Page 32 of Breaking the Rules (Roaming Devils MC 1)

Chapter Eight

Ella curled up on her sofa with Netflix playing, planning to binge watch the afternoon away. She tested positive for strep, so she couldn’t work until she wasn’t contagious anymore. She felt like a fire-breathing dragon and crunched ice cubes to keep her throat from drying out. It hurt to swallow, but she’d survive.

A fist pounding at the door made her cringe. She didn’t want visitors, not that she normally had a lot. Ever since her father got out of the hospital, he and her mother stopped by each time she refused to answer her phone. They didn’t quite get that she was a busy doctor with a non-stop work ethic, but thought she carried on a regular nine-to-five job like everyone else. She got up and opened the door, smiling at her mother, who held a bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup and a piece of chocolate cake.

“How are you feeling?” she asked, coming in and heading straight to the little kitchen.

“I’m okay.”

“You don’t look okay.” Her mother reached for her forehead. “You have a fever. You need to be in bed.”

“I’m fine, Mom. Really.”

Her mother didn’t listen. “Come on. I’ll tuck you in and let myself out so you can rest. Do you want me to get you some medicine?”

Ella wrapped her arms around her mom, calming her down. She rested her head on her shoulder and closed her eyes. Her mom squeezed her and smoothed her hand along her back.

“I love you, Mom. Thanks for bringing me chicken noodle soup.”

“Anytime, sweetie. Are you okay by yourself? You can come home with me. Just until you feel better. Or I can stay with you. Daddy won’t care.”

Ella smiled. “No. I’m fine. I had an antibiotic shot earlier. It’s kicking in, so I should be fine in a couple of hours.”

Her mother brushed her hair from her face. “You can always call me if you need me. Any time of the day or night.”

“I know.” She walked her mother to the door. “I’m probably going to watch TV and go to bed. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

Her mother hugged her one last time, kissing her cheek before she moved away. “Call me if you need me.”

“I will.”

When she finally left, Ella took a deep breath and pressed her forehead against the closed door, not bothering with all five locks. She didn’t want to tell her mother that she felt drained. Her energy was wiped out and she felt horrible. After getting the bowl and the cake, she carried them to her coffee table and curled up on the couch.

She watched a few episodes of a new series before deciding to go to bed. She felt horrible and the thought of moving, even the short distance between the sofa and the bed, was too much. She didn’t pull off her sweats as she fell face-first onto the mattress. The softness gave her instant comfort. She closed her eyes and curled up with her pillow.

Sometime later a knock at the door woke her. She groaned and got up. She undid the one lock and frowned when she saw a Roaming Devils member on the other side.

“You’re Ella, right?”

“What do you want?”

“It’s Ryker. He’s hurt. Knife wound.” The guy glanced around. “Can you help him?”

Ella stared at him, trying to process what he had said. Ryker was hurt? Her heart sped up as panic set in. A million scenarios ran through her mind, with varying degrees of injury. A small part of her wondered why they didn’t go to the hospital. She knew that he liked to avoid questioning. It should have made her feel used, but the idea that he trusted her enough to take care of him made her feel anything but. “Of course. Where is he?”

The guy whistled and she watched as two of the Roaming Devils rushed up the stairs with a bloody Ryker in their arms. They took him into her apartment and put him on the table. The gaping wound had bled through his white t-shirt. He held his hands over it, groaning in pain. He closed his eyes, avoiding her.

“Do I even want to know what happened?” Ella walked over to him, still feeling horrible from her own sickness. The least he could do was tell her what had happened to cause him to bleed all over her kitchen table. After everything, some explanations would have been nice.

“No.” Ryker groaned.

“Another member didn’t like his change in rank,” the one member said. Three Roaming Devils she didn’t know stared at her, obviously untrusting.

“Look, I’m sick. Stop staring at me. I don’t normally look like this.”

Having no contact for a while was bad enough. He consumed her thoughts, and when she finally stopped thinking about him every second of the day, he showed up on her doorstep, needing her help again. She yanked up his shirt and inspected the gash. The first step was to stop the bleeding. There were so many precautions she needed to take in an effort to keep from spreading disease, but her mind barely comprehended those steps. She needed a mask and gloves. The thought of how he’d gotten stabbed floated through her mind even though relief filled her that he was okay.

“Good to see you’re still alive,” Ella remarked. “It’s going to need a few stitches. I think I have a suture kit. I had to get some from the hospital to take to the clinic.”

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