by Brook Wilder
I was familiar with the guest house. It looked much like a townhouse. It had two floors and was semi-attached to the main mansion. Khloe’d had it built onto the mansion, and in no way did it match the grandeur of the rest of the property. But it served its purpose well.
“Is she okay?” Cassie asked.
I didn’t bother replying.
I’d known Khloe for a long time. She’d always been a good friend, but we were also professionals and that was the way I wanted our relationship to stay. Why I was here now, regrouping with the club at one of her establishments, I didn’t know. It had seemed the best option at the time.
“Mason?”
I’d hoped she’d dropped the conversation, but I was very wrong.
“That was Khloe. She runs the brothel,” I answered Cassie’s original question.
We headed down a back stairwell that went out the back of the property. I pushed the heavy fire door open and held it for Cassie. She jumped when I let the door slam shut behind us, but kept walking anyway.
“So, where is this place?”
“Just outside of Eden. Depending on which direction you were coming from, you would pass the main gate on your way into town.”
Cassie opened her mouth to say something, then stopped when several of the boys came bursting out of the house we were heading for.
“Who are they?”
I didn’t answer the question. It was obvious from the patches on their vests they were part of the club. Diesel, Reid, and Joey walked over.
“About time,” Diesel nodded.
“Yeah,” I replied. “Any news?”
“Nah, but the boys are asking questions,” Diesel said with a nod to Cassie.
I sighed. I knew they would have questions and be demanding answers. I just hoped Cassie wouldn’t cause too much of a problem. She was the reason the Cartel had been at the club last night, and the reason the place was burned to a crisp.
“She with you?” Joey asked, his usually hard and rigid jaw even stiffer.
He wasn’t happy about the situation.
“I own her, and that’s it. Ruiz wants her, and he’s not getting her.”
The boys all nodded, each stealing a glimpse of Cassie as we walked into the temporary clubhouse.
The casual talking, chatter, and laughter stopped when I walked into the room. I had everyone’s full attention. Cassie stiffened and took a hesitant step behind me.
Telling the boys why the Cartel had struck us last night, and what they were after, drove a wave of anger through me. But they were all in agreement about not giving into the Cartel’s demands. The conversation was left there, and I took Cassie up to a room where she could entertain herself while I caught up with the boy’s downstairs.
“You got the things?” I whispered to Diesel.
“Yeah,” he whispered back. “I got what you asked for. I left it in a bag upstairs, in the room. Bottom of the wardrobe.
“Thanks.”
“No problemo,” Diesel waved me off.
I pushed the door open and made straight to the wardrobe. The bag had everything I’d asked for: four pairs of jeans, four shirts, couple bras, couple sets of panties, shoes, socks, jacket, and hygiene items.
“Here,” I said, holding the bag out to Cassie. “It’s the best I could do in the time I had. Let me know if you need anything else.”
Cassie cautiously took the bag out of my hands and blushed when she peeked inside.
“Thank you,” she whispered. A small fleeting smile graced her face before it was gone again.
“I’ll bring food up, but come out when you’re ready to.”
I closed the door behind me, not waiting for a reply.
Back downstairs, relief flooded my body when the room didn’t fall silent at my presence again. I sat for the next half hour, eating and drinking a couple of beers, as I caught up with the boys before heading over to see Khloe.
I made my way through the back door and into the bar area, knowing Khloe would likely be having a few drinks of whatever to help de-stress after the recent events. She was probably glad she hadn’t bought Cassie now. Or so I hoped.
I walked in to see two of the girls from the previous night’s auction being led in with their hands tied in front. They looked different now to what they did when I’d brought them in.
The blonde, I couldn’t remember her name, had sold for almost $5000. I’d picked the bubbly girl up at a club in town, and she was all too eager to go home with me. Picking her up had been almost too easy. I’d slipped something into her drink without her knowing. The raven-haired beauty had sold for $7500. She was barely twenty-one, and I’d had her picked up by one of the boys in a carpark the other day. She had been on vacation from the UK, so there was no one here to report her missing. And by the time we have them, it’s too late to save them anyway.
They both looked stunning in the lingerie the auction house had dressed them up in, and they both looked terrified. It had been their first night, and if they were still bound it was because they’d put up a fight.
“Nice looking girls you got there,” I said to Khloe, keeping my eyes on the girls, watching for a reaction to see if they recognized my voice at all.
The blonde did, and she paled instantly. The raven-haired didn’t though. I hadn’t been around her for more than a few minutes, and even then I hadn’t talked much. I winked at the blonde and watched her cringe before bursting into tears.
“Seriously?” Khloe glared at me before she looked at the girl and chuckled a dark laugh.
One thing I liked about Khloe was that she was a tough woman, and very strict regarding her business and who she let close to her. But she was also funny, with a rather dark sense of humor. So she at least could see the slightly funny side to me scaring the new recruit.
“Get four of the girls to help clean them up and get them ready for tonight. I want security outside the doors the entire time,” she added with a sigh. “I don’t need any more trouble from the little rebel.”
I waited until the girls and the guard were out of the room before asking who the rebel was.
“Dark-haired one,” Khloe sighed again. “She’s got a nasty little temper on her. Scratched Juliette last night when I brought her in. And then the blonde tried to do a runner at the same time, so I put them both in a padded room for the night.”
I nodded. “Fair enough. They give you any more trouble since?”
“No, they have been very good and compliant through the entire process. And the dark-haired one is even a virgin, so she will fetch a very nice price tonight.”
“Good,” I grinned.
I was always pleased to hear that the goods I sold met buyer expectations. The Ghost Riders MC had a good name for supplying quality girls, and the ones I’d brought in the previous night had more than met the highest expectations and produced a tidy little profit. If I had just sold Cassie, things would be running a whole lot smoother for me and everyone else now.
“So, your girl… What’s the plan for her?” Khloe asked, not wasting any more time or tip-toeing around what I knew was a pending topic.
I should have just sold her.
“Not sure,” I shrugged.
“She a virgin?”
“She was.”
“You had sex with her?” Khloe’s eyebrows rose in shock.
“Yes, Khloe, I had sex with her. I bought her, I can fuck her.”
Khloe shrugged and waved off my answer.
“Okay,” she replied. “And do you know anything about seven shot dead last night?”
I shook my head.
“No,” I lied. “What happened?”.
Khloe gave me a hard look.
“Did you have sex with her before or after she hightailed it out of the auction house?”
I looked at her curiously, trying to read her face before replying. I knew this was going to be a problem, for more reasons than one.
“You saw her leave?”
“Yes, I saw her run out
of there faster than light. And then you chased after her a few minutes later on your bike.” She grinned. “And you looked a little sore too. I would have to say that you were almost kind of limping.”
I purposely ignored the snippy remark.
“Yeah, I caught up with her.”
“Look,” Khloe gave me a hard look. “I don’t know anything, and I won’t say anything. But be careful.”
“Always careful,” I told her. “What did you want to talk about?”
Khloe’s phone beeped.
“Your girls are trouble,” she shook her head. “I’m tempted to ask for a refund.”
I chuckled.
“No refunds. You’ll just have to break them in.”
Khloe smiled at me and gave a short laugh.
“You look tired. Come in later tonight. Bring the club and have some drinks. We’ll talk more then.”
Khloe stood up.
“And one more thing,” she added. “Get your arm looked at. Diesel told me you were shot. Help yourself to any supplies you need.”
I grunted in reply and stood.
“Maybe your pretty little doc can fix you up,” Khloe grinned.
How the hell did she know about Cassie?
“She’s a nurse, not a doctor.”
And why the hell was I clarifying this?
Khloe didn’t say anything as she walked out of the room. She let out a laugh right before the door closed, making me shake my head and slam my fist down on the counter. So much for Khloe not tip-toeing around the Cassie subject.
I groaned and knew she was going to ask to buy Cassie. She would be wasting her time though, because the answer was already ‘No’.
GHOST RIDERS – BOOK 1
BOUGHT
Chapter 1
Cassie
After showering, washing my hair, cleaning my teeth and putting on clean clothes, I felt more relaxed. It had been well over an hour since Mason left me and I was hungry, but it didn’t feel right to go out looking for Mason or food.
I took in my surroundings.
The room was practically empty, apart from a bed, dresser, wardrobe, two bedside tables and lamps, and a private bathroom. It did have a TV, but I couldn’t get it to work. All I got was horrible reception.
So, I was left to my own thoughts as I sat on the bed, bored, until the need for snacks got too much and I made my way out to the main area.
I’d reckoned Mason would be in the living space, so I was surprised to find he wasn’t there. A few people stopped and stared at me as I gazed around the room, hoping to see a familiar head.
I made my way toward the other end of the house where I could see part of a kitchen area. He wasn’t in there either, or in the dining room. I was about to give up when the one of the guys from the previous night came over. Diesel, I thought I’d heard Mason call him.
“He’ll be back soon,” he told me. “Just went to see someone.”
“Okay, thank you,” I whispered with a small nod.
I stood in front of the hulking man for a few seconds until I started feeling awkward and decided to go back to where Mason had left me, even though the room was the last place I wanted to be right now. I’ve never minded being on my own. I’ve always had a lot of friends, and my family is great, but company is something I’ve never felt the need for. Until now.
“You need anything?” Diesel asked as I turned.
I looked back at him and shook my head.
“No, I’m just bored, I think.”
He grinned. “You’re bored?”
“Yeah, but I’ll be fine. I’ll wait for Mason and see what I’m supposed to be doing.”
“You’re not supposed to be doing anything, Cassie. Come and sit down. Are you hungry?”
Even though it was technically a question, his stern tone left no room for argument. And, if I was being honest, I didn’t want to argue anyway, because I was grateful Diesel had asked me to stay instead of telling me to go back to the room like I thought he would.
“Yeah, I could eat something.”
I thought about Mason then. He needed to eat too. And then I remembered he’d got shot.
“Mason was shot last night… Has he been taken care of?”
“He’ll be back soon. You can ask him yourself.”
“Sure,” I whispered, feeling a little shut down as I followed Diesel to a table where three other bikers sat.
They didn’t look up or bat an eyelid as I sat down where Diesel told me to.
“Thank you,” I said when Diesel dropped a loaf of bread, butter, and several different spreads and cold meats in front of me.
I went with a plain ham and cheese, devouring it greedily.
“Eat more,” Diesel said, nodding towards the food and handing me a bottle of water.
“No,” I shook my head. “I couldn’t even if I tried. I’m so full.”
I grinned and patted my belly. It wasn’t a lie. The sandwich had been huge and scoffing it down as fast as I did probably hadn’t been my greatest idea. I felt a little sick.
I stayed sitting at the table with Diesel and his friends. I didn’t want to get up in case I came across as rude, but I knew it wouldn’t be polite to intrude on their conversation. It was probably bad enough that I was sitting there and listening to it in the first place.
“New shipment will be coming in tonight,” Diesel said.
“Just guns?” one asked.
“Nah, drugs too,” Diesel replied.
“What about women?”
Diesel shook his head.
“Won’t have more of them coming in for a few days. Going to wait for the shitstorm with Cartel to die down a bit first.”
“Fucking ridiculous,” one of the guys muttered with a quick glance in my direction. “And the argument is over nothing. We should just break off from Ruiz.”
The others nodded in agreement.
“We don’t need them. I hope Mason sees that too.”
The conversation switched back again to their ‘normal business.’ This was horrible and more than a little terrifying. Close to disturbing if I had to put a word to it. I tried hard to block it out.
The talk of kidnapping, guns, drugs, and even killing went on until it got too much for me. I stood quickly. My chair scraped loudly on the floor and tipped over backwards.
Everyone stopped what they had been doing, including a few people outside and in the other rooms. My heart jumped into my throat.
I am in so much trouble.
I quickly looked at Diesel and smiled as calmly and confidently as I could manage.
“If you’ll excuse me, I am not feeling so good. I might go back to the room and lay down.”
No one said anything, not even Diesel. He simply shrugged and nodded before turning back to his friends and continuing the conversation as if nothing had happened.
Maybe I was being dramatic, the way I’d stood up?
I all but ran out of the room, leaving the chair where it had fallen.
The bedroom door slammed shut behind me. I curled up on the bed, closing my eyes with the hope that sleep would come. I needed to sleep. My head pounded as if someone was beating on a drum. I was over-exhausted, severely dehydrated, and my nerves were shredded. All of this was way beyond anything I could ever have imagined.
I woke up sometime later to find some painkillers and a huge glass of water on the bedside table. I grinned. Someone had read my mind. Or maybe I’d been talking in my sleep.
I downed the meds and the water before sitting up and stretching. After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I made my way out to the main living area again but froze when I heard Mason’s hard voice.
Some kind of meeting was going on, a meeting I was not likely to be welcome at. I decided to eavesdrop anyway.
Mason talked about the Cartel and what had happened the night before. I shuddered when he brought me into the conversation. Although he didn’t say anything had been my fault, that was how I felt.
Later, t
he conversation turned to a lighter note. Mason asked how everyone was going, and if their families were well. I’d forgotten that these people - these hard and cruel bikers - were also human and had families and people they loved, and people who cared for them too.
