by T. O. Smith
Vin had mellowed out – shockingly, but I still had a feeling he knew where Adelaide was, and I also had a feeling he had hurt her. I’d tried to go after Rodney, too, but someone had beat me to it. When I confronted Joey, he’d been as shocked as I’d been. Someone had shut Rodney up before either one of us could, but we just put that down to the dumbass having too many enemies.
So, a couple of months after Adelaide had disappeared, I set aside my pride and formed a truce with Vin in the hopes that I would find Addy before it was too late to save her.
“Fuck, this place is a disgusting ass strip club,” Jesup muttered, following me back to the small booth in the very far corner where it was the darkest – where Vin always decided for us to sit. He didn’t like being able to be seen.
A roach crawled across my shoe. I flung it off, disgust crawling down my spine. I was glad this place didn’t serve food, but I seriously worried about the alcohol the patrons were consuming. Jesup wasn’t joking. The club was disgusting and dirty.
Vin came out of the back, his suit immaculate, a stark contrast to his strip club. “Welcome, boys.” He commented as he took a seat. A waitress dressed in practically nothing sauntered up to our table, and Vin ordered three rounds of Vodka shots, but I wouldn’t be drinking mine, that was for sure. I may be an outlaw, but I had standards, and cleanliness was one of those standards.
It was silent around the table for a few moments. Vin liked to do this – let the silence linger. It made him feel powerful – like the big man in charge.
The song playing over the speakers switched, and the blonde girl that had been up on the stage walked off as another dark-haired girl came on the stage. She was wearing a red ensemble that barely covered her. She looked starved – way too fucking skinny. Hell, I could see her ribs from my table, and we were in the far back corner.
She turned her face our way, and I sucked in a harsh breath, the need for blood to be spilled pulsing through my veins. “Grim, is that –" Jesup started, but I snatched my gun out of my cut, pushing it against Vin’s temple. He hadn’t had any warning, so all he could do was sit still and just hope that I didn’t blow his fucking brains across this booth.
“Why the fuck is Addy on your stage?” I snarled at him.
Vin’s lips tilted up into a smirk. “She’s mine now, Grim.” He informed me, using my street name.
“Not anymore she’s not. She’s mine.” I snarled. I pulled the trigger, his blood splattering my clothes and my cut. I roughly booted his dead, lifeless body out of the booth and stood up, glad that I had my silencer on my gun. No one had noticed the commotion, but everyone was soon going to see the blood splattering my clothes.
I couldn’t even bring myself to give a fuck about that, though. I’d found Adelaide, and right then, that was all that mattered to me.
I stormed up to the stage. A man blocked my way, crossing his arms over his chest. “No one is allowed up on the stage with the girls.” He told me gruffly.
I was past the point of giving a fuck about his goddamn rules.
I quickly put a bullet in his chest, and then I stepped over him, storming up onto the stage. Addy snapped her eyes over to me, stumbling in her heels as her dark eyes widened in shock. Her face paled at the blood covering me.
“It’s time to come home, Adelaide,” I told her.
“I – Tristan—" she stuttered, not able to form an entire sentence in her shock.
“Hey, you’ve got to wait for your fucking turn!” A disgusting man barked from the foot of the stage. I clenched my jaw and closed my eyes, my patience fucking gone. “I paid two fucking grand for her tonight.”
Jesup snapped the man’s neck, shaking his head. “I would hope she’s worth more than two grand.” My VP grumbled in distaste as he spit on the man’s lifeless body.
Addy stumbled, her eyes rolling to the back of her head as she passed out. I caught her before she hit the stage and lifted her into my arms. Fuck, she was light – too light. She’d lost so much fucking weight that it was a miracle she was still alive.
“Good thing we brought the van,” Jesup commented.
I silently agreed. We’d originally planned to leave here with guns, but I had cargo in my arms that was way more important. I would send a couple of other men to get my weapons. I had to get Addy back to the clubhouse where it was safe and where I could keep an eye on her.
I carried Adelaide out of the back entrance of the club to where the van was parked. Addy grunted quietly, her eyes slowly opening as she began shivering when the cold air slid over her exposed skin.
I got into the van with her still cradled in my arms, and Jesup jumped in the driver’s seat. “It’s c-cold.” Adelaide stuttered.
Jesup silently tossed me my jacket from the front seat as he pulled onto the highway. I covered her up with it, cradling her closer to me, not able to bring myself to care about the fact that I was covering the side of her body in Vin’s blood.
“You’re covered in blood.” She grumbled after a moment, almost as if she were just beginning to realize it herself.
I shrugged. “Shit happens,” I said bluntly.
“You do that a lot now?” She asked, looking up at me with her gorgeous, dark eyes.
I just grunted.
I had turned into a ruthless bastard when she left.
I wasn’t the same man she’d left behind.
But I wasn’t the only one who changed.
Adelaide’s soul had gotten ripped apart. I just didn’t know it yet.
■ ■ ■
When we got to the clubhouse, I carried Adelaide straight to my room, not giving two shits about the numerous eyes that followed me as I did so. “Why are you bringing me back here?” Adelaide asked me.
“This is your home, Addy,” I told her gruffly.
She stayed silent, which was unnerving. The normal Addy would have at least tried biting my head off.
Silent Adelaide? It made my gut twist with anxiety.
I set her on her feet, watching as she slipped off her heels, making her height drop almost six inches. “It’s not my home anymore, Tristan.” She finally spoke up, but there wasn’t fire in her voice anymore. She sounded lost – broken. “I’m not the same woman that left.” She informed me.
“Like hell that this isn’t your home, Addy,” I growled. “This will always be your home.”
She looked up at me, slowly undoing the buckles and chains to her outfit. I swallowed hard as I let my eyes trail over her as she allowed her outfit to drop to the floor. God, even though she’d lost so much weight, she was still the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen in my life.
My cock strained against my jeans, begging to be buried deep inside of her.
“What do you want from me, Tristan?” She asked me softly, stepping towards me. She ran her hands under my cut, gently pushing it off my shoulders. I swallowed hard. She wasn’t even giving a fuck about the blood.
“You want to fuck me, don’t you? Want to sell me out?” She asked huskily. “I’m a fantastic way to earn the club some extra money.”
There it was. I let my eyes meet hers, but hers were dead – lifeless. She was cold – detached.
My blood roared in my veins. Whereas I had just been ready to let her have her fucking way with me, now I was seeing fucking red.
I stepped back from her, watching as she just let her hands fall back to her sides, not even giving a fuck that she was naked as she stood in front of me. “What the fuck has gotten into you, Addy?” I demanded.
She shrugged. “I told you that I wasn’t the same woman that I used to be.” She informed me. “Vin made damn sure of that.”
“I could shoot him a second fucking time.” I snarled.
She shrugged carelessly. “It’s not his fault that I’m like this.” She told me. Like hell it wasn’t. “I went to him willingly, Tristan. I asked him to make me forget who I was.” She let those beautiful eyes meet mine. “I was tired of hurting.”
I didn’t believe tha
t shit for a second.
I shook my head and walked over to my dresser, rage like no other roaring through my veins. I yanked open my drawers, grabbing her one of my t-shirts and a pair of my sweatpants. “Get a fucking shower.” I snarled at her, shoving the clothes at her.
She crossed her arms over her chest, that old spark lighting up in her. There she was – there was my woman. “Make me.” She seethed, getting angry.
Without a word, I moved to the bathroom, knowing my door was locked, and Jesup had put two men outside of my door and my window. She wouldn’t be going anywhere anytime soon. She wasn’t escaping again.
After turning the shower on, I stripped out of my clothes and walked back into the bedroom. I didn’t miss the way her breath caught in her throat as she ran her eyes over me, but I was beyond giving a shit anymore.
She wanted me to make her get a fucking shower?
Fine.
I wasn’t being the fucking nice guy anymore.
I gripped her wrists and shoved them behind her, thrusting her chest out so her nipples brushed against my chest. My dick instantly went hard, but I pushed down my desire for her, instead grabbing a pair of cuffs from my dresser.
“Tristan, what are you doing?” She demanded, panic seeping onto her face and into her voice, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. She was always pushing buttons – that had at least not changed with her.
I leaned down so that my face was level with hers, my eyes boring into her own. She swallowed thickly as she slightly leaned back from me. “You’re not the only one who’s changed, Addy baby, and I promise you that I will bring the old you back.” I quietly swore.
“I’d like to see you try.” She snapped at me, trying to hide her panic, but I needed her to break down, needed her to come back to me.
I smirked down at her, making her swallow nervously. “Oh, you will, Addy, and I’m going to break you down as I do,” I promised her.
I cuffed her wrists behind her and dragged her to the bathroom. “Get in the shower,” I ordered.
“Go fuck yourself, Tristan.” She snarled at me, her breathing picking up speed.
Without a word, I swept her off her feet and stepped into the shower with her. “I fucking hate you.” She snarled up at me, those beautiful, brown eyes sparking fire at me.
A humorless smirk twisted my lips as I set her on her feet. “If that’s the case, baby girl, your hatred is only going to grow,” I informed her.
She glared at me with nothing but cold hate and disgust shining in the depths of her eyes, but I swallowed down my guilt.
If I wanted Adelaide back – my Adelaide – I had to break her down, no matter how much it pained me to do so.
She would understand it in the future, and she might even thank me for it.
■ ■ ■
“You’re a mother fucking asshole!” Adelaide shouted from my room after I shut the door to my apartment in the clubhouse behind me. I hated leaving her like that, but I didn’t trust her to not run away again. I needed her to stay – needed her to stay with me so that I could fucking help her.
Jesup arched an eyebrow at me. “Sounds like everything is going swell.” He sarcastically stated.
I ran my hands down my face, exhaustion and guilt weighing down on my shoulders. “I have to do it to her,” I said quietly. “I hate it, but I don’t know how else to bring the real her back.”
“Tristan, get your ass back in here and uncuff me!” Adelaide screamed.
Jesup barked out a laugh. “You cuffed her?” He asked, his eyes shining with humor.
“To the bed,” I informed him.
Jesup only laughed harder.
You’ll forgive me for this later, Adelaide.
■ ■ ■
ADELAIDE
I squeezed my eyes shut, desperately trying to fight the panic attack that threatened to overwhelm me. I needed to be uncuffed. God, I would do whatever Tristan wanted me to do if it meant I got uncuffed. I couldn’t stand being restrained anymore – not after everything that I had gone through.
He had to come back to uncuff me.
“Tristan!” I shouted, squeezing my eyes shut again.
I watched as Vin stepped into the room, his heavy boots making soft thudding noises as he continued walking closer to me.
I pulled at the shackles that held my wrists to the wall, my breathing picking up as panic began to settle in. Vin officially had his hands on me, just like he’d always wanted.
He was going to ruin me – destroy me.
Vin was going to break me in the worst way possible.
“You know you’re mine now, right?” Vin asked me as he pulled his shirt off, revealing his heavily muscled form.
“What is your obsession with me?” I choked out, fear thudding hard in my chest. My heart was beating so fast that I was surprised I didn’t fucking die from it.
“You’re the only one to escape me, love.” He reminded me. Tears slid down my cheeks. “And I can’t have that.”
“Vin, please.” I choked out, tears streaming down my face.
He undid his belt. “Oh, I’m going to love listening to you beg me to stop.” He huskily spoke.
I yanked at my cuffs, tears streaming down my face. I looked down at my clothes, tears of relief streaming down my face.
I was still dressed.
I wasn’t naked.
I was on Tristan’s bed. I was okay. Vin couldn’t hurt me here.
I squeezed my eyes shut, turning my face to the side as silent tears streamed down my face.
Unable to fight it, another fucking flashback dragged me under.
■ ■ ■
A scream tore from my lips as I woke up, my heart pounding hard in my chest. The door flew open, and Zyla rushed in with Tank and River. “Please get me out of these.” I sobbed, my eyes searching out River’s. I’d paid enough attention to River a year ago to know he would go against his president – wouldn’t give two fucks about the consequences as he did it, either.
River ran by his own book.
“Let me help her.” River said softly as he gently moved Zyla aside so that he could reach me. Zyla nodded.
Tank put a hand on River’s shoulder. “You know Tristan will be pissed.” He warned his friend.
“You think I give a fuck?” River growled. “This is fucking inhumane, Tank. She doesn’t deserve this shit. What Adelaide needs is fucking love and support, and Tristan is being a goddamn dick.”
I squeezed my eyes shut, desperately fighting against the images wanting to rise to the surface. A sob ripped from my throat, and I pulled at my cuffs again, losing the battle.
I fell into my tortured memories again. But before I completely succumbed, I felt River’s lips brush my forehead. “Just come back to me, Darlin’.” He whispered before I disappeared inside of my head completely.
■ ■ ■
TRISTAN
When I walked into my room, I did not expect to see Adelaide no longer cuffed to my bed.
And I was even more shocked to see Tank leaning against the wall beside my door while River sat on the floor with Adelaide in his lap, gently rocking her as she sobbed, her entire body shaking. Zyla was whispering soothing words to her.
I didn’t know whether to be pissed or jealous. She was clinging to River as if he were her lifeline – clinging to him in a way that she had never done with me. His forehead was resting against hers as he whispered soothing words to her, being her rock – taking my place and doing what I should have been doing.
But once again, I was fucking failing her.
“What the hell happened?” I snarled as I stepped further into the room, glaring down at River.
“She flipped the fuck out, Grim.” River grumbled. He swallowed hard, shaking his head. His arms flexed protectively around Adelaide. “Someone fucked her up bad, Grim.” He glared up at me. “Cuffing her to the bed triggered numerous flashbacks, so real good fucking job there, Prez.” He sarcastically snapped at me.
Adelai
de jumped up from Zyla’s lap and rushed over to me before I could lose my shit on River for putting his hands on my woman, shocking the fuck out of me. I caught her before she knocked us both to the ground, instantly wrapping my arms around her, my body relaxing as I held her tight to me.
“Please don’t cuff me to the bed and leave me like that again.” Addy sobbed into my chest. Guilt swirled in my stomach. “Please don’t.” She begged me, drawing my attention away from River.
