The Joker howled and turned on Seth, struggling against his captors, dust rising from the ground as they all scrambled for purchase, Grady gritting his teeth as he caught the man’s hands behind his back and yanked up on the handcuffs now secured to the man’s wrists. Seth had no idea where the handcuffs had come from and didn’t want to know. The Joker turned to him, lips curled back in a snarl, eyes glowing dark in the night as he spat at him.
Grady yanked upward on the handcuffs, twisting the man’s arm at an impossible angle and another howl erupted from his throat, followed by a string of curses in Spanish, only one or two of which Seth understood. One of the others noticed the dangling earring hanging from the Joker’s right earlobe, tucked his finger in it, and pulled it out. The Joker yelled again. At that moment, he twisted his head, staring toward Seth’s cabin. Seth knew the moment that the Joker saw Nikki standing there in the light. Surprisingly, the Joker froze, then suddenly erupted in a howl of laughter.
“Get the fucker out of here,” Seth snarled. The way the man was looking at Nikki chilled his bones.
The Joker, kicking, screaming—and laughing—made the short trip from the parked truck to the main building, his eyes riveted on Nikki every step of the way. Taunting her. Cursing at her in Spanish, and then, just before he disappeared through the doorway, he shouted something else. “You’ll never see her again, Puta!”
Seth snarled and slammed his fist into the back of the guy’s head, prompting another burst of ugly laughter. Chest heaving, he watched as Grady and two others dragged the man into the main building and slammed the door. He turned toward Nikki, who was still standing frozen in the doorway. Seth started toward her, but she backed into the cabin and slammed the door again.
Fuck. He stood, undecided for several moments. He stared hard at his cabin door and then took a step toward the main building. Two steps later, he stopped short. Fuck. He needed to find out what the Joker knew, what the hell was going on around here, what the Jokers were doing in that warehouse. Trying for a takeover of their territory? It was also obvious the Joker had recognized Nikki. He had information, and information was what Seth needed.
At the same time, he wanted to talk to Nikki and find out what she had to say about the Joker. Was she one of them? She obviously knew him, but was the recognition merely due to the fact that the Jokers had kidnapped her? Or had they? He took another step toward his cabin and then changed his mind.
He looked like an idiot, heading first one way and then another. The guys would think he’d lost his mind. Taking a deep breath, he decided. First things first. His first duty lay with the club, to Levi. He was the vice president. They’d get their information from the Joker first, and then he could question Nikki.
By the time he made his way into the main building, up the stairs, and into Levi’s private rooms, he knew what to expect. Grady would’ve taken the Joker somewhere else to interrogate him. Grady had learned some techniques while stationed in the Middle East. Techniques that Seth didn’t want to know about. Levi sat calmly, tapping his fingers on the arm of the couch, the TV off.
“Think we’ll get anything out of him?”
Levi glanced at him, his fingers still tapping. “Who the hell knows, but I hope so. The bastards are encroaching on our territory, and we can’t let this continue. But I don’t want our boys to go off half-cocked. You know how impulsive some of them can be.”
Seth nodded. “It’s a balancing act. We need to send the Jokers a message, but at what point do we want an all-out war on our hands? They outnumber us at least three to one.”
Levi shrugged, and Seth didn’t push it. Over the past few months, the Jokers had grown bolder, causing more problems not only in Oklahoma City and west toward the border, but also for the Steel Kings. From what the newspapers said, local law-enforcement agencies were doing their best to keep them out of Oklahoma, with mixed results. They came in waves, followed by brief crime sprees, then they disappeared west again. Rinse and repeat. While Seth wasn’t looking to make the sheriff’s department’s job any easier, he also knew that if they didn’t do something soon, the Jokers would just keep coming and next time might not leave.
“What do you want to do?”
Levi sat, glaring at nothing, contemplating their situation. Finally, he glanced at Seth. “Did you get anything from Nikki?”
Seth shook his head. “Not yet. She knows how to keep her mouth closed, that one.”
Levi didn’t look happy. “What’s your take on her? You think she’s with the Jokers?”
Seth shook his head. “No. I think there’s something else going on, something that she doesn’t want to talk about.” And unlike the bastard Grady had hauled off God knows where, there was no way in hell anyone was laying a finger on Nikki. She could stay in the cabin awhile longer, let her stew a while. That he could live with. “I told her, whatever it was, that I could help . . . that we would help.” He noted Levi’s sharp look and shrugged. “Can’t get her to tell us what she’s doing until she trusts me . . . even a little bit.”
Levi sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. “This is a shitty situation.” He gestured out the door. “We’ll see if Grady can get some information from the Joker. Then I’ll decide.” He paused, sighed deeply, and then looked up at Seth. “Where’d you find the bastard?”
“I wasn’t with them, Levi. I was trying to get more information from Nikki. Grady and a couple of the others found him nosing around the warehouse.”
“Doing what?” He paused. “And what are you going to do about it?”
Seth shrugged. “Hell if I know. You’ll have to ask Grady.”
“I wasn’t talking about Grady. I was talking about you. How are you planning on getting more information from Nikki?”
The look he gave Seth prompted him to wonder. Did he know? Did he see it somehow? Levi’s next comment settled the question for him.
“Don’t be getting attached to her,” Levi warned. “We still don’t know who the hell she is. We don’t know anything about her other than we’ve found out on our own. She’s told us nothing.”
For the briefest of moments, a surge of anger rose in Seth. Was it any of Levi’s business what he felt about the girl? It wasn’t like he was going to—
“You do understand where I’m coming from, don’t you, Sticks? She’s obviously got baggage—”
“Don’t we all?”
“Yeah, we do, which is another reason to keep your distance.” Levi grimaced. “Or is it already too late for that?”
“I’m being careful,” Seth told him. “Besides, I—”
At that moment, one knock on the door interrupted him. It swung open, and Grady entered. He looked pissed, the anger flashing in his eyes, the tight jaw, his bloodied knuckles, hands still fisted.
“Well?”
Seth glanced between Levi and Grady as Grady shrugged.
“He was . . . reluctant. Apparently, they’re moving drugs from the south, which is why they were at the warehouse.”
“And?” Seth asked. “Does he know anything about Nikki? I recognized him. He was the one that dragged her out of the truck back at the warehouse.”
“It’s still a work in progress,” Grady said, likely purposely vague. “But I did manage to find out that she stuck her nose into something she shouldn’t have.”
“What did she stick her nose into?” Levi asked. “It had to be more than a simple chop shop, didn’t it?”
“He still . . . All I’ve gotten out of him so far is that she has a sister. A twin sister. That sister worked at the auto shop. Something about the books . . . I’m guessing that she found out about the drug running, the cartel, and tried to tell someone about it, maybe her boss. She’s disappeared. The Joker made a comment, under duress, I might add, that it’s possible the Jokers kidnapped her, too.”
“Shit,” Seth muttered. The thought came to him, but he shook his head in disbelief. “You don’t think Nikki’s keeping her mouth shut because they still have her sister? She�
�s not trying to rescue her herself? She couldn’t be that foolish.” Or worse, has she promised them something in return for them letting her sister go? Had Grady been right? Was Nikki there for a reason all along?
“No telling what a woman will do,” Grady said, slowly shaking his head. “I’ve given up even trying to figure out why women do the things they do. I just go along for the ride sometimes.”
Was it possible? The Mexican obviously recognized Nikki, had shouted that taunt in her direction. You’ll never see her again . . . Was he talking about Nikki sister? Maybe it was time that Seth demanded answers from her. Didn’t ask, didn’t request politely, but demanded. He understood desperation. But desperation to the point of stupidity? To risk her life? He couldn’t grasp it. He owed loyalty to no one but Levi and the Steel Kings. But if he’d had a brother or a sister, and if things had been different in his own family, would he do what Nikki had done?
“You keep questioning him, Merc,” Levi said. “I don’t particularly care what happens to him. He’s a piece of garbage.” He glanced up at Seth. “And you. You go find out what that woman knows and what she’s planning. I need to know, one way or the other, and the sooner the better, whether she’s working with them. Because if she is, she’s not with us. You understand that, Sticks?”
Seth nodded. It was time for the truth. He turned and opened the door, moving out onto the landing, Grady right behind him. If he had to, he would bully her into a confession. What he would have to do to get that confession prompted a shiver of regret, but he would do what he had to, for the sake of his people, the only true family he had ever known.
“You don’t have to lay a hand on her, Sticks,” Grady said softly. “I’ve found that silence is a great weapon, especially against a woman.”
Seth turned to him in curiosity. “You use that technique on Callie?”
Grady grinned. “When I have to. Most of the time, she spills.”
“And the other times?”
Grady laughed. “I get my head handed to me on a platter.”
18
Nikki
You’ll never see her again . . . The words reverberated in her brain, over and over. You’ll never see her again. He knew! That fucking bastard knew what had happened to Stacey. She needed to talk to him, but how the hell would she manage that? She flopped back on the couch. It was impossible. What would the Steel Kings do with that guy? Turn him over to the cops? No. They wanted information as much as she did, and there were much better ways of getting that out of a man. Which meant they had their own way of dealing with the Jokers. Or perhaps anyone who crossed them.
Like her. What if she—
The door burst open, and Seth stepped inside. His mouth firm, his shoulders back, he stared at her as he softly closed the door. The gentleness of the movement didn’t fool her. She saw his tight jaw, his stiff posture. Questions were coming. Questions that she didn’t really want to answer.
“Time to come clean, Nikki, and I mean it. I’m tired of screwing around with you.”
That raised her hackles. Who did he think he was, talking to her like that? She scowled, arms planted on her hips as she stared at him, chin thrust forward in defiance. No one could say she wasn’t stupid sometimes. But she didn’t think he would hurt her. He wouldn’t hit her. What made her so sure? She didn’t know, but she felt it, deep in her gut. “What difference does it make to you why the Jokers had me?” She pointed behind him, out the door. “That was a Joker, wasn’t it? What are you doing to him?”
He took a step closer, towering over her, eyes boring into hers. “And what does that have to do with you?”
She grunted. She couldn’t exactly tell them, could she? “Seth, I need you to—”
“You need to answer me, Nikki.”
“Why does it matter?” she exclaimed again. “To rape me? To sell me? To kill me? How the hell do I know?” Why did it matter so much to him why she had been with the Jokers? “I was tied up, remember? I was kidnapped. I didn’t enjoy any of it, if that’s what you’re getting at,” she muttered, a cold chill racing down her spine. Is that what he thought? “My God, Seth! Don’t you remember? I was yanked out of the bed of a pickup truck with my hands tied . . . does that look like someone who willingly wanted to be with those bastards?”
“What do they want with you?”
She sighed, suddenly so weary she felt weak. “How the hell do I know?” she muttered. “Do you think they stopped me on the street and asked me to politely go with them? Seriously.” She turned away from him, wanting to get away from those eyes, the questions, his physical presence. At that moment, she felt more intimidated by him that she had since the moment he rescued her. He didn’t give her any room. He stayed close to her, within a few inches, step-by-step, hovering, crowding, demanding.
She spun around. “Why don’t you just leave me alone? All I want is to be left alone. Why can’t you just let me go?” To her frustration, warm tears filled her eyes. “Why can’t you just let me go?” Out of nowhere, her hand moved, fisted, slamming him in the middle of his chest. He didn’t move. She glanced up into his face, expecting to see anger, but she didn’t. She saw . . . what was that? Pity? She didn’t meet anyone pitying her.
“That was a Joker,” Seth said, arms crossed over his chest now. “He recognized you. And what was that he said? You’ll never see her again? What was that about?”
He was the one who had dragged her out of the pickup truck. She would never forget his face, the sneer, the look in his eyes promising nothing good. “I know he was the one that yanked me out of the truck back there at the warehouse. As far as what he said? I didn’t understand. I wasn’t exactly in their confidence, you know.”
“Stop being a smartass and tell me what you know, Nikki.”
“Or what? You’ll beat me? Levi or Grady will hurt me? Is that what you’re trying to suggest?”
He gritted his teeth, swiped his hand through his close-cropped hair, and closed his eyes for a moment. “My God, Nikki. Why don’t you just tell me?”
“Because you want me to tell you something that I don’t have the answer to!” They stared at one another, both breathing hard now. “Is this what you call a Mexican standoff?” She shook her head, tried to back up a couple of steps toward the couch, and once again he followed. “Quit following me! Give me some elbowroom, will you?”
He continued toward her, backing her up toward the couch until the back of her knees touched the cushions. She sat down. To her surprise, he leaned over her, bracing one arm on the side of the couch, the other on the back, literally trapping her. She swallowed.
“I thought we had established at least a little bit of trust with one another.” He grinned. “After all, we’ve shared some tender moments together, haven’t we?”
His face loomed so close to her she felt his breath on her lips. This quiet side of him, this side that looked so . . . disappointed? She frowned. Where was this going? “Trust? Is that what this is?” She shook her head, pushed the memory of his naked body hovering over her out of her mind. “You mean like not letting me go? Not letting me go home? You’re keeping me here against my will, and you talk to me about trust?”
“I could’ve helped you, Nikki.”
Her stomach clenched into a tight knot of anxiety. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about Stacey.”
Her sister’s name coming out of Seth’s mouth shocked her to the core. The knot of anxiety turned into a ball of dread. Nausea bubbled up her throat, and she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up on end. Was it possible to feel the blood draining from your face? Was it possible for her heart to beat any harder without bursting? Was it possible to feel so many emotions at once that you couldn’t put your finger on any one of them?
“This is all about Stacey, isn’t it?” His voice practically a whisper, she could only stare into his eyes. Finally, she nodded, her mouth so dry she couldn’t work up enough spit to swallow, nor to speak.
&nbs
p; “So let me guess. You conveniently . . . let me put it this way. Your plan was to allow yourself to be kidnapped by the Jokers so that you could find your sister. Is that right?”
Again, she stared at him for several moments before offering a nod. He jolted upright so fast she startled, pushing himself away from the couch and taking several steps back, that look in his eyes exactly the one she had feared. The dismay. Disbelief, shock, and . . . was that disgust?
No, he had to understand. “You don’t—”
“Please don’t tell me you were that stupid, Nikki. How could you possibly have thought—”
“I needed to find my sister!” she snapped. “Don’t tell me what you would or wouldn’t have done. You don’t know. I didn’t know what to do, and—”
“Why didn’t you go to the cops?”
“I did!” she cried, her voice wavering between fury and tears. “They told me I had to wait before I could report her missing! And after that? What was I supposed tell them then? She didn’t show up for work? You know what their response would’ve been, don’t you?”
He said nothing, just stood there staring down at her.
“They would’ve told me that she was an adult, that she could do whatever she wanted, had the freedom to come and go as she pleased. Even if I told him that was so out of character it wasn’t funny, what could they do? I had no proof that something bad happened to her! She didn’t show up for work. Big deal.” Hot tears spilled over her eyes, streaming down her cheeks. “But I knew! I knew that something was wrong.” She shook her head, her despair rising in her like a tidal wave, soon to consume her.
Confession Page 13
