“What’s so funny?” Gabriel asked flatly, more out of obligation than curiosity.
“It’s just...it’s like we keep trying to shake each other off, but the situation only gets worse, and we’re forced to spend even more time together.”
“Oh.” He said it in a you-have-a-good-point sort of tone. He began chuckling along with me.
“So, I’m sorry if I dragged you into this mess.”
“Hey, no worries. It’s my mess, too. My brother and everything.”
“Right.”
“Right.”
We trudged along, the silence punctuated only by our steps and the chirping of a few crickets. I bit my lip, struggling to find something to say before the awkwardness killed me. But Gabriel broke the silence first.
“I feel like you never gave me the full story.”
I froze. “What do you mean?”
“There’s gotta be something else going on here. What does the top gangbanger of Las Vegas want with a...no offence...with a former hooker?”
“Oh.” Well, there was a perfectly good explanation for that. I just wasn’t sure how to tell him. If he felt indifferent toward Anna before, the truth was definitely going to make him loathe her. “It all has to do with why I left.”
Gabriel gestured to the stretch of desert ahead of us. “Well, I got time. Why don’t you explain it to me?”
“Anna was my only friend in True North,” I began, dread already souring my stomach. “But she was really popular with everyone else. She and a small group hatched up this crazy plan to get out of True North while setting themselves with a nest egg at the same time.”
“Don’t tell me they stole from the gang.”
“They did,” I admitted. I waited a few more beats before elaborating. “They stole an SUV full of cocaine.”
“What?”
“It was an incoming shipment. One of the guys was part of the team that cut and weighed the drugs, and he intercepted the SUV before it got to the drop house. The plan was to split up the cargo, liquidate it on the street, and disappear with all the cash. But I guess Anna never got that far.”
“So...that explains why the boss would want Anna,” Gabriel said, “but not why he wants you specifically.”
“Well, it’s pretty simple, isn’t it? I was Anna’s best friend in the gang, so they assumed I was in on it, too. They don’t exactly take the time to investigate a possible betrayal. It’s more of a ‘shoot now, ask later’ kind of deal.”
“Fuck.”
I shook my head. “After that, I knew I was under some heat. There was one night where I was supposed to be turning tricks on a corner, but I managed to catch a cab to the bus station instead. I went back home. But I guess that sealed my guilt in their eyes. It was the worst thing I could’ve done.”
“No,” Gabriel said suddenly. His hand closed over my shoulder. “It’s the best thing.”
“Uh-huh,” I said, only humoring him.
“No, listen.” Gabriel grabbed me and spun me around to face him. “Do you think you’d still be alive if you’d never left? Do you think they would’ve shown you mercy? You said it yourself, didn’t you? Shoot now, ask later?”
“I traded guaranteed death for a lifetime of looking over my shoulder. Does that seem like a consolation to you?”
Gabriel’s fingers gripped my arms tight. His lips trembled. “Not a lifetime,” he finally said. “Not after tonight.”
“I hope you’re right,” I whispered.
We stood there, swaying in the breeze and staring at each other. I couldn’t help but think about the drunken kisses we’d shared, that one night in the hotel room. I let myself indulge in the fantasy of having a boyfriend like him someday. No club politics, no gang on my trail. Just a regular life as a twenty-year-old with a badass, biker boyfriend.
“Lisbeth,” Gabriel began, “I know that I’ve been acting kind of weird lately, and I’m sorry about that. It’s just that—”
Suddenly, a light flicked on in the distance, and I turned my head. We’d gotten to the top of the hill as I’d recounted my past without even realizing it, and now we faced the valley on the other side. My eyes sought out the source of the light immediately. The boss’s compound. It was right there.
And it was now or never.
Chapter 14
The moment we crossed over the boss’s property line, a spotlight popped on from the top of his stucco security wall. Gabriel raised his hand to shield his eyes.
I couldn’t because my hands were tied behind my back.
“Who’s there?”
I squinted into the light. It sounded like the voice was coming from a few feet away.
“Jesus Christ, Maxson. It’s me!” Gabriel yelled out.
“Gabe?”
“Yeah. Could you dim the light a little, man?”
“Sorry, it’s automatic. Can’t really control it,” Maxson responded, his voice a notch warmer than before.
I let myself breathe a sigh of relief. It seemed like Gabriel had been right when he predicted that some of the Laughlin Kings had been hired for something other than drug-pushing. It certainly explained their presence in Vegas. The fact that he was seemingly on good terms with this Maxson guy was even better. The plan was working, but only so far.
I saw a man walking toward us in the distance, his silhouette black against the blinding spotlight. There was a strange shape on his shoulder, like some sort of extra limb. But when he got close enough for me to see his face, I recognized it as an assault rifle. I thanked God that it wasn’t pointed at me, at least.
Maxson was like a thumb: short, wide, and bald. He narrowed his eyes at me suspiciously. “So, who’s this?”
Gabriel nudged me forward, a little too roughly. “I heard the boss wants her. I brought her,” he said gruffly.
“I see. Why?” Maxson said.
“Want to earn his trust. Get in on the action with the rest of the crew.” Gabriel’s voice was smooth as silk.
I felt Maxson’s gaze on my face. I lowered my head, trying to shield my eyes. Could he see there was deception in them? I bit the inside of my cheek, agonized by the silence.
Mercifully, Maxson seemed satisfied.
“Okay. Guess I should invite you in, then,” he said.
We followed Maxson to the wrought iron gates. He made a call on his cell phone. When the gates rolled open, Gabriel muttered, “So far, so good.” He spoke to Maxson, but his words were meant for me.
We strolled ahead into the courtyard. The only light came from the backlit stone fountain at the center of it. I could barely discern the outlines of other men skulking around in the shadows. There were more Skull Kings, with more rifles. Maxson gave a grunt before falling back.
“Yo, Gabe’s here with something for the boss,” he announced as the gate rolled shut.
Our footsteps echoed on the flagstones, the sound lonely and sinister. Gabriel put his hand on the back of my neck, feigning control over me. I wasn’t sure if we were allowed to enter the main house. By the stiffness of Gabriel’s fingers, I knew he was just as uncertain.
Then, a voice floated out of the darkness. “Hey, brother.”
My skin prickled over with goose bumps. An image of a tall, long-haired biker with spitting cobras tattooed on his arms popped into my mind. He was the foil to Gabriel, blonde to his brunette, hard to his softness. But he was the brother that had been plaguing Gabriel ever since he’d left Laughlin, and now he was here.
Jameson himself stepped out from behind the fountain. “What’s your business, little bro?” A few chuckles rang out from the shadows.
Gabriel’s fingers twitched against my neck. “I heard that the boss needed this one.” He jerked me forward. I yelped for good measure. “I wanted to see if I could get an audience with him.”
Jameson crossed his arms. His cobra tattoos bulged. “Hm. We’ll see.” He turned and began walking in the direction of the main house.
I pulled forward slightly, giving Gabriel the signa
l to follow. We trudged on in Jameson’s wake, following the skull on the back of his cut. I couldn’t help but realize how alarmingly numb I felt despite the situation. It was like my body was protecting itself, like it knew this plan would never work.
But it had to. We had no other choice.
Jameson opened the vast, oaken front door. We crossed over the threshold, and I was instantly greeted by the smell of the boss’s favorite candles that burned all over the house. My eyes adjusted to the lighting, and I immediately recognized the layout of the house. The wide, marble-floored entranceway led to a huge living room with sleek furniture. An entire side of the house was walled with glass. Candle flames leapt inside small alcoves in the walls, their light reflected off of the gleaming floors. I could tell Gabriel was trying to hide his impressions as we followed Jameson inside.
“Wait here,” Jameson said gruffly, stopping just outside of the boss’s private office. He slipped through the doors and disappeared.
Gabriel exhaled loudly and began pacing. I scanned the walls for security cameras and found them in the exact same spots as before.
“Over here,” I whispered, backing into a corner that I knew was safe from view.
“What happens now?” Gabriel whispered nervously.
“Jameson is telling the boss that we’re here. Most likely, he’ll want to see me alone. You can rally up your crew on your way out. Do you think you can convince them to turn their backs in time?”
“Oh yeah, definitely. If they know the Feds are sniffing around, they’ll be gone yesterday.” He gulped. “How long can you distract the boss man?”
I set my lips in a straight line, but my heart was pounding out a panicked beat. “We have some unfinished business. I’m sure I’ll have enough time.”
“Okay.”
He searched my eyes. Even in the dim candlelight, I could tell there were a million words he wanted to say to me.
“Um...Jameson’s probably ready to come out really soon,” I whispered.
Gabriel nodded. “One last thing, just in case everything goes to Hell.”
He grabbed me by my neck again. This time, though, he pulled me toward him. I closed my eyes and let him kiss me. He enveloped me in that Skull King smell of his, cigarettes and leather, the slight spice of whiskey. I pushed away any thoughts of one last time. I was strangely serene inside, even as Gabriel’s tongue brushed across mine, as his hands held me close to his warm, beating body. I had faith that this plan would work.
It was working well so far.
He was panting when we finally pulled ourselves apart, and just in time, too. The doorknob turned, and we arranged ourselves appropriately as Jameson finally stepped out. Gabriel’s hand was on my neck again, holding me like I was a slave.
“He’s ready to see her,” Jameson growled, “and only her.”
I dutifully stepped forward. I didn’t dare turn my head to look at Gabriel, but I crossed my fingers behind my back for luck. Hopefully, Gabriel recognized it as a positive sign.
I mentally filed through each step of the plan. Gabriel showed up with me as an offering to gain his crew’s trust. Check. We got inside the house to see the boss. Check. Now, all I had to do was keep the boss talking for long enough while Gabriel worked his magic with his brother and the rest of the Kings. Even if he was “the boss,” he was still no match to a dozen armed bikers. It would give us just enough muscle to get out from under the boss’s nose and away from Vegas.
So far, so good.
Jameson opened the door for me and waved me through. I could see a section of the office beyond, and the sight suddenly filled me with dread. I’d never seen the inside of the boss’s office, before. Often, the people who did never came back out. In spite of this, I forced myself to hold my head high. Gabriel had my back, and that was enough.
So far, so good, I told myself.
But then, something happened that we hadn’t been counting on. Jameson walked inside with me and shut the door, closing both of us inside the office and away from Gabriel.
His presence could’ve made no difference, or it could’ve changed everything.
Chapter 15
“Welcome home, Lisbeth.”
The voice sent a familiar chill down my spine. I sought him out immediately. The boss sat in a plush armchair in the corner of the room. When I met his eyes, he gave me a cold, steely smirk.
Some people on the streets called him “The Swede.” In truth, he’d been born in Buffalo, New York, sometime in the mid ‘70s. But he had this purely emotionless, Nordic look about him that intensified his mystique. Nobody knew his real name, not even me. Us True Northers simply referred to him as “Boss.”
He reminded me of a T-rex. There was no humanity in his pale eyes, only predation. I tried not to flinch. “This isn’t my home,” I said.
My throat squeezed shut when I saw a flash of anger pass over his face. For a moment, I thought I’d said the wrong thing. But then, the Boss began to chuckle.
“Oh, I’ve forgotten how insolent you are. To tell you the truth, it’s quite refreshing.”
He waved his hand so smoothly that it barely wrinkled his silk shirt. Then, Jameson stepped forward and grasped my wrists. The sound of a switchblade whipped through the air, then I heard its scrape against the nylon rope binding my hands. My fingers tingled when the pieces fell to the ground.
I pulled my hands forward and flexed them in front of me.
“You must be wondering why I called you here,” the Boss began.
“I know why,” I said.
The Boss gave me a nod. “Then, I’d love to hear your explanation of what happened all those months ago. When you stole from me.”
The first drops of sweat formed on my brow. The Boss’s glare was as intense as the harsh dome light of an interrogation room, and Jameson’s presence didn’t help any, either. This was some sort of test, I could feel it. But what was the answer he was looking for?
I tried to nudge him in a different direction. “Where’s Anna?”
“She’s safe somewhere on this property,” the Boss answered, “although I can’t say the same for your other compatriots.”
It took a moment for me to realize what he meant. Of course. Two other guys had been in on the cargo-jacking plot with Anna. Apparently, True North had caught up to them. They were probably dead.
“Then why keep Anna alive? Why not do her like you did my ‘compatriots’?”
The Boss quirked an eyebrow.
“To get me to come back,” I realized out loud.
The Boss snarled his upper lip, a chilling facsimile of a smile. “You’re certainly smarter than you give off, Lisbeth.”
“But why me?” I prodded again.
The Boss sighed impatiently, breaking his composure for the first time. “You know very well that nobody steals from me. The ones that do—” he tipped his head toward Jameson “—are made examples of.”
Suddenly, I felt a sharp blow at the back of my head. I cried out in pain and collapsed to the floor, my vision turned black. There was a heavy thud, followed by a burning sensation in my scalp as Jameson grabbed my hair. He yanked me back up, forcing me onto my knees.
I blinked a few times, trying to focus on the wobbling image of the Boss in front of me. When my vision cleared, I could discern a look of pure rage twisting his aquiline features.
“I lost a lot of money because of that shipment. Money that you couldn’t see in ten lifetimes. Money that you’ll never pay back, even if you had a thousand men lined up to fuck you.”
He gave some sort of signal to Jameson, who shoved me back to the ground. I landed on my cheek just before he kicked me in the ribs. I coughed as all the breath in my lungs left my body. Hot, bruising pain tore into my side.
I turned my face into the carpet. Where are you? I thought. I heard the distant chimes of a clock in another room. Fifteen minutes must’ve gone by since Jameson closed that door. How much time did Gabriel need?
I groaned, trying to catc
h my breath. Somehow, I had to keep the Boss talking long enough for a mutiny to happen. “I guess it wouldn’t help if I told you I had no idea what they were planning.”
“No, it wouldn’t help at all,” the Boss said, his tone deceptively calm.
I stiffened as I anticipated another kick. It never came.
“But rather than admit what happened right off the bat, you ran away,” he continued on. “Emotions dictate our behavior, Lisbeth, and your behavior suggests that you were feeling guilty.”
“Not guilty. I was afraid!”
Jameson kicked me again, this time in the shoulder. His boot collided with my bone. I felt a sharp crunch of pain followed by numbness. I bit into my lip until I tasted blood. I called out to Gabriel with my mind.
I had to keep him talking.
“Where’s Anna?” I asked again.
I curled up as I sensed Jameson rearing back for another kick, but the Boss clicked his tongue. After a few seconds of calm silence, I dared to lift my face off of the floor.
“We’ll take you to her right now, since you insist,” he said.
Jameson pulled me up by my hair again. My entire body ached, and I almost expected it to fall apart like a disassembled doll. There was no need for bindings; I was too limp to move as Jameson half-dragged me to the door and kicked it open.
The hallway outside was completely deserted.
I knew something was wrong when Jameson turned right rather than left, taking me deeper into the house. Everything in the house was silent, was lifeless. The flames on the candles were still, as if they were whispering conspiratorially with the air. There were no signs of any Skull Kings.
Even the Boss noticed.
“Where is everybody?” he wondered aloud as he followed us across the living room.
“Probably dicking around out in the desert,” Jameson muttered. “I’ll handle them after we take care of this.”
This. Like I was a bag of garbage about to be disposed of. As Jameson stopped momentarily to open a sliding back door, I was flooded with a sudden sense of finality. A breeze rushed in as the door slid open, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was the last time I’d breathe fresh air.
Wild Child: A Skull Kings MC Novella Page 8
