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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: CICELY

“Let me guess. Lasagna for Lily, so the ravioli is for Cicely?” Marco says behind me. I turn to see Lily’s brother Marco approach the table with a plate in each hand. He deposits our plates in front of us before sitting at our table.

“Please, I insist, why don’t you join us?” Lily asks, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

“Don’t mind if I do,” Marco grins at her. “So what are you two beautiful women up to? Besides showing excellent taste by dining here.”

I’d roll my eyes at his words, but I’m too busy enjoying the tangy bite of the sausage paired with the creamy, smooth vodka sauce.

“We’re eating before returning to the hospital,” Lily says.

“You’re working tonight?” he asks.

I shake my head before taking a sip of wine. “I just finished.”

“We’re meeting Frodo at the hospital,” Lily explains.

Marco looks surprised. “Why?”

I tell Marco about the two Jane Does I’m caring for and how Lily suspects one is Frodo’s aunt.

“You think some asshole is going around beating up older women?” Marco asks angrily.

“Well, two women that I know of, but the tech who examined my patients hinted at more.”

Marco looks at me. “What do the police know?”

“I don’t know. The detective I met originally dismissed them as homeless until I pointed out the expensive spa treatments both women received.”

“I’ll make some calls and see what I can find out. When are you meeting with Frodo?”

“After dinner. We’ll walk back to the hospital and meet him there,” Lily says.

“I’ll go with you,” Marco offers. “Enjoy your meal, and then we can leave. I’ll have some information by then.”

Marco stands and pulls out his phone.

I jab at my ravioli. My appetite is gone.

“You can’t help them by not eating,” Lily says. “Eat. If one victim is Frodo’s aunt, then the Family will put their considerable resources into finding the asshole who hurt her and stop him. You know how much they respect women and believe in protecting them. They won’t stop until they stop him.”

I nod as I force down another bite. “It sickens me to think of the others. I should have asked more questions.”

“You can’t change the past. We’re moving forward. Marco will learn what he can. They have connections in the police department. Now, eat up, so we can get back.”

Before Lily takes her last bite, she waves over the waiter and tells him to let Marco know we’re ready to leave.

“He’s dealing with an emergency, but I’ll let him know. Want me to bring you dessert in case you need to wait?” the waiter asks.

“We can’t wait. Just tell him to meet us at the hospital,” Lily says, taking out her wallet.

“Marco covered it,” the waiter tells her before walking away.

Lily pulls out two twenties and places them on the table for a tip.

Dusk has fallen when we leave the restaurant and turn toward the hospital.

“Okay, now that my nosy brother can’t overhear us, tell me everything about Chrome and the bikers.”

I fill her in on my growing feelings for Chrome and how I thought he felt the same about me right before he let me go. “I thought we were building a relationship, but as soon as he thought I was no longer in danger, he booted me,” I tell her. The pain is still fresh. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t begun imagining my life with Chrome as my partner.

“Didn’t you say someone attacked his man inside the clubhouse?”

I nod.

“So, they have a traitor in their midst?”

I shrug. “I guess so. Mode’s in my ICU and he’s under guard.”

“By members of the club?’

“Yes. No. I don’t know. There are four of them who take shifts. One is from the San Diego Chapter, and the other three are Nomads.”

“Chrome brought in outside help to guard his man instead of using someone from his chapter? That sounds like he doesn’t know whom to trust in his house. It may explain why he wanted you to leave.”

I frown at her. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“I don’t know how biker clubs work, but I know how organized crime families operate. If this scenario happened in the Family, I know how my father and brothers would handle it. Think about it. Chrome doesn’t know who attacked Mode. The fact that the attack happened in his office inside the clubhouse likely means the attacker is another member. Your man Chrome doesn’t know whom he can trust within his club. Therefore, he calls in help from outside. No wonder he wanted you out of there. He was worried they’d use you to get to him.”

I open my mouth to argue and then shut it. How could I have been this stupid? When Chrome told me to leave, I assumed he finished with me. Doesn’t his bringing Mode to the hospital where I work prove he wasn’t looking to avoid me? Wasn’t his visit the other night further proof that he still wanted me?

“Talk to him. Ask him to be straight with you.”

“And if he tells me that all he wants is the occasional bounce on his cock?”

Lily laughs. “Would that be so bad? You said he was gorgeous.”

“I want more,” I reluctantly admit.

“Then tell him. If he doesn’t feel the same, then at least you’ll know where you stand. It has to be better than wondering.”

She’s right. I’m being a coward by not facing up to Chrome and standing up for myself. Losing him would hurt, but can I see myself spending another week in limbo? A month? A year? Fuck that. What the fuck happened to my pride? I never saw myself as a woman who prostrated herself on the ground for a man to walk over. Angry now, I pick up the pace.

“Now you look like a woman on a mission,” Lily says, lengthening her stride to match mine.

“Thanks for the kick in the backside. I needed it. I can’t believe I became one of those women.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Lily says. “You can’t help it if you like him. Also, don’t be so hard on him. If the guy has a traitor in his club, it’s no wonder he’s closed himself off. That level of betrayal would gut a man like him.”

I slow my pace. “You think so?”

“I know so. If someone the Family considered family betrayed us, I know how my fathers and brothers would feel. Trust is hard to build and easy to break. Trust is harder to come by for those involved in crime. Families like mine and the Demon Dawgs need trust to function. They have to know they can trust those at their backs. You’re a nurse. Imagine trying to do your job if you didn’t trust those around you to do theirs? Or worse, if you thought those you worked with were actively sabotaging you and your patients?”

We continue in silence as I try to imagine the scenario she’s painting. I never considered the possibility of not trusting my coworkers, from the doctors and administrators to the janitors and cafeteria workers. I trusted each one to do their jobs. What if I couldn’t trust them? Doctors have self-medicated. Nurses sometimes abuse or neglect patients. What if we discovered that someone on staff was an Angel of Death? How hard would it be to do the job while watching every staff member for signs of the psychopath inside?

“You’re right. Trust is critical. I guess I should trust Chrome more.”

“Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t confront him about your relationship. Trust, but verify. That’s the best approach.”

As we wind our way through the hospital parking lot, I spot Dr. Kemper and his daughter Margo ahead of us. I call out to draw their attention.

“I thought you went home?” I ask Dr. Kemper after we catch up to him. I smile at Margo and introduce them to Lily.

“We’re meeting Lisa to take her out to dinner. The three of us haven’t been able to spend much time together lately.” As Dr. Kemper explains, I see Margo grimace, but she smiles for her dad.

Like most of the staff, I can’t see what Dr. Kemper saw in her. He and his first wife, Maggie, had been the perfect couple. Maggie was the type of person who drew people to her. She was kind, friendly, happy, and confident. Her interactions made you feel as if she considered you one of her closest friends. On the flip side, Lisa is prickly and standoffish. She is as different from Maggie as one could get. I knew Maggie and Lisa were friends in college and that Lisa was there to help Dr. Kemper after his wife’s murder.

I glance over when a dark van pulls up behind Dr. Kemper. The door opens, and before I can shout out a warning, the man inside strikes Dr. Kemper. He crumples to the ground. His attacker, along with two other men, jump out of the van. The first man wraps his arm around Margo’s waist and covers her mouth before dragging her into the van. The other two come for Lily and me. I open my mouth to scream, but the men draw out guns.

“One scream and I’ll shoot out your knees. Now get in the fucking van.”

Lily and I glance at each other before moving to the van. If not for Margo, we’d fight. Resigned, we climb into the van. I flinch when the door shuts and we speed off.