by Sara Crest
“Answer it” Jack told me “just make everything seem completely normal.”
I nodded my head and answered the phone, my hand was shaking so much I struggled to hold the phone against my ear. I decided to put it on speaker so that I wouldn’t have to hold it steady and so that everyone else could hear what he was going to tell me.
“Good morning sweetheart, how are you?” He sounded a little off, but that could just be because of the stress from work.
“I’m find dad, I just woke up. I was thinking about sending one of the guards to go and get me breakfast.”
“Ah yes, that sounds good… has everything been alright so far?”
“Yes dad perfectly fine, I went to bed right after you left so nothing has really happened.”
“Hmm, that’s interesting. Well I was just calling to see how you were doing, I’ll talk to you later.”
My phone beeped and he hung up.
“I really don’t like how things are shaping up, something’s been up from the start but I can’t tell what” Jack said running his fingers through his hair.
“You’re just being fucking paranoid, she was attacked because she was alone and recognized. Nothing more nothing less” Axel replied before turning to me. “Just don’t try that shit again” he barked.
“I think you’re forgetting this is your fucking fault” Jack snapped back “you better straighten up and do you goddamn job.”
Axel stood up and got in Jack’s face “you can’t do shit, Petrov may have given you temporary power but I still rank higher than you in the Iron Horses. Soon as we hand this skank back over to her shit for brains dad I’ll be right back to telling-”
Jack grabbed him by the throat, throwing him on the floor before climbing on top of him “what the fuck did you just call her?”
Axel struggled to respond with Jack’s grip tightening around his throat “what the fuck do you care what I call her?” he squeaked out.
One of the men came and pulled Jack off of him, didn’t take much though Jack just let Axel go and let him roll over on the ground coughing and holding his throat.
“What’s gotten into you Jack? Yeah we’re not supposed to insult the client but no need to go choking the kid over some words” the biker said letting Jack go.
“I was just… making sure he didn’t do it again Ron. You don’t get repeated business calling the client’s daughter a skank.”
Ron looked at Jack up and down, I saw him glance at me for a moment before shaking his head a bit and taking a seat on the couch. “We can’t get too emotionally evolved in stuff like this Jack, it’s all just temporary.”
Jack and I briefly exchanged glances before looking at Ron. “Just making sure the client stays comfortable Ron, nothing emotional about that right?”
“Mhmm” Ron replied sighing. I don’t know if he bought that excuse or not but at least Jack deflected some of the suspicion.
Jack reached down and lifted Axel to his feet “you and Chuck go get everyone some food, looks like today is gonna be a rest day thanks to what happened last night.”
Axel grumbled but Chuck seemed perfectly content getting out of that room, can’t blame him really. “I’ll join you” Mike said. “I need an excuse to ride. Adrenaline is still pumping through my veins from last night and I need to ride it out of me.”
They called the elevator up and left Ron, Jack and I alone.
As soon as the doors closed Ron turned to Jack and I. “Is there something you two want to tell me? Especially you Jack?”
I felt frozen, unsure of what to do. I had no idea what type of man Ron was, I was worried that he sensed what happened between Jack and would rat us out for a larger payout.
“Seems to me like you already know Ron” Jack replied “you’re a smart man you could always see what was going on with me.”
Ron stared into my eyes before scratching his beard “Jack I don’t want you jeopardizing this whole job because you have a thing for the guy’s daughter, I mean jesus man it’s only been a day.”
Jacked crossed his arms and looked at me with a smile “you know how I am Ron, when I want something I just gotta have it.”
“Mr. Ron sir, Jack and I only shared a moment together.” I said trying to make things not seem as bad as they were. “Nothing serious happened and I’m sure your job won’t be affected” I said trying to reassure him.
“Look, I’m not here to judge your choices. If you two like each other then by all means go ahead, just don’t bring down me and the guys with you if your father finds out. In the end I just want my payment and as long as I get that we’re golden.”
I looked at Jack he gave me a little eyebrow raise with his smile. I guess he took that as a sign that he could be more open with me, at least when Ron was around.
“Viktoria, can you excuse Ron and I for a second.”
I looked at Ron then back to Jack, I guess it was best if I listened to what he said. I stood up and walked to my room, closing the door behind me. I immediately pressed my ear to the door, trying to hear what they were going to say, I needed to know what Jack thought about me.
Chapter Twelve
(Jack)
I had to be careful when it came to Viktoria. Did I like her? Hell yes. I just had to make sure that her head wasn’t clouded, for all I know she could be confused and just think she liked me and I wasn’t about to end up in a shallow Ruskie dug grave just because I wanted to jump in bed with the Don’s confused daughter. There was also the chance that she could just be using me in the long run. I didn’t want her to want me just because I could give her the freedom she’s never had. If she just wanted me for potential freedom then I’d just give her the silent treatment until payday. If I thought that she was being sincere then I’d ride this thing and see where we were in the final days. It would be dangerous but I’d free her from her father if I knew she wasn’t just trying to manipulate and use me.
Ron was right though, I was being selfish and putting our job in danger. The thing is though, I didn’t care. A girl like Viktoria only comes around once in a lifetime, leave it to the Don of the Russian mob to make sure a girl stays that innocent for her whole life. Yeah I know I don’t deserve her, but if I gave her freedom then I would feel like I earned the emotion and closeness she was giving me.
“Ron, we can’t leave her like this.”
“What do you mean “like this?” Girl probably has more money in her wallet then I’ve ever made in my entire life. She’s perfectly well off as long as she’s protected.”
“She’s overprotected Ron, there’s no way she has any real life here. She’s trapped here because of her father, yeah it’s dangerous for her to go out but I’m sure if she moved cross country she’d be fine.”
“That ain’t something for us to decide Jack, if you ask me you are getting a little too emotionally invested in this girl, you gotta think about the club first. If we did anything to free this girl then the Russian mob would come down on us so hard that nobody will ever even remember the name Iron Horses MC.”
I wanted to tell him to fuck the club, the club had been holding me back for years, the club was the reason I wasn’t living a life of true freedom. I wanted to tell him that I should have never joined the club, about how I was sincerely thinking about finishing out this job and leaving this shitshow. But I couldn’t. Ron, along with Chuck and Mike, were the only parts of the club I respected. All the shit we had gone through and in the end we never got recognition from it, I wanted to get them to come with me and form a new club from the ashes of this hellhole but I knew they had gotten too comfortable.
That’s when it hit me, one of the reasons why I haven’t left yet. It wasn’t just the money, I had gotten so used to being around people that I wasn’t sure if I could lone wolf it again. I had grown to be just like them, too comfortable.
“Look, this is the first time in my life I can do something other than beat the heads in of drunks, drug addicts, and rival members” I said, putting aside ev
erything that I really wanted to say. “We can help give this girl a real life Ron, yeah I’m hesitant to do it but I can’t just take the money and give her back to her dad… just doesn’t seem right.”
“Look, I don’t like it either but I ain’t taking that kind of risk. You’re talking like this over a girl you just met, you’re obviously exhausted from last night and you need to get some sleep and then ride until your head is clear.”
He was right, I was running on maybe 2 hours of sleep and all that stress was just making me more exhausted. Not to mention that cut I got couldn’t have been good for me. I laid down on the couch, wincing from the sting of the cut. “I just need a few hours and my head will be clear” I mumbled to myself.
* * *
When I woke up I was a little disoriented, after a few hard blinks my eyes became readjusted to the light.
I looked at the clock, 1pm, I got a good couple of hours in there and after some initial grogginess I was feeling much better. I checked my phone to find no new messages from Petrov, I would have assumed that a man this protective of his daughter would be texting me a couple times a day but I guess not. I still didn’t trust him and I was still weary of this whole situation, that certainly didn’t change from my nap.
I looked at Viktoria’s bedroom door, that nap did nothing to cool me off. If anything I wanted to sneak in there and have a little fun with her but I knew that we wouldn’t be able to hide the noise. Besides I should start focusing my energy on really trying to get her out of here.
“Well look who decided to wake up” Mike said walking out of the kitchen. He tossed me a brown paper bag “here we got you a breakfast sandwich, it’s probably cold and soggy as shit now and it wasn’t exactly good to begin with but it’s better than nothing.”
“Much appreciated Mikey, you get any for Viktoria? Gotta keep the client happy.”
“Yeah we got her a few things, give her a few options you know? Let me tell you that girl is as quiet as a mouse, tried talking to her and she seemed almost afraid of me.”
“You’d be afraid too if you’ve been sheltered all your life and then got shot at out of nowhere.”
“Tellin’ you Jack, it wasn’t out of nowhere. Those gangsters probably eyed her across the bar and wanted to take her out to make a name for themselves with their new Italian friends.”
“By ramping up a gang war? If it was Petrov himself then I’d understand but his harmless daughter?”
“Just eat your damn sandwich Jack, you and your theories…” he said chuckling.
I took the sandwich out of the bag and unwrapped it, it looked fucking disgusting not gonna lie but I was so hungry it didn’t matter.
I took a bite out of it, watching Viktoria’s bedroom door as I chewed. I know I told her to never try and sneak out but she did say that she didn’t even enjoy her night, if I couldn’t give her real freedom then at least I could give her a night she would actually remember… at least in a good way. But how would I get her out without the guys finding out? There was no way we wouldn’t have someone guarding the elevator to make sure she didn’t escape again so that was not an option.
I stood up and began walking around the suite, Ron and Chuck were busy lounging around in the kitchen while Mike watched TV. I looked around but couldn’t find Axel, I could only assume he went out for a ride and after how physical we had gotten the past few days I can’t blame him for not wanting to be in the same room as me.
This was more down time than we were used to, normally we were constantly on the move or trying to figure out how to figure out how to keep the unwanteds out of club territory. If we weren’t cleaning up club territory or shaking people down for protection money then we were tinkering with and modifying our rides. Sitting around in some prissy suite just felt wrong.
I hadn’t actually gotten a good look around the place, that’s probably the first thing you’re supposed to do when you’re a bodyguard but then again I’m not actually a bodyguard.
This place was massive, for all I knew Axel was just off on his own somewhere but was still inside. The suite was so big that we could probably all live in it and go days without running into each other, that would help with breaking Viktoria out for the night.
I found a long hall with a few different doors, I checked behind me to make sure that none of the guys were following me and then decided on looking in the rooms one by one.
First door was a bathroom, from the look of the tiles and the shower there was more money in this one room than in any shitshack I used to live in. The next three rooms were all guest rooms, probably would give us better sleep but if I told everyone about them there would be fights over who gets to use the beds and I wasn’t prepared to deal with that.
I tried to turn the knob of the final room but it was locked, of course a man like Petrov would have something to hide. I pulled the door handle until it snapped completely off, letting the knob on the other side fall off and the door swing open.
“Next time you have something to hide get a better lock, Petrov.”
His room was by far the biggest one in the whole suite. He had windows that went from the floor to the ceiling, leather furniture, a massive walk in closet… guess this was what it was like to live the high life.
I walked into his closet, man had more clothes than anyone would ever need in this life or the next. A small window gave some extra light to the otherwise poorly lit closet, but then I saw it.
I walked over and looked out the window, it had a fire escape that led right down to the floor below us.
“Jackpot.”
Chapter Thirteen
(Viktoria)
I woke up to someone’s hand covering my mouth, I tried to scream but all that came out was a muffled cry for help.
“Hey, hey! You’re gonna wake everyone up just calm down now.”
My eyes adjusted to the dark to see Jack standing over me and I immediately calmed down. He took his hand from my mouth and before I could say a word he bent over and kissed me, I met his kiss with my own as he climbed on top of me and held my arms down by my wrists. I wrapped my legs around his waist and our lips met again and again. He kissed the side of my neck, working his way up to my ear before lightly biting my earlobe. “Come on, I’m taking you out.”
I pulled my head back in disbelief. “For good!?”
“I’m sorry, we can’t do that yet. I just want to give you a taste of life outside of here.”
I was disappointed but the still the chance to actually go out with him was too tempting to pass up. “What about those men trying to kill me? What if they come back?”
“You’ll be fine, I’ll protect you” he whispered into my ear, kissing my neck up and down. “Even if I have to take another bullet it’d be worth it just for you.”
I smiled and kissed him again “Okay, let me get dressed really quick.”
“No time, just throw something on and let's get out of here.”
Even if it was only going to be for a short time I wanted to get dressed up like I did the night before, guess that wasn’t an option.
I pulled on some jeans I had on the floor and took a sweater that was draped over my desk chair. Jack was peeking out of the doorway, checking to see if anyone had seen him come into my room.
Just before we left the room he brought me in for one last kiss, running his hands down my body as I felt him up.
He motioned me over and I followed him out the door. He took me by the hand and we walked slowly through the living room where the other men were sleeping. I assumed we were going to use the elevator but Mike seemed to have fallen asleep in front of the entrance so that he’d wake up if someone used it.
I became confused when Jack led me to my dad’s room, I was even more confused when I saw the door handle broken off and the door opened wide. “Jack” I whispered “what are we doing in here?”
“Just trust me.”
This had been the first time I was in my dad’s room in years. I don’t even think he sp
ent that much time in here to be honest.
He brought me into the closet and shut the door behind us. He walked over to the window and opened it, revealing a fire escape on the other side.
“You want me to go down that?” I said in disbelief.
“Well you want to get out don’t you?” He said climbing through the window to the other side. He turned and opened the theft prevention gate, allowing us to walk down the fire escape’s steps.
“Come on you’ll be fine. You have to trust me on this.”
I walked to the window and tried to climb through, Jack helped and easily pulled me out onto the fire escape.
When I looked down from where we were I wanted to scream. We were at the top of the building with high winds blowing at us from all sides, if we fell off there was no doubt that we’d be dead. Jack quickly pulled me into his chest to calm me down.
He picked me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist, holding onto him for dear life. He began walking down the steps of the first escape, holding me tight with his big muscular arms.
Suddenly he stopped and I heard him open a window. He patted me on the back and I let go of him, quickly climbing back through the window to the floor below my suite. I couldn’t believe that we actually escaped.
He climbed in behind me and closed the window “Now, let me show you what I think is a good night.”
* * *
Jack was taking me outside the city and this time I was able to actually enjoy the feeling on the back of his motorcycle. I didn’t care how dangerous it was I was sticking my head out from side to side to feel that wind hit my face, I couldn’t believe that this was his everyday life.
He took me to a tall grassy hill far outside the city where we could be alone, from on top of that hill you could see the whole skyline, it looked like all of Chicago with beaming with me.
When I stepped off of that bike I felt happier than I had ever been. I twirled around on my toes humming to myself with a huge grin. When I stopped spinning around I looked at Jack to see him looking at me with a gentle smile. He stood up and began walking towards me. The light of the moon and the city shining off of his ruggedly handsome face.
