Cruz (Dark and Dirty Sinners' MC #5) - Serena Akeroyd Page 0,129

to live a lie like that. What the hell was going on in his head?

"Where's he staying?"

"Most of the council are split between my house and Lily and Link's place. The brothers who don't have homes in town are staying at the Budget Basement Motel."

My nose crinkled. "That was the best we could do for them?"

"Don't ask me. Anyway, it's in your portfolio now," she teased softly. "I had to sign off on the club's purchasing of it."

"We bought that dump? Christ." I reached up and rubbed a hand over my face. The plastic gown I was wearing crinkled with the movement, and I knew I looked anything but a dark and dirty Sinner, but I didn't give a fuck.

"It's time you got some rest, Rex," Rachel told me softly. "You haven't slept in days. He's stable. He's going to be healing slowly, and this is a marathon not a race, so you need to take some time to get some sleep, okay?"

"I can sleep here."

"But you won't," she countered my argument with a tone I was used to hearing.

It was so wrong to get a boner when I was sitting next to my father's hospital bed, but that lawyer tone got me every fucking time.

Before I could say a word, she said, "Indy is gonna sit with him for a while, then the guys have worked out a schedule so that he's never alone." Another squeeze of my shoulder. "You're needed elsewhere right now, Rex. Lots going on."

"Nowhere else I need to be but here."

"When he's awake, sure. Then he'll need you. As it stands, there's work to be done now."

I peered up at her. "Didn't think you'd approve."

"I don't," she said simply. "But even I think this level of action deserves retaliation." Her lips curved in a faint smile. "You've seen me play Grand Theft Auto. I'm not a pussy."

I stared up at her, surprised by the teasing, enough to rumble, "Christ, you really do want me to sleep if you're trying to make me laugh."

"You look like shit," she murmured, and then she did the damnedest thing. She reached up and smoothed her thumb under my eyes, just along the crest of my cheekbone. "You need to sleep."

"You sure you want me at your place?"

"Nowhere else you should be," she whispered, her gaze on my lips.

I gritted my teeth at that, but I nodded, and got to my feet. My ass and back immediately protested after being stuck in this goddamn plastic seat for days on end. I'd been stuck here so long I didn't even need to piss because I'd barely drunk or eaten anything.

I rubbed my forehead as I got to my feet and muttered, "We might have to grab some food on the way back."

She nodded. "Okay."

I twisted to look at my old man and muttered, "See you soon, Pop."

The next five minutes were a bit of a blur as we headed out of the hospital. Indy hugged me, which told me I looked like a piece of shit, before she suited up for the ICU.

As Rach and I made our way to her SUV, I peered up at the grim sky, thinking that it pretty much suited my mood.

There were more gray clouds than gray streaks, and it looked like it could piss it down.

That would really fit with my jam right about now.

A tornado was something I could handle.

When she started the ignition of her swank Porsche ride, the dash lit up and revealed the date and time to me.

"Christ, has it been four days since the explosion?"

She hummed. "See why I had to come and drag you out of there? Anyway, you stank much more and it would have disturbed Bear. He needs to rest as much as he can, not be woken up by your stink."

I grunted. "Have the funerals been arranged?"

"Yeah, you know it. They should be happening tomorrow."

"Which is the real reason you hauled my ass outta there." I sighed. "Thanks, Rach."

Before she pulled out onto the highway, she cut me a look and said, "You'd do the same for me."

And I would.

I just never thought she'd look after me. Which was mean as hell, but the truth nonetheless.

We had a definite love/hate dynamic, except she always seemed to loathe me more than she loved me.

Ten minutes in, we pulled into a Popeyes, and I grabbed a couple of sandwiches, plus some extra fries because she never ordered them but always managed to eat anyone else's—she was one