Page 133 of Indecent Lies

When they climbed into the big rig, Preacher was behind the wheel, Hawk next to him and Grinder and Capone climbed in either side of Zara in the back.

Arson followed them on his bike.

It was Capone who took her hand and held it the whole way there.

Zara was silent, she didn’t think she could speak other than to ask if he was okay and no one could tell her that until she put her eyes on her man.

She couldn’t even ask for details like why and where and how.

She prayed so hard. She pleaded and bartered.

The smell of hospitals to most people turned their stomach.

Not Zara’s.

She welcomed that smell because it meant she was in a place where people knew what they were doing. They could take someone broken and fix them.

Right now people in this hospital were helping the love of her life and she couldn’t be more grateful that she was here smelling that awful antiseptic sanitation.

They rushed down hallways, Preacher gave Rider’s name and they were directed into a waiting room.

It was there she saw Rider’s parents and it was Annie who came forward and pulled Zara into a tight hug.

“Sweet girl, he’s going to be fine, you know that boy of mine is tougher than old boots.”

“He’s going to be okay,” she echoed back, in hopes of giving Rider’s mom some reassurance too.

Zara so desperately wanted to go down to her knees and cry her eyes out but she wouldn’t allow that weakness.

If she crumbled to the rushing pain, it was as good as admitting she thought Rider wouldn’t be okay.

And Rider not being okay wasunthinkable.

Believing defeat was not the Rider Marinos way and neither was it his woman’s.

There was no second of time in that hospital waiting room where she entertained the thought of what she would do without him, because without Rider, meant her world would collapse.

He was the center of her and their kids worlds, so with that fact, she knew he would fight Satan himself to stay with them.

This was the MC life, she knew that more than most, she’d lived it, but in all this time, nothing had touched her Rider.

Her beautiful invincible man.

She exchanged a tight hug with her sister in law before Gia went into her husband’s chest and stayed there.

The wait was horrendous and of course her kids didn’t understand the direness of the situation or why they were in this strange place.

Grinder took Knox and sat across the room with her quiet baby boy.

He was always so good.

And Harper, her little hellion in pigtails, ran around the small area until Arson grabbed her little butt and sat her on his knee, playing patty cake with her.

Every one of the boys were crammed in, some of their old ladies too.

Uncle Jed looked like he’d aged a decade. He loved Rider like his own son.

Zara was grateful for every single person squashed into that waiting room, but there was only one she wanted to see.

---