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“Oh my God!” I cry. No one’s going to notice I’m not around. My father will just think I’m out again for the night. And Tal… well, he probably won’t think anything of me not being at the club.
A groan comes from the bathtub, and the shower curtain moves.
Shuffling across the floor, I wince from the pain shooting across the side of my head as I peek around the edge of the curtain. My eyes widen, trying to process what I’m seeing.
A man is sitting with his hands and ankles bound, his face a bloody mess. I can’t understand what he’s saying, as there’s a rag stuffed into his mouth. Is he asking me for help? Is he warning me that what happened to him will happen to me? I have no idea, and I don’t think I want to know.
Who the hell are these people keeping us like this? A tear falls from his left eye, smudging the dried blood crusted on his cheek, and I scream.
I scream from fear.
I scream for anyone to hear me.
I scream because I don’t know any other way to deal with the situation I’ve found myself in.
The door slams open so hard, it leaves a small hole in the drywall. I don’t know what’s worse: being tied up, not knowing why I’m here or where here is, or seeing the man darkening the doorway, glaring down at me. The fact that he looks old enough to be my grandfather doesn’t fill me with hope of gaining an advantage over him and escaping. His beard, long enough to braid, is grey, along with the hair on his head. His eyes, cold and violent, are surrounded by deep lines, as is his forehead and around his mouth. He doesn’t wear leather like the Lost Souls, but violence doesn’t lie only with bikers. Bad people are everywhere, in all shapes and sizes, old and young.
The scream dying on the tip of my tongue, my body starts to shake. Shuffling away, I only make it as far as the cupboard under the basin. I can smell the musky sweat dampening his shirt from here. On a normal day, I’d gag from it, it’s so strong.
“Keep that mouth of yours shut, or I’ll shut it for you.”
Stepping into the bathroom, he kneels down in front of me—too close for my liking. Running the backs of his fingers over my cheekbone, a dull pain radiates from the bruise that’s no doubt there, and I shy away from him.
“You have no reason to trust me, I get that, but you will leave here alive. So, if you want to live, be fucking quiet.”
Leaning to the side, I see we’re in a motel room and someone is opening the door to the outside world.
He’s right, I don’t trust him. Inhaling deeply, I scream like I’ve never screamed before, like I want to save my life and have someone hear me and it burns my throat.
The old man sighs, shaking his head as he rises to his full height. “Why can’t you bitches ever do as you’re fucking told?” he growls, lifting his foot.
The last image I see before the darkness returns is the sole of his black leather boot.
Chapter Nine
Tal
Cas finishes telling the brothers what Kyle told us down in the basement this morning, and how we saw Bert going into Kyle’s aunt’s house.
“How can we believe Kyle only fed him bullshit?” Ricky asks.
Pope rubs his hands down his face. “We can’t. People put in situations with loved ones used as leverage make stupid decisions.”
I nod for the sake of appearances.
“I agree. We’ll keep Kyle down in the basement until we’re satisfied he has or hasn’t betrayed us. As for the aunt, it shouldn’t be too hard to take out a couple of guys staying at the house.”
“I’ll take JJ and Leo, and we’ll get her out tonight,” Sparky offers.
Cas agrees. “That’ll work.”
Staring at the two empty chairs across from me, I ask, “Where are Slade and Zach?”
“They’re both taking some time away from the club. They’ll be back soon enough.”
I don’t believe a word of it. For one, Zach has always been about when needed since losing his sister, and Slade just returned after being gone for months before.
Cas moves on. “I got a call this morning, Jamie Boy and the fourth brother we’ve yet to meet, Austin, will be here the day after tomorrow, and then we’ll be heading out on our next run.”
