Max (Ride Series Second Generation Book 6) Read online

  Sal and Kat were out front of the emergency room when we came in, but were only able to see Wren for a moment before she was rushed off.

  Now, we waited.

  Most of the club and their women and children had arrived. We took up almost the entire waiting room. I paced, waiting for news.

  “Was she drinking?” Sal demanded of Liv.

  “She had one beer. She was fine,” she told him the same thing she’d told me.

  “She’s a great driver,” Sal muttered to himself, as though trying to piece it all together.

  “Sal, man, there were two sets of skid marks,” Axel shared, the desire for vengeance clear in his countenance.

  I hadn’t even noticed. I’d been so consumed with getting to Wren.

  “What the fuck?” I roared, knowing I was drawing attention to myself by showing how much I cared and not giving a single fuck. “Someone ran her off the road?”

  “Might have,” Axel replied, giving me a perplexed look.

  “Max, you should get those cuts looked at,” my mom put in gently. Gunner and Cole had already tried to get me to do the same.

  “Later,” I ground out. I wasn’t gonna be anywhere but here when the doctor showed up.

  I’d nearly worn a hole in the floor by the time the doctor appeared. Kat and Sal shot to their feet. “Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong?” he called, looking at his clipboard. “Would you like to talk in private?” he asked, appraising the room full of bikers.

  “Here is fine,” Sal ground out, clearly anxious for news.

  “Your daughter is stable,” he shared, and the news nearly had me collapsing with relief. “She suffered a skull fracture, but X-rays aren’t showing any swelling of the brain, which is a very good thing. She has two cracked ribs and some severe bruising, but all in all, I’d count her very lucky, especially considering the lack of safety features in the car.”

  I made a mental note to forbid her from driving anything without top-of-the-line safety features from this moment forward.

  “Unfortunately, other than managing her pain, there’s not much we can do, but I’d like to keep her here for observation for the next day or so.”

  “Can we see her?” Kat asked anxiously.

  He nodded. “I’ll take you back there.”

  I moved to follow, ruled my instinct to be with Wren, when a firm grip on my arm blocked my progress. “Not now, son.”

  Everything in me wanted to argue with my pop, to shove his hand back and follow them.

  “I know you’re in your own personal hell, but this is their child,” he coaxed, his eyes on Kat and Sal. Fear and anguish were written all over their faces as they rushed to follow the doctor. “This isn’t the time.” His words were firm but gentle as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders, giving me a gentle squeeze.

  I took a deep breath and nodded. He was right. Out of respect to them, I’d wait, for now.

  It was hours later. Visiting hours were long over, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave. I’d crammed my body into a tiny-ass chair, my arms crossed at the chest as I dosed off and on alongside the other poor souls in the same position.

  “Why are you still here?” Sal’s voice was accusing as he woke me from a restless sleep.

  “Sal.” Kat placed a gentle hand on his arm in a bid for calm.

  His nostrils flared. “No, I want to know why he’s still here and why the fuck Wren is asking for him when she’s barely conscious.”

  The fact she’d asked for me had my heart pounding in my chest.

  “This isn’t the time,” I replied, trying like hell to keep my voice calm.

  “This isn’t the time for what?” He glowered, leaning over me menacingly. I remained seated, knowing if I stood it would only serve to escalate the situation.

  “To tell you that I’m in love with Wren,” I shared.

  His fist flew at my face, making contact with bone-crunching force. My head whipped back, stars blinding my vision as I righted myself, staring up at him calmly. He clenched my jacket in his fists as rage burned in his eyes tinged with anguish.

  “I love her, Sal,” I repeated quietly, prepared to take anything he had to give. I’d take it for her and for him. “I haven’t touched her. Out of respect for you, I wanted to talk man-to-man.”

  “Man-to-man?” he demanded. “She’s a fucking kid! You’re way too old for her!” he bellowed as hospital security came in to investigate.

  “We’re fine,” I growled at them, telling them in no certain terms to beat it. They looked uncertain for a moment before making a hasty retreat.

  I turned back to Sal, ready to take his anger, all of it. “I love her.”

  He shoved me back. “You keep saying that,” he grumbled, rubbing his fingers through his hair.

  “It’s true.” I shrugged. “It will always be true.”

  Somehow, I knew that without a doubt.

  “This is why you insisted on handling the Portland business,” he surmised.

  I nodded. “I want to protect her. I want to take care of her.”

  “She know that?” he demanded, and I swore Kat was fighting a smile behind him.

  I shook my head. “She’s pretty pissed at me actually. I pushed her away. I was worried about what it might do to you, to your relationship with her. But I love her, and I need her to know it.”

  He let me go, taking a step back with a grumbled “fuck.” He strode out of the hospital, leaving Kat staring at me with a mixture of concern and revelation.

  She sat beside me with a watery laugh. “Well, you really did it now, didn’t you?”

  “Yep.” I grunted, touching my eye with a wince. It’d be a hell of a shiner, but I’d had worse.

  “She’s been quiet lately, withdrawn. That your fault?” she asked.

  “Maybe,” I admitted regretfully. “I thought I was doing the right thing.”

  She nodded thoughtfully.

  “Now she’s lying in there in pain and thinks I don’t want her,” I rasped in torment.

  “She’s stubborn like her father, but I’d imagine, you work hard enough, they’ll both come around,” she shared. “Knowing Sal, he’ll need to cool off for a bit.” She eyed the hallway that led to Wren’s room meaningfully.

  I jumped to my feet in a rush to take her up on her wordless offer.

  “Max.” Her voice stopped me in my tracks. “Sal might be tough and all, but if you hurt her, he’s got nothing on a mother’s rage. You get me?”

  I met her gaze with respect, knowing she meant every word. Behind every Knight, there was a badass female, including mine. “I get you.” And with that, I rushed down the hall, ignoring the nurse’s call of protest about visiting hours. Nothing was going to keep me from my girl. Not ever again.

  Chapter 13

  WREN

  I wasn’t sure what had woken me. My pounding head and aching side? The rhythmic beeping of the machines all around me? My eyelids felt like they weighed a hundred pounds as I forced them open to survey the darkened room. I wasn’t sure what I’d expected, but the sight of Max bent over, his head laying against my bed fast asleep, wasn’t it. His arm was wrapped around my legs as though shielding me even in sleep.

  I must have made some sort of movement, because he jerked awake so fast it was nearly comical. “Are you okay?” he asked blearily, looking ready to take on Goliath should he desire a fight just then. Or maybe he’d already fought him. His face was covered in scratches, and he was sporting a hell of a black eye.

  “What happened to you?” I asked hoarsely, my throat like sandpaper.

  His eyes roamed my face. “I’m fine and so fucking glad to see you breathing, babe.” His voice was thick with emotion as his head dropped into my lap. My fingers traveled into his thick head of hair on their own accord. “When I saw your taillights sticking out of that ravine, my heart fucking stopped.” His admission was slightly muffled as his face remained pressed to my bedsheets.

  “My dad said you found me,” I murmured. “I thought I’
d heard your voice talking to me. I just figured I was dreaming.”

  He lifted his head to look at me. “I should have never let you leave the bar like that, upset and without knowing how I feel about you. The thought that you could have been taken from me without knowing how insanely in love with you I am guts me, Wren.”

  I knew my eyes were wide as saucers as I stared at him in shock. “You’re in love with me?”

  “Insanely.” He made sure to add with a sad smile. “Don’t forget that part.”

  “How…? What?” My foggy brain scrambled to keep up with this sudden change of heart. “I’m not worth it, remember?” I reminded him, sadly turning my head away. The sight of him there was too much for my pain-wracked body to handle.

  He squeezed my leg gently. “I never said that, and I never believed it. I don’t want you worried about anything now. I just need you to know that I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.”

  “But my dad… Everyone will know….” I trailed off in confusion.

  “Your dad already knows,” he confirmed. “I think my trying to break down the door to get to you might have given me away,” he added dryly.

  I turned to look at him, his injuries making much more sense now. “The black eye,” I surmised with a sigh. “Was it bad? What are all those scratches from?”

  “Let’s just say my trip down the ravine to get to your car wasn’t exactly slow or cautious. It’s nothing I can’t handle. I don’t want you to be worried. Everything’s gonna be fine.”

  The fact that he’d been hurt because of me made my heart clench.

  “How’s your pain?” he asked.

  “Okay,” I lied.

  He eyed me shrewdly. “I’m getting the nurse.”

  I didn’t respond and instead watched his powerful body move across the room in consternation. Had he really said he loved me or had the pain meds created that fantasy?

  Rather than question it, as soon as the nurse upped my dose, I let it all go, drifting off into oblivion.

  ****

  When I opened my eyes again, sun was shining through the window and Max was nowhere to be found. Instead, both of my parents were seated at my bedside.

  Maybe it all had been a dream after all.

  My mom was up in an instant, leaning over me, her hand pressed to my forehead gently, the way she’d always done when I was sick as a kid. My dad’s worried face appeared at her side as they both peered down at me.

  “How you feeling, honey?” she asked gently.

  “Okay,” I mumbled groggily. Even if I was in excruciating pain, I didn’t think I’d share it just then. They looked worried enough. “What time is it?”

  “Just after noon,” she replied.

  “Wow so late.” I tried to sit up and immediately winced at the pain in my ribs. Which were cracked, right. The extent of my injuries the doctor had explained to me last night came back in a rush.

  “You’ve got to take it really easy, honey,” she reminded me as I gave up trying to resituate myself with a frustrated huff.

  I looked to my dad, who still hadn’t spoken. His jaw was clenched, eyes dark with fury as he watched me struggle to get comfortable. “We’re gonna find out who did this, Wren. Do you hear me?”

  I nodded mutely, momentarily stunned by the harsh timber of his voice. I’d seen him angry in the past, but never anything like this.

  “The entire club was here last night to make sure you were okay,” my mom put in gently. “Most of them are back today. We’re all so glad you’re okay, baby.” She swallowed hard, and I knew she was close to tears.

  My dad’s arm wrapped around her, pulling her in for comfort.

  “Everyone is here?” I hedged. I didn’t want to outright ask about Max in case I’d imagined our whole conversation.

  My mom shot me a knowing smile. “Max was here all night. He went to get us some coffees. Your father’s just taking some time to adjust to this new development,” she whispered with a playful wink as my dad growled irritably.

  “That makes two of us.” I sighed. “But whatever it is or isn’t, I’m an adult.” I looked at my dad pointedly. “Whether you see that or not. And besides, if there is something”—I was too cautious to hope—“wouldn’t you rather it be someone you know and trust?” I asked. “Rather than some stranger?”

  My mom shot him a pointed look, and I got the impression she’d said the same thing to him. I wasn’t surprised; she’d always liked Max.

  “How about we just wait a few more years on all of this?” he grumbled. The sad thing was, he was only partially kidding.

  “I know you want me to be happy,” I replied gently. “I just need you to trust my judgment, regardless of whoever I end up with.”

  He leaned over me, swiping his big hand over my forehead. “You deserve the world, baby.” He gave me a sad smile. “I’m just not sure anyone deserves you. Someday, when you’re a mama, you’ll understand how I feel.”

  A moment later, Max strode in to the room, balancing three coffees. He looked exhausted and stunningly handsome in the clothes I remembered him wearing last night. He handed a coffee to both my parents before he took the chair by my side as though he had every right to be there. “Okay?” he asked quietly, his dark eyes sweeping over me with concern.

  “I’m okay. Did you ice that shiner?” I asked, shooting a brief glare at my dad. I couldn’t believe he’d actually hit him. Then again, knowing him, I absolutely could.

  It looked worse today. Coupled with the scratches scattered across his face and neck, he looked like he’d been through the ringer.

  He shrugged indifferently, which meant no. “I’m fine.”

  I sighed in frustration but knew getting on his case wouldn’t do anything. “Did they pull my car out yet?” I asked, already wondering how much work I’d have to do to her to get her back running. I’d just gotten her back after working on her nearly every day since I’d been home. I loved that car.

  “Yeah, and you’re never drivin’ it again,” Max declared.

  “What the hell are you talking about?” I exclaimed in indignation.

  “Part of the reason you’re injured so bad is because that car had no fuckin airbags and a lap belt.” He growled. “You could have been killed. Fix up the ’Stang all you want, but I’m putting you in a Highlander as soon as you’re up to driving again.”

  “A Highlander?” I screeched, looking in frustration at my mom and dad in a foolish bid for support. My dad was watching Max with begrudging approval, which made my blood boil further.

  Dear God, there were two of them.

  “Don’t worry about the car right now,” Max continued smoothly. “Can you tell us what happened last night?” he asked, his tone noticeably softer.

  “We are talking about it later,” I told him firmly. There was no way I was giving in that easily. “As for last night, I really have no idea,” I admitted. “This big SUV started following me as soon as I left the bar. At first, I thought they wanted to pass me, so I slowed down, but they only sped up. I couldn’t get to my phone, so I just hit the gas. When I hit the top of the hill, they hit me, and I spun out.” I swallowed hard, remembering the fear and utter helplessness of that moment. “I hit the guardrail and went down. I don’t remember anything after that. Do you think this has to do with what happened in Portland?”

  “We don’t know,” my dad replied, “but we’re gonna find out. In the meantime, I don’t want you to worry.”

  I nodded, feeling drained even by the short exchange.

  “You need to rest,” Max surmised gently.

  “So do all of you,” I murmured. “Why don’t you go home? Get some sleep? I’m fine here,” I assured them.

  “So am I,” he responded easily. “I’ll leave when you do, which might be as early as tonight.”

  I perked up a bit at that. “Really?”

  “Really,” he confirmed with a soft smile. “Get some sleep.”

  I sank further into the pillow, my eyes sliding shu
t.

  Chapter 14

  MAX

  “Outside,” Sal snarled at me after Wren fell asleep.

  I nodded, standing to follow him. I looked to Kat expectantly. I wanted to make sure Wren wouldn’t be alone.

  “I’m staying,” she assured me with a soft smile.

  Sal was pacing in the hallway when I closed the door behind me. I was ready for him to rail me again about my intentions with Wren, but his mind was elsewhere. “What the fuck is going on?” he demanded.

  I leaned back, one boot on the wall, my arms crossed. “Not sure,” I answered honestly. “The Blue Devils have a guy inside Portland PD. They haven’t found the man who attacked her—no surprise there,” I muttered. “We still can’t be sure if the notes she was getting and that attack are the same person. She hasn’t gotten anything new, right?”

  He shook his head, his jaw clenched. I knew he was as frustrated as I was—probably a little scared too. I knew I sure as hell was. When it came to Wren, I could admit that.

  “We need a meet.” Sal nodded, already pulling out his phone, I assumed to text my brother.

  “Catch me up,” I replied evenly, knowing I was risking invoking his anger and not caring in the least. I told her I wasn’t leaving, and I’d meant it.

  He assessed me warily. “You want to stay with Wren.” It wasn’t a question.

  “I’m staying.” I dared him to challenge me.

  He blew out a slow breath, looking off to the side a moment before his gaze returned to me. “Fine. We’ll catch you up.” And with that, he strode away without another word.

  I watched him go, knowing that to some, his reaction would seem cold, but I knew Sal, and that right there was progress.

  When Wren was discharged that night, everything in me protested her not being with me, but I knew I’d have to work up to that. For now, the important thing was that she was safe. After telling her I’d see her soon, the confusion on her face making it all the more clear how much work I had to do, I left her in the care of her parents and headed home to catch a shower and change clothes.

  Cole had caught me up on their earlier meet. There was still no new information, and that wasn’t fucking good enough. It seemed like I’d be making another trip to Portland.