Chicken moved close so that I felt his breath against the back of my neck when he laughed. "I"m not gonna kill you, b.i.t.c.h, but by the time we get done with you you"ll wish you were f.u.c.kin" dead."
I wondered who "we" was.
"You better get going; I don"t want anyone from the office to see you leaving in her car." Stella"s comment was meant for Chicken. "I"ll hide your bike behind the dumpster and then head inside."
Chicken slammed me up against Stella"s car. When I felt him begin to tape my wrists together I started to struggle wildly, knowing that once he got me into my car I would be in serious trouble. I swung around and went to gouge his eyes but he was ready for me and blocked my attack. When I caught sight of the knife in his hands I froze, and he used that to his advantage, turning me back around and bending me over the trunk.
"You b.i.t.c.h!" He panted, pinning me with his body and grabbing the back of my hair. "Try anything else and I"ll make you f.u.c.kin" bleed."
No, thank you, I thought, but he still applied enough pressure with the knife against my back that it cut through my clothes and pierced my skin. I gasped at the sting of pain, wincing when he bound my wrists together tightly with the tape. Then he jerked me away from the car and dragged me over to mine. I stumbled in my heels, but he didn"t care. He opened the trunk, and that"s when I felt tears stinging my eyes. I wanted to beg him not to put me in there, but I couldn"t bring myself to expose my terror of small, closed-in s.p.a.ces. Then it was too late, as he slapped a piece of tape over my mouth.
He forced me down into the trunk roughly, bound my ankles together, and slammed the lid. I closed my eyes against the darkness and willed myself to take in slow, deep breaths. I could survive this. I just needed to remain calm and think. Lynch would come for me, he would find me, and all I had to do until then was stay alive.
Lynch f.u.c.kin" h.e.l.l, Wildman was still alive. I"d just got off the phone with Stone. Word going around was that he and what was left of the Red Devils were joining forces with the Predators. His appearance in New Hampshire put Dark Menace in lockdown, and now it was our turn to return the favor of help. We weren"t f.u.c.kin" paranoid; we just knew how crazy dangerous Wildman and his bunch were. Even the Mexican cartel gave them a wide berth.
So far there was no word on the Red Devils retaliating, but we weren"t stupid enough to ignore the possibility. Stone had prospects listening to talk on the street about what, if anything was going down. He was worried, though. He had a few brothers out there on protection runs, and they were prime targets for an ambush, which Wildman and his bunch was known for. Being short of men left Stone"s club vulnerable.
I ran my hands through my hair, meeting each and every one of my brothers" eyes as I glanced around the room. When was this s.h.i.t ever going to end? h.e.l.l, I knew the answer already-it wouldn"t end until we put Wildman in the ground, maybe Killer, too, if we wanted peace. The Predators were babies compared to the evil of the Devils. Hopefully they could be reasoned with, if and when the time came to parley.
"How many Red Devils survived our hit?" Wizard asked in his gravelly tone.
"Does it f.u.c.kin" matter?" Hulk snarled. "If the Predators are being patched-over by the Devils then Wildman"s numbers are right back up to where they were before we hit their compound."
Hulk was right. I wondered if Killer fully understood what being patched-over would mean for him and his club. If the Predators went through with it.
"So, are they being patched-over?" Yank asked, the look in his eyes slightly wild.
"Doubt it," Fat Boy responded. "Killer is doin" Wildman a favor by joining forces with him, but he won"t give-up his presidency. From what I"ve heard he"s a controlling f.u.c.k."
"f.u.c.kers! Those two need to be put in the ground." Lenny was only saying what everyone else was thinking. Agreement sounded throughout the room. "So what"s the plan, prez?"
As expected, all eyes turned toward me. I leaned back in my chair, watching as some pulled out cigarettes and lit them up, others swallowed drinks. I crossed my arms. The plan was always the same when it came to s.h.i.t like this. We went to war.
"Before we talk about that we need to take a vote on patching in our prospects, because we"ll sure as f.u.c.k need more men going in to New Hampshire."
"Well, I"m not voting in Chicken," Wizard spoke up gruffly. "Been watching the little b.a.s.t.a.r.d, and he"s a sneaky devil."
It seemed more likely that Wizard just didn"t like Chicken. Chicken was a f.u.c.k-up, and if we didn"t vote him into Wild Marauders it would be on that merit alone. It didn"t matter if we all liked a brother or not. No one wanted to say out loud that perhaps Wizard was just too f.u.c.king old to keep up with the younger brothers, but the expressions on the faces of some of the other brothers made it clear that this is what they were thinking.
"All right, how many want to vote Chicken in?" Not one brother raised their hand.
"We need more time with him prospecting," Hulk said. "I agree with Wizard, he"s too f.u.c.kin" secretive."
"What about Bullseye?" I glanced around the room. "I think he"s earned his right as a full patched member."
"Yeah, he took two f.u.c.kin" bullets for the club," added Lenny.
"Let"s vote. How many think he should be patched-in?" Everyone raised their hands. "What about Snake?" He was the newest prospect, and so far he"d f.u.c.kin" shown that he could handle himself in a fight. "He just came back from a fight in Last Hope, and brought the club in thirty-five grand." Nods of agreement were followed by hands in the air. "Done." I glanced at Moody. "Get their cuts ordered."
"Man is good in the ring," Lenny agreed. "Earning us thirty-five grand in less than fifteen minutes."
"Do we want Snake to finish church with us?"
Fat Boy"s suggestion was a good one. Including a newly patched-in member in church was not something that we normally did, but with the s.h.i.t coming up it would be easier than filling him in on the plan later.
I gave Fat Boy a nod. He scooted his chair back and went out to get Snake. The newly patched-in member walked into the room with a huge smile on his whiskered face. Once congratulations went around the room, a spare chair was pulled up to the table and Snake took a seat.
"Next up, I want Yank and Moody to take a ride to the Devils compound and check out what"s going on. They still have buildings on the property, but I want to know if it looks like they"re rebuilding or packing up s.h.i.t to leave. Get a f.u.c.kin" head count if you can." I didn"t expect any responses other than their head nods.
I reached for the whisky in front of me and downed it in one swallow. The slow burn was just what I f.u.c.king needed to keep me on track. It sharpened my thoughts. I looked at Fat Boy. "I think it"s time we move Bullseye here. Take Snake with you and pick him up in a cage."
"Do we bring his sweet little nurse with him?" Snake joked, getting a few laughs from some of the guys at the table. Most of the brothers knew about Lizzy, and it was obvious from their responses that Bullseye must have shared a few things about her to them when they"d visited.
I shook my head. "Not unless she wants to tag along. Check in with Chicken on your way past the clinic, make sure that Kat"s okay. And don"t say anything about him not being patched-in."
"Will do," Fat Boy said.
"She your old lady now?"
I glared at Snake. Since he was new I"d cut him some slack. I"d claimed her, but I wasn"t ready to make it official yet. "Have you heard any f.u.c.kin" announcements?" His smile disappeared and he shook his head. "That doesn"t mean she"s up for grabs, either." I wanted that to be clear to my brothers.
I caught Lenny"s knowing smile and wanted to f.u.c.king knock it off his face. "The club rules"
"I know what the f.u.c.kin" club rules say," I snarled.
"So what"s the hold up?" My VP was the only one who could get away with goading me the way he was. We went too far back and knew each other too well. "She has a f.u.c.kin" hot bod, knows how to cook, ride a bike"
"Shut the f.u.c.k up." Lenny sat back and crossed his arms, a s.h.i.t eatin" grin on his face. It was time to talk about the s.h.i.t that was coming up. "It"s not a matter of if we go to New Hampshire, but when. Dark Menace brothers are already on lockdown. Stone will let us know when he needs us, and when that f.u.c.kin" happens we move fast, so everyone stay close. We owe them."
"Lockdown?" Dirk spoke up for the first time.
"f.u.c.k yes, brother. We don"t take chances with our families. Everyone stays here this time too; this isn"t a joy ride we"re goin" on. Wizard and Snake will stay here with you."
"You worried Wildman will try another attack?"
I leaned forward and gave Snake a look of approval, glad to see that my earlier snarl at him hadn"t deterred him from asking the questions that needed to be asked. "Not really, but I wouldn"t put anything past the f.u.c.ker. He and his boys have been spotted in New Hampshire, but that doesn"t mean he didn"t f.u.c.kin" leave some of his crew here to do just that." I made eye contact with Hulk and Joker. "You"re still on protection detail for the Jonesy brothers. We"ve been paid and they"re expecting us. Get back here as fast as you f.u.c.kin" can." Both men acknowledged my demand with a chin lift. I kicked back my chair and stood. "That"s it for now, brothers. Fat Boy and Snake, hang back."
I waited until the room was quiet again and it was just the three of us.
"What"s up, prez?"
"I don"t like what I"m hearing about Chicken. Until he can be trusted I don"t want him on Kat. Stop at the clinic on your way back from picking up Bullseye." Glancing at Snake I added, "I want you to change places with him."
"Sure, prez."
I walked out of the room with them, but as they continued forward I swung into the bar for another drink. My thoughts lingered on Chicken. f.u.c.k, maybe I should just turn him loose. Dirk saw me coming and had a whiskey waiting for me by the time I reached the bar. I gave him a chin lift, picked up the gla.s.s, and downed it while sitting down on a stool. In the mirror behind him I could see one of the sweetb.u.t.ts making her way toward us. When she reached us she brushed up against me.
"Hey, baby." She leaned in and caressed the side of my neck with her nose. "You haven"t come to visit me in a while."
"Another one," I said to Dirk. I turned slightly and met Lola"s half-closed eyes. "I haven"t been to visit anyone."
"You must be--" her hand glided down my arm and around to cover the zipper area over my d.i.c.k, "hurting for a little relief," she cooed. "Why don"t you come to my room?" When I didn"t move, she pleaded, "Come on, baby."
"Not interested." I reached for the gla.s.s Dirk set down in front of me. Her hand on my d.i.c.k wasn"t doing a f.u.c.king thing for me.
"I could do you here," she suggested, running her lips up and down my neck. I knew it was coming, but before I could stop her she bit me.
"f.u.c.k!" I pushed Lola away in anger, meeting her confused look. The girls knew what turned me on, but this time her bite p.i.s.sed me off instead of getting my d.i.c.k hard. The only one I wanted biting me was Kat.
I didn"t know why I was holding off making it official when it was obvious that she was the only one who f.u.c.king got to me these days. Christ, she didn"t even have to be there; just the thought of her did the trick. Who knows, maybe I was f.u.c.king ready to settle down.
I let my gaze run the length of Lola"s naked form, lingering on her t.i.ts and shaved p.u.s.s.y, wondering how many other brothers she"d already satisfied that day, how many d.i.c.ks she"d sucked off with her talented mouth.
A slow smile spread across her heavily made up face. It was obvious that she misinterpreted my lingering look. "I thought you liked it hard, baby."
I ignored her innuendo, "Find someone else, Lola. Stay the f.u.c.k away from me."
A distinctive noise had me swinging back to Dirk. He"d placed another shot in front of me, grinning. He shrugged. "I know the feelin" brother."
I grabbed the gla.s.s and left to go back to my office.
Kat I didn"t know how long we"d been traveling when the car slowed down, made a turn, and then stopped. All I knew was that I was cramped, scared s.h.i.tless and dripping sweat from the panic attacks I"d struggled with the entire ride. The attacks were coming out of fear of the situation, and because I didn"t like dark, enclosed s.p.a.ces. Being bound made it a hundred times worse.
Relief was instant when the trunk door was opened. I sucked in the fresh air, my gaze squinting up at Chicken. I was surprised to see that it was still daylight out. My best guess was that it was late afternoon. What little I could see gave me no clue as to where we were. Trees were trees. I moaned in pain, hoping to get Chicken to remove the tape from my mouth. I was dying of thirst and had to use the bathroom.
He stared down at me and smiled, pulling a phone out of his back pocket. f.u.c.king b.a.s.t.a.r.d! I could tell he was taking cruel delight in my situation. Leaning his b.u.t.t against the car, he hit a programmed number and waited.
"Hey, I"m here but I don"t see anyone around." He waited, and then chuckled and looked back down at me. "Yeah, trussed up like a pretty Christmas package. Right now I"m giving her some fresh air." He laughed at something they said. His hand came down to squeeze my breast. I tried to jerk away. Chicken became angry, but it appeared to be from something that was said to him on the phone, and not from my reaction to his touch. He straightened. "f.u.c.k that, man! The deal was I grab her at the clinic and deliver her here. I want the b.i.t.c.h off my hands."
As I listened to Chicken"s side of the conversation I tried to move into a new position, but only managed to roll from my side onto my back. I moaned silently, the pain in my body made worse by my weight being shifted onto my arms and hands. I rolled to my other side, my gaze landing on the crate where I stored everything that might come in handy if my car broke down.
It was my car emergency kit. Narrowing my gaze, I looked for something that might help get me out of this situation. In the mix of oil, tire repair stuff, a fire extinguisher, and bungee cords there was a small first aid kit. Was there a pair of scissors in there? I thought back and shook my head, thinking probably not. I saw a jumper cable, tire gauge, a can of Magic Tank, and a small selection of tools. In the selection of tools was a box cutter. I got excited.
"Look, man--" the panic in Chicken"s voice drew my attention back to him. "This b.i.t.c.h is Lynch"s old lady; you got what the f.u.c.k I"m sayin"?" He listened. "Okay! Okay!" he sounded resigned. "I"ll do it," he growled between his teeth. I heard the loud snap of him closing his phone.
"What the f.u.c.k are you doing, b.i.t.c.h?" His hands were brutal as he rolled me back toward him. He ripped the tape off my mouth. The man was clearly angry and taking it out on me.
"Please, I"m thirsty and I need to pee."
"You"re lucky you"re still alive." He pulled me up into a sitting position and reached for the tape around my ankles. "You try anything, anything," he glared into my eyes, "and I"ll cut you." When he was done he moved up and removed the tape from around my wrists.
Oh, G.o.d. I rubbed my wrists and shook my hands to get the circulation flowing. That"s all I had time to do before Chicken grabbed me by my hair and arm and pulled me out of the truck. I cried out, but he wasn"t in the mood to show any kind of mercy, still seething.
He yanked me close to him and snarled, "You see that tree over there?" I shifted my gaze to where he was looking. "You got five f.u.c.kin" minutes to do your business and I"m coming for you." He gave me a shove in that direction.
I didn"t need five minutes. I just needed to pee, and I did it as fast as I could, glad that I"d decided to wear a skirt that day. My empty bladder was appreciative, too. As I made my way back toward the car I took in my surroundings. Nothing looked familiar. We were behind a cl.u.s.ter of trees and shrubbery next to a billboard sign that was so old and faded that I couldn"t make out the advertis.e.m.e.nt. I figured that we were on the interstate though, as I could make out glimpses of vehicles racing past on the other side of the trees.
Getting close to Chicken, I wondered if he had something to drink. "Why are you doing this?" Instinct told me that there was more to it than just eliminating compet.i.tion so that Stella could get in good with Lynch.
His laugh sounded evil. "Get back in the trunk," he ordered, ignoring my question. It was then that I saw the roll of tape in his hand.
"Please don"t tape me again, it cuts off my circulation. It"s not like I can go anywhere in the trunk." He reached for me anyway. "Please," I said again, purposely turning my voice soft in the hopes that it would persuade him.
Chicken hesitated, and I could tell that he was thinking it over. I didn"t like how his gaze suddenly moved over me, seeming to linger on my b.o.o.bs. I resisted the impulse to cross my arms.
"What will you give me?"
I swallowed. I knew what he wanted, but said instead, "A kiss?" The thought repulsed me, but I knew that I had to offer something more substantial than a promise. At least he looked interested.
His grin had nothing to do with humor. He said nothing, just crooked his finger for me to move closer. s.h.i.t, I didn"t want to kiss him, but the thought of being bound again so that I couldn"t move scared me more. Besides, if I was going to get my hands on that box cutter I needed them free. Heart in my throat, I reluctantly stepped closer, and then quickly, before I lost my breakfast, I kissed his nearly non-existent lips. Just as I was about to pull away a hand twisted in my hair, and Chicken held me to him, grinding his mouth over mine.
Everything in me rebelled against him. I was going to throw up. Before I could react, he pulled me back by the hair and forced me into the trunk with a triumphant laugh. I"d barely lain down before he slammed the trunk closed. He was still laughing when he walked away, but I didn"t care, grateful for this small victory. I rubbed my hand across my abused mouth to wipe his kiss away, shaking wildly. I didn"t even care that I hadn"t gotten the drink that I needed.
Hearing the engine start up, I let out a breath of relief. At least now I could move around. The interior of the trunk was pitch black, but it occurred to me that there may be a flashlight in my emergency crate. I laughed at the irony of the fact that I needed a flashlight in order to find a flashlight. Maybe I was losing it. There was nothing funny about my situation.
Recalling where the tools were located, I began to feel my way through the items to the bottom. My fingers felt the cool metal of screwdrivers and wrenches before coming to the thin plastic handle of the cutter. G.o.d, please let there still be a blade in it. As I worked my hand back out I felt the round, cylinder handle of a small flashlight. Soon a small light illuminated the trunk. A flashlight, a box cutter, and then my hands were untied and my chances of escape were looking better.
All I had to do now was wait to make my move.
Chapter 20.
Lynch "Hey, prez, you"re not gonna like this."
I detected the reluctance in Fat Boy"s voice and frowned, knowing that this wasn"t going to be good. "What?"
"We"re here at the clinic and they haven"t f.u.c.kin" seen hide or hair of your lady all day. Chicken ain"t here, either."
"f.u.c.k!" Barely covered how I really felt.
"Fat Boy!" I heard Snake give a yell at him in the background, and waited. Whatever he said next was mumbled.
"s.h.i.t, man," Fat Boy was back to me on the phone. "Chicken"s bike was stashed behind the f.u.c.kin" dumpster!"
I slammed my fist down on the bar top, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. "Get the f.u.c.k back here."
I was going to f.u.c.king explode. Anger and fear for Kat raced side by side for control. My mind ran with all kinds of f.u.c.king possibilities of why she hadn"t made it to work. And where was Chicken? He was supposed to be watching her. The fact that his bike had been hidden behind the dumpster explained a lot. It was obvious that he was involved in some way. That f.u.c.king little p.r.i.c.k was dead.
"Prez, what the h.e.l.l?" Lenny commented, moving next to me.