SURVIVING SAVANNAH: GODS OF CHAOS MC (BOOK 16), Honey Palomino [ebook offline reader .TXT] 📗

After Cherry left the clubhouse, Lacey sort of took over her role, doing the cooking and cleaning and watching after everyone. She worked in the background, always making sure everyone’s basic needs were met. She’d become one of my best friends, and although I'd spent hardly any time with her during this trip, I was glad I’d brought someone I could trust so fully with us.

Part of me just wanted to scoop Cherry up and take her home with us. But she’d chosen to leave, and we had to respect it. I knew it was hard on Ryder having her gone. He was so used to her being there. And now that we were here, and he had to see her like this, I knew it was taking a toll on him. I could feel the anger rolling off him every day.

I hoped like hell we got some answers soon and Cherry woke up.

I stood up to stretch, my back screaming from sitting in the hospital’s uncomfortable plastic chairs. I walked over to Cherry, adjusting her blanket and fluffing up her pretty red curls. She was a beautiful woman, and I couldn’t wait till she woke up and showed us those brilliant green eyes again.

A corner of a book was poking out from under her pillow, and I grabbed the edge of the pillowcase and lifted it.

“What’s this?” I asked Hannah. She jumped up and walked over, as I pulled the notebook from underneath Cherry’s pillow. Hannah grabbed it out of my hands and opened it.

“It’s Cherry’s handwriting!”

“Holy shit,” I whispered, my heart skipping a beat.

Chapter 46

DEREK

From the doorway, I watched as Hannah and her friend pulled a notebook from under Cherry’s pillow. I’d already been concerned when the nurses told me there was some unusual activity overnight, but now it looked like I had another problem.

When they saw me, her sister hid the notebook behind her back.

“Hello, ladies,” I said. “How is our patient doing today?”

“The nurses said she may have woken up,” Hannah said.

“Oh, I don’t think so,” I said, shaking my head. “Sometimes the nurses put too much stock into things. Occasionally, the brain has surges that we can’t explain. She’s still out and looks like she might stay that way for a while. I’m sorry I don’t have better news for you.”

They looked at me and nodded, and it was obvious they didn’t trust me. Why should they? I was the most untrustworthy asshole in their lives at this point.

I shook my head, frustrated with the obstacles that kept popping up. The universe didn’t want me to carry this shit out, that much was obvious by now, but I didn’t see any other way out.

I’d come here to put an end to my Cherry problem and now I had two more I needed to take care.

I walked over to the nurses station and flashed my most charming to the nurse in charge, Hillary.

“Hey, Hill, do you know where those two ladies in Cherry’s room are staying?”

“I don’t but I can find out for you,” she said.

“I want to send them a care package, so be discrete,” I said.

“That’s so nice of you!” she said, her eyes fluttering flirtatiously.

“Text me the info,” I said, winking and walking away.

Chapter 47

BLADE

All I wanted to do was be with Rose.

But with Maggie and Clem at home, that wasn’t something anyone was ready for. So, I had to wait. I had to find some deep well of patience inside of me to keep going. Once I tapped into it, I realized it had been there all along, serving me well.

I’d waited so very long to be with Rose again. I could wait a few more days.

She’d said she wanted to talk to the girls first. Try to explain things. It didn’t seem fair to just throw a new relationship at them like a bomb and by Maggie’s reaction at seeing me at the house, even though she tried to play it cool, I knew the chances of them not taking it well was high.

Who could blame them, though?

They didn’t ask for any of this.

They were just kids. With no control over their lives or destinies. It was maddening. I remembered it well.

I’d have died before going back to that time in my life.

So I got it.

That’s why I was driving around on my bike, instead of driving myself into Rose right now. I’d driven so much, I needed to fill my bike up again, so I pulled into the old gas station that I used to work at, amazed that not much had changed. I’d spent hours there, working my ass off and saving so I could buy a ring for Rose. I’d used that money to buy a bus ticket and a couple of hotel rooms once I left town instead.

A few minutes later, I was screwing the cap back onto my tank when I saw a familiar SUV drive up. I looked behind the wheel and saw Maggie sitting there, tears streaming down her face.

I walked over and tapped on her window. She looked up in surprise and rolled it down.

“Hey, you okay?” I asked, gently.

She hesitated for a second before finally shaking her head.

“No,” she whispered, before breaking out into sobs.

“Hey, hey now!” I said, reaching in and patting her on the shoulder. “What’s going on?”

She shook her head, her voice cracking as she tried to speak. “It’s my father! I don’t know what’s going on, but I can’t go home! They think we’re so stupid because we’re kids, but we’re not! We know more than they do! And I just — I just — I don’t trust him!”

“Oh,” I said, my eyes wide as she kept ranting.

“And I’m running out of gas! But I left my purse, and my phone, and I can’t go back there!”

“Whoa, okay,” I said, looking around. I wasn’t sure what to do with a crying teenager, but