Tiger tattoo? Why did that sound so familiar?
But then, I realized why.
He had it.
“Shit, that’s the same as Daniel’s,” I blurted.
“Correct. I haven’t been able to make the connection yet, but it’s rumored that Daniel has connections with The Tigers. I know they’re a subversive group looking to cause trouble, and their goal is to take over everything so they’re on top. That includes your gang,” she said.
I nodded.
“I see. Well, thank you for that. Really. I appreciate it a lot, Meryl. Did you by chance run a background check on Laney like I asked?”
I immediately noticed Meryl frown.
“Shouldn’t you have figured that out for yourself whether or not the girl you’re sleeping with is an enemy? Regardless, I did the check. She’s harmless as fuck. Typical little country girl who moved to the city. Has a very stormy past. Lots of failed romances, her most recent one being some hotshot college douche who cheated on her. Her best friend was quite interesting though.”
“Friend? What do you know her?”
“Well, I did run some checks on that chick too. Apparently, she dated Daniel before going after Laney’s boyfriend. She’s a train wreck herself. I say be careful. You never know what you’re going to get with these crazy bitches.” Meryl chuckled.
I smiled.
“You’re right, you’re right. Thanks Meryl.
“Listen, you need to be careful. I can tell that Laney is good for you, but you never know.
You should keep your eyes open though. I have a bad feeling about the trouble she’ll get pulled into,” Meryl said.
“You mean like…. the Tigers, right?”
“Correct. I sense they’re around. Please be careful. But you should tell her the truth about who you are, and work together and try and figure out how to live a normal life. You should tell her about Robert.”
I swallowed. I didn’t think she was ready for that subject yet.
“I don’t know for sure, Meryl. I feel that, if I tell her that, things might not go well. I wonder if she would even stay. Would she run away in fear, or accept me for who I am?”
“The only way to know for sure, Stephan, is to talk to her. You should go tell her. Say, you’re nervous, right? Is it because she’s the first girl you’ve had feelings for?”
I blushed. I didn’t want her to think of it in that way. I didn’t know if I loved her or not.
“I … I don’t know, Meryl. I’m scared to fall for her. Mostly because … I think if we did end up becoming something more, I’m not sure if she would be fine with it. But I guess that’s for another time, and another place.”
“You never know. It can’t hurt. Love is a strange thing.” Meryl looked ahead into empty space for a moment before her gaze focused on me again.
I nodded. I didn’t really feel like getting into the whole logistics of it, but, at the same time, I also felt like I should think about it eventually. I ran my hands through my silvery-white hair, looking at Meryl and grinning.
“I’ll just figure out the mess with The Tigers first before worrying about her if that’s okay.”
“Fine by me, but I’m not the one who dictates your life. I think it’ll be best if you do take some time and really sort for yourself what works for you,” she said.
“Yeah, I will. Anyways I’ll—”
My phone rang I grinned sheepishly at Meryl who laughed.
‘Don’t worry, I’ll let you talk to your girlfriend, honey,” she teased.
I stuck my tongue out in response as I answered the call.
“Hey, babe, how are you?”
I didn’t hear anything on the line besides heavy breathing. I immediately tensed. Something was wrong. What the fuck was going on?
“Laney? Laney!”
There was a pause that lasted for a good minute. Nobody said a word. But then, shortly after I heard a sound, and it was a man’s voice.
“If you want to see your girlfriend again, you better come to Warehouse C with five thousand dollars.”
The connection was cut.
Chapter 3: Laney
When I came to, I realized my hands, feet, and chest were all bound, and my back rested against a wall. It did not take long for me to realize that there was no damn way that I was going to get the hell out of here any time soon. I felt my heart race, as I started to panic.
After I started to calm down, I looked to my right. There was someone there, looking at me.
It was the coffee shop boy. I looked at him, and he smiled.
‘So, the little princess has finally come to,” he snarled.
“What do you want with me? Why did you kidnap me? What is your endgame?”
“It’s simple. You’re just the bait.”
Bait? What did he mean? I tried to squirm for but a moment, but then, coffee boy laughed.
“That’s useless, sweetie. You’re trapped, and there is no way in hell you’re getting out.”
“Fuck you.”
“Actually, I’m not interested in girls like you. I’m just here to collect what I need, which is his head,” the coffee boy said, malevolently.
His head? He couldn’t mean—
“Stephan.”
“Bingo. You should realize the position you’re in. You’re our bait, and the end goal of this is to kill that rat bastard. I can’t wait for that. I’ve hated your boyfriend for a very long time, and this, this is just cake for me,” he said.
Why did they want Stephan? Surely, it couldn’t be just because of the gang, right? But, a part of me felt like that was the answer, which only made all of this so much worse.
“What do you plan to … to do with me?”
“Simple. When we get him, we’ll kill him first, and then we’ll kill you. But of course, we’ll make sure you watch us take everything he had, turning it over to The Tigers. We’ve been waiting for this day. Robert should’ve been the end, but I guess not.”
Robert? The end? The Tigers? What did this all mean? I looked at him with utter confusion, and after a brief moment, he laughed.
“Wait a minute, so you don’t know anything about this guy, do you? Sheesh, I knew you were desperate, but I didn’t think it was that bad.”
“What are you talking about? What did he do?” None of this was making any sense to me.
“Didn’t you know that your little boytoy killed our leader. We’re here for revenge,” he said.
“Who’s Robert? Are you guys really the Tigers?”
The guy threw his head back, laughing as he twirled a knife around for a moment, and then holding it right up against my neck.
“Are you fucking stupid? You think I’d lie about who I was?” he snapped.
I looked him in the eyes, feeling his body right up against my own. His breath reeking of coffee and stale cigarettes assaulted my face.
“Just tell me what the hell it is that I am doing here.”
My own bravado surprised me, and I could see that it did him also. It took a few moments for his habitual sneer to repopulate his face.
“Fine! The Tigers are a rival group. He knows all about them. I’m sure you two can talk about that. But, that’s a whole other story. And I know that Daniel was seeing some bitch named Audrey,” Coffee Boy said.
Audrey? Did he mean … my ex-best friend Audrey?
“What’s her last name?”
“Oh, Turner. Why the fuck does it matter?”
Holy shit. So, Audrey was a part of this. Did that mean … Travis, my ex, was too?
“What about Travis Grange,” I asked, putting voice to my thoughts.
Coffee Boy shook his head.
“That name doesn’t ring a bell. Why, he got some connections to us?”
“No, I just wanted some answers really.”
He shrugged. “Okay, I’ve told you what I want. I want to get rid of you and your boyfriend. Both your heads will make him happy.”
His words sent ice right through me
, causing my whole body to shake with fear. I needed to get the hell out of here and fast.
I furtively looked around, trying to figure out if there was even a way out. I had a nail file in my pocket, but it was too far away. Shit. I tried wiggling a few times in an attempt to free my hands from the bonds.
“Quit struggling. Just accept that this is the end,” he snarled.
No! I wasn’t ready to give up yet. Deep down, I knew that Stephan would come. He would sort this mess out––somehow.
“I don’t have anything to do with this though. I’m just … I’m just trying to go home,” I said.
“Nope, you have everything to do with this. You’re a target here, honey, a target for all of us, whether you fucking like it or not.”
That fucking snake. I wanted to fight this, but it was no use. Every time I tried to move, I felt like the ropes were becoming tighter. Shit.
Suddenly, I heard the sound of glass breaking, and then a thud. I looked about, and then at Coffee Boy.
“Who the hell is that?”
For the first time since meeting him, Coffee Boy looked worried. I immediately saw my chance to rattle his already frayed nerves some more.
“How should I know.” I mustered all of my courage to smile at him sweetly. “Why don’t you go and take a look.”
“Come on, you think I’m fucking stupid? God, you women all are like this it seems.”
Coffee Boy jumped up to his feet and started pacing up and down the room.
“Listen, man, I’m just offering you a chance to figure out what’s happening here. I’m just trying to stay calm myself.”
Seeing my captor so nervous gave me hope. Maybe it was Stephan here to save me. However, the mere thought of him sent a jolt of anger through me when I remembered how he had abandoned me in bed this morning without even a note.
“I guess I will take a look. Not like you’re getting out of here anytime soon,” he said as if he as trying to gain my approval.
He walked off. I promptly started to look around. That was when I saw a small lighter there. It would hurt, but I could burn through the ropes. I gradually started to move my hands forward…
‘Don’t struggle, Laney, I’m here to help.”
I turned and saw Stephen. I still had a lot of questions. I felt like I was being strung along, but I knew that I would have to wait a while longer before I got any answers.
My heart was relieved though when I saw him. I was happy to know that he hadn’t completely forgotten me and that he actually cared about me more than I thought.
Chapter 4: Stephan
I couldn’t believe a distraction like that worked.
Actually, I could, the guy who kidnapped her was one of the lackeys, not a big-shot like the rest of them. Still, why did The Tigers want her? I quickly freed Laney from her bonds, and as she rubbed her arms, she looked at me.
“You came for me. You care,” she said.
I flushed. In a sense, I did. I cleared my throat.
“I, uh, just wanted to make sure you were okay. I heard you were kidnapped, and I couldn’t let that happen to you.”
I cringed when I heard myself chuckle lamely. And, “I heard you were kidnapped, and I couldn’t let that happen to you”. What was that all about. You couldn’t sound lamer if you tried.
“Yeah well, it’s appreciated. But … that doesn’t explain why you left this morning,” Laney muttered.
I could see the frown, the deep furrowed brows, the disappointment in her words as she had uttered them. I sighed, realizing that I did fuck up a little bit and that I could have probably done things better.
“Listen, Laney, I didn’t do it because I wanted to. I guess I was just … scared.”
“Scared of what?”
I couldn’t have this conversation right now. As much as I wanted to tell Laney the truth, I feared what might happen if we stayed here.
“It’s a long story, and frankly, I don’t have the time to tell you right now. Just please, come with me. For your sake and mine.”
I could see that other things were still on her mind. Trust a woman to think of our relationship in a situation like this.
‘Do you care about me though?”
What kind of question was that? Of course, I did! I looked at her with annoyance on my face as I heard those words.
“Are you crazy? Of course, I do!” I snapped.
“Really?”
“Yes.
Really. I do care a lot, Laney. Trust me, I don’t want anything to happen to you. But right now, it isn’t the ideal time to—”
“Well, look who it is,” a voice said, immediately silencing me. I whipped my head around, realizing who it was.
It was that damn lackey from the phone call before. I looked at him, and then at Laney.
“This was the guy who kidnapped you? I have to say, I was expecting someone a little more threatening,” I pointed out.
The guy came forward, extracting a switchblade from his pocket. He flipped it open, pointing it at me.
“You shouldn’t underestimate me, you stupid Raven. I am here to claim your head, and to bring your little bitch over to him too.”
“That’s what you think. I’m here to get Laney back, not to deal with your crap. But, if it’s a fight you want, it’s a fight you’ll get.”
I moved my hand to my own pocket. As much as I didn’t condone fighting, it was obvious that this guy was egging me on. I felt a little bit guilty for this, but Laney didn’t seem scared or fazed. Instead, she looked at me with a nod, sure of her position in this case.
“Look away if you need to,” I said to her.
“No. I’m not looking away this time, Stephan. Do what you must.”
Wow, I didn’t expect that kind of change. I knew that our relationship was still on the rocky side of things, but I was definitely feeling a little better about this. I flashed her a smile.
“Let me take care of this guy, so we can get the hell out of here.”
“Right,” she replied, smiling back at me.
She stepped back, watching me as I moved towards him. He lunged at me with his fists, and I moved my body to the side avoiding impact. He slid near me, moving his knife up, just barely grazing my side. I hissed in pain, realizing what he was doing, and then, after a brief moment, I moved to the left. I then grabbed my own knife that I kept in my pocket, moving forward, pushing this man up against the wall.
And then, I did it.
I punched him in the face, then the gut, and then right after that, as he fell to the ground, I stabbed him in the chest three times. I watched as his eyes widened in shock, as he clutched his sides, and I did it again.
I stabbed him five times. Two more for good measure. Once I was certain that he was dead, I looked over to Laney. To my surprise, she didn’t seem upset.
Her expression was blank, and she didn’t look away. I was slightly surprised by that, considering her actions the last time. I cleared my throat.
“Hey Laney, I think it’s safe to say that we should discuss this matter in private. Before we leave though … I want to check the body really quickly.”
She nodded without revealing her true emotions. I quickly grasped the body, holding it up and looking at it. I needed to look at his pockets. I pulled out his wallet. But I also noticed that there was something strange attached to it.
As I held the item, my throat choked. I had to hold back tears when I realized what it was.
It was Robert’s. It was the silver bullet he always wore. So why did this bastard have it then?
That’s when I realized.
This man had killed Robert. He held onto the bullet necklace as a sort of trophy. And I was the one holding the last part of my dead mentor.
“Are you okay?” Laney asked me.
I turned, nodding.
“Yeah. I am.”
“You’re lying, Stephan. Don’t hide anything from me. I can take it,” she insisted.
Could she really though? Could sh
e take all of the pain that I held on to? I thought about telling her everything, but it somehow scared me to do so.
‘You’re in it for the long-haul, Laney, and I haven’t been honest with my feelings. I’ll tell you everything. This man … he killed my mentor, my best friend. I knew that a rival group was springing up, but I didn’t expect this. I’m sorry, this is just very shocking,” I admitted.
I expected Laney to leave me. After all, this was heavy shit. But, instead, she moved towards me, wrapping her hands around my body, holding me there. I soon felt safe, secure, and I felt like, even for a moment, that I could let my guard down.
Chapter 5: Laney
I’ll admit, I was tempted to leave at that moment. It’s not that I hated Stephan or anything, it’s just all of this was very scary, and it creeped me out when I thought about it more.
But, at the same time, I wanted to stick around, to actually show my loyalty, even if it meant that it could be unsafe.
At this point, my body was a little more desensitized to the violence. And plus, this guy was trying to kill us, so I felt it was more self-defense than anything.
“Can we talk about this in a safer location?” he asked, breaking the brief silence.
I paused, wondering what constituted a safe location for him.
“Sure, but where? I mean, is any place safe?”
He paused scratching his head.
“We can go to my place, but I worry about what might be waiting there. I have a bad feeling about things.” He rubbed his temples in thought.
“I was being stalked at a coffee shop of all places. There’s not really a ton of locations that offer us a place to hide.”
“I know,” he said after a moment or two.
“Where can we go?”
“Just come with me. You trust me, right, Laney?”
I nodded.
“I do, Stephan. But … can you stop leaving me behind? Especially after we have sex,’ I said.
I wondered if I was too forward with that. I expected Stephan to be mad, but he just nodded.
Inked MC Boxset: Books 1-6 Page 8
