by Rye Hart
“I still think you should make a pass at this Crow guy. Who I still haven’t met, by the way,” I said.
“Because he hasn’t been in the bar. And now that you know a little bit about what’s going on with them, that makes sense. He’s the damn President of the Road Warriors. He wouldn’t be drinking when there are people in his crew dealing with something like this.”
“True,” I said. “But I still want to meet him.”
“And I want to serve him alcohol, prop my titties up, and get him to smile. I’m sure once all this shit dies down, he’ll come back in. But for now, you’ll have to imagine what he looks like,” she said.
“Describe him to me,” I said.
“No, thanks. The last thing I need is to be horny through work. But I have the flyers completed and I want your opinion on them. And I talked to some of the people that make their own jewelry in the area. I have pictures for you to look at.”
“You’re on top of this shit, aren’t you?” I asked.
“We’re partners in this venture. You’re doing all the backend shit, and I’m doing all the frontend shit. Let me do what I do so you can do what you do.”
“Couldn’t have said it better myself. Now, where’s all this stuff I have to look at?”
CHAPTER 29
“Emma! Wooo! That’s my daughter!”
Of course, my mother would fucking show up drunk.
“Emma! Shots. All the shots. So. Many. Shots.”
I watched as she stumbled up to the bar, knocking into people and shoving them out of the way.
“Hey.”
“Watch it, bitch.”
“What the fuck?”
“Get the hell out of my way. I got drinks to order here,” my mother said, slurring her words.
“No, you don’t,” I said. “We can’t serve you tonight.”
“But I’ve got money. See?”
My mother slid a few bucks across the bar before she burped. Her breath was putrid, like she had been drinking for two or three days straight. I didn’t know where the hell she had been, but it had obviously involved copious amounts of alcohol.
I hoped to fuck she hadn’t been driving the past few days.
“You’re already drunk. We can’t serve you alcohol if you’re already drunk,” I said.
“First, I need money. Then, I gotta be sober to drink? That shit doesn’t even make sense,” she said.
“It does. Now, let me call you a cab.”
“I don’t need no cab. I need a drink!”
“You’re not getting one,” I said.
“Whiskey! Whiskey! Whiskey! Whiskey!”
By the time she was done, the entire fucking bar was chanting the word. There was a young man who came up and poured his beer into her mouth, and I watched as she chugged it down. I’d had enough of this shit. I’d had enough of my mother coming in here like she owned the damn place. I reached out and grabbed the glass from the young man as beer sloshed all over the front of my mother.
“What the fuck, you bitch? That was my beer!”
“And you’re pouring it into the mouth of a woman I refused to serve. Get the fuck out,” I said.
“You don’t get to kick me out. You’re just a bullshit bartender,” the man said. “With your tits hiked up like you mean something. The only reason you look the way you do is to suck dick or get tips.”
“I’d wash that mouth out if I were you.”
Adam approached the man from the crowd as Jacob appeared behind him. Jacob grabbed the guy’s coat and pulled him away from my mother, tossing him off to the side. He stumbled into the bouncer who quickly led the guy out the door, but my mother wasn’t done. She had turned her sights on the Grove brothers as they approached the bar, and I knew this was going to get ugly.
“All right. You guys done playing hard to get? You want to see where my Emma learned all her tricks?” my mother asked.
“You need to go home,” Nick said. “You need to sleep this off.”
“Wanna come sleep it off with me, hot stuff?” my mother asked.
She stumbled over into Nick who reached out for her, and she planted her lips right on his.
“What the fuck?” Tyler asked. “The fuck’s she trying to pull?”
I saw Nick push her back to her feet as she stumbled, her back hitting the bar.
“Assault!” my mother exclaimed. “Assault! He pushed me! My back!”
I reached out for my mother’s jacket and tugged on it, forcing her head around to look at me.
“Get. The fuck. Out,” I said.
She spat in my face, and I couldn’t take it any longer. I released her jacket as the brothers tried to peel her off the ground. She had slid to her ass and was trying to say something, but I couldn’t tell what she was murmuring. I grabbed her by the shirt and tossed her drunk ass over to the bouncer, who proceeded to carry her over his shoulder to remove her from the bar.
“My daughter’s a slut!” my mother said. “She sucks off the Grove brothers for cash! She’s gonna leave this joint for her business! She’s fucking five men at once!”
I felt my eyes widen as the brothers stood around me. I could feel their anger radiating from their bodies. I was trembling with embarrassment and frustration as my mother began to heave, vomiting down the back of the bouncer as he walked her outside.
“My daughter’s no better than the fucking whore she thinks I am!”
“I take it back,” Tyler said. “Our mother’s nowhere near as bad at that.”
“Told you,” Tanner said.
The entire bar had come to a standstill. Everyone was staring at me as the Grove brothers surrounded me. They were trying to block me from everyone’s eyes as I teetered on my feet, tears rising to my eyes. I was so exhausted and so done with everything. I was tired of working night shifts and sleeping terribly throughout the day. I was tired of chugging coffee to stay awake and slinging drinks to men in disgusting leather coats they didn’t want to take care of. I was tired of associating with my mother, and I was tired of putting Lindy through all my rants and raves and tears.
I slowly turned toward the bar to make my way back to work before my boss’s hand came down on my shoulder.
“Go home, Emma. Get some rest.”
I turned around to look at Booker as the guys stepped off to the side. Tears were blurring my vision as his hand fell from my shoulder. I shook my head as I looked back to Lindy, fearful that I was about to lose my job.
“Booker, what my mother said, I’m sorry.”
“I’m not firing you. But it’s obvious you’re exhausted. I’m in the process of hiring another girl, so I’ll call her and tell her that her training starts tonight. Go home. Sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”
I nodded through my tears before I felt someone’s hand squeeze mine.
“Come on. Let’s go get your stuff,” Jacob said.
He led me to the back where I had hung up my coat and purse. He helped me get my coat on as Adam dug my keys out of my bag. I took everything from the brothers before they escorted me to my car, and it took me almost half an hour to convince them that I was okay. That I just needed time and space to breathe. That I was tired and really did need a good night’s rest.
“Call one of us when you get home, beautiful,” Tanner said.
“If you don’t call within the next hour, we’re coming to look for you,” Adam said.
“I understand,” I said. “I’ll be careful.”
Then I watched as the five of them receded in my rearview mirror.
I wasn’t ready to go home yet because I knew that was where my mother was headed. I looked back at all the things I had piled in my car and figured I could go stay at the loft. It wasn’t ideal, and I didn’t have any furniture, but it was better than going home and having to deal with her drunk ass again. I made my way through town, blindly running stop signs as I got lost in my own mind.
I wasn’t sure how much longer I could take working at that bar.
As I pulled up to the building, I could feel relief flooding my veins. The loft wasn’t insulated or anything like that, but Lucas Corner stayed relatively warm, even in early February. I grabbed a couple of bags and unlocked the front door, but when I stepped inside, I froze.
The entire place looked like shit.
Not just dusty and vacant, but destroyed. Windows were busted, and walls were dented. The little pieces of furniture that had been left behind were shattered to pieces. The stairwell going up to the loft at the back of the building was busted and splintered.
I dropped my things to the floor as I ran outside to look at the building.
I walked around to the facade that faced the street and crumpled to my knees. Someone had taken red spray paint and written the word ‘Slut’ across the front of the building. This was what my fucking mother had been up to. This was what she was doing before she stumbled into the bar tonight. I could feel my anger bubbling up my throat as I opened my mouth to scream.
But as I went to draw in a deep breath, I felt something descend around my neck. It choked off my air supply as I scrambled to get free. Tears streamed down my face as my building slowly began to blur, and as I opened my mouth to scream out for help something came down around it.
Then everything quickly faded to darkness.
CHAPTER 30
I groaned as I sat up, my head pounding with fury. I drew in a deep breath and grimaced at the smell as I sat on the floor. I couldn’t quite clear my head. The last thing I remembered was walking into the warehouse with my stuff.
But I was no longer at the warehouse.
I opened my eyes, but all I saw was darkness. I held up my hand, but I couldn’t even see its outline. Panic flooded my veins as everything started to come back to me. The destruction of my building. The word “slut” written in red on the outside. The arm that came around my neck.
Someone had been in the building with me.
Oh, fuck me. I had been abducted.
Tears rose in my eyes as I held my breath. The last thing I needed was for them to know I was awake. I leaned against a wall that gave underneath my weight, soggy and damp and smelling rotten. I curled my fingertips into the ground, feeling the cold and dirty ceramic crumble underneath my nails.
Wherever I was, it was dilapidated and old.
There was a small sliver of light coming from underneath the door. I scurried onto my stomach and slid myself around, placing my ear up to the crack under the door. I couldn’t hear much other than the heavy footfalls of whoever the fuck had taken me, so I tried breathing in slowly and silently. Just to see what I could smell.
I smelled coffee and Chinese takeout. A hint of ice cream and cigarette smoke. Someone walked by reeking of booze, and it curdled my stomach as I heaved.
“What was that?” a voice said.
“You think she’s awake?” another one asked.
“Someone needs to go check. We can’t do shit until she’s awake.”
“Lambert. You go.”
“Why the fuck do I have to do it?”
“Quit being a pussy and go see if she’s awake.”
I scrambled back into the corner and closed my eyes. I let myself go limp as I tried to swallow back my fear. I took a few deep breaths to calm my shaking nerves, making sure I wasn’t moving any more than I needed to once this asshole pulled open the door.
“Fine. I’ll go check,” someone said.
I heard heavy footsteps coming closer to the door. This was it. This was my chance to escape. I changed my plan and got up onto my feet, positioning myself to tackle whoever the fuck opened that door. I heard the doorknob turn as the door inched open, but I barreled through it before the guy opened it all the way.
“What the fuck?”
I came at him with my nails as I clawed at his eyes. I could hear him screaming as his fists tried to connect with my body. I dropped down onto the floor and scrambled down the hallway, dodging the burly men in red leather jackets as I wove my way through the house.
Holy fuck, this was the crew the Warriors were feuding with.
“Lambert, how the fuck did that little bitch get the drop on you?” I heard a gruff voice say from somewhere behind me.
I zigzagged through hallways and down a flight of stairs until a doorway to the outside was in view. I heaved a sigh of relief and reached out for the handle.
But once again, someone’s arm wrapped around my neck and cut off my air supply.
“All of you are idiots,” the voice said.
I tried to gasp for air as the men chasing me fell over one another down the stairs behind me.
“Sleep tight,” the voice said.
And once again, that fucking cloth was placed over my nose.
I held my breath as long as I could, hoping he would let it slide. My vision started to blur as I struggled to not breathe, and soon I had to inhale. My body took over what I was trying to stop it from doing, and within seconds I collapsed into the arms of the man trying to kill me.
This was it.
Whatever was going on, I was dead.
I dreamed of the guys. I dreamed of their bodies against me as we made love on my bed. I dreamed about having a shower big enough for all of us to enjoy at once. I saw Lindy and I working in the shop, with a line wrapped around the building of people wanting to get in and purchase things. I could see Adam’s playful little grin, and I could feel Jacob’s protective arms around me. I could hear Nick’s soothing voice and see Tanner’s dazzling eyes. I could hear Tyler’s laugh, and I could feel the wind in my hair as I rode down the street with the guys on their bikes.
I could hear them murmur how much they loved me as their cocks sank into my body.
The pounding sensation at the front of my head pulled me from my dreams. I turned my head to the side and licked my chapped lips. My mouth was dry, and my throat was sore. My neck was throbbing, and my vision was blurry. I tried to move my arms and legs but I couldn’t. Whatever I was sitting on, I was tied to it.
They were making sure I couldn’t go anywhere this time.
“You’re a fun one to catch,” the voice said.
The voice I heard behind me before I passed out.
“I’m always up for a little fun,” I said breathlessly.
“So, I’ve heard. Rumor has it you’re fucking all the Grove brothers. Is that true? Do you have enough pussy for the five of them?” he asked.
“You’ll never know,” I said.
I knew my tough facade was crumbling. My hands were already falling asleep, and I didn’t have the strength to rip the duct tape from my skin. I couldn’t see straight as it was. I could hardly take in the face of the man in front of me. I didn’t recognize him, but I did recognize his leather jacket. There was only one fucking crew who wore those ugly red things.
The Devil Hogs.
“What do you want?” I asked.
“Just what we’re owed,” the man said.
“The only thing you’re owed is my fist up your ass,” I said.
“So feisty. I can see why the boys like you,” he said.
“Don’t you dare talk about them like you know them,” I said.
“And protective, too. How sweet. See? I told you guys she was in love with them.”
“I’m not in love with anyone.”
“Then maybe you are more like your mother than you realize.”
“What the fuck do you know about my mother?” I asked.
“I know she’s got a tight pussy, and a mole on her left ass cheek she should get checked out. I know her right tit is bigger than her left and that she mewls like a whimpering kitten when I lick her toes just right. She’s a freak in the bed, that mother of yours. But do you want to know what else I know?”
I felt bile rising to the top of my throat. Because I knew exactly what he was about to say.
“I know she talks a lot when she’s drunk.”
“You son of a bitch. Where’s my mother?” I asked.
“Don’t worry. Her
alcoholic ass is probably at home snoring up a storm. That woman can saw some trees in her sleep, let me tell you.”
There were chuckles around, and I realized that he wasn’t the only one here. I jumped at the sound, and it they laughed, taking pleasure in the pain and fear I was experiencing. I wished the guys were here. If they were here none of this would be happening. Every single one of these assholes would be on the floor, and I would be free.
“She’s not a fan of your business dream, your mother,” the man said.
“And what is it that my mother calls you when she talks shit about me?” I asked.
“You think I’m that stupid?” he asked.
“Yes. I do.”
A loud crack sounded out in the room as my cheek began to burn. Blood started pooling in my mouth as I spit it out, watching one of my teeth clatter to the floor. I could already feel my cheek swelling as the asshole hovered over my body, watching me as spit and blood trickled down my chin.
“You’d do well to learn your place like your mother has,” he said.
“If you’ve done anything to my mother, I swear to fuck I’m going to kill you,” I said.
“Everyone knows you don’t give a damn about your mother. Your whoring mother who spreads her legs for everyone. She’s got a kink for younger boys, though. And I get why. It was hard for her to take a man’s dick.”
I leaned my throbbing head back and looked up at the man hovering over me before I spat in his face.
He cocked his hand back and cracked me against my eye, immediately swelling it shut.
“She didn’t have to be hit to learn her place, but you’re a little tougher than she is,” he said.
“Where’s my mother?” I asked.
“Awww. You almost sound like you actually give a shit. How sweet,” the man said.
“What have you done to her?” I asked.
“Nothing. She got too drunk to realize I was a bit too old for her, choked on my cock for a few moments, let me fuck her into her mattress, then told me everything I needed to know about her ‘slut daughter.’ That’s how she put it, right? Slut daughter?”
