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“As soon as I speak to her and her family,” he said.

“Here they are,” Dr. White said. “Dr. Butcher will be performing Gabby’s surgery. I’m going to go let Patch know how Gabby’s doing.”

Gabby’s eyes opened as she started to giggle. “A Wiener shot me, and now a Butcher’s going to cut me open. You can’t make this shit up.”

“Gabby,” Keegan scolded.

“Relax, Sissy. He’s a surgeon named Butcher. I’m sure he’s heard it all before.”

“She’s right,” Dr. Butcher said with a smile. “Except for the Wiener part.”

“The last name of the person who shot her is Wiener,” I explained.

“Ah,” he said. “Well, as you’ve heard, I’m Dr. Butcher, and I’ll be performing your surgery shortly. I wanted to come by to introduce myself, but I also want to personally thank you for saving Patch’s life. He’s a good friend of mine and a great physician. He was lucky you were there to help.”

Gabby looked down at her lap. “Thank you, but I can’t take all the credit. He talked me through most of it.”

“He’s alive because you were there, and you can take credit for that,” Dr. Butcher said sincerely. “Now, about your surgery. We’re taking you to the OR as more of a precaution because of the bullet’s location. Barring any complications, you should be in and out in less than an hour. Any questions?”

Gabby shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

“I have one,” Keegan said and pointed to Gabby’s hands. “Will you please make sure to take extra precautions with her hands? She hasn’t been seen by orthopedics yet, and I’m not sure how much protection her current bandages will provide.”

“She’s a worrier,” Gabby stage-whispered.

Dr. Butcher grinned. “I’ll personally make sure her hands don’t incur any further injuries while she’s in my care.”

“Thank you,” Keegan said.

“All right, I’ll let the team know we’re ready. I’ll see you in the OR soon.”

“Thank you,” Gabby said.

I waited until everyone else had their moment with her. Then I leaned down and gently kissed her lips. “I love you, Gabs. I’ll see you soon.”

“I love you, too. Keep an eye on Papa, and don’t forget to verify my bragging rights,” she said.

“You got it,” I promised and gave her one more quick kiss before they wheeled her away.

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After they took Gabby back for surgery, we joined the other club members present in a private waiting room. Patch’s status at the hospital, coupled with the Marks family name, had the hospital staff treating us like royalty.

Phoenix pulled Shaker and me off to the side shortly after we entered the room. “I’m not sure when, but the police will be stopping by to get a statement from Gabby. I told them what I could at the scene, but they’ll want the details from her and Patch. Has she said anything that we didn’t already know?”

Shaker and I nodded at the same time. “I haven’t had a chance to verify it, but Lauren told Gabby she is Lawrence Hastings’s daughter,” I said.

Phoenix let out a low whistle. “I can’t say I saw that coming. Where’s she been all this time?”

“I don’t know, but I can try to find out when I have some time,” I said.

“Does Gabby know why she shot her and Patch?”

“Patch was collateral damage. She shot Gabby to try to make her cooperate, which obviously, for lack of a better word, backfired.”

“Cooperate with what?” Phoenix asked.

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