by Elle Boon
Fingers snapping in her face brought her back to the present. She took a deep shuddering breath. “I suggest if anyone gets in your way, you run them over because you can bet your ass, they’ll do the same to you, Mr. Trigger.” She sat back, pulling the seatbelt over her chest.
She didn’t offer any more advice. The big man beside her could do his worst. She’d lived through what no girl should, and she was still here. If she survived tonight, she’d start a new life, one where there were no boogie men under the bed. No brothers and fathers willing to sell their loved ones to the highest bidders. After tonight, if she made it out alive, she was going to run as far and as fast as she could, and she’d be free. Just the thought of being able to do what she wanted, when she wanted without consequences was enough to make her reckless. She waited, holding her breath while the garage door opened, praying like she’d never done that the men her family hired to keep her prisoner hadn’t already figured out she was halfway gone. What they didn’t know was she wasn’t going back alive. Kailani could taste freedom, and it was either going to be on the outside of this fake paradise, or six feet under. Either way, she was done being the Trevino Whore.
“Buckle up back there, this could be a bumpy ride,” Trigger warned.
TRAEGER DIDN’T KNOW what demons were chasing the sexy little woman next to him, but he knew a trauma victim when he saw one, and Kailani’s face showed horrors on every perfect line. She couldn’t be more than early twenties, but he knew she’d been through hell and then some. If he’d have to guess, he’d say her brother wasn’t good to her, or rather he’d made sure she was really good to his friends and colleagues. The last thought had him gripping the leather steering wheel a little tight with his right hand. “I’ll make sure you’ve got a safety net when we get out of here,” he promised.
The door opened almost soundlessly, the lights all over the property had been shut off thanks to Keys, which was probably making Rico and his band of fucktards shit their Armani pants, but Traeger could care less. Once he had the two women safely ensconced somewhere, he planned to come back and pay the little shit a visit. He had an idea of what Kailani’s life had been like, and the fact the Trevino men allowed it made his blood boil.
“Our boys have set up a distraction on the other side of the estate. We’ve got a clear shot if we go now,” King ordered.
Traeger shot out of the garage, the small car had more power than he expected. He kept the lights off, not wanting to alert anyone to their escape. Using what he remembered from their trek in, he navigated the drive, barely missing the huge statues placed along the path. Nobody uttered a word until they hit the end where the gates stood wide open, and there was no sign of anyone trying to stop them. Traeger never liked the idea of things coming easily to them, but hey, he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. With the car at a steady thirty, which truly was fast for exiting a private drive, he hit the road, jerking the wheel to the left just as the first bullet pinged the back fender. “Get your head down,” he ordered, pushing Kailani’s head toward her knees.
King shot out the back window, returning fire as Traeger concentrated on the road, making sure they didn’t have any roadblocks to contend with. The calm way Kailani held herself, he knew she was a ride or die chick. His hand went to the back of her head, the dark stands were like silk beneath his palm. “I’ll keep you safe,” he said, making it a vow.
She turned her head sideways, the bright green eyes shocking in the darkness. “I’ll keep myself safe, thanks. Just get us as far away from there as possible then pull over. I’m sure you guys have someone ready to pick the three of you up, yes?”
Her calm question had every caveman instinct in him ready to deny, but the little whimper from the back made him glance in the rearview mirror. “What’s up, little girl?”
“What’s going on?”
“Well, it goes a little something like this. You whistled for a cab, and when it came near the license plate wasn’t fresh, and the dice you rolled wasn’t your lucky number,” King muttered.
“Did you just make a joke?” Traeger asked, steering the little car onto the highway.
“Whoa, why aren’t you pulling over?” Kailani asked seeming to ignore King. “And in case you didn’t notice, this isn’t a cab.”
King grunted, but Traeger didn’t take his eyes off the road. Even at this time of night, the California traffic was busy, and her little car had enough get up and go Traeger knew they could probably outrun most vehicles. “This got the V8 engine?” he asked.
Kailani nodded. “Yes. It’s a nine speed auto. It’s supposed to be able to go from zero to sixty in under five seconds.” She looked out the side window.
“Well, we’re about to find out,” Traeger muttered.
King met his gaze in the rearview mirror. Without words, he let the President of the MC know they had a tail gaining on them. Traeger would do his best to lose them on the highway. “Digger, where you be man?” he asked, knowing the brother could hear him through their earpiece.
“I got eyes on you and that tail. Ps. If you don’t damage that ride you’re in too bad, can I have it?” Digger asked, eagerness ringing in his tone.
“Brother, you’re a shit, this little number is spoken for. Now, how bout you give a little assist with the fucker on my ass?” he grunted, seeing the two black SUVs coming up behind them.
“Oh, shit, that’s Rico or his men. If you pull over he might be more lenient on you,” Kailani whispered.
Traeger chuckled, the thought of pulling over and letting any man go easy on him made him want to pull over and show the woman next to him just how easy he’d go on the fucker. If not for the fact he had two women’s lives to consider, he’d do just that. “One day you’ll see just how much fun I can and will have with that little shit you call brother, but not tonight. Tonight, we’ll get that one to safety, then you and I will figure out where to put you.” He wanted to say under him, but knew it was too soon. Hell, from the knowledge he’d seen in her eyes, Traeger wasn’t sure when would be a good time for her. It was just his luck the woman who tripped all his triggers, was one who’d been through hell, and then some.
RICO BANGED HIS FIST on the dash as he watched his sister’s vehicle swerve in and out of traffic. He knew there was no way she was driving and wondered who the hell she’d fucked into helping her. He let out a little growl, thinking of the tempting little vixen he’d spent the last six months wooing, the perfect little virgin who would’ve garnered him a sweet little bonus on the market...after he’d taught her how to please a man. Oh sure, she’d not be worth nearly as much since he’d have taken her ass, but he’d have saved her virginity for one of his clients. However, he’d have fucked her in every other way, used her in so many other ways. Of course, she’d have not known that was why he wasn’t fucking that sweet little pussy. Not until it was too late, not until he’d made her his little plaything, begging for whatever he gave her. By the time he’d been through with her, she’d have loved everything he gave her, or rather, loved the little bits of white lines and X he doled out. Rico knew how to make the little whores complacent. That was, except his little whore of a sister. “Stupid bitch. If it weren’t for my father, I’d have had her sold off, and she’d have been killed long ago,” he muttered.
The man driving gave him a sidelong glance, but Rico noticed he adjusted his dick. Yeah, his sister made most of the men in his employ hard. If she’d not been his sister, he’d have wanted her as well. She was a beautiful woman. Instead, he hated her because he couldn’t have her.
“If you don’t catch up to that fucker, you’ll wish you were dead,” he warned his driver.
Nobody liked to disappoint him. He made sure everyone knew what would happen if they did and liked to instill fear. His father wasn’t a man who’d done so, until he’d seen the results Rico got when he did. Now, Ricardo Sr. also began using the same techniques. Instead of ‘Like father like son’, it was ‘Like son like father’, which Rico thou
ght was a great improvement. When the old man finally kicked the bucket, Rico had a lot of other things he planned to improve, one being his sister’s position in the family.
He heard the sound of screeching metal, the noise bringing him out of his own thoughts in time to see the lead vehicle in front of him hit the guardrail, before flipping onto its side, then spinning out of control and hitting several other cars.
“Hold on, Rico...I mean, sir.” The command was yelled as they began swerving, working to miss the other vehicles that were slamming on brakes and barely missed colliding with other cars on the highway.
Rico, who never wore a seatbelt, slammed into the windshield as their SUV was hit by a truck, before it was hit again by another vehicle. He swore in his native tongue then switched to English as warmth flowed down his forehead into his eyes, and he knew without having to look through the busted out window that his sister and his plaything were gone, along with thousands of dollars. “Fucking bitch will pay,” he promised.
“Maybe she was forced,” the idiot suggested.
Rico sat up, dusting off broken glass from his five figure suit. He glared at the idiot, wishing he could shoot the fucker then and there. “Did you or did you not hear Alessandro say he saw her and Tiana escaping out the window, not being forced? Don’t say another word, or so help me, I’ll blow your fucking brains all over what’s left of the windshield,” he growled, dialing for another vehicle to pick them up.
“Yes, boss.” The familiar tone had him grunting out a terse order, knowing it would be followed. Now he had to wait until one of his men came, but until then, he pulled up the tracking device all their vehicles had, watching his muy estupida hermana drive away. “You can run, but you can’t hide, hermana.”
Chapter Four
Kailani kept her lips sealed as the man named Trigger, or Traeger as she’d heard the other man call him, expertly drove them away from the huge pile up behind them. She’d watched as both the vehicles belonging to her family were involved in the crash. The first vehicle flipping over had her biting her lip, stifling the cry of fear for them. She quickly pushed away the concern as memories of the times they’d been allowed to taunt and touch her, knowing they’d gleefully do it again and again if they could. The second vehicle, the one more than likely carrying her brother, wasn’t nearly as damaged, but it sustained enough hits that it came to a crashing halt, making her exhale and relax for the first time since they’d began the crazy ride out of the estate. “Are your men okay?” she asked.
“Digger and Coal are fine. They started that shitshow,” King answered.
The other men’s names gave her a bit of a pause, but in her experience, she’d learned the men in organized crime never used their real names, and these two men were clearly not boy scouts. “Do you belong to a cartel, or...” she trailed off, waiting for the shoe to drop. If she’d remembered one thing, it was to never think you were free without consequences. She may have left the frying pan, but had she just landed into the fire?
Traeger took his eyes off the road for a moment, pinning her with his heated stare. “You think we are like them, like your family?”
She took a deep breath, his insult hitting home. “It’s a legitimate question. You were on our property skulking around and then kidnapped us, sort of.”
King laughed, the sound loud from the backseat. “She’s got a point, but no, we’re nothing like them. We’re kinda the good guys. We came for her. You just got lucky.”
“What do you mean, you came for me?” Tiana asked, her voice sounded so young and naïve.
Kailani turned slightly in her seat, looking backward to see how the younger girl was holding up. “I think he means your family hired them to rescue you and just in time, too.”
Tiana shook her head; the movement nearly had her crashing into King.. “Whoa, chill out. What’s got you bugging out like a crackhead?” King asked.
“Wow, you’re the sensitive one, right?” Kailani asked, unable to keep her snort contained as she reached for Tiana’s hand. “Don’t freak out on us now. Obviously, they came for you because someone cared enough to find you. Right?” She gave the tattooed badass who probably scared...everyone a glare she’d perfected. He only shrugged, giving her back a glare of his own.
“Your sister barged into my club, and I just happened to be in the mood to play rescuer to her little sister.”
Traeger coughed, the words indecipherable, but Kailani was sure he’d said something about getting into the sister’s pants.
“Alright, enough of the small talk. I hate to break up this little party, but more than likely, my brother has some sort of extraction on its way, and a tracker on my car. I had planned to ditch this one and pick up one I’d bought, so you should probably get us off the highway and get in with your friends. I’ll hail a cab, and we can call it good. Yes?” Kailani looked over at Traeger, shocked to see his jaw tightened as if her words pissed him off.
“Digger, we’re gonna take the next exit. You and Coal see any tails?” he said out loud, but she couldn’t hear any response. Seconds ticked by as he listened, then he spoke again. “No, we’ll split up. King and Tiana will go with you. I’ll go the other direction with the sister.” He didn’t leave any room for discussion.
“Wait, no, that’s not how this is going down. I have a plan, and it doesn’t involve taking a behemoth of a man along with me. Besides, I can blend, you totally can’t.” Kailani pointed out.
“Trust me, they’ll follow one or the other of us. If we’re in her car, they’ll follow the car, not you and the girl. I’m thinking she’s the target, not the sister. I can handle the brother, and once he sees the girl’s gone, well, he and I’ll have a talk.”
Kailani smacked his arm. “You think you’ll have a talk with him?” She smacked his arm again. “Do you know what he will do to you, to me? He’ll have his men beat you until you can’t fight anymore, then he’ll have a talk with you. Only then will he have fun, and then he’ll get what he wants from you, through any means necessary. There are drugs that will allow him to get you to talk and do what he wants you to do. Anything, Mr. Trigger. After he’s done with you, he’ll do the same with me, only worse. So, how about we not do that. Why don’t you, and your band of merry men just go about your business and forget all about me. You take the girl and do your saving thing, while I do what I’d planned, and that’s get as far away from here as I possibly can. I never want to face my brother or father and their...men ever again.”
TRAEGER KEPT HIS EYES on the road, thinking on what Kailani said. He’d known she’d suffered abuse; it had been written all over her face. However, he hadn’t thought just how much or what kind of depravity the men in her family had subjected her to. Now, he had a glimpse of what it was, and he wanted to slam on the brakes and go back to the estate, find both Trevino men and kill them, slowly. “My name is Traeger, not Mr. Trigger,” he informed her, working to keep the anger out of his voice. “We’ll rendezvous with our brothers, and from there, ditch your car. Where exactly is your other one?” He wanted to know everything he could about the sexy little woman next to him. Knowledge was power.
Kailani gave him the location, the parking lot one he knew and one he would’ve chosen if he’d been in her shoes. “Digger, at the next off-ramp, we’re ditching this car.”
She ran her eyes over him, the look one of interest, but not wholly sexual. Oh, he was sure she found him not totally off putting, but Traeger had the distinct feeling she was sizing him up to see if he had any weaknesses. He could’ve reassured her that the only weakness he had was...well, he couldn’t come up with one off the bat, but surely he had one or two.
Digger drove in front of them with Coal behind, both vehicles carrying other MC brothers in case shit went sideways.
“Your sister is worried about you. Wanna give her a ring?” King asked from the backseat.
“She really sent you guys after me? How...I mean, she’s just a hair stylist,” Tiana cried.
King grunted. “Yeah, well she’s a pretty fucking awesome stylist who has friends in low places. So, you want to make that call or wait till we get back up north?”
The sound of sniffling filled the car, but Traeger ignored it as he followed the lead car, watching for any signs they might’ve been followed. With each minute that passed, he could see the way Kailani’s shoulders stiffened in the leather seat. The vehicle might cost over a hundred and fifty grand, but she didn’t seem to be as upset about leaving it as she was about them keeping her with them. “You realize I’m not letting you go off on your own, don’t you?” he asked just to clarify she understood how things were going to go down. The Trevinos couldn’t continue their reign of shit. Even though the Royal Sons weren’t choirboys by any stretch of the imagination, nobody could say they ever made anyone do anything they didn’t want. Well, if they wanted to be part of the MC, they had rules to follow, hoops to jump and shit. However, at the end, they got brothers for life, a cut that let everyone know who they were and always had a place to call home. They never had to worry if someone had their backs as long as they were a brother. Fuck with one, you fucked with them all. Follow the rules and all was good.
“My family will kill you all,” she whispered.
Traeger didn’t answer until he’d brought the car to a stop, waiting until King and Tiana got out, then he turned to Kailani. “Let’s get something straight. Your basura will never be allowed to hurt you or anyone else, again.” He caught her chin when she tried to turn away from him. He had no remorse in calling her family trash, knowing she understood him. Traeger was fluent in several languages, Spanish being one of them. Although she probably spoke the prettier version than him, it all rolled down to the fact her family were no better than the basura he’d called them. Now Kailani, he wasn’t including her in that terminology. She was all softness and curves who’d clearly been dealt a shit hand. If she’d let him, he’d gladly show her not all men were monsters, but at the end, he probably wasn’t much better since he couldn’t really offer her much more than a great fuck and a nice Harley to ride on. Although he did own a nice little home near the ocean and not too far from the clubhouse.
