Zero

Zero did love Prue. But his feelings didn’t delve any deeper than friendship, or did they?

****

Steven was bloody awful at playing cards. Prue had won three rounds of snap, and he still couldn’t grasp it. He took his time putting cards down and looked them over.

“You know, snap is the easiest game to play,” she said, frowning at him. “How did you become part of The Skulls if you can’t play snap?”

“I’ve never played it before. Also, I’m letting you win.” He looked at her over the top of his cards.

Pursing her lips, she watched him slowly put down a five, and she picked the top of her cards putting down a king. They’d watched television for the better part of the morning. She couldn’t believe the drama on the talk shows. It was overplayed and boring. Prue missed her school and the kids she taught.

Staying in bed all day was awful. She hated not being able to do anything. Her wounds were healing nicely, and there was no sign of infection. It would be a matter of days before she went home, which she was thankful for. Zero hadn’t been gone for that long, but she missed him.

“This game sucks. It’s boring.”

“What do you want to play? Strip snap?” She rolled her eyes, chuckling. “Any news on Zero?” She knew he’d been put away for the last couple of days for being a f**king idiot.

“Tiny’s picking him up this morning. They can’t keep Zero when all of his alibis check out. Last time I checked even officers can’t keep people for being irritating. There is footage of him entering the hospital as well. Some of the security cameras were working, but none of them worked after two o’clock. You’ve got an extra guard on the door, courtesy of the local law.” Steven placed his cards down, refusing to pick them up. “This game sucks. I’m not playing.”

“Fine. You’re useless at it anyway.” She settled back in the bed looking toward the window. “Have you been to the hospital often?”

Steven laughed. “Baby, we’ve lived in this f**king hospital the last couple of years. I’m surprised Tiny hasn’t invested some capital into the place.”

“Great, people with The Skulls are known to spend time in hospital. Great, I feel all happy knowing I’m being looked after.”

He stopped smiling, and she shot him a glare, folding her arms underneath her br**sts. She was so f**king bored.

“We take care of everyone, Prue. We can’t fight everyone,” Zero said.

She turned to look at him. He held a bouquet of white roses. They were her favorite.

“Are those for me?” she asked. Her heart lifted at the beautiful sight.

“Nah, I brought them for Steven. I thought he could do with the pick-me-up after spending the past couple of days with you.” Zero stepped into the room walking around to the other side of the bed. “Of course they’re for you. I wouldn’t forget what your favorite is.” He placed them on the bed and kissed her cheek. “Sorry it has been a short time since we saw each other.” He tucked some hair behind her ear.

Prue’s heart flipped over at his closeness. They hadn’t been apart for long, but it felt like a long time. She missed him so much when he was away. Most of the time she cut off her feelings not wanting to let herself think too deeply about what they all meant to her.

He withdrew, and she missed his closeness the moment it was gone.

“You can go,” Zero said, looking past her to the younger man.

Seconds later they were alone. “I didn’t think I was awful company.”

She watched him take the flowers from her bed, place them beside her, and tug the blanket down her legs.

“Hey, what are you doing?” she asked.

“We’re getting out of this f**king room. I’ve been locked up for the last couple of days. I’m not visiting you confined to the bed.” He left the room and came back minutes later with a wheelchair.

“Do all of your women end up in the hospital at some time or another?” she asked, stepping off the bed. He wouldn’t let her take another step. Zero lifted her up as if she weighed nothing. She wished it was true. Prue had always loved her food, and if she stayed with Eva, her size fourteen, occasional sixteen, was not going to last.

“We’ve been unlucky, but all of our women have lived.”

“I suppose that’s good.”

He stepped behind her and started wheeling her out of the room. Letting out a sigh, she relaxed into her seat, closing her eyes. This was what she’d been craving ever since she got here. Steven wouldn’t let her leave the private bedroom even though the nurses advised it and believed it would do her good.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here for you. Tiny told me Alan visited again,” Zero said, pulling her out of her carefree spirit.

“Yeah, he dropped by to show how powerful he was.” She shivered from the fear clawing up her spine. What Alan wanted, Alan got. Nothing she or Zero did was going to stop him. “He waited ten years for this, and now he’s going to have all the fun he can.”

“My thoughts exactly. I’ve got one of the boys looking into him, seeing if he crops up anywhere.”

“He’s like a ghost. No one has seen him.”

“You’ve seen him. Do you think you could draw him or at least describe him to someone who can draw?” Zero asked.

“Oh, like one of those crime photos. I’ve always wanted to do that.”

“Stop kidding around.”

Prue sighed, rubbing her temples. “If I don’t kid around it makes being scared easier.”

Zero stopped near a bench. He put the brake on her wheelchair and sat down in front of her. His hands rested on her knees. She felt the heat of his touch travel up her body. The delightful warmth spread through her pu**y making her wet.

Cut these thoughts off.

Staring into his eyes, she wondered how she was going to survive the next couple of weeks with her heart intact. Since Trevor’s death she’d only seen Zero a handful of days. Each day they stayed clear of one another. She cooked for him, clothed him, but they did nothing else. They were friends and treated each other as such.

“What’s going to happen when I get out of hospital?” she asked, changing the subject. Talking about Alan wasn’t going to make the other man disappear. He was the bogeyman that came out in the night. She hated horror stories and was currently living her own.

“You’ll come to live in the clubhouse. Tiny is organizing a lockdown. Alan’s threats are being taken seriously. We can’t risk anything going wrong. The clubhouse and the compound is the safest place to be.” Zero’s hands started moving up and down her thighs.