We arrived at the clubhouse in just under five minutes, and it appeared that every motorcycle in the compound was lined up out front. The entrance door was propped open, the sound of laughter and rock music floating out into the evening air. Ace led me inside with the quiet confidence of a man who knew he belonged here while I staggered along beside him.
The interior was about what I expected, dotted with well-used furniture and pool tables throughout the space. Along the back wall, Ace’s club brethren drank beer and talked shop at the bar. I wasn’t entirely certain of his motives for bringing me here until we reached a separate corridor at the back of the building. This area was set up like a hotel with rooms along either side of the hall. Some were closed while others remained open, and it didn’t take long to figure out what they were used for.
As we passed one door, a grunting sound filtered out, followed by the audible slapping of flesh coming together. My stomach roiled, but the question on my mind died in my throat as Ace stopped beside one of the empty rooms and gestured me inside.
The space was small and basic. A nightstand, a bed, and a table. But all those objects blurred into the background as my eyes found the pretty brunette nurse I recognized from the hospital. She was sitting in one of the chairs, flipping through a magazine, comfortable enough to indicate this wasn’t her first visit here.
A bitter taste coated my tongue as my eyes carved a path over her. My green-eyed monster tried to find something wrong with her, but I couldn’t. She was a divine composition of beauty, grace, and perfect symmetry. Her presence knocked me off balance, and I couldn’t really understand why.
“Kylie, this is Birdie.” Ace kneaded the tension from his neck as he glanced back and forth between us, obviously uncomfortable with the exchange.
Kylie looked over me with a hint of curiosity in her eyes. I wondered what she saw when she looked at me. Realistically, the faults she might find in me were limitless. But whatever she was thinking, I couldn’t tell.
“Why don’t you have a seat?” she suggested.
“What’s going on?” I crossed my arms and looked at Ace.
“Kylie’s a nurse,” he answered as if I didn’t already know this. “Sit down so she can take the needles out of your back.”
I tried to think of a legitimate protest, but before I could, Ace disappeared out the door, leaving me to fend for myself.
I looked at Kylie, and she looked at me. An awkward silence ensued, and I was tempted to tell her I could just remove the damn things myself. The last thing I wanted was to show weakness in front of her, but admittedly, I was curious. I wanted to know more about her, and this might be my only opportunity. Who was she to Ace? Did he love her? Did she love him? My thoughts couldn’t be silenced.
Against my better judgment, I took a seat at the table and waited. Kylie had a spread of first-aid supplies already laid out, but first, she walked around behind me and reached for the hem of my shirt.
“Just going to take a peek to see what we’re working with here,” she said. Her voice was calm, and I assumed that was probably a benefit to her patients. She didn’t make a fuss over the gory scene on my back but rather went to work gathering her supplies.
“I’m going to remove the clumps first,” she explained as she reached for a pair of tweezers.
I nodded and held my breath as she started to work behind me. The room was so quiet I could hear myself breathing, and I felt the need to fill the silence. But Kylie beat me to it.
“How do you know Ace?”
The question was casual, but I wondered about the motivations behind it. I found it odd that she didn’t know about me. For over a year now, Ace had been a thorn in my side. At some point, logic would dictate that we should have crossed paths. And if she was, in fact, his girlfriend, wouldn’t she have a say in him holding me captive at his house?
I wasn’t sure how much to divulge, but I decided against bringing up my current hostage situation. I doubted she would help anyway, and I didn’t want to go that route.
“He’s a friend of my sister’s husband,” I explained. “Do you know Lucian?”
“No,” she answered. “Other than the hospital, of course.”
That fact alone spoke volumes because I knew how close Ace and Lucian were. It was another oddity that she didn’t.
“How do you know Ace?” I returned.
She set down the tweezers and pulled away to gather a couple of other items before returning. “I’m just going to apply some glue and gauze. We’ll have to let it dry, and then it should pull out the remaining spines.”