Logan: New Crusaders MC (19 page)

Another round of agreement, and the meeting was over.  Everyone spilled back out into the main room to drink a toast to their new VP.  Logan took a barstool next to Nicole and smiled at her.

“Danny?” she asked.

“Still alive,” he told her.

She let out a relieved breath, and he told her everything that had happened, what the club had decided.

“What if Ruiz sees through the trick?” she asked, her brow furrowed with worry.

“Danny’s resourceful.  He’s proven that.  I’ve got no choice but to trust that he can take care of himself.”

She relaxed some, and raised her glass to him.  He clinked his beer against hers and they drank together.

“Still want to stay at my place for a while?” he asked.

“Yes.  If you want me.”

“I always want you, baby.  What say we call it a night?  I could use some sleep.”

“Sounds good to me.  My stuff’s still in the truck.  I’ll follow you there?”

They got up together, said good night to everyone.  Logan paused to clap Cork on the shoulder on his way out.  Nicole gave him a huge hug, and he hugged her back, lifting her off the floor for a second.  When he set her back down, she was laughing.  Logan didn’t think he’d ever get tired of that smile, that laugh.  She was everything that was good in his world.

He took her hand and guided her outside.  With her in her truck and him on his bike, they drove together back to his apartment.

“Why don’t I cook some dinner for you?” Nicole offered.

“You just keep getting better and better,” Logan commented.

Nicole laughed as she raided his cabinets.  He didn’t have much, but she still managed to make some killer spaghetti and meatballs.

“A lot of the recipes we use at the diner were invented or perfected by my dad,” she told him as they ate.  “He taught me everything I know about cooking.”

“God bless that man,” Logan said.

After being on the road for so long, it felt amazing to have a home-cooked meal.  He savored every bite, almost as much as he savored the woman sitting across from him.  His old lady.  The concept had felt so foreign to him at first, but now it was really growing on him.  A steady woman.  A real relationship.  He could do this.

He helped Nicole clean the dishes, and then they retired to the bedroom.  Logan settled into bed and pulled Nicole under the covers with him, burying his nose in her hair.

“I want you to know… I’m all in,” he whispered, rubbing his hand up and down her bare thigh.

He felt her catch her breath, and she looked up at him.

“You mean that?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he said.  “If you want me.”

She reached up to run her hand over his cheek.  “I want you Logan.  More than I can say.”

He kissed her, slowly and gently, never wanting this one moment to end.  She pressed her body against his, and even though it hurt a little, he didn’t even think about pushing her away.  A little pain was more than worth it to feel her curves resting against him.  They drifted off to sleep together, their limbs entwined beneath the warm covers.  Logan didn’t think anything could ruin his happiness now.

Then his phone rang.

Logan blinked sleepily, trying to remember where he was.  Early morning light was lighting up the room with a sleepy glow, and Nicole was still curled up against him.  He couldn’t remember the last time he’d gone to bed so early.  Or woken up with the sun, for that matter.  Nicole stirred as he groped for his phone.

“Hello?” he said groggily.

“Logan.” 

“Reno?”  Logan sat up straighter in bed.  “What’s going on?”

“You, uh… you better get down to the hospital.”

Reno hung up, leaving Logan feeling like he was about to throw up.

“What is it?” Nicole asked.  “What’s wrong?”  She saw the expression on his face and pushed herself up.  “Logan, what is it?”

He shook his head, barely able to form words.  “We have to get to the hospital.”

They dressed quickly, and Logan let Nicole drive him in the truck.  She knew where she was going, and he didn’t think he could concentrate well enough to drive at the moment.

When they got to the hospital, Reno was waiting for them.  He started walking as he spoke, and Logan and Nicole followed without question.

“I would have called you sooner, but I didn’t know,” Reno said.  “They brought him in early this morning.  He’s stable, but… he’s in bad shape.  He’s resting right now, so try not to make too much noise.”

They stopped outside a private room and Reno let them inside.  The person lying in the hospital bed resembled Danny in some ways, but he was so badly beaten that it was hard to recognize him.  He was covered in stitches and bandages.  Both his eyes were swollen shut.  An IV dripped fluid into a tube, probably morphine.  His breathing sounded raspy and labored, like it hurt his lungs just to take in air.

“What happened?” Logan whispered.

All he could think was,
I did this.  I did this.

Reno nodded toward the hallway and led them back out the door.

“They found him on the side of the road on the outskirts of town.  He was beaten.  Splinters in some of the wounds suggest he was hit with a bat.  In all my years… the things they did to that boy.  It’s the kind of stuff that keeps you up at night.”

Logan’s hands were balled into fists.  He wanted to hit something.  If it were possible, he’d kick his own ass for letting this happen.

“Devil Kings,” he growled, choking back tears.  “They made him somehow, knew he’d turned.”

“Is he… is he going to make it?” Nicole asked, voicing the question that Logan was too cowardly to ask.

“He is,” Reno said.  “I don’t think he was meant to, but someone up there must like him.  He got to us in time.  He’s going to pull through.  He’ll need some physical therapy, probably some counseling, but… he’ll live.”

“Thank God,” Nicole breathed.  “Can we… can we wait in there?”

“He probably won’t wake up for a couple hours, but yeah.  Take all the time you need.  You know where to find me if you need me.”

Nicole squeezed the old doctor’s hand.  “Thank you for everything.”

“Yep.”

He nodded at them and wandered off.

They quietly let themselves back into Danny’s room and shut the door.  Logan couldn’t look at the kid.  He put his arm on the wall and rested his forehead against it, with his eyes closed.  Nicole came up behind him and leaned against him, wrapping her arms around his waist.  Her head rested on his back.

“This isn’t your fault,” she told him.

Logan scoffed.  “Like Hell it isn’t.”

Nicole sighed, squeezing him tighter.  “Logan, what was your other option?  If you hadn’t sent him away, you think he would have done much better with the Crusaders?  You may be president, but they would have demanded blood.  You’d have killed him for them.”

Logan turned in her arms so he could look down at her, read her expression.  She was sad, that much was obvious.  But there was also sympathy in her eyes.

“Come on, let’s sit and wait,” he said.

He took her over to the chair beside the bed, sat down, and pulled her into his lap.  She adjusted herself so she was comfortable, then leaned against him, tucking her head under his chin.  Logan didn’t know what he’d do without her there.  She was so strong when he couldn’t be.  Brave when he couldn’t be.  He didn’t mind being vulnerable in front of her because she never judged him for it.

They waited for hours, occasionally getting up to pace the room so their legs wouldn’t fall asleep.  Finally, the prospect groaned a little and woke up.  Logan was at his side in a second.  As soon as Danny saw him, he burst into tears.

“Logan, man.  I’m so… sorry,” he croaked.  “They knew.  They… knew the Crusaders wouldn’t… let a rat leave their territory alive.”

Nicole stepped forward and gingerly took his hand into hers.  Danny took a deep, rattling breath, trying to calm himself.

“They took my kutte,” he admitted.  “I’m sorry, Logan.  I… couldn’t… they burned it.  They burned it and made me watch, and then they…”

He started to hyperventilate.  Logan rested his hand against Danny’s forehead, pushing his hair out of his eyes.

“That wasn’t your kutte,” he told Danny.  “That kutte belonged to Danny the rat, and that isn’t you.  Your real kutte will be waiting for you back at the clubhouse.  Your job right now is to heal up, because your brothers are going to be worried about you.”

Danny cried even harder at this, but he nodded as much as he could.

“I didn’t tell ‘em anything,” he croaked.  “They wanted me to, but I kept my mouth shut.”

“I believe you,” Logan said.  “We’ll be back later.  Okay, kid?  Just get some rest.”

It was clear that this short conversation had already exhausted Danny.  His eyes were falling closed even as he nodded and tried to apologize more.  He was asleep again before Nicole and Logan made it to the door.

Back out in the hallway, Logan leaned back against the wall and shut his eyes for a second.  He needed to think.

Ruiz had had a spy among the Crusaders.  Now he knew that the Crusaders were trying to spy back.  That was going to make him angry.  Angrier.

“I’m going to have to set up a meeting with Wiseman,” Logan told Nicole.  “Figure this shit out.”

“What about Danny?” Nicole asked.  “You don’t think… Will the Kings come back for him?  Try to finish the job?”

Logan pressed a kiss to her forehead and folded her into his embrace.  She was shaking a little, but that didn’t stop her from putting on a brave face.

“They don’t think there’s a job to finish,” he said quietly.  “You heard Reno.  Danny got lucky.  No one was supposed to find him.  Not until… not until he was already gone.  As far as Alex Ruiz knows, Danny Trevino is dead.”

“So he’s safe,” Nicole breathed, relief evident in her voice.

“Probably the safest of all of us right now.”

He led her back out toward the entrance.  They passed Reno along the way, and Logan clapped him on the shoulder.

“Keep an eye on the kid for us?”

Reno looked sad, but he nodded.  “I’m not going to let anyone else hurt that boy.”

“Good man, Reno,” Logan said solemnly.

They left the hospital, and Logan got his phone out.  Then he thought better of it, found a payphone, and dialed one of his Iconoclast contacts.  Within minutes he had set up a meeting with Wiseman.

“I’m going with you,” Nicole said.

“Not a chance.  You’re my old lady, but you’re not a club member.”

“I don’t care, Logan.  Danny was a good kid and I want Ruiz
dead
.  You understand?  When you and Wiseman figure out how to kill him, I want to be there.”

Logan raised his eyebrows at her.  There was no doubt she was sincere.  When he still didn’t respond, she changed her tactic.

“Wiseman knows me.  I was the one who got you out of your last ‘meeting’ with him.  Maybe he’ll behave better with me around.”

Logan chuckled in appreciation.  She wasn’t going to give up.