Stirred: The Martini Lounge Book 2 Read online

  “Yes, I see where you’re going with this but sorry babe, no can help you there. That information is for club purposes only.”

  My chest hurt. She was right. “I’m sorry. Forget I asked. I’ll track her down some other way.”

  She gave me a one armed hug. “I’m sorry. Tell you what, describe her to me and leave a description of her with Will. If she comes back to the club or I see her, I can pass along your contact info to her for you.”

  “That would be great. Thank you.”

  “No problem.”

  I watched her go back into her room and I cleaned up the kitchen, but something told me that Denise would not be coming back to the club to look for me. She knew last night was my last. At least I told myself she wouldn’t go back if I wasn’t there. What we shared last night meant something to the both of us, it wasn’t just me. But maybe she would be too embarrassed to face me again. I didn’t give a shit. She was the first woman I felt anything for in years. A little blood wasn’t going to stop me from trying to find her and when I do I’ll tell her so.

  I went to my room and grabbed my phone. “Hey, Rom. I need a favor.” If Redd couldn’t get the information to me then I knew another way to get it. Redd might be mad at me but only if she found out. A deep-seated sense of desperation drove me.

  Chapter Twelve

  Nadya

  Oh God!

  I lay sprawled out in the back of the Uber. I’d managed to call Odessa to have her meet me at the hospital. The pain. I should have called an ambulance, woken Harper. What must he think when he gets up and I’m gone but there’s blood all over his sheets. Oh God. I want to puke.

  Finally, the car pulls up in front of the hospital and I open the door, moaning in an effort to do even that. The driver notices my distress, at least I wasn’t bleeding all over his car. I managed to put on a pad before leaving Harper’s. The driver came around and put his arm around my waist and mine around his neck to help me into the entrance calling for help. As soon as he did someone rushed over to us and took me away from him. A second later someone else brought over a wheel chair and I sat down in it.

  The pain was getting worse. I managed to give them my name and the name of my doctor. “Womb,” I managed to garble out. Then I heard the sound of Odessa screaming my name just before I passed out.

  ****

  “Club Prestige.”

  “Hello, I’m trying to reach one of your dancers, Matrix.”

  “I’m sorry but Matrix no longer performs here.”

  “Oh, well can you give me his phone number, it’s an emergency.”

  “I’m sorry but we do not give out the personal information of our employees, past or present.”

  “Please, can you get a message to him. It’s important. Someone he knows, he’s close to, is going into surgery and he needs to know.”

  “I’m sorry. If you give me your information I will pass that along.”

  “Thank you. Tell him Nadya Johnson is about to have surgery at Washington Hospital Center and he needs to get his ass down here. He can call me. I’m her cousin Odessa, my number is…”

  ****

  The first thing I noticed was the smell. Nothing smelled right, but there was something familiar about it. Slowly, I opened my eyes as memory returned. Hospital. I was in the hospital. Memories of why came rushing back at me along with a twinge in my lower stomach. I heard a sound and turned my head to see a nurse standing beside me. She glanced over at me.

  “Hello. You did really well.”

  I tried to say something but it came out as more of a croak.

  “Here, one sec.” She grabbed a plastic cup with a straw sitting on a table next to the bed. She pressed something and the bed rose slowly. She held the straw to my mouth.

  I raised my arm or tried to. My lips covered the straw so I sucked in and as the cool water filled my mouth and made its way through my esophagus to my stomach, I immediately felt better. “Thank you.” There that didn’t sound too bad.

  “You’re very welcome. The doctor will be in any moment to talk to you and your cousin is on her way up so should be here shortly too.”

  “Thank you.” Before I could question her farther, Odessa came around the curtain, and the nurse stepped aside.

  “Oh Nadya, Nadya. I was so scared.” She came to my side and wrapped her arms around me. She was crying and so was I. She wasn’t the only one who’d been scared.

  “I’m fine.” At least I hope so. I already knew I couldn’t have kids so that was not a worry, and I was alive, so as far as I was concerned I was fine.

  “Yes, yes you are.” She sat up and wiped the tears from her face but kept one hand on my arm. “The surgeon spoke to us he should be here in a minute to talk to you.”

  I was glad she was here with me. “Where’s Jim and Sophie? I asked.

  “Jim’s in the waiting room. They’d only allow one of us back here until they move you into a room. I called my Mom, she’s with Sophie.”

  “I’m sorry to be such a bother.”

  “Stop that shit right now.”

  “Ahem.”

  We both looked over in the direction of that sound. A short dark skinned man with curly hair in a white jacket stood there, had to be my doctor.

  “Hello, Ms. Johnson. I’m Doctor Farrel. I’m the surgeon who operated on you. How are you feeling?”

  “I’m awake and no longer in pain. Well, just a little twinge, but other than that good.”

  “That’s to be expected, but you can experience cramping later, and I’ll give you something to help with that.”

  “What happened, doctor?” I asked.

  “Your anastomosis tore. It was leaking for quite some time. The fact that it did tear may have well saved your life.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t understand.”

  “I spoke to your surgeon. Your prior injury and the procedure that was performed on you left a lot of scar tissue in your uterus, and some of those connections or veins were badly damaged. In this case weakened. One of these connections began to leak slowly, so slowly you probably didn’t notice any of the symptoms, but it was gradually becoming septic from that leak. If it hadn’t torn completely the way it did causing the bleeding, by the time you did have symptoms it could have been too late.”

  “Are you saying the tearing saved my life?”

  He nodded. “It most likely did.”

  “How did it happen?” I asked.

  “Excessive exercising could have done it,” he replied.

  My mind blanked. That made no sense. I hadn’t been doing any excessive exercising, not like when I was in the military. In fact, I’d only been working out this last month on the treadmill three times a week and not even any running. Just power walking to get in some cardio and burn a few calories. A memory flashed of dancing with Harper and then more than just dancing with Harper. Holy holy shit!

  My gaze swung to Odessa who was frowning, she knew my exercise routine as well as I did since we usually worked out together in her basement. The doctor talked to us both a little more.

  “We’ll be moving you to a room soon, where you’ll be more comfortable. You’ll be staying with us for a day or two. If all continues to go well you’ll be released then.”

  “What about post-op instructions?” Odessa asked.

  “We’ll talk more about what to expect when we’re ready to release you.”

  After he left, two nurses came in and began unhooking and adjusting the tube on my arm attached to a bag, readying me to move to the room. Odessa walked with us. The nurses got me settled on the bed, but I couldn’t stop thinking about everything the doctor told me, when Odessa’s voice interrupted me.

  “I need to tell you something,” Odessa said. Her voice sounded a little hesitant.

  “What is it?”

  “I…I was so scared.”

  I grabbed her hand. “I know. I’m so sorry.”

  She shook her head. “No. You don’t understand. I…I called Harper.”
r />   “What! Odessa!”

  “I thought you were dying.” Tears streamed down her face. There was blood, your blood on the wheelchair,” she wailed. “I know you love him and from what you’ve told me he loves you too. When I saw you all together I thought, I hoped that you’d tell him who you were. I never realized you hadn’t. So, so I called him. I thought he’d want to know. That he had the right to know. I didn’t realize you didn’t tell him. I’m sorry hon.”

  “Oh my God, Odessa oh my God! He knows?”

  “Yes. But listen hon, he loves you. He’s been here the whole time going crazy. He hasn’t left the hospital since he arrived while you were in surgery.”

  “He…he’s still here?”

  She nodded. “Yes, in the waiting area with Jim. He…he wants to see you Nadya.”

  I cried now too, I started to shake my head. I didn’t want him to see me like this. “How much, how much does he know?”

  “I told him about the injury but I didn’t tell him you can’t have kids. He’s going crazy thinking that somehow he did this to you.”

  “No no, you heard what the doctor said.”

  “Yes, but hon he needs to hear this from you. You have to talk to him.”

  “I can’t.”

  “You can. You’re strong enough to be a badass soldier, and you’re strong enough to face your man. Let him decide if he wants to stick around and spend his life with this fantastic chick who’s my cousin of the heart or not. And if he doesn’t I’ll have Jim hold him down while Sophie and I kick his fine ass.”

  I laughed, through the tears I laughed. This was why Odessa and I were as close as we were. I nodded. Knowing she’d only wear me down. “All right.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Harper

  I sat there my head between my hands trying to process everything I’d just learned in the last eight hours. Holy fuck! Denise was Nadya. My Nadya. I didn’t understand why she lied to me. I didn’t understand any of it. When Rom had called me to give me the information from Odessa about Nadya, I was very confused. Yet even before I got off the phone with Odessa, I had my keys in my hand and headed out the door to get to the hospital. Denise, Nadya, the same person. I was still having trouble wrapping my head around that.

  I glanced up when I heard someone call my name, Odessa. She’d gone back to the recovery room to see Nadya. At least she’d made it through the surgery all right, but no one would still really explain what was going on to me. Why she didn’t tell me who she really was? Why she stopped writing, why I hadn’t heard from her for the last six months? I sat there wrapped up in confusion, all I had were questions. But most of all, the question burning through me—why was there blood on my sheets? Had what we done caused this? Did I put her life at risk?

  Pressure built in my heart and guts until both were hurting. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment to block it all out. Nadya. I needed to see her, make sure she was alright, then I needed some answers. Answers only she could give me.

  “She wants to see you,” Odessa simply said when I opened my eyes again and stared at her.

  I’m not sure what she saw but I’m pretty sure my eyes glistened with unshed tears. I swallowed, forcing a cry of relief down. I nodded. She gave me the room number and directions to get there.

  I didn’t exactly run to her room, more like a fast walk. The door was already open so I stepped in and closed it softly behind me. At the sound of the click she turned her head in my direction. Even from a few feet away I could tell she’d been crying. I hurried to her side and pulled the chair near the bed closer to her.

  I took her hand, there was an IV attached to it. I kissed her fingers and returned it to the bed but didn’t remove my own from covering it. She looked nothing like the beautiful girl at the club, whom I’d immediately felt an attraction for. This Nadya looked delicate and frail. Sadness roamed in her tear-filled eyes. The tears I’d been holding back slowly glided down my face, unable to stay inside any more.

  “Nadya,” I managed to croak out. “Nadya.” I’ve never been shy or short for words around women but this one left me tongue tied.

  “I’m sorry, Harper. You’ll never know how much. So sorry.”

  I frowned. “Why are you apologizing to me? I’m the one who’s sorry. Did I…did what we did last night bring this on?”

  She shook her head, the tears coming faster. “Oh God no. No. You didn’t do this. What…what do you know?”

  “I don’t know anything.” I tried not to yell, but from the way she twitched a little I might have. I took a deep breath and calmed down. I wasn’t angry at her—just fucking scared. I could have lost her, when I’d only just found her again. I looked her right in the eyes and manned the fuck up. “Can you tell me what happened, what’s going on? Why you stopped writing to me?”

  The tears continued to fall silently down her beautiful face. I wiped them off with my thumb. “I’m sorry. Maybe now isn’t the time. I know you need to rest. I don’t want to upset you any more than you’ve already suffered.”

  She squeezed my hand. “No. That’s not it. You’re not upsetting me; you haven’t made me suffer at all. I did that all by myself. And we will talk, but I need to sleep. I’ll need strength for this.”

  “Okay.” I started to rise but she grabbed my hand. “No. Don’t go. Please stay. I…I have no right to ask but please stay. I want you here when I get up and I’ll tell you everything.”

  I nodded and planted my ass back in that chair. Short of bathroom breaks nothing was taking me away from her side. We stared at each other for a few more minutes, not saying a word. Her tears stopped and she kept blinking until she shut her eyes and they didn’t reopen. I leaned forward and grabbed a tissue on the nightstand with my free hand and wiped off her tears, shifting so I could kiss her forehead. Only then did I relax, sat back in the chair. I heard the door open, Odessa.

  “Everything okay?” She spoke softly as she approached the bed. “Oh good, she’s sleeping. She needs to rest. I can stay with her if you have to leave.”

  “No. I’m good. She asked me to stay.” I rubbed my arm across my face wiping away my own tears hoping Odessa hadn’t noticed them. Didn’t matter if she did, they were honestly come by and I figured she wasn’t the type to say anything about it.

  “That’s good. She pulled up the other chair in the room and sat on the other side of Nadya.

  I glanced over at her. “It’s fine, you don’t have to stay. I know you and Jim have a little one you need to get back to. I’ll stay with her until she wakes up again. And I have your number I can call you if…well I can call you when she wakes up.”

  “That’s very nice of you, thank you. Jim went to get us something to eat. I can text him to bring you something too. After he gets back we’ll leave then and come back in the morning.”

  “Thanks, but I’m good.”

  “Did you guys have a chance to talk?” Odessa asked.

  “No. She seemed pretty tired. The drugs I’m sure in her system made her sleepy. She promised we’d talk after she wakes up.”

  “I’m glad.”

  “I’d like to ask you one question though. What happened to her, is this something that happened before? Something she knew about?”

  Odessa seemed to hesitate. “Not exactly. Harper, a helicopter she was on was shot down, she and the surviving crew were bombarded with enemy fire. Nadya was hurt as a result. What happened today is because of that. And I’ll let her tell you all of it, just be patient and hear her out.”

  “Oh God.”

  “Yeah.”

  I turned back to look at the woman who’d dominated my waking thoughts for the last few years, and even more so for months. I fell in love with her spirit and warmth that came across in her letters. Last night I fell a little in love with her flesh, combine them together, she and I had a lot of talking to do. Come hell or high water, I wasn’t letting her disappear from my life ever again. Not without one hell of a fight, if she even thinks about shutting me out again.r />
  Chapter Fourteen

  Nadya

  A foreign feeling of pressure in my abdomen drew me from sleep. I tried to move my left hand but found I couldn’t, someone was holding my arm. I blinked a few times before my eyes opened fully. I thought my sleeping goddaughter was adorable, but the sight of a sleeping Harper was pretty damn cute too. He stayed! A flush of warmth filled me. It was time to tell him the truth. Explain why the deception. That flush didn’t last long, it turned to sorrow; I knew once I told him everything he’d leave me. He deserved the truth, that way he’d understand and we could have some closure. I owed him that much. I didn’t blame him for what he wanted out of life, a partner who was whole and healthy. Who could give him beautiful sons and daughters to create the family he craved.

  His head had been lying on his arm which rested on my bed, his hand rested across mine. He didn’t look very comfortable. Gently, I stroked my free hand through his soft hair, knowing once he awoke, it would be my last chance to do this. His eyes opened and stared right at me. I smiled.

  “Fell asleep,” he said in a rough, sexy voice.

  “It’s okay.” Pressure against my lower abdomen made me wince, it was getting stronger. I guess the medicine might be wearing off.

  “You okay?” He suddenly looked alert and wide awake as he sat up staring at me.

  Did he notice my discomfort?

  “I’ll call the nurse.” He touched a big red button on the wall at the side of my bed. “You in pain?”

  “A little, thanks.”

  The door opened and in stepped a nurse, with something in her hand. “Hello there,” she said. “Did you need anything? Feeling any discomfort?”

  “Yes,” I replied not even trying to hide it. I’d been down this road before. It would get worse before it got better.

  She nodded. “I’ve got something that will fix you right up. The doctor will be in later this morning to take a look at you.”