Stoned (Unlikely Heroes Book 4)

by Leslie Georgeson

  “But–”

  He pressed a finger against her lips. “No more questions. It’s time to go.” He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. She sensed desperation in his kiss. Regret. He drew back with a sigh and stared into her eyes. “You’re right that there’s something between us, Karen, and if we survive this day, I plan to find out exactly what it is.”

  Emotion clogged her throat. How could she want to escape after he’d admitted something like that? Whatever was between them, he felt it too. It wasn’t just her imagination.

  But she didn’t want to go back to the compound. She wanted to hide out here with Stoner. Just the two of them.

  He gently propelled her back toward the house. Reluctantly she went. Questions swirled in her head. What would happen when they got back? Would Viper kill Stoner? Would he kill her? Would she and Stoner get a chance to explore what was between them? Would this be their last day together?

  They entered the house through the back door. Stoner nudged Rebel and Scorpion on the leg. “Wake up guys, it’s time to head back.”

  They moaned and slowly stirred.

  “There’s been a mishap,” Stoner said once the bikers were awake. “Rage and I got into an argument and I had to kill him. His body’s out back. I need you two to get rid of it.”

  “What the fuck?” Scorpion snarled. Rebel just stared at Stoner with bewilderment on his face.

  “He tried to poach on my woman,” Stoner explained, wrapping an arm around Karen’s waist and drawing her against his side. “And I don’t share.” His gaze was hard as it met the other men’s.

  Rebel nodded in understanding.

  Scorpion sighed. “Rage never did know how to respect another man’s property. We’ll take care of it.” He rubbed his eyes and glanced at Rebel. “Come on. Let’s get it done.”

  A half hour later, they were heading back to the compound, minus Rage. Karen didn’t want to know what they’d done with his body. She was just glad the creep was gone.

  She’d dumped a large scoop of food into Tiara’s bowl, as she had no idea when or if she’d return, and she didn’t want her cat to starve.

  Rebel and Scorpion were still drowsy from the Diphenhydramine. They dozed on and off on the journey back. Karen imagined it would be several hours before the drug wore off completely. Disheartened by the realization she’d lost her chance of getting away, she had to rely on Stoner now to help her escape. Though trusting him would be difficult, she felt in her gut he would help her if he could.

  But what if he couldn’t? What if Viper killed him as soon as they returned?

  The guards pulled open the gates and allowed them to reenter the compound. Despair hit Karen hard.

  Once again she was a prisoner within these walls.

  All she could do now was await her fate.

  CHAPTER FIXTEEN

  Everything had gone to shit in a matter of seconds. Stoner had been so concentrated on finding Karen that he hadn’t sensed Rage until it was too late. The log Rage had struck him with had left its mark, knocking his ass out for several moments and leaving a throbbing, piercing pain in his skull. Not to mention a cut at the top of his forehead that still oozed out a small trickle of blood. He was lucky Rage hadn’t killed him. He would have to be more alert in the future. Karen was literally going to be the death of him.

  His heart clenched at what Rage had nearly done to her. But she was a strong woman. She wouldn’t let Rage’s near-rape bother her for long. And if Stoner could help her forget it, he would.

  If he lived long enough.

  Fortunately, Rage was dead.

  But Stoner had some explaining to do.

  Viper was livid.

  “What the fuck happened out there today?” The leader of the Cobras slammed his palms onto his desktop, startling the men who sat in front of the desk before him. “Would someone please explain to me why you were gone all day, none of you answered your phones until about an hour ago, and Rage didn’t return with you.”

  Rebel and Scorpion exchanged glances, then looked at Stoner. They were all seated in Viper’s “office” with Viper standing before them, glaring down at them with those creepy pink eyes.

  “We all fell asleep after we got done in the lab,” Stoner explained. “We were exhausted from staying up the night before. When I woke up, Rage was trying to rape my woman and we got into a fight. It was either him or me.” He shrugged. “I warned him that she was mine and to keep his hands off, but he didn’t listen. You would have done the same thing.”

  Viper studied Stoner for a long tense moment, then barked, “Rebel and Scorpion, get out!” He jerked his arm toward the door. “Wait outside the door. I’ll need to speak with you when I’m done with Stoner.” The two men scrambled to their feet and rushed out, leaving Stoner alone with Viper. The door closed behind them.

  Viper came around his desk. He paused in front of Stoner, glaring down at him. “I got a text from Rage a few hours ago. He said the woman had drugged all of you and that he overheard you and her planning something, but he couldn’t tell what. Mind filling me in on what it is you’re up to, motherfucker?”

  Stoner’s mind spun. What had Rage overheard? He and Karen hadn’t planned anything. Had Rage lied to make Viper suspicious of Stoner?

  “He was lying.” Stoner met Viper’s gaze. “Why would I plan something with Karen and what exactly would I plan? That doesn’t make any sense. You know why I’m here. I’m looking forward to this business venture as much as you are. She has nothing to do with it. You were the one who ordered me to babysit her in the first place. I was just doing my job. When Rage decided to disrespect me by trying to take her, I had no choice but to retaliate.”

  Viper didn’t speak for a long, tense moment, his gaze skewering Stoner with intensity. “She didn’t drug you guys? Slip something in the food she fed you? Rage said she did.”

  Stoner shrugged. “If she did, I don’t know anything about it. But as you can see, we’re all still alive. Well, except Rage, but that was his own fault for being a jackass.”

  Viper perused him for another long moment. “How did you take him out?”

  “Knife to the jugular. He never knew what hit him.”

  Viper’s eyes narrowed. “What’d you do with the body?”

  “Rebel and Scorpion took care of it. Don’t worry. He’ll never be found.”

  Viper straightened away from Stoner. He walked behind his desk and sank into his chair. He leaned his arms across the desk, eyeing Stoner across the hardwood desktop.

  “So what did you learn about micropropagation? You think you can do it yourself now?”

  “Maybe.” Stoner shrugged. “Probably not yet. Another several lessons and I should have it down I think. It’s tedious and complicated.”

  Viper nodded. “Good. I want you to be done at her house before the end of next week. I’m going to have a lab built here for you to continue all future cloning. I did some research online and found all the information we need. I want her taken care of before her family gets back in town.”

  Stoner’s chest tightened. Shit.

  “So when do you want me to do it?”

  “Get a couple more lessons out of her first. I want you to be able to clone on your own without her assistance. Once you think you can do it by yourself, I expect you to get rid of her.”

  Stoner’s heart raced. He’d been afraid Viper would expect him to take her out right now. Thank God he had a few days at least. It would give him time to try to plan a way to help her escape.

  “Now get out. I need to speak to Rebel and Scorpion.”

  Stoner left, passing by Rebel and Scorpion as they reentered the room. He had no doubt Viper would interrogate them to see if Stoner was telling the truth. He could only hope they’d been passed out the entire time and hadn’t seen or heard anything that had gone on.

  Or Stoner’s last day might be today.

  * * *

  Not about to hide away like a coward, Karen went in search of Tonya a
nd Runt while Stoner went to meet with Viper. She found them several minutes later on the main floor of the building, heading into the kitchen for dinner. Karen made her way through the line of people until she reached Tonya’s side. Viper’s very pregnant sister smiled, her pale blue eyes filling with genuine pleasure.

  “Karen! You’re back. Have you had dinner? Runt and I were just getting ready to eat.”

  “I’m starving.” Karen squeezed the younger woman’s hand. She smiled down at Runt, who hovered behind Tonya. He peeked up at her, then lowered his gaze. She patted the boy’s shoulder.

  “Hello Runt. Can I eat with you?”

  The boy jerked his head in a nod, but didn’t look up at her again.

  The line moved forward. They each picked up a plate.

  “How’s Stoner been treating you, anyway?” Tonya asked. “The women here are all curious about him.”

  All the other women were curious about Stoner? Did that mean he’d never been intimate with any of them? A streak of possessiveness surged through her. She had no doubt he would have been intimate with her if she hadn’t pushed him away.

  Karen hesitated. “He’s actually been very good to me. Has he never gotten close to any of the women here?”

  Tonya snorted. “Stoner hasn’t gotten close to anyone here. He keeps to himself. Several of the girls have tried to get his attention, but he’s not interested. Of course, he’s older than most of us, but he’s still pretty damn sexy, don’t you think?” Tonya slapped a scoop of mashed potatoes on her plate and moved forward while Karen did the same. Runt hesitantly picked up the spoon, as if he expected someone to shout at him. At Karen’s encouraging nod, he plopped mashed potatoes on his plate, then flashed her a grin that melted her heart. Had the poor child never been allowed to dish up his own plate before? As long as she was here, Karen would make sure no one mistreated the boy again. Especially his father.

  They continued filling their plates as they moved down the line.

  Her thoughts returning to Stoner, Karen had to agree he was damned sexy. Though she wanted to warn all the other women away from him, he wasn’t hers. Stoner was the type of man who belonged to no one.

  Tonya placed a dinner roll on her plate. “You know Stoner only joined the Cobras so he could do business with Viper, right?”

  “No,” Karen murmured. “I didn’t know that. What kind of business?”

  “You’ve never heard of Stoner before?” Tonya covered her mouth, her eyes wide with shock. “Girl, where did you come from?”

  “I was kidnapped. Taken hostage by your brother.”

  Tonya’s eyes grew wider. “What? He kidnapped you? That asshole! That doesn’t sound like Viper. He never brings strangers into the compound. He said you were only helping out for awhile, showing Stoner how to clone pot.”

  Viper had fooled his sister. Karen wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of the people here had been fooled by him. As far as she was concerned, this place was a cult. But she didn’t care about Viper right now. She wanted to learn more about Stoner.

  They finished filling their plates and headed for the large kitchen refrigerators. Tonya pulled out a soda water for herself, while Karen selected a Coke. Runt hung back, staring into the giant fridge. Karen motioned for him to choose from the various carbonated beverages on the lower shelf.

  “Go on, pick whatever you want.”

  The child snatched up an orange soda. He bowed his head and followed them into the dining room.

  Selecting an empty table, they all sat.

  “So tell me about Stoner,” Karen said between bites of food. “Is he supposed to be famous or something?”

  “In the biker world, yeah. He’s the most successful marijuana dealer this side of the Rockies. We’d all heard rumors about him, but no one—not even Viper—had ever met him before. He’s a legend. His pot is supposedly always the best. Everyone wants to deal with him. When he approached Viper and asked if he wanted to go into business together, Viper jumped at the chance. But the only way Viper would do the deal was if Stoner gave up his past life and joined the Cobras. Once you become a Cobra, you’re not allowed to leave. You give up your old life and start new here. Everyone was surprised when Stoner agreed to the deal. He gave up his lucrative drug business to join the Cobras and become Viper’s pot grower. Of course, there’s a lot of money involved for him. Viper’s paying him top dollar. Together they plan to take over the majority of production and sales throughout the entire country and even in Mexico. Stoner’s been here about three weeks now, so he’s still pretty new. Everyone is curious about him. Viper is still suspicious of him, but Viper is suspicious of everyone until they prove themselves.” She paused a moment, watching while Karen took a sip of her Coke.

  “So what’s Stoner been doing the past three weeks?” Karen took a bite of macaroni salad.

  “Growing pot, of course.” Tonya smiled. “Haven’t you seen the pot fields out back? Viper says there’s literally millions of dollars’ worth of pot growing in our backyard. Isn’t that cool?”

  Karen took another sip of her Coke. She could think of hundreds of other plants she’d like to grow in her backyard besides marijuana, but she didn’t tell Tonya that. To these people, marijuana was their life. Feeding and housing all these people couldn’t be cheap. At least now Karen knew how Viper supported them all.

  “I’m a botanist. I love growing things and I appreciate all types of plant life. Maybe you can show me the marijuana grove sometime.”

  “Sure. I can do that.”

  Karen finished her meal. She set her fork aside. “Thank you for watching Runt for me today. I promised Viper I would take care of him, but he warned me to stay away from you. I don’t want to get you in trouble. It might be best if you’re not seen hanging around with me.” She smiled at Runt who sat to her left. A shy, hesitant grin curved his lips before he bowed his head.

  Tonya waved a hand at her. “Don’t you worry about Viper. He’s just a bossy bastard. He wouldn’t dare tell me what to do now, not after I found out he murdered my boyfriend.” She lowered her voice. “My baby’s father.”

  “I’m sorry.” Karen reached across the table and squeezed the other woman’s arm. “What he did to your baby’s father was wrong. Is he some kind of white supremacist or something?”

  “He used to be.” Tonya glanced around the dining room, but no one was paying them even the slightest attention. “Do you remember that Ruby Ridge shootout back in 1992 with those Aryan Nation guys where a woman and child were killed by U.S. Marshalls? Viper was part of that skinhead group. He was just a kid at the time. Though he doesn’t openly practice white supremacy anymore, he still has strong believes about a higher race and white power all that crap. I personally think it’s bullshit.”

  “Me too. So why did he kill your boyfriend? Was it a hate crime?”

  Tonya lowered her voice. “It’s complicated. Tyrone was a member of a rival motorcycle club, the Ospreys. Have you heard of them?”

  Karen shook her head no.

  “Anyway, he and I met at one of those charity rides for kids. Viper found out I was dating him and forbid me to see him anymore. I refused. I thought I was in love. Viper claims Tyrone was using me to try to get information about the Cobras and that I was too blinded by love to realize that. Viper caught us together one afternoon after he’d warned me to stay away from Tyrone. Viper locked Tyrone in the dungeon and tortured the truth out of him. He asked if Tyrone was the father of my child. Tyrone said that he was. Later Viper took him into the woods and killed him.”

  Which I witnessed.

  “That’s pretty harsh,” Karen murmured. “And now your baby doesn’t have a father. Doesn’t Viper care about that?”

  “Viper doesn’t consider the consequences of his actions. He just does what he pleases.”

  Obviously.

  “So Viper allows certain people to leave this place? How does that work?”

  “Anyone can leave the compound, but you have to sign out when you
leave, list where you’re going and when you’ll be back. There’s a curfew of midnight. You have to go in pairs or groups, never alone. If you don’t return by midnight, Viper sends men out to hunt you down and bring you back. You generally have to spend a night in the dungeon as punishment, depending on what your excuse was for not getting back on time. Viper’s most trusted are granted freedom without a curfew.”

  Wow, this place really was a cult. Why would anyone agree to be under such strict control?

  “You don’t find that a little…constricting?”

  Tonya shrugged. “Viper keeps us all safe. He feeds us, gives us a place to live, and we can be whoever we want here. A lot of these guys are ex-cons or criminals. They are accepted here no matter what their past was. They can create a fake name, hide out, smoke pot, play video games, make knives and leatherworks—you’ve seen the knife-making room and the leather craft room, right?”

  Karen hadn’t, but she just nodded. Knives and leather went along with bikers and motorcycles. What else did they do here?

  “The only thing Viper asks in exchange is that they give him complete loyalty and that when he has to take care of certain things outside of the compound, they are to assist him without comment.”

  “What does that mean?” Karen asked. “Do they do illegal things?”

  Tonya let out a soft snort. “Of course they do. I don’t ask, and Viper doesn’t tell. But whatever he does, it makes him able to afford this place. And you have to admit he does help all these guys out. Without him, a lot of them would be in prison.”

  Karen didn’t mention that a lot of them belonged in prison.

  “So when are you due?” Karen motioned to Tonya’s protruding belly.

  “Any day now, can’t you tell? But I was thinking of giving the baby up for adoption anyway. I’m not fit to be a mother.”

  Karen quirked a brow. “Why not? I’m sure you’d make a wonderful mother.” Karen hadn’t been the best mother herself, but if she ever got the opportunity again, she’d do it right this time. Motherhood wasn’t something a woman was born knowing how to do. Like anything, it took practice.