No Second Thoughts (Seven Devils MC Book 2) (7 page)

She remembered that she had been in a restaurant.  She could see the bar with its hunter green painted interior and a woman with loosely upswept hair.  Blanche felt like she had been at the restaurant for some reason, waiting for someone and that the woman with the upswept hair worked there. When Blanche tried to force more revelation, it seemed to pain her, so she stopped.

She listened. The discussion began again. The other man was, again, trying to convince Dana to bring her to the hospital, because, he said, she was really injured. “You don’t want this to turn into a murder rap,” he said.

Dana answered, “She’s fine. You’ve seen her.”

“Yes, but she has a major head injury. Things can change with that at any time. Look at Kevin.”

Dana’s voice took on an intense tone, “Do not bring him up again. If you expect me to have the same sympathy for her as I do for him –“

“Of course not. But you said, yourself, she wrecked your life. She wrecked his life. Your entire family’s lives. She will do it again if anything happens to her. No one is going to say this is justified, like it or not. Just think about it.” 

Blanche could hear someone get up.

“Where are you going?” Dana demanded.

“To check on her,” he answered.

Their discussion gave Blanche an idea. When the other fellow entered the room, she began to complain mildly,  “I don’t feel so well.”

“I know you’re hurt,” he said.  “Can you be more specific?”

“Just weird.  I can’t describe it,” she replied, making her voice faint and shrill.

The man felt her forehead. He waved a penlight in front of her eyes. First the one, then the other.  When the light hit the second, she was decided to do it. She faked a seizure. She wasn’t quite sure how it should go, but she did her best.

The ruckus caused Dana to rush into the room. “What is going on?” he demanded.

“I think she is seizing,” the man said. The fact that he didn’t have enough medical experience to know she was faking it sort of scared her. What if there was something wrong with her and they couldn’t tell?  Her head was not good.  Blanche made choking noises like she was swallowing her own tongue.

Dana panicked.  “Stop her, man!  Can’t you do something?”

“I can’t. If she is okay, she will just pass out. If she’s not –” said the man.

“Then what?” Dana grabbed him.  “What?!”

“You gotta keep your voice down,” the man said in a hushed voice. “You are not helping her.”

“Fine,” Dana said.  “Take her in.”

“Me? This is your deal. I just came over because you said you had a sick friend. Get the guys who dropped her off.”

Dana was hesitant.  “Those were just some guys who owed me a favor.”

“Like what kind?” the guy demanded. Dana was shamefully quiet. “What do you mean, Dana? Did you let someone off that should be arrested?”

“I might have. Look, I will fix it. We have to get her to the hospital. I want this bitch well so I can kill her.” Blanche could feel him thinking. “Fuck it. Put her in my car. We will drop her off at County General. I will cover my tracks if I have to.”

Part of her was afraid of being moved in any way except by ambulance, but part of her still had that strange inner calm. She told herself she would suffer through whatever if it meant she was away from the man who hated her so much. When they brought her out into the sunlight, Blanche felt nauseous. The air was fresh and cool, but the light bothered her greatly and the combination of the sensations made her vomit. Dana was annoyed by it.

The man defended her. “Come on. You’re the sheriff in a biker town. I know we are pretty straight as far as that goes, but it’s not like you haven’t had someone puke on you before. It’s not her fault. She is ill. Come on, Dana.  She’s just a little bitty thang. Word is she is sorry. How old you figure she is? She can’t be over twenty-five.”

In her utter agony, the man’s question jarred her memory. Blanche Herrera. She was an assassin for Norte Mexicali. And she had super sweet, innocent looks that were her weapon. They made people trust her enough to get way too close until it was way too late.  That’s who she was. That’s why Dana was so mad at her. She must have hurt his cousin…Kevin or whatever his name was.

The recollection that she was an assassin seemed to fortify her. She felt herself fill will a sense of power. Her injury didn’t seem as significant, like she could ignore it if she had to, at least for the moment. She was no longer the pliant victim at Dana’s mercy and, in fact, felt like getting even with him for his treatment of her. She may be weak, but she had the element of surprise on her side. And boy would he be surprised.

Blanche sat in the back while Dana and the man drove and rode shotgun. The adrenalin of knowing who she was and what she was going to do made her sit up straight instead of resting her body against the seat like she would have done before her memory came back. Well partially, anyway. It was a mistake she found, because weakness rolled across her and she had to close her eyes, nearly in sleep mode. She was not really well enough to make this trip, but it wasn’t too far away.  She vomited again. Dana cursed again.

“Chill, man,” the guy counseled.

“She just left DNA all over my car,” Dana freaked.

“Yeah. People do that. It will be okay. We just had a momentary lapse; we will get through this.  Just get her to the hospital.”

“I feel like I am driving a crowning pregnant woman.” Dana retorted.

“You’re too much, man,” the man said.

The car pulled into the emergency room lot. There was some back and forth about cameras. Dana was still the sheriff of Gold Creek and he didn’t want to get caught dumping Blanche, so the man pulled his shirt up over his head and guided her to the curb. He made her lay down on the cement so that someone would come and get her. The car sped away. The cement was so warm.  Blanche slept.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

In her sketchy consciousness, Blanche knew she was helped up and into the hospital. She remembered that she kept saying she could pay cash for everything, but they said not to worry; it was covered. It was all a haze, but slowly her memory was coming back to her. Her biggest complaint was that her head hurt and she was just plain tired. The hospital ran her through scans and EEGs and determined she just had a concussion. She would be over it in about a week, but they said she could go home anytime.

Home.

For Blanche, that was one of those ever-vague notions she wished she could peg once and for all. It was really clear to her that, no matter how the mess with Jason, Dana, and Norte Mexicali worked out, she wanted to find a home and settle down.

One of the nurses took the time to sit with her once she was fully wide awake. She told Blanche that when she was in and out of it and called for Jason. The nurse figured that since Blanche told her she was from Gold Creek, the 'Jason' she was talking about had to be the captain of the Motorcycle Club. The nurse knew Jason through the hospital since he had been a fireman, now retired. Since Blanche was unable to report a next of kin to notify, the nurse called him. He was on his way to come see her.

But Jason didn't come alone. He brought with him a man he said was the deputy district attorney, Tim Paisley. It was reassuring to her that when she saw the two men, she knew them and remembered them clearly. Even though she was aware that she and Jason had a relationship, that it had been intense and she thought she loved him, something was different.

She couldn't quite connect with those feelings. Jason Fowler was an extraordinarily handsome man -- breathtaking and tall, with a perfectly proportioned, powerful physique with muscles that seemed to want to burst through his clothes. His hair whispered in rugged waves, sort of longish, like a grown out version of a shorter style.  It was very becoming and framed his symmetrical features romantically. He looked like he could be a hero in a movie. He was pretty, but she just couldn't muster a thrill to see him. Whatever there had been between them, Blanche couldn't feel it.

Jason smiled at her and kissed her on the forehead before sitting next to her. "What is it with us?" he kidded her warmly. "So much drama. From the first time we met when I had to rescue off of that bridge, it seems like we are always in the midst of or recovering from something. It might be kind of nice to see how we do in a calm, serene situation."

Blanche felt uneasy. She might have welcomed his affection at one time. She was sure that was the case, because he looked at her like he was ga-ga for her. She remembered, with graphic detail, the sex they had. She remembered she really liked it, but she couldn't remember the feelings she had for him. In fact, it was agitating her to have him near. And he must have picked up on that.

He cocked his head, "Baby? Are you okay?"

"Yes," she answered stiffly.

"I didn't mean to joke about what you've been through. We will be brief. You've been gone for quite a while," he began, but Blanche quickly cut him off.

"'Gone for quite a while'? You make it sound like I was on vacation. I was abducted," she protested indignantly.

Jason hushed her. "Yes, baby," he agreed very softly. "I didn't mean to suggest anything, but I was just trying to be gentle in my approach. I didn't mean to upset you. I was just trying to find out whether you are able to tell us what happened."

"I am not sure," she replied and proceeded to fill them in. She was getting worn out. She turned her head away from him.

Tim Paisley interjected. He thanked her for her help and assured her of her safety. He promised her that Dana wouldn't be a threat to her. Blanche shook her head but said nothing.

"Baby," Jason said again.  Reluctantly she looked at him, "You don't love me anymore?" 

Blanche didn't say anything but she felt herself sulking. 

"Hmm?" he gently brushed her hair back across her head. "I was going to bring you home with me, but if you don't like me anymore," his voice was soft and seductive, but still she couldn't be stirred.

"I don't know what it is," she said, her voice breaking a little.

"That's okay," he said patiently. "If you aren't comfortable coming home with me, I guess we'll keep you here. Tim, here, has you under police guard, so you will be safe."

"That's right," Tim stepped up. "All you have to do from here on out is get better. We need your help to get the Norte Mexicali."

Blanche hesitated. "Blanche," Jason asked her frankly. "Something is going through your mind.  We need to know what it is."

"I'm tired," Blanche replied. She just wanted to forget about everything. Forget she ever stepped foot in Gold Creek. She wished she felt differently, but that was the best she could do.

The police guard knocked on the door and stepped in before being asked, "Mr. Paisley?"

"Yes," Tim answered.

"County cops have been called to back up a situation over in El Monte. It's all hands on deck except for a small skeleton crew. We aren't available for guard duty," the cop said and closed the door.

Jason knitted his eyebrows and remarked to Tim, "That's weird."

"Very," said Tim. 

"Think our friends, the Norte Mexicali, have deep pockets and have folks in County on the dole?" Jason asked.

Tim raked his fingers through his hair. "I think we need some help with this thing. One thing is for sure, if she is medically able, I think she ought to move."

The nurse entered the room next to check Blanche's vitals. Blanche pushed her away.  "I am fine," she protested bluntly. She felt like she was going to burst from the whole situation.

"Hey," Jason scolded gently, "she's just trying to do her job. It's for your own good."

“I really need you to mind your own business. I’m fine. In fact, all of you leave.” Blanche's mood had officially soured.  "Can you please go? I need a break from all this before she can get an accurate reading. I am liable to break the meter."

“I need to check your eyes and listen to your heart, not just take your blood pressure,” the nurse said. She was stymied and Jason was clearly frustrated.

In a bold move, he took the stethoscope from the nurse and put it on.  He pressed Blanche down firmly with one hand while with the other, he fished the disc end of the stethoscope on the inside of her gown.

“I think I hate you,” Blanche blurted out, not realizing she was going to do that.

Jason squinted at her and then looked to the nurse for an answer. The nurse picked up on his question right away. "Sometimes people have a little personality change with head injuries.  Could be just from being injured. Cranky."

"I have a head injury, but I am not deaf," said Blanche. "Don't talk to him like my health is his business or like I am not here."

Tim Paisley leaned over her, "Listen here," he said. "I've given you a considerable break because this guy here convinced me that you were just a poor kid mixed up with the wrong people and you were trying to make good. These people you worked for have people everywhere. They had our own sheriff doing their dirty work. You are not safe. I'm ordering you to go with Jason so he can keep an eye on you.

The nurse interjected, “She isn’t moving anywhere until the doctor says so.”

Jason replied, “I thought you said she was fine.”