by Kayley Shaye
“Don’t you dare,” I spat at him.
“Or what, bitch?” He leaned in closer, only inches from my face.
On the outside, I might have looked calm but honestly, I was panicking on the inside. I didn’t want the disgusting pig touching me. “There is no ‘or what’,” I told him. “You have no right to touch me, and that’s all there is to it. Don’t you dare touch me again.”
His hand dropped to his side, and he laughed like it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. “You’re not really in the position to be barking out orders, remember? That’s my job.” He stood up to his full height and started unbuttoning his pants.
The nerves really kicked in as I watched him. So, I did the most logical thing I could think of. I brought my leg up as hard as I could, right up and into his balls.
I couldn’t help the little snicker that escaped my lips as he fell to the ground, cursing and yelling something along the lines of ‘stupid bitch.’
“What did I tell you, Mr. Hot Shot? That’s what happens when you don’t listen to my orders,” I mocked him, knowing I was in deep crap for just doing that. However, the bastard deserved it, and I got a good laugh out of it.
“Screw you. You’re going to pay for that!” he yelled as he pulled himself off the ground.
“Come on, buddy. Give it your best shot.”
He punched me so hard in the face that my chair fell backwards, and I hit my head on the hard floor. Damn that bit of confidence! I should’ve just kept my mouth shut. I tried to untie my hands, but just like the last three days, I wasn’t successful. Blood ran down my lip and cheek. I wanted so bad to deck him, but my hands were useless then.
He pulled the chair as I got into an upright position, and he kicked me in the gut with his steel-toed boot. I cursed, bending over with my head in my lap. I turned my head to the side, spitting out blood on the floor. It just kept coming too, and I felt as if I was going to drown in it. That’d be just my type of luck.
“What the hell did you do? We don’t want her dead!” a voice shouted into the room and I recognized it as Jesse, the club president.
“The little bitch deserved it. She kicked me,” the man told him.
“Man up, Steve. She weighs a hundred pounds, if that. Quit being such a wuss, and don’t lay a hand on her anymore. We don’t want her dead,” he repeated.
I was never so thankful to see Jesse. He probably just saved my ass, which was funny considering he was the reason I was in here in the first place.
“Fine, whatever.”
“Come on, get her. It’s time to go.” Jesse shut the door behind him, leaving me alone with Steve again.
I was afraid that if I tried to talk, I would indeed choke on blood, so I just kept my head down and hoped I wasn’t going to be alone with Steve much longer.
***
We pulled up at an abandoned clearing in the woods. It was discreet and quiet, that much I could see already. I couldn’t help but wonder what was about to go down though. I was pulled out of the black van and shoved to my knees. My hands were tied in front of me, and Steve had shoved a dirty gag into my mouth to keep me from screaming. I was still in a lot of pain from the incident earlier, not that I’d told them that. Jesse, Steve, and another guy who I didn’t know the name of stood behind me with loaded guns. They were waiting for someone, and I had the feeling I knew exactly who it was going to be.
I almost cried tears of joy as I watched three motorcycles pull up in front of me: Ryder, Damien, and Liam. They’re my best friends, my whole life.
The three of them killed the engines and stood in front of me with guns in their hands as well. It was the first time I had ever seen a trace of terror in their eyes. These guys could put a bullet in a guy’s head without a second thought if they had to, but they were behaving differently. They weren’t the same tough guys I knew, and it was killing me knowing I was the reason behind it.
I hung my head and stared at the grass because I couldn’t bear to see the hurt in their eyes any longer. Unfortunately, almost as soon as I did it, blood filled my mouth and I started choking. The rag prevented me from opening my mouth. Steve had really kicked me hard.
I desperately tried to remove the rag, but I didn’t have any luck. What a surprise.
“She’s choking! Get it off her!” Ryder shouted.
The rag was cut and removed off of my mouth almost immediately by Jesse, and I spit the blood out just in time. I closed my eyes and started sobbing. Fighting it wasn’t an option, and I just wanted to go home.
“Sage, it’s okay. You’re okay.” I heard Ryder tell me calmly, but Jesse wouldn’t let him come any closer to me.
“I’m far from okay, Ryder,” I cried, my eyes slowly trailed up to meet his. “Get me out of here, please.”
“We are doing that,” Liam spoke up for the first time.
I dropped my eyes back to the ground as Steve yanked me up to my feet. My back pressed up against his chest and my breathing quickened even more. God, not this again!
“What—how much money do you want?” Ryder stuttered.
“20k,” Jesse told him.
“20k? You helped us out with one raid!” Ryder spat.
“But we spilled blood. We put our differences aside to help you, assholes. That wasn’t easy. All I wanted to do was strangle every single one of you,” Jesse growled in a deadly tone. “20k or the chick stays with us.”
Steve chuckled darkly, and once again, his hand went up my shirt towards my breasts. He made sure the guys could see it too. I sucked in a breath and shut my eyes as tears continued running down my face. I wasn’t even trying to stop them.
“Okay, okay, just stop touching her.” Ryder’s eyes shot daggers at Steve. “We’ll get you your money.”
Steve stopped harassing me when the words came out of Ryder’s mouth, and I finally felt like I could breathe again for a moment. The question was, how long would it last?
“Meet us here in two days with the money.” Jesse gestured for them to walk off, and I tore my eyes from them as Steve shoved me roughly back into the van. I hit the floor with a thud and watched as Steve slammed the doors in my face.
“Don’t hurt her!” I heard Damien yell at Jesse before the engines fired up.
It was too late for that, but I just hoped they could get the money. If not, I’d be six feet under by the end of the week.
Chapter Four
Jesse took me back into the room where I had been tied the past three days. I had nothing to say as he pushed me into the chair and tied my arms back behind it. What was there to say anyway? To my surprise, he was being somewhat gentle. I didn’t know what got into him, but I wasn’t going to question it either.
“Do you need anything?” he asked.
“I could use some water,” I admitted. I glanced up at his bright blue eyes.
He nodded and left the room, coming right back in with a glass. He tipped it over for me, and I drank it fast. I had not had water in forever. “Thanks,” I muttered. He sat down near me and put the glass down beside him on the floor. I frowned. Didn’t he have more important things to do? I was not very fond of the way he was looking at me.
“I’m surprised,” I started.
“Surprised by what?” His eyes met mine.
“That you haven’t hurt me besides the slap,” I said quietly.
“You want me to hurt you?” He raised his eyebrows, challenging me.
“That’s not what I said.” I shook my head. “I mean, you’re Jesse Miller. You’re known as the killer, the guy whose heart is made of ice. Everyone knows who you are. I just—I don’t know.”
“Everyone knows you too.” He smirked lightly, apparently not insulted. “And I don’t kill women unless I have to or if they’re just a pain in my ass. That’s what Steve is for.”
“Psh, that makes me feel better,” I muttered, looking down at him. “Anyway, why are you here talking to little ole me?”
“You’re different, not like the other women I�
��ve come across. I don’t know,” Jesse admitted, shrugging. “It’s not like I have anything better to do right now since someone’s got to watch over you, right?”
I almost choked on my own spit from the honesty in his words, but how would he know what I’m like? “Yeah, I-I guess you’re right,” I stuttered. Ugh, Sage, get it together, I thought to myself.
Jesse chuckled lightly and stood up from the ground. “I’ll be right back. Don’t move.”
“Couldn’t even if I wanted to,” I said as he walked out the door. For some reason, he was growing on me, but why? He was my kidnapper for fuck’s sake.
Jesse came back into the room holding a damp rag. I frowned at him again as he kneeled in front of me; his face was not too far from mine. He reached towards me, and I flinched away quickly.
“Relax. I’m not going to hurt you,” he said as he started wiping off the dried blood on my face. I was finding it hard to believe that here was a guy who killed hundreds of men without being caught, mind you, cleaning blood off of the face of someone he barely even knew.
Jesse tossed the rag across the room and sat back down where he was prior to leaving. “Better?”
“Better. So, are you planning on starving me for two more days, or how does this work now since you’re trying to be Mr. Nice Guy?” I asked.
“What are you talking about?” Jesse asked, leaning back on the palms of his hands.
I couldn’t help but admire his muscles and tattoos as he leaned back. The tattoos suited his body so well, and his tanned skin made him look like every girl’s dream guy. He was definitely cute, but I’m sure no one would ever dare to use that word for him. Damn, what was wrong with me? I couldn’t even remember what I had been thinking about at this point.
I snapped my eyes back up to his and he was smirking. He had caught me gawking over him. Nice move, Sage, I told myself.
“You’re drooling, sweetheart.” Jesse chuckled.
“Oh, screw you!”
“You want to?” Jesse asked.
“Want to what?” I asked, confused.
“Screw me,” he said.
I blushed so hard I swear I had to look like a tomato. “Oh god, that’s so not what I meant.”
“It was worth a shot.” He was enjoying watching me squirm, and I knew it.
“You’re a real ass, you know that?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow.
“And you’re a real bitch for kicking my guy in the balls.” Jesse copied my facial expression.
“The bastard deserved it just like you deserve a boot up your ass for tying me to this stupid chair—a sweet, pretty girl like me,” I said with confidence, hoping to get myself out of the situation. Of course, I didn’t think so highly of myself, but I’d do just about anything to get out of the chair for a little while.
“I can play that game too,” Jesse said. He had caught on quick.
“Yeah?”
“Of course,” he replied, standing up and walking over towards me. Leaning down, he whispered in my ear. “I’ll untie you for a little while, but don’t even think about getting any ideas. Otherwise I’ll—”
“You’ll send Steve after me?” I asked.
“Exactly.”
***
Jesse gave me food and let me stay untied for about three hours last night, although he never took his eyes off me because he was afraid I’d bolt. Lucky for him, I had no intentions of doing that. Steve was around the area somewhere after all. He honestly scared the crap out of me. Well, hell, Jesse did too, but Steve was worse at the time.
It was about 10 AM according to the clock. Since I had nothing better to do and was bored to death, I figured hey, why not sing? It was a damn shame I didn’t have music, but it would have to do.
Just as I started singing the lyrics to my favorite song, Jesse walked in and gave me a dirty look.
“What? Do I suck that bad?”
“You do,” he responded.
“No one told you to come down here at this exact moment,” I shot back. I wasn’t even mad. I knew I wasn’t a good singer.
“You want this food or not?” He smirked. Jesse knew he had the power and loved it.
I shut my mouth and nodded at him. “Sure do.” I took the bowl of cereal from him and chowed down.
Chapter Five
“So, you got the money?” I asked Jesse as he stood in front of me.
“Yep, all 20k,” he said as he went behind me. I felt the ropes fall from my wrists, freeing me.
“So, you’re saying I’m free now? I can go home?” My legs were weak from sitting down for so long.
I was really curious as to how Ryder managed to get that kind of money in two days. I owed him and the rest of the guys big time.
“You’re free to go. Pity, I was enjoying having you around,” he admitted.
I scoffed, running my fingers through my medium length brown hair. “Yeah, it was a real joy for me too. Having to stay tied up with two assholes watching my every move. Fun times,” I said. There wasn’t a hint of my somewhat playful attitude from the day before. I still wasn’t sure where that came from.
“Whatever. I’ll drive you to the clubhouse,” Jesse announced.
“Oh, hell no! I’ve got two feet. I think I can manage.”
“Would you rather have me tie you back up to that chair or just get in the van and let me drop you off?” Jesse raised his eyebrows, challenging me once again.
“Fine, fine! I’ll go with you. I don’t know why it matters to you so much though. This is so messed up,” I muttered under my breath.
“Tell me about it,” he hissed.
I walked ahead of him and reached the door when I was suddenly grabbed and shoved roughly to the wall. I’m so tired of this.
“And where the hell do you think you’re going?” Steve’s harsh voice asked. His bald head was gleaming.
“Steve, chill. I’ve got the money.”
I glared at him, pushing him off of me as I stormed past without giving him another glance. I rushed out the door and heard something along the lines of ‘sorry boss’ from inside. I stomped like a five-year-old, mind you, over to the van. I felt very dirty and in need of a good shower, considering the fact that I hadn’t had one in what, five days? Not to mention, Steve’s disgusting ass had been touching me. I felt like puking at the thought.
“Come on, sweetheart.” I heard Jesse’s footsteps from behind me as he walked around to the driver’s side.
I climbed in, shaking my head over how bizarre everything truly was.
***
I insisted that Jesse drop me off around the corner from the clubhouse because I really wasn’t in the mood for a full out bloody war when the guys caught a glimpse of him. So, in a way, I was saving his ass. However, I really should’ve let them take him on. He had no right to kidnap and hold me hostage, but that was over and done with now.
I stood on the curb, a sigh of relief escaping my lips as Jesse sped away from me. No more Steve. No more Jesse. No more fear, or so I hoped.
I admit I liked Jesse’s company, just slightly, but that was because he had been almost gentle with me in the end. It still shocked the hell out of me when I compared that side of him to all of the stories I heard about him gutting people alive.
My club wasn’t innocent, and I didn’t want to make it seem like we were. The difference between Jesse and us was that we don’t kill people for the hell of it. We always had a reason. I couldn’t say the same for Jesse and his guys, at least, not always.
I walked into the nearest gas station long enough to go to the bathroom and try to scrub off some of the dirt that caked my face and arms. I did a pretty decent job if I do say so myself.
I bought a coke with a crumbled five-dollar bill that I’d somehow forgotten about in my pocket and slipped out the door, heading for the clubhouse. A little smile crossed my lips. I was going to hug my best friends, shower and then go pass out somewhere. I didn’t exactly get much sleep in that damn chair, maybe an hour or two a night.
Twisting the cap of the soda, I took a sip and continued down the sidewalk. I could smell the salt water from the beach, which wasn’t five miles from the clubhouse. We were lucky that we could go to the beach any day and cool down in the blistering heat that Florida provided us with most of the time.
I approached the clubhouse, bikes parked around it as usual. Ryder’s red Harley was the prettiest one in the lot. The place looked different like the atmosphere had changed. Usually, there would be a few drunk guys passed out on the lawn and people grinding on one another, even music blasting so loud you could hear it a mile away; but it was the complete opposite that day. It was silent. I couldn’t help but wonder if I had something to do with it. Well, I knew I had something to do with it.
I sighed, hoping shit hadn’t hit the fan while I was away. I walked up to the big wooden doors, dumping my coke bottle in the trash can and paused. I leaned in, listening to any sign of life. All I could hear were low voices as if they were in a meeting.
Sucking in a breath, I ran my fingers through my hair and adjusted my leather jacket. Well, time to see what I missed. I stepped inside, caught off guard as all the attention was drawn to me. Everyone was seated, staring wide-eyed at me. Not a soul was drinking and that never happened. Hell, they never shut their mouths either. So the fact that no one, and I mean no one, was talking really freaked me out. None of the guys had girls up under their arm either, so I knew it just got real.
“I feel the love, guys,” I muttered, breaking the silence. A small smile spread across their faces, and I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Come here, bastards, and give me a hug!” I held my arms out like a child.
Ryder was the first to reach me and hug me tight, lifting me off the ground. He was tall, maybe six feet, so he had no problem doing it. Soon followed Damien and Liam, both hugging me equally tight. I felt like I couldn’t breathe, but I loved it nonetheless. The bad boys had missed me.
