Ties That Bind: Ruthless Sinner’s MC

by Wilder, L.

  “Fine ... I’m sorry.” Trying my best to sound sincere, I glanced up at him and added, “I won’t say another word.”

  “Yeah, somehow I find that hard to believe.”

  His eyes met mine, and an unwelcome shiver traveled down my spine, forcing me to quickly look away. My eyes drifted to the floor, and as I sat there studying the scuff marks on my tennis shoes, I found myself wishing I’d changed out of my work clothes and into something else—anything else. Maybe then it wouldn’t bother me so much that I could feel him staring at me. When I couldn’t stand it a moment longer, I shifted, positioning myself so that my back was to him. I crossed my legs and toyed with my fingernails, trying to pretend that he was no longer in the room. I’d never been good at being quiet, much less still, so I quickly became uncomfortable. The silence in the room wasn’t making it any easier, and my leg started to lightly bounce up and down. I let out a deep breath and tried counting the tiles on the ceiling, but I just couldn’t keep my focus. When I couldn’t stand it a moment longer, I glanced over my shoulder, and just as I feared, Hawk was staring right at me. A knowing smirk crossed his face. “You just can’t stand it, can you?”

  “What? I didn’t say anything.”

  “Yeah, and it’s eating at ya something awful.”

  “No, it’s not!”

  “Yeah. Sure, it’s not.” He shook his head as he snickered. “Looks like you’re about to come out of your skin over there.”

  I rolled my eyes as I positioned my hips even further to the left, making it even more difficult for him to see my face. “I’m just fine, thank you very much.”

  “Um-hmm.”

  My back was still to him when I heard him move behind me, but I refused to turn and look. Instead, I just sat there as still as possible, glaring at the blank wall in front of me. I remained that way even after I heard the door open and close. I thought he was just messing with me until I heard the click of the exterior lock—that was one sound I couldn’t ignore. I quickly turned around and was surprised to see that there was no sign of Hawk. Still not believing he was truly gone, I got up and walked over to the door, testing it to see if it was really locked. When I felt that it was, I decided to use the moment alone to check out my surroundings. I went over to the window, quickly testing it to see if I could get it open; when I couldn’t, I tried the window in the bathroom. After seeing that it wouldn’t budge either, I rushed over to the dresser and searched through the drawers, but they were all empty. I stood in the center of the small room, searching for anything that might help me out of my precarious situation and was disappointed when there was nothing to be found. Having no other choice, I walked back over to the bed and lay down.

  I hadn’t realized how exhausted I was until I rested my head down on the pillow. There was no way I could actually sleep. I was too worried about Danny for that to happen. Those men had him somewhere in this building, and they were doing god knows what to him for god knows why. It was a thought that terrified me and made me even more curious about what he’d gotten himself into. The Danny I knew, the brother I’d grown up with and loved so dearly, was now a stranger to me, and it was all my fault. I was too wrapped up in my own life, too busy being focused on my career to think about Danny and what he was going through. I should’ve done better. I should’ve called more, gone to see him—been more involved in his life. Maybe then, he wouldn’t have found himself in such a terrible predicament. I was wallowing in a pit of self-loathing when the door opened and Hawk appeared with a tray of food and a handful of clothes. I sat up in the bed and watched silently as he walked over to the corner and placed them on the desk. “I thought you might be hungry.”

  “Oh?” I was surprised by the gesture, especially after the way he’d just up and left, so I was a little hesitant as I got up and muttered, “Well, umm ... thank you.”

  “No problem.” He motioned his hand towards the pile of clothes and announced, “I also got you a change of clothes.”

  “Okay.” I got up and walked over to him, looking at all the things he’d brought. While I should’ve been grateful that he’d even thought to bring me anything, I wasn’t. “So, where did these come from?”

  “They’re just some clothes. Why does it matter?”

  “Well, it might not matter to you, but it does to me.” He didn’t respond. Instead, he just stood there looking at me like I was being a complete bitch. I couldn’t blame him. I was being a bitch, but I didn’t know what kind of women he ran around with. If I had to guess, they were nothing like me—average looking with a boring life and limited experience with men. A part of me was unsettled by that fact. To be honest, I was more than unsettled. For reasons I didn’t understand, I was actually feeling jealous. I just couldn’t get a grip on my green-eyed monster and found myself crossing my arms as I looked over to him with a scowl. “I don’t want to catch something from one of your little bimbos that won’t wash off.”

  “Bimbos? Are you fucking kidding?” With a snarl on his face, he picked up one of the t-shirts and held it out to me. “These are brand new. Hell, they still have the fucking tags on them.”

  “Oh ... I missed that.” A sudden feeling of guilt washed over me, and I wished I could take back what I’d said. It wasn’t like me to be so catty. I was normally a pretty nice person who was respectful and kind. Nothing like I’d been behaving. I lowered my head and whispered, “I’m ... I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”

  “Um-hmm.” I would’ve given anything to read his mind as he stood there silently studying me with narrowed eyes. His back was stiff, his jaw was locked, and he looked like there was a storm raging inside of him. If I wasn’t careful, I was going to make an even bigger mess of this whole thing. After several long, agonizing minutes, he finally ran his hand over his face and sighed. “You know, I’m not the bad guy here.”

  “Are you sure about that?” I asked as I turned and went over to sit on the edge of the bed. “You are the one in charge of keeping me here. I also recall hearing that you should put a bullet in my head if I cause any trouble.”

  “Maybe, but you gotta remember, I wouldn’t have been told to keep an eye on you if your brother hadn’t—”

  “Hadn’t what?” I pushed. “What did he do?”

  “It’s not important.”

  “We both know that’s not true; otherwise, you wouldn’t be keeping me here.” I looked over to him and softened my tone as I said, “I just don’t get why you won’t tell me what’s going on. I deserve to know why I’m being forced to stay. I deserve to know what my brother has done.”

  “I don’t disagree.” He ran his hand through his tousled hair and sighed. “But the decision isn’t up to me. If Viper wanted you to know, he’d tell you.”

  “Okay ... so, who is this Viper guy anyway?”

  “He’s the president.”

  “President? President of what … the Ruthless Sinners?”

  “That’s right,” he admitted. “He’s the one in charge, so do us both a favor and don’t get on his bad side.”

  I thought back to our earlier conversation—the tone in his voice, the tone in mine—and groaned. “I’m afraid it’s a little late for that.”

  “It’s never too late, Delilah. Just do what you can to keep it together until we figure this thing out with your brother.”

  “Okay.”

  I had no idea how I was supposed to keep it together when there were so many things I simply didn’t understand—why I was even there, what Danny had done, or why I continued to feel such a pull towards Hawk when I should’ve wanted to run as far away from him as possible. I suddenly felt like the walls were closing in on me, and even though I’d tried to fight it, I felt tears begin to sting my eyes. A strange look crossed Hawk’s face as he took a step towards me. I stood frozen as he lifted his hand to my face, gently brushing the pad of his thumb across my cheek as he whispered, “It’s going to be okay, Delilah.”

  “You don’t know that for certain.”

  “No,
but I’ll do whatever I can to help ... to get you back home where you belong.”

  “Why do you care what happens to me anyway?”

  He took a step back as he removed his hand from my face. “Because I believe you when you say you weren’t involved in this.”

  “Oh, well ... um ... if that’s the case, can I ask you something?”

  “You can ask. Doesn’t mean I’ll answer.”

  “Is Danny okay? Have you hurt him?” His face twisted into a grimace, and I knew I had my answer. Danny might be alive, but he definitely wasn’t okay. I dropped my head into the palms of my hands as I cried, “Oh, god. This is bad. Really bad. I should’ve done something.”

  “What could you have done?”

  “I don’t know ... something.” I lowered my hands and started pacing back and forth. “He’s my brother. I should’ve at least known he was in trouble. Maybe then I could’ve helped him in some way.”

  “If everything you’ve said is true and you had no part in it, then none of this is your fault. Your brother is a big boy. He can take responsibility for his own shit. He doesn’t need you to do it for him.”

  “It’s not that simple. He’s my family, Hawk. It doesn’t matter what he did or didn’t do. I’m supposed to be there for him, have his back, and stand by him when things are tough, and I failed him.” I had to bite back my tears. “I want him to be okay ... I need him to be okay.”

  “I can’t make any promises about Danny, Delilah. I wish I could, but it’s out of my hands.”

  “What about me?” I knew I couldn’t do anything to help my brother while I was locked up in this room. I needed to get out, find some answers to what was going on, and then, maybe—just maybe, I might be able to help him get out of this mess. “Do you think there’s any way I’ll be able to get out of here?”

  “I can’t say for sure.” He shrugged. “That depends on your brother.”

  “If I could talk to him, then maybe—”

  “That’s not going to happen.” He glanced over at the clock. “I’ve gotta get going. Watch some TV, sleep, or something. Just try to stay out of trouble until I get back.”

  “Okay ... I’ll try.”

  Hawk’s lips twitched into a smile, almost knocking me off my feet, and then he headed for the door. I watched him walk out of the room and close the door, leaving me alone once again. Even though he got under my skin and had a way of making me act like a complete asshole, I was actually a little sad to see him go. I didn’t want to obsess over the fact that I was locked in a room alone, so I grabbed a few of the clothes Hawk had brought me and went into the bathroom for a shower. Once I was done, I put on a t-shirt with a pair of knit leggings, surprised to find that they fit perfectly. I used the hairdryer stashed in the bathroom cabinet, then grabbed a pack of crackers and a drink before climbing back in bed. Even though I wasn’t in the mood to watch anything, I turned on the TV and sat there listening to one of those infomercials on some new cooking device while I ate. Needless to say, it wasn’t the most entertaining night, so I gave into my exhaustion and nestled into bed.

  I closed my eyes, but instead of drifting off to sleep, I thought about Danny and what they might be doing to him. I wanted to think that they were just talking to him, but I knew better. Men like the Ruthless Sinners weren’t about talking. They were about getting results—by any means necessary. My imagination started to run wild with horrific thoughts. I hated the idea of my brother being hurt. I hated the idea of him dying even more. With all the crazy notions whipping around in my head, I feared I’d never manage to fall asleep. Thankfully, after several hours of relentless crying and praying, I finally drifted off—unaware of the fact that my life was about to change in ways I couldn’t comprehend.

  Hawk

  “I’m telling you ... I didn’t have anything to do with it,” Danny’s hands were bound over his head, his face black and blue with bruises, and his eyes were almost swollen shut. Shotgun had been doing a real number on him, but Danny still hadn’t fessed up to a damn thing. “I swear it.”

  “I’m not buying your bullshit. Not for a goddamn second,” Shotgun growled. “The brothers have been over to your place. We know you were packing up your shit. It’s time for you to explain where you were going and why.”

  “I ... uh ...”

  Shotgun reached up and grabbed him by the throat, squeezing tightly as he snarled, “Think before you speak, Danny. Any more bullshit and I’m going to break out my tools, and trust me, you don’t want that to happen.”

  “You’re right. I was getting out of town.”

  “Why?”

  “I … um ... had to go out on a run.”

  Anyone in that room could see he was lying, especially Shotgun. With an angry scowl, he walked over to the counter and picked up an ice pick, then carried it back over to Danny and quickly stabbed it into his outer thigh. Writhing around like a worm on a hook, Danny wailed out a stream of curses. Once he started to settle down, Shotgun growled, “What don’t you get, Danny? I already told you that I’m done with the bullshit. Where were you going?”

  “I-I was gettin’... out of town,” he stammered.

  “Why?”

  “’Cause I had to.”

  “Why?”

  Shotgun waited for Danny to respond. When he didn’t, he walked back over and grabbed another ice pick. His swollen eyes widened as he watched Shotgun saunter back over to him, then he started to squirm and plead, “Wait. Wait! Please don’t.”

  Showing no signs of hesitation, Shotgun took the ice pick and slammed it into Danny’s other thigh, causing him to once again bellow out with anguish. As I stood there watching the scene unfold before me, I couldn’t understand why Danny was being so fucking stubborn. He was only making it harder on himself by holding out. Shotgun ground the ice pick further into his flesh as he warned, “Don’t make me ask again.”

  “I found out ... that the coke I gave ... you was counterfeit.” He heavily panted. “I knew you’d come after me ... so I was gonna skip town before that happened.”

  “You found out?” Shotgun grumbled. “You saying you didn’t know it was counterfeit all along?”

  “Had no idea until I got the call.”

  “What call?”

  “A friend tipped me off ... told me everything was fucked up with the last take.”

  “What friend?” Shotgun pushed.

  He hesitated for a moment, but the second Shotgun started to turn towards his tools, Danny mumbled, “It was Tracy ... Tracy Earnhardt.” When Shotgun didn’t respond, he continued, “You know ... ‘Starlight’ from the strip club.”

  Shotgun glanced over his shoulder at Viper and me, and there was no missing the anger in his eyes. Tracy had been working at Stilettoes for over a year, and we’d always thought she was one of our best girls. As far as we knew, she was a good kid, always on time and did as she was told, so hearing that she’d been running her mouth was difficult for both of us to digest. “You telling me that Starlight called you and warned you about the coke being counterfeit?”

  “Yeah. She was worried you guys would think it was me who fucked with the product. But it wasn’t me, I swear it!”

  Shotgun took a step back and glared at Danny, mulling over everything he’d admitted. “So, I’m supposed to believe that when you delivered our two hundred grand worth of product that you didn’t have any idea it’d been fucked with?”

  “Look, I know it might be hard to believe, but I didn’t know shit about it. I just did what I always do. I placed the order and went to pick it up.” Danny actually sounded sincere as he continued, “I ain’t stupid. I’ve been working with you guys long enough to know what you’d do to me if I tried to pull some fucked-up shit like that. Besides, you guys tested the shit, same as I did. You saw for yourselves that it was the same as always.”

  Viper stepped forward and asked, “Which brother tested it?”

  “The guy who came to my place. The one I shot. He tried it out and said we were coo
l.”

  “He’s right,” Shotgun replied. “But he didn’t test each bag. With the size take we had, there was no way we could test it all.”

  “I’m telling ya, what I tested was good. I assumed it was all good.” Danny repeated once again, “I’m telling ya, it wasn’t me who did this shit.”

  “If it wasn’t you, then who was it?”

  “I got no idea. Maybe it was somebody on your end.” Shotgun started towards his tools, this time grabbing his blowtorch and carrying it back over to Danny. “Easy man ... I didn’t mean that shit. Maybe it was my handler or even the man at the top. I don’t know. I’m just the go-between. They don’t tell me nothing.”

  “Who’s your handler?”

  “I don’t know nothing about him. Just that he goes by the name Miller. I meet up with him in Pine Bluff when I need to pick up a shipment.” Blood trickled down from his lip as he spoke. “I just text what I need and meet him a day later with the cash.”

  Danny had barely gotten the words out of his mouth when Viper stepped forward and asked, “The number still on your phone?”