Curly (Hell's Handlers MC Florida Chapter 1)

“What the fuck?” he muttered after reading the first one.

Threats. Five in all, each a little more ominous than the last. Fury like he’d only known one other time in his life began to bubble in his veins. The fire was an escalation of these threats. Someone was going to die tonight.

“Looks like it’s been going on a little while.”

“Christ.” He scrubbed a hand down his grimy face. Why the fuck hadn’t Brooke mentioned someone was threatening her?

“Figured you didn’t know about it. You don’t seem the type to let someone get away with threatening your woman.”

As he was about to tell David Brooke wasn’t his woman, he met the other man’s grave gaze. He could say whatever he wanted, but both of them knew it was bullshit.

Brooke was his woman, and David was right. He sure as fuck wasn’t the type to let some fucker get away with harassing her. “Thanks, man,” he said, working to keep the fury from spilling out. “I’ll take care of this.”

With a single nod, David said, “See that you do. She’s important to us.” Then he went to his wife, who was just as dirty and waiting beside their vehicle full of unhappy dogs.

Curly watched them drive off with rage simmering just beneath the surface of his skin.

Brooke had some serious explaining to do.

Two hours later, he wasn’t any less livid. He’d come close to punching a doctor and tossing a chair out the ER’s waiting room window. They wouldn’t allow in the treatment room while the staff attended to Brooke’s burns, but at least she’d authorized them to speak to him about her injuries. He’d learned the fire scorched her palms and knees when she’d crawled over the hot ash. Her arms had multiple burns from falling debris, and her lower back had one hell of a bruise from a hunk of wood that had landed on her.

Christ, what if it had hit her head instead of her back? She’d be in here with a different set of problems.

All in all, she’d been lucky. None of the burns were worse than second degree. No surgery or skin grafts would be required, and she’d heal without significant scarring. The news should have settled him, but with each injury, the ER doctor ticked off, Curly only grew more agitated. The only thing keeping him from ripping the waiting room to shreds had been the arrival of his guys. Pulse stood by his side, asking all the right questions and helping to explain whenever the medical lingo flew over Curly’s head.

“You think it’s Prick?” Tracker asked below his breath after the physician had hustled off. Everyone in this place seemed to walk at top speed all the time.

Curly had called Tyler as soon as he’d been on the road to the hospital. Ty informed the rest of the guys, and they’d all met up at the hospital.

Brotherhood.

Fuck, it was good to have these men at his back. Knowing they’d always be there was even better. Knowing they’d have his back in destroying the fucker who hurt Brooke was the icing on the cake.

“Gotta be,” Curly answered as he cracked his knuckles. If he didn’t keep moving, he’d claw off his own skin. When he’d been released from prison, he’d vowed to never be in a position of helplessness again. Though his insides churned with the same turmoil he’d experienced when convicted, he wasn’t helpless now. He needed to remember that. He could take action, it would only have to wait a short while. Until he’d spoken to Brooke. “She antagonized him to his face. Told him she’d do whatever she needed to put him out of business. This is his way of keeping her in line.”

Though on the quieter side, Lock’s deadly gaze told them all they’d need to know. He was pissed and ready for battle. “What’re we gonna do about it?” he asked in a deadly voice.

“If these fucking nurses would let me see her,” Curly yelled.

Scott snickered.

A nurse hustled by, glaring at him.

He glared right back.

Yeah, you’re one of the ones keeping me from my woman.

Unfortunately, nurses were made of tough shit, and none of them cowered or gave in to his bullying.

“Soon as they let me see her, I’m gonna ask her exactly what the fuck went down with these fucking notes. Long as she hasn’t crossed anyone else recently, I’m going after Prick.”

Ty and Tracker shared a look. “Think someone else might have it out for her business?”

“Who the fuck knows,” he grumbled. She’d kept the threatening notes from him, so who knew what other secrets she’d been hiding? He’d been down the road of having a woman lie to him and couldn’t believe he was there again.

“Go easy on her,” Pulse said. “She’s been through a lot of shit tonight.”