The Last Riders - First Four Votes (15 page)

T
he beeping
of a machine woke her and, turning her head, she saw a nurse punching buttons on a machine.

“Awake at last. We were starting to get worried about you. I’ll call the doctor and he’ll be in to talk to you.” Giving her hand an impersonal pat, the uniformed nurse left.

Beth looked around the small room, hoping no one had called Lily. She didn’t want to worry her.

The door opened and a tall man with bright red hair came in. His friendly eyes soothed Beth’s frayed nerves. “I’m glad to see that you’ve regained consciousness. How are you feeling?”

“Confused.”

“That’s normal. Do you remember what happened?”

Beth started to nod, but the sharp pain rushing through her skull stopped the motion.

“I remember Sam kidnapped me and her father threatened to kill me.”

“They almost succeeded, you have a severe concussion. You have been unconscious for twelve hours.”

“Did anyone notify my sister?”

“No, the Sheriff accepted responsibility. If you had stayed unconscious much longer, then he would have. The Sheriff said you wouldn’t want to worry her.”

Beth gave a sigh of relief. “Thank you. My sister would have been terrified, I ‘m glad you took the Sheriff’s advice.”

The doctor gave her reassurances that she would heal quickly and he would release her in forty-eight hours.

“We want to keep a strict eye on you to make sure you’re all clear before we release you.”

“Thank you.” The doctor left, giving her instructions to let the nurse know if she experienced any changes in pain and then sleep beckoned once more. Beth dozed on and off throughout the day, only waking intermittently with the arrival of the dinner tray. She managed to eat a small amount, hoping it would help the sick feeling in her stomach; however she was already back asleep when the nurse returned to retrieve the tray.

T
he next day
, Beth felt much clearer. She was stronger and even able to get out of bed with an aide’s help to take a shower and shampoo her hair. Afterward, she put on a clean gown on and was drying her hair with a towel while sitting in the chair by the window overlooking the parking lot.

She had hoped Razer or Evie would have come to visit her, at least letting her know what had happened after she had passed out, but no one came until late afternoon when the Sheriff finally arrived.

“Hello, Sheriff,” Beth greeted him when he didn’t see her sitting in the bed.

His concerned frown disappeared and a relieved smile replaced it. “So, you’re up and about already?”

“At least as far as this chair. I’m still a little dizzy if I move too fast, but it’s getting better.”

“Good.” The sheriff came to stand beside her as he looked out the window. “Want to tell me what happened yesterday?” he asked.

Beth told him about looking through the boxes and ended with where she had hidden the incriminating papers.

“Did Razer find the papers?”

“Yes. He found them when he went back to his room. Sam told him what you had found and what they were. She told everything she knew in order to try to cut a deal for herself. Bedford kept telling her to shut up.”

“He was going to kill me. Is he in jail?”

“No, he’s in the hospital also. Pretty bad shape, but he’ll live and stand trial for murder as well as your kidnapping.”

“So, was it true that he took Sam’s baby?”

“It looks like it. We have to wait for the evidence to come back to know without a doubt.”

“Poor Samantha.”

The Sheriff looked at her in amazement. “Poor Samantha? She kidnapped you, pistol whipped you, was going to let her father kill you, and you feel sorry for her?”

“Yes, you protect family. Always.”

The sheriff shook his head at the woman sitting before him. He had never met another person like her. Her soul was filled with concern for others more than herself. She had always been like that, even as a younger girl. There was no one, male or female, that he respected more than her.

“At least I don’t have to worry about someone trying to kill me now that the mystery is solved,” she said, relieved.

The sheriff hesitated. “Yes, it’s over. You can go back to your normal life.”

A thought struck her, which would explain why Razer hadn’t been to visit her. “Did Razer get in trouble for hurting Mr. Bedford? He was only trying to protect me… it was actually Loker James who beat him so badly.”

The Sheriff held up his hand, stopping her explanation. “I didn’t arrest him, or James, either. The way I wrote it down was self-defense. Cash backed his story up.”

“Oh… well, that’s a relief.” Beth bit her lip.

“The doctor said you’ll be released tomorrow. My wife plans to come by and help you out until you feel better.”

“No, I’ll be fine—”

“You know Rachel won’t take no for an answer, so no use in arguing. I brought your car to you. It’s in the lot.” Taking the keys out of his pocket, he handed them to her. “Rachel said to tell you she’d give you a few hours peace before she comes by.”

“Thanks, Sheriff. I appreciate all your help.”

“Anytime, Beth.”

The sheriff stayed until the nurse came in to take her vitals, but Beth barely paid attention to the nurse’s questions. She had been stunned when the Sheriff had handed her the keys to her car. It had been parked at the clubhouse. Razer would have to have given him the keys. Yet, he had sent no messages, nor had Evie. Beth tried hard not to be hurt, yet she couldn’t help feeling ignored by the people she had come to care about.

B
eth was released
the next day after the doctor gave her a final exam. Feeling much better, she happily signed her release papers. Once outside, she had no trouble locating her car. Beth came to a decision as she drove home. She was going to find out why no one had come by the hospital to check on her, why no one had even called.

All the way there, Beth tried to talk herself out of her decision. A feeling of foreboding came over her, reminding her that she should go home, but for once, she didn’t listen to the reasonable voice in her head that said to give it a couple of days.

When she pulled up to the house, the yard and porch were filled with bikers, none of them she recognized. As she walked to the front door, she was given many curious looks, but no one said anything to her.

Walking into the house she saw Razer immediately, Bliss was sitting on his lap with a black pair of leather shorts and a black vest completely open baring her breasts. Razer was sitting and playing with her nipple.

Once upon a time, Beth would have turned and ran away, unable to face the pain of jealousy that seeing him with another woman would evoke. Evie, who was sitting on Crash’s lap, was the first to see her and her mouth dropped open before a carefully closed expression came over her face.

Razer turned to see what had startled Evie and also saw Beth. He didn’t remove his hand, but the smile he’d been sporting disappeared in a flash.

Beth felt her legs carrying her across the room to stand before him. “Hi, Razer, Evie. I thought I would stop by and see if everyone was all right. I’d hoped you would come by the hospital to see me.” Beth’s voice was hesitant as she deliberately kept her eyes on Razer’s face while his hands stroked Bliss’s breasts.

“Didn’t need to; the Sheriff told us you were fine.” Razer gave a negligent shrug. “Since we found out who was responsible for stealing the money, we can open the factory. The other members came in from Ohio, so we’ve been busy celebrating.”

“I see that.”

“Actually, I’m glad you showed up.” Evie got up from Crash’s lap and opened the closet, dragging out Beth’s suitcase and a large canvas bag. Bringing both to Beth, she continued, “I was going to bring this down to your house later today. Since the factory is going to open full-time, I don’t need the extra work. My folders and keys are in the bag. Crash, could you take these to Beth’s car for her?”

Crash rose from the chair, picking up the suitcase and the bag before leaving the room. His look screamed that he was glad to escape the upcoming confrontation. Beth wanted to flee as well so that she could keep her pride intact, however she was determined to see it through to the bitter end.

“Can I talk to you in private for a few minutes?” she asked Razer.

“There’s no need. Look, there is no reason to make this hard, Beth. I let you crash here while there was a hit out on you, but now it’s over. We both had a good time, but I kinda need my room and my space back.” His hand dropped to delve between Bliss’s thighs. Her head fell back to his shoulder and her thighs spread wider.

Beth closed her eyes. “Please, Razer, I can…” Her voice trailed off as her pleading blue eyes stared into his emotionless ones.

“Listen, bitch, I don’t know how much more blunt I have to be, but here goes. We had fun, but I don’t want or need a permanent roommate. I like variety in my pussy, and I can see by the way you look at me that you’re getting too attached. I don’t want attachments. What I do want—again—is pussy. I offered you a place to stay that was safe while you needed it, you don’t need it anymore. The bad guy is in jail, so you’re safe. You can go home and I can have my room back.”

Razer stood up, holding Bliss who wrapped her legs tightly around his waist. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, I’m going to my room to see if her pussy is as tight as yours was when I popped your cherry.” With those last cutting words, Razer gave her his back, carrying a clinging Bliss up the stairs with him.

Beth stood there a few seconds after she heard his door close, forcing the nausea in her throat down. After several deep breaths, she pasted a fake smile on her face and left the house with everyone in the room a witness to her humiliation. In her car, she started it aware of several eyes watching her from the house, but she ignored them and carefully drove home.

Beth didn’t remember the drive, only realizing where she was when she sat down on the couch. She wasn’t sure how long she sat there before a knock brought her back to awareness. Automatically, she answered the door to find the Sheriff’s wife outside.

“Beth, you look horrible. I can’t believe they released you so soon. If I had realized you looked so bad, I would’ve been here immediately.”

“I’m fine. I just ran an errand before I came home and ended up overdoing it. As soon as I get some rest, I’ll be good as new.”

The woman’s sharp gaze studied her for several seconds before ushering her upstairs to bed, helping her to shower and then putting her to bed like a child. Pulling the covers over her, she even leaned down and brushed a small kiss on Beth’s bruised cheek.

“Don’t worry, dear, everything always looks better the next day.” Rachel turned the lights out, reminding her just to call out if she needed anything, since she was staying the night in Lily’s room. Beth wanted to argue with her, but exhaustion and heartache stopped her. She was too tired to put up an argument.