by K E Osborn
She’s okay.
She’s here.
She’s safe and alive.
I’m not a religious man, but tonight I’m thanking a God I don’t believe in.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Wrapping my arm tightly around a shivering Skye, I walk her to my Hog. There’s no way I’m letting her get in the cage and out of my sight. She’s riding with me. As we step up to my bike, I let go of her turning to face her, pulling off my leather jacket and covering her shoulders with it. She moves her arms into the sleeves and looks up at me. Her eyes are watery and distant, she seems broken and I fucking hate every second of this.
“You’re safe now gorgeous, they won’t hurt you. I won’t let them.” Running the back of my finger along her pale cheek, she nuzzles into my touch and I half-smile trying to ease her discomfort.
“I know, just take me h-home. I-I need a shower and b-bed, it’s been a c-crazy night.” The break in her voice makes my stomach twist, and I can’t help but wonder if they did more than lay their fucking rotten hands on her. If they abused her, I’m going to fucking lose my shit. But now is not the time to find out, I need to get her home.
“Watch your legs on the pipes okay? You don’t want to burn them.”
She nods and I lean in quickly kissing her lips. She kisses back, but it’s lackluster and emotionless. She’s tired and I need to look after her. Handing her my lid, she puts it on and I look into her glistening eyes. “Hold on tight, okay?”
She nods and I turn taking a deep, calming breath and step over as the engines from the other bikes roar to life. She slides on the back and grips on tight around my waist. Her cheek rests against my back, and I gently squeeze her hand on my stomach and then start my bike. Mad Dog and Techie hammer down, and I take off after them. I need to get her home, back to a safe environment and somewhere she can relax. Pulling back on the throttle, I ride as fast as I can. Her Hulk-like grip around me, only adds to my need to get back to the clubhouse to take care of her. Not only that, but to find out what the fuck happened. I might not want to know, but I need to know.
My heart is racing as the dust flies up in circles as we rocket down the dirt road to the clubhouse. Pulling up at the gate, Sentinel looks down at me and nods, his way of letting me know that he’s glad Skye is okay. He knows how close we’ve become, even though he and Hannah were good friends. With Skye being taken and possibly killed, he knows that would have been a difficult time for me.
Parking and turning off the engine, Skye climbs off the back and I follow. Wrapping my arm around her shoulders, I pull her to me and lean down grabbing behind her knees and lift her up. Her arms instinctively wrap around my neck as I carry her. I don’t want her to walk in bare feet, and anyway my need to protect has kicked in strongly, so carrying her feels like the right thing to do.
The cage pulls in and I watch Crash park it. The other girls file out as I step through the black door and into the clubrooms. I’m glad they’re all back, but I only have one that I need to look after, the guys will tend to the other girls, I know they will.
Heading down the hall toward my room, Skye and I are completely silent. Nothing is said as she snuggles into me while I carry her to the shower she said she wanted. Right now, I’d give her a pony if that’s what she fucking desired. Anything to comfort her. My door is slightly open when I get to it thankfully, so I kick it open lightly and walk through shutting it with my foot. Heading straight for the bathroom, I make my way in. She brings her face up and looks at me finally.
“Hey,” I say almost a whisper.
She half-smiles. “Hey… thank you,” she replies as I place her feet to the floor.
Raising my eyebrow, I shake my head slightly. “For what?”
She shrugs out of my jacket and places it on the edge of the bench. “For being here, for just letting me not talk for a while. I knew being a part of the club could one day become dangerous, I guess I never thought I’d be anyone important enough to be kidnapped.”
Sighing and running my hands up her naked and goosebump littered arms, I shake my head. “You’re important to me.”
She smiles and nods. “I know, you are to me, too. Will you shower with me?”
Smiling, I shrug out of my cut and it falls to the floor. She smiles and I grab the hem of my shirt and lift it over my head. She removes her bra and knickers as I take off my boots and jeans, leaving us both naked. She steps into the shower alcove, the two small dimples on her back make my cock twitch, but I reign it in. Now is not the time for that.
She turns on the water and then swivels around to face me. My hand moves up to the cut on her forehead with the congealed blood.
“Does it hurt?” I ask. She nods making me wince. “What happened?”
She turns stepping into the shower and I follow closing the screen behind us, the glass fogs up instantly. “I was dancing and one of the lackeys grabbed my foot causing me to fall. I fell head first into the pole.”
Clicking my tongue into the roof of my mouth in disgust, I grab hold of her waist pulling our bodies together and shake my head as the hot water runs over us. “Do you have a headache?” I ask leaning in kissing her forehead softly.
She nods against my lips. “I’ll get you some painkillers when we get out. Skye, I have to ask, did they… I mean the Ingratos had those women in the cages for a reason… did they…”
She looks up at me as I scrunch my face up not actually able to finish the question. “Did they rape me?” she asks and my stomach sinks at the words.
Wincing, I nod. She swallows and shakes her head. My stomach catapults and my heart races as relief washes over me. “Thank God. I was so worried after what they did to the skill sets that you had suffered the same fate.”
She exhales and cuddles into me. “I think they had it in their minds they were going to. It came close to one of the lackeys nearly taking Jess off, but she’s feisty and she kicked him in the balls. He didn’t come back. But José, I think his name was, kept saying how when Mad Dog refused to go through with the deal or if he tried to do something stupid, that they were going to take turns in raping us. He said we were going to be their new skill sets. They were going to start over, and we were going to be their sex slaves for the rest of our lives, until we got too old and then they would kill us. He said we would have to submit to their every need or die painfully because Mad Dog wouldn’t want us, that his guns and drugs were too important, more important than just some club girls. And you know what the scariest part was?” I shake my head and shrug. “I honestly believed, José. Seeing Mad Dog, and who he has become lately, so obsessed with his guns and drug deals… so obsessed with beating the Cartel, I honestly thought we were done for. That I was going to be stuck with those Mexican’s for the rest of my miserable life.”
Taking a deep breath, I decide not to tell her that Mad Dog was going to forfeit her life exactly as she thought he would. She’s fragile, and hearing that would only hurt her. So I hold her closer to me and kiss her head. Reaching out, I grab a washcloth and run it under the water. Taking the edge, I dab it gently at her swollen cut on her forehead. She winces, so I dab lighter and wipe the dried blood from her silky skin.
“I’m sorry you had to go through this, I should’ve been protecting you. After we went after the Ingratos, we should’ve known there would be repercussions. I should have been watching you better.”
She reaches up grabbing my hand and looks into my eyes, and instead of a distant gaze there’s a hard fierceness in them. Her fight is back and it brings a flutter to my chest. “Hey, stop! Us girls being taken wasn’t your fault. It was Mad Dog’s. But you came and got me back, and that’s all I care about. I got out, I’m here with you, and I’m safe. I’m okay, really, I am. It could have been far… far worse.”
Nodding, I bring my hand up to her cheek and caress it tenderly. She really is beautiful, even with her makeup smudged and her face half covered in blood. “I’m just glad it wasn’t worse, I couldn’t live with myself if
something had happened to you, something worse I mean.”
She cuddles into me and I take in her gorgeous scented hair and soak up her warmth. “I’m okay, just hold me tonight and don’t let me go.”
Smiling, I lean down pulling her further under the water. “Deal.”
***
It didn’t take much for Skye to fall asleep. She’d had a big night, and so I let her drift off as soon as I finished washing her and got her into bed. Now I’m lying on my back with her cuddled into my side wondering if I should report the Cartel to the precinct. I know the insiders. I know who the boss’s lackey is—José. I should report in what I know so far. I’m just worried about how much intel to provide. I don’t know what’s good and what’s bad anymore–the lines are blurring for me. I feel like I belong here, in this club, and telling the precinct anything is a betrayal of epic proportions.
But then there’s Hudson, my best friend of twenty-five years, and not telling him everything that’s going down in the club is a betrayal of our friendship. My first taste at brotherhood. Hudson was there for me through school, and all through growing up when I was the outcast and no one liked me. He was there to make me feel like I had someone to talk to, someone to confide in, a brother of sorts. But the club are like brothers too.
I’m so fucking conflicted!
I have a lifelong brother, and then there are these guys I’ve really only known a few months but who are family already. They know me. Well, this side of me, and they treat me with respect and how a brother should be treated. I just have no idea what to fucking do?
My head continues to run with a myriad of conflicting thoughts well into the morning, until my eyes finally close and sleep beckons me.
***
Mad Dog sits at the head of the church table and bangs his gavel hard on the surface, the echo of wood hitting wood resounds throughout the room. “Church is in session. Now I think we all know why we’re here? The events of last night has us all a little shaken, but I’ve had time to think it over and I’ve made my mind up… we need to go after the Cartel.”
The room shifts in awkward silence as my heart slams against my chest. He can’t actually be serious, can he? Glancing around the room, I look at Techie, who’s frowning at Jigsaw, who is frowning at Lookout, who’s frowning at everyone, and I honestly don’t think anyone is onboard with this idea.
“Seriously, Prez?” Techie asks breaking the awkward silence.
“Abso-fuckin-lutely.”
Chops shakes his head and breathes harshly out his nose. “This is crazy.”
“It’s motherfucking suicide, Prez,” Lookout grits out through his teeth shaking his head.
“I don’t care. They’re too big for their boots, and I need to show them who the boss is around here.”
Chops exhales running his hand over his balding head. “You need to think this through.”
Mad Dog stiffens his posture and nods. “I have fucking thought this through. I’m going to get civilians to store the drugs for us as our lackeys and distribute. Guns will be harder to deal with, but this is the plan until I can figure out a way to bring down the Cartel. So, jobs brothers… your job is to find simple minded average Joes to store our drugs, and then we can turn them to distribute for us. Sure we take a bit of a loss, as we’ll have to cut them a deal cash wise, but it’s better than losing the guns and drug money trade altogether, right?”
Chops shakes his head. “I still don’t like this, Mad Dog. If the Cartel finds out we’re having lackeys distribute for us—”
“They won’t and how dare you talk back to me, you’re not my equal, you’re not the President, what you say doesn’t count. So shut your fucking mouth before I shut it for you. There’s nothing more to talk about. Church is adjourned.” Mad Dog bangs his gavel, and I take a deep breath wondering how many poor innocent people are going to be dragged into this war with Mad Dog and José.
The Prez storms out of the assembly room, closely followed by a stiff and stern-faced Chops. I turn to look at Techie and shake my head as he clenches his jaw.
“What the hell is happening to this club?” Techie murmurs.
Puffing a wave of air out of a small hole in my mouth, I shake my head. “I haven’t a clue, brother. But the way this place is headed, I have no idea how long any of us are going to be alive for.”
“I know what you mean, if we don’t die in this Cartel war, then I’m not sure if everyone is going to stand by and watch Mad Dog destroy this chapter. I know I’m struggling with it.”
Nodding, I chew on my bottom lip. “I’m just glad Steel isn’t here to watch this.”
Techie half laughs. “Yeah, this would kill him, bringing innocent civilians into this war. That’s only going to end up in them being six feet under. There’s no way dealing with a biker club is going to end well for a civilian.”
Shaking my head, I rub the tension in the back of my neck. “Nope, this blows.”
“I need to get laid, rub out some of this tension. Shame Skye is so smitten with you, she and Jess were a good tag team.”
Opening my eyes wide as my neck tenses again, I clench my jaw. “I’m going to forget you said that and walk away.”
“What? Did I say something wrong?” Techie asks as I turn and walk out of the assembly room to find Skye and make sure she’s still doing okay after last night.
Walking into the clubroom, it doesn’t take me long to find her as she’s standing at the bar with Jess talking to Acid and Blade. Smiling, I march to her and wrap my arm around her waist, then look down at her to see she has her handbag and is all dressed up like she’s heading out. Furrowing my brows, I wonder where she’s going, and tilt my head as she turns and smiles leaning in to kiss me quickly.
“Hey, handsome.”
“Hey, you going somewhere?” I ask looking at the copious amount of makeup she’s applied to her forehead to conceal the bruise and cut adorning her skin.
She chews on her bottom lip and stiffens in my grip. My heart starts to race slightly at her unease and I take a deep breath wondering what’s going on. “Skye?”
“Okay, just hear me out.” She turns to face me taking both my hands in hers.
Looking down at her, I purse my lips wondering where the hell this is headed.
“I’m going back to work tonight—”
Choking on thin air, I shake my head. “No, you’re not!”
She huffs tilting her body to the side placing her hand on her hip. “Stealth, don’t. Don’t do that.”
Jolting my head back in confusion, I shake my head. “Do what?”
“Be that guy. That dominating guy that won’t let his girl do what she wants.”
Letting out a shocked laugh, I lick my lips in disbelief. “Skye, you were kidnapped from there yesterday, less than twenty-four hours ago. You have a ton of makeup on your forehead to cover the bruise and cut from them physically hurting you, and you want to go back there? Now?”
“How am I supposed to live my life, if I live it in fear of what might happen?”
Slumping my body, I relax my stance. “It’s not that, it’s just you need to rest and recover. Your head is bruised and you need to take it easy.”
She shakes her head and smiles. “I’m fine, I don’t even have a headache anymore. Plus, like I said, I don’t want to let those buffoons scare me and stop me from living my life. I’m not taking no for an answer, Stealth. I’m going and I’ll be really disappointed in you if you try to stop me.”
I can’t stop myself from rolling my eyes in annoyance. She’s so fucking headstrong. But I guess that’s why I like her. Well, if she’s going to go in no matter what, then I’m just going to have to go and watch her to make sure there’s no trouble.
“Well, if you’re going, so am I.”
Her eyebrow raises up and she smirks. “Really? You’re coming to Strapless?” I nod and she smiles wide like maybe that’s what she was hoping for. “For how long?”
“You’re entire shift, I’ll take
you in and bring you home.”
She jumps slightly on the spot like she’s excited. “Okay, deal.”
Chuckling to myself, I wonder if that was her plan all along. She wanted to go in, but wanted me to go just to make her feel safe. Well, honestly, I’d give her anything she wanted. So if that means sitting at a strip joint for six hours, then I’m going to do it.
“When do you need to go?”
She looks up at the clock above the bar. “Oh shit, like now.” She grabs my hand and starts pulling me toward the clubhouse door. I guess we’re going to Strapless—right now.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Skye kisses me quickly on the cheek then rushes off out the back to get ready for her shift. Watching her tonight, and seeing other men come in here watching her too is going to be hard, but at least I know if anything goes down I’ll be here to protect her. Making my way up to the bar, I glance at Vin, who’s looking a little worse for wear with a cast on his left arm and butterfly stitches on his eyebrow above a black eye.
“You look like shit!”
Vin laughs and shrugs. “You should see the other guy.”
Pursing my lips, I nod. “I did… he looked fine to me.”
Vinnie laughs and shakes his head grabbing a bottle of bourbon from behind the bar. “You smartarse fucking prick.”
“Sorry, couldn’t resist. But really, how are you doing? You okay?”
He nods. “Yeah, I’m fine, a broken bone and a cut eyebrow won’t stop me, son. Now here’s your drink, fuck off to a booth so I can get on with my work will ya?”
Laughing, I grab my freshly poured three fingers of bourbon and walk over to the booth in front of Skye’s stage. The music comes on and I instantly recognize it as Lick by Joi. The sounds at the beginning of the song remind me of people hitting glass or something, I’m not sure, it’s a strange sound. The beads at the back of the stage part and my beauty walks out wearing a slutty police outfit, and I smirk at how inappropriate this is. If only she knew.
