by A. Lynn
“Sorry, Stella, Sky just brought me here because I asked. Please don't be angry with her.”
“What do you want with Cleo, Reagan? What’s happening?”
I sidestep her questions and ask one of my own, “Is she in the office?”
“Yes, of course. Marley is with her.”
“She dosed him, Ma."
I see a fire in Stella's eyes when she asks, "Are you absolutely sure?"
“Positive,” Sky answers. “Unless he’s started taking high doses of Ecstasy without anyone noticing.”
Stella doesn’t say anything, she just turns and walks to the back door. “Are you two coming or do I need to handle this bitch by myself? We don’t have much time. I would say ten minutes at most.”
“We’re right behind you, Stella,” I say grabbing Sky’s hand and barely catching up with Stella before she walks in the room.
Stella walks in first prompting Cleo to say, “It’s about fucking time, Stella. I got someone coming in at noon.” She is so busy complaining that she didn’t notice me walking in behind Stella and she definitely didn’t see Sky walk in.
“Don’t worry about your appointment,” Stella says. “Pam or Jess can take care of them. Or maybe the new girl can?”
“New girl? What new girl. I didn’t know we were still hiring,” Cleo responds making Marley laugh.
“What do you mean 'we'? This salon belongs to Stella and me," Marley laughs harder. "Do you think we keep the club sluts apprised on our decisions? I see the confused look on your face, sorry, apprised means informed or told of," Marley says sweetly.
“I know what it means!” she snaps.
“Sure you did,” Marley patronizes her.
“That’s not what I meant,” Cleo defends.
I walk deeper into the room. I stop when I am about three feet in front of her and ask, “What did you mean then, Cleo?”
“N-nothing,” she stutters when she looks past me and sees Sky leaning against the door.
“What’s wrong, Cleo? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Sky says.
“I’m,” she squeaks, then clears her throat to continue, “I’m fine. Besides, Crow—” she starts.
I lunge the last few feet and grab her face in my hand. I am squeezing her cheeks so hard I can feel my thumb and fingers connecting in her mouth. “DON’T! Don’t you fucking dare say his motherfucking name. I listened to the video—”
“Wah veo?”
I squeeze tighter. "What video? You didn't know that there is a camera with audio in the shop? You really are a dumb whore, aren't you? What did think you think was going to happen? That you would throw yourself at him again and he would see you differently? That he would just forget you fucked ALL his friends?”
“Nobody wants a whore for a housewife, Cleo,” Marley says.
“No, girls, she thought she could dose him with Molly,” Sky says, drawing a gasp from Marley. “But this bitch wasn’t smart enough to not overdose him. Which is how I know for a fact he didn't fuck you that night. He was lucky to walk away with his fucking life.
I know that the pictures were just to fuck with Rea, but what was your plan here?”
“Rea, honey, let her face go. I want to know what she has to say for herself,” Stella says and I release her with a shove.
“I don’t know what you are talking about, Skylar, I didn’t give Crow—Ow! Fuck, Reagan, I think you broke my nose!"
Cleo screams after I drive my fist through her face.
"I was just trying to make it match what I did yesterday. You're welcome.
"Remind me to not piss you off," Skylar says with a laugh.
I blow a kiss at Skylar and get in this bitch's face. "Don't say his fucking name again, Cleo, I already told you once. I don't recommend you lie again, either. I would hate for your smile to get some gaps."
“Fine! I wanted to get pregnant. There is no way he would choose you over his child.”
“How did you expect that to work? I give the Depo-Provera shots to all the girls, personally."
“I was going to fuck him because he is a wild ride," she pauses when I take a step in her direction. "But he wouldn't get hard, so I was just going to get him to blow his load in a condom. Nothing was working, so I decided getting my fingers on his prostate was the best option.”
Stella looks horrified. “And you were going to what? Turkey baster yourself later?”
“Something like that.”
“Let me get this straight… You were going to rape my boy to steal him from Reagan?”
“He was mine first!”
I draw my fist back and let it sail into her nose again. "He was never yours! You were just a warm hole to fuck while he was waiting for me! I heard it all. That even if he claimed you, you would've been done the second he saw me!"
“Then why was his dick in my mouth?!”
“Warm hole, bitch! Besides, he was thinking about me the whole time, right?!”
She jumps from her chair and comes at me screaming, “Bitch!”
I raise my hands, about to fuck this bitch up, but suddenly Crow is at my side booming, “Sit the fuck down, Cleo!” He looks angry, proud, and loved all at the same time. "You need some ice for your hand, Tyson?”
“I'm good, my love." I lean in to press my lips to his. I start to pull back but Crow just threads his hand into my hair and driving his tongue into my mouth for a brief but intense kiss.
Dropping his forehead to mine, he squeezes his eyes shut as he whispers, “I was worried when I came out of the office to find you gone.”
“I’m sorry, honey. Sky accidentally let the results slip to your Pop and I saw red. I knew if I asked you wouldn’t bring me here,” I reason. “But I told you, we weren’t going to be over today. We were talking about marriage earlier, I’m not going anywhere.”
“You’re going to marry her?! This isn’t right,” Cleo cries.
“Shut the fuck up talking to him! Don’t even look in his direction, Cleo. I swear on all that I love, I will fucking end you.”
“Okay, Reagan. Whatever you say,” Cleo mocks.
I pull away from Crow and get in her face, “Try me, bitch.”
“Ma, can you take her to the clubhouse? I need to take Reagan home real quick.”
“Sure, Mijo. Come on, bitch,” Stella says as she gets her purse out of a desk drawer.
“Cleo?”
“What, Reagan?”
“If you know what’s good for you, I won’t see you again,” I say as Crow pulls me from the room. “What happens with her now?”
“Club business, baby. I can’t discuss it.”
I nod and walk out the back door but I don’t see Crow’s bike anywhere. “Honey?”
“I’m driving that black Toyota truck.”
He opens the door and ushers me in as I ask, “Where did you get a truck from?” He closes the door and rounds the hood with a smile on his face.
“It’s Gunner’s.” He starts laughing and says, “They are all scared of you now.”
"Oh well, I am no one's pawn. Especially against you."
“I think they all got that. But babe, could you have not grabbed his dick, though?”
“I’ll find a better method next time,” I acquiescence. “Did you get my purse out of the bag thingies on your bike?”
“I don’t think there will be a next time,” he chuckles. “Bag thingies? You mean the saddlebags?" He shakes his head as I nod. "I put your purse in the backseat."
“Thanks! And it’s better for everyone for it to not happen again,” I say as he pulls in my driveway. “You coming back, tonight?”
“I plan to be here every day and night.”
“Maybe you should just move in with us then.”
“Isn’t that what I just said?”
“Not really, no. You just said that you plan to be here.”
“Semantics.” He grabs my neck to pull me close and says, “I got to run, babe. I love you.”
I give him a few kisses and
open the truck door. “I love you,” I say just before I shut the door.
I watch him back out of the driveway and blow a kiss at me. Me being me, I grab it out of the air and throw it on the ground. I look up at him—he's wide-eyed—and then stomp on it.
In the middle of the road, he throws the truck in park and gets out. “Not cool, baby,” he says with a frown. “I should spank your ass for that.”
I feel my pussy getting wet at the thought. I have to swallow a couple of times before I'm able to rasp, “Come at me, bro.”
He chuckles and gets to me in four long strides. He tackles me to the ground, pinning my arms above my head. "Now why does it seem you like the idea of being spanked? Maybe I should just tickle you since you are in the optimal position."
“You wouldn’t.”
“I definitely would,” he says as he lays his palm on my sternum. He smiles evilly when his fingers curl and release over and over again.
My laughs quickly turn into screams, “No, Kane! I’m sorry!”
“Shh, baby, you’re going to scare your neighbors.”
I am gasping for air now as I beg, “Please, Kane! That’s enough! I’m going to pee my pants! Please stop, honey!”
He jumps to his feet and drags me up with him. He kisses me one last time and gets back in the truck. He rolls down the window and says, “Love you, baby,” as he speeds down the street. Goofball.
I walk up the path to the porch and check the mail. I sort through it on the way to the door. Bill, junk, bill, bill, a large plain envelope with only my name on the front. The name on the envelope is written in Ryan’s handwriting.
Puzzled, I walk to the door and see that it is standing ajar. The envelope has no postage markings, so Ryan must have dropped it off in person. She better hope her ass isn’t in my house.
I push the door open and charged up the stairs to give her a piece of my mind. Only she’s not here and everything in here looks untouched. I turn to search the rest of the house, but my path is blocked by a man wearing a ski mask and cut. Standing slightly behind him is another man wearing a mask, but no cut.
“What are you doing in my house?”
“I need you to give your friends a message,” he spits. Why does his voice sound so familiar? For the life of me, I can’t place it.
“Who?”
“The Unsaintly Kings.”
“What kind of message?”
“The painful kind,” he says as he darts forward and grabs a handful of my hair in his fist. He draws his fist back and slams it into my eye socket and I feel it swell immediately. He’s not done though, he draws his hand back three more times. First making contact with my eye again and I swear I can hear the socket breaking. The second comes to my nose and blood spews and then free falls down my face. The third is a hook to the jaw that makes my ears ring.
He laughs and drops me to the floor in Ryan’s room. “You’re fucking pathetic, defend your-fucking-self,” he screams at me as he kicks me in the ribs. Not once, but twice. Restricting my breathing even more.
“Must be why Crow likes her so much,” the second man sneers.
I’m grabbed by my hair and dragged further into Ryan's room. He lifts me enough that I am bent over Ryan's bed.
I hear the unmistakable zinging sound of a knife being removed from its sheath. I start to cry and try to speak, but my mouth won’t move. I scream as I feel the cold steel of his knife cutting down the center of my back as he cuts off my shirt and then proceeds to do the same with my shorts and underwear. Then he is bringing my hands behind my back so he can tie them together with my shirt.
I hear his belt buckle clinking as he undoes it.
“Peas no,” I beg, but to no avail because I hear him undoing his jeans.
“Boss said I was only to deliver a message and leave. That I couldn’t have you, but fuck that. There was no way I could pass up this chance. I have been watching you, and now I get to have you.”
“Boss isn’t going to like it.”
“You don’t know shit about us, New Guy.”
I feel him coming up behind me and I start to thrash. “NOO!”
“Keep fighting, baby, it makes my cock harder,” he says as he presses the head of his dick to my asshole. I start to thrash again to get any space between us. He keeps pushing in at the same time I clench my ass cheeks together.
I feel a small ray of hope that I can stop this from happening, until I feel his knife slice across my hip once, then a second time. I scream. It has to be a deep slash because the next thing I feel is my blood running hot down my thigh.
He rubs his dick all over the slash at my hip and says, “Well, would you look at that. I got some lube after all. Truth be told, I was wanting to take you dry so you could feel everything. I know, I’m a giver.” Then he is at my entrance again and he is forcing himself inside. Push, retreat, repeat. After doing that for a few minutes he spits on my asshole and pulls back. He drives forward and he sinks to the hilt with a deep satisfied groan.
I scream so hard, I am sure my throat is bleeding. That is the last sound he will ever get from me. I lay there in a void of emptiness. Shutting down my brain to just lay there and take it, the less I fight the quicker it will be all over.
“So tight. No one ever touched you here?"
“Do you like that, baby?”
“You feel so good.”
I wish he would shut the fuck up! Why the fuck is he talking to me like we're lovers from way back. It makes no sense.
“I may need to come back for more.”
“Would you like that, baby?”
I know that fucking voice, where the fuck have I heard it?
“You going to come for me?”
“Come with me, baby.”
“I’m so close.”
“Here it comes, baby.” He pistons in and out of me and jerks to a stop and moans, “Reagan, baby. That was so good. Did you enjoy it? We should definitely do this again. New Guy, do you want a piece of this?”
“Like I want my dick anywhere near a nasty ass King has been.”
The second guy’s voice isn’t familiar to me at all, but it is very apparent that he hates Crow and his brothers.
I don’t say a fucking word as he pulls his pants back up, getting ready to leave. He unties my hands and turns me over before he reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone and takes a picture of me. "For proof that the message was delivered. Oh, right. The message. He digs in his pocket and pulls out a crinkled piece of paper and tosses it at me. "Make sure they get that message or I will be back.”
Then it hits me. I know where I know that voice from. It’s fucking cabby. What was his name? Larry? Gary? Jerry?
No…. It’s fucking Terry.
I nod and look at the paper and see:
Unless you want this
shit to happen again,
mind your fucking business.
I raise my head to ask a question, but I find myself alone in Ryan’s bedroom.
I hobble down the stairs to get to my cell from my purse off the table at the base of the staircase. I was only able to get out a one-word message.
Me: Help.
Then there was only darkness.
Chapter 11
Crow
“I know that we have church on Thursdays, but recent events have made it necessary today," Gunner begins. "I appreciate everyone being able to get here on such short notice."
“What’s going on, Prez?” Peezy asks.
“First things first, Crow's girl is bat shit crazy."
“No she isn’t, she just has a short fuse,” I defend my baby.
“Come on now, Crow, she tried to rip my dick off for fucking with you." Laughter and pounding on the table fill the room. "Be warned guys. She doesn't fuck around."
I let his good-natured ribbing roll off my shoulders. “Since we’re talking about her, I wanted to let everyone know that I am claiming her. She is going to have my brand on her body. Soon.”
“Congrat
ulations," Gun nods. "Let's get back to the meeting. Some of you know that we had a sit-down with the Rippers yesterday, and they gave us exactly what I thought they would—a bunch of fucking nothing.”
“Then what came of the meeting?”
“Not a damn thing. So we threatened retaliation if they continued to abduct people from our turf. That the consequences would be dire.”
Pop leans forward on the table and asks, “What did they say when you outright accused them of being behind the abductions?”
“They neither confirmed nor denied,” Axle answers.
“With all the clubs and bars in Phoenix, why abduct in and around Fallen? It doesn’t make sense. We need to figure out what their angle is,” I say.
“I don't know how we can venture into this and deliver consequences and keep our noses clean," Axle says. "They are one-percenters and have no problem working outside of the law. I mean, I know we aren't exactly innocent here, but they are okay doing shit that we aren't."
“I think that we would just have to take it one day at a time,” Rhys says.
I nod. "I agree. I don't think that we should set a limit on things that we will or will not do, we have to deal with this by any means possible."
Pop shakes his head at me. "You mean murder? That's not what we are about."
“What if they hurt or took Ma, Pop? Or Skylar? Or Jordan? Are you telling me you couldn't pull the trigger if it meant keeping your family safe? Because I would, with no hesitation. If someone tried to take Reagan or Jordan away from me, their breaths would be numbered. I don't want to kill anyone, Pop, but if I have to choose between us or them, it will be Reagan and Jordan all day long."
Pop just gives a resigned sigh.
“I agree with Rhys and Crow here, guys. If the Rippers come and try to take out our family, we have to defend with maximum force and effort. I know that the prospect of killing someone is unsettling, but if it comes to you or them, choose you. I don't want to lose any of you.”
“Ayes” ring out around the table making Gun nod and move to the next order of business. “The last thing we need to talk about is a plan of action for Cleo."
