by Lane Hart
Now she’s gone, and I’ll never get that time back. I can’t help but think about what if I had told her the truth. Would she have forgiven me? At the time, I didn’t think she would believe me, but now, what if I was wrong and she would’ve trusted that I didn’t want anything more than a lap dance from Lexi, or Harley as she was called at Avalon.
Except that’s not exactly true.
I wanted Lexi. She was right when she called me out for coming to the club every night for a week to watch her. I wouldn’t let her get close enough to dance for me or speak to me because I was happily engaged and getting ready to marry the woman of my dreams. Lexi was nothing but a pretty face with thick, gorgeous waves of jet black hair that fell over all her golden tan skin. She was exotic and dark, the opposite of Kennedy’s classically blonde and beautiful lightness.
The night of my bachelor party, I made the stupid decision to indulge myself one last time with a private lap dance. That was all it was supposed to be. I had no idea I was being set up.
“I left town after I found out about the video,” Lexi says. “And I didn’t tell my father where I was going. That’s probably why he thought you were responsible for my disappearance months ago.”
Have I had it wrong all this time? Has my anger at this woman I barely know been a mistake? I still don’t believe everything she says, but it’s enough to make me doubt my assumptions.
“I hated him for what he did and didn’t want him to be a part of our lives...”
“Can you stop talking so I can try to get some sleep?” I interrupt her.
“Yeah. Sorry.”
“This bed is actually comfortable,” I mumble as the tension eases out of me and I sink further into the mattress. “I haven’t slept worth a shit in months…”
“Why not?” Lexi asks.
“Go the fuck to sleep,” I snap at her, even though I’m aware that it’s my fault I keep talking to her.
Chapter Nine
Torin
“Lieutenant! They’ve got us pinned down here. What are your orders?” one of my squad members yells. She’s nearby, but I can barely hear her over the thunderous cracks of rifle fire from the ruined building across the road.
I do a double-take when I glance over and see Kennedy, in full kit, her heavy pregnant belly bulging under her body armor. Before I can even acknowledge her presence, a heavy body slams into my back. I drop my rifle as I struggle to catch the soldier collapsing at my feet. I can feel the sweat under my helmet turn to ice as I see who it is. My best friend, War.
“Torin,” War gasps, blood bubbling from his lips. “They knew we were coming this way. Squad's got a rat…”
“Quiet, Sergeant!” I snap. “Medic! Get your ass over here!”
Kennedy scrambles over, awkward and off balance as she struggles with her gear. She wasn’t cut out for this life. How the fuck did I manage to drag her out here in the desert with me? Why didn’t anyone stop me?
“Look alive, Lieutenant!” Kennedy grins over at me, raising a hand to touch my face. A hand covered in War’s blood.
With a determined nod, I snatch up my rifle, and peer over the lip of the ditch where we’ve taken cover. A hail of bullets splinter the pavement nearby, forcing me back, but not before I see the men advancing on us. Men I recognize. My men.
“That’s Maddox and Holden,” I mutter, horrified. The two men appear at the edge of the ditch, ignoring me and instead, open fire on Kennedy, who is still sitting with her bloody hands raised towards me. I can feel the scream rising up in my throat, choking me as the bullets tear her apart.
With a gasping roar, I try to lunge up from the bed, almost slamming my head directly into War’s face. “Torin! Calm down, brother, it’s the nightmares,” War says as he guides me back down, holding my forearms.
My forearm that I realize is still taped up to our hostage. She has pulled as far away from me as she can, while still being bound to me. “I called for War to come help,” Lexi whispers, her free hand raised to her mouth. “I thought you were having a seizure or something…”
With an easy swipe, War parts the tape holding our arms together. I rip mine free of it, cursing at the hair that gets ripped away. “Afghanistan,” I mumble a partial lie since I have no way to describe the confusing dream. “Fucked-up place that still causes nightmares.”
“It sounded like it,” War sympathizes, helping me to my feet. “Get some coffee. I’ll help get her ready.”
“Thanks, brother. Cooper okay in there?” I ask with a nod to the adjoining room.
“Huh? Oh yeah, that shit last night. Don’t worry, man, he’s fine,” War says. “We knew when we patched him in his engine runs mostly in the red. Dude is passionate, I swear. If you want to thump him a bit for last night, I’ll hold him if you need,” he offers.
“Nah, that was just a friendly disagreement. No big deal,” I assure him. Pointing at Lexi, I tell War, “Don’t let her pull anything. I’m going to get some air, all right?”
“Sure, brother,” War agrees. “I bought her some clothes so she can go get changed in the bathroom.”
Nodding my agreement, I step outside the hotel room and pull out my phone to make a phone call. Between the conversation with Lexi last night and the bizarre nightmare, I feel like I need to have a quick talk with Chase.
“Hello?” my younger brother answers.
“Sorry to bother you on your honeymoon, but I need you to talk to me about the prospects,” I tell him.
“The prospects? You woke me up on the second day of my honeymoon to talk about the fucking prospects?” he asks with a gruff laugh. “Man, Torin, can’t this shit wait? Aren’t you in the middle of a kidnapping?”
“No, it really can’t wait,” I tell him, my voice stern so that he knows I’m not kidding. “Are Holden and Maddox trustworthy?” I ask. The two guys staying in the hotel room with me are both sponsoring a prospect, which means their views could be biased in favor of the kids they’re held responsible for and have bonded with over the last few months.
Chase’s heavy sigh drifts over the line before he finally answers. “Maddox definitely. I think he’ll be ready to patch in soon, and so does War. But Holden, well…Cooper said he didn’t think he was ready to make the trip with us.”
“Cooper said that? Did he tell you why not?” I ask, trying my damnedest to remember if Holden was at Avalon the night of my bachelor party. All of my memories are foggy, though, so nothing about those few hours is clear.
“Coop just said Holden’s a hothead and he’s not sure if he’s…”
“If he’s what?” I demand.
“If we can trust him.”
“Goddammit,” I mutter as I rub my free hand down my face. “Has something happened with Holden that you’re keeping from me?”
“Well, honestly, Abe and I have been throwing around the idea of a rat ever since…you know, the shooting and the attack on the bar.”
“And you think that rat could be Holden? Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?” I hiss into the phone
“Because you had enough shit to worry about! And don’t forget that you’re the one who cut that president flash off your cut and threw it down on the table. You made the decision to walk away from leading the club. Besides, it’s not like we had any proof.”
“Now we just might,” I grumble.
“What are you talking about?” he asks. “What proof?”
“Hector’s daughter says one of our prospects is working for him. Or was working for him. She didn’t know his name, though. Do you remember if Holden or Maddox were at my bachelor party?” I ask.
“Your bachelor party? Ah, yeah. Wasn’t everyone there?” Chase replies.
“Did either of them bring us drinks?” I ask and then hold my breath waiting for the answer.
“Probably.”
“Yes or no, Chase?” I snap.
“What the hell does it matter?” he asks.
“It just matters, okay?” I exclaim. “Think back and try to remember
, because I… I can’t remember anything.”
“What do you mean you can’t remember anything? I didn’t think you drank that much before you left.”
Squeezing my eyes shut, I finally admit the truth to my brother. “Someone drugged me.”
“Huh?”
“Someone drugged my beer that night. All this time I thought it was the stripper, Hector’s daughter, but now…Lexi says it was a prospect.”
“And you believe her?” he asks in surprise.
“Maybe,” I admit since I’m starting to lean her way despite how hard I’m trying to resist. I wish she was lying, but why would she? In my gut, I can’t help but think that she’s actually telling the truth.
“Holden,” Chase says. “Fucking Holden drugged you?”
“You really think he could’ve done that to me?” I ask, since I don’t want to believe it.
“He was the newest recruit that night. I think we had Maddox outside watching our bikes and Holden waiting on us…”
“You’re absolutely sure of that?” I ask.
“Not one hundred percent, but like ninety,” he answers. “But why would he drug you? Was he trying to kill you? I’ll murder that little son of a bitch with my own hands...”
“We need proof,” I interrupt his rant. There’s nothing worse than a disloyal fucker in an MC. “The word of Hector’s daughter against Holden’s won’t cut it,” I say to calm my brother down. Most of our men will hate her on sight just because of her name.
“If we get proof, though, he’s done,” Chase says, and I know he doesn’t just mean he’s ending his position in the club.
“I agree,” I tell him.
“But wait…what happened after you were drugged? Where the hell did you go? We all thought you went home.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I say. “It’s a long, shitty story for another day.”
“Fine,” he grumbles. And while I’m sure he’ll let it go for now, I have no doubt that he’ll want a full explanation soon.
Soon, I’ll need to talk to War and Cooper since they’re sponsoring Maddox and Holden. If anyone has dirt on the boys, it will be them.
But the time for secrets is over. This is a conversation we need to bring to the table so that both men understand the seriousness of a possible betrayal. They’ll have to put their relationships with the boys aside to do what’s right for the club.
…
Lexi
“Let’s go,” Torin comes through the hotel door and announces with the strict authority that reminds me he’s the leader of one of the largest biker gangs on the east coast. It also makes me remember that night at Avalon…
Happy to be free of the restraints on my ankles and wrists and ready to finally get out of this stuffy hotel room, I quickly head for the door.
Grabbing my upper arm roughly in his strong grip, he says, “Do I need to give you a speech about behaving today?”
“No,” I answer when I look up at his stern face. “I’ll go along and cooperate, whatever you want me to do as long as you promise to let me go after you deal with my father.”
Torin’s bearded jaw, which hasn’t seen a razor in weeks, ticks in annoyance at my proposition.
“Please? I have to get back here to Vegas as soon as possible,” I tell him without elaborating further on my responsibilities. “Promise me that you won’t hurt me and that you’ll let me go after this is finished.”
“Do exactly what we tell you, when we tell you to do it, and I’ll let you go,” he eventually agrees as he narrows his green eyes at me. “But if you so much as open your mouth to speak to anyone or even think about running again, you won’t live to see your father take his last breath.”
“There are more important things I need to live for,” I tell him. “Seeing my father die will just make my life a little easier.”
Torin gives a single nod of understanding, so I start for the door before he stops me with a hand squeezing the top of my arm again.
“War has to tape us up before you walk out that door and think you’re free,” he says.
“Tape us? Like last night?” I ask. “It was impossible to sleep when you wouldn’t be still for more than five minutes.”
“It’s not fun for me either, but I don’t trust you,” he grumbles. “War!” he yells for the man in the next room over. “Bring the black tape.”
Torin’s wearing a black sweatshirt that’s zipped up, and I’m wearing a baggy black hoodie. I’m starting to understand the choice in attire when Torin clasps my much smaller hand in his big warm grip. He links our fingers and then holds them up for War to start applying the tape to our wrists.
Guess we’re supposed to look like a happy couple when in truth there’s a part of him that still wants me dead. He blames me for all the horrible things my father did to him.
I just hope he’s a man of his word, because I can’t die. Liam is depending on me, and while I trust Joanna to keep him safe for the short term, really, I’m all that he has in this world.
Chapter Ten
Torin
We make it onto the small, private jet Reece chartered for our flight home without any issues. I have to say that I’m surprised Lexi is actually sticking to her agreement not to talk to anyone or try to make a run for it. Just like I don’t trust her, she has no reason to take me at my word when I said I’d let her go once we deal with Hector. But I will.
For so long now I’ve been angry at everyone when really, I’m just angry at myself. While I can’t remember everything that happened that night, I do know that, in the six or so days leading up to my bachelor party, I would find myself in Avalon at the exact same time Lexi would be dancing on stage. I’d leave right afterward, but not before I got to see her petite little body wrapped around the pole, watching me watch her.
I assured myself that it was nothing but a small case of cold feet with the wedding coming up so fast. I never imagined myself getting married and settling down. Hell, at my best, I’m not the easiest person to get along with. I’m stubborn and sullen, but for some reason Kennedy still loved me.
I told myself that I was just looking at my fill of other women before we said our vows. What was the harm in that? Well, the harm was that, during that week, the first thing I thought about when I woke up in the morning in bed with my fiancé was sneaking off to see Lexi that night. And yeah, I knew her real name because I owned the place. I should’ve been counting down the days to when I would be marrying the woman of my dreams, but I wasn’t. I was such an asshole. Kennedy deserved so much better than a short life with me. I could barely look at her after the bachelor party, and she was my wife, carrying my son. Learning that I was going to be a father only pushed me further away from her. I had become a disappointment and a failure to two people instead of just one.
Seeing the stewardess in her neatly pressed blue skirt suit heading our way, I quickly whisper to Lexi, “Do you want something to eat or drink?”
“Yes,” she answers but doesn’t give any specifics.
“Fine. Tell her, but keep it short,” I warn her.
“Hi, can I bring either of you a drink or a snack?” the prim and proper woman asks with an eager smile.
“I would love a vodka tonic and some peanuts,” Lexi says.
“Sure thing,” the stewardess replies. “And for you, sir?”
“No, thanks,” I answer, so she nods and walks away.
“You can relax now,” Lexi mutters. I realize that I had been squeezing her hand tight in warning to not say more than necessary, so I ease up on my grip.
We didn’t have to deal with normal airport security since it was a private flight. Still, Lexi could have screamed to the people we walked past to get to the terminal, or even tell the pilot that she’s being kidnapped, but she didn’t. I still can’t completely relax, though, because there is no fucking way I’m getting arrested and going to prison before I kill Hector.
Thirty minutes and three vodka tonics later, Lexi is fast asleep, snoring
softly with her head flopped over on my shoulder. She sleeps like that for at least two hours before she startles awake.
“Calm down. We’re still on the plane,” I tell her softly when she tries to jerk her hand away that’s still attached to mine.
“Oh,” she mutters as her big, chocolate eyes blink open and she looks around the small interior where only War, Cooper and the two of us are passengers. Both of them are also snoozing. Sometimes I think I’m the only person in the world who can’t sleep. It’s been months, and I still barely sleep more than an hour or two at a time.
“I have to use the restroom,” Lexi says, which is a problem since we’re still attached to each other.
Jesus, this woman has to go all the fucking time.
“Hold it,” I tell her.
“Hold it? For how long? How much further until we land?”
“Another two hours or so,” I answer.
“I can’t hold it for that long!” she whisper-yells as she squirms in her seat. “It’s impossible to hold it after you give birth to a humongous baby, especially when he’s two weeks late…”
“You have a kid?” I whip my head around to ask her in shock.
“Ah, yeah, I do,” she replies. Slumping down in her seat, she lowers her eyes and chews on her bottom lip like she regrets admitting that fact to me. Does she actually think I would use her child to hurt Hector if this plan fails?
“I wouldn’t ever hurt a kid,” I assure her.
“Yeah, I believe you,” she nods. “But that’s why you have to let me go back to Vegas.”
“I will.”
Even if I was only one-percent on the fence about it, now that I know she’s a mother there’s no way I’ll hurt a hair on her head. It also explains why she ran the other night, and why she’s been so willing to cooperate afterward. She’s desperate to get back to her kid.
“Come on,” I grumble when I get to my feet and pull her to hers with our hands clasped. I lead her down the aisle past my sleeping brothers, and then step into the narrow bathroom that’s barely big enough for me, much less another person.
