The Rampage MC #4: Max and Briony

Chapter 1 (Briony): Reality Had Bitten Back

Copyright © 2024 by GroveltoHEA

The beep beep beep of the monitors slowly filtered into my consciousness again. I knew I'd awakened a couple of times before because I knew where I was now -- the hospital -- but this time I was more aware and alert.

"Well, good morning," a kind voice said to my left. I turned my head slowly and saw a nurse checking my vitals. "I'm Van and I'm your nurse today."

Then she asked me a bunch of questions -- how are you feeling, how's your pain -- and then she looked right at me, her eyes so full of concern I could have cried, though I couldn't say why. By nature, I wasn't a crier. Maybe it was the pain meds making me weepy. Maybe it was my broken heart.

"Given the nature of your injuries and you being unconscious, we haven't allowed anyone into your room. If a relative of yours had shown up and proven that relation, we would have let them in."

"I don't have any family," I croaked. "Could I...have some water, please?"

She adjusted my bed so I was sitting up more and then handed me my water cup, and I grasped it in my non-casted hand and sipped from the straw, letting the water soothe my throat. Sweet relief.

I tallied up my injuries: broken wrist, fractured humerus, broken nose, two swollen eyes, split lips and some very sore ribs that, fortunately, weren't broken. Slight concussion and now a headache, but I was alive. And when my ex-boyfriend had kicked the door in two nights ago, from the look in his eyes, that outcome was anything but certain.

As he'd promised, Gene had found me and done a number on me. In the five minutes I'd been left alone, he'd gotten to me and exacted his pound of flesh. He'd been lying in wait for an opportunity and he'd been handed one on a silver platter.

I'd been left unprotected because Max, the man who should have been protecting me two nights ago -- should have been being the operative phrase here -- had gotten an SOS call from Wendie. Wendie the woman who still maintained a tight grip on Max even though she'd broken up with him, had broken his heart because she couldn't deal with the biker lifestyle.

But fucking Wendie had called, as always, needing help this time because her car had stalled on the side of a dark, not-well-traveled road. And she was scared and oh, please, Max, can you come get me...Max had shot me a look as he hesitated at the door. 

"A prospect will be here in less than five minutes. I've gotta go."

Gene had shown up as soon as Max was down the road. Fortunately, the prospect had arrived before Gene finished things and the prospect had taken care of Gene. Decisively. In such a way I would never have to worry about that horrible man again. Never would I forget the relief I felt when Gene slumped to the floor. Then I'd passed out from the pain.

"So we have a waiting room filled with about five bikers from the Rampage MC," Van said to me, drawing my attention back to her. "They're taking shifts. The only thing stopping them from barging in here is the security guard at your door, but they haven't left and one in particular has been the most persistent over the past two days. He hasn't left at all and he comes up to the nurses' station every half hour, asking for an update. We won't give him one."

I knew who it was. No doubt in my mind. The one who was feeling guilty. Max, who just had to run off to rescue fucking Wendie. Max, who had left me open to an attack.

For the seven months he'd been on my protection detail, I'd been falling in love with a man I knew wasn't fully available. That was on me for being yet another woman certain I could eventually get him over his ex. Wendie came up frequently, needing Max to help her move a couch, move in a new table, change a freaking lightbulb, go with her to pick out a rescue dog.

Every time her name appeared on his phone, off he ran.

When he was with me, though, he was with me. Saying the right things, asking me to be patient, being tender, telling me he was starting to have feelings...until she called again. I'd believed Max when he'd said he was catching feelings for me, slowly but surely, but as with many women, my wishful thinking didn't mean it was reality.

Reality had bitten back hard.

I licked my dry lips, then looked up at Van. "Can you ask the man named Max to come in, please? He won't be here long. I just need to speak to him for a minute. And...can you stay in the room, please?"

She nodded, her eyes narrowed on me, trying to puzzle out what was about to go down, but she went off to call in Max.

Seconds later, he burst into my room, followed by Van.

"Oh, fuck, Briony," he said, coming straight for me. "Oh, fuck, I'm so --"

"Save it," I said, holding up my good hand to stop him from touching me. I could see his eyes taking in all my injuries, cataloguing them, each one another mark in his list of reasons to feel guilty.

Despite my hand out to stop him, he still reached for me, and I snapped don't touch me in a voice he'd never heard from me.

He couldn't stop looking at me, all dark, guilty eyes, all anguish at seeing what had happened to me.

"You don't get to apologize," I said. "You made a choice, it had consequences and you don't get to boo-hoo now about how sorry you are. I called you in here to tell you to leave the waiting room. There's no longer a need to protect me so I won't be returning to your house and I'm no longer under your care. You're all relieved of duty as of this moment. Thank you for your service....such as it was. And please thank Darren for saving my life; if it weren't for him, I wouldn't be here right now, and if it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here right now. When Kadie gets back to town, I'll have her tell Orion that you all met your obligation to him."

"Bri, please --" He tried again, and I looked at Van. 

"I'm done with him. Please make him leave."

"Please, Briony, just listen to me," Max pleaded, his voice harsh. "We're not done --"

"Oh, you're so wrong," I said. "We were done the minute you left me to go take care of Wendie. You made your choice, Max, and it wasn't me."

Then I turned my head away from him, closed my eyes and let Van -- and eventually the security guard -- deal with getting him out of my room.

Copyright © 2024 by GroveltoHEA