Digger turned to her, anger burning in his eyes. “I didn’t have no fucking intentions of taking you or the kid. I can handle him.” He lifted his gun and aimed it at her. “You, though? You want to live?”
She nodded vigorously, fear drying her mouth.
“Then you listen to me and do whatever I tell you to do. Understand?”
“Yes,” she croaked.
“Get the fuck out. If you try any shit, you dead. Feel me?”
“Potty,” Little Man sniffed pitifully.
“This might be the first place they all look,” Digger went on as if he didn’t hear the toddler. “But I need to get off the fucking road and regroup. You coming inside and not doing any funny shit.” Keeping his gun on her, he nodded to the door. “Now, move.”
Little Man sniffled with heartbreaking intensity, so hard his chest shuddered. Holding onto him tightly and whispering reassurances to him, Bunny got out of the car, almost falling to her knees at the pain in her stomach. Overheated and nauseated, she stumbled.
Once Digger stepped out and slammed the door, he walked to her.
“There’s an apple orchard on the property,” he told her. “A lot of fucking bodies buried there. Don’t make me add yours to it.”
“I gotta potty,” Little Man sobbed, his arms around her neck.
“Fuck, kid. Come on.”
Despite her protests, Digger snatched Little Man out of Bunny’s arms, unconcerned by the high grass that hid a well-worn dirt path. Not trusting Digger, she hurried behind, skidding to a halt when he stopped abruptly.
“Outlaw teach you how to take a leak or did Meggie?”
Little Man smiled and nodded. “’Law say take dick out an’ aim an’ MegAnn mad if pee not right.” He scrunched his nose. “Nasty, then seat back down.”
“Okay, I think I understood. Meggie think leaving the seat up nasty after Outlaw take a piss.”
“Uh-huh,” he agreed in a squeaky voice.
“Okay. Got it. Pissing in the grass easier. We don’t have a seat to put down. Just aim our cocks and piss.”
Little Man nodded.
“Let’s do this shit together.”
“No poopie,” Little Man said with a frown. “Just pess.”
For the first time since this started, Digger laughed. “You mean piss?”
Busily opening his jeans and going through the steps his father had shown him, Little Man’s conversation had finished. Preoccupied with the little boy’s task, she didn’t realize Digger had also whipped out his cock.
Glaring at him, she turned her back. “Asshole,” she mumbled under her breath.
“You not just a little impressed, girl?”
She didn’t answer. He intended to kill her, so conversations about his dick didn’t rank too high up there.
“’Law say shake like this.”
She couldn’t help but stifle a laugh, and flushed at the sound of Digger’s chuckles. Warmth radiated in his laughter. Under other circumstances, she might’ve told him he had a nice laugh. Now, she recognized it for the deception that it was.
Trader’s laugh had first caught her attention when he’d visited the strip club she worked at. She couldn’t be duped by Digger’s easy-going moments.
“Feel better?” Digger asked as he guided Little Man back to Bunny and smirked at her.
“Uh-huh,” the child said and grabbed Bunny’s hand. She cringed at the wetness on his fingers but refused to release him.
Digger headed to the porch, the wood creaking as he climbed the unstable steps. He tested the plank covering where the door should be. With his back to them, Bunny wondered if he’d left the keys in the ignition. He’d told her if she didn’t cooperate he’d kill her. She knew that was his ultimate intention for her and Little Man. The child could talk, too, couldn’t he?
She’d sprung after him to keep him safe. If he remained with Digger, he was in danger. Hoping for the best, she inched them back. Little Man lifted his gaze to her and she placed a finger over her mouth, indicating silence.
He cooperated.
Reaching the driver’s side and opening the door, she threw Little Man in, spying the keys and—
Digger came out of nowhere, grabbing her hair and yanking her out of the car. She landed on her hands and knees, but Digger fisted her hair and pulled her to her feet, shaking her. Little Man screamed.
“I told you to fucking behave,” Digger gritted, his eyes haunted and angry. And something else. Frightened. The clashing emotions panicked her. She had to calm him down before she lost her life.
Little Man squeezed between them. “Don’t hurt Bun-Bun!”
“It’s cool, lil’ dude,” he swore, not taking his eyes or his gun off Bunny.
“He’s already seen his mom shot,” she whispered, unable to stop her tears from slipping down her cheeks. “Don’t shoot me. Especially in front of him.”
“You not doing me no good. I can see now you’ll be nothing but a fucking headache.”
“I won’t. I promise. I just want him safe.”
Indecision danced across his face and Bunny prayed, hoping God heard her since she said her prayers every night as she’d been taught. Though she’d disobeyed her parents, even as a child, abandoned her given name, turned to the stripper pole for quick money and…she still said her prayers. That meant something, right?
“Get the kid and come with me,” Digger said after a tense moment.
Not testing her luck, she took Little Man into her arms and hugged him. “I’m fine,” she promised in a wobbly voice.
“Okay,” he said, sucking back more tears.
“Start walking ahead.”
Keeping Little Man as protected as possible from the brambles and overgrown foliage, Bunny trooped on, quite aware of the gun aimed at the back of her head. Between her legs felt wet and sticky, as if she were bleeding again.
“I scared, Bun-Bun. I want MegAnn.”
“Scared?” Digger echoed, a forced lightness in his voice. “Don’t be, kid. This just an adventure. You’ll be back with Outlaw soon.”
Although Bunny didn’t believe Digger, the toddler did and he relaxed a fraction.
“A venture?” he repeated.
“Yeah,” Digger responded with reassurance, a rusty shed rising into view, the grass around here so high she hadn’t seen it. “Stop.”
Doing as he ordered, she halted, keeping stock still when he stepped beside her. Tall and lean, he’d grown a beard during his extended absence. The fullness of his lips and the strength of his jawline and chin roughened his appearance but made him no less handsome.
“Anybody ever tell you that you a pretty chick?” he asked casually, aiming his gun toward the padlock on the shed.
“A lot of people,” she said quietly, not explaining that drunken men murmured anything to their favorite strippers for an extra favor in the VIP room.
Digger fired, the blast hurting her ears and making Little Man jump. As soon as the lock pinged off and plopped to the ground, Digger returned his attention to her, studying her mouth.
“You like sucking dick?”
Flushing in embarrassment at Little Man’s presence, she shook her head. Trader had constantly complained about her dislike of sucking him off. When the Bobs began coming to the club again, he made sure to announce he had his cock sucked on a regular basis. In the early days of their relationship, she’d given him blow jobs. But then he’d paid her to do it. In the club she’d worked in, almost anything, except actual penetration, had been permissible.
Gradually, Trader had staked a claim on her, luring her with promises of a normal future. He’d known she hadn’t liked sucking cock and had sworn she’d never have to do it again in her life. Her love meant more.
She’d believed him.
“You like your cunt eaten?”
She frowned at Digger’s question, sidling another glance between him and Little Man, hoping he got the message to stop being so explicit in front of the little boy.
He
lifted a brow. “If you do, I’m willing to lick your pussy when we get time.” He cocked his head to the side. “I even got my red wings, so that don’t matter.”
“You’re a disgusting asshole. And if it was that time of the month, which it isn’t, I wouldn’t let you come near me.”
“So you don’t like your pussy licked?”
She did, but she didn’t know how to tell him that. She frowned Why did she even want to? Having her pussy licked led to reciprocation and that she didn’t like. “Can we not talk about this?”
“Suppose I told you I’ve found a way for you to be useful?”
Her insides froze at his insinuation and she clenched her jaw. Given a choice between living and submitting to him, she’d submit.
“I want your answer. Your honest answer. If I needed my cock sucked, would you do it?”
She shifted Little Man from one hip to the other. “If it meant surviving, yes.”
Digger lifted a brow. “If you just doing it to stay alive, then…”
“Then, what?” she snapped. “My long-term relationship abruptly ended this morning.”
“Outlaw shot him.”
“Nice to know you and your murderers were lying in wait, watching our every move.”
He scowled. “Don’t fucking worry about what we saw. Your man fucked up. What the fuck he did? How you feel about Outlaw shooting Trader?”
Confused. Relieved. Sad. Each emotion crammed into the other, leaving her exposed and raw.
“You pissed at Outlaw?”
“No,” she admittedly hoarsely, ashamed of herself for being grateful to Outlaw for freeing her from Trader when she could’ve left. She should’ve left. Instead, she’d bought into the fear he’d instilled in her. “I don’t know how to feel,” she blurted. Digger was listening, even if it was with false concern. She needed to unburden herself, find some way to release her grief. “I think I should mourn him, but Trader was a real sonofabitch. I so wish I’d listened to my parents.”
“You a grown fucking woman. What do they have to do with it?”
Nothing but the fact that she’d been out of control from the age of sixteen. Definitely not grown when she’d rebelled.
Agitated, she shifted her weight. “Even if you hadn’t kidnapped me and keep threatening me, I couldn’t be attracted to you out of respect to Trader.”
His eyes twinkled. “I mention us being attracted to each other?”
Her face flushed.
“I asked if you would make yourself useful by being my personal cock sucker. I’m not fucking interested in nothing more than that.”
He’d also asked if the sight of his cock had impressed her. Yes, he was referring to the size of it, but, to her, it also implied stirrings of attraction.
At her silence, he studied her, turning thoughtful. “Peyton’s gone, too,” he said finally. “But she brought it on herself with what she did to Meg…” He looked pointedly at Little Man, who had rested his head on Bunny’s shoulder. “We were together for over a year, but I ended up hating her. I’m not going to fucking do hypocritical bullshit and pretend I’m sorry she gone. You...if Trader didn’t treat you right...” He sighed and shrugged. “I used to admire how fucking cold Peyton was. Don’t know why. I just thought I needed a chick like her for the life I led. I thought I’d find my own piece of happiness with her. Biggest fucking mistake of my life. One I’m never repeating.”
She lowered her lashes, a twinge of sympathy for his sadness hitting her. He sounded so lost. And, maybe, he was. Maybe, he’d been caught between two violent men, and chose to go with the one he shared blood with. Bunny admired such family loyalty when she hadn’t had any until it was too late. She still didn’t know if what she felt for her family was loyalty or guilt.
“I completely understand why you think you’ll never get into a relationship again.”
“No thinking involved. I know.”
“Don’t you want a family of your own?”
“I thought I did, Bunny. I don’t no more.” He raised his eyebrows. “You do?”
Her devastation over the loss of her baby hit her again. Losing it, Trader’s death, his abuse, was all too fresh for Bunny to honestly consider what she wanted for her future. The only thing she knew for certain was…”I never want to get involved with another biker again.”
“I’m no longer a biker.”
“Are you implying we get involved?”
“While we together, why the fuck not?”
“Are you always so impulsive?” she snapped. “Not five minutes ago, you said you’d never get in a relationship again.”
“I’m not talking about a relationship with your ass. I’m talking about fucking you. I don’t have to be in a goddamn relationship to stick my dick in you. Since I’m not a fucking biker no more, and I’m not proposing nothing more than some fucking, what do you say?”
“What do I say?” she hissed. “You’re a kidnapper, a traitor, and impulsive. That makes you even worse than being a biker.”
A hurt look crossed his face and Bunny regretted her outburst. Just because his words had gotten under her skin didn’t give her the right to insult him.
Unexpectedly, Digger hugged her and threaded his fingers through her hair. They stared at each other, taking measure, searching for…something. But he didn’t find whatever he searched for and neither did she. She held herself stiffly in his arms, until he took Little Man from her and kissed her forehead.
“You sure you okay?” he asked as he set the child on his feet. “You feel kind of warm.”
“Let us go,” she whispered, not responding to his question. Yes, she felt bad, but she didn’t want him to know. He might see her as a liability. “Please. Let me get CJ back to Outlaw.”
For a moment, she thought he’d relent. Regret passed across his features and coupled with his lingering sadness. He caressed her cheek, so tenderly. She moved her head away and he sighed. “You know anything about collateral damage?”
“Yes,” she whispered, defeat bitter in her mouth even before he clarified his question.
“I never meant to take you, Bunny. I swear. I wasn’t even intending to take the kid. I just wanted to warn Outlaw and Mort, but I couldn’t get close enough. By the time I could…” He bowed his head.
Meggie had already been shot. She knew he’d been about to say that. Once Meggie went down, if Outlaw had seen Digger, he would’ve killed him on the spot. “Don’t you think you deserve to have your life forfeited?” she flared. “You betrayed him. All of them.”
“It seem that way, but I got extenuating circumstances. It don’t matter right now. Staying alive does. Keeping the kid alive,” he said, lower, although Little Man sat on the ground, at her bare feet. He was too quiet, a sure sign of the dire situation.
She frowned. Somewhere along the way, she’d lost her flats. As a matter of fact, neither she or Little Man had coats. At least he still wore his little motorcycle boots. On the other hand, Digger wore a black leather jacket, black shirt, and black pants, the perfect gear for a surprise attack.
“Our club about brotherhood. You, Bailey, Kendall, Meggie just collateral damage in the end.”
“I dare you to call Outlaw, Mort, and John Boy’s wives that to their faces.”
“Fine,” he relented immediately. “You got me. I wouldn’t be that stupid. Just because I see them that way don’t mean they do. And I like those chicks. I do. But they weaken the club.”
“Meggie is the one who campaigned to Outlaw for your life!”
“It’s complicated, Bunny. It’s so fucking complicated. I don’t love those chicks, but I love my brother and I respect Outlaw. For me, the decision easy.”
“You could’ve gone to—”
“I couldn’t. I was a stupid motherfucker at first, feeling resentment, like a fucking bitch ass. Then, I didn’t want to. By the time I got my fucking head on straight, it was too late. I’d already left her in Bailey’s apartment.”
Meggie, he meant. “Th
is long, pointless explanation is to tell me I’m collateral damage, right? That if I have to go, you’ll take me out without flinching? Is that it?”
He slid a finger along her cheek and brushed away a tear. Not wanting him to touch her, she knocked his hand away.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t you fucking apologize to me, asshole,” she growled, too overcome with what she’d gone through and what she faced to filter her words. “I don’t want to hear it. Let us go and apologize then I might listen, otherwise shove it up your ass.”
“I intend to let him go, if that makes you feel any better. When the time right. When Sharper…maybe before then. I took him at first to save his life, but as long as I have him, he’s my leverage with Outlaw. I have to keep him until I can get a note to Prez.”
“Then call him on the phone.”
He shook his head. “I don’t have a fucking phone.”
Little Man sneezed and Digger frowned. “Don’t get sick, okay, kid?”
“Okay.”
Falling silent, Digger sauntered to the shed and wrestled the metal door open.
“March back the way we came,” he directed the moment he came out with a tool box in one hand and his gun still in the other.
Holding out her hand for Meggie’s son, Bunny started off as soon as the child placed his chubby fingers in hers. When they got back to the front of the house, Digger stopped long enough to get the car keys.
“Come with me, kid.” Digger indicated the porch with the gun. “Help me get the door off.”
“No! Wanna stay with Bun-Bun.”
Digger’s scowl didn’t faze the little boy. If she knew nothing else about the child, she knew he was stubborn. Admittedly, she and Meggie’s soft-hearted approach didn’t help. The only person he ever snapped into line for was his father. One stern look from Outlaw achieved what ten timeouts from Meggie didn’t. In this situation, either Digger would lose his patience or Little Man would throw a tantrum. Or both. One would lead to the other.
“I won’t do anything if you leave him with me,” she promised, meaning it. He had the car keys. Since her life was so expendable, if she took off on foot, he’d merely shoot her in the back.
Death Dwellers Motorcycle Club:: Fifteen Bad Boy Biker Books Page 238
