I looked over at my bike, my body itching to climb on it and follow Blizzard to the hospital just so I had an excuse to check on Chelsea. I squeezed my hands into fists, fighting the feeling and forcing myself to walk back inside the clubhouse and head for the bar. I’d just downed my first shot when I felt a light touch on my back.

Sugar took the seat next to me. “Harlyn’s about to go to sleep, but she wanted you to read her a story.”

I nodded, not even having to think about it. I’d do everything and more for that little girl. Even at five-years-old she was smart, strong and independent. I may not be able to take credit for that myself—Sugar had done an incredible job raising our daughter in my absence—but I was fucking proud to be able to call myself her father.

Sugar stayed at the bar, ordering herself a beer as I headed off toward their room. I’d placed them in the same hall as my room, we kept a spare there especially for family. The boys knew that when there was someone staying there, they took their business elsewhere or to a club girl’s room so no one had to hear. I pushed the door open and smiled, spotting Harlyn sitting up, her tiny body dwarfed by the king sized bed she was sharing with Sugar.

“Daddy!” She beamed as she looked up from the iPad she was currently playing on.

“Hey, baby girl.” I kicked off my boots at the door and climbed up on the bed, settling myself in next to her. She didn’t waste a moment and was soon wriggling herself into my side. I enjoyed the moment, tucking her head under my chin and nuzzling her hair. It smelt good, like strawberry bubblegum.

“You just have a bath, kiddo?”

Her head bobbed even as she continued to swipe her fingers back and forth across the iPad’s screen, connecting some sort of dots together. “Yeah, Momma said I had to.”

I chuckled. “You don’t like the bath?”

She sighed dramatically. “It’s not that I don’t like it. Bath’s mean bedtime, and I don’t really want to go to bed.” I placed my finger on the game she was playing and connected some dots that she’d missed. She giggled and patted my hand. “Good work, Daddy!”

“What don’t you like about bedtime?” I enquired.

“I miss you when I’m sleeping,” she said delicately.

“You do?”

“Mmm hmm, I don’t know how long we’ll be here or when we have to go home, so I want to spend as much time with you as I can.” She closed her game and placed it down on the bed. When she turned to look at me, I saw the sparkle in her eyes and knew she was trying to hold back tears. My brave little girl.

“Harlyn, I can tell you one thing for sure. I don’t know what’s going to happen but know this, it doesn’t matter where you are or what you’re doing, I love you. I promise I will make more time to see you. If I could, it would be every single day.” I brushed her curly locks back from her face and watched as her face lit up.

“You mean it?”

“Have I let you down so far?”

She held out her pinky finger and I couldn’t help but laugh. It had been something I’d done once to try and stop her from crying when I had to leave her and Sugar and head home. It had stuck. I hooked her pinky with mine and squeezed. “Pinky promise?”

“Pinky promise, baby.”

She nodded her head sharply like it was a done deal. Turning around, she wiggled herself back under my arm like she’d been before. “Are you and Momma going to get back together?”

My heart skipped a beat. “Why would you ask that?” She shrugged, but I knew she was getting at something. “Do you want that?”

“No,” her answer was definitive and sure.

“Why not?”

“Because you like Chelsea.” My eyes widened, clearly I had underestimated how much Harlyn saw and heard around the clubhouse. “I like her too.”

“Harlyn...that’s not really something you need to worry about,” I told her quietly.

“I’m not worried,” she said casually as she picked the iPad back up and opened the reading application, flicking through the many different children’s books with her finger until she landed on one she liked—Cinderella.

This kid.

I drove us in Rose’s car to the hospital. I could tell she was in pain, not just from her hand but from her father, in general, but she tried to make light of the situation.

“I guess it could have been worse.” She forced out a laugh.

“Rose,” I warned, not really wanting to hear her joke about something that was actually extremely serious. This man had purposely hurt her. He was supposed to be her parent, someone who cared about her and loved her unconditionally. It was wrong. On so many levels, this was wrong.

“Oh come on Chel.” I could tell even without looking at her that she was rolling her eyes. She was trying to brush it off, make out like it was no big deal.

We pulled into the hospital parking lot and I found a park close to the front doors.

I heard her sharp intake of breath. “What’s he doing here, Chelsea?” She turned to me with her eyes wide. I didn’t have to guess who she was talking about. The club was closer to the hospital than we were, and I had no doubt he would have ridden like hell to get here.

“He cares,” was all I said, as I pulled the door open and climbed out.

Blizzard was standing at the doors that lead to the emergency room, his stance wide and his arms folded across his chest. With the light behind him I couldn’t see his face but his shadow was intimidating enough.

“You called him,” she hissed accusingly as we walk forward.

“He cares,” I told her again, growling under my breath as we got closer.

She didn’t say anything and he just stood there, watching us and waiting. We stopped in front of him, the air was slightly chilly around us, but I wasn’t sure if it was the weather or the way he eyed Rose that caused me to shiver.

“Let me see,” he demanded. Rose held her hand to her body, cupping it against her protectively. “Let. Me. See.”

Rose’s shoulders slumped as she gave in and held her hand out, palm up. He stepped to the side so that the light from inside the emergency room shone on us and allowed him to see better. He placed his hand under hers, lifting it slightly, his touch I could tell was light and delicate, almost protective.

He studied it silently for a minute. “What happened?”

Rose’s eyes shot to me nervously, she didn’t know what to say.

“I…uh…left the element on the stove on and she leaned on it. My fault really. Blonde moment.” I tried to play it off, just like I had scolded Rose for doing moments before. She wouldn’t tell him what happened. She didn’t want him to know, and for now I would keep her secret.

For now.

Blizzard looked over at me, his eyes scanning my face. He knew I was lying. I waited for him to call me out.

“Let’s get it looked at,” he muttered even as his eyes still watched me. There was a promise there. A promise that he would get to the truth. He placed a hand on the small of Rose’s back and gently guided her through the doors. She looked over her shoulder at me, her face full of concern, but I tried to give her my best reassuring smile. He pushed her to the front desk and I took a seat in the waiting room, allowing Blizzard to take the lead on this one. I flipped through a magazine, looking up when I felt the chair dip next to me. Blizzard was alone.

“Where’s Rose?” I asked, looking around nervously.

“I made them take her right away,” he murmured.

I looked around. The room was full of sick and injured people, all that had been waiting longer than we had. Blizzard seemed to read my thoughts. He leaned back in the seat and folded his arms across his broad chest.

“Came in before you got here. Money talks, you should know that.”