Page 8

CHAPTER 8

Toxic

S hit. I thought she’d looked a little rough around the edges, but the woman was so damn jumpy I didn’t want to point out that she looked like she wasn’t feeling good. I’d been hoping it was just a bit of motion sickness. Guess not.

I flipped a U-turn then pulled up my contact list on my phone. Watching for traffic, I pulled back out onto the frontage road so I could head back to the hospital.

I hit Smoke’s number, focusing on the road as ringing filled the cab. “Would you and Dani be able to do me a favor?” I asked when he answered. I figured if Keely knew Billie that Dani might as well. If nothing else, it would probably make Billie’s grandfather feel better to wake up to a woman instead of a tattooed biker.

By the time I pulled up to the hospital, all the arrangements were made. Striding into the building, I checked in at reception and was told to go to the third floor. I ignored the women smiling at me, my mind focused on getting to Billie.

I found her sitting in a small waiting room, looking miserable. Damn near broke my heart to see a woman I knew was strong and proud looking so helpless. “Come on, Sweet Girl,” I said, pulling her to her feet.

“Wait…” she said, her voice a bit muffled by the mask, as I walked her toward the elevator. “I have to let them know who’s coming to sit with him.”

“I called Dani and Smoke. They’ll be here within thirty minutes.”

She led me over to the nurse’s station and I wrote down their names, then she signed hers.

“Okay,” the nurse said, her eyes landing on me. “Take care of her. Once she’s not running a fever anymore she can come back.”

“Alright. Anything I should do?”

“Just some medication to bring the fever down and rest. And lots of liquids.”

“Thanks,” I told her, and guided Billie toward the elevator again.

“Can’t we wait until they get here?” she asked, pulling her mask down and shoving it into her pocket. Her eyes were now red rimmed and she was even more pale than she’d been on the drive.

“Nope,” I replied. “Don’t worry, Smoke will text me when they get here.”

“Why are they both coming?” she asked, not complaining when I wrapped my arm around her. She was starting to shiver.

“Just in case whoever did this to him comes looking for him,” I replied without thinking. When she lost even more color in her face, I swore. “ No. It’s fine. No one is coming here,” I backtracked.

“But they could,” she whispered. “I didn’t even think of that.”

I had. Which was why Static was currently parked in the parking lot nearby. Just in case Billie called needing anything, he’d be there. I wasn’t going to let her sit here by herself for hours on end. Not since I figured out that this could be a serious threat.

Riptide had sat in the parking lot last night. He’d used the time to start looking into Fission Solutions. Until we figured out what the fuck was up with this company, Billie and her grandfather wouldn’t be alone. Smoke was going to call Static and tell him he could take off since he’d be there with Danica.

Opening the truck door, I helped Billie get inside. “Smoke won’t let anything happen to your grandfather,” I told her. She nodded, shivering on the seat. Reaching into the back, I pulled out my jacket and draped it over her. This had hit her fast. I had a feeling she was going to be a lot like my pops. He almost never got sick, but when he did it took him down hard. Always had.

I cranked the heat, ignoring that I was going to sweat my ass off, as soon as I started the engine and took it easy driving back to the ranch. She was asleep before we even hit the highway.

When I pulled into the ranch, I saw Butcher had gotten started on painting. I didn’t shut the truck door as I walked up to him, not wanting to wake Billie.

“Took you a while.” He looked over at the truck and frowned. “What happened?”

“She’s running a fever. I’m going to try to get her cooled down and into bed.”

“Need anything from me?”

“No. This is good. I’ll get some of the guys out here tomorrow to help. It’ll go a lot faster that way.”

“Sounds good,” he said. “Get away from the paint, Dog,” he barked as I turned my back.

I couldn’t help the grin. Eris’s tongue was glued to the side of the house, lapping up the fresh paint. She was sticking close to Butcher. Keeping an eye out as if he might run off with the fine china if she let him roam freely. I pulled Billie into my arms and smiled when she cuddled against me.

“You’re so warm,” she said, her eyes still closed.

Frowning, I put my hand over her forehead. She was the one who was warm. Too damn warm. I brought her into her bedroom and sat her on the bed while I disappeared into her bathroom to find something to help with the fever. I came back with the pills and the glass of water.

She’d already burrowed under her blankets. The mound on the bed was shaking as her body shivered its way through the fever.

“Sit up,” I told her, forcing her to comply. I wanted to be able to let her sleep, but we needed to take care of this first. I sat on the bed and urged her upward. “Take these.”

She was docile and followed orders. That was my first clue about how shitty she was feeling. She didn’t complain as I took my coat off her and started stripping her down. There was a moment of feeble struggle, but she gave up pretty quickly. I went over to her dresser and pulled her warmest looking pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. She was sitting on the bed, watching me with those huge gorgeous eyes. Damn. She had a way of disarming a man. I was willing to do whatever fucking needed doing just to make her feel a little better. No ask was too big.

I ignored the fact that she was sitting in just a pair of panties and a bra and put her pajamas on her. I deserved a goddamn medal for that, though. Because she had a body that deserved to be worshiped. Tucking her in, I made sure she had water on the nightstand before I left her to sleep.

My phone rang as I stepped out of the house. I put it on speaker. “Hello?” I didn’t recognize the number on the screen. Whoever was on the other line started on her rant so fast my head spun.

“If you hurt her, Toxic, I’m going to come back and chop your balls off while you sleep!”

I blinked, staring down at the phone. Butcher edged a bit closer and gave me a curious look. I just shrugged at him, not speaking because the woman still was. Her voice was shrill and angry. I was also pretty sure she wasn’t breathing in between sentences. No way she could be.

“Billie is super sweet and doesn’t have a lot of experience with guys. The jerk she did have a relationship with ended up hurting her deeply, so if you do that I’m going to hurt you! Don’t be out there chasing other women if you’re going to pursue her. And you will be pursuing her because I know you and you can’t help yourself. So no nonsense! Got it?”

“Uh-”

“Good.” The connection ended.

“Was that a fucking banshee?” Butcher asked, amusement heavy in his tone.

“Pretty sure it fucking was,” I muttered and shoved the phone into my pocket. I had chores to do—though the threat to my balls had made me cringe—I didn’t have time to call Keely back and tell her I wasn’t planning to hurt her friend. I couldn’t help but smile though—Lockout was in for a treat later. I had no doubt she’d be giving the same warnings about me to my president.

It was only a couple hours later when I came to check on her again and I swore when I realized her fever was worse. I stuck a home thermometer under her tongue as she laid there, watching me. One oh three. Fuck.

“Alright, Sweet Girl,” I told her as I lifted her up into my arms. “You’re going to hate me for this, but it needs to be done.”

I wasn’t about to wait longer and risk letting her temperature get higher. This always worked on us as kids and if it was good enough for my Pops, it was good enough for me. I stepped into the bathroom and turned the shower on.

She sagged against me, not complaining as I manhandled her. I doubted she was about to be as docile here in a few minutes. Sure enough, as soon as I put her, clothes and all, under the cold spray she came alive.

“Toxic!” she shrieked, trying to get past me and out of the water.

Toeing off my boots, I stepped into the shower with her, gritting my teeth as the cold spray hit me and held her there. “You need to cool down,” I told her, holding her against my chest.

She looked up at me with such an injured look in her eyes, I nearly broke and let her out. She shuddered, trying to crowd closer to me, so I wrapped my arms around her. I couldn’t let her stand there and be miserable alone, so I waited with her. Really, it was only lukewarm, because it was impossible to get freezing cold water in August in Tucson. But against her heated skin it had to be torture. And it wasn’t much fun for me either. Though it helped keep my dick under control while I had her in my arms. That was a bonus at least.

I kept her in there for about ten minutes, then pulled her out. I jerked off my soaked clothes, leaving me in nothing but my boxer briefs, and then took off her clothes too. She slapped at my hands when I reached for her bra.

“I can do that,” she stuttered as her teeth chattered. She shut the bathroom door in my face and I gave her to the count of ten before I opened it.

If she was bare assed naked then we were both just going to have to deal with it. But she had dried off and managed to climb into clothes by the time I came out. Too damn bad. I wouldn’t have minded catching another glimpse of her.

Gathering her close, I pulled her into her bed and covered us both with her blankets. I didn’t care that my drawers were damp. I used the towel I’d brought with me to dry her long hair.

“I’m freezing,” she complained.

I tossed the towel into the nearby basket and pulled her back against me. It was a relief to feel that her skin was much cooler now. Tucking the blankets in around us, I wrapped my arms around her and held her until she fell back asleep.

Laying there with her, I brushed my fingers over her skin and through her hair as she slept. I hadn’t exactly figured that we’d end up in bed together this soon. And though I hated the fact that she was sick, I was taking what I could get, ‘cause something told me she was going to make me work to get back here again. I didn’t mind a challenge. Made it more fun.

I slowly untangled myself from her, making sure she stayed wrapped up in the blankets. Grabbing my wet clothes, I brought them out to the laundry room and tossed them in the dryer.

“What the fuck? The girl is sick,” Butcher said from behind me.

I rolled my eyes then looked over at him. “I had to cool her down.”

“Last time I checked, fucking doesn’t cool anyone down.”

“I didn’t fuck her, Butcher,” I growled.

“Sure you didn’t,” he teased.

“I put her in the shower.”

He held up his hands. “Shower, bed, bent over a desk. Not my place to ask.”

“I’ll fucking beat your ass,” I warned him.

“Not likely.” But he finally quit busting my chops. “Gonna need more paint soon.”

I’d spent the majority of the day taking care of Billie. “I’ll have the guys pick some up tomorrow before they come out.”

“Take it you’re staying the night out here?” he asked.

“Yeah. I want to make sure she’s alright. And I don’t want her staying alone out here even after she’s feeling better.”

“I’ll get the paint in the morning before I come out. They’ll buy the wrong shit.”

“You want to stay for dinner?” I asked.

“Naw. Isla’s making something.” He frowned. “Not sure if she can cook either. But you managed… She can too, right?”

I shrugged, chuckling at the look on his face.

“I swear to Christ that woman better not poison me.”

“How big is the current bounty on your head?” I asked.

He grunted and shook his head. “Not at an all-time high.”

“Meh, not worth the effort she’d have to put in then. You should be safe. Mind hanging out while I do the evening chores? I don’t want to leave her alone.” I glanced back down the hallway.

Butcher sat down at the table. “Sure. No problem.”

I shoved my bare feet into my boots and headed out the door.

“You’re going like that?” he called out.

I flipped him off, ignoring the fact that I was about to feed a bunch of animals in nothing but my boxers and boots. Sadly, this wouldn’t be the first time. Probably wouldn’t be the last.