Endurance (The Sin Trilogy 4)

“Greer has to go. I can’t let her be the catalyst that drives Lorna further away.”

“I rarely see Lorna since she left the bar.” It’s like she fell off the face of the earth. “What is she doing now?”

“Hating me.”

“Lorna hates what you did to her. Not you. Big difference.”

“I hate you, you son of a bitch. That sort of leads me to believe she could.”

I’ve seen the love Lorna has for Leith. It’s powerful but she is a stubborn, headstrong lass. She wears her pain like stilettos, only allowing you to see the beauty while she hides the pain.

“Lorna only said that because she was embarrassed. You yanked her off stage in front of a crowded audience of brothers.”

Leith asked Sin and me to go to the strip club with him that night in case anything went down. The fight he and Lorna had afterwards was bad. Very bad.

Leith pounds his chest with his hands. “What she should have been embarrassed about was her tits hanging out for all the brothers to see.”

“She wasn’t topless.” Yet.

“She was untying the string when I got up there. She was about to show her tits to every brother in the audience.”

Why can’t Lorna see that she was hurting herself as much as she was hurting Leith? “You stopped her. She didn’t show them anything they wouldn’t see if she were at the beach wearing a bikini.”

Leith sits back in his chair, shaking his head. “She’s still so damn angry. I know I fucked up but how long is she going to punish me? It’s been almost a year.”

“I don’t know, mate.” I’ve been told women have long memories.

“I love the fuck out of her. I just want to take her in my arms and tell her how sorry I am, but she won’t even let me do that. She refuses to listen to anything I have to say.”

There’s always been a storm brewing with Leith and Lorna. I saw it coming when the three of us were fucking her. It’s why I stopped. I didn’t want to be there when the shite went down.

Sin was somewhat of a selfish bastard back then so he was completely oblivious to what was happening between Leith and Lorna. I should have said something. I should have warned him to stop before it was too late. But I was silent because I didn’t want to rock the boat. I will always regret that decision. What we did with Lorna will always hang over our heads.

Sin and Leith healed their relationship after Bleu insisted they talk about their troubles. But I’ve never had that conversation with Leith. I’ve never asked him to forgive me. I’ve never asked him to put my past with Lorna behind us.

And I haven’t told Ellison what I did with one of her best friends. Granted, it happened before I knew her but it isn’t pretty. I don’t know what she’ll think about it.

“You need to show Lorna you don’t see her as a whore. Romance her.”

“Hard to romance someone who won’t give you the time of day.”

“I’m sure women like romance, but Ellison told me that she wants an alpha who takes what he wants and is unapologetic about it. A man in control. Maybe it’s time you stopped giving Lorna the option of ignoring you.”

“My wife is tough but she likes being dominated when it comes to sex.” Sin shrugs. “Jamie could be onto something here. Maybe you don’t give her the option of not listening.”

“Oh, looky here. It’s the motherfucking titty police.”

Neil and Ross. I hate those fuckers. Always getting drunk here at Duncan’s and mouthing off about some nonsense.

“Titty Police. What’s that supposed to mean?” Leith asks the question but we all know what Neil is referring to.

“It means I looked at Lorna’s tits through her pub uniform the entire time she worked for you, and I was finally going to get to see them bare. Maybe even get a handful of them for the right kind of tip, but you fucked it up for me.”

Oh, shite. That was the wrong thing to say to Leith.

“You, motherfucker.” Leith springs up from his chair, flipping it backward on to the floor, as he lunges at Neil with a clenched hand ready to take a swing. Leith’s fist makes contact with the center of Neil’s face. I instantly recognize the broken nose before the blood gushes or the moaning begins. You just don’t go around starting fights with someone who’s been boxing for as long as us. Dumb fucker.

Sin and I get up from the table to move away from the brawl going down and Ross charges, knocking me to the floor and landing on top of me. Oh, fuck no. Shite’s not going down like this.

I flip us over so I’m on top and punch the bastard three good times before I feel a sharp pain to my right bicep. And then I see the blood. The motherfucker knifed me. I grab his wrist and slam it against the floor, freeing the blade from his hand, before I get to my feet and kick the shite out of him.

I hear Sin’s commanding voice over my shoulder. I hate when he uses that tone on me. “Stop, Jamie. We need Ross to fight in the takeover. He won’t be able to do that if you maim or kill him.”

I get one last kick in on Ross. “Arsehole can go to the emergency room. I’m not treating the fucker who knifed me for no good reason. Don’t care if he’s drunk or not.”

“There’ll be no emergency room for these two tonight. They get to visit Sangster for penance first.” Sin motions for two handlers to come forward and carry Neil and Ross away.

Those have to be the two dumbest fuckers in The Fellowship. I’m ashamed to call them brothers.

I take my arm out of my sleeve and examine the cut on my bicep. “Who takes care of the doctor? We didn’t think that one through very well, did we?”

“You have a nurse who can stitch that.”

“Not in her scope of practice.”

“It is tonight.”

Sin takes his phone from his pocket. “I’ll tell Ellison to meet us at the infirmary.”

Sin grins at Leith before he phones Ellison. “Lorna’s at my house right now. She might come too if you were injured while defending her honor. She might even offer a little gratitude.”

Leith takes his knife from his back pocket and cuts a gash across the top of his lower arm. “Will this need stitches?”

Leith holds out his arm for me to assess. “A few.”

“Maybe her leader should request her presence so she can hold my hand for support since I fought valiantly to defend her honor.”

“Done.”

The front door of the infirmary opens after we pull into the drive. Leith has a clear v

iew of Lorna standing in the doorway . . . waiting for him.

“She came. I almost can’t believe my eyes.” Leith is unmoving after I turn off the engine. “I’m nervous. I haven’t seen her since the strip club.”

“What are you going to say to her?”

“No idea.”

“It’s going to take Ellison a while to stitch me up. I’m going to have her do you first. I figure you’ll be out of here in thirty minutes or less. You might want to ask Lorna for a ride home and use that time alone to take control and make her hear what you have to say.”

“I think I have to if there’s any hope for us.”

Ellison rushes to me as we approach the house and inspects the blood-soaked towel around my arm. “Doc, you’re supposed to treat patients. Not become one.”

“I assure you this was no fault of my own.”

“What happened?”

“We were minding our own business when Rutherford came by our table and mouthed off about Lorna. Leith jumped him. Sin and I were moving away from the table when Underwood charged me. No idea why. Was showing him what years of boxing with Leith and Sin had taught me. Guessing he knew he was getting his arse kicked so he knifed me.”

Ellison puts her hands on each side of my face. “Still think you’re not a fighter?”

She kisses my mouth before I have a chance to reply. “Let’s get you inside so I can have a better look at these wounds under the exam light.”

Ellison sends Leith and Lorna to trauma one and follows me into trauma two. “I’m sure you’re aware I’ve never sutured before.”

“I’m sure you’re aware I don’t care. Besides, I already know you can do it because you’re talented.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere, Doc.”

“Does that include me getting in your pants? ’Cause that’s where I really want to be.” This surge of adrenaline needs an outlet.

“We’ll see.”

I crawl onto the bed, lying on my side with my injured arm up for Ellison to examine. “Oh, Jamie. That’s a long gash. And deep.”

“That’s why I want you to stitch Leith first. He needs two or three tiny sutures and then he can be on his way.” I grin. “It’ll give you a chance to practice your skills before you work on me.”