Stone (Highway Jokers #1)

CHAPTER 14

STONE

Three Months Later.

Recovery was a long process. Whether it was to do with club business or watching our loved ones recover. After that day dealing with The Devil Riders and The Broken Hitchmen, we found out that the prospect had to give the rival clubs the weapons because of the situation they put him in. In my books, he still had a lot of learning to do and I do not trust him.

When I had gone to check in with Mage about Thrasher and Gravel, Lolita had a seizure. Too much pressure was forced on her brain and had to go into immediate surgery to remove it. A few days later she woke up. I had tears in my eyes the moment I saw her beautiful eyes look at me. I never knew I could miss someone so much. One of the many bullets that had hit her, had gone through her thigh and nicked a couple of nerves. She wasn’t able to walk when the doctors and nurses first started to get her to move around.

It was a long recovery but therapy has helped her a lot. She can walk around with crutches but still needs to take it easy. Over time we have been through rough patches, and we have fought but I wasn’t going to leave and nor was she. It was just a hard time for both of us. If I was to go through it again, I would take her place. I hated seeing her so helpless and sometimes I thought to myself that she should just pack her bags and leave but every day I wake up to see her lying next to me.

And that’s when I think, ‘damn I am a lucky bastard.’

I looked up when I saw the doors slide open from the corner of my eyes. I threw my cigarette to the ground and stepped on it when I saw Lolita walking slowly out of the therapy clinic. When our eyes met, her face lit up with a smile that always had my heart skip a beat. After many weeks of fighting with each other, she wanted to be left alone to do things by herself. Even though I just wanted to help her, I knew she had to do these things herself. I couldn’t always be there for her since I was VP of the Highway Jokers. I still had a job to do.

I pushed out of the car made my way around to the passenger’s side and opened the door, waiting for Lolita to walk over to me. “Hey,” she said with a smile. I kissed her softly before she climbed into the car.

“How was it today?” I asked her.

“Good, but I’m hungry. Can we get something to eat?”

“Yeah, baby,” I said when I handed her the crutches before I closed the door. Once in the driver’s seat, I drove out of the parking lot and headed towards town. I grabbed a few subs and takeaway coffees from her coffee shop before I headed to the beach, which was a two-minute drive from the centre of town.

“I don’t blame you, you know…” I heard Lolita say from beside me. We had finished our lunch and we were sitting on the sand watching the bright blue waves roll up. Enjoying the peace and quiet before we return back to our hectic lives. I looked towards her and saw her looking at the scar of the bullet wound that was on her thigh.

“People would say that I am bat shit crazy. I know my parents have told me that after they found out.” She looked at me. “But I don’t blame you. We have been through a lot over the past six months and to be honest, I wouldn’t change it for anything.”

“I would…” She looked confused for a moment when she looked at me. “I would change the part of you getting hurt. That was a hard and scary time and I nearly lost you for good a few times.” I sighed to myself.

“That wasn’t your fault Daniel…”

“But I was meant to be protecting you.”

“You were but they just got to us and used everything they could to tear us apart.” She mumbled. I knew what she meant, I remember the few minutes before everything happened. I saw what her face looked like, the anger she held in her eyes when she handed me those photos. I was afraid she would leave me when she woke up. It haunted me then and still haunts me to this day. Three months later.

When she was finally able to walk, I saw her standing by one of the burning bins we use for outside when we hold parties. She had the photos in her hands but when Lolita saw me watching her from across the compound, she had already thrown in the photos and gave me a smile. A smile to say, ‘Everything will be okay.’

I reached over and placed my hand over the scar on her thigh. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to keep you safe in my world,” I said to her as I looked towards her. I saw the scared look in her eyes. I sighed and tore my eyes away from her as I looked towards the ocean.

“I am not leaving you, Daniel. Look at Vikki, she is stuck by Mage through thick and thin. They made it work and so will we.” She placed her forehead against my arm as I squeezed her thigh, softly.

“I am not asking you to leave, baby. All I am saying is this life of mine will be one hell of a ride. If you want to be beside me, then you’ll have to be beside me every step of the way. You will be all in. You will always be my Old Lady but if you want out then I’ll be okay with that, I just want you safe.”

I heard Lolita sigh before I felt her soft hand turning my face to look at her. “I’m your Old Lady. I will be by your side for the rest of my life if you’ll have me.” She smiled at me. I leaned my forehead against hers.

“Marry me?” I asked her, she pulled back shocked. I saw a lone tear drop down her cheek, I softly wiped it away with my thumb making her close her eyes against the touch.

“Yes,” she snapped her eyes open. “Yes, I’ll marry you.” she smiled brightly. Lolita slammed her lips against mine, I grabbed a hold of her and pulled her onto my lap as we made out on the beach. Not caring who was walking past. “I love you, Daniel.” She pulled back slightly to say. This girl was my life and I loved her with my whole heart.

“I love you, Poet.”