by Nicola Jane
I dry and pull on the shirt that is laid out on the bed for me. It’s a man's white button-down shirt. I fasten each one and then climb into the clean bed. I feel my eyes drifting closed. The man isn’t here yet, so sleeping for a short while can’t hurt.
I don’t know how long I’ve slept for, but I'm suddenly awakened when my ankles are tugged hard and I’m pulled down the bed until I’m hanging over the edge. I’m flipped onto my stomach and a hand pushes into the middle of my back, crushing me against the mattress. I grip the sheet in my fists and squeeze my eyes shut while the man in the suit takes what he needs. This time, I don’t waste any tears. Instead, I think of happy thoughts. I think of my mom and our holidays to the sea when I was little. I think of my friends and how amazing each one of them are and I think of Ace, the only man I have ever loved.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Ace
Mae’s been gone for a few hours, at least. When she returns, I notice that she is clean and fresh. Her hair is damp and she’s wearing a shirt, a guy's white shirt and nothing on her legs. I watch her as she takes a seat on the bed. “Where have you been?”
“We’re in the countryside. I noticed the stars were shining brightly. That only happens when the city lights are far away. We drove for almost an hour from London, so where could we be?”
“How the fuck do I know, Mae? We could be anywhere around London. It means nothing and even if we knew, who the fuck would we tell?” I’m pissed. Why is she clean? Why is her hair damp? I can smell expensive shampoo and who gave her the clean shirt? She’s keeping something from me.
“The house is big. It’s like a country estate. Do you know anyone that owns a big house in the country?”
“Yeah, Mae. I always hang out with the big wigs and play golf at their country manor in my spare time. Where the fuck have you been? Whose shirt is that?”
“Well think. Ace. Get us out of here. Come up with something, anything to get us the fuck out of here!” She’s getting hysterical and her voice is high pitched and shaky. “I just want to get out of here.” She begins to sob and then lays down on the dirty mattress. pulling her knees up to her chest.
“Where did they take you. Mae? Did you talk to anyone?” There’s something wrong. I can sense her pain.
She shakes her head no. “I didn’t see any men hanging about. Outside, there was no one around; but the gates were high. Inside, there was just one man in a suit. He looks important and was the one that killed that guy that took me. I think he might be the boss?”
“A suit?” I repeat. “So that rules out a biker gang. Did he have tatts?”
She shakes her head. “I didn’t see any.”
“How much of him did you see. Mae?” I ask while trying to keep my voice steady and controlled. She looks away and that's all the answer I need. “Fuck,” I yell. I pull hard on the chains, over and over. Yelling and cursing. By the time I’ve exhausted myself. Mae is sobbing harder into the mattress. The sound of my shallow breathing fills the air with Mae’s quiet sobs. “Okay. Mae. We need a plan.” I wait for her to look at me.
“What kind of plan?” she asks through sniffles.
“Does he ever leave you alone?” I ask. She nods her head. “You need to see if you can get help. Look for a phone. Maybe steal his cell. Try and get something sharp. If we can dig around. This bolt then I can get free.” She’s nodding her head and her eyes are wide and almost hopeful. “Anything you can think of that will help to get us free Mae.”
We spend some time talking. Since coming up with some sort of plan. we feel lighter. Mae tells me about what it was like for her to grow up in the club around all of the bikers and the women. She tells me things about the guys that I didn’t know. Like Scar, for instance, who helps out at a refuge for women that have suffered from domestic violence. That one sticks with me the most. I thought I knew all of my men, but Scar plays his cards close to his chest. But the fact that Mae knows this information gets my mind working overtime. How close are they? I know that deep down, it's because we are locked up in here. I’m hungry and so thirsty that my body shakes uncontrollably. My arms ache and I have lost feeling in my hands where the blood has been drained for far too long. I feel like I’m slowly losing my mind.
I begin to drift in and out of sleep. I’m awakened suddenly by one of the assholes. He punches me hard in the stomach and I dry heave. If my stomach had anything in it right now, I’d puke but of course, nothing comes out. “Seems your daughter isn’t as keen to have her pops home like we thought.”
“Lucy?” I croak, my voice hoarse.
“Your club doesn’t care either. You think someone in this world would miss you, aren't you supposed to be important?” He lands another blow to my stomach.
“You’re a bunch of clowns. The club will never give you what you want. First, you take the wrong girl and then you leave the one thing that could have got you what you want behind.” I add a laugh.
“Yeah, well we ain’t no kid killers. We’re getting exactly what we want so don’t worry your pretty little head, Mr. President.” He glances at Mae’s sleeping form. “See that bitch. We know she’s important to you. We’re gonna start right there and take what’s important to you.”
They’ve started to do their homework and it makes me nervous. “Mae isn’t important like that. She’s part of my club.”
“Club princess, from what I hear.” I watch as he pulls out a needle and pulls off the protective cap. “So later, we have a surprise. It involves this bitch,” he hisses, grabbing Mae’s thigh and stabbing the needle into her leg. She wakes instantly but the guy is already pulling out the needle. “She’ll need her rest.” Mae’s eyes drift closed again. The guy runs his hand over her ass. “I hope I get a go.”
“What the fuck have you done to her?” I growl.
“Trust me, Pres, she’ll be thankful she was out of it,” he sneers, heading for the stairs. “Party tonight. Can’t wait to see you there.”
I wait for him to leave before shouting Mae’s name. She doesn’t respond. I keep talking to her, hoping to god she can hear me and that the shit he’s just shot in her isn’t enough to kill her.
After an hour, her eyes flutter open. “Mae,” I hiss. She tries hard to focus but it’s a struggle. Her head lolls back and forth. “This is important, Mae, you have to listen,” I whisper. Her tired eyes blink a few times and then she focuses on me. “They’re coming back. They’re gonna hurt you.” My voice cracks and I swallow hard. “Baby, are you listening to me?” I don’t know what they have given her or how much, but I’m pretty sure she can hear me because this time, she keeps her eyes trained on my face. “You’ve done brilliantly but I need you to listen. They want to cause me as much pain as possible and now that they’ve worked out who you are, they’ll be coming to do the only thing that will break me. Do you understand what I’m saying, Mae?” A stray tear rolls down her cheek and that’s when I know she gets me, she understands what’s coming next. “You have to be brave, Mae, just for a bit longer.”
“You said that before and we’re still here, Ace; no one’s coming for us. We’re stuck here like their play things-” I shush her, hearing footsteps on the gravel outside. Light pours in as the door is opened and the Mystique struts in. Her silk robe is hanging open and her black lace underwear is clearly on show. Her heels click on the stone steps as she makes her way inside, carefully carrying a tray. She places it by my feet and smiles at me seductively. “Hey gorgeous, you miss me?”
“Mystique, how long have we been here?” I croak.
“You know I can’t talk to you about that stuff, handsome.” She picks up a glass from the tray and holds it to my lips for me to drink from. The cool water eases the dryness in my throat. “Please give Mae some.”
Mystique glances at Mae. It’s clear she’s weak and severely dehydrated. “I’m not supposed to until later.”
“She might die, just give her a few sips. I’m begging you.”
Mystique gingerly approaches the b
ed and offers the glass to Mae. She sips it desperately. The water spills down her chin and onto her chest. After a few sips, she takes the glass back to the tray and then picks up a sandwich. She holds it for me to bite. I don’t want to take the food, not when I know Mae won’t have any but if I want to get us out of here, I need my strength. Mae watches hungrily as I take each bite.
“I was supposed to come in here and fuck you, but then they said that Mae was the way to get at you.” Mystique rubs her hand against my crotch. “It’s a shame because I was looking forward to it.”
“So, what are they planning instead?” I ask.
She smirks, “A little fun party of their own.”
Mystique leaves and returns minutes later with a bowl. She places it by Mae’s
bed and squeezes out a sponge. “I have to wash you, Mae.” Mae remains still, and Mystique begins to open the shirt. She runs the sponge over her body.
“What do these guys want? I can’t give them what they want if I don’t know what it is,” I ask; it’s desperate and unlike me. If I was here alone then I’d die before I gave anything up to these mother fuckers, but with Mae here, it changes everything.
“These guys, they have shit to prove. If they can ruin your club and destroy the Mafia, then it puts them on the map.” It’s the first bit of information that Mystique has given me. “Your club is in chaos. Your VP is going around in circles and he’s no closer to finding you. Tag’s wife is broken. She blames Tag. The boss has inside information. Don’t underestimate him.” Her tone is rushed and low. She glances around, even though she knows it’s only us in the room.
“None of my guys in the club would do this,” I growl.
“I didn't say it was a man!” she prompts. She stands and takes the bowl of water. “I’ll help you if you can help me, Ace.”
“I’m listening.”
“Promise that if you get out of here then you’ll take me, too.”
“Done,” I say without hesitation. “Get me a cell.”
“Are you kidding? I’m being watched all the time.”
“You’re not being watched now, so I don’t believe that,” I sigh. She’s been here a few times alone.
“I don’t have access to anything like cell phones or ways to communicate outside,” she whispers.
“Get me something sharp. I need to dig this bolt loose.”
She nods her head, “I’ll try.”
The door opens, and footsteps descend. Mystique glances at me nervously, “I have to go,” she whispers, heading for the steps as two men come into view.
The first smirks at Mystique coldly, “The boss is not happy with you, whore. You’ve been too long.”
“The girl is not responsive. It took longer to wash her.”
The man slaps her hard across the face and she drops the bowl of water across the stone floor. “I didn’t say that you could speak,” he hisses in her face.
“Pussies,” I mutter, bringing their attention to me. Mystique scurries past them and runs up the steps, making her escape.
“What did you say?” growls the biggest of the two. He wears a cap, the peak covering his face. He wears the same kind of suit that they all do. Dark with shiny gold cuff-links.
“I said,” I let out a growl. “That you’re a pussy. Hitting on women.” The guy rears his fist back and hits me full in the face. My head snaps back and wetness spreads across my cheek. The guy shakes his fist and I smile at him. “You hit like a pussy, too.”
“Oh yeah,” he says furiously. He lands another punch to my stomach and I cough but remain smiling like a mad man. Smiling always unnerves the aggressor. It makes them doubt themselves.
“Forget him, he’s trying to distract us from his woman,” points out the other guy.
“Let’s see if you think I fuck like a pussy, too.” The guy grins and my smile falters. The big guy rips open Mae’s shirt. She stays almost lifeless on the bed, not even flinching, and I’m thankful to whatever they gave her earlier that’s kept her docile. “Come on, bitch,” growls the guy, slapping Mae hard across the face. I yank hard on the chains, growling with anger. The guy grins at me, happy that he got a reaction from me. It’s out of my control when it comes to Mae.
I watch, my heart twisting as he tugs her panties down her legs. “This is gonna be the best fuck you’ve ever had, girl,” he pants, taking his cock from his pants. I close my eyes, unable to watch. I feel a punch to my gut and I squeeze them shut tighter. “If you don’t watch then I’m gonna start cutting her,” warns the smaller guy.
I hear Mae’s sharp intake of breath and my eyes shoot open. She can feel. She hissed because the guy ran a blade over her arm. The cut isn’t deep, but it's enough to sting. “That’s better,” he smiles. “It wouldn’t be no fun if you didn’t watch the show.”
Mae’s dead eyes stare at the ceiling as the guy fucks her. He isn’t gentle. Groping at her naked breasts and grunting with each thrust. Bile hits the back of my throat, but I swallow it down. I won’t give these fuckers the satisfaction.
It takes him all of a few minutes before he’s taking his cock in his hand and rubbing himself until his release hits her stomach. “I’ll give her half an hour before I send the next one in.” I watch the two guys leave. Mae rolls herself onto her side and tucks her body into a tight ball, keeping her back to me.
“Mae,” I whisper. “Baby, talk to me.” She stays quiet. “I’ll make them pay. Every last one of them. I swear, baby. I’ll cut them into pieces for what they’ve done to you. Please Mae, talk to me,” I beg.
“Not now Ace. I just want to sleep,” she mumbles.
I press my lips together. I’m losing her. “They’re coming back.” The words clog in my throat and I almost choke. “And I can’t stop them.”
“It’ll be okay, Ace. Get some sleep,” she mumbles.
My heart shatters. The pain in my chest is unbearable. I tug on the chains until they cut into the skin on my wrists. If I could just get my hands free. Mae sits up, wincing uncomfortably. She turns to me. “Stop.” It’s a firm and clear instruction and I immediately stop. “You aren’t getting free anytime soon. So just stop.”
“I’ve let you down,” I mumble. Mae lays back on the bed but this time, she stays facing me. I continue. “When you told me how you felt. I didn’t expect it. But I’ve realized what a fool I’ve been. I wish I could turn back time.”
“What would you change?” she whispers.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Mae
Ace shakes his head. “I don’t know.”
“Would you give us a go if you had the time again?” I don’t feel ashamed to put it out there because if we don’t make it out of here, then at least I’ll know.
“No,” he says quietly, and I’m surprised that his simple answer still has the power to hurt my heart. “But not because I don’t like you. I do a lot. But this is the reason I don’t let people in. You wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for me.”
“But I’m here anyway and we aren’t even a thing. You wasted time when we could have been together and been happy.”
“And you’d hate me even more for putting you at risk.”
“I hate you for not giving us a chance, Ace. This bullshit comes with the club. Having you would have made this easier because at least I’d know that you loved me.”
“Mae,” he mumbles, shaking his head. “You make it sound so easy.”
“And you make it sound so complicated.”
The door opens again, and Ace lets out a string of curses. I fix my eyes on him. If I have him then I can survive this. I can draw strength from him. “Don’t let me be alone, Ace,” I mumble, and he stares at me with confusion on his handsome face. “Talk to me. About anything, just keep talking.”
“I don’t know if I can, Mae,” he stutters. I see the heartbreak written across his face.
“I’ll be okay, I promise.” Rough hands grab my wrists and pin me down on the dirty mattress. This time, a light illuminates my face. “Smile
for the camera,” hisses a deep voice. I continue to stare at Ace. Our eyes are locked together, taking me to another place.
“Scar will use Nicky for this job,” says Ace with a smile. Nicky is Scar’s best friend in the form of a sharp blade. He loves knives; it's his favorite weapon of choice. The fact that he names them amuses everyone in the club.
“Only the best for these pricks,” I smile back.
“He’ll take his time. Small slow cuts so they bleed out over days.”
I nod. The thought brings me comfort. The rough hands squeeze tighter. “I want to watch when that happens,” I say.
“Front row seats, baby,” says Ace. Women are never allowed around club business and it makes me happy that he’ll let me have that. A slap to my face breaks our eye contact for a moment. It pisses me off and I bring my knee up and catch the guy in front of me in his balls. He shouts out and doubles over in pain. I lash out again, my feet kick out wildly. I catch him in the head and he grabs my ankles.
He pulls himself to stand and climbs over me on the bed, using his legs to pin me to the mattress. “You stupid bitch,” he growls.
“Fuck you,” I yell and spit in his face. He swipes it away with the back of his hand and hits me across the face again. This time, I taste blood.
“Give her a hit,” the guy orders his friend. He releases my wrists and I lash out. I scratch his face, making sure to dig my nails in deep and rake them hard along his cheek and neck. “I love a fighter,” he smiles, then releases his erection from his pants. He holds my hands above my head and then lines himself up with my entrance. I feel a sharp scratch in my thigh. The same feeling of warmth that I felt earlier rushes through my veins and the room goes quiet. My body feels heavy. I manage to turn my head to the side and find those gorgeous blue eyes again. I don’t understand why he looks so sad. I try to smile and reassure Ace. Things will be okay.
