Page 9 of Ripper's Redemption

Stiletto licks her lips and nods, “Thanks for showing up when I called.”

I shake my head, “You don’t need to thank me for that shit.”

Stiletto puts on her helmet, starts her bike, and is off in no time.

Walking back over to my bike, I pull out my phone and call Zane up. By the third ring, he’s answered.

His tone is gruff and he’s obviously annoyed. “What?”

I’m going to cut right to the chase. “Bama’s been shot. Ambulance just took him to Billings Clinic, it’s pretty bad.”

His tone immediately drifts from annoyance to concern. “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

The hospital doors fly open as I burst through, the fluorescent lights glaring down on me.

The moment I’m through the door, an antiseptic smell hits my nose hard, a stark reminder of the dire situation we’re in.

Bama’s gurney is nowhere to be seen, and I’m sure they’ve already taken him back and are assessing him.

Glancing around the emergency room, I find Stiletto tucked away in the waiting area, a hand covering her mouth.

I make my way over to her and take the seat beside her. “Did they say anything?”

She shakes her head, “No, just that he was shot in the intestines and they needed to take him back, that someone would be out here to give us an update when they had one.”

Licking my lips, I settle back into the firm hospital waiting chair.

Stiletto’s quiet for a few minutes before she speaks back up. “When is Zane getting here?”

Almost as if she’s summoned him, he comes darting through the emergency room doors with Blackjack at his side.

Zane scans the room and when he sees the two of us, he darts right over. “What in the fuck happened?” his eyes dart from me to Stiletto.

She clears her throat, “Me and Bama were out at the old mill, and a man in a mask came by. We thought it was some weird teenager or something, and then he said ‘The Commander sees you all’, and then Bama was shot. It happened so fast, the masked man peeled off, and I called Ripper.”

Blackjack is a bit calmer and looks right into her eyes. “Why call Ripper and not one of us?”

She shuts her eyes for a moment. “I knew Ripper would be discreet, and I didn’t want the club finding out about my personal shit going on.”

Zane looks at Blackjack and they both are quiet for a few moments.

Zane breathes in heavily and speaks with authority, “I understand wantin’ to keep shit private, but you don’t get to do that right now. Why the fuck were the two of you out by the old mill this late at night?”

Stiletto doesn’t want to tell them. I can see that, but I can’t speak up for her right now. She has to do that herself.

She looks between Blackjack and Zane, “Bama and I have been seeing each other on the DL. I noticed something he’s been doing and needed a ride to clear my head. He ended up following me out there and we got into a fight. As we were fighting that’s when the masked man rolled up.”

Zane clenches his jaw, “Stop beatin’ around the bush. What the fuck were the two of you fightin’ about?”

Blackjack is a bit calmer, urging her to give them more details. “It might not seem important to you, but it is. We need to know what issues are happening within the club, because it’s our job to rectify them.”

She groans, likely embarrassed to give them the nitty gritty details. “Bama’s had his attention on another female. Let’s just leave it at that.”

A father-like look crosses over Zane’s features. “He’s been cheatin’ on you? ‘Cause I’ll go into that OR and rip his intestines out myself.”

Stiletto stifles a laugh, shaking her head. “No, he hasn’t. His interest is just bein’ pulled away. I think all he wanted was a friends with benefits situation. I see that now. He agreed to somethin’ more with me and I got attached in the process. But, he doesn’t want me. I see the way he looks at the other woman, and he doesn’t look at me that way at all.”

Blackjack pipes up, “Better to cut your losses and find someone who makes you feel like their entire world revolves around you.”

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