Beast: Learning to Breathe (Devil's Blaze MC #5)

“Where is she?”

“Don’t know. She’s been sick and she didn’t show today. That girl has fought more battles than any woman should ever have to fight. Maybe you were the one that finally made her leave this town and start over,” she says with a shrug of her shoulder. “What you need to understand is that girl is like a daughter to me, and I don’t care who the fuck you are or who your friends are. I won’t be serving your kind in my diner.”

“My kind.”

“Pretty much,” she says, stalking off.

I feel everyone staring at me. That little bitch thought she could punish me. Maybe I didn’t make myself clear enough to her. When I demanded that she leave me alone, I fucking meant completely. I stomp out of the diner, letting the door slam behind me. If Hayden Graham didn’t get the message before, I’ll make damn sure she gets it now.





16





Beast





I pound on the door again, when I don’t get an answer. I have so much anger inside of me, but no one brings it out like this woman does.

“I said, open up!” I growl, and I’m straining my voice to say it loud enough. The pain feeds through my blood, increasing my anger. If she’s going to try and act like a spoiled bitch, then she could at least own up to it. I mean, what the fuck? I called her on her shit and put her in her place. There was no reason for her to involve others. Did she think she could manipulate me? What the hell does she want? It makes zero sense, but damn it she must be playing some kind of game.

When I pound the door again and she doesn’t answer, I decide to give up. She has to come out sometime. This bitch doesn’t know who she’s dealing with. I start to walk back to my place, but one last thought has me looking into her kitchen window—like a fucking peeping tom.

I expect her to be standing there watching me. I’m surprised when she’s not. What I didn’t anticipate is that the window has ice frozen on it. It’s been cold, sure, but the heat from inside the house should have kept ice from forming. I look through the window and that’s when I see her. Hayden is crumpled on the floor. From where I’m standing her face is hidden, but I can see her hand lying against the worn carpet, her body turned at an awkward angle. I can’t see a lot, but there’s one thing I can confirm…She’s not moving.

I run back to the front door and try the knob. It’s locked. I step back and ram my shoulder into it hard. Pain shoots up my arm, radiating into my neck, but the door gives way. I walk over to the woman. She’s extremely pale. It wouldn’t surprise me if she is dead, but a quick check tells me she has a pulse. The house is ice cold. There’s no fire in the fireplace—not even reddened coals. I place my hand on her head and she’s got a fever. This is what going out in a thunderstorm to wave around a chainsaw will get you.

I need to get her to a hospital, but all I have is my damn bike. I take out my cellphone and dial 911. I give them directions to the house and pick her up. As I put her on the sofa, she whimpers, which I guess is a good thing. I find a worn blanket wadded up on the floor. I pull it over her body. The operator said it would be forty minutes before an ambulance will get here, which is crazy. I know this town is in the middle of nowhere, but there should be a damn hospital close by.

Her lips look dried. I go into the kitchen and get a glass of water. I bring it back in, sitting on the edge of the couch cushion. I wrap my arm around her shoulders to pull her up, propping her body up with my hold. Her head lolls to the side, but she slowly starts coming around. I feel like an idiot. I have no idea what I’m doing, but hearing her moan and watching her eyes slowly open, reassures me a little.

“Drink,” I order.

“What are…doing…” she doesn’t really make a complete sentence, but I guess it’s good she’s talking—though her voice sounds like she’s swallowed a jar of salt and had zero water. It doesn’t even sound like her. It has a hoarse quality that reminds you more of a male’s voice.

“Just drink,” I tell her. My voice is clipped, probably because I’m trying to figure out how you can worry about someone and have them disgust you at the same time.





17





Hayden





“I’ve got your release papers, Ms. Graham,” the nurse says, coming in my room.

I’m sitting in my hospital bed. Dressed in the same clothes I was wearing when they brought me in. It feels good to finally be out of that hospital gown. I’ve been in here for two days. I’m feeling better. I wish they had let me go home yesterday. I’m lucky, I know. I’m okay and the baby is good. But, at the same time, I’ve been off work for a week now. I can’t afford that. Hopefully, my medical card will pay my bills, but everything else? That’s going to take money.

My hand goes to my stomach to rub Maggie as best as I can. There’s a flutter of movement and I smile. She can feel me. I pray she understands that I love her and I’m sorry. My fever broke the day they brought me in, but I was severely dehydrated and had a major ear infection. The doctor gave me medicine, I’m not happy about taking it, but he promised that it was safer for the baby than for me to continue being sick. I was worried because my fever had spiked. I’m not sure how high it got, but I know that can be very dangerous for a baby. So far, all the tests and ultrasounds reveal that Maggie is doing great. However, I should start going to the doctor more often now. That part’s not going to be fun. I wish I could come here to the doctor, but there’s no way my little car would make the two-hour round trip. There are days that just driving into Whitley to go to the diner is more than it can handle. I’m going to have to suck it up, choke on my pride, and go to the local clinic.

“Do you have a ride home?” she asks, looking around the room, and bringing my thoughts to a stop.

I give her a half smile. She can look all she wants, but there’s no one here. If a nurse hadn’t have looked at my records to discover the man that was with me when they brought me in, I never would have known. When she first read me the name Connor Michael Jameson, I had no idea who that was. It took forever for me to connect the name Michael to someone in my life…like my asshole neighbor. It shocked me. I’m grateful, as much as I don’t want to be. I really thought if he was given the choice he would have left me to die.

“I’m afraid not. I was planning on grabbing a taxi,” I half-lie to the nurse. I can’t afford a taxi home.