loudly blurting random words, one at a time. “Big.”
“Badass.”
“Biker.”
“Bronze.”
“You calling for me, Sweet Sloane?”
“Mmm,” she moaned. “I thought I smelled you.”
I laughed. “You don’t handle narcotics well, do you?”
“I’d say yes since I’m as motherfucking cheerful as a cheetah cooking clam chowder.”
Slapping my hand over my mouth, I tried to at least muffle my laughter because there was no other way to control it. Then, an idea hit me, and it was too good to pass up. Clearing my throat, I deepened my voice and said, “Today’s letter is P.”
“Stop,” I wheezed, laughing so hard I could barely breathe. “Shit, Sloane, you have to stop.”
“S. Slap. Smack. Spank. Strike. Swat.”
“Fuck,” I cursed and realized my mistake immediately. “Wait! Let’s count!” I suggested before she could start listing F words.
“One, two, three,” she started and dozed off somewhere around two thousand six hundred and thirty-two, which coincidentally was around the same time they came to move her to her hospital room.
Refusing to leave her side, I sent a text to Phoenix telling him and the guys to meet us upstairs in her room on the post-surgical floor.
“On that note, now that Sloane’s awake, I have some business to take care of,” Tatum announced with Batta following her out of the room.
“What did she mean? Does she need to ask me some questions?” Sloane asked, her forehead wrinkled in confusion.
“She meant she was going to go interrogate the shooter now that she’s seen for herself that you’re okay,” I explained.
“Aw, that’s so sweet.”
“It is, but don’t tell her that if you want her to keep liking you.”
When Tatum returned to the hospital several hours later, she didn’t come alone. “Ginger and Jennifer would like to stop by for a visit,” she said and held up her hand. “I ran backgrounds on both girls and didn’t find anything to be concerned about.”
“I don’t have a problem with it, but it’s up to Sloane,” I said and returned to my seat by her side. “Do you feel up to having them stop by?”
“Yes, I want to see them,” Sloane mumbled. “Will someone tell them to come up?”
“You got it,” I said and nodded to Tatum.
“I’ll be right back,” she said and disappeared into the hall.
“Who exactly are Jennifer and Ginger?” my brother asked for clarification.
“Patience, old man. I’ll introduce them when they get here.” I said, grinning when he grumbled in irritation.
Tatum returned to the room with Jennifer and Ginger in tow several minutes later. Surprisingly, neither one seemed to have any qualms entering a room full of bikers.
“This is Jennifer and her friend, Ginger,” I said to the room. “They’re both huge fans of Sloane’s, and they helped save her life today.”
The guys went around the room introducing themselves before ending with Tatum. “We’ve already been acquainted, but I’d like to add one thing. I specialize in disappearances. As in orchestrating them. Both living and dead bodies. Carry on,” she said, her tone changing to cheerful on her last sentence as she gestured for Jennifer to start talking.
Jennifer choked on something and went into a fit of coughs for several awkward moments before she recovered enough to speak and introduce herself to the room. “I’m Jennifer, as you already know. I-I’m an avid reader, proud book nerd, and professional librarian,” she said, her voice growing stronger toward the end.
Tatum grinned. “Josie, and our friend, Adrianna, are both avid readers. They’re always trying to get me to read their romance books, but I only like to read the dirty parts.”
Jennifer didn’t miss the opportunity to do what she did best. “Then you would love Sloane’s short stories. She sets the scene and introduces the characters within a few paragraphs, maybe a chapter at most. Then, she uses a few chapters to build the tension or set up a dilemma before she goes right into the good stuff.” Jennifer paused to fan herself. “I’m telling you; they’re short, to the point, and hot as hell. Make sure you have some fresh batteries handy after you read one.”
“She’s trying to go green, so she uses me instead of batteries,” Batta interjected, causing everyone except me to laugh.
I was exhausted, and my shoulder was starting to throb. I just wanted to know what happened so I can make myself comfortable in the recliner and go to sleep. “Can we get on with it? What did you find out?” I snapped.