Her enthusiasm was child-like.
It was fucking beautiful, to tell you the truth. It hit me right in the fucking heart. But it also made me feel terrible for her, only highlighting what a nightmare her life must have been. I couldn’t imagine how torturous what she went through was. Same with Lacey. Same with Grace. They must have had the strength of ten fucking elephants to get through that shit.
I couldn’t help but put them on a pedestal in my mind.
It just made me want to protect them even more, even though they clearly didn’t need my protection. But I was determined to do whatever was necessary to help in whatever way I could, whatever way they let me.
If all they needed was braun and muscles and someone to punch in a few faces, so be it. I’m their man. All of us are. I knew the other Gods shared my sentiments. I could see it on their faces, see it in the anger that flashed in their eyes every time someone new showed up with another fucked up story.
I’d never felt so passionate about something in my life, well outside of Frankie, of course. But now I knew I was right where I belonged. With the Gods. Doing whatever we could, whenever we could, to make a victim’s life a little better, to give them a fighting chance at a new life.
Fuck, even that must have been scary as hell for Vanessa. What did her life even look like now? She had nothing. She had nobody, outside of us. It was like she’d be starting her life completely fresh, and while that may sound enticing at first, I’m sure it was scary as hell at the same time. Not to mention, having one of the most powerful men in the world pissed off that you’d betrayed him. There was no telling what Royce might do at this point.
But you can bet your sweet ass I’m not letting him anywhere near this girl.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Vanessa
I couldn’t believe how comfortable I was feeling. Maybe it was because I was finally able to push away the constant fear that Royce had instilled in me now that I wasn’t surrounded by him and his things. But mainly, it was them.
Solid Ground. Gods of Chaos. Whatever they were called, they were good people. They were kind to me, gentle with me, and yet, not one person looked at me with pity in their eyes. And so somehow that allowed me to stop feeling sorry for myself, which I had felt myself falling into these last few years.
They held up a mirror and showed me how strong I was. I could see myself in Grace, in Lacey. I felt stronger than I’d ever felt before. I’d put my plan into place and it had worked. I’d finally taken that first step to freedom and I was ready to keep walking. Hell, I was ready to run a fucking marathon at this point.
And I would. I planned to do everything I could to live my life to the fullest.
As soon as I accomplished the most important part of my plan - to get Royce’s hands off those girls.
But for now, for tonight, until all the details were ironed out tomorrow, I was enjoying this incredible kindness and generosity that was being gifted to me.
Not to mention this heavenly peach cobbler.
After three helpings, I finally pushed my plate away. My stomach protruded from the designer jeans I’d put on this morning. I hated them, but they were the most casual thing that Royce would let me own, and I kept staring at everyone else’s faded, torn, worn-out ones with envy.
“I’m stuffed!” I said, holding my belly.
“Well, the party’s just getting started, darlin’,” Cherry said.
“Party?” I asked.
“Well, call it what you want. Partyin’. Raisin’ hell. Kickin’ up boots,” Cherry shrugged. “These boys like to let loose a little at night. Just a little music and drinking, nothing too outrageous.”
“Well, not anymore,” Doc said from the end of the table. “Back in the good ol’ days, we had some barn burners! Not so much anymore, I guess.”
“Yeah,” Slade said, with a mischievous grin. “These old guys like Ryder and Doc can’t hang anymore.”
“Shut your fuckin’ mouth, boy! I could drink you under the table any night, I just choose not to, because I’m not that stupid anymore,” Doc replied.
“Yeah, and that old body of yours can’t handle it anymore, don’t forget that,” Slade retorted, his ever-present grin spreading across his face.
“Don’t make me hurt you, kid,” Doc said, shaking his head.
“Don’t strain yourself, Ol’ Wise One!” Slade said, shaking his finger at Doc. Laughter spread around the table like a wave and I felt a warmness wash over me.
“Actually, I think I’m going to go to sleep pretty soon, if that’s okay?” I said.
“Of course, Vanessa,” Grace said, placing her hand over mine. “You’ve gone through a lot.”
“Yeah, I’m pretty exhausted,” I agreed. Cherry took my plate away and we all stood up, everyone going their separate ways again.
I found myself standing on the porch with Grace, the trees whipping around the cabin with the strong winds.
“Looks like it’s going to storm tonight,” Grace said.
“How appropriate,” I said.
“Storms cleanse things, the air, the trees, the wildlife…us,” Grace said, her voice low and soft. “They bring change, newness.”
“I could use it,” I said.
“I’m glad you’re here, Vanessa,” she said.
“Me, too,” I replied. “Everyone’s been so nice, so welcoming.”
“They’re good people,” she nodded firmly. “Each one of them.”
“Seems like it,” I replied.
“Did you enjoy your walk earlier?”
“Yes, I did. Wreck was a good tour guide.”
“Good,” she replied, pausing thoughtfully before continuing. “Wreck’s had a rough time of it lately. He’s only been here a little while, but he’s learning quickly and doing a good job.”
“He seems very happy to be here,” I said. “What happened to him?”
“He can fill you in on the details, but a long time ago someone he loved died, and he’s never been the same. He went down a bad path for a while because of it but he’s turning himself around.”
“That sounds sad,” I asked. “I guess he had a bad wreck, right? That’s why they call him Wreck?”
“Yeah, although Ryder still calls him Jesse sometimes.”
When she said the name, my blood ran cold. My heart began pounding so hard in my chest, I was sure she could hear it.
“His name’s Jesse?” I asked, my voice quivering.
“Yeah, Jesse Sutton, but none of the guys around here go by their real names.”
“Right,” I murmured, the blood draining from my face.
The trees began spinning overhead. I put my hand on the railing to steady myself.
“Vanessa, are you okay?” Grace asked.
“Yeah, yeah…I think I just need to go to bed.”
“Of course, of course,” she said, guiding me to the front door. “Let me know if there’s anything you need.”
“Sure, thank you again,” I said, walking inside and walking past the kitchen where everyone was congregated, including Jesse. My gaze met his and it all seemed so clear now.
It was unbelievable. How could the universe have torn me away from him so cruelly, only to deposit him right back into my life at this moment?
I was stunned. In shock. Bewildered.
But there he was. Standing there staring at me and I don’t know how I ever doubted it was him. Because it so obviously was him. Undeniably him.
“You okay?” he asked, staring down at me with such kindness and concern in those sweet gray eyes of his.
“No,” I answered, shaking my head. “I’m not. I need to go lie down.” I tore my eyes from his and ran down the short hallway to my room and straight to the bathroom.
All the cheeseburgers and peach cobbler and beer swirled around my stomach. I made it to the toilet just in time before it all came right back up.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Riot
“Okay, so the purpose of this meeting is for you to provide eve
rything you know about Royce, his friends and his activities. I’ll write everything down, study it, run it through some databases, check social media, hack email accounts, trespass into bank accounts, if possible, and just basically scrub the internet for every bit of information I can,” I said to Vanessa, who was sitting next to me at my computer desk. Every time I sat down with one of these girls, I was reminded of that first meeting with Grace.
It seemed so long ago now. Since then, we’d saved dozens of women from predators. And every single time it felt just as rewarding as the first time.
“Royce is arrogant, but he’s also really smart,” she began. “He always made sure not to put incriminating evidence in emails, instead using code words for certain things. I read as much of it as I could, stealing his computer while he slept or showered and saving it all on a flash drive I’d managed to steal from Travis’s computer case.”
She handed me a tiny flash drive.
“It’s all there,” she said.
“That’s great. What can you tell me that’s not on there?”
“You’ll clearly see a pattern once you read his emails. He calls individual tricks with girls, ‘meetings’, and he’s constantly setting them up with his friends on there. He never mentions the girls. But he breaks up the meetings more specifically, calling them ‘short meetings’, ‘average meetings’ or ‘day-long meetings’, which means all night long. When he’s talking about what kind of food will be served, he refers to Mexican food, or Chinese food, or Soul Food, but that really means the ethnicity of the girls involved. The assholes that say they prefer the ‘veal’ are the ones that want the youngest girls of all.”
“Repulsive,” I replied, my stomach turning.
“I know,” she answered, lowering her eyes. When she raised them again, I saw the strength behind them, but I also saw the pain. “So, the other thing that they refer to are places. Some of the meetings happen in hotels, but others, like I said the other day are held either on his plane or at one of his houses or at his island.”
“What the island called?”
“He calls it Kapu,” she answered.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“It’s Hawaiian. Basically, it means ‘forbidden’ in its English translation. In Hawaii, the word is related to taboo and the tapu or tabu found in other Polynesian cultures. But it also means "keep out", "no trespassing", "sacred", "consecrated", or “holy”.”
“Okay, wow,” I said. “That’s subtle.”
“Royce isn’t known for subtlety. But anyway, when you see him writing to someone that he wants to have a day long meeting on Kapu with catered Chinese food, now you know what he’s really saying.”
“Got it,” I nodded. “How long did it take you to figure it out?”
“A while,” she answered. “The thing is, when he would talk to his friends on the phone, he wasn’t so subtle. Once I started reading his emails, I put two and two together.”
“Okay, I should be able to get a good list of players from this, then.”
“Yes, all of their contact information is on there, too.”
“So, let’s talk houses. You said he never had these parties while you were there?”
“No, he made sure I stayed in the West Hills mansion mostly anyway. He was rarely there himself.”
“Where are the other homes?”
“New York, LA, he owns three just in Portland alone. Two in Seattle and one in D.C. He owns a vineyard outside of Mendocino. Along with the sprawling mansion that’s on Kapu.”
“Have you been there?”
“Yes, a few times, when he needed me to come along on legitimate business. He used me as a prop when a wife was necessary for whatever scam he was pulling. It’s incredibly opulent, the most luxurious of all his homes. That’s where I first figured out what was going on. He has two residences on the island, and he keeps the girls locked up in one of them, only bringing them out when they’re needed. But once I saw a few of them looking out of the window. I snuck out in the middle of then night and looked in the windows. It was appalling, there are dozens of them, all living in one room, forced to wear practically nothing. Once I saw them, it was clear to me what was going on and why Royce spent so much time on the island with his friends.”
“Did you ever say anything to him about it?” I asked.
“Once. I casually mentioned on the way home that I thought I saw someone in the window of the other house, but he brushed it off, told me it was the maid. After that, he never let me go back to the island.”
“Okay, well I’ll see what I can figure out. Grace and Ryder have a plan they are putting together. I’ll see if there’s anything I can find out before then.”
“Thank you, Riot,” she said. “I hope the information helps. I want nothing more than to see Royce in jail.”
“You did good, Vanessa,” I said. “If we bring him down, just think of how many girls we’ll save.”
“That thought is what’s kept me going all this time,” she said. “That and getting revenge for him killing my father.”
“Why did he kill your father?” I asked, trying to remember if she’d mentioned that before.
Her eyes clouded over and her words sounded so far away, I almost couldn’t hear her.
“My father was the best plastic surgeon on the West Coast. Royce had taken things too far with his constant abuse of two little girls. One night, while he slept, the girls set his bed on fire. Royce was burned badly, his face ruined. He went into hiding, insisting nobody find out what happened to him. He sought out my father, forced him to repair his face, to restore it back to normal, with a few enhancements, of course - and he did. Afterwards, Royce was determined to get rid of every one who knew his secret, and my father was the first person on his list.” Her voice shook as she continued. “That’s how I ended up with Royce. Once he figured out Royce wanted him dead, my father faked our death so we could flee, but it didn’t work. Royce found us. He killed my father and Royce took me with him.”
“Oh, my god. I’m so sorry. You’re so brave, Vanessa. I hope you know that,” I said.
“I’m starting to believe it,” she said, a half-smile on her face.
“You’ll get there,” I said, putting my hand over hers. It was shaking. “We’ll get there together. You’ll see. You’re in the right place, I promise.”
“Thank you, Riot,” she said, before standing up and walking slowly back to her room. She looked drained. I watched her walk away, her shoulders stiff and tight, amazed once again at the courage she possessed.
My heart swelled in admiration for these women. For Vanessa, for Lacey, for Grace, for all the other girls we’d saved.
“Hey, I was just thinking about you,” I said, as Lacey’s arms snaked around my neck from behind.
“Hi, baby,” her sweet lips whispered in my ear. “What were you thinking about?”
I turned my chair around and she sat on my lap, straddling me as I slid my arms around her waist. Her lips kissed mine gently.
“I was just thinking about how strong you are,” I said, staring up into her eyes. I’d never loved anyone the way I loved Lacey. My hands rested on the curves of her hips and she pressed them into me seductively.
“Oh, yeah?” she said, smiling down at me.
“Yeah,” I said. “I love you, babe.”
“I love you, too,” she said. “Do you have a lot of work to do?”
“I do,” I answered. “Lots of it.”
She pretended to pout, and I drug her bottom lip between my teeth, biting gently before kissing her again.
“Well, let me know when you take a break,” she said, pushing into me with her hips.
“Yeah?” I asked. “Why?”
“You know why,” she said, pressing harder into me, my cock twitching in response. “So I can show you how strong I am - everywhere,” she winked, sending a spark of electricity right through me. I groaned and kissed her again, harder this time.
“Tonight, babe,�
� I said, gently pushing her away.
“Okay, I can wait,” she said with a grin. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“No, not right now babe, but tonight I’ll have lots of helpful things for you to do,” I winked.
“Anything you want” she said, kissing my neck before turning away.
“Good girl,” I said, patting her ass as she walked away.
Goddamn, I’m one lucky man, I thought to myself as I watched her walk away. I sighed, shook off the goosebumps she gave me every single time and turned back to my work.
Royce fucking Randolph wasn’t going to know what hit him and it was going to make my job that much more pleasurable. I fucking hated men like him. Shit, they weren’t even men. They were scumbags of the worst kind.
How I’d lucked into this job was beyond me, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to let someone like him get away.
With Solid Ground after his ass, he was as good as dead.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Vanessa
After tossing and turning all night long, haunted by images of the past - of Jesse, of Royce, of my father - I was still just as exhausted as the night before. Once the sun began streaming through my window, I couldn’t stay in bed any longer.
Breakfast was a lot less crowded than dinner had been. Cherry told me the Gods tended to sleep in, so it was just me, Cherry and Doc eating together. After that, I had my meeting with Riot, which was draining but it felt good to finally pass off the information I’d collected to someone.
It was like I’d taken the second step to accomplishing my goal, and in a way, it felt as good as the first. I’d have been almost happy, if I wasn’t in such turmoil about Jesse. Or Wreck. Or whatever he called himself these days.
I knew I had to tell him who I was. It wasn’t fair not to. Especially since he thought I was dead. But that’s also exactly the reason I didn’t run into his arms and tell him as soon as it was clear who he was. Would he even believe me? I didn’t exactly have proof of my identity or anything. Even if I did, I couldn’t just spring it on him like that.
WRECKED: GODS OF CHAOS MC, BOOK FOUR Page 8
