Cobra (Blue Angel Security Book 1), page 11
“You stabbed your ex-boyfriend with your heel?” Whiskey asks me, alarmed. “Damn, girl, what in the hell were you thinking?”
“Um, I’m not sure. I was too hurt and pissed to think about my actions, I guess.”
“No surprise. Most women feel with their emotions, they don’t usually think things through. They can be reckless.” Whiskey says while staring at me.
“So, in other words, the sixteen-year-old girl I was years ago was immature and reckless?”
“I didn’t say that Jaycee, I was simply making an observation.”
“Well, observe this, Whiskey. The best part of that whole night is that Seth was the mayor’s son.”
“Well shit, girls, before these two half kill each other, I need a bathroom break, and then maybe we finish this game. I have a funny feeling it’s going to be a long night!” Raelyn whisper shouts.
“Yeah, let’s go. Hopefully, I can convince Kylee to come join us now. She’s been with Cort for a while.” Elle and I lead the way heading for the restrooms. I glance up expecting to see Kylee still sitting at the bar, but she’s not there.
“We’ll find her. I think it’s even busier than it was when we got here,” Elle giggles, grabbing my hand. “We should receive a gold medal for being walk upright without being shoved to our asses.”
“No kidding, this is insan—”
“Hey isn’t that Kylee coming up the hall toward us?”
I look over in the direction Elle pointed to, seeing that yes, it’s Kylee. The problem is that she’s staggering and nearly falls twice before reaching us.
“Jaycee, I don’t feel so good,” Kylee slurs her words just as her eyes glaze over. Elle looks at me her voice just barely loud enough to be heard over the music.
“Text Whiskey and tell him to get over here now.”
“Why would I want to text that idiot? Did you hear him? I was reckless… reckless my ass, I was a teenager,” I growl, clearly still frustrated with his words.
“Because he’s the biggest guy we have out there, and believe me, the vibes coming off him scream she’s mine. He’s not going to let anyone else near you.”
“I’m not his,” I argue with Elle.
“Jaycee, I know I don’t know you well, but, girl, please hush it and just text him. Kylee needs us all right now.” Raelyn’s words snap me out of self imposed anger fest at Whiskey. He can be the jerk all he wants to be. But right now, I need his muscles. Hell, Kylee needs his muscles. Looking at her now, a new fear is tunneling it’s way to the top and if my gut is right, then yes, Raelyn is absolutely right, we need Whiskey. With my eyes centered on my best friend, I pull my cell out of my bra and text him. Thank God, I’m well stacked according to Shadow’s description.
Me: 911 Kylee is in trouble.
Whiskey: On my way. Don’t move.
A few seconds later, Patrick and Whiskey round the corner and look at us intently.
“What’s going on, Jaycee?” Whiskey inquires while scanning the hall.
“Not sure. We found her like this, coming back from the bathrooms. Whiskey, Kylee doesn’t ever get like this after drinking. The girl has always been able to drink me under the table. Something is wrong.”
“Okay, let’s get her out of here. Have you seen the guy she was sitting with at the bar?”
“No, we haven’t seen him since we spotted Kylee. You think he drugged her too, don’t you?” Tears instantly well up in my eyes. God no. Tonight was supposed to be about fun, not about either of us being taken advantage of. My mind races with vivid images of what he could have done to her in the time since we last saw her.
“Jaycee!” Whiskey loudly calls my name. Blinking wildly, I hold back the tears as I focus on him, “There you are. Let’s not think the worst yet. Patrick and Elle are going to take her to the hospital. We can follow them. Ready?”
I glance down at my dress of choice tonight, a sudden realization hits me as my cheeks turn bright pink. I quietly giggle. It seems that my cheeks are always red around this man. His nickname for me truly fits. “Um, Whiskey, I can’t exactly ride on your bike dressed like this.”
“Good, didn’t plan on you riding my bike. I have my SUV for tonight.
“Oh, okay. Yeah, let’s go. If it’s too much trouble, I’ll catch a ride with Raelyn. I’m sure she’s going to the hospital, too.”
“No, it’s okay. I’ll take you. It’s my job to keep you safe.”
“That’s right. It’s your job,” I repeat his words out loud. I see the moment it registers to him the colossal mistake he’s just made, but this time I’m not letting him get to me. The man is like a hot water tank on the fritz, and I’m tired of trying to figure out which one I’m getting when I turn on the faucet. It’s time for me to protect myself, again.
“Jaycee…”
“It’s fine Whiskey, let’s go. My best friend needs me,” I say, following Patrick and Elle outside to his truck. The telltale sound of boots on the pavement directly behind us, tells me Whiskey is trailing behind, thankfully silent.
Good. Let’s get this show over with because after tonight I’m done. I won’t be made a fool of twice.
12
COBRA
The drive from the club to the hospital was the most excruciating ride I’ve ever had. All this time, I assumed nothing would ever top the drive to the hospital after Raelyn had gotten hurt. Well, I was wrong, so wrong.
I have had a lot of moments in my life where I knew I had screwed up, but I always knew I could rectify them. This one I’m not so sure I can bounce back from. This is the second time I have inserted my giant ass foot into my mouth before speaking.
Pulling into the parking lot of the ER, Jaycee is out of my SUV and walking up to the doors before I even get the chance to fully step out. Without waiting for me, she rushes in, seeing Jefferson, Raelyn, and Elle all anxiously standing in the lobby.
“They took her to the back already, but the admissions nurse is waiting for you. We didn’t even know her last name. How sucky of new friends are we?” Raelyn explains to Jaycee.
“Don’t worry about it, Raelyn. Like you said, we just met. For the record, her last name is Young and she’s highly allergic to crab meat. She carries an EpiPen on her at all times.” Nodding their heads in understanding, Jaycee quickly walks down the hall, leaving me to follow her like the lost dog I guess I kind of am.
“Ms. Storm, I presume?” I hear a middle-aged woman ask Jaycee.
“Yes, Pam,” she responds glancing at her name tag.
“Your friends brought in another one of your friends tonight. Am I correct?”
“Yes, ma’am. We were at a nightclub having fun when I noticed her walking and behaving very strangely.”
“Were you all drinking?”
“Of course, but I know she didn’t have very much to drink. She rarely drinks in excess in public. She also sat at the bar with someone neither one of us know. So now I’m worried that she could have been—”
“Alright. Calm down, sweetheart. The doctors are with her now. She’s in good hands. Now, do you know her medical information?”
“Yes, I know her medical information, as does her brother, who should be here fairly soon. Or so I believe. Hopefully, he didn’t go after that guy she was sitting with.”
“And her parents?”
“Kylee’s dad has been gone for a number of years and her mama lives about an hour from here. She has a great family. I’ll call her mama as soon as we know more. There’s no point in worrying her if we don’t need to.”
“Okay then, we need to talk to her brother, if possible.”
“I’ll call him, but in the meantime, can you note she is highly allergic to crab meat and carries an EpiPen on her?”
“That we can do.”
I hear Jaycee tell Pam thank you as Clayton and Liam come running in through the doors. Upon seeing her, Liam rushes to Jaycee’s side, who in turn holds onto him for dear life.
“Clayton,” Jaycee calls over to him as he approaches her. “The hospital needs Kylee’s information before they will tell us anything.”
“Okay, sweetheart we have this. Are you going to go sit in the waiting room or stay with us?”
“She’s staying with us,” Liam growls. “I’m not letting either Kylee or Jaycee out of our sight.”
That offhanded comment has me right back where I was earlier tonight. The reason I was so abrupt with her earlier. I thought I was doing so well in the beginning. I stood and watched her dance with our friends, and then she came and sat with me. She looked breathtaking. Everything was going good, and then the girls came back over to collect Jaycee. It was during those dances that my jealousy roared its ugly head. Watching every male on that floor drool over her while she danced completely unaware of their stares. I hated it. I was holding it together by the skin of my teeth until Jefferson spotted me and insisted we go find a table away from the dance floor. In Jefferson’s infinite wisdom, nothing good comes from watching the woman you like dance with others. It only leads to trouble, and usually you’re the one at the center of said trouble.
He was right. If I had continued to watch, I’m sure I would have spilled someone’s blood tonight. Instead, I retreated to a large table with him and waited until all of our friends, both old and new, came to join us. Through no direct planning of mine, Jaycee sat next to me. Everything was going good, great even, until Raelyn decided to play that fucking game. One stupid question and I was sliding back down the mountain I had just climbed weeks ago, earning me another visit to Asshole Land, yet again. I really do need to learn how to think before I speak, or if nothing else, insert my filter before talking to Jaycee.
As the girls walked away, Jaycee was obviously pissed off at me, Jefferson cocked his brow at me. “You really can’t help yourself, can you?”
“It would appear not,” I grumbled, thinking about how different tonight should have gone. Great way to start over fuckhead, I murmured to myself as my phone pinged with an incoming alert. Expecting it to be Shadow, explaining to me why he never showed up, I pick it up, but instantly I’m immersed a tub of a ice cold water seeing the text is from Jaycee.
911. Kylee is in trouble.
The millisecond I read that message, something inside of me snapped. All I could envision was a bruised and battered Jaycee because I let my guard down. Over the last few weeks and months, I had grown complacent with her. I had forgotten our cardinal rule. To always watch, to always protect. How had I failed her so miserably? Kylee may not be our client, but she is Jaycee’s best friend and that made her ours to protect by association. And yet, here I was with another failure.
Sighing internally, I return my focus back to their conversation with Pam. “When can we see Kylee?”
“You can go back anytime. Only one at a time, though. She will most likely be released in a few hours.”
Releasing her, Liam and Clayton look at each other and then back to Jaycee. “You go ahead. She’d want you there with her. We’ll be in the waiting room with the others,” they tell her as they walk around the corner, disappearing from my sight.
Pam comes out from behind the counter and motions for Jaycee to follow her, and me unintentionally. As if Jaycee suddenly realizes that I’m still following her, she whirls back to me. Defiantly, she raises her chin to me and places her hand on her hip. “You can stay out here with your friends. I’ll be safe. You’ve done your job.” With that, she attempts to dismiss me, but I’m a stubborn fucker too.
“Can’t do that, Jaycee. You have to be within my sight at all times.”
“How convenient for you,” she snarks off, glaring at me. “You must really be enjoying the fact I live across the street from you. You can literally watch every move I make, can’t you?”
“It’s not like that, Jaycee. It’s—”
“How about this, Whiskey? Watch this,” she tells me, removing her phone, I imagine, and begins to quickly punch out a text message. Expecting my phone to light up from Jackal or Shadow, I’m surprised to hear her phone ring a few seconds later.
“Jaycee, what’s wrong?” I can hear a strange male’s voice clearly through her phone’s speakers. Knowing it’s not Jackal or Shadow I listen closely.
“Gannon.”
Oh fuck. Here comes the shit storm.
Jaycee continues, as if she isn’t personally setting up a domino track single-handedly tonight. Because I guarantee you, heads will roll with this call, starting with Jackal and ending with me.
“Something happened to Kylee tonight. We are all at the hospital. I need to be with her and I have advised one of the watchdogs you assigned to me that I’m fine with Kylee alone and that he can go wait in the waiting room for my return. He sternly disagrees. So now I’m calling you. Call him off or get Shadow here. Believe me when I tell you, he has done more than enough tonight.”
“Okay, Jaycee, I’ll talk to him. Is Kylee okay?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t made it back to see her yet. He went all wolfman on me, that’s when I called you. You’re his boss, do something with him. If you all are insistent I need a babysitter, then call in Shadow, or replace my detail with a new one. At this point I frankly don’t care which option you choose.”
“Okay, sweetheart. Go be with your friend. I’ll take care of the rest.”
“Thank you, Gannon. You really are the best.”
“I know. Now go.” Disconnecting her call, she glares at me. “Satisfied?”
Nodding my head, I depart from her as she walks through the double doors to be with Kylee.
Entering the waiting room, I find it full of our friends. “How is she?” Raelyn asks while I sit down next to her in the vacant seat.
“Jaycee or Kylee?”
“I guess both.”
“I’m not sure about Kylee. The nurse just let Jaycee go back with her. As for Jaycee, other than being pissed at me, she’s fine. Worried about Kylee for sure, but physically she’s okay.”
“Why shouldn’t she be pissed off at you? You said some pretty awful things to her tonight,” Liam asks, smirking at me. “Have you discovered her snarky, stubborn side yet?”
“I have a funny feeling that if I haven’t, I’m about to get very well acquainted with it.”
“Oh yeah, I have no doubt you are.” Liam replies, grinning as if he has a high-class top secret that he alone is privy to. “All I can say is good luck. It took her months to trust us. She doesn’t open up or trust easily and once you destroy either, there’s no going back. If you want to know firsthand, we should introduce you to Ozzy. He was part of our group until he tried to date Jaycee. Long story short, she finally agreed to give him a chance and then she overheard him call her the ice princess. Needless to say, that was it for her and ever since then, she won’t even let us refer to him by name. Nothing. She completely ignores us if we so much as mention his name.”
“No, I think I’m safer if we don’t introduce me to him. He might not walk away from that encounter,” I tell them all.
“See, and this is exactly why they should meet,” Clayton smirks at Liam. “Told you he was going to be the jealous alpha type. He’s too stupid and keeps putting his foot in his mouth.”
Doing my best to ignore their childish comments, I lean back in the chair and wait for Jaycee’s return. Finally, the door opens an hour later and she emerges. Spotting Liam, she goes to him right away.
Safely tucked into his side, Clayton finally asks, “How is she?”
“Good. A bit shaken up over the whole thing. Obviously, she was drugged. She is insisting on going home. The doctor said he could release her in an hour. Will you bring us to her apartment, Clayton? She wants her bed, and I’m not leaving her.”
“Sure thing, Jaycee.”
“Do we need to pick up anything on our way?” Liam asks while holding her tightly.
“No, Liam. Shadow, his partner,” she glances in my direction, “is going to meet us at the apartment with plenty of crackers and Sprite to soothe her stomach and an assortment of chick flicks.”
“Great.” Raelyn stands up. “If you need anything and I mean anything at all, call or text me. I’m so sorry that this happened on our first night out.”
Rising from her chair, she walks over to Raelyn and hugs her. “It’s okay, you can buy the drinks the next time, and I fully expect to finish our game,” she winks at her mischievously. “I’m sure we’ll have plenty more. And besides, this makes for one hell of a story now!” she jokes with her, lightening the mood.
“Okay, we’re out of here too.” Mal, Pat, Lance and Scotty all stand up and walk over to Jaycee. Lance hugs her first, followed by Scotty. “Behave yourself, Jaycee, and remember, we have a date next week for that ride. You promised.”
“Absolutely Scotty. Liam and Clayton will be joining us, too. This way I get to enjoy the scenery. There’s no one else’s bike I’d rather be on other than the back of Liam’s,” she tells them, but looks at me directly. Yeah, message received…
“Okay Liam, I’m going back in with Kylee. She should be getting released soon,” she says, leaving the room all without voicing a single word to me.
Chuckling to himself, Clayton jests at me, “You really must have pissed her off good. She never even said one word to you the whole time she was out here with us. What did you do?”
“Typical guy shit. After the colossal fuck up with the game, I panicked when Kylee got in trouble and may have said a couple of things I wish I could take back.”
“Like what? This I gotta hear,” he asks while examining my every move.
