you to be at the hospital. If you wish to send a card or make a contribution to the fund to replace his Vette then please do. Otherwise, I would greatly appreciate it if you stopped hovering around my fiancé.”

“Fiancé? Are you kidding me? Condor is never getting married.”

Aino waved the ring in Merika’s face. “I’m sorry that you are disillusioned in your quest to win Condor’s attention, but we are getting married as soon as he is well enough to do so. He asked and I have accepted, end of subject.”

Merika stared at the ring, her face tinged with red. Aino wasn’t sure if the coloration was from embarrassment or anger, but she honestly didn’t care. She had more important things to deal with and Merika was nothing more than a minor irritation. Her cell phone saved her from further conversation. “Excuse me, Merika, I need to take this. She turned and walked away, flipping her cell phone open. “Hello?”