Ruthless

by Tory Richards

  “Because I … I,” Why indeed? I was nobody to Rebel, and thirty thousand dollars was a lot of money. God, what was I going to do? He’d told me that the Red Devils were gone, but them taking it was the only thing that made any sense. They’d been there that day. Tears began to cloud my vision when I realized that there was nothing that I could say to answer his question. If the situation had been reversed, I probably would have come to the same conclusion as he had.

  My shoulders slumped as I realized the futility of the situation. “It might as well be thirty million,” I mumbled to myself. I’d never be able to pay Rebel back that kind of money. I raised my gaze to his. “Are you going to turn me in?”

  “So you admit that you took it?”

  “No! I’m not admitting to something that I didn’t do, but I have no proof. I need to know— are you going to turn me in?”

  “Turn you in to whom?” he grunted.

  “The police,” I replied, thinking about all the horrors I’d heard told about what they did to a person in prison.

  Rebel laughed, though there was little humor in it. “Why would I turn you in to the police? I’ll never get my money back that way.”

  “What are you going to do then? It will take me forever to pay you back that kind of money.”

  He just stood there, staring at me. His expression gave nothing away, but I knew that he was thinking it over. I began to get nervous beneath his quiet stare, and I didn’t like the way that his gaze dropped lazily down my body. He may as well have run a match down my body, because I was suddenly on fire, recalling how good his hands and mouth had felt on me. But if he thought I was going to pay him back with my body, he was going to be disappointed.

  I wasn’t a whore.

  By the time his eyes met mine I was glaring at him.

  His sexy lips quirked. “I’ll think about how you can pay me back while you’re showering.”

  For a minute it felt as if we were squaring off, and neither one of us would back down. With a huff, I finally walked past him to the bathroom, making sure to lock the door. It wasn’t lost on me that the lock was faulty and that all he had to do was twist the knob all the way to get inside. I knew, because I’d accidentally locked myself out one day, and it had been that simple to get in.

  Well, I couldn’t worry about everything.

  Tomorrow was another day.

  Chapter 7

  Rebel

  Past

  When I left the bathroom to get towels and clean clothes for Ginger, I lucked out. One of the club whores was walking by, and a big smile spread across her face when she saw me. Her eager eyes ran down the length of my naked torso, taking in my opened jeans. I could see from her expression that she thought it was an open invitation for her to put her hands on me. She wasted no time in plastering herself against me.

  Fuck. I didn’t need or want this shit right now.

  “Hi, baby.” She slipped her hand into my pants and took hold of my flaccid dick. “I’ve been looking for you.”

  I had to play along. “Yeah?” I thrust my hips, she squeezed my dick. “I’ve been busy.” I’d fucked her a few times before. Hell, I’d fucked all of Wildman’s whores at least once. Free pussy was always a fucking perk, whatever MC I happened to be involved in, but I would have had to be either stoned or drunk to enjoy the Devils’ whores. They may have once been real beauties, but most of them were worn and thin and looked well-used.

  “You don’t look busy now,” she purred, cupping my balls.

  I saw an opportunity and took advantage of her eagerness to please. “Baby—” I couldn’t recall her name, “I need a favor.”

  “And what do I get in return?” She ran her tongue over her bright red lips.

  I grinned, hoping that she didn’t notice that my dick wasn’t the least bit enthused by her administrations. “How about you come to my room later and I surprise you?” I squeezed her tit, which was almost naked in the bikini top she had on. Her eyes grew big. “I need some clothes.” I gave her a lusty onceover. “About your size, jeans and a tee will do.”

  “For a woman?” Her brows drew together in a suspicious frown.

  I could tell by the change in her tone that she didn’t like the thought of that. I reached up and ran the back of my hand against her cheek. “Yeah. Someone I’m trying to get rid of.”

  Her eyes lit up at that. “I’ll be right back.”

  I turned to re-enter the bathroom when Rocky, Wildman’s Sgt. at Arms, stopped me.

  “Hey, brother, you done with that little virgin cutie we brought in for you?” I stiffened, seeing the lust in his drug hazed eyes. He leaned in as if he were going to tell me a secret. “I want to get my hands on her pussy before prez does. Know what I mean?” he grinned.

  Yeah, I knew exactly what he meant, and I wasn’t going to let that happen. I was going to have to sneak Ginger out of there later that night, because my gut was telling me that the men were growing impatient to try out new pussy.

  Wildman could take her anytime he wanted.

  “Yeah, brother, I know what you mean. Girl’s got a sweet little snatch.”

  “You’re one lucky fucker,” Rocky went on to say. “The bitch I got stuck with was a fragile, ugly little virgin. Couldn’t take it rough. Fuck,” he began to laugh. “Wildman almost cut off my dick when it came time to give her up and she was fucking dead.” He laughed some more, and I clenched my hands at my side so that he couldn’t see my reaction to his confession.

  “What the fuck did you do to her?” I’m sure he thought that my sneer was a grin.

  He snorted, a stupid look on his face. “Fuck, it wasn’t me. Little bitch locked herself in the bathroom and cut her wrist.” He leaned in again. “At least I popped her cherry before she did it. Fucked her in the ass, too.”

  Jesus, I didn’t want to imagine what the woman had experienced under his hands before she had taken her own life. Rocky was a sick, twisted fucker, and I’d seen him with some of the club whores. He’d taken a page right out of Wildman’s book. He was more than just rough with them, he liked to leave a permanent mark on them.

  “At least she went to her maker knowing how good my dick felt inside her.”

  It was all I could do not to slam my fist into his smug face. Men who preyed on the weak and bragged about it were on the top of my list of people who needed to meet their maker. He probably believed the shit he was spewing, too. I didn’t say anything to him, afraid that I’d give my revulsion away.

  “So, where’s your little virgin?”

  I released a deep breath. “Showering.”

  “Oh, I gotta see that!” Rocky said with enthusiasm. He reached for the doorknob, but I stopped him by covering it with my hand.

  I knew he was an officer, that he could pull his SGT. at Arms card and force me to step back. But I also knew that Wildman had set the rules of this little game, and I doubted that Rocky would take a chance and piss off his president. Wildman was a wild card. You never knew where you stood with him. He could be your best friend one minute and your worst enemy the next. I’d seen it happen, and my gut told me that the man was psycho. That was why I needed to get Ginger out of there as soon as possible.

  I kept my eyes narrowed on Rocky, realizing that I had to give him something or the situation could turn to shit. I grinned in the face of his growing anger. “Why don’t you come back tonight and we’ll double team her?” I’d seen him in a threesome before and I knew he liked that shit. It wasn’t lost on me that I’d also invited the whore to come back to my room later. They were both in for a disappointment. “I’ll even let you pick which hole to plug.”

  He seemed to consider it for a minute, and then his face broke into a leering grin. “I like that fucking idea, brother.” He gave my shoulder a friendly pat. “I’ll be back later.” He walked away whistling.

  I knocked on the bathroom door. “Open up, angel.” I was surprised when Ginger opened the door almost immediately. She was hiding behind it, wrapped up tight i
n the sheet, and I took in the wet betrayal in her pretty blues. Fuck, she’d obviously overheard me talking to Rocky. As I stepped closer she flattened herself against the wall.

  “I thought you were different,” she started, huge, round tears finally spilling from her eyes. “But I heard you tell him that you would share me with him tonight.” She bit down on her quivering bottom lip. “I’ll kill myself before I let another man touch me.”

  Her passionate declaration scared the shit out of me, because I sensed that she meant what she said. She would try. I wanted to tell her that I was going to help her escape, but I couldn’t jeopardize my position, so I let anger rule my response. “You think I’m going to be able to keep Wildman and his men from taking you?” I snapped, baring my teeth. I didn’t want her to think that I was a good man, because I wasn’t. I closed the distance between us, slamming my hands against the wall on either side of her head. “I’m one of his men, baby. I took your virginity. I’m no different from the rest of them.” I slammed my mouth down on hers, taking her innocence all over again.

  She fought me like a wildcat, yanking my hair in an attempt to pull me off of her. She shouldn’t have bit down on my lip, because the pain only turned me on. My dick stretched and hardened between us, and before long I was grinding it into her struggling body. Her whimpers echoed around us, sounding weak and pitiful against my groans. I caught both of her wrists and slammed her hands on the wall above her head. She bit my tongue, and I jerked back with a grunt.

  “Don’t make me hurt you,” I snarled in a hard voice. I secured both wrists in one hand and reached for her sheet with the other. With one, violent tug she was naked. I had acted impulsively, I didn’t have a plan, but I was so fucking hard, and her fighting only increased my arousal. My blood was on fire for her, and I wanted to fucking own her.

  I lowered my head and nipped, licked, and sucked at her swollen tits, stimulating her nipples into sweet, edible berries that tempted me to put my mouth on them. To savor them. As her body arched with eagerness, it was then that I realized that Ginger was no longer fighting me. I followed the enticing curves of her body down to her pussy and was just about to sink my fingers inside her wet heat when there was a knock at the door.

  Fuck! I tensed and met the blue fire of arousal in Ginger’s eyes. We were both breathing heavily, and I imagined that the stamp of hunger on her face was a reflection of what she was seeing on mine.

  “Please don’t share me,” she pleaded.

  “You in there, baby?”

  Holding Ginger against the wall, I reached over and opened the door. The club whore came in, her gaze scanning the room until they stopped where Ginger and I were standing behind the door. Her expression turned bitchy.

  “I thought you wanted to get rid of her,” she sneered. She let her gaze drop to the outline of my hard dick. “Doesn’t look that way to me.”

  I shrugged, giving her a grin. “What can I say, baby, I like pussy, and she’s available. Doesn’t mean I don’t want yours later.” That put the smile back on her face. She held out the clothes that were in her hands.

  “I don’t know why you want her to get dressed,” the whore began, giving Ginger an unfriendly look. “I heard talk in the bar. The men are getting restless. Though I don’t see why, she ain’t nothing special.”

  “Thanks. I’ll make it up to you.”

  She pressed her lips together and gave me an air kiss before she began to back out. “Oh, before I forget, Wildman’s called church. He wants all his men present.” She pulled the door closed behind her.

  Fuck, this would be the first time I’d be attending one of his meetings. I’d spent six months picking up drunken comments and eavesdropping where I could. What amazed me was how much the whores knew, although anything serious seemed to be locked down tight. This could finally be my chance to give Stone something decent to work with.

  I handed Ginger the clothes, a feeling of urgency coming over me. I needed to get out there fast. “Get dressed.”

  “Please don’t let those other men touch me.”

  She was trembling badly, but in spite of that she managed to slip the tee over her head and pull on the jeans. I clenched my teeth, hating the frightened, vulnerable look in her pleading eyes. I wanted to alleviate her fears, fuck, I did, but there was a lot more at stake than her. I owed my loyalty to my club.

  I ignored her comment, reached for her hand, and dragged her back to my room. Pausing by the door, I waited until she turned back to me. “Lock the door behind me and do not leave this room, you understand?”

  She nodded, liquid glistening in her eyes. Fuck. Against my better judgment, I went to her. “I can’t say any more right now, but I’m getting you out of here tonight.” I regretted telling her the moment the words were out of my mouth, I should never have given her that much information, but I couldn’t take it back now. I curled my hand around the back of her neck and pulled her in for a kiss. “Okay?”

  “Thank you.” Her bottom lip quivered.

  It took real effort for me to pull away from her. Christ. She was a complication that I didn’t need.

  Chapter 8

  Ginger

  Present

  God, was that the smell of bacon? I turned over onto my back and took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the delicious aroma. It was bacon! When was the last time that I’d smelled bacon in my apartment? I jumped from my bed and rushed out to the kitchen, stopping abruptly when my blurry gaze landed on Rebel, who was standing at the stove. He turned my way, giving me a sexy grin that went straight to my core.

  “You didn’t have anything edible for breakfast, so I went out and bought a few things.” His gaze dropped down my body, reminding me that I was wearing little. I liked to sleep in boy shorts and crop tops. Rebel was only wearing jeans.

  “There’s yogurt in the fridge.” I rubbed the sleepiness from my eyes.

  He snorted. “Is that how you keep those smoking hot curves?”

  I slowly lowered my hands from my face to meet his eyes. I’d always been sensitive about my weight, knowing that my short stature didn’t allow for any extra pounds. I had them, however. “Is that your way of saying I’m fat?” God, I hated that word.

  His brows shot up over his startled eyes. “Hell, no, angel. I like the curves you have. Nice, suckable tits, a round ass I can sink my hands into, hips I can hold on to when I’m pounding into you.” With each syllable he uttered my eyes grew wide, and I ran out of breath, my jaw dropping with disbelief. He winked at me with amusement. “I especially like your mouth, baby.”

  I snapped my jaw closed, wishing that I could think of a response that would put Rebel in his place, or at least knock him down a notch, because I sensed that he knew exactly what he was doing to me. Heat infused me from the inside out, caused by the intimacy of his explicit words. A pleasant tingle in my pussy revealed that my body wasn’t immune to his filthy talk. I was frozen in place, staring at the godly stud that was casually flipping bacon over. Even my stomach was on board, because damn, we hadn’t had bacon in a long time.

  My belly growled, which caused Rebel to laugh. I was on the verge of going in for the bacon when my eyes caught the clock on the wall above the sink, and I stopped. “Shit! I forgot to check on Della!” I had forgotten to set my alarm the night before, and it was now eleven o’clock in the morning. Without another word I bolted for the door, and then remembered that I needed my keys. When I swung back around to retrieve them, Rebel was standing there, a cocky grin on his sexy mouth, and my keys dangling from his fingers.

  “I had to borrow them when I left for the store,” he grinned.

  This meant that he’d gone through my purse. I’d bitch at him for that later, but right now I had to take care of Della. I snatched the keys from his hand and ran.

  Her apartment was just as quiet as it had been the night before and the kitchen light was still on, telling me that she probably hadn’t left her bed. I went directly to her bedroom, hearing the faint sound of v
oices as I approached, and once inside I found that the TV was on. Della was still in bed, and sometime after I’d left her she’d pulled the folded blankets back over her. Shaking my head, I went to her and put my hand on her forehead. She was still warm, but not feverish.

  I looked down at the trash can that I’d left her and tried not to gag, taking it to the bathroom and flushing the contents down the toilet. Then I put the can into the tub and filled it with water, adding some cleaner to it before returning to the bedroom for her glass. I refilled it, got a couple more aspirin, and headed back to Della. I sat down on the edge of the bed.

  “Honey?” I pulled the covers off her head.

  “I’m here,” she said. “What time is it?”

  “Eleven. Do you feel any better?”

  She opened her eyes. “A little. I think I know where I got it from.”

  “Here, take these,” I smiled.

  She scooted up into a sitting position. “A couple of days ago I waited on a table where one of the customers complained of being under the weather.” She took the pills and water, handing me back the glass. “Later another customer complained that someone had been sick in the men’s room and left a mess.”

  “I remember that.” I got up and arranged the pillows behind her back. “Which means that I’ll probably get hit with this later.” I could only hope that the vitamin C that I took regularly would help fight it off.

  Della chuckled low. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you.”

  “You better,” I joked, sitting back down on the bed. “Do you think you can eat something?”

  She made a face. “No way. I don’t even want coffee.”

  “Well, you’re not going to work today.” I decided not to say anything about the trouble that had happened the night before after she’d left. “Vinny will just have to understand.”

  “I need the money‒”

  I gave her a stern look. “You’re not going in,” I said firmly. “And you can’t tell me that with all of the hours we’ve put in this week that you haven’t made a killing in tips.”