Chapter Three

Hawk

I t had been just over a week since I was last inside the antiseptic hallways of the local hospital, and with the exception of the pretty nurse, I hadn't missed it at all. But the blonde who wasn't impressed with me said to come back in seven to ten days or when the stitches had dissolved. They were gone, so here I was, hoping to see her again and shoot my shot. Again.

"Dominic Bennett."

I looked up and hid my disappointment that it wasn't the sexy, gray-eyed nurse but a redhead with a friendly, dimpled smile. "I'm Dominic," I told her when I stopped in front of her, forcing her gaze up.

Something like recognition flared in her eyes, which I didn't understand, but I kept my observation to myself. "I'm here because my stitches dissolved and the other nurse—"

"Laura," she supplied with a knowing smile.

"Right, Laura said to come back in ten days or when my stitches dissolved, so here I am." I followed her into a different yet identical exam room and took my seat on the examination table.

"Lift your shirt, please." She had her head down, removing gauze and some other instruments from their packaging.

I stripped it off and dropped it beside me, waiting for whatever she needed to do. "The stitches are gone, so what's next?"

She turned and froze with her mouth wide open. "What the hell was Laura thinking, turning you down?" Realizing her mistake, she snapped her lips shut and shook her head. "Ignore me. That was totally unprofessional."

A slow smile spread at her words. Not only had the pretty blonde—Laura—talked about me to this woman, she'd also told her I asked her out. "I don't need professionalism, especially if you can tell me why she shot me down."

The nurse—Kristy, was the name embroidered on her light blue scrubs—looked over her shoulder and then back at me. "You were her patient, also she didn't buy your story about the box cutter. But she thinks you're hot, so that works in your favor."

"I'm not a bad guy, but someone was fucking with a friend of mine and I couldn't just let that happen. So, anything I can do? Looks like I'm your patient now, not hers." Why I was so hung up on this chick, I couldn't say, but I knew myself well enough to know that I wouldn't stop these thoughts until I proved she wasn't special, wasn't like all the rest. She was just another pretty face.

"She volunteers at the Steel City Community Center on Wednesdays, which today is."

I perked up at that info. "No shit, me too."

Kristy's skepticism made me laugh.

"Seriously. My MC donates shit all the time. Clothes, old electronics that one of our guys rehabbed, toiletries for the homeless."

"Holy shit. Hot like this, a biker, and a do-gooder? Laura is a goner," she whispered the last part to herself. "Ignore me," she said, and checked the wound site. "It looks good. If there's any redness or irritation, don't hesitate to come back."

"I won't. Thanks, for the exam and the intel."

"No thanks necessary. But if you hurt her in any way, bad ass biker or not, I'll put an air bubble in your heart."

"Loud and clear." I yanked my shirt back on and strode from the exam room with a smile on my face, headed to the SCCC to see a pretty nurse named Laura.

She didn't fool me with that uppity attitude. Underneath that ice was a white-hot fire that burned bright and deep. I pushed my bike a little faster, excited as fuck to surprise her.

***

When I showed up at the community center, Justin was there to greet me while he watched the younger kids as they played a game of basketball. "Hawk, hey, man. What are you doing here?"

"I was in the area," I answered, looking around at the kids enjoying the new courts, the old timers sitting around picnic tables, talking, and watching the youngsters. "Thought I'd stop by," I lied, still scanning the faces for one face in particular.

Justin followed my gaze and flashed a knowing smile. "You know Laura?"

I shrugged, unable to take my eyes off her. "She stitched me up recently."

He laughed. "And you thought you'd stop by here to thank her?"

"Something like that." I refused to reveal too much to Justin, but the truth was I had no fucking clue what I was doing here. Was I really so eager to get rejected again?

Fuck no.

Still, she was hot was fuck in a pair of painted-on blue jeans and a flowing peach blouse that laid perfect against the swell of her tits. Her smile was easy, mostly. There was a hint of something close to worry in her eyes and it put me on edge. "What do you know about her?"

"Not much. She's a nurse and helps out, comes here to do vitals for some of the homeless and older people who don't get checked out as much as they should. Talks to the youngsters about career plans. She's good people."

Of course she was.

Suddenly there was a squeal of wheels, and I became alert as a black van tore past the community center and came to a quick halt in front of her. Before I had a chance to process what was happening, one dude jumped out the side door and made a beeline for Laura. My blood ran cold when he grabbed her arm and gave her a hard tug, but Laura was a modern woman and she'd clearly taken a few self-defense classes because she landed just enough hits to piss off the guy and his friends.

"Bitch," one of them growled as two more men jumped from the van and grabbed her.

"No!" That one word held a world of fear and agony, but still she kicked and screamed and squirmed as they dragged her—inch by inch—closer to the van, and her inevitable death.

I didn't know who the fuck the men were, at least until I spotted the telltale green bandanas worn by Los Ochos. They were ruthless by reputation, young and reckless, and I wondered how the fuck Laura ended up in their crosshairs.

"Fuck." I took off at a full run, desperate to make it to the pretty nurse before they got her into the van. "What the fuck is going on here?"

My question stopped the men in their tracks. "You don't want none of this, white boy. Just go away before we make you go away."

I flashed a wide grin. The kind of smile my prez called crazy as fuck because it usually came right before I did some crazy shit. "That sounds like a challenge I can't resist." My gaze shifted to Laura, her gray eyes full of fear and confusion.

"She's our business, and unless you wanna be our business, back the fuck up."

Before he reached his pocket, I had my gun out and aimed at the clear leader, the asshole who'd grabbed Laura first. "See, the problem with that is that she is my business." They all shared a confused look, especially when they took in the details of my Steel Demons vest .

"Too bad, man. She's a liability and we can't let her live."

I sighed heavily and shook my head. "That's too fucking bad for the three of you plus the asshole behind the wheel. This is my old lady, and if you kill her, then you'll have a fuck of a lot more to worry about, than whatever she saw you do." I flashed another crazy-ass smile. "If you walk away now, you all get to walk away without a bullet someplace painful." I took a moment and smiled at Laura. "You okay, babe?"

"Been better, honey," she stammered.

They released her after a full minute of contemplation. "If this shit comes back on us, she's dead, along with whoever stands between her and us."

I laughed. "For your sake, you better hope it doesn't come to that. If I see you around my woman again, I won't be held responsible for my actions. Now get the fuck out of here before I use you for target practice."

The leader stared me down while the rest of his men scampered into the van. He finally stepped up into the passenger seat and tapped the door, a signal for the driver to pull the fuck off. Only they don't pull away, not immediately, and instantly I knew why.

I went to Laura and hauled her up to her feet and pulled her close against me, kissing the top of her head.

That was what they needed to get gone, but even after the van was gone, she still shook and trembled against me. Terrified, she clung to me, and I let her, not just because her curves felt amazing, but because she needed me. She fucking needed me.

After a few minutes passed, I asked the question that churned in my brain nonstop. "Want to tell me what that was all about?"

Her frame continued to vibrate against me, and she seemed so frail, so fragile. So unlike the firecracker who gave me shit in the ER.

"Take your time." I held her a little tighter while my gaze focused on the distance to make sure those assholes didn't return.

A few minutes later, her tears slowed until they eventually stopped, and she looked up at me with red-rimmed eyes and pink cheeks. "Sorry," she apologized, and took a few steps back while she dried her tears.

"Don't apologize. Explain."

She nodded, taking another minute to gather herself. "Okay. There's this man Mark who owns the bakery next to that antique bookstore, do you know it?"

"Yeah, his garlic knots are the best."

"Were the best," she spat out. "Last Wednesday, I was walking past on my way here when those guys were beating on Mark and saying he owed them money. He said he didn't agree to that, and they just kept wailing on him until he collapsed on the sidewalk." The words rushed out of her as if she couldn't get them out fast enough. "I went to his side to help. He still had a pulse, so I tried to slow the bleeding from his head wound, and that's when they came back."

"Shit." I took her hand, enjoying the soft, cool feel of her skin, and gave it a squeeze.

"I should've stayed and tried to help him, but I was scared, so I ran. I didn't make it twenty feet before I heard the gunshot." Tears rolled down her cheeks as she relived the traumatic incident. "I looked back and one of them was looking right at me, so I took off running again, between buildings and alleys, hoping they couldn't find me. Looks like they found me anyway," she said on a bitter laugh.

"They might be assholes, but they're motivated assholes." Los Ochos weren't big time, not yet, and the last thing they needed was to catch a body. "You know who they are?"

She shook her head. "Gang bangers?"

I laughed and shook my head because Laura was in way over her head, and she only had an inkling just how bad. "Los Ochos are a gang, sure, but they're still trying to prove themselves. They are young and reckless and you, sweet Laura, are in a fuck load of danger."

Her bottom lip trembled. "You got rid of them," she stuttered, and swiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. "Thanks for that, by the way."

"Laura." Her name came out harsher than I intended, but she was starting to pull away, so sure that her problems were over.

"Look, I'm sorry for being bitchy the other day, but I really do appreciate your help today." She tried for a smile, but it didn't make it close to those pretty gray eyes.

"You don't seem to understand, babe . They won't hesitate to kill you to keep their secret, now they know where to find you."

Her eyes went wide. "But you told them—"

"I did," I confirmed. "And that's why you're still alive. But they'll be watching, and if they even suspect you're not really my old lady, they will take you out." She gasped and I reached for her. "You're safe as long as you're with me."

Her eyes widened so big I thought they would pop out of her head. "You're fucking with me." She shook her head in disbelief. "Is this because I turned you down?"

I let out a loud bark of laughter. "While you did sting my ego, I wouldn't go this far. I promise."

"Why did you help me?"

"Because I'm a nice guy. A little cocky, sure."

She snorted. "A little?"

"Yep," I answered gleefully. "Maybe too quick to fight for some people's taste, but I am a nice guy." And no matter what she said, I would keep her safe.

She folded her arms and cocked her hip to one side. "And dating you will keep me safe?"

My smile grew bigger at her skepticism. "No, but pretending to date me will keep you safe."

"And that's all this is?" she asked, motioning between us.

I shrugged casually. "Look, Laura, you're beautiful and tough and I am intrigued as hell, but if you're not interested, then I'm a guy who knows how to accept no for an answer." To put her fears to rest, I dropped my hands onto her shoulders. "Even if it stays pretend, I will keep you safe. That's a fucking promise."

"But why would you do this when you don't know me? I'm just the nurse who stitched you up."

She was so adorable when she was clueless. "No, you're a woman who helped a man who refused to be bullied. It's admirable and you don't deserve to die for doing what any decent fucking human being would."

She eyed me carefully, finally taking note of my cut and the patches. "You're a biker?"

I nodded. "I am. Steel Demons MC, which is why those assholes backed off, because they don't want beef with us. That a problem for you?" She wouldn't be the first woman who turned her nose up at a biker. There were, in my experience, two types of women, the ones who couldn't wait to fuck a biker and the ones who wanted nothing to do with us. Laura seemed like the latter.

"What does pretending to be your old lady mean? And why do I have to be an old lady when I'm not even thirty yet? Not even close," she shot back, tilting her chin high in the air.

"Old lady is just the term we use for our significant other, not to be confused with casual hookups and randos. Age is irrelevant. And pretending means we do all the public things a couple does and none of the private ones. Anything else?"

She shook her head and raked a hand through her silky blonde locks. "I'm not trying to be difficult, I swear. This is all new to me."

"I get it, but I'm not looking to take advantage of you. We'll be friends who hang out, grab meals together. You'll see I'm not the violent jerk you think I am, and I'll see you're not as judgmental as you seem."

She glared at me. "I am not… okay maybe I'm a little judgmental, but only when it comes to fighting."

"And bikers?"

"No," she sighed, and her shoulders fell forward. "I don't know enough about bikers to make a judgment. I know there are outlaw bikers and then regular clubs. It's yet to be determined which you are."

I smiled. I couldn't wait until she found out. "I'm not violent, I'm protective, and now we have time to dispel our initial thoughts, except about you being hot. That was right on the money."

Her cheeks turned a dark shade of pink and she put both hands up to cover them. "This is just until all this madness is over, right?" She looked so hopeful that it would all be over sooner rather than later.

So I did what any fake boyfriend would, I reassured her. "Yep. Unless you fall in love with me before then."

She rolled her eyes. "Well, the arrogance wasn't a snap judgment, was it?"

"Not even a little bit." I flung an arm around her shoulders and laughed. "Now, let me give you a ride to your car." I pretended not to notice the way she stumbled at my words.