by Jadyn Chase
He shook his head and went on eating. “I didn’t hold anyone captive. They were family of our club members who needed protection so we brought them here.”
“And what if your enemies attack?” I asked. “What’s to stop them razing this place to the ground and killing you and whoever you’re trying to protect?”
“The property has defenses.” He swept his chopsticks toward the window. “That wall has automated tripwires that set off motion-targeted machine gunfire. If anyone breaches the perimeter without entering the passcode, the tripwires shoot them down before they get anywhere near the building. If they manage to get past that, we have weapons in hidden caches all over the house to defend the place. The first time someone trips the alarm, a signal goes out to all the other clubhouses all over the city to send backup. If The Desperados were stupid enough to attack this place, I wouldn’t be defending it alone.”
The Desperados. He kept coming back to that as if I had more to worry about from them than I did from him.
I ate my food in silence. So that was what I could look forward to if I got over the wall. I would have to find a way to disarm the defense system if I hoped to get away from here. No wonder he said no one gets in and no one gets out.
After a while, I dared to broach the subject one more time. “Brayden?”
“Hmm?”
“I want to go outside,” I told him. “I want some fresh air. I want to take a walk outside.”
“Okay. Just wait until tomorrow. It’s pitch dark out there right now.” He set his empty bowl on the coffee table and extended his booted legs across his chair. He aimed a remote control at the big TV and flipped it on.
Right. Tomorrow. I settled into the couch and relaxed, but my mind kicked into overdrive. Every time I ate one of Brayden’s exquisite meals, the food made me drowsy. I dreaded closing my eyes, though. Nightmare images reared their heads and left me trembling in terror every time I fell asleep.
I pulled the blanket over myself and watched the flickering screen. Brayden watched John Wick right through to the end and didn’t look sideways at me again. The blinking blue light kept me awake, but I didn’t watch the movie.
Something unknown nagged the corner of my mind. It kept trying to break the surface and get me to remember it. What was it? The dream I had about my parents drifted back into my memory. We were all so happy then.
Now that I considered the dream in a more rational frame of mind, I picked up more detail. A line of tall eucalyptus trees sheltered the backyard. A swing set and slide stood next to the sandbox.
Chopper loped across the lawn and took a flying leap through the still summer air. He jumped at my dad and my dad caught him by the scruff of the neck. My dad dropped on one knee in the grass. He wrestled Chopper back and forth while the dog growled in mock aggression.
Chopper twisted his head from side to side trying to break free. My dad laughed and my mom chuckled on the back porch. I ran across the yard and threw my arms around my dad’s…..
I froze and huddled into the couch. The image burned into my psyche. I stared into blank space with that awful realization crashing through my mind. My dad was wearing a black tank top. His muscles strained while playing with the dog. When I hugged him, I could see the dragon tattoo on his forearm.
The longer I held that picture in my mind, the more it asserted itself and became sparkling clear. A huge, gleaming Harley leaned on its kickstand near the sliding glass door. A set of sockets, wrenches and screwdrivers lay spread out next to its front wheel.
The TV flicked off, and the room fell into shadow. Only the light from the kitchen allowed me to see anything. Brayden glanced over and our eyes locked.
He stiffened. “Are you all right?”
I opened my mouth. How could I tell him? Should I tell him? “My dad…..”
“What about him?”
“He…..he had that tattoo on his arm. That’s where I saw it. He was a biker.”
His head swung up. “Your dad had it?”
I clamped my eyes closed, but I couldn’t get that memory out of my mind. Now I knew for sure that’s what it was. The dream—what I first took for a dream—it really happened. My dad was Los Diablos.
Brayden sat up and took out his phone. “What are you doing?” I asked.
“I’m texting Carlos to let him know. He has to know about this.”
I didn’t move. I didn’t want his Boss or anybody else knowing about this, but what was the use in arguing? Brayden would do it anyway. He always followed orders no matter what.
I had to play my cards just right. When the time came, I would make my move. Until then, I just had to sit tight.
After he finished sending his text, he put his phone away and slouched in his chair. He folded his arms behind his head and closed his eyes. I stayed awake and scrutinized him in minute detail, but I never truly believed that he fell asleep. Was he just trying to trick me? Did he ever sleep at all?
I must have fallen asleep despite my best efforts to stay awake. When I opened my eyes, morning sunshine streamed through the glass doors. Brayden whistled around the kitchen amid the sound of pans frying and the coffee maker bubbling.
He served me in my usual place. He never deviated from the set routine. After I ate, he took my dishes to the sink and cleaned up all by himself. He never once asked me to help.
I stared at him bent over the sink. What the hell was wrong with him? Besides the fact that he paid so little attention to me, he treated me like an honored guest. He tended to my every whim—all the ones I told him about, anyway.
He never expressed the slightest reservation at serving, cooking, cleaning up, and changing the towels in the bathroom. When I told him I used up all the panties that fit me in the underwear drawer, he texted Logan to bring more. He asked what size I needed and if I needed any other clothes.
He dried his hands on a towel and strolled back into the living room. He looked up at me and nodded. “Are you ready?”
“For what?”
“You said you wanted to take a walk outside. Are you ready to go?”
I looked around. “Now?”
“When did you think?”
He crossed to the sliding doors and pulled back the curtain to reveal a keypad embedded in the wall. He punched in a code and the lock clicked. He slid back the door and stepped out onto the sun-washed deck.
I came up behind him. Did I really dare to go outside? Would the automated machine guns turn on me?
Brayden spread his arms and closed his eyes. “Ahh! I’m glad you suggested this. We’ve been cooped up indoors too long.”
I gathered my courage and crossed the threshold. The sunlight hit my eyes and made me squint. The next instant, it warmed me through and through. It softened all the tension holding me stiff. I started to come alive again.
Brayden waved toward the yard. “Off you go. Have a good time.”
My gaze shot to his face. “What do you mean?”
“You said you wanted to take a walk, so take one.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to stand here and make sure you take a walk.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Go on.”
Now that he gave me permission to do it, I hesitated. The idea of walking around freely struck me as odd and out of place. How long had it been since I just took a simple walk? I couldn’t remember.
I put my foot on the grass. It tickled, and my bare toes sank into the Earth. The leaves and bushes vibrated such a bright green I could hardly stand to look at it. The beauty of everything hurt my heart in ways I couldn’t understand.
The farther I went, the stranger it seemed. Brayden didn’t follow me. He stayed where he was. He traced my movements with his all-seeing eyes, but he left me to my own devices.
I wandered to the wall. Rose bushes bloomed there. Honeysuckle and morning glories draped the lichen-covered stone. Every shade and texture seemed too exquisite to look upon. I shouldn’t look. They aroused buried emotions too
powerful for me to contain.
All at once, I noticed a small, round, black plastic circle embedded in the wall. The honeysuckle concealed it, but it stared out of the rough surface. When I looked at it, a shutter clicked and adjusted down inside it.
My spine tingled. That must be some part of the defense system. It looked like a sensor to activate the alarm…. maybe. My hair stood on end. Was Brayden watching me right now? Did he see me notice that thing? I didn’t dare turn around to find out.
I strolled a few more paces down the wall and bent over to smell the roses. Right behind the bush, another one of those menacing devices glared out at me. I couldn’t go around picking out each and every component without attracting attention.
I changed tack and meandered over to the fountain tinkling to my right. It bubbled from a round stone and flowed into a pond dotted with flowering water lilies. A bright orange coy flashed through the shadows and disappeared again.
I folded my legs under me and sat down on the warm concrete. Everything about this garden flooded me with peace and tranquility. It almost made me forget I could never leave—not until Brayden and his Boss decided to let me go.
I blinked into the deep water. Darkened patches glided to and fro down there, far out of my reach. My gaze drifted with the current and the gentle music of water giggling over stone. How simple life would be if I could just enjoy this moment without obsessing over everything outside it.
When I checked over my shoulder, Brayden still stood in the same spot. He didn’t threaten me. He didn’t bristle or investigate every move I made. He relaxed in the sultry air. He showed more interest in a butterfly hovering near him than in me.
I got lost in the pool. The coy reappeared. It cocked its tail, hesitated, and then drifted under the nearest lily pad. It sidled in casual dreamy slowness down the length of the pond and eventually disappeared under the….
I stared. That fish swam under the wall and didn’t come out. Did I make a mistake? No, it really did swim under the wall. The water’s surface extended beneath the wall. The sun glistened on the surface and revealed a subtle pattern of current that left the garden for the outside world.
I maintained the same position. If that water could go under the wall, I could do the same thing. I closed my eyes. I didn’t need to see anymore. I knew now what I had to do.
6
Brayden
My eyes popped open and I stared into the darkness. Something didn’t feel right, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I listened. What I didn’t hear set my nerves on end.
I jerked upright and fell back when cold steel bit into my wrists. I wrenched around roaring in fury, but the cuffs stopped me. I gave them an extra hard yank, but they held just the same. That fucking little bitch cuffed me while I slept!
I made another dive to sit up and wound up pitching over onto my back. God damn fucking piece of shit! She cuffed my wrists above my head. The other set shackled my ankle to the chair leg. No matter how I fought, I couldn’t break free.
The kitchen light played over the couch where she no longer lay. Did she ever go to sleep? Did she just pretend until I fell asleep?
God damn you, Brayden! How could I be so stupid as to leave those cuffs lying around? I should have seen this coming. Going over everything I did wrong wouldn’t bring her back, though. I had to find her before Carlos found out.
First I had to get these fucking cuffs off. I could yank them until doomsday. That got me nowhere.
I forced myself to calm down and think. I had to get out of this room and fast. Every second carried her farther away where I wouldn’t be able to catch her. How could I do that?
If only…..Without sitting up, I dove deep into my soul and unleashed the dragon. It boiled out of my skin and erupted to gargantuan proportions. My human self went to sleep and the monstrous wild demon exploded to fill the whole room.
My limbs swelled to five times their size. The flimsy steel warped and buckled. The cuffs clattered to the floor and left me free, but I didn’t think twice.
The living room barely contained my huge body. I would have to break the roof off the building to get out of here and that would never do.
I shifted back in a flash. My rational mind reasserted itself and I thought fast. I rushed to the glass door and pulled it back. Of course it was unlocked. I showed her the fucking combination. I could never let Carlos know I made so many consecutive blunders. I let that little cunt get under my skin. She made me feel sorry for her and now I got to pay the consequences.
I stopped on the deck and listened. The fountain whispered to one side. She spent a lot of time sitting over there today. Then I heard it, an ever so faint glug of water burping in on itself. Of course. She must have noticed the drainage channel under the wall.
I made a few mistakes, but I wouldn’t make them again. She wasn’t in the garden, but that meant nothing. I didn’t need to stand around here thinking about it. I leaped into the air and took wing. I soared across the yard in seconds and landed on the wall. I perched there and trained my ears to hear her.
The defense system covered the expanse of shrubbery sloping down the hill to the road. She wouldn’t be there. She would have tripped the alarm by now if she was, and after what I told her about the machine guns, she would stay away from them. She was too smart to get caught.
That left the channel. She must have followed it all the way to the pump station behind the building. Shit! The water would lead her beyond the defense system where I couldn’t catch her.
I vaulted into the air and scanned my night vision across the ground. The channel glowed silver-black in the moonlight. I hovered over the pump station just in time to see her haul her soaking body out of the drink.
You foul little witch. I’ll teach you to fuck with me. I retracted my wings and stooped. She straightened up on the bank and wrung the extra liquid out of her hair. She glanced both ways and started to set off into the night when I plummeted out of the sky. I struck her hard and knocked her to the ground.
She screamed and wriggled over under my foot. I didn’t bother to shift. What the hell did I care if I scared the ever-loving piss out of her? I wanted to scare her. I wanted to put the fear of God into her so she understood once and for all who and what she was dealing with.
I closed my talons around her squirming body and levitated off the ground. I flew back to the house and landed on the deck. I couldn’t get through the door like this so I flung her inside and shifted again double-quick.
She staggered into the living room, pivoted, and made a headlong dash to break away. She bolted for the door and I caught her coming the other way. I strapped my arms around her, but she fought like a banshee. She kicked and bit and scratched and clawed trying to get around me and through me. “Let me go, Brayden! You can’t do this to me! You bastard! I swear I’ll kill you. Let me go! Get off me! You can’t hold me like this!”
I bent my head and gritted my teeth. “Get in there, you! What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
I dug in my boots and slammed my hands against her to shove her inside. She stumbled and I slid the door closed behind me. She barreled back at me spitting and snarling, but I straight-armed her away while I got out my phone.
“Fuck you, Brayden!” she screeched. “You son of a bitch! Let me go!”
She stood off a few paces howling and baring her teeth. I held out my arm ready for another rush while I hastily tapped a code into my phone. The door lock clicked. She couldn’t get out now.
Her wide, staring eyes took in the whole scene. She hesitated before she made another blind charge. “Let me out of here, Brayden! You cocksucker!”
“Get off, you bitch!” I thundered. “Settle down! What the fuck are you trying to do—get yourself killed?”
“You can’t do this to me!” she hollered. “You kidnapped me! You’re holding me prisoner.”
“No one kidnapped you, you stupid fucking bitch!” I picked her up and bodily carried her to the couch. I slammed
her down on the cushions with all my strength and loomed over her. I jabbed my forefinger in her face and let loose all the rage and frustration she incited in me. “What the fuck do you think is going to happen to you out there? Where do you think you’re going to go? Huh?”
She glared up at me and snarled through her teeth. “You piece of shit!”
I wound back my hand and stopped myself just in time. Christ, she made me so flaming mad I could tear her in half right now. “Will you stop and use the fucking brain in your head for once? If you go out there, The Desperados will track you down. You’d be dead within hours. This is the safest place for you. When are you gonna realize that?”
She narrowed her eyes, but she didn’t try to get up. She gritted her teeth and seethed in silent resentment. I threw up my hands and whirled away. What the fuck! If she wanted to play good cop, bad cop, we could do this little dance all fucking night.
I stormed across the room to the kitchen before the adrenaline caught up with me. The pure blank fear of losing her like that hit me like a freight train. I doubled over and propped my hands on the counter. I hung my head and willed my pulse to slow down.
My blood screamed in my veins. That was too close. I couldn’t let her get away from me again. Carlos would have my nuts on a platter if I lost her.
I couldn’t calm down. Here I thought I was making some progress getting through to her. She told me about her dad having that tattoo and now she pulled a stunt like this.
I went into the kitchen and leaned against the sink. My hands shook getting out my phone. The screen clock read, 3:30 AM. Just fucking great. Carlos would tear me a new one, but I had to report this. I navigated to FaceTime and pushed the button.
He appeared on the screen scratching his head and squinting in a darkened bedroom. “This better be fucking good. Do you know what time it is?”
“Sorry, Sir,” I began. “The bitch just tried to escape.”
“Did you get her? Is she all right?”
“She’s fine.” I had to take a deep breath to compose myself. “She’s here, but she compromised the security system. Can you send Logan out?”