Chapter 5

5

TESSA

W hen I fantasized about Kian riding in to save me, I hadn’t imagined that it would be on a motorcycle. Being on the back of it with him was amazing. I loved the freedom I felt as the wind whipped around us…and being wrapped around his muscular body. But pulling up in front of a motorcycle club was still one heck of a surprise.

When Kian parked in front of a sprawling concrete building—after driving through a manned gate, for goodness’ sake—I asked, “I thought you said you were taking me to someone who does house calls?”

“The Iron Rogues have a doctor who’s a member, like we do,” he explained as he climbed off the bike and then helped me to my feet. “I’d prefer that you saw Patch for your injury, but that’s not an option. So Blade will have to do.”

“Thanks for the ringing endorsement.”

Kian grinned at the big guy standing in the doorway. “You can’t blame me for preferring Patch when he’s my club brother and I’ve seen him work.”

“From what Mac told my prez when he called, you’re stuck with me today unless you want to go to the hospital. Which you’re still welcome to do, even though I’m a fuck of a lot better than the doctor you’d end up with in the emergency room. Not to mention you won’t have to wait for fucking ever to be seen.” His gaze landed on me, and he asked, “She’s my patient?”

Kian stepped between us. “Yeah, but give us a second.”

“Sure, Phantom. No rush. It’s not as though you dragged my ass to the clubhouse so I could help you out as a favor between our presidents or anything like that,” the other man muttered as he walked back inside.

When the door closed behind him, Kian turned to me. Gaping up at him, I whispered, “That’s the doctor who’s going to take a look at my ribs?”

“Yup, but don’t worry,” he reassured me as he started to slip his leather vest off his shoulders. “I know he looks a little rough around the edges, but he’s still a damn good doctor. The shit I give him for not being Patch is all about club loyalty and nothing to do with his ability to treat you. I never would’ve brought you here if I didn’t think he’d do a good job. I’d never risk you like that.”

After everything my dad had put me through since my mom died, the way Kian was looking out for me was almost more than I could bear…but in the best way possible. Sniffling so I didn’t cry, I murmured, “Thank you.”

“I know that you don’t know me well enough yet to get this, but you can always count on me to have your back, sweet girl,” he vowed, sincerity shining from his blue orbs.

“I’m starting to see that.”

“Good.” He slid his vest onto my shoulders and tugged my arms through the holes. “One of the ways I’m gonna protect you today is to have you wear my cut, so everyone in there will know you’re with me.”

With our size difference, the vest went all the way down to my mid-thigh. “Umm…is this really necessary? Won’t they already know if you’re right there with me?”

“I’m gonna stick by your side while we’re in there but putting you in my cut sends a stronger statement.” Placing his palm against my lower back, he guided me toward the door. “It’s a biker thing.”

“I guess I’ll have to trust you on that since I know nothing about motorcycle clubs.”

“No worries, plenty of the Silver Saint old ladies had no clue what MCs were about when they met their men, but they all adjusted just fine.” Kian shook his head with a deep chuckle. “Which was probably for the best now that I think about it, since our club is a fuck of a lot different from others. Especially when it comes to how we treat women.”

I blinked my eyes to adjust to the dim lighting, my head turning in the direction of the masculine voice that said, “Only because you guys have all taken the whole love-at-first-sight thing way too far. Dropping like flies left and right ever since your prez found his old lady.”

“We also don’t go around kidnapping innocent women just because their brother had the nerve to hook up with one of our sisters,” Kian muttered, pulling me against his side. “But you can’t say the same, can you, Maverick?”

“Maybe not,” Maverick conceded, looking only slightly sheepish as he shrugged. “But no Iron Rogue has kidnapped the woman he loves. You can’t say the same about the Silver Saints, can you, Phantom?”

Kidnapping? My eyes widened, and my head jerked back so I could gawk up at Kian.

“Don’t worry, sweet girl. It’s not as bad as it sounds.” Kian gave me a comforting squeeze. “My club brothers would readily lay down their lives to keep their women safe.”

“Shit, sorry.” Maverick raked his fingers through his hair. “I didn’t mean to scare your girl.”

“Quit pushing each other’s buttons. The beef between our clubs has been settled,” Blade grumbled, jerking his chin toward a hallway to our left. “Come on back to my clinic before you two start something else. I don’t want to call Fox and ask him to join us down here because you couldn’t keep your mouths shut.”

Maverick crossed his arms over his broad chest and quirked a brow. “Our prez knew damn well how I run my mouth when he picked me to be his second in charge. The man has known me my entire life.”

“Whatever, man.” Blade shook his head as he strode toward the hallway, pausing to look over his shoulder at Kian and me. “You coming?”

“Yup,” Kian confirmed, guiding me to follow the other man.

I had serious doubts about the situation I’d found myself in, but the warmth of Kian’s palm against my back offered a comfort I hadn’t felt in so long. And when Blade waved us into a large room that had more medical equipment than most urgent cares, more of my concern melted away.

Kian helped me onto the nearest exam table, and I flashed him a shy smile. “Thanks.”

“Like I said,” he moved to stand at my side, “I’ve got your back. Always.”

I nodded, interlacing my fingers through his when he reached for my hand. “Okay.”

“I get that you’re nervous, but no harm will come to you while you’re here.” Blade moved to my other side and looked across the exam table at Kian. “And judging by the fact that you’re wearing Phantom’s cut, you don’t have to worry about anyone messing with you when you leave, either. He wasn’t exaggerating when he said that the Silver Saints would die before they let one of their old ladies get hurt. Whoever hurt you doesn’t stand a chance against him.”

I ducked my head, my cheeks heating. It had been embarrassing enough to admit to Kian that my father was the one who’d hurt me. I didn’t want to explain what happened to anyone else.

Squeezing my hand, Kian growled, “Tessa knows she’s safe with me. What we don’t know is if her ribs are broken. That’s what we came to you for.”

“Then I guess that’s what I’d better do.” He grabbed a stethoscope from a nearby counter. “Gonna need you to lift your shirt so I can see the damage.”

“Sure.” The pink in my cheeks deepened as I followed his directions.

I caught my breath when he prodded my side with his fingers, muttering, “The swelling isn’t bad, but it bruised like a motherfucker. You were hurt yesterday?”

“Yeah.”

“Take a deep breath.” I winced as I sucked in air, and he asked, “How bad is the pain when you do that?”

“A little worse, but not as bad as I expected.”

“That’s a good sign that it might not be broken.”

Kian shifted closer to me, and Blade shot him a look. “Relax, Phantom. I wasn’t going to assume she’s okay. I’m going to do an x-ray to make sure.”

“Okay.”

“Unless you’re pregnant?” He shot a look at Kian. “If I didn’t know it was scientifically impossible, I’d say there’s something in the water over at the Silver Saints compound.”

“Um, no. We just met yesterday,” I whispered.

“Quit embarrassing my sweet girl and get this shit done,” Kian directed.

Sighing over how he used his cute nickname for me, I followed Blade over to the x-ray machine. I was a little worried by how at ease he was with getting the images he needed because it made me wonder how often one of the Iron Rogues got seriously injured. But it was nice not having to wait for the results.

I was so relieved when he said, “I have good news. No fractures, just deep bruising. You’re gonna need to protect that side, rotate between ice and heat for ten to twenty minutes at a time, and take over-the-counter pain meds as needed. Let Patch know if you don’t see improvement with the pain or it gets worse.”

“Thank you so much,” I murmured as I fixed my shirt and let Kian’s leather vest settle around my body.

“Is she healthy enough to handle being on the back of my bike for two hours?” Kian asked.

“Yup, as long as Tessa pays attention to what her body tells her, she’s good to go,” Blade confirmed. “If the ribs start to bother her, pull off the road for a little bit to give her a break.”