by L. Wilder
I was disappointed that she had to go so soon, but was relieved that she’d finally agreed to see me again. When she stood to leave, I glanced outside on the patio. Like the other couple of times I’d checked, the guy she’d been talking to was glaring in our direction. I didn’t like the way he was looking at her, so I asked, “He a friend of yours?”
She turned and looked out the window. “Josh? I don’t know. I mean… I guess you could say we’re friends. We’re in a couple of classes together.”
I nodded and followed her out the front door. As we walked past his table, Zoe waved to her friend, the pouting prick, and continued towards her car. Before she got inside, I reached into my back pocket and pulled out the burner phone Big had given me. As I offered it to her, I said, “If you need anything, just call.”
“I have a phone of my own.”
“I’m sure you do, but this is one of my ways of keeping you safe.”
She took the phone from my hand and studied it for a moment. “So, I call or text you on this?”
“My number is already programmed in. I’ll be expecting your call.”
I gave her a quick wink, then turned and headed back to my truck. As much as I hated being in a cage, it was the safest option. Until we dealt with the Chosen, we’d all have to remain on the down-low. It was our only chance of staying off the grid and off the Chosen’s radar. With that in mind, we’d set up shop at the edge of town in one of Nitro’s warehouses. Big had brought all his computer shit and was using it to look into every aspect of the Chosen Knight’s MC. We’d need everything he could find to get our shipment back and bring them down. He and the others were there waiting for me when I pulled up.
As soon as I got out of the truck, Clutch started with the questions. “Did you see her?”
“I did,” I told him as I walked over to them.
“Did you talk to her?”
“Yes, Clutch. I talked to her.”
“Well, what did she say?” he pushed.
I thought back to her little story about the sponge bath, and it was hard not to smile. “She agreed to see me again.”
“That’s a start. Did she mention anything we need to know about?” Smokey asked.
“She brought up her dad, but we didn’t get very far with that.” I could see by the look on his face that he was disappointed, but it was just the way it was. It was going to take some time to get her to trust me enough to talk. “I gave her the phone. She’s supposed to call so we can plan another meet.”
Big nodded. “That’s good. Hopefully, she’ll contact you soon.”
“No way to know for sure, but I think she will.”
Clutch gave me an odd look. “You got a thing for this chick or something?”
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t,” I admitted. I knew they wouldn’t like it, but I couldn’t help myself. She’d captivated me from the first moment I saw her. “You don’t have to say anything. I already know.”
“Good,” he clipped. “Don’t get me wrong. Zoe seemed like a great girl, but fuck, brother. Tying up with her—”
“I told you… I already know.” I couldn’t hide my disappointment as I spoke. Walking away from her wasn’t something I wanted to do. Hell, it’d be one of the hardest things I’d ever done, but my loyalty to the club came first.
Noting my struggle, Big stepped forward. “I wouldn’t give up on her just yet, Two Bit. It may not be as bad as you think.”
Feeling hopeful, I looked to him and asked, “What are you talking about?”
“If Clutch is right about her, then there’s a chance. If she helps us bring them down, then her tie with her father’s club will be broken.”
Smokey’s brows furrowed as he interjected, “Not so sure Cotton will feel the same. She’d be turning her back on her family. She’d be a traitor, and you know it’s hard to shake that shit.”
Our attention was drawn over to Stitch as he walked over to us and said, “It’s her father’s club, not hers.”
“Same difference.”
“I disagree. They aren’t her family. If she was an ol’ lady or had a part in the bullshit they’re into, then things would be different. When her father died, they dragged that club under. They lost their sense of code and let greed ruin everything that was good about them. You can’t blame her for that shit.”
Clutch shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe so, but with a club, you gotta take the good with the bad.”
His words hit hard, mainly because I knew they were true. “Understood.”
“It wasn’t all that long ago that a girl hacked into our club’s database.” I knew immediately who he was talking about. Josie was looking for her sister Tristen, and when she thought the club had something to do with her disappearance, she started digging. Fast forward two or three months, and she and Big were an item. Hell, she even became his ol’ lady, and they’re planning on getting hitched soon. Theirs was a story with a happy ending. I wasn’t so sure it was possible for Zoe and me to have the same kind of ending. Big reached for a cigarette and lit it before he continued. “She had the ability to crush us with the touch of a button, and Cotton even had her tortured.”
“I know what you are saying, Big.”
“If you think this girl is the one, make it happen. That’s all I’m saying.”
My entire body was weighted down with dread, making it almost impossible to walk as I headed into the clubhouse to find Slider. As much as I hated to do it, I was headed to tell him that I would be his ol’ lady. I could only imagine how my father would’ve felt about me walking in there to hand my life over to someone like Slider. He’d made it clear when I was young that he wanted the very best for me, and I had no doubt that he never would’ve considered him the best. All heads turned towards me as I walked through the front door. I glanced around the dilapidated bar and the filthy mess on the tables and floors, and quickly remembered why it had been so long since I’d been there. Like everything else, they took what my father had built and turned it into ruins.
I spotted Slider at one of the back tables, and after a deep breath, I started walking over to him. “You got a minute?”
“For you, I’ve got all the time in the world, baby,” he replied with a coy smile.
“I’ve been thinking about things, and I’ve decided to…” I swallowed hard and had to force the words out of my mouth. “I’ve decided that I’ll be your ol’ lady, if that’s what you want.”
His face grew pale with shock as my words soaked into his thick skull. “Seriously?”
“Yes. I just have one condition.”
His demeanor quickly changed when he barked, “You’re not in any position to make demands, sweetheart.”
I wanted to punch him right in his smug face, but I ignored his statement and said, “I don’t want to rush into anything. We need to take things slow and get to know one another.”
“You’re fucking with me, right?” He stood up and stepped towards me. The brothers were all watching as he put on his little show. “We know each other just fine, and tonight… I’m going to make you mine.”
My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. I knew he’d have that very reaction, but I’d hoped he might be more compassionate. “But…”
“Enough!” He placed his hands on my hips and pulled me over to him as he lowered his mouth to my ear. “I’ve been waiting for years to get in that tight, little pussy of yours, and tonight, I’m going to take what’s mine.”
I’d never actually wanted to kill anyone, but at that moment when I heard those words come out of his mouth, I wanted to jab a knife right into his cold, dead heart. I tried to take a step back, but he held me tightly as he placed his mouth on my neck, kissing and sucking beneath my ear. My voice cracked as I pleaded, “Slider.”
“That’s right, baby. Get used to saying my name. You’ll be screaming it all night long.”
“I’ve got to get to work,” I told him as I leaned away from him.
“I’ll see you there.”
As soon as he released me, I turned and rushed for the door. I spent the next few minutes crying in my car, praying for some kind of miracle. I finally pulled myself together and was just about to pull out of the gate when Dodger, one of the more unsavory brothers, whipped past me in his pickup truck. I was surprised to see a young girl sitting in the passenger seat. I’d only gotten a glimpse of her, but she didn’t look very old, maybe nine or ten. She was wearing a little white top and had long blonde hair. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen Dodger with a child, and seeing the fearful look in her eyes made me wonder what the hell he was up to. I had a bad feeling, but I was pulled from my thoughts when I noticed some of the guys coming out of the clubhouse. Fearing one of them might be Slider, I quickly started my car and headed to work.
Unfortunately, I hadn’t been there long when Slider and the others started filing in. You would’ve thought he’d just won the Grand Prix the way he was strutting around, and he made sure everyone knew why he was so happy. After our little chat, I figured he would be all over me like a wet sheet, but thankfully, he was too busy bragging and gloating to the brothers to pay me much attention. Sure, there was the occasionally inappropriate grope or he’d pull me onto his lap when I walked by, but nothing I couldn’t handle. Unfortunately, I knew more was coming.
It was getting late, and it was only a matter of time before he wanted to take things to the next stage and consummate our new relationship. While I could only assume he was thrilled about it, the thought horrified me. I took a couple of pills Kat had given me and shoved them in my back pocket, hoping I’d get the chance to put them in his drink. I prayed that they would actually work, and he’d pass out before anything really happened. Just thinking about it was making me a nervous wreck, and I was terrified that I’d screw it up. Kat must’ve sensed my worry, because she came up behind me and gave my arm a light squeeze.
“You’re doing great.”
I sighed. “I just want to go back in my office and hide.”
“I know, but it’s better if you stick around. The guys need to see you two together.”
“He’s expecting me to stay with him tonight.” I’d been dreading leaving with him since he declared that I would be staying at his place. “You know what he will expect.”
“I know you’re freaked out, but it will work out. Besides, he’s drinking like a fish. It won’t be long before he starts to get stupid.”
“He’s already stupid, Kat. He doesn’t like liquor for that,” I groaned.
“You know what I mean. Do you have the pills with you?”
“Yeah.” I patted my back pocket. “You really think this will work?”
“Absolutely. Hand over a couple, and I’ll make him a fresh drink.”
I gave her two pills and watched as she crumbled them and dropped them into his mixed drink. “I’ll be right back.”
My heart thumped against my chest as I watched her carry the drink over to his table. Without skipping a beat, he took the drink from her hand and took a large gulp. I waited anxiously for him to have some kind of negative reaction, but nothing came. He just kept drinking and yammering with the guys. Kat walked back over to me and smiled. “I can’t believe he actually drank it.”
“He’s not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed.” Kat laughed as she looked up at the clock. “We’ll be closing soon. Maybe I should give him one more, just to be sure.”
“I don’t want to kill the guy.”
“You don’t want to screw him either.”
“Good point. We’ll give him one more just to make sure it does the trick.”
After giving him one last drink, we both sat behind the bar and watched apprehensively as the brothers started to file out the front door. Several of them heckled and hollered profanities at Slider as he swayed over in my direction. “You ready to roll, baby?”
“Ready whenever you are,” I lied. The thought of leaving with him made my stomach twist into knots, but I knew I didn’t have a choice. The brothers had to believe I was going to follow through with being Slider’s ol’ lady. Thankfully, he had a place of his own, so I didn’t have to worry about putting on a show at the clubhouse—at least not yet. “Just let me grab my keys.”
By the time I made it back, Slider was barely able to stand. He had his entire weight leaning on the bar, and he looked a little green. He was hardly able to form the words, “Let’s go, baby.”
Knowing Hawk and Tank were watching, I walked over to him and put my arm around his waist. He threw his arm over my shoulder, and I helped drag him out to the car. I cringed when I felt the heat of his breath against my neck, but tried my best to hide it. He dropped into the seat, and after I buckled him in, I walked over to the driver’s side of the car. Before I got inside, I said a silent prayer that things would go like Kat assured me they would, but when I opened the door and found him staring right back at me, I started to have my doubts. “Are you okay?”
“You’re really beautiful, Zo. Unbelievably beautiful. I know I haven’t done right by you. I know I’ve been an asshole, but I promise I will be good to you. Just give me a chance. I’ll do whatever it takes to make you happy.”
For a split second I actually believed him, but that didn’t mean I was just going to forgive and forget everything he’d done over the past year. Trying to sound sincere, I replied, “I’m here, aren’t I?”
“Only because you have no other choice.”
As I started the engine and put it into drive, I mumbled under my breath, “Maybe you should’ve thought about that before you forced me into all this.”
We rode in silence all the way to his house. His eyelids were almost completely closed by the time I pulled into his driveway. I grabbed my things, then went over and helped him out of the car. By some crazy miracle, I managed to get him into the house. I dropped my bags on the floor, then started towards the sofa. I was about to lower him down when he mumbled, “No… my room.”
“Okay.” We stumbled from the left to the right, but we finally made it into the bedroom, and he collapsed onto the bed. I took a quick look around and was surprised to find that his place was actually really nice. Everything was clean and in its place, and his furniture looked brand new. There were black and white photos hanging on the wall along with a widescreen TV. I was looking at one of the pictures on his dresser when I heard him say, “Come here, baby.”
Dread washed over me as I walked over and sat down next to him. He reached for my arm, pulling me down next to him, and then rolled towards me, placing his head on my chest. I held my breath and waited in agony for his next move, but it never came. I lay there listening to the sound of his breathing for several minutes, trying to see if he’d fallen asleep. Finally, I whispered, “Hey… you asleep?”
When he didn’t answer, I knew the pills had finally kicked in. I eased out of the bed and stood up, staring down at him as I considered my next move. He looked almost sweet lying there sleeping, totally unaware of what was about to happen. For a brief second, I almost felt guilty for what I was about to do, but in order for him to believe that we’d actually had sex, I would have to remove his clothes. I started with his boots and worked my way up to his jeans, leaving his boxers for last. Once I’d removed his cut, I hung it on the chair next to his bed, then started on his shirt. By the time I’d finished, I’d broken into a sweat and was completely exhausted. I shuffled around the covers on my side of the bed, then glanced back over at him. I sighed with revulsion as I glared at his boxers. They were taunting me like a neon sign, and as much as I hated the thought of doing it, I knew I had to take them off. Finally, I bit the bullet and quickly tugged them down his hips, tossing them to the floor with his other clothes. There was no surprise that the guy was packing, but I could care less. The last thing I wanted was that one-eyed snake anywhere near me. I’d done what I needed to do, so I headed into the living room.
By the time I got settled on the sofa, it was after one in the morning. I lay down, tossing an old bl
anket over my feet, and stared up at the ceiling. I thought back to everything that had happened and couldn’t figure out how I’d ended up in such a screwed-up situation. I tried to fight it, but I couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down my face. I’d done what I was supposed to do. I’d followed the rules and done everything that was expected, but there I was, pretending to have sex with someone I detested. I was at my lowest and wasn’t sure I’d ever find my way out.
After sobbing for almost an hour, I looked over at my bag and thought about the phone hidden inside. Thoughts of Seth came crashing through my mind, and suddenly the tears stopped and the clouds of doubt started to dissipate. Just thinking about talking to him for a minute made staying the night at Slider’s seem a little more bearable. I knew it was late, but I couldn’t fight the urge to text him. I reached into the side compartment and pulled out the phone he’d given me. Once I’d powered it up, I sent him a message.
Me:
Hey. You up?
Seth:
Hey, doll.
Me:
I’m sorry it’s so late. It was a crazy night at work.
Seth:
Not a problem. I’m still awake. I couldn’t sleep.
Me:
I’m struggling with that myself.
Seth:
Must be one of those nights.
Me:
Must be. How was your day?
Seth:
Good. Would’ve been better if I’d been able to spend more time with you.
Me:
Maybe we can work something out for tomorrow. You up for that?
Seth:
Absolutely. Just tell me when and where.
Me:
Great. I have some time after my class. I can text when I’m done.
Seth:
Sounds good. Get some rest and I’ll look forward to seeing you tomorrow.
Me:
