Page 4 of Demon

Bomber is the sergeant at arms of our club. His priority is the safety and security of the club and the protection of our president, Reaper. I rub my hand over the wordenforcerstitched onto my club vest. I help Bomber out, but my specialty lies in handing out the punishment on behalf of the club. Whether that involves a bit of torture or just downright killing. I inflict pain, and I don’t hate it either. I’m a lot more fucked-up than people think, and that says something.

I’m sitting in the ICU waiting room, thinking back to my last job. Two men had gone after Sophie—Viper’s wife—and I took care of them. The first guy? Drugged, dragged to my shack near the warehouse where we grow pot, and ripped out his fingernails one by one. You’d be surprised at how sensitive fingers are when it comes to pain. After ruining his knees with a hammer, I finished the job by slitting his throat. The cleanup, though? That’s the real pain in the ass. Nine pints of blood is a lot to deal with, but thankfully, the floor’s tiled with black grout for a reason.

The second guy got the same treatment. Everyone at the club tells their women that the men who hurt them just magically “move away.” I let out a dark chuckle in amusement. Yeah... they moved, all right... straight into the ground. Living near a national park has its perks—plenty of places for bodies.

Feeling the presence of someone, I peer up to see a nurse making her way over. Her eyes are bulging as she bites her lip, looking like she would rather be walking on glass than talking to me. Her eyes dance between her feet and me. “Madeline is all set up and ready for visitors. Can I have your name and details about your relationship to her?”

I give a devilish grin. The one I force on my face for everyone to see. I stand. It makes her recoil and take a step back. “The name’s Jett... I’m her brother.”

She visibly swallows. “This way,” she squeaks, and I follow her as she bolts through the doors of the ICU. I stride past room after room until she stands outside of one, giving me a tight smile.

“Madeline’s transfer went well, without any problems. She’s still on intravenous antibiotics and connected to a ventilator. We will monitor her and do assessments every hour to check how she’s doing. If you have any questions...” She pauses. “Don’t hesitate to ask me or a nurse at the front desk.”

I step into the room to see Maddy lying in bed. She looks peaceful, apart from the ventilator tubes coming from her mouth. The ventilator sound is a combination of a hum and a hiss. She’s been on the ventilator for ten days. It’s been touch and go, but she’s gotten through it. She has a private room because I started paying for her health insurance as soon as I started making money for the club. The only good thing I’ve done, but hey, something’s better than nothing.

I drag a chair over beside her bed and take a seat. “I’m here, Maddy,” I murmur. I pull a piece of paper out of my bag and make an origami bird and set it on her bedside table.

* * *

The next day

I’mawake when the sun rises. I stand and stretch out wide, my limbs feeling stiff from the concrete-like chair. A nurse I had seen yesterday in the elevator walks in. Yep, I’m that observant.

Her smile is wide. “Hi, Madeline,” she says cheerfully, like my sister can hear her. She spots me and her eyes brighten. “Hi, Jett. I’m Ivy. I’ll be looking after Madeline for the next twelve hours.”

I tilt my head. No woman smiles at me... Strange! And she knows my name. How? I study her. She’s short and has long, dark brown hair. I advance toward her and give her one of my best forced smiles, curious as to why she’s by no means intimidated by me. If anything, she leans in closer. Odd. Nobody leans in closer to danger, but she does. Once she realizes I won’t answer, she begins checking the machines while I take a seat.

She glances at the side table. “I love the origami bird,” she says sincerely, then turns her eyes to me. “Did you make it?”

“Yes.”

“If I remember right, it symbolizes hope, peace, and healing, doesn’t it?”

With her gleeful personality and how the light just beams out of her, she reminds me of sunshine. “Yes,” I answer again. I’m not one to enjoy conversations with civilians, but she has piqued my curiosity. Being in the hospital... the humanity here is clearly rubbing off on me. My mouth twists. Fucking yuck.

When she’s standing a few feet away, her eyes catch the light. They’re a rare amber color. I’ve never seen that color. As I lean closer, I see a light brown or coppery tint in them.

“There’s been a slight improvement. If Madeline keeps moving in the right direction, she can come off the ventilator.”

I blink out of the haze. “Good to hear... thanks... Ivy.” I watch the blood vessels in her face dilate, causing her skin to flush a light pink.

“The nurse told me you’ve barely left Madeline’s side. Are you hungry? I can grab you something if you’d like?”

My stomach growls, making her chuckle. “I guess,” I reply with a shrug.

She bops her head. “If there’s anything else I can help with, press the help button on the remote there. I’ll be right back with some food.”

And with that, she’s gone. The light leaves with her.

I shake my head. I don’t know why I have a sudden interest in the bubbly nurse. I release a throaty chuckle. I’m fucking losing it. Ten days away from the club, add my sister’s sickness into the mix, and it’s clearly screwing with me. I fist my hand, feeling on edge. My monster needs to get out to exercise my demons. My life experiences have made me become this way... as deadly as a knife’s edge.

Thinking about weapons... My fingers twitch to touch my knife. To flick the knife open like I do when I’m bored. It’s my trusty people opener. But I can’t because I’m in a hospital and I don’t feel like going to jail today.

About forty-five minutes later, Ivy comes back. She hands me a plate with two pieces of toast, a tiny square of butter, and a small container of honey. She blows out a breath. “I’m sorry it took so long. It’s been a busy morning.”

“No need to apologize.” She’s saving lives while I’m dreaming of killing someone.

There’s a knock and Milly walks in. Milly’s an ER doctor, the club president’s sister and our club doctor. “Reaper only just told me your sister is here in the hospital.” She looks at Ivy. “Can I please have her chart and all relevant information?”

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