Page 120 of Roses Are Dead
His glance immediately shot to the woman at my side.
29
Roishin
Bear dropped me off at the hospital with hurried instructions. “I’ll be back by three. KC’s arraignment and release shouldn’t take that long. Don’t leave without me. Don’t stand by the doors, find somewhere public to stay, and for fuck’s sake, don’t get yourself tangled up with any of Carl’s bullshit.”
Obviously, his dark mood centered around me. Or at the very least, the hell I’d brought to the club. Every day it was something new. From break-ins at their businesses, to deals going wrong, Carl was doing his damnedest to make their life miserable.
Through it all, Bear siloed me from knowing why. Like I hadn’t heard the twelve phone calls in the last three days? Or noticed how members greeted him with glee, but barely acknowledged my presence?
Thank goodness Kate hadn’t snubbed me yet. In fact, she and her daughter went out of their way to include me in their little circle.
But I knew I didn’t belong.
Worse? The clock was ticking down to the day I’d have to leave.
I knew that. Bear knew that.
Hell, all of the Destroyers knew I was gone as of November first.
But oddly, their women thought differently. Their friendship was the one bright point of this entire week. Yet, I still needed Beth. So, I begged Bear to take me to the hospital to see her.
It was bad timing for it. KC’s arraignment was today. They’d delayed it twice, keeping him locked up for no reason. The Destroyers and their legal team were livid and threatening to sue.
KC couldn’t properly mourn his friend’s loss, and was getting blamed for it.
While Bear didn’t outright say anything, I knew he stood like a wall between me and the club members blaming me for the situation. And the stress of it showed in his gruff demands.
“I’ll be in that waiting room, or the cafeteria down the hall.”
His beard shifted with the clench of his jaw. “You got your phone with you?”
I nodded.
But there was no one to call, save Bear. With all the problems and KC in jail, they were stretched thin. Jackson even postponed one of his trips to remain home with his family.
“I’ll have mine off while in the courthouse, but…”
“I’ll text you messages with updates. I’ll be fine.”
“I don’t like this. Are you sure it can’t wait?”
That I was completely certain of. The closest donor the club found didn’t match. And searches elsewhere were taking too long. “Tomorrow is Fish’s funeral and your Friday club meeting. And her visiting hours on weekends are limited because of how vulnerable she is. And by Monday, I’ll be with Carl so?—”
“No, you won’t.”
I didn’t want to argue with him here. “He’s going to keep causing problems for?—”
“You ain’t going back.”
If only that were true. “You’re going to be late for the court appointment. Go.”
“Rose…”
“Bear, go. KC needs you. I’m fine here and I’m going to stay fine. Go.”
He didn’t move.
