by Nicola Jane
I don’t know how much time goes by but when I open my eyes, the men are gone. The girl, Mystique, is talking to Ace. Their voices are low and secretive. I can’t make out what they are saying because it feels like their voices are far away.
“Mae,” the girl is leaning over me. “Drink this.” She places a glass to my lips and I drink the water. “Drink more. You need to hydrate.”
I try to sit up but my body aches. Everything feels tender and stiff and when I touch my face, it feels swollen. Ace is looking at the bolt above his head. He’s standing on a crate and has a screwdriver in his hands.
“Take these.” The girl holds two pills for me to take but I shake my head. I don’t know what the hell they keep giving me, but I feel like I’ve done ten rounds with Tag in the cage. “It’s just painkillers, Mae,” she says, pushing them into my hand.
“I think I’ve done it,” says Ace. He’s digging around the bolt and the dust from the concrete is falling around him. “It feels loose.”
We hear a car engine outside and we all freeze. The girl looks at Ace, her expression frantic and panicked. “Oh shit,” she hisses, rushing for the steps. “They’ll kill me.”
Ace works harder, digging out the bolt. I stand; my legs are shaky, but I can’t let these men stop us now that we are a step closer. I stand on the crate. It’s the closest I’ve been to Ace in a long time, but it’s also the first time I haven’t felt the buzz of electricity. I tug on the chains. He’s right, they are loose, but not quite enough to get free. “Hurry,” whispers Mystique. The door opens, and she groans in frustration.
“Get over here,” I say, my tone impatient. The footsteps are heavy as they come down the steps. “If we all pull, it might come free.”
I take the screwdriver from Ace and rush for the steps. “What are you doing, Mae?” he hisses frantically. The guy appears, but I don’t give him a chance to take in the scene before him. Instead, I stick the screwdriver into his neck. He grunts, and his hand goes to the wound. I pull it out before he can take it from me and stab him in the shoulder. He looks surprised and shocked. He doesn’t know what to do, whether to cover his now bloody wounds or grab hold of me but while he's working that out, I stab him again; this time; I don’t stop. I plunge it into his body over and over until he falls to his knees. I stumble back, falling onto my ass. It’s then that I notice the blood that covers my arms and legs. The dirty white shirt I have on is stained crimson. I’m panting for breath and sobbing all at the same time.
The door opens again, and I want to scream out in anger. The man I stabbed is gurgling, it alerts his friend and he runs down the steps, until he sees the guy on his knees covered in his own blood. His eyes shoot to me. “What the fuck have you done, you little whore!” he yells, marching in my direction. Mystique screams when the man grabs my hair and hauls me to my feet. He pushes me against the wall and moves his strong hands to my throat.
“Please,” I whisper, trying desperately to remove his grip from my neck. He squeezes tighter and lifts me from the ground. My feet bang against the wall behind me. trying to find the grip I need to support myself. I feel my eyes bulging and right before I’m about to pass out. I see him. Ace stalks up behind the man silently. The chain holding his cuffs is still linked. He hooks it over the man's neck and in one swift movement, he wraps it around tightly. The guy releases his hold on me and I fall to my knees, gasping urgently to get air into my lungs.
Mystique pulls me to stand. “We have to leave,” she urges me.
Ace is standing over the lifeless body of the man, his chest heaving. “I need to find them all,” he growls.
Mystique turns on him. “No, we don’t have time for that. What if they overpower us and we end up locked in here again or worse, dead?”
Ace looks at me, his eyes pleading. “I have to find them all. I promised they’d pay.”
“That can wait,” I whisper, my voice hoarse from my attack. “We need to go.”
Mystique reaches into the pocket of the dead guy; she checks them all and pulls out a cell phone and some car keys. “Bingo,” she smiles.
She takes Ace by the hand and tugs him towards the steps. I follow, wrapping my arms around myself as I step over the bleeding body of the first man. We race up the steps and break out into the bright daylight. It’s blinding, and I instantly cover my eyes. I feel a hand take mine and lead me along the loose stones. I’m pushed gently into the back seat of a car. Ace gets into the front driver’s seat with Mystique in the passenger side.
“There’s a button on the key ring to open the gate,” she explains, leaning over Ace and pressing it. The large gates open and Ace starts the engine. He wastes no time in putting it into gear and screeching out towards freedom.
Once we’re out on the road, I begin to breathe again. I was convinced we’d get stopped and killed. I keep glancing behind us, but there’s no obvious signs that we’re being followed. “Are you both okay?” asks Ace. I nod. My neck is sore and I’m exhausted. The trauma of the last few days begins to hit me. I rest my head against the cool window and a stray tear rolls down my cheek. Mystique reaches back and squeezes my bare knee gently. “We’re okay now.”
Almost an hour later, we stop at the gates of the Rebellion clubhouse. I feel relief flood me when Bear steps from the gatehouse to check out the car. Ace sticks his head out of the window. “Call off the search party, mother fuckers. We’re home.”
Bear whistles loudly to get the attention of the bikers standing outside of the club by their bikes. Bear signals for them to come as he opens the gates. Ace drives in and the minute the gates close, he steps from the vehicle. I watch through the window as word spreads and guys start appearing, clear relief on their faces as they greet their president.
“These guys are big,” mutters Mystique nervously.
“They’re all amazing,” I sigh. “Real gentlemen.”
I know the minute my mother gets the news because I hear her crying. “Is she with you?” Ace nods his head and reaches for my door. He pulls it open and holds out a hand for me to take. I grip the door and pull myself to stand doing my best to avoid touching Ace. He stares at me for a second, but he doesn’t get the chance to ask me what’s wrong because my mom envelopes me in her arms and sobs into my neck. We’re then wrapped in Queenie’s and before long, I feel others join us, too.
I never thought I’d be here again. I watch the women chatting happily, pleased that we’re all here again. The men went into church over two hours ago. Mystique seems to be fitting in well. I assume she’ll stay on here and I’m grateful for her helping us to get out of there, but I can’t help but notice the way she eyes Ace. Her flirty little smiles and light arm touches are pissing me off.
“Are you okay, girl? You’re shaking.” Queenie gently squeezes my arm.
I nod. Actually, I feel terrible. My body aches and I can’t control these shakes. Mystique takes my hand. “I’ll walk you upstairs,” she smiles. I don’t have the energy to argue and so I stand, kissing the women goodnight.
We get to my room and Mystique follows me inside. “You need a hit.”
“A what?” I ask.
“A hit. They gave you heroin. You need a fix or you’ll get worse.”
I laugh, hardly believing her words. “I do not need a fix. I’ll feel better once I’ve slept.”
Mystique shrugs her shoulders. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Ace
It’s been a long afternoon. Turns out that it was Tag’s father that began all this. He wanted to take Lucy, but his men fucked up and took us by mistake. He didn’t bother to make any demands on the club or the Mafia. Tag thinks he’s gaining respect amongst his men and if he can take down the Rebellions single-handedly, it would gain respect from smaller organizations.
Mystique was right about Lucy and Tag. They have hit a bump in their marriage and she’s currently living here while he’s back at Anton’s place, but I’ll sort that mess out later. Right
now, my priority is going after the bastards that took us. We’d already sent a mix of my guys and Anton’s to the house where we were held, but it was empty. The two bodies we left there were gone, the blood cleaned away.
I stroke Dodge’s head; he hasn’t left my side since I came home. “They knew the club was falling apart and they knew Tag and Lucy were having problems,” I say. “Someone on our side told them.”
“No way. None of the Rebellions would do that. We’re a family.” Hulk stands. “And for the record, we were not falling apart.”
“Mystique seems to think it was a female. She overheard a phone conversation and she said that the voice on the receiving end sounded feminine.”
“So, what do we do with that information?” asks Hulk. “There are a lot of women in and around this club.”
“We keep everything quiet. Nothing gets spoken about out of this room and if they’re not old ladies, they can’t be here right now.”
“That’ll put a lot of the whores out. They’ll be pissed.”
“Old whores can stay. If they’ve been here a year or less, they go. I don’t see what other option we have right now. We can’t risk anything else getting back. It’ll leave us open for something like that to happen again.”
“And what about the new girl?” asks Bear. “How do we know she can be trusted?”
“I trust her and that's all you need. Mystique helped us get out of there. She stays. Put her in the room near mine.” I slam the gavel on the table, calling an end to church. I’m dog tired and I need to check on Mae. The guys leave, and I flop back into my chair. There’s a light knock on the door and Mystique steps into the room. She’s wearing tight leather pants and a tank top. I recognize them as Angel’s.
“I need to speak to you,” she says as she closes the door.
“Go on,” I prompt. She saunters around the large oak table and stops next to me, lifting herself up onto the table and crossing her legs.
“Mae needs a hit. They gave her heroin and she’s coming down. If you don’t wean her off it slowly then her body will go into shock.” I had tried not to think too much about what they’d given her in there but I knew it was something bad. I nod my head once to acknowledge that I hear her. “Also,” she pauses. “What’s the situation between you two?”
“We’re friends. Really good friends,” I say.
Mystique jumps down from the table smiling. “Good.” I don’t question her remark. She doesn’t stand a chance against Mae anyway.
It doesn’t take me long to get what I need and within twenty minutes, I’m standing by Mae’s bed watching her scratch at her skin while rocking. Mystique stands next to me rubbing my arm reassuringly. “I won’t take it,” growls Mae.
“If you don’t, it’ll get worse. A small amount to ease it and we’ll wean you off it slow,” I say.
“No,” she yells.
Mystique rubs a hand down my back. “Maybe we should come back later. She’ll be out of it by then and we can just do it.”
“Don’t talk about me like I’m not fucking here,” snaps Mae. “You will not inject me with that crap without my say so. I’ll never forgive you if you do.”
I hate seeing her like this, but I can’t get into an argument with her, so I ignore her. I know full well that if Doc tells me to inject her, I'll be doing it with or without her saying so. “I wanna stay with her until Doc gets here. He said he’s got something that’ll help.”
“Methadone?” asks Mystique and I find myself wondering how she knows so much about all of this.
“I think so. I hate seeing her like this. She’s been through so much.”
Mystique nods sadly. “She’s lucky to have so many wonderful people around her. But, you can’t sit in here. You’re tired and you’ve been through a lot, too. I’ll get her mom to sit with her so that you can rest.”
I shake my head; she’s my responsibility too and I owe it to her. “I need to stay.”
“How about I get her mom to sit with her now and I take you to rest. If anything happens or when the doctor arrives, I’ll come and get you. Just an hour?”
“Stop talking like I'm not in the room.” Mae hisses again. “You can go. I’m okay.”
“You look like shit,” I sigh.
Mystique takes my arm more firmly. “You aren’t helping, Ace. Come on.” I let her lead me from the room. She takes my hand in hers and walks me to my room. I unlock the door. It’s just how I left it.
Dodge jumps onto my bed and curls up. I move my head from side to side to ease the stiffness. Having my arms up for so long has strained the muscles. “Come and sit,” says Mystique. I lower onto the bed and she kneels behind me. “I used to be a masseuse,” she explains, placing her hands on my shoulders.
She begins to massage the sore tissue there and I groan in pleasure. It feels amazing. “You have to stop worrying about everyone else, Ace, and take care of you.”
“Easier said than done. This place is my life,” I moan, closing my eyes.
“And if you burn out, you’ll be no good to them.”
She wraps her arms around my neck. “I just wanted to say thanks for everything, Ace. I really appreciate you helping me and giving me a place to stay.”
“How did you end up there?” I ask.
She goes back to rubbing the sore tissue. “I was picked up in a bar. A biker bar. I guess I was looking for a biker to whisk me away.” She laughs. “I was chosen for the boss. I felt special.” She snorts. “It sounds so stupid now. Anyway, once I got there, he made it clear I wouldn’t be leaving him.”
“How long were you there?”
“Not long. Maybe a month?”
I nod. “Well, you’re welcome to stay here for as long as you need. We appreciate you helping us like you did.”
She stands. “Thanks, and if I can do anything for you, anything at all, I’m happy to.” She leans towards me and presses her lips against mine. “Anything.”
Once she’s left, I flop back onto my bed and let out a groan. Dodge licks my face and I stroke behind his ears. “Tell me about it, Dodge. More trouble than they’re worth.” I know I’ll have to have that conversation with Mystique soon. I don’t want to lead her on, but I’m exhausted and in pain and right now. I have other problems to deal with.
Mae
It gets so much worse. My body aches so bad and I can’t stop shaking. The doc came and injected me with something that he promised isn't that same shit they gave me where I was held. It takes the edge off, but not for long and now it’s two in the morning and I’m lying on top of my bed, pouring with sweat and shaking again. My mom reaches out and strokes my arm, but even that hurts, and I turn away. “Can I get you anything?” she asks.
“I need Ace,” I mumble, rubbing my arms.
“Okay, I’ll get him.” She leaves and returns minutes later with Ace rubbing his eyes and yawning.
“I need it. Whatever you had earlier, I need it.”
“I thought Doc gave you something.” Ace looks at me confused and I resist the urge to yell at him.
“He did, but it hasn’t helped,” I snap. “Look at the state of me. Ace, I need it now.”
“Mae, I can’t give it to you if the doc gave you something already. You don’t want to overdose, and he said this is the best way to help you.”
I press my lips together before asking my mom to leave us alone. I wait for her to go and then push myself to sit up. “You know the doc gave me the morning after pill earlier. He checked for diseases and he’s done a pregnancy test.”
“Urgh, Mae,” groans Ace, rubbing his tired face. “Don’t do this. Don’t try and guilt me.”
“He said it’s too soon and the pregnancy might not show yet. I have to redo a test in a couple more weeks. I told him I couldn’t get pregnant. He said polycystic ovaries doesn’t mean I can’t have kids. It just means I might struggle to catch. What if I am pregnant and this is my one and only shot at it. What do I do with that?”
“Mae, don’t str
ess about that right now. It might not happen and if you are, then we’ll deal with it together.”
“Are you shitting me? It’s all I can think about.” I yell. “And now you won’t help me. I can’t sleep. I can’t eat. I need it.”
“Mae, you don’t need that shit. The doc will help you get off of it, but you need to give it time to work.”
I reach out and take his hand. It hangs limp in mine. “Please, Ace. I’ll do anything,” I beg. “Whatever you need, you can have,” I add.
It takes him a second to realize what I’m offering him and when he does, he pushes my hand away in disgust. “Jeez Mae, really!”
“I need it, Ace,” I begin to sob, burying my face into my hands.
He grips my upper arms and pulls me to stand up, shaking me until I uncover my face. “You don’t fucking need it, Mae, sort your shit out!”
I begin to cry harder. He doesn’t understand how much it hurts. “Go back to Mystique,” I cry, pushing him away. “Get out.”
“What are you talking about now?”
“I saw how you were together. You want her.” I fall back onto my bed when he releases me. He’s never looked at me with so much disgust. I look away.
My mom knocks on the door. “Everything okay?”
“No Mom, it’s not, I want him to leave.” I sob.
Ace opens the door. “No one comes in and no one leaves this room without my say so.” He hands her my door key. “Lock it from the outside and give the key to Hulk.”
“No,” I scream, rushing to the door. “Don’t leave me in here.” Flashbacks of the dark cellar fill my head and I beat my fists against Ace’s back.
He kicks the door closed and pulls me into his arms. “I ain’t going nowhere, baby. Not until you’re feeling better.” Ace goes into my bathroom. I hear the shower turn on and he comes back to get me. Lifting me into his arms, he carries me like a child into the bathroom. I bury my face into his chest. “A cool shower will help,” he whispers. He steps into the cold jet spray, not bothering to remove any of our clothes. I hiss as the water soaks my pajamas, saturating them through.
