Coal’s shoulders visibly slumped. “You’re right. I’m sorry, Copper.” He turned to face me. “I’m sorry, Layla. I had no right to snap at you.”
“Go take Edge’s place and send him over here,” Copper ordered.
Coal left immediately. “What was that about?” I asked, shocked by the entire scene.
Copper sighed. “It’s not my story to tell, but the short version is Coal’s immediate family was separated years ago and recently found each other. All of them went through some difficult situations related to their separation, including Coal almost dying when he took three bullets to the gut. It doesn’t excuse his behavior, but his reaction to you, especially given how he found you, is not surprising.”
“He thinks I’m going to put his family in danger.”
“Can’t say for sure without asking him, but that’d be my best guess.”
I slumped back in my seat. Even though I hadn’t met Annabelle yet, I didn’t want to put her or her family in danger, and that’s exactly what I had unknowingly done. Hell, it was her own son who rescued me after a rival motorcycle club kidnapped me in the middle of the night.
“Stop that shit right now.” Copper’s harsh command had my head shooting up. “I know what you’re thinking, and the answer is no. You’re not going anywhere. None of this is your fault.”
I could only blink. How could he possibly know what I was thinking?
He moved to stand. “I’ve got a few things to wrap up, and then I’ll take you back to the clubhouse.” He turned and motioned for someone to come over. “This is Edge. You okay sitting with him while I finish up?”
“Yes, I’m sure I’ll be fine,” I said softly.
He leaned in to give me a quick kiss on the lips, and then he was gone.
A friendly looking young man took his seat. “Hi, Layla. I’m Edge from the Croftridge chapter of Blackwings.”
For the next hour, I sat with Edge while he did a phenomenal job of making small talk and keeping me distracted.
Finally, Copper came back to the table. “You ready to go, Locks?” he asked as he extended his hand to me.
I felt my cheeks heat. “Uh, I’m not exactly dressed to ride on your bike.”
He smirked, “Know that. We’re taking the cage, and Coal’s going to bring my bike back to the clubhouse. We’ll stop by my house on the way so you can get some clothes.”
After a shower at Copper’s house, I put on a fresh set of clothes and looked around to see if there was anything else I should take with me. My eyes landed on Luke’s business card on the dresser. I grabbed it and shoved it into my pocket before letting Copper know I was ready to go to the clubhouse.
When we entered the common room, all of the guys were on their feet and bombarding me with questions about my well-being. After assuring them I was okay, I excused myself to Copper’s room as I was in desperate need of a nap.
I had just crawled under the covers and gotten comfortable when I heard the door creak open. “You okay, baby?” Copper asked.
“Yeah, I’m just really tired. I think they may have drugged me at some point.”
“I’m going to have Splint come in and check you over.”
I didn’t bother arguing with him. I didn’t have the energy for such a futile endeavor.
Splint came in a few minutes later looking concerned. “We should stop meeting like this,” I joked, trying to lighten the moment.
He grinned. “You got that right.”
He examined my bruised and swollen face, checked my vital signs, and had me follow a series of commands I thought were ridiculous. Finally, he told Copper he thought I would be fine, but I needed to be checked on every hour and woken up every two hours while I slept.
Copper took a seat at the edge of the bed. “Do you need me to get you anything? Something to eat or drink?”
“Why did you have that man tied to a chair in a shed behind a bar?” I finally asked the question that had been eating away at my insides since I was physically removed from the shed.
His face flashed with regret, maybe, before he masked it. “Club business, Locks.”
I bit my tongue and asked my next question, even though I already knew the answer. “Why did that other club take me?”