Viper pulled his gaze back to Stoner.
“Meet me in the dungeon in twenty minutes. She can visit him then.”
* * *
Karen’s son-in-law, Nick, was always clean-shaven, neatly dressed, not a hair out of place. Now he resembled a homeless guy. He was dirty, disheveled, and obviously tired and in need of a shower and a shave. She couldn’t suppress a soft gasp. But considering he’d now been imprisoned for four days, he looked better than expected. No one had beat or tortured him, much to Karen’s relief.
She rushed up to the bars of the cell while Viper and Stoner hung back, watching them.
“Nick, are you all right?”
“Karen!” He reached through the bars to clutch her hand. “I was worried they’d hurt you.”
“No. I’m fine. Really. How about you?”
He shrugged. “I’ve survived worse. I’m more worried about April. She’s probably going insane with worry about me.”
“I doubt that.” Viper spoke from behind Karen. “I used your phone to text her right after we captured you. She thinks you had to rush out of town on an urgent matter and that you won’t be back for a week or so.”
Nick’s gaze flew to Karen’s.
“Will she believe that?” Karen asked.
“She might.” He leaned up to the bars and whispered in her ear, “But probably not.”
Karen nodded. She’d expected as much. Which meant April had likely notified the authorities her husband was missing and the FBI was probably searching for him right now. But would their search bring them anywhere close to the Cobra’s Hangout?
“Satisfied, Ms. Williams?” Viper drawled.
“Yes, thank you for not hurting him.”
Stoner stepped up and took Karen’s arm. He avoided looking directly at Nick. Why? Guilt for inadvertently having dragged Nick into this?
“Let’s go, Karen. It’s late. And I need sleep. I’m in too much pain to stay up any longer.”
“What happened to you?” Nick gazed at Stoner with obvious interest. “Get your ass kicked by someone meaner than you?”
Karen didn’t miss the sarcasm in Nick’s words, but he couldn’t know Stoner had protected her from the bikers here, that Stoner was better than them. Nick probably thought Stoner had abused her.
Viper chuckled, his gaze filling with delight at the obvious barb.
Stoner’s gaze collided with Nick’s. “Actually, no. I beat up a kid half my age. I’m one mean son-of-a-bitch. So don’t piss me off.”
The two men locked stares. Karen wanted to tell Stoner to knock it off, to leave Nick alone, but he was pretending for Viper’s benefit.
Or was he?
Nick was the first to look away.
“Let’s go,” Viper ordered, motioning toward the stairs. “If you want to duel it out with Mr. Miller here, Stoner, that can certainly be arranged.”
With an evil gleam in his eye, Viper headed for the stairs.
Stoner hesitated before turning away from the cell. Karen glimpsed the anger in his eyes before she followed him. But was his anger directed at Nick or Viper?
Would Viper force Stoner to fight Nick now? How much violence could one man endure? Stoner was too injured to withstand any more abuse right now. She’d be damned if she stood back and allowed her son-in-law to battle it out with Stoner. Watching Stoner fight Rebel had been hard enough. Nick was trained in whatever control tactics the FBI had taught him, along with defensive training. Nick could handle himself. He would probably kick Stoner’s ass.
Nausea fought its way up her throat. Karen swallowed hard.
With one last glance at Nick, she left the dungeon.
What would Viper come up with next?
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
“Is Viper going to make you fight Nick?” Karen whispered to Stoner once Viper had left them in the hallway outside of Stoner’s room.
Instead of going to his own room after escorting them upstairs, Viper headed back downstairs. He had a smirk on his face that made Karen uneasy. The man was up to something.
“Probably. But I’m not in the mood to worry about it right now.”
He unlocked his door and entered the room. Karen followed at his heels. She wanted to ask him more, but with the camera recording everything, she didn’t dare.
Someone knocked at the door. Stoner headed across the room, pulled the door open. Rebel stood out in the hallway. He’d cleaned up, though his face still sported a few cuts and bruises, probably from Viper’s beating. Thank God Scar had intervened when he had or Rebel could have been hurt much worse.
Rebel handed Stoner Karen’s duffle bag. “Guess she’s back with you.” He glanced at Karen and sent her a weak smile.
She smiled back.
“Can I talk to you for a moment, Stoner?” Rebel glanced at Karen again, then away.
Stoner stepped out into the hall with Rebel, leaving the door slightly ajar behind him. Karen wanted to hear whatever Rebel had to say, so she slipped up behind the door to listen.
“Viper’s got a deal going down tomorrow night,” Rebel whispered. “I overheard him talking in his office with Scorpion about a shipment of new skin. I think this is what you’ve been waiting for.”
“Finally…” Stoner murmured. “Good job, kid. Keep your eyes and ears open. Be ready for anything.”
Stoner pushed the door open and came back into the room.
Karen scurried away, trying to look innocent.
He narrowed his gaze at her. “Eavesdropping only gets people in trouble, you know.” Disapproval swarmed in his eyes.
“So does lying.” She lifted her chin. “Which you’ve done plenty of.”
He jerked his gaze toward the camera, then away, reminding her they had an audience. “I’m taking a shower, then going to bed.”
He strode into the bathroom without a backward glance.
Karen set her duffle bag down by the dresser. Now she was back in Stoner’s room. The last three days in Rebel’s room hadn’t been so bad. But it had been lonely. Rebel had never come to bed, so she’d slept alone the entire time. Not that she’d wanted to sleep with him, but it would have been nice to have company, someone to talk to.
She was relieved to be back with Stoner.
Pulling a large T-shirt from the bag, she hid behind the armchair so the camera wouldn’t see while stripped and pulled the T-shirt over her head. She was not about to give Viper a show. She headed for the bathroom to brush her teeth. Stoner had left the door unlocked, though she didn’t think it was an invitation, since the man was in obvious pain. She slipped inside and brushed her teeth.
Stoner shut the water off. He yanked the shower curtain aside. Steam filled the room, fogging up the mirror. Grabbing a towel from the rack, he dried off. His gaze darted to hers briefly then away. He secured the towel around his waist and came toward her. There was an aloofness about him that hadn’t been there a few days ago, before Viper had forced them apart. Was he angry with her for some reason?
“Does your nose hurt?” She reached for his face. He jerked back, out of her reach.
“Yeah, all of me hurts.”
“Is it broken?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so.”
He tried to move past her, but she stepped into his path. His eyes flashed with annoyance. He bared his teeth in a snarl.
“Step aside or I’ll have to move you out of my way.”
She placed her hands on her hips and glared up at him. “What’s your problem? I thought you might need help tending your wounds.”
“Why don’t you go help Rebel. His face is still pretty, even after Viper’s beating. Not ugly like mine.”
Was he jealous? Stunned, Karen couldn’t think of anything to say.
They stood there in the steamed up bathroom, glaring at each other.
“I didn’t sleep with him,” she whispered. “Not that it’s any of your business. He never came to bed at night. I had to sleep alone.”
Satisfaction flashed
in his eyes, then was gone. “I didn’t ask.”
“No, but you were wondering, weren’t you, you big ox!”
His gaze narrowed. “Big ox?”
“Big ass is more like it.”
His nostrils flared. His gaze darkened. Was it anger or desire that changed his irises to a dark greenish-blue?
“You’re lucky I’m injured, woman.”
“Or what? What would you do to me if you weren’t?” Heat scorched through her, filling her with unexpected longing. The thought of his hands on her excited her far more than she wanted to admit. She’d been away from him for too long. Four days had seemed like an eternity. God, she’d missed him. She wanted to tell him that.
I’ve missed you.
He sighed and closed his eyes. “Don’t fight with me, Karen, not right now. I’m not in the mood. I could use some help wrapping my ribs if you don’t mind.” There was weariness in his words.
She stepped aside, letting him pass without further comment. He stood still while she wrapped his ribs, then he climbed into the bed naked. Stoner didn’t say a word. He rolled away from her and went to sleep.
And as his soft snores filled the silence, she stared up at the ceiling, wishing things could be different between them, wishing he would talk to her, wishing they could get out of this place.
Wishing she knew who the real Stoner was.
* * *
They worked in the lab early the next morning, micropropagating another batch of explants. Stoner had the cloning down pat now. He imagined Rebel did too. The kid was smart. Probably smarter than Stoner. It wouldn’t be long now before Viper decided to get rid of Karen.
As they left the lab and headed to the dining area for lunch, Viper intercepted them.
“Stoner, Rebel…in my office.”
Without waiting for their response, Viper headed down the hallway. Karen glanced at Stoner, but he couldn’t let her see how worried he was, so he forced his cold mask into place and followed after Viper. Rebel followed behind him.
Once they were seated before Viper’s massive desk, Viper got right to the point. “Last night’s fight livened up the place a bit, don’t you think? It was highly entertaining. So I’ve decided to have another fight tonight. I’m going to invite some outsiders to join. There’s going to be big money involved. I plan to take home the winnings.”
Rebel squirmed in his chair. Stoner somehow managed to remain still, even though he wanted to squirm too.
“What kind of fight?” he asked warily. “Dogs? MMA?”
“Just like last night.” Viper smirked. “You, Stoner, are going to take on our hostage, the feeb. Everyone will be betting on you to win, because they want Mr. FBI to suffer, so you’d better put on a good show. There will be no tapping out in this fight. It’ll be to the death.”
A chill descended on the room. Rebel swallowed hard next to Stoner, his face going pale. Stoner exchanged glances with Rebel.
It’s a cover up. A way to keep everyone busy while he brings in the women he purchased. He can slip them in while the fight’s underway, sell to the “outsiders” and no one will be any wiser.
Rebel jerked his gaze away. He understood.
Tonight was the night everything was going down. Stoner wasn’t a fool. Viper was using the fight as a distraction so he could conduct his deal with whomever was going to buy the girls.
Stoner was in no condition to fight and Viper knew that.
“You know I can’t fight that FBI guy. I can barely stand without painkillers. Or is that what you want? Him to kill me so you don’t have to?”
Viper narrowed his gaze at Stoner. “When I’m ready to kill you, I will do it myself and take great pleasure in the task. We’re going to drug the feeb so you’ll be able to take him out, even in your present condition. I want you to use a choke hold to kill him.”
Stoner swallowed hard. Shit. Viper was dead serious. He expected Stoner to kill a drugged man who couldn’t fight back. The unfairness of it made Stoner’s stomach churn. What the hell was he going to do?
He glanced at Rebel. “Why’d you bring Rebel in here? What’s he supposed to do?”
Viper smirked. “Ms. Williams is probably going to have a freak fit when you kill her son-in-law. So Rebel here will bring her up into the octagon where you will finish her off in front of the crowd. It will be perfect. A highly entertaining evening, don’t you think?”
Rebel paled even more and stared down at the floor. The kid was either putting on a good show or he was seriously about to puke. Stoner couldn’t figure out which.
“I’m going to be doing a deal with the Inked Intimidators, a major deal that will bring me lots of cash. This fight is just a way to keep everyone occupied while the deal is going down. Got it?”
So while Stoner was killing Nick Miller and then Karen, Viper would be selling teenage girls to the other gang.
Shit.
He had to find a way out of this. And fast.
“When’s the fight supposed to start?” Stoner would need time to plan.
“Ten o’clock. Just like last night. Try to make it last awhile if you can. I will come into the room when my deal is done, and when I do, that will be your cue to take out Ms. Williams.”
Stoner jerked to his feet. He had to get out of here if he was going to start planning. He didn’t have much time.
“Stoner.” Viper’s voice halted him halfway across the room.
Stoner paused. “Yeah?”
“Don’t try anything stupid. I’ll be watching you. If you fail to do what you’re told this time, I will kill you. And that’s a promise.”
Without a word, Stoner left the room. Rebel followed at his heels, his face pale.
“Get it together,” Stoner snapped once they had entered the dining area. “I’m going to need your help to figure a way out of this.”
Rebel’s gaze met Stoner’s. “I’ve got an idea. It’ll be tricky to pull off, but I think I can probably do it.”
Stoner heaved out a sigh of relief. “Were you acting in there just now, or were you really feeling sick?”
“Both. I told you I was a good actor, but the thought of more violence makes me sick. So it was part acting, part real.”
They grabbed plates and stepped into the lunch line.
“So.” Stoner glanced around to make sure no one was listening. “Tell me about your idea.”
* * *
Karen learned about the upcoming fight during lunch. Tonya cradled little Damon against her and informed Karen about what Viper had planned.
“I’m only telling you this Karen so you can prepare yourself. I know it’s not going to be easy for you. You might want to stay in Stoner’s room so you don’t have to watch.”
As if Karen could hide out and not see her son-in-law and the man she was in love with beat each other to death. Her stomach churned. She pushed her plate aside, unable to eat. There was no way in hell she could avoid this fight. She had to be there.
But first she had to try to find a way to get Viper to stop the fight.
“Do you think maybe you can convince Viper to call off the fight? You’re his sister. He should listen to you.”
Tonya snorted. “Viper never listens to me. If he did, Tyrone would still be alive.”
“You’ve got to help me. My son-in-law could die.”
Tonya squeezed Karen’s hand across the table. “I’ll see what I can do. But I can’t promise anything. Viper only does what he wants.”
Which meant Karen would have to find a way to stop this fight on her own. But how, what could she do?
She spied Rebel and Stoner entering the dining area with their plates full of food. Scar followed at Rebel’s heels. Karen loved that dog, ugly as it was. Scar had saved Rebel when Viper had been about to kill him. If that poor, beaten dog had found the courage to stand up to Viper, certainly she could too. Could she convince Stoner and Rebel to stand up to Viper?
“I’m going to go talk to Stoner and Rebel.” She rose and glanced
down at little Damon sleeping in Tonya’s arms. “I want to hold him later, okay?”
Tonya smiled. “Of course. Just be careful. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
Viper already had something planned for her. Death most likely.
She headed for the table where Stoner and Rebel sat.
Stoner’s gaze collided with hers.
“Karen.” He nodded and glanced down at his plate.
“Stoner.” She glanced at Rebel. “Hi Rebel. What did Viper want to see you guys about earlier?”
Rebel glanced at Stoner, then down at the table.
“I’m sure you’ve heard,” Stoner said. “Viper has a fight planned for tonight. Me and your son-in-law.”
Karen glared at him. “And you’re just going to go along with it?”
His gaze snapped up to hers. “What the hell do you want me to? It’s not as if I can just refuse.”
“Yes, you can. Just tell him no. You can stand up to him. You can stop cowering before him. I know you’re not like these guys, Stoner. There’s good in you. I’ve seen it. Don’t do this. Please.”
Rebel cleared his throat. Karen glanced over at him again. “We’ve got a plan, Karen. Just hang in there, okay? We’ll try to stop it before it gets too bad.”
Stoner cast a glare at Rebel. “Would you just shut up? She doesn’t need to know what’s going on. The less she knows, the better.”
“Oh, so let’s just keep the little woman in the dark about everything.” Karen planted her hands on her hips and glared at Stoner. “If you tell me what you’re planning, maybe I can help.”
“No Karen. It’s too dangerous. I want to get you out of here alive.” He lowered his voice. “Goddammit, can’t you see how hard this is for me?” His eyes pleaded with her to understand. “I never wanted you to be hurt, but you’ve already been hurt and I couldn’t stop it. I had to just stand there and let Viper hit you. I wanted to stop it. God, you don’t know how hard it was for me to do nothing. But if I interfered, he would have killed me and I would have had no way to save you.”
“I don’t blame you,” she whispered. “I know you couldn’t do anything about it. But can’t you let me help with whatever you two are planning?”
He held her gaze. “No.”
Stoned (Unlikely Heroes Book 4) Page 25
