Page 18 of Kraken (Hades Abyss MC #4: Mississippi Chapter)

Kraken, Two Weeks Later

I kicked back at a table in the clubhouse, a cold beer in my hand.

Phoebe’s stitches had dissolved, and while she still had some scarring, it wasn’t as bad as she made it out to be.

I knew she felt self-conscious about them.

Every time she left the house, her gaze darted around, like she worried people were staring at her.

I wished we had more old ladies in our chapter.

She needed some women around, but all our guests were long gone.

Wizard hadn’t had any luck finding MaryAnne, but I knew he wouldn’t give up.

I’d thought about asking Titan if she could stay here for a bit.

No doubt she’d be fucked up mentally if nothing else.

I doubted someone like Pitch would have given her to a nice church-going family.

Of course, Phoebe had learned all about those types and what they were capable of.

I still hadn’t given her father a visit, but I wanted to.

If she hadn’t needed me while we were in the Sadistic Saints territory, I’d have gone to have a chat with him.

Titan eased down into the chair next to me with a wince.

I knew he didn’t want to appear weak to the club, but he was still healing.

The stubborn man hadn’t even stayed on bed rest the required length of time.

Couldn’t blame him. I’d hate lying in bed every day all day too.

He took a pull of his beer and set the bottle down.

“Something on your mind, Pres?” I asked.

“You were gone a while. There are a few things we need to discuss. I know you’re still concerned about Phoebe, but I need your head back on club business. We have too much shit going on.”

I nodded. “I’m back. I’m ready to work.”

“We let Sean off with a warning. What he did was dangerous and could have had dire consequences, but I understand why he did it. He knows in the future to tell us and we’ll have his back,” Titan said.

“Wizard ever find out why Morgan turned on us?” I asked.

“No. We can’t find any connection to him and the Sadistic Saints. No huge deposits in his accounts, no missing family members. Nothing is out of the ordinary, so I have no damn clue what they had on him, or if we just fucked up and let the wrong guy prospect for us.”

I pointed my beer toward some half-naked women dancing near the bar. “See we got some new talent while I was gone.”

“Don’t let your woman catch you eying them. She’ll probably put you on your ass, or worse… leave.”

He wasn’t wrong about that. There were times my little Phoebe was timid as hell, but when it counted, she came out swinging.

She’d only left with Pitch in order to save the others.

If it had just been her, I knew she’d have gone down fighting.

Now that she’d had a taste of passion, love, and acceptance, there was no way she’d ever go back to living the way she had before. Not willingly.

“I’m worried about her,” I confessed. “You and I know her scars are barely noticeable unless you’re looking for them, but to Phoebe, they might as well be huge craters. She feels ugly and like everyone is staring when she leaves the house. I don’t know how to help her.”

Titan tapped his thigh a few times, his brow furrowed. “I may know a way. Remember the nurses who were called in the day I got shot?”

“Yeah, what about them?”

“One them has some pretty bad scarring. Beautiful smile, kind eyes.” Titan’s lips tipped up on one corner. “Doesn’t take anyone’s shit, including mine.”

“Does this mean you’re done giving Cowboy’s daughter longing looks?”

Titan punched me in the shoulder, then grunted. I knew it had to hurt him more than me. “Told you I wasn’t going there.”

“Then call this nurse. See if she’ll meet Phoebe here, or maybe out for coffee? I could drop her by the café.”

Titan pulled out his phone and started typing.

I didn’t say a damn word about the fact he had the woman’s number.

Made me wonder if she was more than just his nurse.

It would be nice if some of my brothers would settle down, find good women.

Phoebe would probably like not being the only one here.

The club whores didn’t count. I didn’t want them near my woman for any reason. Bunch of catty bitches.

“You up for dinner at the little Mexican place across town?” Titan asked.

“Did you just ask me and Phoebe on a double date with you and the nurse?”

He snorted. “What the fuck ever. You coming or not?”

“I’m always down for tacos. Just let me go get Phoebe.”

I stood and stretched before walking out of the clubhouse.

I got on my bike and headed home. First thing I’d done when we got back was buy Phoebe an SUV.

It was big enough I didn’t feel like I was crammed into the damn thing like a sardine, but not so large she couldn’t handle it.

When I got to the house, the living room light was on.

I shut off the bike and went inside, smiling when I saw her stretched out on the couch, one of those romantic comedies on the large TV.

She seemed to love those damn things, and I suffered through them because I loved her .

“Need to get ready, baby girl.”

She jolted and glanced my way. “How did I not hear you?”

“Too busy mooning over the guy on TV? You cheating me on me with some actor?” I teased.

“Of course not.” She stood and came toward me. “Where are we going?”

“Out for dinner. And before you get upset and decide you want to stay home, Titan invited us out. Can’t exactly say no to the Pres, can we?”

“Guess not.” She twisted her hands in front of her. “I need to shower and change. And Ember’s asleep…”

“Get to it. I’ll let Titan know we can head out in about a half hour, and I’ll ask someone to come sit with Ember.”

Her eyes went wide. “I only have a half hour?”

“Twenty-nine minutes now. Get moving, woman!”

She squeaked and took off to the bedroom.

I smiled and shot Titan a quick text, then decided it wouldn’t hurt for me to at least change my shirt.

I smelled like cigarettes thanks to being at the clubhouse the last hour.

As much as I wanted to spend every second of the day with Phoebe, I knew she needed some space, and I probably did too.

I didn’t give a shit about the whores at the clubhouse, but I liked having a beer with my brothers.

Pretty Boy volunteered to sit with Ember, since he had experience with kids. I knew the thought of taking care of Ember scared the shit out of some of my brothers. They’d never admit it, but I could smell their fear. It was almost funny.

By the time we rolled out, I noticed Titan’s bike was already gone, which meant he’d left before us. I pulled into the lot of the little Mexican place, stopping next to Titan’s Harley. I saw the Pres through the windows, a pretty blonde next to him. Phoebe tensed the moment she saw them.

“Blake, what’s going on?” she asked.

“Easy, baby girl. I think the Pres likes this one. She’s a nurse. Helped him when he got shot. Come on.”

I got out and went around to her side. I opened her door and pulled her from the SUV, knowing if I didn’t, she’d try to stay in the car.

Leading her up to the front of the restaurant, I felt the tremor in her hand.

I leaned down, my lips near her ear. “Remember, baby girl. You’re fierce. Strong. A survivor. You’ve got this.”

She gave a quick nod before we went inside.

I waved off the hostess and made my way through the restaurant.

As we neared Titan’s table, I realized why he’d wanted the nurse to meet with Phoebe.

Her face was deeply scarred, the lines trailing down her neck and under her shirt.

More scars marred her hands and what I could see of her arms, and yet she laughed at something the Pres said and looked happy.

She also didn’t seem to care if anyone in the restaurant stared.

I motioned for Phoebe to sit by the window and I slid into the booth next to her.

“Phoebe, Kraken, this is Aurelia. She’s the nurse who patched me up,” Titan said.

Aurelia gave an unladylike snort. “More like I threatened to tie your ass to the bed if you didn’t lie still so you could heal.”

Oh, I liked her. A lot. I grinned at Titan, but he was too busy staring at the pretty nurse to care. And she was beautiful.

“What do you do, Phoebe?” Aurelia asked.

“Oh, um…” Phoebe chewed on her lip.

“Phoebe hasn’t had a chance to think much about her future.” I reached over and placed my hand over hers where they’d knotted in her lap. “I’m kind of hoping she might like to just be a stay-at-home mom. We have a daughter, Ember, and I’d love to have more kids with her.”

Phoebe glanced my way, a smile curving her lips.

“Oh, where’s the little one right now?” Aurelia asked.

“We left her at home since she was sleeping,” I said.

“How did the two of you meet?” Aurelia asked.

Titan reached over, putting his arm around her and pulled her closer. “Why don’t we check out the menus? The server will be by any minute, I’m sure.”

Aurelia took the hint. I held Titan’s gaze, letting him know I was grateful for the interference.

I knew Phoebe wouldn’t want to answer that question, or any other personal ones.

Her life hadn’t been easy since the Sadistic Saints had gotten their hands on her.

While anyone in the club, or having lived this life, would understand, I didn’t know if the nurse would.

She’d probably seen her fair share of bad shit, and it was clear she’d suffered through something.

I just didn’t want her making Phoebe feeling inferior to her in any way, even if it wasn’t intentional.

“Why did you become a nurse?” Phoebe asked. “I’ve always admired those in the medical profession.”