Page 45 of Ice
“We tracked his phone. They’re on their way to find him, but he’s a little way out of town. I’m worried, though. It’s a dodgy neighbourhood.” We got her point. The kind of neighbourhood where one might go to find their drug of choice.
Twenty-One
Thedarknesswasdisturbedby sounds. The heavy rumbling through the ground, shouting, and scuffling. Screams of pain. Cursing. More yelling. Things crashing around. Noise. Just unbearable noise.
I felt hands pulling at me, but I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t even open my eyes.
My arm was lifted, and a spear of pain shot through me, but as I started to pass out again, I felt intense heat.
I heard a loud whoosh, and more screams, and then nothing more.
Lissa
WhenReacherfinallyreturnedto the room, where the three of us sat and waited, his face was grim, and he looked at me with real hate in his eyes.
“Get rid of her. He’s on his way back. To the fucking infirmary.”
He strode out of the room again, as I felt the weight of my guilt, and my fear for him overwhelming me.
“My god. What have I done? I did this to him!”
Alicia hugged me, as we absorbed what had happened. He was clearly injured, or worse, had he overdosed? Wouldn’t they take him to a hospital rather than the infirmary though?
When we heard a lot of commotion in the building, the roar of bikes returning, and yelling from downstairs, we all got up and ran for the door, into the hallway, and we were held back by two guys in prospect vests, while the others rushed through a door marked ‘infirmary’. They weren’t wheeling him in. Two of them were carrying him with his arms draped over their shoulders. Oh god, his poor shoulder. I tried to push past the prospects to follow him, but they were like a brick wall.
It was only when Reacher returned that they moved apart to let him through. He stared me down for a moment.
“Thanks to you, he’s officially fallen off the fucking wagon tonight. You’re more than done here. I want you gone in the next five minutes, or I’ll personally drag you out. You don’t set foot in my clubhouse again. You don’t see Ice again. If I catch word of you even trying to contact him, I’ll make sure you never work with vulnerable people again.”
Alicia was cursing and trying to step between us, but he held her back.
“Woman, don’t push me on this. We trusted her to save him, and she nearly killed him instead. She’s not a friend of the club, and she’s not welcome here.” He turned and pointed down the hallway.
“Out.”
I stumbled out of there, my tear-filled eyes barely seeing anything, as I felt my heart breaking apart. Ice was in there, and I was banned from seeing him. I was banned from the club. I was thrown out, without being able to see him, to see if he was okay, and I didn’t even have a way to get home. I made it as far as the step outside, and dropped heavily down onto it, my chest burning and heaving with my sobs. All I wanted was to see him, to see if he was going to be alright.
“Doc?”
I felt someone step past me, and when I looked up, I saw the blonde biker called Has-Been. He looked sad as hell. Oh god no.
“Is he-”
“Shh, don’t freak out. Ryder said you had no way to get home, so I offered to take you. I’ve got the keys to his old lady’s car.” He hauled me up from the step and led me over to a blue saloon car. He unlocked the door, and opened it for me, striding around to get in once I was seated.
“Thank you. I wasn’t sure how I was getting home.”
“Ry didn’t say why you needed a ride, just that you did.”
I sat in silence as he drove up to the gate, and they let him through.
“So… uh… might help if I had your address.” His voice was calm, and quiet, and he didn’t act as if he hated my guts like the others. I told him where I live, and then I asked the question I was afraid of asking, because I knew the answer would be heartbreaking.
“Is he okay?”
He sighed. “We found him unconscious with blood pouring from his nose. I’m guessing he snorted his usual amount of coke.”
My chest felt like it was burning with pain.
