I expected to toss and turn a lot that night, especially since it wasn’t my bed. I expected to get up in the middle of the night, throw my clothes on, leave a note for Molly, and head back to my place. I mean, I needed to, right? I had Opie that needed his head pats and snuggles in order to sleep. I knew that he also needed some exercise. And while I wasn’t concerned about food, water, or bathroom breaks with him—since I always made sure he’d be taken care of in case I had to “bike off” with the guys at the last minute—there were still things that he needed.
But the second I fell asleep with Molly in my arms, I didn’t wake back up once.
In fact, my eyes didn’t fall open until the sun peeked through her small apartment windows, and it made me wonder what time it was. I hadn’t woken up to the sun in, well, fucking years.
And you know what that meant.
Shit, I didn’t have any nightmares last night.
How the hell I managed it I wasn’t sure. And while I didn’t like assuming that it had something to do with Molly and this hold she had over me, it wasn’t as if I could simply write off what had happened. I lost myself in her body yesterday, which enabled us to tumble into bed absolutely exhausted. But I’d fallen asleep exhausted many, many nights after stakeouts gone wrong with the guys.
So, it had to be Molly, right?
Right?
I rolled over and watched as Molly’s shoulder moved up and down softly with her steady, even breaths. My eyes traced the curve of her spine as my hand softly massaged the slight dip of her waist. I ran my palm against her skin, watching as uncontrollable goosebumps followed me wherever I went.
It was a sight that made me smile before I cuddled up to her and tried to go back to sleep.
No matter how long I held her for, though, I couldn’t get back to sleep. Because of the consecutive hours of sleep I had gotten myself, I felt more energized and more alive than I had in a very long time. After enjoying Molly’s warmth for a little while, I made myself get out of bed and hunt down some caffeine. It made me excited to see that Molly was a simple person, too, like myself. Her selection of food was basic, as was her coffee machine. She had exactly everything she needed in her utensil drawers, but nothing over what she needed herself. I admired things like that in people, especially in the kind of world we were in.
So, I decided to whip up some breakfast for us both before I attempted to wake her up.
“Mmmm, something smells good in here,” Molly said through her yawn.
I peered over my shoulder before I flipped her omelet closed. “You a veggie omelet fan?”
She walked over to my side and poured herself a cup of coffee. “Can’t say I make them, no.”
I chuckled. “Then, prepare to be amazed, because you had all the right ingredients for a hearty one. I figured we could split it in half since I used, like, half a dozen eggs and seven different kinds of vegetables.”
She peered into the pan. “Are those brussel sprouts?”
“Is… that a problem?”
She sipped her coffee. “It is if we don’t have bagels, too.”
I grinned. “Then, by all means, stand here with the pan and make sure this doesn’t burn while I stick some in the toaster really quickly.”
I scooted off to the side and opened her small pantry door to retrieve the only bread she had in there, which were her everything bagels. I toasted up two as she watched the omelet percolate, allowing the eggs to fully cook through before I split it in half and covered mine in hot sauce. But just as the bagels popped out of the toaster, something crashed to the floor.
Before Molly cursed.
“Holy fuck,” she hissed.
I whipped around and saw her holding her hand. “What is it? What happened?”
She flipped the nozzle to the active stove burner off quickly before rushing to the sink. “Nothing. I’m fine.”
I peered over her shoulder, ignoring the spilled coffee on the floor. “You burned your hand. That’s not nothing. Here, sit down.”
She turned on the cold water. “I’ve got it. I just—Cole!”
She squealed my name as I gripped her waist and hoisted her into the air. Warm water wouldn’t do shit for her hand, and we needed to get something on it quickly before the damage spread. I wasn’t sure how badly she was wounded or if she’d need a doctor, but I didn’t smell burning skin so that was a plus.
“Stay there. Just give me a second,” I murmured.
I rummaged around for a clean cloth before I ran it under cold water. I soaked it through and pressed the cloth against her palm, dabbing it as she hissed beneath her breath. I didn’t wipe for fear of popping blisters that might appear, but I knew I’d need to wrap her hand up in order to protect it from any of the other elements.
“Do you have an ace bandage or some gauze anywhere?” I asked.
Molly cleared her throat. “Uh, below the kitchen sink. There might be a first aid kit or something?”
I dipped down and ripped open the cabinet doors before I laid eyes on the kit she was talking about. It looked a bit old, but it had everything I needed so I ripped it open instead of judging the outdated thing. I ripped open gauze and slathered ointment on her hand that seemed to take away the discomfort that had etched itself across Molly’s features. And after wrapping up her hand, I packed everything away and gazed into her eyes.
“You’ll need to change your gauze at least a couple of times a day, okay? I tell people to do it when they eat one of their big meals during the day, so their stomach gets full while their hands get clean. Do you have any gauze or ointment anywhere else in your place?”
She gawked at me and shook her head. “Uh, no. I don’t.”
I nodded. “Then, I’ll have some delivered before I head out so you can rest. Okay?”
Her head tilted off to the side. “How do you know all of this?”
I cleared my throat. “I, uh…”
“Were you a doctor in another life or something?” she asked with a breathless giggle.
Might as well tell her. “Actually, this is what I did in the Army. I was a combat medic.”
Her eyes widened. “You’re kidding me.”
I shook my head. “Nope.”
“So, you’re a doctor.”
I snickered. “I’m a former combat medic. There’s a difference.”
“Well, yeah, but you have to go through training, right?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“And you have to take classes and shit, right?”
I blinked. “Well, yes.”
“Then, in my eyes? You’re a doctor. And I think that is really awesome.”
I smiled softly. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”
“You must’ve seen some horrible things though, right?”
I swallowed hard. “Here, let me help you down from the counter.”
But my help still didn’t stop her from throwing questions at me that I didn’t want to answer.
“I know it’s probably a sensitive subject and all, but could you tell me a story? Maybe one from when you were going through classes?” she asked.
I cleared my throat. “Maybe some other time.”
“Promise?”
Her puppy dog eyes were hard to resist. “I promise. Just not now. Sometimes, it brings up old memories, and I don’t like reliving those old memories.”
Her gauzed-up hand cupped my cheek and I resisted the urge to nuzzle against it. Her eyes danced between mine as her body stepped closer, and my arms instinctively wrapped around her. Molly was an enigma I couldn’t figure out. She was the first woman I had ever wanted to stay around after dicking her down, and the idea that I had actually spent the evening at her place showed me exactly how far down the rabbit hole I had plunged.
And I found myself not caring one fucking bit.
Molly’s voice fell to a breathless whisper. “Cole?”
I grinned. “Yes?”
Her face moved closer to mine. “Kiss me.”
And I sure as hell didn’t have to be told twice.
The moment our lips connected, it was as if time itself stopped in its tracks. I cloaked her back with my arms, pulling her closely against me as our tongues collided and started dancing. I slid mine across the roof of her mouth, feeling her tremble as she stood on her tiptoes. She pressed her lips even steadier against mine, causing our teeth to clatter once more as the idea of a shared meal was completely forgotten about.
But my phone beeping in the other room cut our moment short.
“I need to go get that,” I said with a sigh.
Molly giggled. “That’s okay. I’ll get our breakfast on plates.”
I looked at her sternly. “You be careful, all right?”
She nodded. “God as my witness, handsome. Go check your phone.”
I swatted her ass playfully, listening to her squeal before she got to work in the kitchen. And the sound shot through me an endless electrical pulse that made its way straight to my heart. I wasn’t sure what kind of spell Molly had cast over me yesterday, but I never wanted it to end. I never wanted our little pleasure bubble to burst.
But when I saw I had a text from Tanner, it did.
Tanner: Brooks is calling church. You gotta get here yesterday.
I texted him back quickly as reality came crashing in sooner than I had wished.
Me: Give me fifteen. See you soon.
I slid my phone into my pocket and slid my way back into my clothes. The smell of everything bagels coated in butter and raspberry jelly made my mouth water, and I was pissed that I wouldn’t be able to spend time with Molly like I had wanted. I walked out of her bedroom to find a little place set up for us to eat on her coffee table while she sat on the couch.
Which made it hurt even more when I had to tell her that I needed to leave.
“I’m so sorry,” I said.
Molly stood to her feet. “Duty calls?”
I chuckled wryly. “They’re short-staffed at the shop and there’s been an accident. They’re anticipating a lot of tow trucks with busted-up cars, so it’s all hands on deck.”
She giggled. “You know, I’ve seen that kind of thing in medical dramas, but I never thought about mechanics and what happens to all of those cars that get into those pile-ups.”
I walked over and kissed her forehead. “Makes for long days. But I’ll keep in touch as much as I can, okay?”
She stood before she pressed something against my chest. “I actually had a feeling it was something like that, so I want you to take this.”
I looked down and found something wrapped in paper towels. “What is it?”
She smiled brightly. “It’s your breakfast. Half of the omelet smushed between both slices of your everything bagel.”
I smirked. “You’re the best, you know that?”
She stood to her tiptoes and kissed my cheek. “Stay safe, okay?”
I nodded. “I will, I promise.”
And as I took massive bites of a surprisingly good sandwich, I made my way down to my bike.
Before booking it toward the clubhouse.
By the time I got there, everyone had already gathered. I scarfed down the last of my food and made sure there were no crumbs anywhere that the guys could analyze before I started up the porch steps. I burst through the front doors to find all of the guys sitting aimlessly around in the living room.
And the look on Brooks’ face told me that the news wasn’t good.
“So, what’s up?” I asked.
Brooks motioned to a seat off to his side. “Take a load off. It’s early.”
I popped a squat. “Guess I didn’t need to chug that third cup of coffee, huh?”
All of the guys chuckled, but it was short-lived. And when Brooks drew in a deep breath, I quickly figured out why the room was so damn somber.
“Guys,” he said as he leaned forward, “I have reason to believe that Chops has officially patched into the Black Flags.”
I blinked. “Wait, what?”
Porter stood to his feet. “You can’t be fucking serious.”
“What kind of evidence do you have?” Tanner asked.
Brooks licked his lips. “I’ve been playing off the toned-down assumption that Chops was maybe—maybe—a prospect for them. I mean, prospects do these kinds of things all the time. They bite off more than they can chew—no offense, Finn—and then they try to prove their worth to their team by taking on these insane tasks to show their team they’re worth the time and effort.”
Finn nodded. “None taken, and the mindset makes sense. But what’s changed your mind?”
Brooks leaned back in his chair. “I saw Chops riding through town last night.”
My eyes widened. “You what?”
Archer leapt to his feet. “And you didn’t call us?”
Brooks held up his hands. “I was spending quality time with my sister. Sorry if I didn’t want to dart into danger and take her along with me.”
The guys all settled back down into their seats as Brooks drew in a deep breath.
“And when I saw him riding around, I thought I was seeing things, so I took pictures. Pictures that I sent to Tanner for him to take a look at just in case I was seeing things.”
“And?” I asked.
Tanner pulled out his phone and started typing against the screen. “There. I just shot you guys the picture in question.”
I pulled out my phone and opened the picture only for anger to rush through my veins.
“He’s wearing their fucking cut,” I growled.
“Holy. Fucking. Shit,” Porter hissed.
“This is absolutely insane,” Archer murmured.
Finn scoffed. “He deserves to be drawn and quartered in the fucking streets.”
Brooks swallowed hard. “I don’t know if he has a seat at their round table, but he sure as hell isn’t just a prospect. And this changes a lot of things.”
I nodded. “Like the fact that it’s not ‘just Chops’ any longer.”
“It’s all of them now,” Finn said.
Porter sighed. “Which means…”
We all looked to Brooks as he uttered the words we honestly hoped we never had to utter.
“That means we have to take out the entire Black Flags MC if we want them out of our lives for good.”
The room fell silent. Everyone scooted to the edge of their seats. And as all eyes fell onto Brooks, he hung his head before drawing in yet another deep, sobering breath.
Then, he held his head high and did what he needed to do.
“All in favor of taking out the entity of the Black Flags crew, raise your hand high in the air.”
And the unanimous decision to slaughter the hoard along with the disease put us on a new and dangerous track.
One that had me immediately worried for Molly’s safety throughout all of this.
