Lake’s Legacy (Demon Dawgs MC: New Orleans #3)

Chapter Eight Olivia

CHAPTER EIGHT: OLIVIA

Before I met Lake, I never saw myself riding on the back of a motorcycle. They were death traps—donor cycles. So, I was unprepared for the first time I climbed behind Lake. Unprepared for the feeling of freedom. I was certainly unprepared to enjoy it as much as I did. There is something intimate about wrapping yourself around your man, feeling the throbbing machine between your legs, and the sexiness of watching him easily control the powerful machine. My analytical mind knows that we’re one careless driver away from death, but I still feel safe riding behind Lake.

Much too soon, we pull up at Tulane Hospital. Cleo and Delphine climb off their men’s bikes to join me as we enter the hospital lobby. The guys come in behind us but sit to wait for us while I take the girls up to the second floor.

I go straight to my locker and check inside. Since I’ve only worked there for a week, I haven’t had much time to accumulate too many things. I have travel-size bottles of soap, shampoo, conditioner, and an extra pair of scrubs. As I expected, I didn’t find my phone. The girls and I search the locker room. Lockers line the walls with benches in between. We searched under the benches and tried each locker with no luck.

“Try calling her phone,” Cleo suggests to Delphine. “Maybe whoever took it didn’t turn it off.”

Delphine takes out her phone and makes the call. We hear a phone ring and follow the sound to the laundry cart outside the shower. The cart is half full of damp towels and dirty scrubs. Digging through them to the bottom of the cart, my hand brushes over something hard. Grabbing it, I pull out my phone.

The door to the nurse’s lounge opens, and Joyce steps in. Her eyes go wide when she spots Cleo and Delphine. I’m guessing she’s wondering why two biker chicks wearing property carts are in the lounge.

“Hi, Joyce.”

Her eyes snap to me and widen further. “Olivia? What are you doing here? I thought you were off for a few days.”

“I am, but I lost my phone. The last time I had it was at the hospital, so I returned to look for it.” I show her my phone before stepping over to the hand sanitizer dispenser. I pump out a couple of dollops, which I use to sanitize my hands and my phone.

“You found it? That’s good. I’ve lost my phone once or twice. What a pain. I once dropped it in the laundry cart with my scrubs and a towel. I didn’t realize what I’d done until the next day. Luckily, I got back here just as they were wheeling out the cart,” Joyce says before moving to her locker and pulling out her purse. “Is that what happened to you?”

“No. I didn’t put anything in the cart, so I do not know how it happened. Look, Joyce, you and the other nurses need to be careful. Someone tampered with my car last night, so I broke down a few blocks from here. Two men wearing scrubs and masks arrived in a van. They were looking for me. I hid and managed to avoid them before my friends showed up.”

Joyce’s eyes grow wider as I tell her my story. Then she shakes her head. “Are you sure they weren’t just doctors stopping to offer their help? Why would they try to kidnap you?”

“Someone tampered with her car,” Cleo says. “The same way someone tampered with Talia’s cars. Possibly Marcia’s as well.”

Joyce narrows her eyes at Cleo. I can see the argument forming in her mind. “Joyce, they almost ran me down, and they tried to drag me into the van. They would have succeeded if it wasn’t for the Demon Dawgs.”

“The Demon Dawgs?” Joyce looks at me, her eyes going wide again. She’s certainly giving them a workout.

Cleo turns so Joyce can see the club logo on the back of her property kutte. “Demon Dawgs. My man is Hex. He’s the President and Delphine’s son. Delphine is with Hex’s vice president, Dixie. Olivia is with Lake.”

“You don’t have on a vest,” Joyce says.

“Lake and I have only been together for a few weeks. He hasn’t claimed me.”

“Yet,” adds Delphine. “Soon, though.”

While I want to believe she’s right, I can’t think about it now. I need to ensure Joyce understands the danger she and the rest of the nurses face. “Just be careful, okay? If you break down, get out of your car and hide. Maybe carpool with other staff members if you can. I don’t know how they disabled my car, so I can’t tell you what to look for under the hood.”

Joyce shrugs. “I wouldn’t know what I was looking for. Okay, I’ll be careful. Did you tell the cops?”

“Not yet, but I will. I don’t want what happened to Talia and Marcia to happen to you or others. So be vigilant.”

Joyce nods as we leave her standing by the nurse’s lounge.

“Maybe I should tell security what happened,” I muse.

“Let’s talk to the guys first,” Delphine says. “You can always call security later and tell them what happened.”

“Why not now?”

“Because they might be in on it,” Cleo says. “If they know you suspect your attackers tampered with your car here or were responsible for hiding your phone, then they might erase the camera footage.”

I nod at her reasoning. A few days won’t matter, right?

I sure hope not.

“Did you find your phone?” Lake asks when we join the men.

I hold it up so he can see it. “Found it in the laundry cart. But I know I didn’t drop it in there.”

He nods. “Whoever took it didn’t want anyone to find it on their person. They likely dropped it in there to hide it; if the cops found it, it would appear like you accidentally dropped it. Smart.”

“I told a nurse I work with about the attack. I hope that’s okay. I just wanted to warn her in case the assholes try again. I should tell security, but Cleo suggested they might be in on it. Looking the other way when they tamper with the car.”

“She might be right. Whoever the fuck these guys are probably need someone in security to watch their backs. If Pirate gains access to their network, he can search the video, see who was on security then, and run him.”

“Are we headed back to the clubhouse now?”

“We’re stopping for lunch first. Pirate wants to double-check his access before we get back there.”

The restaurant we stop at is only a few blocks from the hospital. It’s charming and has a French Quarter feel. A wrought-iron fence surrounds a pretty outdoor seating area, and diners fill most tables even in cooler weather. We follow Cleo and Hex inside the restaurant. Cleo glances around as if looking for someone.

“Cleo, my beautiful angel, you’ve been away far too long!” The man who approaches us is tall and almost painfully thin. He wears his long dark hair pulled back into a sleek tail that falls down his back. His eyes are a clear blue. He’s wearing a silk suit the color of smoke, a shirt that matches his eyes, and a maroon tie. He sweeps Cleo up into a hug and swings her around. He puts her on her feet seconds after Hex's loud growl. Hex pulls Cleo back into his arms and glowers at the man. Hex’s reaction makes the man chuckle. “I see you’ve found yourself a caveman—good for you, Princess Cleo. You deserve someone who appreciates you. Do not worry, Mr. Caveman. Cleo is like the daughter I never had. My name is Francois, and I own this restaurant.”

Hex shakes Francois’ hand reluctantly. Francois beams at him before glancing at our group. “Nine for lunch? Outside, or would you like to stay in where it is warmer?”

“You know I always eat outside,” Cleo says. “You wouldn’t happen to have…”

“Your favorite spot? Of course. I save it only for the people I like. Therefore, it is almost always available.”

Cleo laughs as Francois leads us outside the restaurant onto the patio. However, he doesn't stop until he reaches a section hidden from view behind a wrought-iron fence covered in magnolias and wisteria. We pass through an archway before he stops at the single table large enough to accommodate our group.

“Here is the menu, but I hope you will let me choose for you,” Francois says once we’re seated.

“You choose, Francois. You’ve never let me down.”