by K. C. Stone
Tucked away in a corner, we watched as people strolled in, working the room, and making introductions. My family had invited everyone they could think of tonight, from senators to dirty congressman and other slightly unsavory associates. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed what looked like some of the local chapter of the Lawless MC, the local Irish club, coming in. I’d seen some of them before, but this looked like a whole shit load of guys, all tattoos and leather. None of that appealed to me.
I was just about to walk away when he strolled in, all muscle and sex. He smiled when his buddy whispered something in his ear. He had the deepest set of dimples I’d ever seen, only slightly hidden in his facial hair. Nothing too overgrown, you could tell he had it trimmed up. But it was enough that I could touch it and play with it. I imagined his facial hair slightly grazing my face and I swear my panties melted right off. Never had I been so turned on by a guy before.
I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen plenty sexy men. But this guy was an Irish god in human form. Then he looked up at me. He had the most beautiful eyes I’d ever seen. A brilliant blue, almost transparent pools of aqua. The kind of eyes that promised to do bad things your body craved. He sported short-cropped, curly hair that was slightly mussed, just enough to run my fingers through and grab some to hold on to. The tattoo on his arm ran from the edge of his wrist and at least up his arm. I didn’t know where it stopped, his shirt kept the rest hidden, but I was dying to find out. The swell of his arms captivated my attention as I imagined running my fingers up and down his skin just to feel the hardness. He was heart-wrenchingly gorgeous.
Gia whispered in my ear. “His name is Dom. I wonder how he got it.” She gave me a wink. “He’s a Lawless. Sexy, isn’t he?”
All I could do was swallow and nod. Steamy images were bombarding my brain.
“Well, get over it. Panty melting or not, he’s an associate of the family, so he’s off limits. Plus, your dad will have a shit fit if he finds out.”
I looked at her and then at Dom. He stared at me with a slow, sexy smile. His partially hidden dimples pushed me over the edge. “Well, sucks to be my dad, doesn’t it?” A seductive smile spread across my face. I sauntered over to where he was standing and lightly touched his hand before I asked him his name.
Happy birthday to me.
3
Jules
Present
A doorknob turning yanked me out of my memory. I wasn’t sure what was happening. I sat up as best I could and braced myself for the unknown. A sliver of light filtered in. The creak of the stairs alerted us that someone was coming. A slight whimper escaped and for a moment I didn’t realize it came from me. I couldn’t warn the others when I didn’t know what was happening.
A man walked up to me and knelt down. In the anemic light I could see a shadow of a face. An evil smile.
“I didn’t realize what a treasure we had until John told me.” Unsure of what he meant, I looked at him quizzically. “Yeah, you heard me. One of your big, bad daddy’s boys. You thought John was so harmless. All I had to do was promise him one thing and he caved.” He leaned closer. “Do you know what that one thing is, princess? Though, I might not be able to let him have you after all. What a pity to lose such a wonderful gift.”
The smell of booze on his breath was overpowering as he ran a finger down my jaw line. I cringed at his touch. That made him mad and he reared back and slapped me across the face. The heat and pain were brutal. My lip burned accompanied by the taste of blood. I attempted to cup my face, but the chains wouldn’t let me. I swallowed back tears.
“Don’t you for one second think I can’t ruin you, you little bitch. I don’t care who your dad is or how special John thinks you are. Don’t forget that I run this place. I’m the one who makes the decisions. I take what I want, when I want it. I mean, it’s not like you can stop me, chained like a dog to the ground.” He spit in disgust. I peered up at him as he stood. “That goes for the rest of you. Nobody cares that you’re gone. I made that happen. I can do it again.”
The unknown stranger turned, and I could barely make out his figure as he unlocked another girl’s chains. She sobbed and chains rattled hauntingly.
“Let’s go, bitch.” He dragged her up the stairs. The sound of her cries mixed with his stomping was terrifying. The door slammed with a bang, leaving behind echoes of her cries.
I could hear him click the locks, and when I say locks, I meant there must have been at least three or four on the door. Each one made a deafening click, chipping away at our freedom. I bit the inside of my cheek as the pain from the slap made my face feel like it was exploding. I knew there’d be a bruise. That thought strengthened me. I would get out and I would have my revenge on him.
The silence was deafening, a horrifying promise of what could happen to any of us. Words to make this better or how to help the girls eluded me. How could someone be so cruel to a person?
I was shaken out of my thoughts by Leah. “What did he mean when he said he didn’t care who your father is?”
I cleared my throat and steeled myself for their reactions. “My father is Salvatore Galenti. That’s what he meant by that.”
Gasps echoed in the darkness. “The Salvatore Galenti? As in the Outlaws MC? You’re telling me you’re Jules Galenti?”
After a long pause, I sighed and replied hesitantly, “Yes, I am.” I had no idea what they’d heard about me and my family in the media. The gossip was constant. My family always had a scandal going on.
A slightly hysterical giggle escaped one of the girls. Chains clinked together as she attempted to slap her hands over her mouth to stop herself. “There might actually be a chance for us,” she whispered.
I prayed she was right. That we might really have a chance to be free.
“Jules?” somebody called just above a whisper. Maybe Storm?
“Yes?” My voice didn’t sound like my own. This voice was gun shy and even slightly timid.
“What happened to you? I mean, you know all our stories. What about yours?”
Another girl spoke up. “Please. It’ll take our minds off whatever is going on upstairs,” she pleaded.
“You really want to know?”
“Yes,” they all whispered.
“Well, I turn eighteen at some point today.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “And I was taken from outside of a club.”
Silence reigned as that day’s events came flooding back to me in waves of memories, calling me to focus on them. “We were at Club Elicit. Have you heard of it?” There was no answer, so I kept going. “Well, earlier that day my best friend Gia and I got together with some friends. We decided to get dressed up. I wanted to just enjoy the night with my friends, no family, no club members. Just let loose and enjoy life. So, we of course dressed for the part. Knowing that Elicit was going to be our main goal, we put on our sexiest mini dresses, red leather, stopping just at our thighs. If I bent over, I could give everyone a show. We strapped on our slickest stilettos and made our way out to the sexiest club in town.”
I remembered the conversation Gia and I had. Loading into the taxi after a couple pre-party shots, the girls start to pry.
“You have to talk to him, you know.”
I knew who she was talking about without needing names. Dom. “No.” It’s all I said, in a tone that didn’t invite further questions.
“Jules,” I heard, bringing me back to the present.
“Right, sorry. The best way to take your mind off something you can’t have is to scramble your senses with drinks, and that’s exactly what I did. I drank and drank until I was numb. I decided I wanted to leave about three hours after we got there, so I went to get a cab. Enjoying my buzz and feeling the numbness, I headed outside, not really aware of my surroundings. As I got to the street, a lady asked for help. She said her friend had gotten wasted and she couldn’t carry her. I didn’t think anything about it. I mean, it was a chick. We have to help each other out. I went around the corner to help her.
Still, something wasn’t sitting right. Blowing it off, I kept going. Waiting for me on the other side was not her friend, but two guys I’d never seen before. They grabbed me and stabbed something into my neck. Just as I opened my mouth to scream, a hand clamped over my mouth. I tried to wriggle free when I felt a strange tingle spread from the spot where they stabbed me. Heat overwhelmed me and everything went black. I have no idea what they stuck me with, but I woke up here just like the rest of you guys.”
The silence lingered as questions floated through my mind. What happened now? What would they do to us? The worst part of all of it was John was behind it all. The way he used to stare, I just figured he was weird. Not that he had a sick infatuation. I could honestly say I was truly scared of him. Who else knew? Did Dad know? Did Dom? Maybe that’s partly why we had that fight. Maybe I was naïve and didn’t pay enough attention to my surroundings.
Thinking back to that night, the feelings that flooded me were almost too much to handle. I couldn’t think about that right now, though. I had to keep my focus and keep us alive. Not knowing what the future held, I couldn’t let that get the best of me.
“What’s going to happen?” I whispered, not sure who’d answer.
Leah was the only one brave enough to tell me. “Well, I guess it all depends.”
“Depends on what?” I asked, unsure what she meant.
With a haunting tone to her voice, she said, “If this John guy plans to keep you or not.”
The clicking of the bolts had my head jerking up. I tried to see what was happening, but no matter how hard I squinted my eyes, all I saw was darkness. I heard softer footsteps. A second person. He seemed to be returning the girl the other guy had just dragged up the stairs.
Eerie silence hung in the air as he rechained her and walked back up the stairs, heavy feet clomping on each step as he made his way up to the top and relocked the bolts. Leaving us in complete darkness and silence except the soft whimpers of his latest victim.
4
Dom
Present
I knew something was up when her father’s henchmen showed up outside the bar. A ball of lead dropped in my stomach.
“What’s up guys?” I tried to sound calm when I was anything but. One of the men, I thought his name was Anthony, spoke up. “Our President would like to speak with you.” The tone of his voice implied it was serious.
My gut dropped to the ground. “Where is she?” Hopefully they’d have no idea what I was talking about.
Anthony just looked at me with sadness glinting in his eyes. “Just come with us.”
“Tell me!” I bit out, making it clear they had no right to me. I was not a member of their club.
“She’s missing! Now let’s fuckin’ go!”
The paralyzing words echoed in my soul. Pain slammed in my gut, so sharp I fell to my knees. My throat constricted. My first reaction was to lash out. To get pissed. But I couldn’t move. Except for the shaking.
A voice jolted me out of my reverie. “Get in the damn car.”
Completely numb, I climbed into the back seat of one of Salvatore’s men’s cars. Anthony, Angelo, whatever his name was, prodded my back. “The Prez needs information.”
“Well, so do I!” It came out of my mouth more forceful than I had expected. Then the tirade continued of its own volition. “Who was supposed to be watching her? How the fuck did this happen? I will kill the motherfucker that did this!” I bit out.
The fact they remained silent only fueled the fire. My blood thickened with hate for the unknown person who’d taken Jules.
After driving for what seemed like hours, we pulled up to the house. I jumped out before the car completely stopped. Busting right past the door guard, I ran toward the back of the house, knowing where he’d be. Without knocking, I pushed the door open to find a room full of men I’d never seen. They looked like some scary motherfuckers, all out for blood. But they didn’t have the reason I had.
I blew past them and marched right up to Sal, getting in his face. I’d probably die for this, but I didn’t care. She was my life. “What the fuck happened?”
Without blinking, he raised his hand. I turned to see I had eight men pointing guns in my direction. They relaxed at his signal, but only a little.
Sal looked me in the eye. The pain and panic mixed with anger turned his eyes a terrifying shade of black. “She was taken last night from Club Elicit.”
“Why was no one watching her?”
Sal gave a look, and one by one the men left the room. Facing me again, he directed me to sit. “She talked me out of making her take escorts. We had people watching from afar. By the time my men realized what had happened, she was already gone.” He slammed his fist on the wood desk. “Don’t you think I fucking hate myself enough? If anything happens to her . . .” His voice tapered off and I could see a slight tremble to his lip. Just the thought of something happening to her was too much for him to voice.
“What do you know?” I asked, staring him down. I needed as much information as I could get so I could hunt the bastard down and get her back, then make them pay. The threat of my intentions lingered between us.
Sal raised a brow. Sighing, he looked down at a manila folder, then back to me. “You and my daughter have been seeing each other for about ten months, behind my back. About two months ago, you called it quits. But judging by your reaction, that’s not something you really wanted. No man reacts that way if they’ve stopped loving a woman.”
Walking around to the chair I took a seat. I swallowed down some of the anger toward him. I’d thought we’d hidden things well. Reeling, I couldn’t form words. After a moment, I pulled myself together. Time to lay it all out on the line.
Running my hands down my face I looked Sal square in the eye. “We met at her seventeenth birthday party. I tried not to love her, but it was impossible.” For the first time since we split, a small smile tugged at my face. “The first few months we played it cool. Things started heating up, and I didn’t want to hide her. She isn’t some damn dirty secret. I wanted to tell you. She was afraid you’d have me killed. Said it was your one cardinal rule: no one dates your daughter.” Squaring up, I pulled my shoulders back, hoping he could see how I truly felt about her. “Two months ago, I told her I was planning a meeting with you and I was going to let you know we were together. She panicked. She begged and cried and said she would try and talk to you. I agreed to give her some time. The last time we were together, she said she just couldn’t risk my life. We had a big fight and I just couldn’t do it anymore.” I took a deep breath now that the weight of him not knowing was gone. “How did you find out?”
Sal looked at me with a slight smile. “Jules told me. She broke down about two days ago and told me she was in love with you, and there was nothing that could change that. I wasn’t thrilled, but I could see in her eyes it was the truth, so I stayed silent. I felt the same way about her mother, so I know true, soul changing love when I see it.”
“I will do anything to get her back. I mean anything! What do we know?”
“Security cameras showed that she appeared to be following a lady, maybe to help her. We don’t know for sure. She rounded the corner and was grabbed by two men. Both men kept their faces away from the cameras and we only have the back of the female’s head. We know which direction they headed, after that nothing. We don’t know who or why yet. My men are working on it.”
“I’ll get my club on it as well.” I got to my feet and headed toward the door. The look on his face said that was all he was giving me. “I’d appreciate you keeping me informed with any new information.” Turning, I got into Sal’s face, not caring that we were on his turf. “I need to be in on this.”
“Will do,” Sal said. But I wasn’t holding my breath.
“I love your daughter more than life itself. More than my own breath. I will hunt down the bastards who took her and I will kill them.”
“That’s what I’m counting on.” Sal’s voice was laced wi
th menace and fear.
Not sure where to start, I did the only thing I knew I could do as I walked out. Pulling my phone out, I called the one brother who could get the ball rolling. Our President. Locke answered, and I gave him a rundown of today’s events.
“We calling church on this, brother?” Locke asked.
“Fuck yes. We need everyone in on this.”
“How long do we have before you get here, so I can get everyone here?”
“Be there in about forty minutes.”
“Is there anything else you need?”
“No. Just get the rest of the brothers together. Tell them it’s fuckin’ urgent!” I breathed deep, trying to maintain my composure.
“You got it.” he said.
“Thanks, Prez.” I said, ending the call and climbing into the car that brought me here with two of Sal’s men.
Time to go to church. I looked down at my phone. I knew the weight of what I was doing. Calling chapel was a given. Laying claim, well, that was another matter.
“What the fuck is church?” one of Sal’s goons asked.
“What?” I said, looking at him like he was fucking crazy. “Church, you know, when we have a damn meeting? All the active members, no fucking prospects? We sit around the table and braid each other’s fucking hair, you moron.” I couldn’t help but be sarcastic.
The guy whose name I learned later to be Angelo looked at the prospect who’d asked me the question. “We have board meetings in a boardroom, they have church and chapel,” he informed him.
Tuning out for the rest of the ride, my mind wandered to that first time Jules’ light broke into my dark world.
One year ago
Sitting in chapel, I dreaded this shit party tonight and hoped I could get out of it. Networking, our President called it. We had ties with the Outlaws MC, and he wanted to keep that shit good. So, when their President called and asked, you didn’t say no.
