Soul Ties (Club Ties #4) (16 page)

“What is it? Wait. Let me give you something for pain.” He stomped into the bathroom where he kept a medical kit under the sink. He laid it on the kitchen counter and proceeded to fill a syringe from a glass vial. The pain med would more than likely knock Rocket out in a few minutes, but Connall needed to examine him for broken bones, and he’d be more comfortable.

Rocket pointed at Sarah several times, and she flushed.

Connall looked between them. “Since you’re the only one I can understand, you’re going to have to tell me, Sarah.”

“It’s not the club’s fault.”

“Dammit, I know that. I’ve been a Son for long enough to understand you get yourself into shit with the club, you take your punishment. But how are you involved?”

She raised a shaky hand to her face.

Rocket made a bunch of grunts and jumbled words came out.

“He stole from the prescription drug stash. He was going to sell them. His daughter’s in trouble with the law. I don’t know the details, but he needs money for a lawyer.”

Fuck. The worst thing he could have done. “Why didn’t he just tell them he needed help?”

“I don’t know why, and he hasn’t said.”

Rocket made more noises, gesturing at Sarah and then placing his hands together as if in thanks.

She turned away, face growing redder.

Connall raised her gaze with a knuckle under her jaw. “What did you do that he’s thanking you for?”

“I…didn’t rat him out.”

“Hell, you saw him steal?”

She nodded.

Jesus, she could have landed herself in deep shit by not telling. And her biggest fear of losing her club family would be realized. Connall wouldn’t have found out until after his shift—too late to fix things with the brothers.

A hot tear splashed onto his hand, and several more streamed down her cheeks. “Oh Sweetheart.” He dragged her against him, buried his nose in her hair, and held her. “You did right by a friend, but you know the club rules. Why did you take a chance?”

“I couldn’t be the reason he was thrown out. They were wrong to do that to him, Connall.”

He glanced at Rocket. Part of him believed in the club’s ways of dealing with those who didn’t follow the rules. Rocket had taken the wrong path, for sure.

“In many charters, he would have gotten much worse,” Connall said.

Rocket nodded and made noises of agreement.

Releasing Sarah, Connall took up the syringe and moved to the man bleeding on his kitchen floor. “It won’t take long for the meds to take effect.”

With some help from Sarah, who’d managed to compose herself, Rocket stretched on the floor on a few blankets Sarah retrieved from a cupboard. She kneeled at his head while Connall administered the drug. Gently, she stroked Rocket’s hair, somehow avoiding the bumps and bruises. When his body relaxed and his eyes closed, Sarah breathed a sigh.

Connall probed Rocket’s face. “We need to worry about his face first. If he swells too much, his airway could be compromised.”

A choked sound left her. “How could they do this?”

“You know the club, Sarah. You’ve lived it your whole life. It’s justice. If he was found stealing prescription drugs and caught by the law? He’d be looking at hard time for possession with intent to sell. The club did him a favor.”

“Yes, but you provided some of those drugs to the club.”

He looked up at her sharply. “What?”

“I saw you giving Ace a bottle and he put it in the stash.”

He shook his head. “You think I’m going to compromise my career to give the club shit to sell on the black market?”

“Well…it looked that way.” Her voice pitched low.

He laughed. “I gave Ace a prescription for Viagra, Sarah.”

Her mouth opened in surprise. Looking away, she said, “I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions, but you’ve done other things the hospital wouldn’t approve of.”

He gave her a sidelong look. “Actually, the club’s thought highly of in Heller’s Gap. If I keep my nose clean, I don’t see them having a problem with me wearing patches as well as holding a scalpel. No other town has seen that my personal life is just that—personal. But yeah, I get that it looked bad that I’d handed Ace those drugs. Just how fucking much do you see, though, Sweetheart?”

“Enough.”

“So keeping Rocket’s secret was a small piece of gravel in a stone quarry.”

“Yes. But I did it for him. I know he’d never steal unless he was desperate. He made a bad decision. Now look at him.”

“Looks as if he’s breathing easy.” He examined Rocket’s mouth and jaw. “Lacerations in his mouth. Hand me one of those swabs and that antiseptic wash.”

She did as asked, and they spent a few minutes cleaning cuts and wiping away blood. When they reached Rocket’s chest, Connall said, “We need to cut his shirt off.”

“Leave the leather, though.”

“Sarah, you know they won’t ever let him back into the club.”

She plastered a hand over her eyes. After several seconds, she said, “Oh God. They’ll do this to me too, Connall. I’ll be on the street.”

His chest burned suddenly. “You’ll never be on the street, Sweetheart. You have a place here.”

“But for how long? This is…what we have here…”

Yeah, he couldn’t put it into words either. At first it had been pure lust, and guarding a secret had brought them together. But now he had no idea what the fuck they were doing. He definitely didn’t want to think about what he was feeling.

“You have a place here, Sarah.”

She nodded, eyes soft.

In the end, they didn’t cut the leather but eased it off. Rocket’s arms had no breaks but his collarbone was fractured. Connall made certain it was in position and created a sling around his arm, immobilizing it against his body.

“Oh my God,” Sarah whispered as they reached the worst of it—Rocket’s ribs were covered in contusions and two ribs were cracked.

“We’ll tape him up good and that should be it. He has a few bruises on his lower body but nothing to be concerned about. He didn’t take any blows to the balls either.”

“How do you know?”

Connall met her stare. “He’d be holding them if they had.” A few minutes later they had Rocket comfortable. Sarah placed another blanket over him and got to her feet. Connall checked vitals and then stood as well.

“He’ll be all right. Let him sleep. When he starts waking up, give him another syringe of pain killer, okay?”

Her eyes widened. “Where are you going?”

He threaded his fingers under her hair and leaned in to brush his lips over hers. “I’m going to the club. I need to make sure nothing blows back on you.”

“But… No, Connall. Stay here.”

“You can watch over Rocket. I’ve said before you make a good nurse. I need to do this.” As he stared down into her beautiful face ravaged by guilt and worry, his heart tripped over a beat. He had to make things right for her. She needed to be her light-filled self, and well, he needed to see it.

She’d been all things good. Then in a blink, her life had changed. Now he only prayed he could lead her back to the protected world she’d once known.

Glancing past her to Rocket, he had doubts that would ever happen.

Connall ran his knuckles gently down her cheek. Her full lips drew him like crack to an addict. He leaned in as she surged upward. Their mouths collided with all the passion and lust a man could take without making her his old lady. Hell yeah, if he didn’t put some distance between them soon, he’d end up with her name inked on his body.

The idea spiked his need higher. He hitched her against him, letting her feel every inch of his desire. But he had to get to the club. Clearing her name came first.

He gripped her behind—hard. She squeaked in surprise. “I’m going to spank this round ass for putting yourself in this position. When I get back, you’d better be on your hands and knees, Sweetheart.”

She swallowed with some effort and a shiver ran through her. “I’ll take my punishment as you see fit.”

“Damn right you will.” He released her. “Lock the doors behind me and arm the system. I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

As he rode through the streets to the club, his mind was far from rules and justice. When it came to Sarah, he couldn’t help but think she was right—if the guys found out what happened to O’Dovey, she wouldn’t get the beating, but they’d shun her. And her name of Sweetheart Sarah hadn’t been given to her without cause. She really was a sweet and tender person. The club was all she knew. Getting kicked out of it would break her.

I can’t let that happen.

He rolled through the gates and Harris raised a hand in greeting. Connall gave him a chin-nod and parked in line with the other bikes. When he got to the door, Harris was there.

“We’re going to church. A lot of shit has gone down since this morning.”

“I know,” Connall said. He swung through the door and into the club. Usually the four walls were happiness and peace. Today the atmosphere was clogged with something darker.

Jamison flicked his hand for Connall to follow. He did, and all the brothers started after them. “I need to speak with Connall first.”

They fell back.

When Connall was enclosed in the room with his president, he steeled himself for questioning.

Jamison eyed him then waved at the chairs. “Sit.”

He did, in his usual spot farther down the table. Jamison took his position at the head. They stared at each other.

“I’m assuming you know what happened today?”

There was no point in denying it. Connall nodded.

“She brought Rocket to you?”

“Yes. I treated him. He’s lying on my kitchen floor.”

Jamison gave a grim nod. “You won’t be punished for harboring a traitor. I know your vows won’t allow you not to treat someone.”

“That’s true. And I did it for Sarah.” His words came out a little challenging.

“I figured. You’re attached to her.”

Ignoring the last, Connall said, “What’s your position about her? Is she in trouble?”

“I know she saw Rocket stealing. She didn’t need to say, and her poker face is damn good after all these years. But I know her.” The way he said that sent Connall on high alert. A dark stew of anger and jealousy lifted inside him.

“How well?”

“I know her flavors.”

A serpent slithered through Connall’s chest. He clenched his fist. “I didn’t think your old lady went along with sleeping with other people.”

“That’s how I know her flavors, West. Ever and Sarah are lovers.”

Connall’s brain skidded all over that slippery slope.

Jamison barked a laugh. “You didn’t know.”

He shook his head, visions of the sultry redhead entwined with his Sarah in his mind. His cock jerked and his jeans were suddenly too tight.

“That’s the thing about Sarah. You don’t know everything. So be careful.”

At that, he lifted his head and stared right at his prez. “Is that supposed to be a warning?”

“Take it as you will. But if O’Dovey returns, you’re big enough and mean enough to handle him.”

“You’re saying she’s using me as a bodyguard?” Connall’s pulse pounded in his temples and he clenched his jaw so tightly he felt a tendon pop. Even if he didn’t know what had happened to O’Dovey, he didn’t believe for a minute Sarah would manipulate him that way.

Dammit, he knew her flavors too.

“I won’t back away from her.”

Jamison leaned back in his chair and gazed at Connall for five full heartbeats. Finally, he tapped the table. “Call the others to Church.”

With that dismissal, Connall got up and went to the black painted door. He opened it and the congregation flooded in. They took their seats around the big table and then Jamison got down to business.

He talked about Rocket, filling in the guys about every detail. When Ace asked Connall if he’d continue to house the “traitor prick,” Connall shook his head. “As soon as he’s healed enough to go, he’s not my problem.”

Heads bobbed in agreement. Ace shot Connall a grim smile. He listened to several minutes of the guys dissing Rocket, and quite a few were remorseful that their friend had taken this path. Connall agreed wholeheartedly. Rocket had made his own bed.

O’Dovey’s name came up, and Connall jerked. Or at least he did inside. On the outside, he was cool and disconnected. But just like Sarah, he hadn’t told all he knew. Yes, they were definitely two gears moving in synchronization.

She hadn’t given her testimony about Rocket for fear they’d be harder on him. And Connall would never breathe a word about Sarah for the same reason.

He folded his arms and pressed a fist to his mouth, listening, restraining himself from blurting everything he knew about the fucker who’d nearly raped Sarah. The club thought highly of a man who’d committed a bigger crime than Rocket. The Hell’s Sons revered women, and O’Dovey had nearly ruined one.

Hell, she was so broken. Maybe the Sons would understand if Connall told. But it wasn’t his secret to spill. Either he confessed to the crime and took the rap or he protected the woman who’d done it.

He pushed out a sigh, and Ace looked at him. “What’s up, brother? You know something. You mentioned yesterday you’d overhead O’Dovey talking about going on some run?”

Connall had laid a false trail of lies earlier. They might believe O’Dovey had abandoned.

Nodding, he thought of his ties to the club. Though he hadn’t been among this group very long, he respected them. And lying rubbed against the grain. But what choice did he have? At this point, he’d do anything to throw them off Sarah’s scent.

“I overheard him say he was going on a run, yeah.”

“But you don’t know what kind of run? Dammit, there wasn’t any club business that day.” This from Jamison, who sat at the head looking perplexed.

Connall dropped his pose and relaxed his hands on the tabletop, hoping to appear more relaxed than he felt inside. His gut was boiling and his eyes felt too hot. He’d come here in hopes of finding peace, but all he’d gotten was a fuck of a lot of trouble.

I’d do it again for her.

He would. Over and over, even with the same outcome. For Sarah, he’d hide O’Dovey’s body a dozen times. If neither he nor Sarah cracked, the body would never be found. It was in an obscure spot. Unless he led the Sons to it, O’Dovey would forever be a missing person.