Jackson (MC Sinners #7)

27 – Serenity

“ C iara, shh, you’re being too loud,” I giggle, then wince because it has my whole body hurting.

Ciara grins at me, then continues making puppets out of the gloves. Janine and Addison are both here, too. They all brought dinner and decided to stay with me for a few hours. I’m starting to regret that decision, considering we’ve already been told off twice for being too loud.

Ciara waves her gloved hand. “Oh poo. That nurse can fight me.”

Janine giggles. “Now that I’d like to see.”

“I want to see security haul her out. Now that would be funny,” Addison grins.

“Yeah ha-ha, you’re all so funny,” Ciara scoffs, then throws a glove puppet at me. “Tell me, have you and Jackson had dirty hot hospital sex yet?”

Addison scowls at Ciara. “Don’t even start.”

“We have,” I tease lightly, winking at Addison. “He showered me, and let’s just say, things got heated...”

“Ew,” Addison covers her ears, shaking her head. “La, la, la...”

“Grandad’s still got it,” Ciara raises her hands above her head.

I roll my eyes at both of them.

“Well, I have something a little juicy to share,” Janine says, and then her cheeks grow red.

“Oh girl, that expression has me wondering what the hell it is you’re about to say,” Addison yells, her eyes wide.

“Spill,” I encourage.

“Muff and I...had another man in the bed. Twice.”

We all squeal, loudly.

“Oh, my word, stop it. You two are animals. Tell me everything,” Ciara sings.

I flush because I remember exactly how good it felt to have two men. It’s an experience that I’d recommend any woman have if she was comfortable. Muff is a good lover, so I’m certain whoever they brought in would have made everything even better.

“Tell us everything. Leave nothing out,” Addison leans back in the hospital chair, crossing her legs.

“I don’t kiss and tell,” Janine smiles, her cheeks flushing. “But let’s just say, it took us to a whole new level in our relationship. The trust, the connection, I don’t know...”

“That poor baby,” Ciara teases. “Traumatized before birth.”

Janine laughs. “Lucky it’s early still...”

“You’re all animals,” I giggle.

“That’s it!”

The door swings open and the nurse steps in, throwing her hands up. She’s about sixty and has a tight bun pulling her face back, and steel gray eyes. She’s short, stumpy, and a right bitch. It makes me wonder how people like this continue to stay in their profession. She’s obviously had enough.

“You girls are going to leave right now.”

Addison smothers a giggle and Ciara crosses her arms. “We’re not doing anything wrong.”

“The entire ward just heard your squeals. We have patients, you’re being disrespectful. Now get out before I have security throw you out.”

I bite my lip. “You guys should go.”

They all push to their feet. “Fine,” Ciara huffs. “But if you’re not nice to my girl Serenity here, I’m going to find out, and I’m going to come back.”

“Ciara!” Janine scoffs, her eyes wide.

The nurse scowls at her. “Be careful, girly. I can have you thrown out.”

“So you’ve told me.”

Oh boy.

“It’s okay, I’m fine. You guys should leave before I get thrown out,” I try to smother my laughter.

They all hug me and then walk past the nurse, giving her a look on their way out. Oh my. Those girls are trouble, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. The nurse watches them go and then storms in to check my lines and give me my nighttime medication.

She tugs and pulls furiously.

“Your bedside manner sucks,” I say, then my eyes widen when I realize it actually came out of my mouth.

“Excuse me?”

I swallow, and then continue. “I’m not trying to be rude, and I know my friends were loud, but if you don’t like being a nurse, you should get another job. Because right now, the way you’re handling me is pretty damn rude.”

She tugs the IV in my arm so hard I yelp.

Another nurse steps into the room, her eyes narrowing on the older woman. “I’ll take it from here, Sheryl.”

Sheryl lets go of my arm and turns, storming out, muttering under her breath as she does. The younger nurse comes over and offers me a warm smile. “I’m sorry about her, she really is rude.”

“I mean, we did annoy her with how loud we were.”

The nurse waves her hand. “We’re still within visiting hours, and you girls were only having fun. We’ve seen worse here, trust me. She just has zero personality.”

“That’s putting it lightly.”

The nurse laughs and finishes up, closing the door behind her. I pull out the phone Jackson brought me, now I can finally have one, and I dial his number. He answers on the second ring, his voice husky and sleepy, a sound that makes the blood rush through my veins a little faster.

God, I need him.

“Did I wake you?” I murmur, my voice low.

“No baby, I was just layin’ in bed with Ava.”

“Is she asleep?”

“Yeah, can’t bring myself to move her.”

Sweet, gentle man.

“I wish I was there,” I say softly.

“Me too, darlin’. How did your visit go?”

I tell him all about the nurse and how the girls got kicked out. He snorts a laugh. “Jesus, can’t take them anywhere. Sounds like the nurse needs a career change.”

“I would say so,” I laugh, and then pause for a minute. “I hate being in here alone.”

“You’ll be home in a couple of days, baby. No more hiding. Everything will be back to normal.”

The only thing that keeps me going is knowing that.

“Yeah. I can’t wait to put Ava to bed, to just spend an entire day with her. I’ve missed so much.”

“You’ll get it all back, I promise you.”

“I better let you get to sleep,” I say softly. “I love you, Jackson.”

“Love you too, darlin’.”

I hang up the phone with a smile on my face.

I really do have it all.

"JACKSON," I WHISPER , my fingers curling around his biceps, shaking him gently. "Jacks, wake up."

His eyes flutter open, taking a moment to focus. Rubbing a hand down his face, he sits up, reaching out to touch mine, as if ensuring I'm real. "Baby, what's wrong?"

"I know this sounds insane, but... Jacks, I saw someone outside the window while I was checking on Ava."

He's out of bed in an instant, tossing the covers back, his powerful stride quickly carrying him across the room as he throws the door open and charges downstairs. He doesn't hesitate, grabbing his gun and bursting through the front door without pause. My heart races as I follow, stopping at the door and watching as he sweeps his flashlight across the empty road.

It's midnight, maybe later, and I couldn’t sleep so I got up to check on Ava. I was watching her when I got up and walked over, closing her window because it was feeling a little cold. That’s when I'm certain I saw a figure outside. I couldn't tell if it was male or female, but whoever it was, they were definitely staring at the house. When I pulled back the curtains fully, they slipped back into the shadows.

It's been a chaotic week since I left the hospital, and I'm still on heavy painkillers for my foot. Maybe I imagined it. Am I just not thinking clearly? I feel fine now, though. I didn't even take a painkiller tonight. Could it be a lingering effect? My mind fills with unease.

I don’t feel like I was imagining this, I am so certain I saw someone.

Jackson paces up and down the silent road, shining his light into the woods. After a few tense minutes, he turns and starts back. He pauses in the middle of the road, bending down to pick something up. He examines it closely, then scans the surroundings once more.

Something feels off.

It’s a sense in my chest that is screaming for my body to listen, for my heart to act, for my brain to make me retreat. Maybe it’s because I was in such a dangerous situation less than a week ago, and I’m on high alert, but I’m still not convinced that I’m making this up.

Jackson returns to the house and extends his hand, a charm bracelet dangling from his finger. That’s odd. I take it, narrowing my eyes as I inspect it. It's not mine, and I haven't seen it on any woman at the club. I have no idea who it belongs to. I guess someone dropped it on their daily walk, I always see people strolling by.

"Found it on the road," he murmurs. "Could have been someone passing by, but look at the charms..."

I step inside, switch on the kitchen light, and examine the charms. The first one is a dagger with a snake coiled around it. Intriguing, but not alarming. The second is a heart with a crack through it. So, this person has a dark side, that’s not a crime. The third is a dog. Okay, well that means they love dogs. I don’t see what I’m missing here.

"Interesting combo," I murmur, looking at him, urging him to tell me why it matters.

He crosses his arms. "Yeah, it is. I've got a feeling it was left there intentionally."

I shake my head, confused. "Why would someone drop a bracelet? Obviously, it means something to them so I can’t imagine why they would leave it for someone else to find."

"To send a message."

I'm puzzled. "Jacks, you're not making sense."

"A dagger could mean revenge."

I shake my head. "Or maybe they just have a taste for dark things."

"A broken heart..."

Again, not making sense. "So, they've had a tough life..."

"Now consider the last charm," he insists.

"A dog?"

He shakes his head. "No, baby, a Hound ."

My eyes widen as I take a closer look. The dog isn't just any dog; it's a hound. I jerk my head up. It finally makes sense, what he’s saying. "Oh my God. Someone left this as a threat."

"Yep," Jackson nods. "Hound didn't just have his son, he had someone else out there fighting for him, and we've stirred up a hornet's nest by taking him out."

"But who?" I whisper, a chill running down my spine.

"Got to be a woman."

I guess that is an obvious answer, considering it is a bracelet. Hound has been in prison for a long time, how in the hell could he have a woman on the outside. Did he just meet her, or has she been loyal since he got locked away? I try to search my brain, trying to remember if I ever saw him with a woman.

"You think she wants revenge?" I ask, my mind spinning.

Jackson turns, locking the door securely. "I'd bet on it."

Just when we thought we were done with danger.

Oh, how wrong we were.