Page 24 of Flame's Fight

Tanya nods. “No worries there.” She assures him. “I appreciate your looking out for me, even though I’m not one of you.”

Dante glances at Ghost, who is staring at Tanya, and smirks. “No? You saved one of ours and we would never leave someone vulnerable. Besides, I’ve heard good things about you.” Dante says, grinning at her look of surprise. “Ok, I’m out of here. Axel, you’ll stay on Flame, Reaper, you have Brooke and Ghost, I assume you have Tanya covered?”

Ghost gives him a grin and his high cheekbones show a little color, but he nods.

When Dante leaves, I turn to Reaper. “You know you can’t follow me around the hospital.” I remind him. “But I promise to tell you where I’m going if I need to leave the floor. I won’t leave the hospital without you knowing.” I assure him. He nods and takes a seat.

“I’ll be in here or outside this room.” Reaper tells me.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: FLAME

“Before you go.” I call out to Brooke and raise my right leg as high off the bed as I can.

Brooke squeals and runs over to kiss my face. “Oh my god, that’s fantastic. I’m so excited.” She says, before placing her hand on my leg and rubbing it.

“You’ll want to be careful there.” I tell her as my dick swells at her touch. The little imp just grins at me.

“What about your left leg?” Tanya asks, coming over to place her hands on my left foot. “Do you feel that at all?”

I’m thrilled that I feel her touch. It doesn’t have the same impact as Brooke’s does, of course.

“I do. Not as much as the right, but I feel some tingling in my leg and I feel the pressure of your hand.”

“That is excellent.” Tanya says. “We should have you up and walking in no time. Just need to put in the work.”

“You’re a physical therapist, right?” I ask, and she nods.

“I’m your physical therapist. They assigned your case to me. I was coming to see you, but stopped in to say hi to Deion.” She says.

“How did he not know you were in his room?” Ghost asks. “I mean, I’m guessing he didn’t know you there when he threatened Brooke.”

“I was in the bathroom. The room was empty when I got there. I ducked into the bathroom and was drying my hands when I heard them return. I almost opened the door, but then I heard them talking about drugs. It was the threatening tone of Deion’s voice that gave me pause. I’d never heard him talk like that. With me, he’s always been kind and sweet.” Tanya shrugs. “I knew he lead the gang, but until today, I hadn’t seen that side of him. When I heard his threat to Brooke, I almost threw up. I went through something horrible and he helped me learn to trust again. I feel like an idiot.”

“You said it yourself, he treated you kindly, and he’s the cousin of someone you trust.” Brooke consoles her. “Don’t get down on yourself because of it. Are you going to be alright if I leave you here with them? I promise you can trust them.”

“I’ll be fine. Thank you.” Tanya says to Brooke.

“Thank you for having my back.” Brooke says to her before giving her a quick hug of thanks. She then turns to Reaper. “I’ll check in with you during my shift.”

He thanks her, and I watch her walk to the door while Axel holds it open.

“Ready to start your physical therapy?” Tanya asks as she returns her attention to me.

The smile Brooke flashes back at me before she steps through the door is all the motivation I need. “Absolutely.”

While Tanya makes notes, I turn to Reaper and Ghost. “If the three of us are here, who is running Styx?” I ask. “Feral?”

Reaper shakes his head. “Pete’s working there now.”

“Who’s Pete? A new prospect?” I ask.

“He’s the trucker who helped us out.” Ghost says. “Dante offered him a job, and he took it.”

I nod when I realize who he’s talking about. Pete was the man who was supposed to drive the truck carrying Tally and the other Old Ladies to Chicago. “He’s a good man. Trustworthy.” I add. “Ashlyn said you’re wanting to start a new club business.” I say to Reaper.

“I want to build or buy a shooting range. After what happened in Vegas, Ashlyn mentioned wanting to learn how to shoot as well as learn better how to defend herself. She was outstanding when she went up against Reverend Jordan’s men, but I know she wants to learn more.”

A gasp draws our attention to Tanya. Her gorgeous dark skin has a gray twinge as she stares at Reaper with fear in her eyes.