Ridin' Dirty: An Outlaw Author Anthology (OAMC Book 1) (31 page)

Daniel

I shrug my shirt back on and slide off the hospital bed.  After a quick examination that the Chief had insisted on, the doctor cleaned my wound and declared that it was a clean shot, the bullet going in one side of my arm and out the other.  Six stitches and a bandage later, and I’m free to go.

I was lucky, and I know that.  I was definitely luckier than poor Tommy Lewis.  The Chief had confirmed what I already knew.  The shot Tommy had taken in the chest had been fatal.  He died within seconds.  The Chief left just a few minutes ago to deliver the news to Ms. Lewis himself.  I didn’t envy him.

After buttoning my shirt, I move through the emergency room and head straight for the elevator.  Gabby is on the third floor, waiting for her brother to get out of surgery.  They still weren’t sure if he was going to make it.  He’d lost a lot of blood and there had been a lot of internal damage done in the beatings. Infection had set in from just laying on the floor, in a heap for days. 

When the elevator door opens, I turn to the left and there she is.  Her hair is a mess and her makeup is smudged all over her face.  I’ve never seen a more beautiful sight in all my life.  When she sees me, she doesn’t hesitate.  She covers the distance between us at a run and slams into my chest, her arms wrapping themselves tightly around my waist.

“Oh, Daniel.  I’m so glad you’re okay.”

I chuckle softly and hug her tight, pressing my lips into the top of her hair.  “I’m fine, baby.  Just a few stitches.”  We hold each other in silence, our bodies slowly rocking from side to side.  “Any news on Derrick yet?”

She pulls her cheek from my chest and looks up at me, her face sad as she shakes her head.  I give her a reassuring squeeze.  “Have faith, babe.  If Derrick is anything like his sister, he’s a tough son of a bitch and will be just fine.”

A small smile appears on her face and she shakes her head.  “He’s more like me than he’ll ever admit.”

I grin down at her, glad to see she still has a sense of humour.  Taking her hand, I guide her to the waiting room chairs and pull her down beside me.  Wrapping my arm around her shoulders, I pull her body against mine and whisper, “Sleep, babe.”

She shakes her head, not looking up from where it rests on my shoulder.  “I can’t,” she whispers back.

“You can,” I say.  “I’m not going anywhere.  I’ll wake you if the doctor comes in.”

She sits up, unable to hide her surprise.  “You’re staying?”

I frown.  “Of course I’m staying.”

Her sigh is heavy and her shoulders droop.  “I can’t ask you to do that, Daniel.  You have your own life to live.  You’ve done so much for me already —”

Gripping her chin between my thumb and forefinger, I tilt her face so she can’t avoid my eyes.  “I said I’m not going anywhere.”  She looks confused so I decide to make it a little clearer for her.  “Gabby … I’ve known you for two days.  That’s it.  Two.”  She frowns, but I keep going.  “And in that time you’ve done some shit that deserves a serious spanking.”  Her eyes widen and she sits up in her chair.  “But even though it’s only been two days, I couldn’t imagine leaving you here alone.  The thought of being away from you at all feels wrong.”

Her eyes search mine, tears threatening to spill from their blue depths.  And then she smiles.  Her smile lights up her whole face.  It also lights up a place inside of me that I didn’t even know had been dark.

Pulling her towards me, I cover her lips with my own and show her just how much she’s grown to mean to me.  Her lips move against mine, her hands clutching my shirt.  When I finally pull away, her cheeks are flushed and her lips are swollen.

A thought suddenly occurs to me.  “Hey, did you know that Derrick has a girlfriend?”

She jerks and her brows drop low over her eyes.  “What?”

Gabby

Seven hours and an achy back later, the doctor finally comes to find me in the waiting room.  “Miss Monroe?”

I bolt upright in my chair, my heart in my throat.  “Yes?”

“Miss Monroe, I’m Dr. Connolly.  I’ve been operating on your brother all night.”  I stare at him, afraid to even blink while I wait for him to finally tell me if Derrick is going to be okay.  “It was touch and go there for a while.  Your brother had a lot of internal injuries and a skull fracture.  His lung was punctured by a broken rib and he lost a lot of blood.”

Daniel reaches over and grabs my hand, giving it a squeeze.  I just nod at the doctor and wait for him to continue.

“The good news is I think we got it all.  He has a lot of stitches, both inside and out.  He has a lot of broken bones that will need to heal and he will likely need another blood transfusion before the end of the night.”  He stuffs his hands into the deep pockets of his lab coat.  “The bad news is there was a lot of bleeding in his brain.  He had a skull fracture that did some damage to the tissue there.  We won’t know how much until your brother wakes up.”

I can’t speak.  Fear wraps its cold hand around my throat and squeezes with all its might. “When will that be?” Daniel asks.

“I don’t know.  Derrick has been through a major trauma.  We’ve done what we can surgically.  The rest is up to him.”

I manage to find my voice and squeak out a quiet, “Can we see him?”

The doctor looks to Daniel and then to me.  “Family only, I’m afraid.  If you’d like to sit with him though, I can take you to him.”

I look to Daniel who places a tender kiss on my forehead and gives me a gentle shove.  “Go.  I’ll be right here if you need me.”

It’s at that moment that I realize that nobody has ever said that to me.  Nobody has ever been there when I needed them.  I have been there for myself.  And for Derrick, and Tommy.  My mother had never been capable of being there for anyone but herself and after Gunner left, I stopped counting on people.  Standing up on my tiptoes, I press my lips against Daniel’s, fighting back the emotion that his words caused.

“Thank you,” I whisper, then turn and follow the doctor through a set of heavy doors and down a long, brightly lit hallway.

He leads me to a room that has the curtains drawn and the lights turned low.  The only bed in the room holds my baby brother.  I nod at the doctor and approach the bed, taking Derrick’s hand in my own.  He almost looks better than he did the last time I saw him.  The blood has been cleaned from his skin and he has more colour than he did before, despite the white bandages that cover large areas of his body.

I lean forward and place a kiss on the only small area of his forehead that isn’t covered in gauze.  “Get better, Derrick,” I whisper.

***

Two days pass before Derrick finally wakes up.  I don’t leave his side the entire time.  Daniel has been wonderful through it all, making sure that I have everything I need.  He feeds me and brings me clean clothes, and whenever I need a hug he’s always in the waiting room.

On the second day, I’m sitting in my chair reading an article from Cosmo out loud, secretly wondering if I annoy Derrick enough will he wake up and tell me to keep my mouth shut.  I’m just getting to the good part.  Sex tip number seventeen is especially descriptive and makes me wonder if I should start stretching before I attempt it.

I glance up from my magazine and my heart stops.  Derrick is staring at me, a small smile on his face.  I toss the magazine aside and move to his side in a flash.  “You’ll need to stretch first,” he croaks, his voice raspy and muted from days of not being used.

“Derrick,” I gasp.  “Oh, thank God!  I was so scared.  How are you feeling?”

“Thirsty,” he croaks.

I reach over his head and press the button to summon a nurse.  “The nurse will get you something. God, Derrick.  When you get better, I’m gonna kick your ass!”

He smiles a little and stares at me, his eyes tired and filled with pain.  “I look forward to it, Gabby.”

***

A couple of days later, I’m helping Derrick eat some soup when I can’t hold it in anymore.  I continue offering him spoonfuls of the hot broth while I ask the question I just can’t figure out.  “Why did you join that gang, Derrick?”

He waves away the spoon with a weak hand and shakes his head.  “I don’t know really.  They seemed like cool guys.  I guess Tommy and I both just wanted to fit in.”  He looks off towards the window and shakes his head.  “Pretty stupid, huh?”

I say nothing because he’s right.  It was pretty stupid, but I’m not going to make him feel worse than he already does.  “Tommy saved me you know.”  Derrick looks at me and his eyes grow wet.  “That Tooth guy would have shot me if Tommy hadn’t tried to stop him.”

He reaches up and dashes away an escaped tear and snorts.  “Tommy loved you, Gabby.”

I look at him and smile.  “He did?”

He nods and smiles back.  “Yep.  Said you had the nicest rack he’d ever seen.”

I laugh and shake my head.  “Whatever.  I loved him, too.  Tommy was a good kid.  I’ll miss him.”

He opens his mouth just as a knock sounds on the door.  Standing in the doorway, looking completely out of place, is Gunner.  Derrick frowns in confusion, not knowing who Gunner is.

“Gunner,” I say, standing from my chair beside Derrick’s bed.  “What are you doing here?”  I hadn’t talked to Gunner since the other day when he’d agreed to help me find my brother.  It had been an awkward conversation at best, but I know that deep down Gunner cares about both of us.  He just didn’t know how to fight for us.  We’ll never have a loving daddy-daughter relationship, but I’d like to think that maybe we can all get to know each other now.  I suddenly feel bad.  After everything that had happened I had forgotten to call Gunner.

“Daniel called me,” he replies from the door.  “I just wanted to check in, see how you both are doing.”

“Gabby?” Derrick asks, his face scrunched up in confusion.

My heart pounds as I prepare to make an introduction that should never have to be made.  Especially not to a grown man who grew up without a father.  “Derrick, meet Gunner Monroe.”  Derrick’s wide eyes swing from me to Gunner.  “Your father.”

Daniel

I’m not surprised to see Travis come sauntering into the waiting room while Gunner is back visiting with Gabby and Derrick.  He gives me a nod and takes the seat beside me.  We sit in silence for a few minutes before he finally speaks.

“Your sister’s pissed at you,” he drawls.

I snap my head around and look at him, surprised.  Then it dawns on me.  I haven’t called Laynie since all this shit went down, and I missed my birthday.  Of course I had seen that she’d called me a few times, but I’d been sitting in a packed waiting room each time and always forgot to call her back.  Dropping my head back against the wall behind me, I sigh.  “How pissed?”

He chuckles.  “Pretty pissed.”

“Shit.”  We’re silent for a few more seconds, me trying to find a way to make it up to my sister.  “I could come over for dinner on the weekend?”

Travis raises his brow.  “I look like a fuckin’ caterer to you?  Call your fuckin’ sister, man.”

Just then Gabby and Gunner come through the heavy doors separating the hospital rooms from the waiting area.  I watch silently as Gabby smiles at him and looks uncertain, then shoots her hand out for a handshake.

Gunner grins and shakes her hand, his eyes showing his happiness.  As one, Travis and Gunner give us a farewell nod as they move toward the exit.  I’m just pulling Gabby in for a hug when Travis calls from the door, “You know Laynie will want you to bring her.”

I roll my eyes and nod my head, watching as he finally leaves.  Gabby looks up and tilts her head to the side.  “Who’s Laynie?”

***

That weekend things finally seem to settle down.  Derrick had been moved from intensive care and was bouncing off the walls in a ward room on the fourth floor, more than ready to go home.  From the sounds of things, he’ll be released tomorrow.

Gabby and I have been spending a lot of time together, though I do have to return to work after next week.  Apparently, a bullet in the arm only justifies two weeks off.  Gabby is going back to work on Monday.

After much apologizing, and only a little grovelling, Laynie has finally forgiven me.  Gabby and I had just left her place after stuffing ourselves with delicious food and good wine.  Introducing Gabby to my sister felt completely natural.  The two ladies had hit it off right away.

Halfway through the dinner, they started planning a girl’s night and Travis had looked just as worried as I felt.  Gabby and Laynie together, combined with a mixture of alcohol and loud music, was a recipe for disaster if you ask me.

Watching Travis and my sister tonight had been a surprise.  When I’d first discovered they were a couple, I instantly disapproved of him, terrified what a relationship with him could mean for my blind sister.  But seeing her tonight, the way she smiled and the way Travis dotes on her, set my mind at ease.  My sister was finally happy, and I had Travis to thank for that.

Pulling up to Gabby’s house, I take the key from the ignition and step out of the car.  I walk around to the passenger side, open the door and help Gabby out of the vehicle.  Taking her hand, we walk towards the house and up the front steps to the door.  Once inside, Gabby tosses her keys on the small table in the foyer and walks towards the kitchen.

“Want a beer?” she calls back over her shoulder.

“Please,” I reply, moving straight for the couch.

She enters the room and flops down beside me, handing over my opened bottle.  Turning her body towards mine, she takes a swig of her own beer and smiles.  “Your sister is amazing.”

I nod and smile.  “She is.  Laynie is one of a kind.”

She takes another swig.  “You know, it’s funny.  I wouldn’t picture them together.  Laynie and Travis?  But seeing them tonight, they just … fit … ya know?”

I nod my head.  “I didn’t.  But I’m starting to.”

We both fall silent and stare off in opposite directions, each lost in our own thoughts.  I look over at her and catch her looking at me with a soft smile on her face.  I grin.  “What?”

She shakes her head.  “You’re just a really good guy.”  Her cheeks flush and I watch as the pink continues from her cheeks all the way down her neck and spreads across her chest.  “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t come along when I was storming out of the police station that day.”

I smile back at her and reach out to take her hand.  “Well, Frank would probably still have a job.”

Her eyes widen and she laughs.  “He got fired?”  I nod, grinning at the joy she seems to feel from this news.  “Well good!  He was a dick.”

I throw my head back and laugh.  She’s right.  He was a dick.  Suddenly, Gabby’s face is inches from mine and has lost all traces of laughter.  My smile fades as I stare into her eyes.

“I want to finish what we started, Daniel.”

I don’t make her wait.  Reaching out, I wrap my hand around the back of her head and pull her lips to mine with an urgency that makes my heart pound.  I revel in the feel of her lips, knowing that this time I don’t have to stop.  But I can’t do it here.  Not on the couch.

Pulling her up with me, I stand up, scooping her into my arms like a bride on her wedding day.  “Bedroom,” I rasp.

She points to the stairway and I all but run up them, anxious to finally make this woman mine.  Gabby directs me down the hall to a room on the right.  The room is black and red and covered in silks and satins but I don’t have time to admire it.

Setting her on the bed, I crawl onto it and cover her body with mine.  As I explore her lips with my own, I can feel the unsteady thump of her heart beating against my chest.  Sitting up on my knees, I stare down at her as I peel off my shirt.  She watches my every movement, and when I’m done, she returns the favour.

Whisking her dress up and over her head, she tosses it to the floor.  Her large, creamy breasts all but spill out of the black lace bra she’s wearing.  Leaning down, I trace the seam of her bra with my tongue, enjoying the little hitch I hear in her breathing, confirming to me that she likes what I’m doing.

With one finger, I pull down the cup on one side and expose her large dusky nipple.  I keep my eyes locked on hers as I dip my head and wrap my lips around it, swirling the peak with my tongue.  I watch as her lips part and her head falls back, a soft moan escaping her throat.

Placing tender kisses on the peak of each breast I travel even lower, showering her with soft, wet kisses in a line down her belly.  When I reach the hem of her matching panties, she whimpers softly.  Running my finger over her mound, I feel her arousal soaking through the lacy material.  My eyes burn into hers as I lower my face and blow my hot breath over her clit.

Her hands come down, clamping onto the sides of my face, her eyes sparking with fire.  “Don’t tease me, Daniel.  Any other time, that would be okay.  This isn’t that time.”

“You can’t rush perfection, baby.”

She glares down at me and I just wink as I slide her panties down her legs and toss them over the side of the bed.  Spreading her legs wide, I take in the sight of her glistening pink pussy and look up at her with a grin.  “Hold on, baby.”

Her reply comes out as little more than a squeak when I lower my head and suck her already swollen clit deep into my mouth.  Her hands sink into my hair and I feel her hips buck as I release her clit and flick it back and forth with my flattened tongue.  The sounds of her moans fill the room.

Her moans and gasps grow louder and faster and I know that she’s close.  That’s good, because after the last few days, so am I.  Pulling away, I slide off my pants and pull out a condom, ripping the wrapper open with my teeth before sliding it on.

Still holding her legs wide, I settle myself on my knees, my cock pressed against her entrance and trail it up and down collecting her wetness.  When I graze her clit with the tip, she gasps and shudders, a loud curse escaping her swollen lips.

Holding my cock in my hands, I position it at her entrance and we both watch, heads tilted down as I push inside of her, rocking in and out until I’ve buried my length as far as I can go.  Beads of sweat form on my brow and Gabby’s cheeks flame a blotchy red as she stares at me, her mouth open and panting.

Slowly I roll my hips, watching her take my cock.  Pressing my thumb against her clit, I move faster with each thrust, making sure each time I hit the end a little harder than the last.  Our combined cries fill the room and I watch in awe as Gabby reaches down between us and touches where we’re connected.

Her pussy clenches tighter until I feel like I’m in a vice — a warm, wet, silky vice.  Heat builds low in my spine and I can feel my orgasm coming.  Thrusting harder, I roll my thumb in circles on her swollen clit, desperate to take her with me when I cum.

Her body starts to tremble and her low moans turn to a loud keening that is all but drowned out by the sounds of my own pleasure as we both ride the wave of our orgasm, our hips grinding desperately into each other.

I slow my rolling hips and lean down, covering her mouth with my own.  Our kiss is slow, and wet and sweaty as we both try to catch our breath.  I pull my head back and swipe the hair from her face, pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose.

Pulling out of her heat, I rise from the bed and move to what I can see is an adjoining bathroom.  After I dispose of the condom, I crawl back into bed, pulling Gabby into my arms.  Tilting her face towards mine, I press my lips to hers once more, not wanting to end our kiss.  Softly our lips explore, tasting and sipping from one another as our heartbeats return to normal.

The sudden ringing of the phone startles us both.  Turning to the side, Gabby sees the number flash across the screen and turns to me with wide eyes.  “It’s my mother … finally.”

We hadn’t talked much about Gabby’s mother but I noticed that she hadn’t even called through all of this though I know Gabby had made several calls to her, all of which went to voicemail.

“Let it go to voicemail,” she says with a grin, her lips descending on mine once more.