by Naomi West
Determined enough that she had done everything he had asked and more. She had not only let him use her body, but Piper had responded to him. She had kissed him, opened her legs to him, and even sucked his cock better than Rita did. Most of all, Piper had seemed to enjoy it. And Tank had certainly enjoyed it, too, with those naked tits bouncing in his face and her sweet pussy gliding on him like that. Maybe if she had just laid down stiffly and let him fuck her, it would have been different. But she had been a willing accomplice, and now he didn’t know what to do with her.
It had been pure instinct that had made him walk out and shut that door. He’d had every intention of following through and letting her go when she had agreed to have sex with him, but once it was over it was like everything had changed. The animal inside him demanded that he keep her around. It wasn’t every day that he felt that sort of satisfaction, and he would have been a fool if he had just let her walk out. Yes, he would keep her for the moment. He could sleep with her a few more times before he completely made up his mind.
The fit behind the door had settled down, and Tank headed up the stairs just as Chain arrived from his lunch break. He scowled at the man, not wanting to give away what he had done. “She’s still locked up, but she’s not bound anymore. So don’t open that door, no matter what she says.”
Chain shook his head emphatically. “No way, José. I won’t even go near the door. I know how women are. They have their ways about them. Not to mention, I happened to look up this girl once you told me who she was. There’s plenty of information about her online since she works for the paper, and she’s a looker. She would use that against me and probably succeed.”
Tank grunted his acknowledgement but wasn’t interested in talking about that any further. Was that what Piper had done to him? She’d claimed she didn’t use her looks to get around in life, but he’d never met a woman who did otherwise. It was the way all the club girls worked, after all. “Just keep her in there. I’m heading back to work to see how things are going. The men were supposed to pick up a shipment, and I haven’t heard anything yet.”
The ride back to the clubhouse was just what Tank needed to clear his mind. The air was warm when he was sitting still, but it cooled off immensely when he revved his engine and let his bike fly down the asphalt. It blew away all the doubts he had. So what if he had made a deal with Piper? He didn’t have to keep it, not after everything she had done to him. And, if she wanted to get technical about it, they had never agreed on just how many times she would have to give herself to him before he let her go. Tank grinned as he pulled into the garage at the clubhouse, thinking about what a good mood he was going to be in for the next several days.
But his positive attitude faded as soon as he turned off his bike. Tar burst into the garage, an urgent look on his face. “I need to see you in your office.”
Tank nodded, holding himself back from asking anymore questions until they reached the privacy of his office. He wanted to know what was going on, and he wanted to know like yesterday, but it wouldn’t help to talk about any problems in front of the entire club. “What is it?” he barked when he shut the door behind them, ensconcing them in his private office.
Tar looked nervous, an unusual state for the older man. “We went to pick up that shipment, the next one from the Red Devils. But the cops showed up right as I pulled into the parking lot where we were supposed to meet them. I sent the others back and just pretended I was lost. I even asked the damn cop for directions, if you can believe that. I think I pulled it off well enough for the moment, but it sure seems to me like someone tipped them off.”
“Fuck!” Tank slammed his fist into the top of his desk. “We’ve just started this whole deal, and now it’s already going down the tubes. Did the officer say anything about what he was doing there?”
The older man shook his head. “Sure didn’t. He seemed pretty suspicious of me, but we left our vests behind like you told us to. With no badging to show that we were from the Chrome Kings, I’m sure I just looked like some old geezer out for a midday ride.”
That was all well and good, but it by no means solved their problem. Tank rubbed his chin, trying to think. Unfortunately, Piper had drained all the blood from his brain less than an hour ago. “We’ve got to figure out how they knew about the delivery. And don’t try to tell me they didn’t know. There would be no other reason for them to be there.” The designated parking lot was a deserted one on the border of town, far from the docks where they had picked up the initial load, and it was to be stored in a different warehouse than the one Piper had been snooping around in. There once had been an old insurance building on the land, but it was now nothing more than gravel. It wasn’t the sort of place anyone would go unless they had a reason.
Tar shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. I’ve talked to a few of the senior men to see what they thought, but we don’t know.”
“I have a few guesses, and I don’t like any of them.” Tank turned away to the window. A few trees had grown up in a strip of grass alongside the clubhouse, but he didn’t register the scenery.
“Care to share?” Tar leaned back in his chair and put one foot up on the opposite knee, watching his boss with a distant interest.
It was something that Tank appreciated. Tar was always interested, but never demanding. “First, have you talked to Eagle about this? He should have known if the cops were involved.”
“He was the first one I asked,” Tar assured him. “I wanted to wait for you to return, but I knew we needed to take some action on this right away. He says he hadn’t heard a thing. I’m starting to wonder if his connections are as good as he claims they are.”
“That’s true. We’ll have to worry about that later.”
Tank paced behind his desk, upset that he hadn’t been able to pinpoint the problem immediately. “It could be the Red Devils,” he explained, working through it in his mind as he spoke. “They were pretty eager to set up this deal, and for all I know it was simply a way for them to get us out of the picture. If the Chrome Kings aren’t around, then there’s a lot less competition for them, even though they don’t operate the same way we do.”
Tar nodded. “So you think they went to all that trouble to get rid of us? I guess it makes some sense. They stood to make a lot of money from that bargain with us, but I guess they could make even more if they didn’t have to involve anyone else.”
Tank turned back toward the window. “It’s a reasonable guess, but unfortunately it’s not the one that comes to mind first.”
“And that is?”
“Something that disturbs me even more than the idea of the Red Devils turning against us,” Tank admitted. “You remember the reporter I found in the warehouse?”
“I do. Where is she now?”
“Still in the same place, locked in my basement. But when I first found her, you mentioned the idea that she might have already told someone what she had found. From talking to her, I didn’t think that was the case. It sounded more like she was trying to get the whole story before she started talking. But she’s a mouthy little thing, and even though she seems to have something to prove, I can’t ignore the idea that she might have blabbed.” He wanted to kick himself. How could he have been stupid enough to think that she was innocent in all this, just a reporter sniffing for a scoop? Reporters always worked closely with the cops so they could get the best stories and the juiciest details. He had been more focused on keeping her in his basement than on wondering what she had done before he had gotten a hold of her.
“Seems like a good place to start, at least. But she’s just going to lie to you. I know I would, if it were me. What’s there to gain from her telling the truth?”
Tar was right. “I’ll just have to find some way around that, I guess.”
“How?”
“I don’t know!” Tank shouted. He dropped his body into his desk chair. “I’m sorry. This whole thing is just very frustrating. Everything else I’ve done for the Kings ha
s been easy. I’ve known exactly what to do and how. But now it’s like any direction I turn looks like the wrong one.”
The older man shook his head and smiled, his mouth twitching up under his graying mustache. “I think you give yourself too much credit.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Tar shrugged. “It hasn’t always been that easy. Yeah, sure, you’ve got a natural talent for leadership. The men respect you, and that’s gone a long way toward helping you get and keep your position here. But it isn’t as though this is the first time you’ve questioned yourself. You just don’t remember because you managed to get through, and you’d rather think it was easy. But it hasn’t been, I promise.”
“Whatever.” Tank went around the desk and to his office door, resting his hand on the knob. He didn’t want to admit that Tar was right, even though he probably was. “For now, I’m going to see what I can get out of her. Can you hold down the fort?”
“Sure thing.”
“Let me know if you hear anything else. Call me right away, even if it doesn’t seem significant.” Tank shot out of the office and back to the garage, dodging through a back hallway so that he wouldn’t have to deal with too many of his men or the adoration of the club girls. He didn’t want to explain himself repeatedly, and he was on a mission.
15
Tank
If his neighbors were paying attention, they were going to start wondering why Tank was suddenly coming and going so much. He liked to think that they really didn’t care or notice, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew how small communities worked. Buying a nice home in a good neighborhood had seemed like a good idea when he had done it, but now he was questioning that decision. Maybe it would have been better to rent a crappy apartment somewhere. Sure, he had the money for a nice place, but people didn’t give two shits what you did when you lived in some slummy building.
He pulled into his garage and shut the door. Chain intercepted him as soon as he walked into the house. “What are you doing here? I didn’t expect you back until the end of the day.”
“Something has come up.” Tank didn’t want to go into all the details, but since Chain was his top security man it was important that he understand what was going on. He ran through the information he had gotten from Tar. “You can go on back to the clubhouse. I might need you there, just in case the cops show up or something else happens. I’ve got things covered here.”
“If you’re sure.” Chain looked troubled as he headed toward the garage, where his bike was parked as well. “I haven’t heard a peep out of her, by the way.”
“That’s fine.” Tank waited until Chain had pulled out of the drive and disappeared down the street before he ventured into the basement.
As his security man had said, everything seemed quiet. It was almost too quiet, or perhaps he was just much more suspicious now that Piper might be hiding something from him. He came quietly to the door, listening intently. There was no sound at all. Had she fallen asleep? Or had she managed to escape somehow? Had she managed to get Chain on her side and conned him into letting her out? The man had left in a hurry.
No, damn it! She was getting to him without even doing anything. Tank quickly unlocked the door and threw it open.
Piper charged at him out of the darkness. He grabbed at her, but she slipped underneath his arm and shot across the basement with surprising speed. Tank charged after her, even angrier than before. Piper screamed as his footsteps sounded on the basement stairs behind her.
She was getting away from him, but Tank had a distinct advantage on her. He knew this house like the back of his hand. He had to hope it was enough.
Her hand slipped on the knob of the basement door, but she shot through and slammed it in his face. Tank opened it with a roar of anger, ready to tear this annoying little bitch to pieces. But when he emerged into the hall, he saw that she had made a wrong turn. If Piper had headed left, she might have been able to reach the door off the kitchen before he did. But she had gone right, and there was nothing there but a few guest bedrooms and a study. She could try her little trick of getting out the window, but she would never make it before he got to her. He marched down the hall and grabbed her just as she reached for a door handle. “Where do you think you’re going?”
“Anywhere I want, considering you were supposed to let me go earlier today!” she barked at him as she struggled in his arms.
Her body still felt good against his, even though he was pissed at her. And this was the argument he had been looking for. “I never said that I would let you go,” he whispered in her ear. “You said you would do anything, and I let you.”
“You know what that implied!” she argued.
He had her arms pinned to her sides and her feet almost off the floor. There was no way she could fight him off, and yet she still struggled. Tank considered throwing her to the floor and fucking her right there in the hallway, with her fists flying and all, but he reminded himself that he had more important things to take care of than the stiffness in his pants. “We never said how many times. Maybe you should be more careful when you enter a contract.”
She screamed at him in frustration, and he liked it. “Just let me go, you bastard!”
“Oh, we’re going somewhere all right, but you’re not going without me. Now, I suggest you stand still and listen, unless you want me to go get some more rope. I have plenty of it, and I like the way you look when you’re all tied up.”
Piper stopped fighting so hard, even if she didn’t relax. “What are you talking about?”
Tank turned her around so she had to face him. “We were supposed to pick up another shipment today, but the cops showed up. Tell me what you know about that.”
“Nothing,” she replied instantly. “I told you before, I didn’t say anything to anybody.”
“I knew you would say that. Come on.”
“Where are we going?” She grew combative again as he tried to drag her down the hall toward the garage, clamping her hands on doorways and digging her feet into the carpet.
“Why the hell do you want to stay so badly when you’ve been trying so hard to get out of here?” Tank pulled a little harder. She was tough for such a tiny woman.
“I guess you’ve taught me that I should know more of what I’m getting into before I start,” she countered, glaring at him. “Just tell me where we’re going.”
He yanked her close, his body tensing at her proximity. “I need proof that you didn’t call the cops. We’re heading to your house. Give me the address.” The look in her eyes told him that she was considering lying to him. She was a spiteful little thing, like a feral cat that couldn’t be tamed, but for some reason it turned him on. Maybe Tank had spent too much time with club girls who were willing to throw themselves at him for nothing.
“Fine, but I don’t know what you expect to find.”
Tank dragged her to the garage and shoved her into the passenger seat of his car. “I guess that’s for you to find out. I already had one of my men retrieve your cell from the warehouse, and it’s been gone through. But I’m sure you have a computer or some other devices that are worth my while to look through.”
She sulked against the seat, glaring at him. “Why the fuck should I cooperate with you at all? You’ve been nothing but difficult since this whole thing started. I told you that I’m done.”
“I don’t really give a shit.” And Tank knew that he didn’t. The only thing that mattered was that he figure out what was going on and why the police were suddenly involved in his business. Most of the city knew about the Chrome Kings, yet he had never had any trouble from the authorities before. It was strange to him that they would suddenly care.
He backed out of the garage, suddenly very aware of the boy on his bike on the sidewalk and an old woman down the street, pruning flowers. The sun had slid below the horizon, but he still felt conspicuous. Were they paying any attention to him? Would they wonder why he had someone in the seat next to him all of a sudden? He
had to stop thinking this way, but he knew he wouldn’t until this ordeal was over. “I’m telling you right now that you’d better not do anything stupid. If you try to get away from me again, or you scream, or anything else, then you’ll seriously regret it.”
Piper’s hair flipped as she spun her head to look at him. “What are you going to do to me? Lock me in a basement? Break your promise about letting me go? Seems pretty old hat to me.”
Oh, she was a bratty little bitch. “I’ll take you to the clubhouse and I’ll give you to the men. They can do whatever they want with you.” In truth, the idea of sharing her wasn’t something he was interested in. Piper was his conquest, and he was keeping her for himself. But she didn’t need to know that.
And the threat seemed to finally be enough for her. She sank down against the seat and folded her arms in front of her chest. “Fine. It’s on Harrison Drive. But you’re not going to find what you’re looking for.”
Now they were getting somewhere. “Let’s not waste the drive. Tell me who you talked to about this story.” Tank hated referring to his own business as a story, but he had to get the information out of her.
“Nobody,” she repeated, the glow from the streetlights sliding over her body. “I told you already, and I’ll keep telling you that.”
Tank had a feeling that wasn’t the complete truth. “You know I can go through the list of contacts on your phone. I have guys that are good at this sort of thing, and they can trace every call you’ve made and every text you’ve sent. An email is as good as a signed confession. If there’s any evidence out there, I’ll find it and I’ll make you pay for it.”
She shrugged one shoulder. “Go ahead and look. I told you everything.”
It was a waste of time trying to talk to her. Tank made his way through town, irritated that his deal with the Red Devils was turning into such a pain in the ass and all of it thanks to Piper. “I guess we’ll see.”
It was easy enough to get into her building. Piper lived in a decent neighborhood, but not a nice enough building that she had a doorman to question them. The place seemed empty enough as they made their way up to the third floor and found her door at the end of the hall. With a glare from him, Piper typed in her key code and opened the door.
