Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 33767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 169(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 169(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
Lemon helped me undress, wrapping me in a towel before helping me with my shirt. I was able to get my underwear off and still keep the towel on and not expose myself.
The other woman chatted lightly while she set the water in the shower for me. There was a bench along one end. She’d placed the shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel within easy reach.
“You good if I leave the room? I’ll stay if you feel dizzy or too weak to do it yourself.” She looked at the floor, toeing a rug. “I didn’t want help, but I needed it. When I got hurt.”
“You?” Fear hit me like a punch to the gut and my legs gave way. Thank God Lemon was close by or I’d have hit the floor. “They hurt you?”
“What?”
“The m-men h-here.”
“Oh, hell no!” Lemon looked like I’d presented her with the head of a unicorn. “No one in this club would dare. We had a guy who did. He didn’t last long.” She stopped, then shrugged. “OK, so he did last a long time. Way the fuck longer than he wanted to last, but that’s not the point. The point is, no one in this club would ever allow you to be hurt by another member of this club. Anyone tries, you come to me. I’ll take care of it. But, honestly, after Hammer, even if there was anyone left who was capable of hurting a woman like that, they wouldn’t. It was that bad. No. I got hurt when some guys thought I was Venus.”
“If that’s supposed to make me feel better, it’s really not.” It kind of did, but I didn’t really want to say so.
She smirked. “Is too.”
“Yeah. Maybe. Who’s Venus?”
“She’s from Salvation’s Bane. Piston claimed her and she let him, but it’s been kinda rocky goin’ for ‘em. Not ‘cause he’s mean or anything. Venus is testing him. And fuck if she’s not having a great time doing it. Not that she’d admit it. You’ll meet her later.” She studied me for a moment. “You think you’re up to a shower? If not, you can just wash pits and pussy. Worry about an actual shower later.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. This woman was too much. “Yeah. I think I want a shower. I feel gross.”
“No offense, but you kinda look gross.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“Any time! Now. You need help?”
“No. I think I can manage.” She turned to go, but I stopped her. “Lemon?”
“Yeah, Cecilia?”
“Thank you.”
She nodded her head and gave me a grin. “Any time. You and me and Apple are going to be besties.”
I wasn’t so sure about that, but far be it from me to stand in the way of whatever this woman wanted. I’d give it a shot.
Chapter Seven
Bullet
Control. I had to keep control. Now that Cecilia was here and Lemon was looking out for her, I wanted with everything in my being to go hunting for that fuck Ettore Alfonso.
I stomped into the kitchen, needing to find something light she could keep on her stomach. She hadn’t had solid food since she’d been at the hospital. I knew taking her out had been a risk, but the greater risk was Alfonso sending someone to check on her. Of him trying to take her again. I could manage her medical care here if I kept a close eye on her. It was mostly done but the healing anyway. She was still in pain, but that would fade. I just needed to ease her back into things now.
Soup was easy to fix. Dump a can in a bowl and pop it in the microwave. It wasn’t great, but it would be easy for her to digest and, more importantly, not puke back up. I reached for the door to the cupboard but a hand on my shoulder stopped me.
“Surely you’re not feeding your woman something out of a can.” Apple, Lemon’s twin, smiled up at me. She’d come to stay with us after leaving Iron Tzars. I still didn’t know why. She hadn’t even told Lemon, which likely meant she wasn’t ready for anyone to die yet.
“Just looking for something easy on her stomach but filling, so I can give her some pain meds.”
“Come with me.” Apple led me to a Crock-Pot on the other side of the kitchen, snagging a bowl from the cabinet as she went. She lifted the lid and a wonderful smell reached me. Not too rich, but appetizing. Inside was a creamy-looking soup. Apple took a spoon and stirred it a couple of times, bringing to the top chunks of what looked like… potatoes?
“What is it?”
“My sister’s potato soup. It has some herbs and stuff. Potatoes, of course. Cheese. Milk and chicken bouillon. It’s kind of bland but still has flavor. Just not too much. Danica always made this for us after we’d been sick. You know. When we felt like eating. It’ll get you going.” She hesitated, looking off as if unsure of herself. “I thought Cecilia might need some building up.”