“What?” His eyebrows shot up. “Your ‘cornered-the-market-on-real-estate’ father? Your ‘owns-half-the-fucking-state’ father? His associate?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“Who is this guy?”
“He’s Sir Nicklaus Ralston III. He’s British.”
Crash looked at her, stunned for a moment, and then he finally growled, “Were you ever planning to share that shit with me, Shannon?”
Her lower lip trembled. “I’m sorry, Crash. I was afraid you wouldn’t help me.”
Crash thought about what she’d said, and he ran a frustrated hand over his jaw. “An associate of your father’s, huh? So, he’s loaded I take it? Money. Power.”
She nodded. “Ever heard of Ralston Aluminum?”
“You mean Ralston Aluminum, that shit you wrap around your baked potatoes?”
She dashed at the tears on her cheek and tried to smile. “Yes. That stuff you wrap around your baked potatoes, along with about a hundred other products. He’s worth about a billion dollars.”
Crash was taken aback. He knew her father was loaded, but this kind of money? This was a whole nuther league. And his princess had had that at her feet and shoved it away. With both hands, apparently. There had to be more to this story, a whole lot more. Girls like her didn’t walk away from money like that. They were groomed their whole lives for that shit. Catching a suitable husband. Hell, she’d hit the fucking mother lode. And she’d shoved it away and run from it—run straight into the grips of a goddamn MC. For safety. For protection. From what? What was she afraid of? “Shannon, I don’t give a fuck how many guys Mr. Baked Potato Head has. He’s not touching you. You hear me?”
Her lips twitched as she tried to hold back a laugh. “Mr. Baked Potato Head?”
“I’m not joking, Shannon. Sir Tin Man is gonna be a dead man if he tries to get anywhere near you. Do you hear me? So, knock off this incognito bullshit.”
“Sir Tin Man?” She burst out laughing.
Well, at least he got her laughing, and the tears had stopped. He couldn’t handle those. Crying Shannon gave him the shakes. Laughing Shannon he could handle. He pulled her to her feet, his palms cupping her face, tilting it up to his. “Look at me, Princess.” He stared deeply into her big eyes. “I don’t want you to worry. I don’t want you to be afraid. All right?”
She shook her head. “Crash, they were looking for someone—for me. I know it. He’s figured out where I went. He knows I’m with you. When they find us, they’ll take me back to…” She broke down into tears again. “You don’t know what he’s capable of, Crash.”
“And he doesn’t want to find out what I’m capable of,” Crash warned and pulled her against him. Wrapping his arms around her, he cradled her head to his chest. “Shh, darlin’. I’m not letting anybody take you.” He held her until the worst of it was over. When she quieted, he whispered, his mouth against the top of her head, “Tell me the rest of it.”
“The rest?” she asked, not moving.
“What is it about this guy that’s got you so scared you’d leave your life and hide out with an MC? What did he do to you?” If he’d hurt her, Crash was gonna break his goddamn neck. It took her a moment before she answered him, her face still buried against his chest, and he swore her hold around his waist tightened. Goddamn it, she was scared.
“I met him about two years ago at my father’s office. He was attractive. Refined. Polite. He asked me to dinner. At first, I really liked him. He was charming. Attentive. I thought he was my prince charming.” She laughed. “Silly, huh? We women all fall for that—we all buy into that fairy tale.”
“Why not? You deserve it, to be treated like a princess.” His hand stroked the hair at the back of her head. “You said ‘at first’. What changed?”
“He eventually showed his true colors.”
“And what are his ‘true colors’?”
“He’s controlling. Extremely controlling. About everything. Who I could see, where I could go, what I could wear.”
“And if you didn’t comply?”
“He’d find ways of making me pay.”
“Physically? He hurt you?” His hold tightened.
“Not hit me, if that’s what you mean. He…things started happening with my father’s business. Every time I disobeyed him, something bad would happen—he’d lose a client or a deal would suddenly fall through.”
“You think he was behind it?”
“I know he was.” Crash was quiet, watching for her to give him the rest. She continued. “Then he had his doctor put me on medication. Pills. He insisted I take them. They made me…docile, compliant, easy to manage I guess you’d say.”
Fuck. He was turning her into his own goddamn Stepford Wife.
“I started to pretend to take them and spit them out. He figured out the game I was playing, of course, because I wasn’t acting the way the drug was supposed to make me act. That’s when I think he started lacing my food with it.”
“Christ, Shannon.” He tightened his hold on her. “Your father, he wouldn’t protect you from this guy?”
“Nicklaus is powerful. He’s got some kind of hold over my father. I’m not sure what.” She shrugged.
“Tell me the rest. How you ended up here.”
“He had his men, his bodyguards, on me twenty-four-seven. But I slipped them a few times. I went to my girlfriends for help. He’d always find me, though. Immediately. It was like he had some kind of tracking device on me.”
“Probably your car. Cell phone, too.”
“Every time one of my girlfriends helped me—after he took me back—I’d hear that bad things had started happening to them.”
“Like what?”
“One of them had her car vandalized. Another’s dog was poisoned. It wasn’t long before they didn’t want to have anything to do with me. They had their own families to worry about. I can’t blame them. I feel horrible for the price they paid for trying to help me.”
“Did you ever go to the police?”
“By that time, Nicklaus came right out and told me—threatened me—that if I went to the police, my family would pay. I was afraid.”
“That’s when you contacted Cole?” He felt her shake her head.
“No. It was when I overheard Nicklaus talking about taking me back to England with him, making sure my passport was in his control so I couldn’t leave. He was talking to my father about a merger, saying that I was part of the deal. No Shannon—no deal.”
“So, what the fuck, Shannon? You’re telling me your father was trading you to this guy?” He felt her tremble and knew his words had been cruel, whether true or not. He rubbed her back. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. You deserve better.”
“My father loves me,” Shannon defended. “I know he does.”
The man didn’t know the meaning of the goddamn word, but he didn’t have the heart to crush her with that truth. “I’m sure he does, Shannon.”
She pulled back and looked up into his face, a pleading expression in her eyes. “We have to leave Lake Tahoe. Please, Crash. Take me away, before they spot me.
He swallowed, looking down into her eyes, seeing the terror there. Fuck, he was going to tear this guy apart, piece by piece, for putting that look on her face. His cell phone rang. He brushed the hair back from her eyes, and then pulled it out and looked at the display. Cole. “Give me a second, sweetheart.”
She nodded and stepped back.
He put it to his ear. “Yeah?” He walked out of the room, surveying the parking lot while he listened.
“Crash? Where you at?”
“Tahoe.”
“We got trouble up in Reno.”
“At the house?”
“Yeah. I’m headed up there now. Can you meet us?”
“I’ve got Shannon.”
“Leave her there. Pick her up on the way back.”
“I can’t.”
“Why the fuck not?”
“There’s shit she didn’t tell you. Th
is guy she’s running from? He’s not some kid, he’s an associate of her father. He’s powerful, and he’s got guys looking for her, Cole. They tracked us here. She spotted them.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah.” Crash heard Cole blow out a breath.
“All right, stash her in a motel in Reno, and then meet us out at The Pony. We should be there by ten.”
“Shit. Yeah, okay. It may be closer to eleven when I get there.” Crash’s eyes scanned the parking lot.
“We finish up there, you’ll have plenty of time left over to play with your girl. For now, just get your ass to Reno.”
“Right.” Crash slide his phone back in his pocket and went back inside. Shannon was sitting on the bed, chewing her bottom lip. “Get your shit, babe. We’re leaving.”
She jumped up, only too happy to comply. “Back to the clubhouse? If he figured out I went to Cole for help-”
Crash cut her off. “We’re not going back there.”
“Where are we going?”
“Reno.”
“Reno?”
“Yeah. Cole needs me for some business up there. I’ll get you a motel room while I take care of it.”
“And then what?”
“I don’t know, babe. Then we’ll see.” He could see the fear and worry still in her eyes. Walking over to her, he took her chin in his hand and tilted her face up to his. Studying her eyes, he promised her, “I’ll protect you, Shannon. If I need to, I’ll kill him. I will not hesitate, babe. He is not gonna get his hands on you. Get that shit out of your head. You get me?”
A smile trembled on her lips as her eyes pooled again. She nodded as much as his hold on her chin would allow and whispered, “I get you.”
He smiled back. “Good.” His mouth descended on hers for a soft kiss. When he raised his head, he whispered, “You went from one controlling man to another, I hope you realize that.”
She smiled up at him. “Your kind of controlling I can handle.”
“Good answer, babe. Now move your ass.”
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
It was after ten when they exited off the interstate and for the hell of it, Crash rode Shannon through downtown and under the famous Reno arch with all its lights. They drove past the Circus, the Eldorado, Harrah’s, and the Cal-Neva. They stopped at a light, and Shannon leaned her chin on Crash’s shoulder, pointing to a casino. “Can we stop? Please, just one. I promise, then you can dump me in a motel. Please.”
Crash hesitated only a moment, considering, before he gave in to her. Hell, he’d give in to her on almost anything if he was able. As long as it wasn’t going to put her safety in danger. “Okay, fine. Just one. You get fifteen minutes, then I’m taking you to a motel. I gotta get back on the road.”
They parked the bike and headed inside one of the casinos.
Crash watched Shannon take it all in, her eyes going everywhere at once as she stood in awe. “Haven’t you ever been to Vegas, Shannon?” She shook her head
“No. Vegas never appealed to me.”
“Wait, what? So why are we here?”
She shrugged. “Just because I’ve never felt the desire to fly to Vegas, doesn’t mean I’m not a little curious. We’re here. I’d might as well experience a casino.”
Crash rolled his eyes. “Babe.”
“Come on.” She pulled him along excitedly toward a row of slot machines. Crash fed a twenty dollar bill into the machine she’d stopped in front of, and she pulled the lever. She laughed and clapped her hand like she’d won the freaking jackpot every time she won a little bit. Of course, as usual, the casino took back more than it paid out. Crash enjoyed watching Shannon’s infectious enthusiasm and excitement. Unfortunately, they didn’t even make it ten minutes, before Shannon was down twenty dollars. She was about to insert into the machine another twenty dollar bill that Crash had given her when he snatched it back out of her hand.
“Hey!” she looked up at him, questioningly. He was staring at three men coming towards them. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw her turn her head and follow the direction of his eyes.
Three Devil Kings were coming straight to them.
Fuck.
In a moment, they were surrounded.
Shannon’s eyes ran over the three men. Bikers, obviously, but a different club. These weren’t Evil Dead, or even that other club she’d seen, the Dead Souls. One of them turned his back briefly to keep a lookout and scope the area. When he did, she noticed the colors on the back of his cut. The patch in the center was a depiction of a devil’s face with a pair of crossed pitchforks underneath. The top rocker said, Devil Kings. She didn’t get a chance to read the state on the bottom rocker before he turned back. He was a big man with brown hair to his shoulders, the top section pulled back in a hair band with the rest left hanging down. Her eyes swept to the other two. A guy with a bald head stood to the right. The one in the center was obviously this group’s leader. He was a handsome man, good-looking even. He had short dark hair and a close trimmed goatee that surrounded a sexy white smile. But, something about him was just plain evil. When she’d looked into his eyes, they were empty. Soulless. His eyes slid over her from head to toe, missing nothing before they moved to Crash who had gone rock solid at her side.
“Hey, Crash.”
“Taz.”
“Who’s the lovely lady?” Taz asked, his eyes running up and down Shannon a second time. His voice was deep and smooth. “I see you still have a thing for blondes. Hell, you Evil Dead brothers always seem to find the best lookin’ women. I’ll give you that.”
“Yeah,” the guy standing to the right of Taz replied. “Taz, you remember that other one from a few years back—the one Big Ed had us tattoo?”
Taz nodded. “Yeah, Pepper, sure do. The night Cole’s ol’ lady got stamped.” Then he lifted his chin at Crash. “I think that was the last time I saw you. Outside Stumpy’s Tattoo parlor. You remember that night, Crash?”
“Yeah, I remember.”
“What ever happened to her?”
“They’re married. Got three kids.”
“You don’t say. Go figure. Guess it all worked out then, huh?”
“You want something?”
Taz’s eyes strayed to Shannon. “I don’t know. You might have something I want.” He leaned in resting his arm on the slot machine.
Shannon felt Crash’s warm strong hand close around her wrist as he stepped in front of her, pulling her behind him. “You gonna start something right here in the middle of a Casino, Taz? Didn’t take you for a fool.”
“I’m not a fool. I know how to bide my time.”
Crash looked over Taz’s shoulder and spotted a casino boss walk by, spot them, pause and say something into his earpiece. Taz followed Crash’s eyes, turning and straightening. A moment later, several burly bouncers appeared. “Is there a problem, gentlemen?”
Taz turned his head and smiled. “No problem, sir. We were just leaving.” He turned back to Crash. “See ya ‘round.”
After they left, Shannon looked up at him, fear in her eyes and the glass in her hand shaking. “Who was that?”
“A real mean son-of-a-bitch. C’mere.” He slowly took the drink from her hand and turned her to face him as her eyes pooled. He took her in his arms, and she clung to him, burying her face in his neck. He spoke into her hair. “Baby, I know you’re scared, and you feel like you’re gonna fall apart on me, but I need you to be strong. I need to get you out of here. Now, Shannon.” Crash took her by the hand and began pulling her toward the rear of the casino and out a side exit.
“Crash.” Her voice shook.
“I’m here, baby. I’m right here. You’re doing fine. Come on, stay with me.” He pulled her along, practically running. “Keep up with me. Can you do that, baby? I need you to concentrate.” Goddamn. The last thing he needed was a run in with the fucking Devil Kings.
He quickly pulled Shannon to the parking garage where they’d left the bike, all the while keeping a close eye out for
those sons-of-bitches. Stopping abruptly, he tugged her around to face him, his voice deadly serious. “If we run into them again, if they run us down, you keep quiet and do whatever I tell you, understand?” She nodded, and he searched her eyes. “If the worst happens and they get ahold of you, you do not fight. You understand what I’m sayin’ to you, Princess? You submit. I’m tellin’ you this because it’ll keep you alive.”
“Crash.” Her lip trembled.
“Do you understand?”
She nodded, a tear running down her cheek. “Are they going to get ahold of me?” She searched his eyes.
He stared down at her a moment, and then shook his head, promising, “It’ll be over my dead body.” He paused, and then continued, “I’m sorry for dragging you here, Shannon.”
“I’m not sorry, Crash. I’m glad I’m with you.”
Crash got Shannon on the bike and headed to a no-tell motel on the edge of town. As they got close, he spotted the three DK’s pick up his tail.
Fuck.
There was no way he was leaving Shannon alone and unprotected with these guys around. Changing the game plan on the fly, he made a right at the next light. They followed. Fuck. He took several more turns trying unsuccessfully to lose them and finally roared up onto Interstate 80 and headed east out of town. They raced through the desert night.
Fourteen miles later, Crash took an exit and headed across the Truckee River. They came to a set of railroad tracks just as a freight train was barreling down on them. Crash made the split-second decision to go around the gates and race across in front of the train. The DK’s were hot on their tail, but didn’t make it to the gates in time to beat the train.
Crash stopped long enough to pull out his phone and make a call to Cole, his eyes watching the freight cars roll by. In between each one, he could see the flash of the headlights from the three bikes waiting on the other side. He noticed the train’s caboose fast approaching. Shit.
Cole picked up on the other end, and Crash shouted out over the rumbling of the train, “I’m coming in hot, and I’ve got three DK’s on my ass!” Without waiting for a reply, he snapped his phone shut and gunned it down the road, hoping they’d make it to The Pony before the DK’s caught up to them.
CRASH: An Evil Dead MC Story (The Outlaw Series) Page 35
