by Ashley Hall
A woman wearing hardly anything walked by with a tray of drinks. To fit in, I grabbed one—a yellow, orange, blue hombre concoction—but I didn’t actually drink it even though I brought it to my lips. I couldn’t afford to get drunk. I had to stay sharp. Yeah, I was on edge, and a drink or two would help to settle me down some, but it wasn’t worth it. Besides, who knew if the drinks were spiked with any drugs or hallucinogens.
A couple walked around me, their hands all over each other, and I forced myself not to stare and moved deeper into the club. To the left, a female wearing what basically looked like a bikini was having guys take test tube shots from between her boobs. One guy even picked her up so that she was almost upside down for him to drain his.
Beyond them, there were several booths. Most had the curtains pulled shut, and from the heavy breathing and the moans and screams coming from them, audible even over the music, it was quite clear to me just what was going on behind them.
Then I walked by two more that had the curtains pulled aside so you could watch. Why else leave them open? The guy was mostly dressed yet, but the woman was completely naked, sitting on his lap, the table pushed away so she could have more room. Her head was thrown back, and his mouth had captured one of her nipples. They were obviously enjoying themselves. How? This was too much for me. I mean, yeah, I had gotten a total rush from having sex with Shadow in public in the cove, but we had still been somewhat private. This was completely different.
Or maybe I was just too uptight because I was focused on the task at hand, looking for a one Frank Greene who had tried to choke me to death the last time I had seen him.
A small crowd of gawkers were standing around the next open booth. A naked guy was eating out a naked girl who was lying down on top of the table. That reminded me so much of Shadow and I, that I grew wet. The moisture slickening the inside of my upper thighs. This dress was so tight and short I couldn’t even wear a thong under it.
Beyond the booths was a huge dance floor. You couldn’t really say that the people on it were actually dancing. A lot of them were having sex to the beat standing up. One girl had her hands braced on the wall as her partner pounded into her. I could feel my sex inadvertently clench at the sight. God, that had to feel amazing.
“You doing all right?” a voice said in my ear.
I winced. Answering back would be hard because I’d have to shout, but if I didn’t, Shadow would get worried. “Fine,” I murmured, not sure if the mic would be able to pick up my words over the music.
But he didn’t say anything else so maybe it had after all.
I edged around the dance floor. There were rooms in the back, I could tell, each labeled something different. One was “dark fantasies.” The door opened, and a couple walked out. The girl was wearing the tallest pair of stilettoes I had ever seen, and she was holding a whip. Those kind of fantasies. Huh.
I tried to look through the dance crowd to read the other doors when someone touched my shoulder. A guy who had obviously just got done fucking someone and was wearing only jeans, unbuttoned and unzipped, was leering at me. “Wanna dance?”
I held up my untouched drink. “Maybe after this.”
He reached over and squeezed one of my nipples through my dress. “I’ll be around.”
How I refrained from slapping his hand away or from kneeing him in the balls, I didn’t know, but I couldn’t do anything to draw attention to myself. I walked away, and this time when I brought the drink to my lips, I did swallow some. Not too bad, but so freaking strong.
I headed back toward the booths. A new crowd was forming around a different booth, and in the back was him. I recognized him immediately, but I still checked his wrist. Bingo. Dragon tattoo. Frank Greene.
If I thought the other guy had a leering look to him, he had nothing on Frank Greene. I hadn’t bothered to look at the booth to see what everyone was watching, but Greene sure was enjoying it. He was rubbing himself through his jeans.
Showtime.
Pretending I hadn’t seen him, I cut right in front of him cutting through the crowd. I hadn’t checked out one corner of the place yet, and it was by a back door too. I hoped it might be quieter there.
I also hoped he would follow me there.
I took another sip and failed to keep an even pace. I was walking a little faster. Yes, it was a little quieter in the corner here. Not many people were over here, everyone was either too busy getting off or getting someone else off elsewhere in the club. There were a lot of empty glasses on the tall tables scattered about, and I started to slide onto one of the high stools at the only cleared off table.
Before I could actually sit down, though, Greene grabbed my arm. Shadow had done just that about twenty minutes ago, but his grip had been out of love and fear. Greene’s was so tight with anger that he was practically cutting off blood circulation.
“What are you doing here?” he hissed. “Were you followed?”
I blinked at him, hoping my eyes looked a little glazed over. “Hey. Do I know you?” I leaned toward him, swaying, and bopped him on the nose.
He glowered at me.
Not buying my drunk act. Crap.
I glanced all around, pretending to be mesmerized by the place. “Whoa, this place is pretty trippin’.” I grinned at him. “What’s it called again?” I took a swallow but tried to make it seem more like a gulp. “My girlfriend told me about this place. I think. I don’t know. Said she had sex with five guys, each more amazing than the last. I want that. Do you want that?” I leaned forward, shoving my boobs at him. Yeah, the guy preferred kids, but I could only work with what I got. “I mean, not that you want guys, but to maybe…” I wiggled my eyebrows suggestively.
“What are you taking?” he finally asked. He was still on guard, but I had done it. He thought I was drugged out.
Good. Now I just needed him to relax. If I could convince him to leave the club with me, phase two would be underway.
“A little of this. A little of that.” I shrugged. “Whatever makes me feel good.”
“’Whatever makes me feel good,’” he repeated. “I like the sound of that.”
I giggled. It sounded completely false and fake to me, but he was grinning so I kept it up. “What else do you like?”
Without answering he stalked toward me, and I backed around the table until I slammed against the wall. Greene ground himself against me. Whenever Shadow did something like that, my body responded immediately, but all I felt right now was disgust.
And fear.
“I like sex. Lots and lots of sex. You won’t need five guys. Just me. When I’m through with you…” He grabbed my hand and shoved it down his pants.
I swallowed hard. I so didn’t want to touch him, but I didn’t have a choice.
“I’m going to fuck you so hard you’ll be screaming,” he vowed. “I’m going to fuck you all night long. Come on, bitch!” He slapped me hard with one hand, his other hand forcing me to stroke him.
I blinked back tears. I couldn’t risk saying the code name. The place was packed. If the guys came in with their guns, it would be a slaughter, and we would all go to jail. No. I had to get him to leave the club with me.
So I forced myself to stroke him. “What do you say we get out of here?” I whispered in his ear.
“No. I’m going to fuck you right here, right now.” He unzipped himself.
Oh shit.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Shadow
When I first heard his voice flittering over the mic, I knew she had found him. Greene hadn’t spoken during the apartment altercation, but I had heard his voice in clips on the internet, and in my nightmares. He sounded like a whiner, and his voice grated on my nerves. I hated everything about him, everything he stood for, all the shit he had done.
The words spewing out of his mouth and over the line had me seeing red. No one else was ever going to fuck Sky so hard she would scream. No one else was ever going to fuck her all night long. That was my job. She was mine
, and I was hers. No one would ever come between us.
I had known this was a possibility. So had she. Neither of us had wanted it, of course, and it burned me alive that he was probably touching her right now with his grubby hands that had also touched children, kissing her with lips that had touched so many others.
“Come on,” I muttered. “Say the code word.” My gun was in my hand. I didn’t even remember grabbing it. Every fiber of my being urged me to follow my instincts and just go in, but I waited. Sky was capable of taking care of herself. She had sworn she would say the code word—nightfall—if she felt uncomfortable or needed us to come in and get her if anyone got violent with her.
But when that fucker said he was going to fuck her right then, I knew I couldn’t wait any longer. I had to act and act now. I gestured to the boys. Only Sam the Slayer, Eyebrow, and Ratched had come along. Too big a group would attract attention if things went badly, and things were already starting to head that way.
Eyebrow was good with electronics, and he had a feed on the place on his laptop. The image on the screen showed the blueprints of the club, just the walls, doors, and windows, with blue lights to show everyone. Sky was the only red blinking light. Smart girl. She was right by a back door. I never underestimated her for a minute, but I had underestimated just how jealous I would be if someone else, as despicable as Greene was or otherwise, would dare try anything with her.
“Let’s go,” I growled. My blood was pumping so loudly I could hear it. My chest ached. Fear was a bitter taste in my mouth. Sky was not about to get raped by a monster. How could I have been willing to endanger her? We all knew this guy was a sick fuck. Guess he would screw anybody—kids, women… hell, maybe guys too. He would be willing to shove it in any hole.
Well, I would be putting a hole through him. A bullet hole. Or two. Or three. Empty the entire clip into him. He would never touch anyone every again. He would wish he had never been born.
As soon as Sky had gone inside, I had climbed into the van so the guys and I collectively could know what was going on. It was far too crammed in here and far past time to get out and make a move. I pointed my gun at the back door, and Ratched opened it immediately.
“Close it,” I said suddenly, changing my mind. “Drive around to the back.” We needed to be close to the door just in case we had to have a speedy getaway. The plan had never been to open fire inside the sex club, but if there were no other choice, I wouldn’t hesitate.
Ratched closed the door, and Eyebrow floored it. The bouncer was busy letting people in so hopefully he didn’t pay any attention to the dark-colored van driving around behind his club at night without the lights on.
As soon as he parked us in front of the back door nearest to Sky, we all filed out. Sam the Slayer reached for his gun, but I shook my head. Too many guns would be a bad idea. I should probably put mine away too. I snorted. Like that was going to happen.
“Be ready, all of you,” I demanded, my voice thick. I hadn’t heard much at all over the line since he’d said he was going to fuck her, and if we had taken too long to make our move… If he had actually… I couldn’t even think about it.
The handle of the back door wouldn’t budge no matter how hard I tried. Locked. Of course. Damn it! I kicked it in frustration.
Eyebrow’s fingers flew over the keyboard. He hadn’t always been a hacker, but we had needed one a few times, so he had taught himself out of necessity. In no time at all, there was a slight buzzing sound, and the handle turned in my hand. That man deserved a raise.
To the right were Sky and Greene. She was pouring a drink into his mouth, her hand down his pants. His hand was on hers, making her stroke him. His other hand was on her bare tits—he had pulled down on her dress, ripped it even. The fucker!
No one else seemed to notice our arrival, so I shoved my gun into the back of my jeans. My brothers and I hauled the man off of Sky. My hand covered his mouth so he couldn’t scream. Oh, he struggled all right, arms and legs flailing, but we were too much for him, and we forced him out of the back door. Sky closed it behind us.
I shoved Greene into the arms of the boys and stared at Sky. Her makeup was smudged, her eyes wide and red, but I saw no blood, no bruises.
“Are you all right?” I murmured.
She nodded.
Greene was back to fighting. Sam the Slayer had just wrestled a gun away from him and Eyebrow socked Greene right in the temple. The guy went down, dazed but not unconscious. He lumbered to his feet.
I grabbed his shirt and dragged him along. Only remembering that the bouncer was just around the corner, prevented me from shooting him right then and there.
This area of town wasn’t the greatest so it wasn’t too populated at night, and the guys and I, with Sky trailing behind, brought the fucker to a back alley.
I shoved Greene to the ground. His head connected with a sick crack and all of the fight went out of him. He stared up at me with tears in his eyes. Fucking coward.
With all of my weight behind it, I stomped my foot on his chest to keep him in place. I pulled my gun from the waistband of my jeans and I aimed the barrel for right between his eyes. Without looking up from my target, I barked, “Two of you go and check.”
Footsteps told me my order was being followed. They would make sure no one was nearby who might hear and report the shot. Or shots.
Time and space and everything just seemed to stop as I waited for them to return. Finally, Sam the Slayer and Ratched returned, both nodded.
Arm straight, gun not wavering, I fired a single shot.
Greene didn’t even make a sound.
As I watched him die, something inside of me snapped. I couldn’t explain it. Something just changed, shifted, transformed, I don’t know, but I felt free.
Free.
I would always carry the scars of my past, but my past could remain there. It didn’t have to influence my present, and it sure as hell had no place in my future. Sky had so much ambition for herself. Why couldn’t I? Didn’t I want to be more than just a guy who went around town shooting pedophiles? There were other ways to change things, weren’t there?
For so long, rage and anger and frustration had controlled me. I had kept all of those emotions deep inside of me whenever my foster father had touched me. As a child, I couldn’t cope with what had happened to me. That no one had believed me hadn’t helped any, so I just internalized everything. It had only made everything worse. I had built up huge walls so that I couldn’t ever get hurt again.
With no way to cope with the horrible fate life had given me, I had grown up hating everything and everyone. Sam the Slayer had been my first real friend. We had bonded, at first, over our bikes, but when we had gotten drunk one night at a bar and he had confessed that someone had molested his sister, I first had the idea of an MC. It surprised and unsettled me how easily I was able to find and recruit other guys who had someone in their lives who had been molested too.
But the recruiting process had been so long and arduous for both the guys and me, that my nightmares had gotten so bad I tried to escape them by not sleeping. That was when I had turned to drugs. And the drugs had led me to the mob and to contract killing.
Because of that rage and frustration, and being a gun for hire, the only logical next step had been to start offing pedos. I hadn’t seen another way. Talking the guys into it hadn’t been that hard. Some had taken revenge already for their loved ones. Some, like me, saw this as a way to cope, to have revenge even if it wasn’t against the one who had done the actual harm to his loved one or to myself. Believe me, I had wanted to go after my foster father. I had wanted him to be my first mission. Who knows? Maybe his death by my hand would’ve been enough for me, and I never would’ve embarked on such a dark path.
Finding him hadn’t been too hard even though it had been years since I had left his house, but he was in hospice. He was dying of prostate cancer. I’d found him only for him to die before I could make a move. Honestly, I had felt robbed,
cheated even.
So I found other pedos and killed them instead. That had been my life, for a time. But those walls I had built up to try and protect myself? Sky had been the only one to crack them. She had been there for me. Even when she had left me, she had already made changes in me. For some time now, I had wanted to be a better man for her, but I hadn’t actually been ready to take that step to do anything about it.
What was it about Sky? There had been other women, but I hadn’t even thought about telling them about my past. With her, I had opened up. For the most part, she was good and kind, but she also had a devilish side too. Her soul wasn’t completely white, and while her sins—stealing a little bit here and there from customers mostly—weren’t anything serious, she could level with me and me with her. Her upbringing had been completely different from mine, but she could still relate to me. And that wasn’t even to mention how we sparked in the bedroom. We connected on so many levels.
