Man of Honor (Passion in Paradise Book 4) (8 page)

“I know.  She
swears you’re all just a bunch of teddy bears that ride motorcycles while out
helping little old ladies cross the road,” he chuckled, shaking his head. 
“Your club has been the cause of many a skirmish between me and her.”

Wrath grinned. 
“Yeah, well… for her, that’s all we are, Zeke.  Any one of my men would step in
front of a bullet for her.  You should know that.  If she needs us… for
anything, we’re in.  All you gotta do is ask.  The Hounds of Hell owe her, and
we believe in paying our debts.”

“I’m not exactly
in the habit of askin’ vigilantes for assistance,” Zeke grumbled.

“You say
vigilante.  I say we’re just very concerned, involved citizens.  But even if
what you say is true about us, I’m pretty sure that where Honor McKinnon’s
concerned, there’s not a rule you won’t break.”

“You’d be right
about that,” Zeke acknowledged softly, staring down at Honor’s still face. 
“She’s worth breaking any rule that stands in the way of getting some justice
for her.”

“Tell me what you
know, Zeke,” Wrath urged, propping his body against the one wall in the room.

Quickly filling
the man in on the details surrounding the wreck, Zeke watched Wrath shake his
head in denial.

“No.” Wrath stated
firmly.  “What you’re describing isn’t possible.”

“Patience says
they had no brakes, Wrath.  That when the vehicle behind them tried to run them
off the road, and Honor tried to slow down to let it get by her, her brakes
went out.  Is it possible one of your mechanics overlooked…”

“Zeke, I took care
of Honor’s vehicle myself.  I always do.  Nobody else in the shop even touched
it, and I went over it with a fine tooth comb.  I even added brake fluid.  Her
lines were fine.  If her brakes went out…”

“Somebody cut
them,” Zeke surmised, his muscles tautening as he recognized just how much
danger Honor was facing.

“Won’t know until
I get underneath the car, but….yeah.  That’d be my guess.  Any ideas on who…”

“We both know the
answer to that, McKay,” Zeke replied tightly.  “There are still two bastards
runnin’ free out there.  Tanner Suarez took a great deal of joy in making sure
that Honor knew it, too, before that fucker took his last breath.  My guess is
that those animals are runnin’ scared now, afraid of what she’ll remember
next.  So, they’re gonna try and ensure that she’s not around to remember jack
shit.”

“Christ on a
cracker,” Wrath cursed, his hand fisting at his side.  “Zeke, you realize that
if they’ve put her back in their sights, they’re gonna be some desperate
assholes.”

“I know,” Zeke
acknowledged softly.  Offering the other man a sidelong look, he continued.  “I
haven’t forgotten what you did for Honor, McKay.  I know you helped me put down
one of those animals, Wrath.  For that, I still owe you a marker.”

“No marker,” Wrath
denied flatly.  “That bastard was one of my prospects.  Turns my stomach that I
had that kind of filth anywhere near my club, Zeke.   I know it’s been eight
years since it happened, but that kind of stain leaves a lasting mark.  The
fact that Honor doesn’t hate every fucker that wears the Hounds vest is a
miracle.  Taking that bastard down with you was a pleasure that I would have
paid you to do, Zeke.”

“’Preciate that,
McKay, but what I gotta know is if I needed it…”

Wrath held up a
hand.  “You need me to help find these last couple of fuckers, I’m down,
Sheriff.  So is my club.   And not just for your woman either.  I got a kid
that I didn’t have eight years ago.  The idea of that kind of child-raping scum
still hangin’ around in our town doesn’t sit well with me or the club.”

Zeke nodded, glad
to know he’d have the Hell Hounds as allies if it came down to it.  He hoped it
didn’t.  He prayed he could take care of these pricks himself, but he couldn’t
deny that if getting help could make the job go faster, he’d gladly enlist assistance. 
“Thanks,” he said softly, his attention suddenly drawn to the bed when he heard
Honor’s low moan of pain.

“Seems like she’s
startin’ to wake up,” Wrath noted softly.  “Listen, Zeke, just have your
department release the car back over to the garage in the next couple of days. 
As soon as I get it, I’ll do a full diagnostic and get you the answers that
you’re searchin’ for.”

Leaning over to
soothe Honor’s furrowed brow with the tips of his fingers, Zeke nodded without
looking at the other man.  “Just you, McKay.  I want this investigation into
what happened tonight kept tight.  Only those that need to know get in the
loop.  Got me?”

“Yep.” The
dark-headed man nodded.  “I’ll keep things quiet on my end.  I’ll tell the boys
at the garage we’re just holding the car for the junkyard until Honor’s
insurance pays out.  Nobody will think anything about it.”

“Good.  I’ve got
the state boys looking at the car first so the evidence is preserved, then I’ll
get the department to release her vehicle in the next 48 hours,” Zeke muttered,
his eyes staying glued to Honor’s face.  Her eyes remained closed, but her
breathing had grown shallower and her forehead was creased, almost as if she
was trying to force herself to speak.  He wasn’t anything approaching an
expert, but it looked to him like she was definitely starting to come out from
under the anesthesia.

“If you get a free
moment, maybe keep the clubhouse posted on her,” Wrath suggested hopefully. 
“She may be yours, man.  You’ve made that clear, but she’s loved by a lot of
people.  Keep us updated, yeah?”

Jaw clenching,
Zeke fought an automatic denial.  But Wrath was offering his assistance…
assistance that Zeke couldn’t easily ask of anybody else.  “I’ll make sure to
give a call.”

Wrath chuckled. 
“That must have hurt like hell to say,” he goaded.

“Get out before I
find a reason to arrest you, McKay,” Zeke warned on a low growl.

“Take care of her,
Zeke,” Wrath ordered seriously, stepping forward to thump the sheriff on the
arm before turning to leave.

Zeke listened as
the other man’s footsteps echoed down the hallway, only fully relaxing once the
sound faded.  He felt like he’d made a deal with the Devil.  While he knew
Wrath McKay wasn’t exactly Satan incarnate, he could easily be a first cousin
of the cloven-hoofed Prince of Darkness. 

“Mmmmm,” he heard
Honor’s pained hum as her slender body shifted on the bed uncomfortably.
“H-hurts,” she mumbled hoarsely, her eyes squeezing tightly closed as Zeke’s
hand stroked her hair gently.

“Shhhh, Kitten. 
Everything’s going to be alright.  Just lie still,” he urged, frowning as he
looked quickly over his shoulder toward the nurse’s station.  Waving a hand at
one of the women behind the desk and pointing at Honor, he saw the nurse nod in
return, rising from her chair.  “The nurse is coming, baby,” he shared softly
when Honor whimpered again. 

“Ouch,” she cried,
trying to twist her body in the bed.

“Don’t move,
honey,” Zeke chided again as Honor’s eyelids slowly opened to reveal cloudy
bewildered eyes.

“Z-zeke?” she
whispered, weakly lifting a hand toward him.

Catching her hand
in his as a nurse in bright orange scrubs bustled through the door, Zeke
brushed a kiss against the back of her hand.  “I’m here, Honor.  So are your
sisters and aunt and uncle.  They’re out in the waiting room.”

“Keep them there,”
she directed on a wince as she tossed her head on the pillow.  “They’ll just
try to fuss over me like I’m a toddler if you let ‘em in here.  B-but I would
like to know where here is, exactly?” she asked, her voice cracked as she
looked around to see the nurse smile at her.  “And what happened to me?  I hurt,”
she moaned as she grew more agitated.

“Miss McKinnon,
don’t fret, doll.  I’m your nurse tonight.  My name is Farrah, and you’re in
the recovery room at Paradise General,” the older woman explained calmly as she
pushed a button that began to tighten the blood pressure cuff around Honor’s
arm.  “You’ve had a real hard evening, sweet girl.”

Watching Honor
lick her dry lips and offer the nurse a long blink before turning confused eyes
toward him, Zeke held her hand tighter.  “What do you remember, Kitten?”

“I remember that I
hate when you call me Kitten,” Honor grumbled tiredly, her eyes going back to
watching the nurse as the woman adjusted the medications running through her
IV.  “Throat hurts,” she whispered.  “Thirsty.”

“You can’t have
any water yet, but they gave me a cup of ice chips to wet your lips, baby,”
Zeke informed her as he offered her a white plastic spoon with a couple of
chips on it.  He couldn’t help his smile.  If his girl was feeling well enough
to give him attitude, she was on the mend.  “And, if you don’t want me to call
you Kitten, then don’t hiss and claw like one,” he countered lightly, stroking
the back of his fingers over the apple of her pale cheek while he reached for
the cup of ice chips the nurse’s aide had left in the room earlier and refilled
the spoon. 

Turning her head
toward where the nurse now ran a thermometer across her forehead, Honor’s
forehead wrinkled as she greedily sucked on the slivers of ice.  “Can you toss
him out, too?  And maybe get me a drink of water?”

The woman laughed
as she made a note on Honor’s chart.  “’Fraid not, sweets. No water for a while
yet, and your man has been about as immoveable as a statue since the docs let him
back here.  And since he’s carryin’ both a badge AND a gun, I think I’m gonna
let him be.”

Honor’s nose
curled even as she bit her lip, flinching as she tried to adjust herself in the
bed.  “The Sheriff is NOT mine, Farrah.  Trust me.  He’s just a bit over-dedicated
in his mission to protect the citizens of our town.”

“Oh, I’m hers,
ma’am.  She just hasn’t wrapped her head around the fact that she’s mine yet,”
Zeke snorted, shaking his head at the frustrating patient currently glaring at
him as he rubbed an ice chip against Honor’s dry lips. 

“Quit lyin’ to
this woman, you mule-headed fool,” she demanded through clenched teeth. 
Honor’s jaw set as she tried to inhale deeply, crying out with the effort. 
“Why does it hurt so much?  Zeke, what…wait!  Patience!  Oh, God.  The wreck. 
There was a car wreck!  Where’s Patience?” she shouted, her body going stiff as
Zeke watched the confusion clear from her eyes as the earlier events of the
evening flooded her memory.

Dropping a heavy
hand on her shoulder when Honor would have jerked upright in the bed no matter
how much the movement hurt her, Zeke bent until his lips hovered above hers and
stared into her wide, terrified eyes.  “Breathe, Honor.  Patience is here. 
She’s okay.”

Blinking rapidly
as her dilated eyes shined under the fluorescent lighting, Honor struggled
against the pressure of Zeke’s hand.  “Where?  Where is she?  What about the
babies?” she questioned quickly, her voice high and anxious as her eyes went
from Zeke to the nurse and back again.

Exchanging a look
over Honor’s head with the nurse, Zeke saw the woman nod slightly.  “She’s
lookin’ good, Sheriff.  I’ll let the docs know our girl is awake and we’ll get
her a dose of morphine.  Miss Honor, your man… or your non-man is gonna fill
you in on everything.  You just settle down while I go get your meds and put a
call into the doctor,” the nurse ordered calmly before quickly hotfooting it
out of the cubicle.

“Zeke?” Honor
called, tugging at his sleeve with what little strength she had.  “Patience and
the little ones?   Please, tell me they’re all alright!” she begged.

“Your big sister
is just a few cubicles down from you, Sweetheart.  She’s banged up and a little
tired from givin’ birth, but Abel stuck his head in here an hour ago and
assured me that they were all fine.”

“They’re too
early,” Honor worried brokenly, her eyes tearing up as she stared at Zeke with
concern.  “Almost a whole month.”

“Babies are
resilient, Kitten.  Each was a bit small, but all were healthy.  Although,
there was one major surprise,” he noted with a wide grin.

“You’re smilin’,”
Honor muttered.  “Smilin’ is good, right?”

“Well, in typical
Patience McKinnon style, she chose to go big before going home,” Zeke chuckled,
rubbing his fingers through the silky blonde hair resting on the baby blue
pillowcase.

“Huh?” Honor
grunted.

“Patience didn’t
have twins, Honor.  She had triplets.”

Honor’s eyes
closed for a long second before opening again to stare blankly at him. 
“Triplets?” she breathed.  “For real?”

Zeke nodded. 
“You’re an auntie again times three, baby,” he informed her, his hand reaching
for hers when a tear drop escaped her eye to roll down her cheek.

“And all of them
are okay?” Honor clarified, watching Zeke’s face closely for any sign of
deception.