“Fuck. We’ll need reinforcements,” Bear murmured.
“Yes, we will. Which is why I already have plans to give the Black Hornets a call,” Diesel said.
A loud murmur shot across the room through all the men, and I wondered if that was a good or a bad thing.
“You think they’ll help out?” Grave asked.
“They fucking better, after all we’ve done for them,” Knox said.
“They’ve done just as much. As far as I’m concerned, they’re a friendly crew we can call on for help. And we’ll need it, despite our numbers doubling over the past two years,” Diesel said.
“So, these Black Hornets. I can trust them?” I asked.
The men looked around the room at one another before Rock nodded his head.
“You can trust them with your life,” he said.
“Well, that’s good enough for me at this point,” I said.
“Great. With that settled, I’m gonna leave you be to go give them a call. I’m sure the guys have plenty of other questions to ask you. I suggest you answer them, so we know how best to help you,” Diesel said.
Toxin smirked. “I got a question.”
“Except his questions!” Diesel exclaimed.
“Oh, come on!” Toxin yelled.
And as the men fell apart in laughter, I found myself chuckling along.
Apparently, Diesel had just saved me from a barrage of very inappropriate questions. Judging by how everyone jumped in and were already teasing the man for it.
16
Sutton
My eyes fluttered open, and I knew before I even got my bearings that I was alone. I was cold. Shivering, almost. Despite the heat raging outside with the California summer. I didn’t like the feeling of Cage not being there. I rolled over, feeling the cool side of his sheets.
He’d been gone a while.
Suddenly, a roar of laughter kicked up down the hallway, and among the laughter I heard Cage. I smiled at the sound of it. I hadn’t heard him laugh like that in so long. I heard the guys talking over one another as I slowly pulled myself from sleep, trying my best to wake up. I had no idea what time it was, but I figured it was around ten in the morning. Well after Cage usually woke up. He was an early riser, naturally. And me? Well, I was lucky if I had my head screwed on straight by noon.
I buried my face into his pillow and drew in his scent, imagining him there with me.
With a grunt, I slowly rolled out of bed. I slid to the floor, cracking my neck and pressing myself up onto my feet. The mattress was old. Stale, at best. A far cry from the opulence and comfort I was used to. Then again, this was what I had chosen. This was what I had picked for my life the second I obeyed Cage and got on the back of his bike. And honestly, I didn’t regret it. I didn’t regret the musted sheets and the flat pillows and the springboard bed.
Not when Cage was with me.
I dragged myself into the bathroom and turned on the light. I used my travel toothbrush and the small amount of toothpaste the girls had afforded me. I stood at the stained sink, brushing my teeth as my eyes peered over at the tub.
I grinned as the memories of last night bombarded me.
I shivered with delight as I went through my routine. Brushing with a toothbrush instead of my automatic one. Washing my face with hand soap instead of my high-maintenance five-product routine I had for every morning and every evening. I drew in a deep breath as I gazed at myself in the dirty mirror, water dripping from the edges of my jawline.
I felt a sense of peace in the different life I had chosen for myself.
I wiped my face off and didn’t bother looking around for floss. While I usually used my water pick, today I decided to opt for something different. Not being as high-maintenance as I usually was. I rummaged around in the mound of clothes the girls let me borrow, eventually pulling out an outfit to wear. A simple pair of jeans with a tight tank top and a short-sleeved cardigan to go over all of it. A far cry from the skirts and Louis Vuitton heels I was used to. I ran my fingers through my hair before tossing it up into a bun. I smoothed out my eyebrows and forced myself to do without any sort of makeup.
The guys kicked up their laughter again, and the sound made me smile.
At least Cage was getting along well with everyone.
I sighed as I gazed around the room. It was plain. Barren. It had only what it needed and boasted of nothing else to make it homey. Yet another far cry from what I was used to.
I wonder when he’s going to come for me.
My thoughts took a sharp turn and dread filled my stomach. It was true. Eventually, my father would come for me. Especially since he knew where we were. I’d been able to forget about him for a little while. Just for a night, so I could enjoy the moments between Cage and myself. Moments that, in my mind, we should have shared months ago.
Like the first night we kissed. When our passion overflowed, and we couldn't keep our hands off one another.
He is coming for you, Sutton. You know this.
I tried to push the voice away from my mind. I tried my best to rip away from its foreboding foreshadowing. But I couldn't. It wasn’t until my burner phone starting ringing against the bedside table, where I had placed it last night when I changed into that dress.
I froze, my eyes landing on the device as my breath caught in my throat.
It continued to ring as I slowly walked over to it. The tinkering melody filled the room with sunlight but filled my gut with lead. I knew who it was. I knew who was calling this phone. It could only be one person. It could only be the one man with the capability at his fingertips to track down the one damn burner phone I was walking around with on my person.
I peered down at the number and didn’t recognize it. Which only made things worse.
Because if my father wasn’t using his own cell phone, that meant he had a burner phone as well.
My mind swirled as I let the phone call go to voicemail. If my father had a burner phone, that meant he could be anywhere. On his way. Already in the state. Hell, already in the city. For all I knew, he was headed here now. With the lodge packed with all the guys. My eyes watered with tears of fear. Was this how everyone felt in my father’s presence?
Was I the only one that never felt this way until now?
I gasped when my phone dinged out. My heart surged in my chest, rumbling to life and forcing panic through my veins. I had a voice message. One voice message, waiting for me.
I gave it a few minutes to see if he would call back. And when he didn’t, I slowly picked up the phone to listen to the message.
“Hello, daughter,” my father said.
His voice played out on the voicemail reel for me, making me sick to my stomach.
“I know where you are, princess. I always know where you are. You’re my daughter, Sutton. There won’t be a day on this planet where I don’t know what you are and what you’re doing.”
Tears rushed down my cheeks as I stood there, paralyzed with fear.
“I’ve known all along about your little meetings with Cage. Did you really think your apartment wouldn't be completely locked down for your protection?”
Holy shit, my father had security cameras in my own fucking apartment.
“I let it be for a while, princess. But now that you’re gone, it’s become a bit of a problem. For now, however, I’m forcing my men to give you the benefit of the doubt. I’m paying them to believe you were simply taken. That you didn’t actually, willingly, get on the back of that man’s bike. And that you didn’t go voluntarily into that lodge after he was shot.”
I trembled where I stood as I drew in a shaking breath.
“Rest assured, princess, this won’t last for long. If I find proof that you did go voluntarily—if I find concrete evidence that you’re with that piece of shit willingly—I will take pleasure in killing you. I will take pleasure in killing you both. Because what you have to understand, princess, is that some things are even bigger than you.”
I whimpered
as I coughed, trying to clear out the knot in my throat.
“So, I’m giving you a choice.”
I held my breath as I hung onto his every word.
“Come home, princess. And we will find a suitable way for you to apologize. Come home and convince me that you simply lost your mind there for a bit. It happens. It happened to your mother. It happened to me. We all have our rebellious moments in life, Sutton. Every child does. Come home, and we’ll find a way for you to properly apologize.”
Yeah, by doing your dirty work for free.
“But if you choose to stay. If you choose to hide from me, princess, I will take great pleasure in killing the Dead Souls. And their families. The wives. Their children. Everyone.”
“No,” I said, murmuring.
“I will slaughter the hoard if it means proving my point,” my father hissed.
“No,” I said, whimpering.
“And I’ll make sure you’re alive to witness it all. To witness the deaths of children that will be on your hands before I put a bullet in your skull, princess,” he growled.
I clapped my hand over my mouth as I screamed into my palm. The voice message ended, and I ended the call as tears poured over my face. I rushed to the bathroom. I threw the toilet seat up and heaved into the porcelain piece of furniture. My stomach jumped. My throat burned. I sobbed into the toilet as bile crept up the back of my throat.
I didn’t know what to do.
And yet, there was only one thing I could do.
After wiping my mouth off and cleaning myself up, I rushed back out into the bedroom. I stripped myself of my clothes and began layering things on. Panties. Leggings. Jeans. Sweatpants. Tank tops below t-shirts below hoodies below sweaters. I stuffed my sweatpants pockets with bras and another pair of shoes. More panties. Anything I could get my hands on that the girls let me borrow.
Then, I slid my burner phone into my back pocket with a sigh.
This was all my fault. Everyone, including those children, were in danger because of me. I never should have gone to the Night Outlaw’s underground casino in the first place. I never should have laid my eyes on Cage. I never should have gotten onto the back of his fucking bike. I should have just let him go.
I should have let him live his life without me being so fucking selfish.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
In a flash, something in my gut told me to check the bedside table one last time. I had the clothes I could carry on my person without taking up precious space. I had my purse stuffed with things I needed. I was ready to go. But, that tug in my gut grew. So, I walked over to the small table and pulled open the drawer, ready to prove to myself I was already growing paranoid. Trying to come up with reasons to stay at Cage’s side.
But, once I pulled the drawer open, I thanked my gut profusely.
“Oh, bingo,” I murmured.
It was a small gun, but a gun, nonetheless. I should have known every room would’ve been equipped with one. There was a small, loaded Glock sitting there next to an extra magazine. Fucking hell, I couldn’t have gotten any luckier. I had a Glock back at my apartment in Nevada that my father insisted I learn to use before I moved into my own apartment.
“I hope I won’t have to use you,” I whispered to myself.
I slipped the gun and the extra magazine into my purse, then tossed it over my shoulder. I made my way for the bedroom door, slowing inching it open so I could see down the hall. I heard the guys still howling. Still laughing. I heard Cage practically crying he was laughing so hard. The sound warmed my heart, and it was the only thing that kept me pressing on with the plan.
My desperate desire to make sure he stayed alive to laugh like that for the rest of his life.
I peeked around in the hallway, trying to find a way out of the lodge. I reached out for one last t-shirt, tucking it into the pocket above my burner phone to keep it in its place. My eyes laid onto a small corridor. No more than eight or nine inches wide. I had no idea why the hell it was there. But, when I peered down it, I saw what looked like a doorknob at the end of it.
If that was a way out of this place, it would be the only way I could take.
I slipped out of the bedroom silently and sucked in my gut. I inched myself down the hallway, feeling my breasts sliding against the wall. Whenever the guys quieted down, I stopped. I held my breath. I reminded myself of those children. Of the lives I was saving by doing what I was doing. I moved with the growing of their sounds. I moved while they talked, making sure their sounds masked my own. And when I slipped out of the corridor, I stood in front of a door that led to the side of the lodge.
One hop over the porch railing, and I was home free.
Please forgive me, Cage. But it’s the only way.
I ran down everything I had one last time. I looked through my purse, making sure I wasn’t leaving anything behind. I had the charger for the burner phone, so I could keep in touch with my father. Try desperately to draw him and his goonies away from this lodge. I had my wad of cash. My credit cards, if I needed them. The gun I found in the bedside table along with the extra magazine. I had a feeding the credit cards were useless at this point, but I had them just in case.
Then, I slung it over my shoulder and prayed the door was unlocked as I reached for it.
“You guys hear that?” Grave asked.
I froze. I stood as still as a deer in fucking headlights. The entire lodge fell silent until one of the guys grunted.
“You’re getting old, Grave. You’re hearing shit,” someone said.
I didn’t recognize the voice, but laughter erupted again. I sighed with relief as the door eased open, and I slipped out. I masked the sound of the door closing with their laughter before I dropped to my knees. I wiggled underneath the railing and felt my feet touch the ground, relief shooting through my veins.
Then, without a second thought, I took off down the road. Running as quickly as I could away from the lodge.
And I prayed it was enough to keep them all safe.
17
Cage
“That woman of yours is a sleeper,” Brewer said.
“Yeah, it’s almost eleven in the morning,” Diesel said.
“Trust me, I know. I’m up at the ass crack of dawn and she sleeps until the apocalypse cometh. It’s insane,” I said.
“You know, Brynn has been that way since the baby. You know, sleeping in and struggling to get up,” Diesel said.
“Piper’s never had that issue. But she’s also used to working third shift at the hospital when necessary,” Rock said.
“Everly became a morning person once we had the baby,” Grave said.
“Can you pass some of that onto Brynn? Because sometimes, it’s lunch before she’ll roll out of bed on the weekends,” Diesel said.
“She gave birth to your child. She’ll be perpetually tired until she dies,” I said, grinning.
The guys fell apart in laughter and Diesel looked at me with a grin. He held his hand out to shake mine, and I gladly took it. My cheeks hurt from laughing so hard. My stomach was knotting itself up from all the cramps. I’d thoroughly enjoyed joking around with them after the church meeting, especially to lighten the mood it brought down onto the lodge. The guys were great. Both the prospects and the original members. I enjoyed learning about their history and what they did to make money. Some of the struggles they’d gone through and how they came out of it on the other end better for it.
But I was beginning to worry about Sutton.
“Hey, you fucking laugh now. But wait until Sutton has a kid. She might end up shifting to a morning person and getting up before you. Like Makenna does with me,” Brewer said.
“Makenna’s always done that with you, though,” Rock said.
“I still think she should take the opportunity to draw on his face,” Grave said.
“And that’s why I never let you come over,” Brewer said, chuckling.
I held up my hands. “Yikes let’s slow that train down a
second. No one’s thinking about having any children right now.”
“Trust me, neither of us were, either,” Rock said, chuckling.
A laugh worked its way through the guys in the living room, but I tried to shove everything out of my mind. There was no way in hell I was ready for kids. Neither was Sutton. We were still getting to know one another. Trying to figure out how this would work and how the hell we’d get away from her father.
However, I didn’t hate the thought of Sutton having my children.
“Guys, I want to thank you again,” I said.
“I told you,” Rock said.
“You owe me fifty, Diesel,” Brewer said.
“And you owe me a drink, Grave,” Toxin said.
“What?” I asked.
Diesel rolled his eyes. “One, you don’t need to thank us anymore. You’re family, even if you’ve been long lost for a while. We’ll protect you the best we can until we can figure out how the hell to get you out of this mess.”
“And it’s a mess I’m sorry for dropping on your doorstep. You guys have families. Children. I feel like I’ve—”
Brewer held up his hand. “You leave protecting our families to us. It’s what we do. All you need to be focusing on is Sutton and getting your asses out of this unscathed with whatever plan we come up with.”
“And speaking of Sutton, is she still not up yet? I’m about to offer her a bacon sandwich instead of bacon and eggs,” Bear said.
“I’ll go check on her. Give me a sec,” I said.
I eased myself out of the chair and groaned. I would have never thought my fucking shoulder muscle played such a role in literally everything I did. There were very few moves I made that didn’t tick that muscle for flex it in some way. Including getting off the couch. The guys looked at me with worried glances and I wiped them away. I waved my hand in the air, trying to play off the pain I was really in.
After checking on Sutton, I needed another one of those pain pills.
“Sutton?” I asked.
I knocked on the door softly before opening it.
Dead Souls MC: Prospects Series Books 1-5 Page 11
