Page 2 of Archer (Dirty Misfits MC 3)
I raked my nails against the floor, trying to get to her. “Kick, Susie! Just like I taught you!”
“Arch—no! Stop it! Please! Archer! Archer!”
“Archer!”
Astrid’s voice snapped me out of my trance, and I leapt to my feet. “What do you need?”
Josie sniffled. “Water?”
Astrid nodded. “She’s thirsty. We want to see how water sits on her stomach.”
I looked down and saw the extensive bruising on her torso. There were boot prints that had been clearly imprinted into her skin and I relished the opportunity to leave the room. Because if I didn’t, I wasn’t liable for what might happen.
Especially since Cole’s bedroom sat right next to a storage unit we housed in the clubhouse for an emergency cache of weapons.
“Be right back,” I murmured.
I tore out of the room and stormed down the hallway, trying to clear my mind of that awful, disgusting moment. I blinked back tears as my sister’s voice echoed off the corners of my mind, begging me to help her. Begging me to stop them.
Begging me for something I couldn’t provide for her.
“Damn it, Susie,” I whispered to myself.
“How is she?” Porter asked.
I ripped a bottle of water out of the fridge. “It’s so fucking bad, man. I can’t—I can’t even talk—”
Brooks placed his hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay, we get it.”
No, you don’t. “Yeah, I know.”
I cracked the bottle open and took a swig of it myself, though I wished to fuck-on-high the liquid had been vodka instead. I drew in a deep breath and calmed the raging sea of disgust in the pit of my stomach. I turned on the balls of my feet and started back down the hallway, taking the opened bottle of water with me.
And when I slipped back into the bedroom, Cole and Astrid had Josie sitting upright.
I held the bottle up. “I took a bit of a sip.”
Josie stared at the drink in my hand. “Half the bottle is ‘a bit of a sip?’”
Astrid giggled. “Give it here; it’s fine.”
Josie wrinkled her nose. “I don’t like drinking after others.”
I handed the bottle to Astrid. “I promise I don’t have cooties.”
Josie groaned. “Trust me, cooties are the least of my worries right now.”
Cole stood to his feet. “I just gave her some pain medication in her upper arm, and it seems to already be working. She’s a bit more alert now that her brain isn’t clouded.”
I eased myself back into my chair. “What can she take for the pain outside of that?”
Cole walked over to one of his trunks before pulling out an orange pill bottle. “These.”
Josie sipped her water. “What are those?”
Cole bobbed his head as he counted the pills before walking back over to the bed. “Each pill is a miniature dose of hydrocodone. You can take one in the morning, and then another one twelve hours later.”
Astrid reached for the pills. “Perfect. I’ll get her set up on a schedule.”
Josie shook her head. “No. I’m not going with you.”
Astrid snickered. “Don’t be insane, Josie. Of course, you’re coming back with me and Porter.”
But Josie stayed steadfast. “Astrid, you’re just now starting a life with a man you’ve been fighting to be with since you were a teenager. I’m not throwing a wrench into that.”
“You’re hardly a wrench, Josie, since we’re using first names now. You’re my best fucking friend. There’s no one else better suited to—”
I raised my hand. “She can come stay with me if it’s that big of a deal.”
The room fell silent as Cole shot me a curious look. Astrid’s eyebrows slowly rose. I felt Josie’s beautiful eyes on me, albeit bruised, battered, and swollen still. And when Astrid scoffed, I simply dug my heels in deeper.
“She’s not going home with you,” she said.
I shrugged. “Then let Josie make the decision.”
Josie sipped her water again. “If it’s my call, I’m heading home.”
“No,” Astrid and I said in unison.
Cole chuckled. “The three of you can figure this out on your own. My job is done. Josie?”
She looked up at Cole. “Yeah?”
He pointed at her. “No more than two. You have just enough of a supply for ten days, but after that I can only recommend Tylenol and ibuprofen interchanged to help with the pain. Don’t take any more—or any less—than one every twelve hours. Got it?”
She nodded, pain wafting behind her eyes. “Got it.”
And once he left the room, the argument picked up where it left off.
“You’re my best friend,” Astrid said as she brushed some hair away from Josie’s forehead, “and I want to make sure you’re taken care of.”
Josie finished off the rest of the water. “Well, the water is sitting fine, and I’m actually getting hungry. In a few days, I’ll be back on my feet and feeling just fine. The bruises will be around longer than the pain, is what Cole told me. So, all I want to do is ride this out at home. Where I feel safest.”
