Sam's Playboy (Phantom Bastards MC Book 4)

by Erin Osborne

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Playboy

  TODAY I HAVE to get back to work. I’m making my rounds through the club’s businesses to see if they need anything or if the club who attacked my ol’ lady have been causing any problems for them. The last thing we need is for these assholes to start costing us money because they want to take our shit from us.

  Thankfully, Tank and Maddie are still in town and they’re staying with Sam and Caleb while I’m out making my rounds this afternoon. I don’t want to leave her alone, especially after we talked last night about her being scared to leave the house. Even while staying inside the gates of the clubhouse. I don’t want her to be afraid of them because we will take care of it and end the fuckers once and for all.

  So, she’s going to be working while the kids are playing outside and then they’re going to just relax and hang out. Maddie’s going to try to get Sam to go outside to get some sun and just be out in the fresh air. I don’t know if she’ll go or if it will work, but I’m hoping it does. With Tank and Maddie there and her being outside right next to the house, I’m hoping she’ll hang out with them all for a bit.

  I’ve just left Bottoms up, the club’s bar, and I’m making my way to Allure. If I were the guys in Devils Rule, I’d hit up our bar and strip club before any of the other business. So, those are the first two places on my list to go today. I need to check in with the girls anyway. Make sure they have what they need and no one’s bothering them outside of the club.

  As I’m riding through town, I notice a bike in front of me. The rider is wearing a cut and it looks as though it fits the description Sam gave of what she saw the day of her attack. It’s hard to believe it’s been a few days already since we learned of their existence and my woman was beaten.

  When it looks as the biker is about to pull into the strip club, I gun the throttle and speed up to stop him before he gets inside. There’s no way any of these fuckers are going to touch anyone who works for us or any of our businesses if we can help it.

  As I speed up, the lone biker speeds up and doesn’t turn into the club’s parking lot. At least that’s something I suppose. I push the Bluetooth button on my helmet and call my dad. He needs to know I’m following this fucker so we can find out where the hell they’re staying and how many of them. Plus, I want this man to come back to the clubhouse with us for a little visit. I’m not playing games with these fuckers any longer.

  “Yeah?” my dad asks, answering the phone.

  “Dad, I’m followin’ one of the fuckers as I speak to you,” I tell him. “We’re headin’ out of town. I want a van to bring him back with me. I’m just goin’ to let him think he’s beatin’ me for now and see where he heads.”

  “We’re on it. I’ll send Killer, Wood, and Valor out to find you. Your GPS still on so Fox can track you and let them know where you are?” he asks me.

  “Yeah.”

  “They just left and will be with you as soon as they can. I’m gonna get Fox to trace you now so he can send them in your direction,” my dad says. “Be careful, Playboy.”

  With that, he hangs up the phone and I continue in my pursuit of the bastard from Devils Rule. We’re definitely heading out of town and I can only hope he’s not on the phone with the rest of his club. If he is, I’m about to ride right into an ambush. That’s the last thing I want, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take if it means we can stop these wannabe men. As far as we’re concerned, they’re not men going after women. Especially pregnant women.

  It looks as if we’re going to the part of Benton Falls with the abandoned farms. There’s several farms that have been left abandoned by the farmers who used to work the land for whatever reason they had. These homes and land have been sitting empty for so many years now, it’s just a part of our town.

  The club has looked into buying several of the properties, but we don’t know what we’d do with the land just yet. I’m sure if we can come up with a sound plan, we’ll follow through on it. Until then, these homes sit empty because no one wants to put in the time or effort to repair them or bring them up to code and date.

  I hear the faint rumble of bikes following me and I glance in my side mirror to see Killer and the guys coming up on my tail. There’s a van coming up behind them. I just hope they hold back just enough not to spook this damn guy. So, I hold one hand down when I’m sure Killer can see me and motion for him to back off. He flashes his light once to let me know he gets it.

  They back off and I continue to follow the man as we turn down a dirt road toward one of the homes that have been left standing. Yeah, that’s what I thought. I speed ahead and cut the fucker off. He has no choice but to slam on his breaks or take both of us out. Thankfully, he stops just before hitting me and I pull my gun from my cut and point it at him as Killer and the rest of the guys surround him.

  Turning off my bike, the rest of the guys follow suit and there’s sudden silence filling the air. I can hear the birds chirping and the faint sounds of traffic as cars head out of town for one reason or another. The highway isn’t far from here so it’s easy to hear without so many bikes rumbling at the same time.

  “You’re done fucker!” I tell him, not moving my gun from him.

  “That’s where you’re wrong,” he says, looking around at the four of us surrounding him with the van pulled up behind us.

  “How do you figure?” I ask him.

  “You think my club hasn’t heard you follow me in here?” he questions. “You’ll be surrounded by all of them in a matter of minutes.”

  “Really, cause I don’t hear anyone comin’ to your rescue,” Killer says. “Based on your looks, I’d say everyone is too fucked up to even realize we’re out here. Sucks ass for you though.”

  “You don’t know shit about my club,” the man tells us.

  “I know you’re not a man, not a single one of you. You go after women because they’re weaker and smaller than you are. I also see the track marks on your arms tellin’ me all I need to know about drug use. And, if I keep goin’, your cut is an insult to every single club in the world. You don’t respect the club enough to keep it clean,” I tell the man in front of me. “So, you’re gonna go for a ride with us and we’re gonna have a little chat.”

  The man looks at me and his eyes are lifeless. There’s no fear, anger, or anything else in them. Sam actually described Rancor’s eyes much the same, so I look down at his name patch and see this man is Hades. He’s the clubs Vice President. Good luck for us.

  I put the kick stand down on my bike and Killer does the same thing. We walk on either side of Hades and pull him off the bike. He doesn’t struggle because he knows he’s not only outnumbered, but he’s also out muscled. Hades won’t put up a fight because we’re not women he’s going after. Fucking pussy.

  We get him in the van and I watch as Valor pushes the man’s bike to the thick brush on the side of the property. No one will be able to see it if they come or go from the property. Works out perfectly for us. Devils Rule won’t know where their second in command is until we’re ready for them to know we have him. Even then, they’ll probably get him back in bits and pieces. It just depends on how cooperative Hades decides to be.

  Craig, a new Prospect handcuffs Hades to the bar we have running down the side of the van. Then he uses zip ties to hold his ankles together. The final piece is slamming the duct tape over Hades’ mouth. He won’t have to hear him or worry about him finding something to escape with him handcuffed and zip tied.

  “No stoppin’. Head straight back to the clubhouse. Killer and I will be in front while Valor and Wood stay behind you. Don’t fuck up,” I threaten Craig.

  Before getting out of the van, I make sure the asshole doesn’t have any weapons on him. He has nothing, that’s why he didn’t pull a damn gun. Apparently these jackasses feel as though we’re going to cower down to them just because they told us they want our territory. Fuck that!

  Killer and I get back on our bikes and turn around. Craig pulls
out right behind us after turning the van around. I already know I don’t have to worry about Wood or Valor because they know how this shit works. Even if Valor is one of the newest patched members. He’s been around the club since birth and I’m proud to call him brother.

  We’re not stopped on the way back to the clubhouse. It takes us a half hour to make our way there and I release the breath I’d been holding as soon as we’re through the gates. Killer leads Craig around to the side of the clubhouse where there’s a door hidden in the wall that leads down to the basement. We don’t know who’s inside and there’s no way in hell we’ll bring Hades through there to get the lay of the land or anything else.

  Parking my bike in my designated spot in the line of bikes, I shut off the engine and make my way inside. What I see shocks the hell out of me. There’s not a single kid, ol’ lady, or house bunny anywhere in the common room. None of the house bunnies are cleaning and another Prospect is behind the bar. This is an unusual occurrence for sure. Especially the house bunnies who are usually at least cleaning this early in the day.

  Walking over to my dad, I accept the beer the Prospect hands me and take a seat next to him.

  “You do okay?” he asks me.

  “Yep. The package is delivered and goin’ to be waitin’ downstairs for us,” I answer him.

  “You want time to head home before we take care of business?” he asks me, knowing I hate leaving Sam alone right now.

  “Nope. I want to know what their end game is and what we have to do to stop them,” I reply.

  My dad nods his head and waits for me to finish my beer. At this point, I’m just giving Craig and Killer time to string Hades up so we can go down and begin our interrogation. If we take our time and let him hang there for a little bit, maybe it will give Hades a chance to decide if he’s going to talk or not. Either way, I’m going to get my hands bloody because I know it’s his club that’s out for us and his Sargent at Arms who put his hands on my woman. Hades will know it today too.

  “We know who it is?” my dad asks once the Prospect isn’t near our table.

  “The Vice President, Hades,” I tell him. “He should know about the attack on Sam and anythin’ else we want to know unless the President is keepin’ him outta the loop. But, I think there’s a bunch of users in the club. Hades has track marks up both arms.”

  “So we really don’t want these fuckwads in our town any longer than necessary?” my dad questions.

  “Nope,” I tell him as Killer and Craig make their way in the clubhouse. “Killer take a seat and have a drink. He give you any problems?”

  “Not a single one. Hasn’t uttered a damn word either. I’m wonderin’ if we should strip him down and make sure he doesn’t have a tracker on him somewhere,” he returns.

  “We’ll do that when we get down there. I’m not worried about that band of pussies showin’ up here,” my dad says. “Let them. All the women and kids are up at Playboy’s house and that’s far enough away, they won’t have a chance to get there.”

  I nod my head as the three of us sit there. We finish our drinks and talk nonsense while we’re in the clubhouse. Since Devils Rule has come into town, we’ve been cautious. You never know if they’ve planted someone on the inside or gotten to one of the house bunnies when they’ve been in town. So, we don’t talk about anything unless we’re in church because Fox has the room set up with whatever gadgets he needs to disrupt any signals or interrupt any bugs so nothing can get through.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Sam

  I KNOW PLAYBOY and the rest of the guys in the club have been working on something at the clubhouse. Yesterday when he got home, Playboy was in a better mood than he has been since I got attacked. I couldn’t help but overhear him talking to Tank about catching one of the men in the club. Of course, I didn’t say a single word because no one needs to know what’s going on. And, I have no clue what they’re doing with the man or if he’s someone who is giving them information to take down the bad members of the club. It’s not actually my business as long as they don’t get near me again.

  Today, I’m working on more covers while Tank and Maddie spend some time with Shy and Rayven before they head home tomorrow or the day after. Well, Maddie, at least, is spending time with her. I’m not sure if Tank is or if he’s in the clubhouse with the rest of the guys. Gwen is keeping me company because she’s bored as hell at Kim and Fox’s house. They don’t let her out of their sight unless she’s at the clubhouse and it better not be a party night because she’s not allowed anywhere near there.

  I honestly feel horrible for Gwen. She came with Kim and Fox so she could finally have some freedom and experience things she’s never been allowed to do before. Instead, I feel as if she’s traded one prison for another one. Especially if Killer is around. He really doesn’t let her do a damn thing for his own reasons.

  If I had been thinking, I would’ve brought her with me when I left Benton Falls because she needs to get out and go to school, date, and several other things she’s never had a chance to do before. Gwen is an amazing young woman and she’ll do amazing things if she’s ever given a chance to spread her wings and fly. I have no doubt about that.

  “Sam, can I talk to you for a minute?” she asks hesitantly, her eyes not meeting mine.

  “Absolutely. What’s going on?” I ask her as I save my work and close the laptop so she has my undivided attention.

  “It’s about Killer,” she tells me, which isn’t surprising in the least.

  “Okay. What about him? Has he done something to hurt you?” I ask, leaning forward a little bit.

  “No, he’d never intentionally hurt me,” she says, hinting at the fact she is hurt.

  “Okay, then what’s going on?”

  “Well, ever since I saw him when I came home with my sister, I’ve wanted him. He thinks I’m just some young, dumb girl with no experience for anything,” she tells me. “I’m so tired of everyone seeing me as some young kid.”

  I don’t say anything for a minute as I process what Gwen has told me. It’s honestly not a secret about her wanting Killer; we all see it. I’ve also seen the looks he gives her when he doesn’t think anyone is watching. Killer wants her bad and won’t say a word to her or make any moves against her. He refuses to fight for what he wants and that’s only going to end up with them both being miserable in the end.

  “So, what are you going to do about it?”

  “I don’t know what to do. I’ve never experienced feelings like I have for him. I’m not dumb and I know he’s having sex with the house bunnies, if not other women. My problem is, why does he treat me like no other woman in the club. He’s nice, caring, loving even,” Gwen tells me. “I have no experience with men other than the asshole my father let me be with. He used force and violence to get what he wanted, including my virginity. No one other than you knows that, though. Please don’t say anything.”

  “I won’t, Gwen. Whatever you share with me stays between you and me,” I assure her. “I’ve been with a ton of guys, not by choice. Gwen, do you see the way Killer looks at you?”

  “No. As far as I know, he sees me as a little sister because of Kim and Fox and nothing more,” she tells me and I can see by the look on her face she’s being completely honest.

  “Honey, I wish there was some good advice I could give you. I just don’t know Killer well enough to say why he’s doing what he’s doing. Maybe he wants you to get some experience under your belt before he makes you his. Honestly, the only one who can give you answers is the man himself,” I tell her.

  “I can’t do that. Every time I get close to the man, he disappears without a trace,” she says, forcing herself to laugh a little. “Sam, how can I make him see me as more than Kim’s little sister?”

  “Hmm. Another good question,” I say, trying to come up with an answer for the young woman. “Well, you have to talk to him and figure out what he’s looking for. Then show him you’re that person if you are that person. Do
n’t pretend to be something you’re not, Gwen. If Killer doesn’t want you for you, then he’s not the man for you. Only time will tell and you’ll have to talk to him, spend time with him, and figure out if he’s truly the man you want and why.”

  Gwen takes a few minutes to think over what I’ve told her. She needs to do this on her own, none of the other ol’ ladies or men in the club can give her information on how to get Killer to notice her; that’s not the problem. The problem is something within Killer and how he feels toward Gwen. Or something he’s waiting for.

  “I get what you’re saying and I want to talk to him, but I can’t. I’ll either talk to him or get over wanting him. Killer is Killer and he’s going to do what he wants no matter what anyone thinks or how they feel about it,” Gwen finally says. “I’ll figure out what to do one way or another. Thank you, Sam.”

  “You’re welcome, honey. You know I’m here to talk no matter what’s going on, right?” I ask her.

  “Yeah, I know. I appreciate it. So, I’ll think over what you said and try to come up with something. Or I’ll walk away from Killer. And the club,” Gwen states.

  “Woah! Why would you walk away from the club?” I ask her.

  “Because it already hurts to see him go off with those bitches. If I have to keep doing it, it’s going to drive me insane,” she responds, wiping a tear from her eye.

  “Please, don’t walk away from us,” I beg her. “I don’t want to lose you as a friend or not have you in my life.”

  “You’ll be in my life no matter what. I just won’t come around the clubhouse anymore. We can meet up away from here or whatever you want to do. I’ll even come up here to the house as long as Killer isn’t here,” Gwen assures me.

  “I love you,” I tell her.

  “I love you too, Sam. You’re my best friend,” Gwen tells me.