Maîtriser guides me into the living room. The carpet is lush, soft and almost velvety beneath my toes. I almost forget to lift my head when we’re stopped—almost. Once my eyes drag up to take in the room, I gasp. The men sitting on the furniture, in a circle, are not who I expected to see here.
They all wear the Notorious Devils cuts, yet none look like the kind men that I’ve encountered. They all look as evil as Maîtriser. Their eyes roam over me, taking in my naked state beneath the sheer gown. The room is cold, a temperature it’s always kept, cold enough to keep goosebumps along my skin, and my nipples constantly erect.
“What do we have here?” one of the men asks.
Maîtriser chuckles, his hand reaching out and pressing against my lower back. He’s warm, and against everything inside of me, I lean a little more toward his side. Though the move is subtle, and I don’t actually touch him, his fingers twitch at the movement.
“This, gentlemen, is just a sample of what awaits you here on the compound. Now, you’ve all been of great help with the cause. Infiltrating those men, that group, is not an easy task and it is now time for your reward,” he announces.
A couple of the men chuckle, but only one speaks. He seems to be the spokesman. His eyes meet mine, but I don’t shiver in disgust. He’s handsome, much like the rest, his blue eyes aren’t cold and evil though, rather, they are kind. I’m at odds. Is he bad or good? Evil or kind? Is my mind playing tricks on me?
“Figured we had it pretty good with the clubs. Not sure I’m ready to give up all that free pussy, booze, and dope, not to mention the money,” he says, though his eyes don’t ever leave mine.
It’s as if he’s trying to communicate something, but my mind feels like such a jumbled mess that I couldn’t read him even if I tried.
Maîtriser clears his throat, the room suddenly becoming eerily quiet. “This place is not for parties. It is for gathering and training for a war that will be at our doorstep before you can blink. The only men that will be allowed to live behind these walls are men that are loyal to the cause and to me. The only men that will be given the women they deserve are men that can prove their worth. You will have your fill of pussy, young, fresh and owned, also you’ll have women for procreation purposes. This is utopia, gentlemen. All it costs is your loyalty.”
The man who has his eyes on me, they suddenly shift to Maîtriser, his jaw is clenched, but he doesn’t argue with him. I wouldn’t either. I have a feeling he has killed men for less. One-by-one they stand, making their way toward him, then kneel.
“You have our fidelity,” they say in unison. They’re all bowing their heads, all but the kind-eyed one. He’s watching me, curiosity stamped all over his face.
Maîtriser lifts his hand, his palm down, he glides it through the air as if to touch the tops of their heads. The exalted leader or some shit. He’s sick, they’re sick. I want to go home.
Closing my eyes, I curse myself, hating myself once again for what I’ve done. Then, I remind myself that all of this was to save Houston, Carson, Axe, and the rest of the Notorious Devils at the clubhouse.
There’s a ruckus, and I gasp as a group of young boys walk into the room. They’re all under the age of twenty, the youngest looking around ten years old. Babies. That’s what they are, babies.
“Maîtriser,” the oldest one calls.
The men on the ground lift their heads then stand. They all watch these boys, the group of twenty shift nervously from foot-to-foot. I try to take a step away, unsure of what is about to happen, but Maîtriser won’t let me. His hold on my lower back is firm, his fingers twitch and I heed their warning.
“There’s a truck rolling through town, the men driving are wearing cuts, and they are not our men,” they announce.
Maîtriser grunts. “What chapter?”
One of the boys takes a step forward. “I was lookout, with my binoculars, I saw that they were…” He gulps, his eyes finding mine, then shifting back to Maîtriser. His words are barely above a whisper, but I hear them, and my heart stutters in my chest. They’re from Houston’s club.
“Take her down to the basement, third room on the left. Lock her ass inside, if they come here, they do not need to know of her existence,” Maîtriser shouts, shoving me toward the man with the kind blue eyes.
With a flurry, everyone begins to move. Maîtriser starts shouting orders, and the blue-eyed man wraps his hand around my waist and hurries me away from the crowd.
“Who are you?” I whisper once we’re down in the basement in the empty dark hall that will lead me toward my solitude.
His feet stop, he turns to me and his eyes search my own. “A friend,” he nods.
Shaking my head, I search his gaze. “I’ve never seen you before, have I?” Honestly, I have to ask the question, because my memories are not all my own. Some are real, but some I fear are not valid anymore.
He lifts his hand, his fingers brushing my cheek. “You haven’t. I’ve done my research. I’m on a mission, from MadDog, a mission that includes bringing these fucks down. You are not just some woman though, are you?” he asks.
His voice is kind, his eyes even more so. I shrug, backing up against my door and attempting to breathe. I search his eyes with my own, watching him, wondering if he knows Houston.
“I’m not an Old Lady,” I admit on a whispered breath.
He hums, his eyes never leaving my own. “The fact that you know what that is, and the way you’re eyeing this cut, searching my face for help, it makes me believe that you are someone, somebody important. I’ll try to get you out as soon as possible,” he states.
The doorknob to the bedroom door turns, he opens the door and I stumble backward into my concrete cell. “What’s your name?” I ask.
He smirks. “They call me Dice, babe.”
I almost tell him to find Houston, to tell him where I am, but I don’t. I’m not a hundred percent sure if I can trust him. I can’t even trust myself, so I know that trusting another human is out of the question right now. His eyes search my own, they’re assessing, though I’m not sure what he’s finding. I don’t ask him though. I wait until he’s finished.
He takes a step back, beginning to close the door, then freezes. “Do you want to be found by whoever is most likely looking for you?” he asks.
Inhaling a deep breath, his words weigh heavily immediately. They feel like a ton of bricks that have been thrown onto my shoulders.
“I think so,” I whisper.
He nods. “Then I’ll do what I can for you, and the others.”
Closing the door almost immediately, I continue to stare straight ahead. I stand in the center of the room for far too long. I jump when the door flies open. Maîtriser is there, his hair disheveled and a look of raw hatred on his face. I close my eyes because I know what this means. He stalks toward me like an animal. I stay still, his prey, always his prey.
My eyes close, my dress comes up over my hips and not for the first time, I imagine the man’s shadowed face is in front of me, touching me, loving me. The man that’s name comes in and out of my mind, flittering around just on the brink of my memory bank.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
HOUSTON
Regina’s city limits comes into view and I curse at the sight, the clubhouse is just down and around a curve at the end of this long dirt road. Fuck, I wish this trip didn’t bring back a flood of memories. Hell, I wish breathing didn’t bring them back, but just being alive makes me think of her, every waking moment of every single fucking day.
“This strip of road is fuckin’ weird,” Baby announces, looking around.
I glance to the side where he seems to have his gaze focused. I see movement, some men with guns surrounding a large fenced-in area. It reminds me similarly of the compounds that we destroyed, except much more primitive, almost like one of those forts from the old west days. Baby is right, it’s fuckin’ weird.
Slowing down the truck, I don’t stop, but Baby takes his phone out and starts snapping pi
ctures. “I feel like these could be useful one day,” he mutters.
“Do you think…”
Baby grunts. “Brother, I try not to think at all costs, but this is suspicious as fuck. When we get to the clubhouse, we need to start asking questions. This shit is in their backyard and they should know what it is and why it’s there.”
I nod, agreeing with his statement, but my mind can’t help but wander. Is this where they’re keeping Roxanne? Could I be so fucking lucky? Maybe I’m just foolishly hoping. In reality, I’ll probably never see her beautiful face again.
The clubhouse comes into view, we’re let in with nothing more than a nod from the gate guard. Several men appear from the clubhouse and immediately get down to business unloading the merchandise. Climbing out of the truck, I’m not surprised to be met by the president of the club. He extends his hand giving me a hardy handshake.
Last time I did a delivery, it was at a warehouse out in an industrial park, today we’re doing it here at their clubhouse. I don’t ask questions, I simply drive to the appointed location and open up the back of the truck.
“You got a minute to talk?” I ask him.
His eyes immediately go alert, and I don’t blame him. I’m not being pleasant, in fact, I don’t think I could even if I tried right now. I’m too consumed with this fortress and whoever the fuck those people are who are behind those walls.
I explain what me and Baby came across as we drove down that desolate dirt road. The president’s jaw clenches and he shakes his head. Lifting his hand, he runs his fingers through his hair.
“Knew they were building something. They brought in a few metal barn buildings, they’ve been fucking busy out there. The fortress walls are new though, but they don’t surprise me. I’ve been keeping an eye on them, but they don’t associate with anyone from town, at least not any one of our contacts. I don’t know dick about them.”
Grunting, I tug my phone out of my pocket. “Baby, text those pictures to Keys,” I bark.
“Yeah?” Keys greets.
“Baby is texting you some pictures. It’s of a fortress on this dirt road before you get to the clubhouse out here. I want to know what it is because I do not get a good feeling about any of it.”
There’s a moment of silence, then I hear Keys get back on the phone. “That looks really fucking bad,” he points out.
“No fuckin’ shit.”
“Get the Regina club to escort you out of town. I hacked a live satellite, and brother, they’re armed.”
“Fuck,” I hiss.
It takes less than an hour to unload the truck and gather a group of men to escort us out of this backward place. Whatever the fuck they got going down with guns and forts, I want no fucking part in. I’ve been party to that fucking shit for the last time. I’ve killed enough people to last me a lifetime. Baby and I are silent as the rumble of the bikes that surround us lead us down this old dirt road.
We’re only forced to stop when we come across a line of armed men blocking the road. “What the fuck,” Baby rasps.
With my hands on ten-and-two, I grip the steering wheel, my knuckles turning white and the plastic cracking beneath my grip. The road captain climbs off of his bike and slowly makes his way toward the line of men. In turn, they all point their weapons straight toward him, which causes the Notorious Devils to do the same.
“Get your piece, but don’t be obvious,” I instruct Baby. If this turns into a shootout, I want to make sure that the fact that we’re armed is a fucking surprise.
“This ain’t right,” Baby announces.
“I know.”
We wait in silence, unable to hear what’s happening between the road captain and the men blocking the road.
“Fuck,” I hiss as soon as the road captain’s body flies backward. He lands on the dirt road, blood immediately pooling at the back of his head.
Gunfire ensues. Glancing to the left, I see a man standing at the fortress’s entrance, watching, smiling. His eyes aren’t on the action, they’re on me. The passenger door slams, Baby climbs out and he runs, guns blazing, into the action. Turning back to the man at the gate, I frown. He’s disappeared.
Taking my gun out of the shoulder holster, I climb out of the truck and join the fight. It doesn’t last too long, the men along the road were all inexperienced, terrible shots, and die within moments.
Only three Notorious Devils’ men are injured, and one dead. All ten of the road blocking men are gone.
Baby and I walk up to the bodies that litter the road, and my stomach twists at the sight of them. “They’re fuckin’ kids,” Baby says, taking the words from my mouth.
“What the hell is going on here?” I rasp.
The president appears at my side, his eyes glance at the now locked up fortress, then turn back to me. “You boys go and get back home. We’ll clean this up and update you,” he instructs.
“This is just the beginning of whatever this group has planned,” I announce.
He lifts his chin. “I know.”
Baby and I leave, though everything inside of me is screaming at me to stay. There is something really fucked up happening here. Something really, really fucked up. I’m going to get to the bottom of it, even if it takes me months. I will find out just what this place is, and why it’s making me sick to even be around.
ROXANNE
Two more weeks turns into four. I’ve been here, in this room, in solitude, for two months. I haven’t seen the blue-eyed man in over a month. His name evades me, the voices are taking over more and more of my day now.
Yesterday, I almost drowned myself again. I don’t remember emptying the bathtub water but woke up naked in the bath, the water drained and my skin still damp. I fear that I will not make it much longer. I will be my own demise, sooner rather than later. I’m not sure anyone would notice right away, either.
Sitting in the middle of the room, my eyes focused on the drain in the floor, yet again, I wonder what it’s for. I’ve yet to see it be used, but I’m sure it has a purpose. Everything in this world, in this place, has a purpose, even evil things. I have a feeling this drain is used for evil.
The door flies open, it bounces against the wall, but I don’t even bother looking up. Evil is evil is evil. It doesn’t matter which devil walks through my door. Which one uses my body, tries to suck the life out of my soul. They are all the same.
“Your man must really fucking miss you,” a hushed voice announces.
Lifting my head, I look into the kind blue eyes of a man whose name that I can no longer remember.
“Dice, babe,” he says, his voice sounding kind, as if he can read my thoughts.
“Why do you say that?” I ask.
He tilts his head to the side, a grin playing on his lips. “He’s on his way to save you, pretty girl.”
“Maîtriser?” I ask.
Dice’s eyes darken, his jaw clenches and he shakes his head. “The Devils are coming, babe. This whole place is all worked up and ready for battle. I’m supposed to transfer you to the rest of the women. To their bunker…” He lets his words trail off. I tip my head to the side, waiting for the but because I know that it is there on the tip of his tongue.
Standing, I slowly walk over to the man. His eyes search mine, his hand lifts and he cups the side of my neck. “Do you know who waits for you?”
His name is on the tip of my tongue, I delve inside of my head, trying to pull out the memories. I can see the outline of his face, I can feel his touch, but that is all that I can remember.
“I can’t remember,” I admit as tears fill my eyes.
Dice curses. “I’m going to take you out of this room, then this house. You’re going to follow quietly. You’re going to do exactly what I say, and you are not going to argue. I don’t know any of these other bitches, but I know you’re one of us. Whoever he is, I bet he misses the absolute fucking shit out of you.”
I hear a loud noise, my body jolts and Dice turns his head quickly to look behind him.
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“Time to go, babe.”
His hand wraps around mine and together we hurry. Maîtriser is at the top of the stairs when we arrive at the main part of the house. His eyes find mine, they pin me to my spot and I freeze, unable to move even a muscle.
“Take her with the others. She must be protected at all times.”
Dice nods, he looks from me to Maîtriser, then he asks him something that I’ve wondered this entire time. “Why’s she so important?” he asks. “Just want to know what I’m up against here,” he attempts to clarify.
Maîtriser doesn’t even look in my direction, his eyes are focused on Dice’s. “This is my property. My fucktoy to do with as I please, any way that I please. She never protests, never denies, and her mind is so far gone that I doubt she even remembers everything I have done to her. Would you give up something so blissfully unaware?”
Ice floods my veins at his words. Dice’s grip on my bicep tightens. “I’ll get her to the shelter,” he grinds out.
“Have some fun with her if you want, your reward for keeping my toy safe,” Maîtriser laughs.
Without another word, Dice swiftly guides me out of the house. “He’s a sick motherfucker. He’s been doping all the women, including you.”
I pull my arm from his grasp, my eyes finding his. “I’m sick, Dice. He hasn’t been giving me any drugs. I have a mental illness.”
Dice’s lips twitch, though it’s not humorously, more like with pitied sadness. “Girl, he has been poisoning your water and the rest of the women’s. He’s barely feeding you, drugging you, and laughing at your expense when you forget everything he’s done to you.”
“How could I be drugged, I would remember something, wouldn’t I?” I demand.
“I don’t have time for this shit right now. You wouldn’t remember, not if he kept doing it day after day. It’s probably nothing more than Rohypnol, but that shit causes memory loss, babe.”
Twisted with Chaos: A CASH BAR NOVEL Page 16
