“I was fucking working, jackass! You can’t come in here and scold me like a child for not picking up my phone. Even if I wasn’t working, if I don’t want to talk to you, I fucking won’t!” I stand my ground and level him with a seething glare that rivals the one he is giving me. He needs to get it through his thick fucking skull that I’m not his property and I will not stand for him bossing me around. Just because we’ve fucked a couple of times doesn’t mean I have to bend to his will.
Neither of us looks away from the other for a good two minutes before he lets out a breath and relaxes his stance, but only slightly. “Look, things have been tense lately, and I got word this morning that we haven’t been able to get eyes on our little visitors. When you didn’t answer your phone, I didn’t know if they fucking got to you or where you were. And since I was out of town, I couldn’t just come here and check on you right away. You need to answer when I call so I know you are okay, at least while we are on guard.”
Knowing he means well doesn’t cool my temper at all. How many times to do I need to fucking tell him that I can take care of myself?
Turning around on my heel, I walk behind the desk. “You don’t have to worry about me. I don’t fucking need you to protect me. So, now that you know I’m still breathing, you can leave.” I look down at my schedule, pretending to be busy so he’ll get the hint and leave.
“Baby Girl…”
I’m done listening to his shit. I want him to get the fuck out so I can get on with my day.
“I said leave. Now, Blaze.” I’ve never used his road name before when talking to him. He’s always been Zane to me, but I’m too pissed off to say his given name.
When, after a couple of moments he still has not moved, I look up at him and cock my head to the side. I give him a hard stare until he turns to walk out the door.
“Fine. Have it your way. I’m done with this shit.”
I don’t reply; it’s not like he wants one anyway. He can go fuck himself. I’ve been doing fine without him for four fucking years, so I don’t need him now. I doubt those fuckers in the rival club will come after me anyway, but if they do, I’ll be ready, if only to prove to him that I can handle anything life throws at me.
The rest of the night goes slowly with four other appointments and one walk-in. It’s late by the time I lock the doors. I clean up the shop, thinking about what happened with Zane earlier. Maybe I should go and apologize. I’ve been a bitch to him a lot since he’s come back into my life, but sometimes it’s hard to bring someone else in and let them take care of you after looking out for yourself for so long. I mean, yeah, Mack and the brothers watch out for me, but it’s different with Zane.
I decide to stop by the club to talk with him and see if we can move past all of this and start over. Heading to my truck with the money from the till, I pull my phone out to call Zane when suddenly I feel a sharp pain in my head and everything goes black.
Chapter 22
Zane
I can’t seem to get over the way Dani acted this afternoon. You’d think that after everything that has happened to her in the past, she’d be thankful to have someone care about her and want to look out for her.
After our fight, I walked out of the shop earlier. I took the scenic route back to the clubhouse because I needed time to think. Maybe coming here was a bad idea. As much as I’m glad I found her after all this time and I can see that she is okay and she’s made a good life for herself with people to stand behind her, maybe things would have been better if I didn’t push.
I never thought I’d say this, but she could be right—we’ve both changed over the years, maybe too much to finally be together. I’m not sure we even have a friendship anymore. Everything is strained and not the way it used to be. It’s probably my fault, the way I treated her before I left and what happened when she left, but fuck! I’m trying here. The least she could fucking do is understand where I’m coming from and give me a break.
Walking into the clubhouse, I realize I was driving around for longer than I thought. By the looks of the party already started, it’s past eight. I make my way toward the bar and catch Louie glaring at me. I clench my fist, wanting to change direction and go put him on his ass again. I know there was something between him and Dani. I may not have the details, but I know it was more than friendship. The way he defended her proves it. Maybe he’s the man who deserves her, not me. At least he never did anything to hurt her like I have.
I shake my head and walk to the bar, not wanting to think about her with someone else. Sitting on the stool, I don’t even have to ask for the bottle of Jack to appear, they know.
Downing my first glass straight, I motion for the prospect to bring me a beer too. I don’t want to get completely wasted and not be able to think about what I’m going to do about me and Dani. Something needs to happen and soon.
Mack taps me on the shoulder and sits down beside me at the bar. “Did you find Dani?” he asks, but the look on his face shows that he knows I did, I just didn’t like what happened when I found her.
“Yeah, I found her all right.” I fill my glass with Jack again and take a good drink before turning back to Mack. He had to have come over for more than asking me about Dani. “We got anything new about our visitors?” I want this threat gone so I can sit my girl down and figure out where we go from here.
“Let’s go into the chapel.” He doesn’t even wait for me to answer before he is up and heading toward the room where we hold church. They must have more information to help us figure out what to do about our problem with the Rebels. We have to be very careful in a situation like this. Not knowing exactly why they are here means we can’t make the first move, so we have been waiting and watching.
Following Mack into the chapel, I take a seat and set the bottle of Jack and two glasses down on the table. I don’t miss that it’s only him and me here, but maybe he’s already briefed the rest of the brothers while I was with Dani. Or maybe this has nothing to do with the Rebels and it’s about me switching chapters. Has Dani told him she doesn’t want me here? “What’s going on?” I ask, wanting to get whatever it is he wants to tell me over with. I’m tired of all the guessing.
“Look, I understand it ain’t none of my business, but I know what happened between you and Dani all those years ago.”
Not sure where he’s going with this, I take a drink and nod for him to continue. Doesn’t matter who he heard it from or what was said, Mack is the type of man to always give the benefit of the doubt if you are worthy, and I haven’t given him any cause not to trust me or my word.
“Have you asked her how she has gotten over what happened or the struggle she went through?”
What is he getting at? Of course I’ve talked to her about it. That night he made us go back into his office we discussed everything there was about that time in our lives. Or wait, did we actually go over any of that? Now that I think about it, I’m not sure if we did. She mentioned that the person I knew all those years ago is gone, but she never said why or how. And I never asked what she went through in the years after what happened to her; I only told her what I had gone through, and that now that I had her back in my life, I wasn’t going to let her go. Shit! How could I not ask her all the important questions?
Mack must have gotten his answer from the look on my face because he nods his head and continues. “I’m not going to tell you everything because that’s her story to tell, but I will say this.”
He pauses for a couple seconds and lets out a long sigh. “She wasn’t as bad as you would think in the way of being jumpy and afraid of men after what happened to her. Instead, I saw a spark in her the first time I met her. It’s what told me that I wanted to be there for her any way she needed. She picked up the pieces herself and didn’t ask for help or pity, she only wanted us to stand behind her. Some may think that we’ve held her up and showed her the way, but the truth is, she did that all on her own.”
He stands up and heads toward the door, but turns
around before walking out. “Maybe that will help you understand a little bit about who she is now.” Without saying anything else, he leaves.
Staring at the wall, I replay what Mack told me and run it against what I knew about Dani when we were younger and what I’ve seen since I’ve been back in her life. I can see what he means because I’ve seen that spark of strength, but I mistook it for arrogance and thinking she is invincible because she has the club. But that’s not it at all. No, it’s the knowledge that she can take care of herself and will be okay. She won’t let anything break her.
I stand up and rush out of the chapel. I race back to the shop, hoping I don’t miss her. I want to tell her that I’m sorry, not only for what happened years ago, but for not understanding.
A block away from the shop, I can see that it’s dark, so she must have closed already. I drive past so I can turn around to head to her house, but what I see stops me in my tracks.
The first thing I notice is her truck parked on the side of the street. As I slow down further, I take in the scene in front on the shop door. Jumping off my bike, I race over and see Dani’s keys and a cash box lying—with money sticking out—haphazardly on the sidewalk. Knowing the person who jumped her only wanted her, not the money, makes my blood run cold. But the thing that really chills me to the bone and has me so pissed I see red is fresh blood splattered on the sidewalk.
Someone took Dani. Someone took my baby girl and made her bleed.
I pull out my phone and call Mack to fill him in on what I found. Then I grab her keys from the ground to check around inside the shop for any clues as to who took her.
By the time Mack and the rest of my brothers show up, I still have jack shit to go on. Nothing adds up; the break-in at the shop and now this. It has nothing to do with the club, but everything to do with Dani. I don’t know why or who, but when I find out, heads are going to fucking roll. I can promise you that much.
I walk back outside to talk to Mack and see if he has any ideas who would have done this to her, if anyone over the years has ever had a problem with her for any reason. When I’m out on the sidewalk again, I take a breath and glance around for anything I can use.
Hearing people shout and laugh down the street, I look toward them to see if it would be any use asking if they saw anything. Then it occurs to me who might have done this; who would have a personal vendetta against her. He’s probably watched her for a while, checked out her routine, and when she was alone, he struck. Fucker is going to pay.
Not even caring who I run into, I charge down the sidewalk to the Double Down. I make it there without being called out, which is good for them because I would kill any motherfucker for keeping me from finding Dani.
Once inside, I see the same group of guys that were here that night Dani and I were here. Walking over to the guy closest to me, I grab him by his shirt collar and pull him up so he is standing in front of me. “Where the fuck is he?” I growl.
The piece of shit tries to swing around and take a shot at me, but I don’t give him that chance before I’m slamming his head onto the bar. “I said, where the fuck is he?” If he doesn’t start giving me answers, I’m going to knock him out and move on to the next. I hope it won’t come to that, not because I don’t want to hurt this fucker, but because I need to find out where the hell Dani is before it’s too late.
Groaning, he tries to break my grip, but I hold on to the back of his shirt to keep him within my grasp. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talkin’ about, man!” he whimpers. Fucking pussy.
“Wrong answer,” I say and slam his head into the bar again, watching him slide to the floor.
Without checking to make sure fuckwit number one is out, I move on to the next closest guy. I use the momentum from pulling him toward me to my favor, lifting my leg and slamming it into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. “I’m only going to ask you once before you wind up just like your buddy—where the fuck is he?”
He gasps for air and I give him a couple of seconds to recover so he can talk. This requires more patience than I feel, but I know he’s going to answer me. I can see it in his eyes; he doesn’t want to end up like his friend on the floor.
“He’s got a cabin a couple miles outta town.” Still trying to get air into his lungs, he stands up to face me.
Stepping up to him, I see him flinch, which has me laughing inside. These fuckers act like they are tough shit, but when faced with someone who uses force to get what he wants, they turn into scared little bitches.
I reach around him to grab a napkin and steal a pen from a waitress walking by. I hand it to him without saying a word. He scrawls an address and I grab the paper from his hand.
Walking out the door, I don’t even call Mack to let him know what is going on. I’m going to take care of this fucker myself and take great pleasure in it. I only hope I’m not too late to save Dani…again.
***
Danielle
As I come to, the first thing I notice is that my head is pounding so hard I feel it could pop a blood vessel. The second thing I notice is that I’m lying down and cold. I try to reach for the covers, wondering why I’m so cold and my head hurts, but my hands won’t move. What the hell? My hands are tied above my head.
When I open my eyes, the light shines so bright it hurts. I have to close them again for a second and slowly open them to adjust to the light. I glance around the room I’m in. I have no idea where I am. Looking down, I notice my clothes have been taken off; the only thing left on my body is my underwear and bra. It’s a small mercy, and I’m thankful for it. But the fact that I have been knocked unconscious and tied half-naked to a bed tells me that whoever took me is not done, not by a long shot. As I lie there trying to think about the last thing I remember so I can begin to figure a way out of this, I’m interrupted by the door opening. The guy has a mask over his head so I can’t tell what he looks like, but there’s something about him that seems familiar.
“What do you want?” I whisper, trying to buy time to come up with a plan to get myself out of this mess. I’m sure no one else will be coming. Zane is done with me and everyone else won’t be looking for me, at least not until tomorrow when I don’t show up to work. They may not even notice I’m missing for a few days, thinking I’m pissed off and ignoring everyone. Fuck, why do I have to be a bitch to the people around me? Why couldn’t I let Zane in and let him care for me?
The man comes closer and stops beside the bed I’m tied to. He pulls a chair around and sits close to me on the bed. Reaching out his hand, he runs his finger down my cheek toward my breasts. Oh my God, please don’t let this happen to me again. Fuck, I don’t know if I’ll be able to come back if it does.
“Please…j-just tell me what y-you w-w-want.” I’ve completely lost it. Knowing what is about to come, I can’t take it.
He starts to laugh at how weak I am as his finger travels further down. He slowly runs it over one breast and up the other before coming down again between them. When he gets to my belly button, he pulls his hand back. I almost sigh in relief but then he reaches up to take the mask off. I know I’ve seen him before, but I can’t place him for the life of me. Maybe it was the knock on the head, but I don’t know how I know this man.
“There’s no reason to cry, doll. You’re going to like everything I do to you because you’re nothing but a whore.” He sneers at me. Suddenly, it all comes back to me, where I’ve seen him and what happened the last time I was in his company.
The guy from the bar. The one who grabbed me when I was walking out behind Zane. The guy whose ass I beat for touching me. The guy who probably broke into my shop and wrote ‘whore’ on my wall.
Instantly, my fight comes back and I stare him straight in the eye. “You’re a fucking dead man. I’m going to take great pleasure in torturing you until you take your last vile breath.”
He stands up and begins to laugh, but cuts it off abruptly.
Reaching down, he tears off my bra, then reaches for m
y panties. Once I’m completely naked, he leers at me. “You’re going to take great pleasure in me shoving my dick so far up that pussy of yours that it will come out of your mouth. And you know why you’re going to do that? Because you’re nothing but a fucking whore.” He ends his rant by spitting in my face like I did that night I left him on the floor of the bar.
He reaches down and starts to unbuckle his pants. I don’t turn away or shed another tear. If this is going to happen, I won’t give him the thrill of hearing me cry or scream. And when it’s all done, I’ll pick myself up again and make him pay.
Suddenly, the door flies open and Zane is standing in the doorway. He came for me. Even after everything I’ve put him through, he still came. I’m so happy I can’t help the grin that takes over my face.
It takes only seconds for Zane to have the bar guy on the floor. He stands over him with a gun, ready to kill for me.
“Wait,” I say. Zane must see the pleading in my eyes, because he puts his gun away. He ties the guy’s hands and feet with zip ties. Where did he get those? Then he comes over to me to make sure I’m okay.
Untying me, he runs his hands over every inch of my skin. “Are you hurt, Baby Girl?”
I reach up and take his face in my hands. “I’m fine, Zane. Thanks to you.” I lean in and give him a kiss. I catch a brief look of surprise before he clears his face of all emotion. I know that is his way of putting everything aside so he can get the job done.
“Here, put this on.” He takes his shirt off, and hands it to me. Thank God, because I don’t want to have to kill this guy while I'm naked. He doesn’t deserve a show before going to hell.
Once I have his shirt on, I walk up to Zane, who is standing in front of the bar guy. If looks could kill, the guy would already be dead, but luckily for me they don’t, because I want to be the one to make him pay.
Rewriting Destiny (Forsaken Sinners MC #1) Page 21
