“You won’t be making any of those at the clubhouse.”
She scoffed. “And why the fuck not?”
I sighed. “Because I just ripped you away from the mafia. For all I know, you’re going to call them to come pick you up and it’s going to put everyone at risk.”
“You’re a dick.”
“And you need to shut up.”
I figured she’d slap me. Bite me. Do something to retaliate. But she didn’t do anything. Instead, she sighed and loosened her grip a bit. Trying to put some distance between us. That didn’t last long, though. I took turns a little sharper and sped a little faster. Forcing her to latch back onto me.
This woman needed to know exactly the kind of situation she was in.
“Are you going to kill me?” Natasha asked.
It caught me off-guard how nonchalantly she asked that.
“Why would you think that?” I asked.
She shrugged. “Are you?”
“No.”
“Are your friends?”
“No. You’re safe with me.”
“So, would they if I wasn’t with you?”
I shook my head. “No. They wouldn't.”
I pulled into the parking lot of the clubhouse and turned my bike off. I knew I had fucked up my mission. But at least I didn’t get myself killed. Now, the mission had changed: get Natasha to trust me enough to start spilling dirt on the people she worked for. Maybe, amidst all the waitressing she’d done, she had some viable information she didn’t know she had. Or something like that.
Then, I heard Natasha giggle.
“What?” I asked.
I slid off my bike and watched her, but all she did was quirk an eyebrow.
“You’re not going to offer me a hand?” she asked.
“You’re a big girl. You’ve proven that enough tonight,” I said flatly.
She rolled her eyes and got off the bike. And while I expected her to let out groans and gasps of pain, she didn’t. She clenched her jaw with a temperamental look on her face but didn’t complain about the pain in her feet. It made me wonder how long she’d been working for them.
Or what had happened to her if she complained.
“So, this is it?” she asked.
“Yep,” I said.
“This is the almighty clubhouse?”
“Yep.”
She nodded as her eyes scanned the building.
“Looks like a piece of shit.”
I was ready to duct tape this woman’s mouth closed.
“Come on. Inside. Follow me,” I said.
But when I started walking, she didn’t follow.
“You coming?” I asked, not bothering to look back.
“I’ll come when I’m ready.”
“There’s a storm brewing over the ocean. You going to stand in the rain and let your feet get infected?”
And once she sighed, I heard her making her way for me.
I led us into the clubhouse, where all the guys stared at us. Grave, with his eyes ablaze with frustration. Rock, with his jaw raking against the damn floor. Brewer, with his eyes narrowed and his nose curled up. And Saint, with a look on his face I couldn't decipher. I didn’t want to take the time, either. I was tired. In a monkey suit. And in desperate need of a shower.
So, all I did was shrug before I escorted Natasha down the hallway.
“Not going to introduce me to your—”
“Shut up and follow me or walk until you find someone else to deal with your shit,” I said curtly.
“Um, I’m sorry. But from the sounds of it? You need me more than I need you.”
“Says the girl who just got rescued from people willing to fill her with lead.”
“They didn’t want to fill me with lead until you felt the need to play cowboy.”
“Sorry I didn’t want to see you get raped.”
“And sorry you think that’s new to me.”
Her words sucker-punched me in my fucking gut. An anger unlike anything I’d ever known spilled over me. Someone raped her? When? Who? What was the fucker’s name and where did he live?
I wanted to know all these questions.
Because my fingertips suddenly craved blood.
“This is your room,” I murmured.
I pressed the door open and flicked on the light.
“Not much in the way of decoration,” Natasha said.
“It’s got a bed, a bathroom, and things you can use to clean up your feet. Have fun,” I said flatly.
“So, you’re just going to leave me here and hope your friends don’t kill me in the middle of the night?”
“Trust me, if anyone here wants to kill you, it won’t be because of your presence.”
“Wow. You really know how to talk to the ladies.”
“Usually, their mouths are too full to be talking if I’m in the picture.”
“Ah, a big dick joke. Classy.”
“I’m not the one wearing a low-cut flapper dress and a cheap push-up bra.”
She glared at me. “Say something like that again and see what happens.”
I gazed into her eyes. “I’m not the one wearing a low-cut flapper dress and a cheap. Fucking. Push-up bra.”
Her chest panted with anger. Her skin flushed from her cheeks to the base of her neck. Her dark eyes ignited with fire, and when she licked her lips? My eyes followed the motion. They glistened for me. Hot pillows of softness for my cock to fall between.
“You have no idea what I’ve been through in my life,” Natasha said softly.
“And you have no idea what I’ve been through in mine,” I murmured.
My face fell a little closer, my body stepping a bit toward hers. She didn’t move, either. Didn’t back away. Or close the door in my face. Or push me away. Her eyes danced between mine. Her breath pulsed against my lips. And as my eyes found hers again, there was something in them I couldn't place.
It gave me pause.
“What’s your name?” she whispered.
Damn it, Toxin. The fuck are you doing?
I jerked away, taking a couple steps backward.
“You can call me Toxin. Now, get cleaned up and get some sleep. We’ve got a long day tomorrow.”
Then, I left her alone to do whatever the fuck it was she needed to do.
8
Natasha
What the hell was that about?
I watched Toxin backtrack, taking his musky scent with him. I reached out and closed my door, then locked it for good measure. The last thing I needed was him coming back. The last thing I needed were his lips against mine. The man was a dick. An absolute asshole.
But I want to kiss him.
That didn’t make any sense, though. I didn’t like him. If anything, I wanted to slap the living shit out of him. I backed up until my legs hit the edge of the bed. I fell against the mattress, still staring at the door. My fingertips came up to my lips. The heat of his breath had been unlike anything I’d ever experienced. I cupped my hands together. I linked my fingers to keep them from trembling. I didn’t like the electricity slowly working its way down my spine. Making me shiver as my mind tried to make sense of the night and what had just happened.
Ivan’s going to find me.
The mafia had been my only protection. Phillip had been my only protection. I was more than willing to let Mr. Williams have his way with me tonight because I knew the guards would gun him down. I knew they would’ve found me and protected me. Like they always had. But now, Ivan would surely find me. Especially now that I was no longer under the protection of the mafia. I knew Ivan. I knew how his mind worked. He wouldn’t stop until he found me again. It wouldn’t shock me if, after all this time, he’d still been looking for me. Looking for his “property,” as he so called me sometimes.
His willing little slave.
Someone knocked on the door and I jumped up. I hissed at the pain in my feet as a shadow moved underneath the doorway. The knock came again, and my heart seized in my chest. Was i
t Toxin? No, he’d just come barreling in. Because he didn’t give a shit about privacy. That much he’d proven tonight. Was it another one of the guys? Come to take a look at the cheap girl I apparently was?
“Hey, Brynn. Just leave those clothes in the hallway. She’s probably cleaning up.”
I narrowed my eyes as Toxin’s voice wafted through the door.
“I just want to talk to her,” the female said.
“I know. And tomorrow, you can. But right now? She’s been through a lot. Let her sleep.”
“You think maybe she saw Diesel?”
“I didn’t see Diesel. So, I doubt she did.”
“Then, how can she help us? Why did you bring her back here? We have to find my husband. Please, Toxin.”
“I know, Brynn. I know. And we will. I know she’ll cooperate with us. Talk with us. Just—give her time. It’s been a hell of a night. Set the clothes down and let’s get you some water.”
The tone of his voice was soft. Soothing, almost. Why hadn’t he spoken to me like that? It sounded so nice. So lovely. So… kind. Tears rose behind my eyes. The only person who ever spoken to me with that kind of kindness was Phillip. And now, he’d surely be gunning for my death, too. Unless he wanted to meet that same death with me.
I hate my life.
I sat back down on the bed and wiggled my way out of my clothes. I tossed my panties to the side and put my dress in the trash can. Then, I took off my bra. The night had been so insane that I’d completely forgotten about my tip money. About my phone. About my keys. It all came spilling out onto the floor. And as I stared at my phone—surrounded by almost three thousand dollars’ worth of tips—I thought about calling Phillip.
Would the mafia take me back if I surrendered?
Slowly, I reached for my phone. I picked it up, then pressed down onto the screen. I scrolled to Phillip’s number. I hovered my finger over it. One touch, and this might all be over. One touch, and they might come find me and give me a second chance.
One touch, and they might snipe you from two thousand yards away.
I put the phone beside me in bed and gathered up my money. I picked up the keys to my moped and snickered at them. No doubt, that thing was probably torched. Stripped down for evidence before being doused in gasoline. I tossed the keys into the garbage, too. They were worthless now. And after stuffing my money into the bedside drawer, I tucked my phone underneath the pillow.
I needed a story before I called Phillip.
I limped into the bathroom and turned on the hot water. I sat on the edge of the tub, sighing as the steam wrapped me up. I closed my eyes. I flexed my feet. It’d take them days to heal. Days to really look better again. I sat myself down in the bottom of the shower and cleaned myself off. I washed my skin with the only bar of soap I could find. I used the cheap shampoo and conditioner to wash my hair. Twice over, actually. Then, I carefully washed off my feet.
Hissing as the pain coursed through my veins.
I watched the dirt swirl down the drain. My makeup dripped along my cheekbones. I splashed water in my face, watching the black of my mascara and the tan of my foundation swirl around in the water. I sat there, allowing the hot water to pelt against me until there was nothing left. Until no dirt swirled and no makeup tainted the water.
Until I felt somewhat whole again.
Will I ever feel truly whole again?
I turned the shower off and slipped out of the tub. As I walked on my bare heels, I reached for a towel. One that smelled like must. I wrinkled my nose and wrapped it around me, trying to ignore how many other people might have used this towel. And after wrapping another one around my head, I went and sat back on the edge of the bed.
Giving myself a moment to breathe.
I closed my eyes and cracked my neck. I stretched my hands high into the sky. Holy shit, a shower hadn’t felt that good in a very long time. Months, easily. A quake worked its way through my body. One that involuntarily shook my head. A lopsided smile crossed my cheeks before I flopped back onto the bed. My back, bouncing against the mattress. I closed my eyes. I went over everything that had happened tonight. Including the first time I had laid eyes on Toxin.
Who would’ve known he was such an asshole?
My eyes fluttered open and I sighed. Stuck between a rock and a hard place. That always seemed to be my plight. I debated on whether or not to tell my new captors about Ivan. About what I’d run from and what I was scared of coming into contact with. Would they care? Would they protect me from him if he ever turned up?
I didn’t know. Toxin didn’t really strike me as the kind of person that gave a shit either way.
I slowly sat up and stripped myself of the towels. I tossed them to the floor, figuring I could bother with them in the morning. I mean, they already had a smell to them. Not like letting them air-dry would make a different. But as I started looking around for something to put on that wasn’t my outfit from tonight, something caught my ear.
Voices, coming from down the hallway.
I furrowed my brow as the sound grew. I pushed myself up off the bed and made my way for the door. I opened it and peeked my head out, completely forgetting about the clothes that had been left for me. And when I looked down, I saw them. Multiple articles of clothing just for me.
I quickly picked them up but left my door ajar.
Curiosity got the best of me. So, as I dried off and got dressed, I listened. I listened to Toxin’s voice as it rumbled down the hallway. I listened as multiple grown men talked over one another at once. After slipping into a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt, I hobbled back over to the door. I poked my head out. I looked both ways before slipping out into the hallway, creeping closer to their conversation.
And as I perched at the corner of the main hallway, I heard their voices loud and clear.
Talking about things that made my skin prickle with goosebumps.
9
Toxin
I stood in the corner with my arms crossed, gazing out at the guys. They all kept side-eyeing me. Studying me. Snickering at me, like I didn’t already know they were pissed. Hell, I was pissed. No one was angrier than me at how this shit panned out. And with how ungrateful this Natasha girl was, I didn’t want to be around her any longer than I needed to be.
Guess that gets you going.
I shoved the thought to the side. The last thing I needed to be thinking about was that shit. I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath as the guys gathered in the room. Brynn was a fucking mess. Trying to do everything in her power to talk to this girl about Diesel. And I got it. I understood it. I really did. She must’ve had it in her mind that we’d be one step closer to him after tonight. And that wasn’t the case.
I knew what it meant to leave people behind, not knowing if I’d ever see them again.
I won’t let that happen to Diesel, Brynn. You have my word.
I turned my back to them and gazed out the window. Everything about me was on high alert. My senses. My mind. The hairs standing on the nape of my neck. Something told me this girl had big secrets, and I hoped my decision to bring her back here wouldn't backfire on me. We’d been in enough trouble with women in this fucking crew. We’d had enough women come back and sink their talons into the men of this club.
We didn’t need another one causing us any more ruckus.
I closed my eyes and ran down the night. Every event that lead me to this moment. Because the second Cage came back into the room after smashing his girl into the mattress, it’d be on. The guys would want answers, and I’d have to spit them out. One by one. Which meant I needed to be on my toes.
And not wanting to kill them instead.
I still didn’t do well with people. Being backed into corners. I still didn’t do well with people raising their voices. It put me on edge. Made me defensive. Made me crave the sight and smell of blood. I swallowed hard as I recounted the night. My head bobbed as I clocked every fifteen minutes’ worth of actions. I could run down a scenario li
ke a fucking hawk, seeing it from every point of view imaginable.
But when I opened my eyes, I saw the reflection of the guys standing behind me in the window. All of them, turned to me. Facing me.
Waiting for me to address them.
“I take it you guys have questions?” I asked.
Grave snickered. “You could say that.”
Brewer sighed. “What the hell happened in there?”
Then, Cage opened his fucking mouth.
“Are you absolutely insane, bringing her back here!?”
I whipped around as he stepped to the forefront, his nostrils flaring in response.
“Because I think you are,” he continued to yell. “You have no idea who the fuck this woman is. Who she’s attached to the in mafia. Or if she holds information at all! The only reason you brought her back is because of those long-ass legs. We all see it. Doesn’t take a fucking rocket scientist to figure out what the hell you were staring at all night!”
I blinked. “Coming from the guy we literally did a favor? I wouldn't be the first one to rush into this argument.”
“I’m just as much a part of this crew as you are now. And you’ve put Sutton in danger by bringing her back here. The one person we’re fighting for in all this!”
“We’re fighting for everyone at this point!” I bellowed.
I lunged at him with my fists balled up as Brewer slid in front of us.
“Down, Toxin. Now’s not the time,” he said.
“You’re damn right it’s the time. I’ve sat back and watched every single one of you newbies bring women back to this place. Children you didn’t know you had. Children you did knew you had but didn’t tell us shit about. But I’m the bad guy right now? Are you fucking kidding me!?”
My voice echoed off the corners of the walls as I shot daggers into Cage’s face.
“Back. The fuck. Down. Before you get yourself tossed out on your ass,” I growled.
“Not your call,” Grave said.
“You’ve got no room to talk, knocking up your girl during a time like this,” I hissed.
Dead Souls MC: Prospects Series Books 1-5 Page 66
