by Rye Hart
“Yep. That’s right,” someone said.
“That’s what I heard,” another one said.
“Told you, your mother’s a fucking freak,” the man said.
It made me sick that these men had been in my house. Had walked past my bedroom. Knew where I fucking lived. It wasn’t my mother that had vandalized my property, it had been them. They used my mother in her drunken state for their nefarious purposes and, even though I couldn’t stand her, I didn’t want her hurt, or worse.
“You ready to cooperate?” the man asked.
“Cooperate in what?” I asked.
“We’re going to make a fun little phone call to someone I’m sure you want to talk to. And you’re going to tell him exactly what we tell you to.”
There was some shuffling around before a dial tone started ringing out into the room. I sighed as my head hung over my lap. I felt myself getting nauseous. I was going to vomit right here in my lap. But soon the ringing stopped, and someone picked up the phone, and tears flooded my eyes when I heard the voice on the other end.
“Emma? Holy shit. Where the fuck are you?”
“Jacob?” I asked. “Jacob! Jacob, help me!”
Someone’s palm connected with my cheek and I whimpered out in pain.
“Emma! What the fuck’s going on? Where are you?” Jacob asked.
“Repeat after me,” a voice said in my ear.
I nodded to let him know I’d heard him as my cheek began to swell.
“We want what we are owed,” I said as the man whispered in my ear.
“What?” Jacob said. “Emma, what are you talking about?”
“We know it was you who took the money from our clubhouse,” I said.
The phone call fell silent and I heard a click on the other end of the line.
“You don’t get to come into our home and take our money without consequences,” I said.
“What do you want?” Adam asked.
I whimpered as I heard his voice echo over the phone call.
“We want what’s owed to us. The three hundred thousand dollars?” I asked.
I felt my blood run cold as the man prompting me gripped my neck tightly.
“You stole that money from us. From our personal shops. Shops that aren’t tied to our club. You come and shoot us up, steal our money, and get pissed when we take it back? We don’t owe you shit,” Tyler said.
I whimpered as the man whispered his last statement into my ear for me to repeat.
“If you want Emma alive, then you’ll give it back,” I said.
I heard murmuring on the other end of the line as the guy released my neck. Tears streamed down my face as I tried to keep my eyes open. Blood was still trickling down my chin as I turned my head around, trying to get my bearings. Trying to see where I was through my swollen eye.
Anything to latch onto that I could scream out over the phone.
But then, my eyes settled out the window. There was a water tower in the distance. Holy shit, that was the Lucas Corner water tower.
I was in the south corner of the woods that surrounded our town.
“The south corner of the woods!” I said. “I can see the black and yellow water tower!”
I felt something connect with my temple and the world went black. I was thrust back into a dream world where nothing existed but the guys and me. We were all lying in my loft above the store as they ran their fingers through my hair and massaged my body. We were all looking up at the stars through a massive skylight I had above the bed in my bedroom.
I was telling them how much I loved every one of them, and I was smiling as they told me they loved me in return.
CHAPTER 31
I felt myself being lifted as my head fell to the side. My ankles were throbbing, and my wrists were burning, and something was cracking against the skin of my face. I felt like I was levitating, floating into the clouds as the world passed me by. I could barely open my eyes to see what was going on around me.
Was I alive?
I felt myself being rolled into something firm as the grip on my body tightened. I struggled against the confines, trying to free my legs. I pressed my burning hands into the solid wall as I groaned and struggled to break free.
But then a pair of lips graced the outside of my ear.
“It’s okay. We’ve got you. You’re safe.”
Holy shit, was that Jacob?
I stopped pressing against the solid wall and curled my body into it. I brought my knees up as my body began to move, gliding through the air as sounds began to hit my ears. There was groaning and gurgling. Sputtering and cursing. I gripped the material against my hands as tightly as I could, my eyes screwed shut so I didn’t have to take in the carnage that I knew was around me.
“Who’s she riding with?” Adam asked.
I felt a rumble next to my cheek as I smiled. Adam was the one carrying me.
The brothers were here, and I was safe.
“I brought her car,” Tyler said. “Put her in it, and we can get her back to our place.”
I felt myself being settled onto a seat. It was leaned back, allowing me to stretch out. I could smell the brothers’ cologne wafting around my head as I smiled, my eyes trying to open.
“Don’t move any more than you have to,” Adam said. “Just sit tight.”
“Should we get a doctor?” Tanner asked.
“Got that covered,” Nick said.
I felt the car crank up as someone began to drive. Relief flooded my veins and caused tears to spring to my stinging eyes. The pain in my body was great—but not as great as the hope I felt welling in my chest. The brothers were driving me away from this nightmare. Away from the men that took me in the middle of a place I thought was supposed to be my solace.
The movement of the car lulled me back to sleep, and I dreamed of my store again. The decorations on the wall and Lindy’s designs peppered the rooms. I thought about the repair shop and how we would be inundated with leather that needed work done to it. I thought about the reputation we could garner in the streets for being open to every crew, playing off the idea of non-affiliation to bring in more business.
I thought about parties we could throw in the sprawling backyard of the building and music we could play. The food we could cater in, and bike shows we could sponsor. I saw my life unfolding in front of my eyes as the brothers drove me wherever they were taking me. And it wasn’t until my back hit something cool and soft that I woke up.
“It’s okay. It’s us,” Tanner said.
“Where am I?” I asked.
“Our place,” Tyler said. “I mean, Tanner and mine.”
“What? Who the fuck—”
“Let’s get you looked at by a doctor first. Then we’ll explain,” Tyler said.
“She’s right through here,” Adam said.
I felt the bed dip beside me as a pair of hands descended onto my torso. I reacted instantly. I lifted my hand and captured the wrist of whoever was touching me, ready to fight for my life. My entire body went on high alert as I tried to open my eyes. I grimaced at the pain that ricocheted through my face, throbbing in my head and causing me to feel nauseous.
“Ma’am, I’m Doctor Kingston. I’m only here to figure out if you need to go to the hospital.”
Her voice was soft and comforting, and I released her wrist so she could check me out. Her hands slowly pulled up my shirt, her cool touch descending to my ribs. I flinched at her touch, but there was nothing that hurt. She inspected my wrists and ankles gently, asking me to wiggle things for her as I choked down my pain.
Then she moved to my face, pressing into bruises as tears welled in my eyes.
“The good news is that nothing seems to be broken or fractured. She’s pretty bruised up, and she’s irritated on her wrists and ankles, but that’s it. The swelling and the bruises will fade with time. Tylenol will help her with her pain, and I have something that’ll help with her ankles and her wrists.”
“Thanks, Doc,” Jacob said.
&nb
sp; “Sweetie, I’m going to rub some soothing salve on your skin and bandage up your ankles and wrists so they don’t get infected. It’ll be very cold, but it should numb up your skin so you won’t be in so much pain.”
“Thanks, Doctor,” I said.
I laid there as she bandaged me up, trying not to flinch. She wasn’t joking when she said it would be cold. But it did numb my irritated skin and brought me a massive amount of relief.
Relief I was ready to feel after what I had endured.
“Here’s the salve and the gauze. Change the dressing every morning and night. If anything looks like it’s getting infected, give me a call,” the doctor said.
“Got it,” Nick said.
I felt all the guys sit down on the bed as I sighed.
“What the hell happened?” I asked.
“Hold on,” Jacob said.
We waited in silence until the front door shut, then they listened for the doctor’s car. I heard it crank up before she backed out of the driveway, then a voice spoke up at the far corner of the room.
“She’s gone,” Adam said. “Go ahead.”
“The Devil Hogs found out about you,” Jacob said.
“They knew they could get to us through you, so they coordinated an attack,” Tyler said.
“Yeah. The one who did all the talking slept with my mother, got her to talk while she was drunk, and came after me at my store,” I said.
“How do you know that?” Adam asked.
“He was a pompous ass and told me,” I said.
The guys grew silent as tension permeated the room. I knew what they were thinking. The fact that the man told me about his plans meant he hadn’t been planning on letting me live. No matter what the brothers would’ve given him, his plan all along was to kill me.
“I’m alive because of you guys. I know,” I said. “Thank you.”
“This was why we didn’t want to tell you anything,” Tanner said. “This was what we meant by ‘trying to keep you safe.’”
“I know,” I said.
“They would’ve killed you,” Adam said.
“I got it.”
“It was only because of what you told us that we were able to find you. They weren’t at any of their usual places. They had you in an abandoned house,” Tyler said.
The room went silent again as tears stung in the back of my eyes. I felt like a fool. Like a child they were chastising. I knew exactly the type of trouble I’d gotten into. I knew those assholes meant business. I didn’t need to be reminded of it now that I was out of it.
“I owe you guys my life,” I said.
“You owe us nothing,” Nick said.
“Just shut up, okay? Look, I got myself into a lot of trouble. I get that. Can we put it to rest? Please?”
I felt involuntary tears streaming down my cheeks as one of the brothers wiped them away. I could feel their fear, and I could hear their anger vibrating against the walls. I knew Adam was ready to kill someone. I knew Nick was sick to death at the predicament I’d found myself in. I could hear it in every single one of their voices, and I was bracing for the worst.
I was bracing for them to leave me for my own good.
“It was a big ass mess,” Jacob said.
“Now’s not the time,” Adam said.
“If we’re going to cultivate a relationship with her, she needs to know. Everything. Fucking hell, Adam. She was taken because she didn’t know who to perceive as a damn threat because of us,” Jacob said.
“Fine,” Adam said. “But give it to her straight.”
“Give what to me straight?” I asked. “What’s going on?”
Tanner piped up. “I think we’re all ready to talk.”
“Then I’m all ears,” I said.
“The Devil Hogs have been at our throats for a while. Our shops are fairly new to the area, and they accused us of trying to steal their business. They stole money from our shops as revenge for us settling here, so we stole it back, but that wasn’t what caused the shootout,” Jacob said.
“What did?” I asked.
“When we stole the money back, it took them four days to figure it out. The president of the Hogs got pissed off that it took them so long to figure it out, so they tried to burn down our clubhouse,” Adam said.
“So, the stealing happened before the shootout?” I asked.
“Yep. We caught a couple of their guys trying to burn down the place, and we sent them a message. That you couldn’t fuck with us without paying a price,” Adam said.
“I’m not going to ask what that message was,” I said.
“It’s better if you don’t,” Nick said.
“In recompense for our message, there was a brawl. That’s where Jacob got the black eye,” Adam said.
“And you got your limp. And Tyler got punched,” I said.
“Yes. We thought everything was done with them until there was another break-in at one of our shops,” Tanner said.
“But it was a diversion,” Adam said. “While we were tending to the break-in at Jacob’s shop, the core group of the Devil Hogs were taking you.”
“You were right,” I said.
“About what?” Nick asked.
“Sounds like a big ass mess,” I said. “Where do you guys stand now?”
“We’re on high-alert. Everyone in our club is. But we hope the message we sent them tonight puts all this shit to bed,” Adam said.
“And again. Not going to ask,” I said.
“And again, best if you don’t,” Nick said.
“I should’ve known about all of this beforehand, you know,” I said. “I should’ve known about all of this bullshit before I was taken.”
“We know,” Tyler said.
“I was in danger, and you guys knew that. And you didn’t fill me in,” I said.
“We know,” Jacob said.
“I could’ve watched out for myself. Taken precautions to protect myself. Fuck, if they wanted to take me down for some reason, that would’ve made Lindy a target. It made my mother one!”
“We know,” Tanner said in a whisper.
It was the shake in his voice that silenced mine. That desperate plea someone tries to cover up when they can’t contain their emotions any longer. I felt my jaw quivering as more tears spilled down my cheeks.
“Here’s how this goes going forward,” I said, as someone wiped my tears.
“We’re all ears,” Nick said.
“You will tell me everything. And if that’s not on the table, then we’re done. You can take me to Lindy’s and get out. But if we’re going to do this, then I need to know what the hell’s going on with you guys,” I said.
“Sounds fair enough,” Adam said.
“If there’s a threat, I need to know about it. If something’s happening with the crew, I need to know about it. I can keep myself safe, but not from shadows I don’t know are lurking,” I said.
“Okay,” Tyler said.
“Should we start now?” Jacob asked.
“Fuck yes, you should start now,” I said.
“Then I’ll start with this,” Jacob said.
I felt a pair of lips lovingly connect with mine.
“I love you,” Jacob said.
“What?” I asked.
Then, another pair of lips descended onto my neck.
“I love you,” Adam said.
I felt my entire body trembling with anticipation as another pair of lips descended to my ear.
“I love you,” Nick said.
Then another pair fell upon my chest.
“I love you,” Tyler said.
A pair of hands slowly made their way up my thighs, caressing me as warmth filled my body. I was rooted to the bed as fingertips slowly undid the button of my jeans. I felt my shoes being taken off as my pants slid from my body, my breathing becoming shallow as I took in all the sensations. My heart was thrumming in my chest, and my skin was on fire. I could feel the phantom sensations of their lips tingling along my skin.
> A pair of lips connected with the inside of my thigh as hands pressed against my knees.
“I love you, Emma,” Tanner said.
I felt a light inside of me spring forth as Tanner’s lips continued to kiss up the inside of my thighs.
“I love you all, too,” I said. “I love you guys so much. And I thought I wasn’t going to get a chance to tell you. I knew the moment I passed out in that chair that—”
“Ssshhh,” Adam said in my ear. “It’s okay, baby girl.”
“I love you,” I said breathlessly.
I turned my head to capture Adam’s lips as Tanner’s teeth nipped at my thigh.
“I don’t know if I have the energy to—”
I felt my head being turned before another pair of lips connected with mine.
“Let us show you how much we love you,” Jacob said.
I felt Jacob’s arms hold me upright as someone slid my shirt off my body. My bra was unhooked and it fell from my breasts, causing them to swing against my naked skin. I was lowered back to the bed as Jacob kissed down my neck, then I felt a pair of lips wrap around my nipple.
CHAPTER 32
Tanner’s lips kissed my pussy as one of the brothers cupped my tits. I opened my one good eye enough to see Nick perched between them, his lips sucking my nipples. Tanner’s tongue swirled around my clit, pressing deep into my pussy as I groaned in pleasure. Nick’s teeth were marking my breasts, sucking red welts upon my skin as my hands curled into the sheets.
“Shit,” I said. “Don’t stop.”
Tanner spread my legs wider, allowing my juices to drip down my crack. I heard jeans and leather jackets dropping to the floor as the guys got naked. I reached my hands out, trying to feel for someone as Nick straddled my chest.
He pressed my tits together around his cock as two other dicks descended into my palms.
I held my tongue out for Nick’s cockhead as he fucked my tits. Tanner’s tongue was raking against my clit as his fingers slid within me. I moaned out into the room as fire surged through my veins. The throbbing pain in my body quickly turned to pleasure as I rolled my hips to Tanner’s lips.
“So soft,” Nick said. “So warm.”
“You taste like home,” Tanner said with a murmur.
