by Brook Wilder
Hopefully, Kayla’s nerve would hold out. I managed to make my way down the stairs without tottering over. My heels held out, thankfully. I didn’t fancy falling flat on my face in front of the Russians and Cartel members wandering around the lobby, looking for any excuse to have a fight.
I was aware of people watching me as I crossed towards the basement door. Some of the men wolf-whistled. But I kept walking, even as a shiver went down my back. My legs felt weak, and I felt sick. My belly and back were hurting, the pain going into my pelvis.
Please God, I thought. Don’t let me be miscarrying now.
Taking Miguel’s hand, I allowed him to help me down the steep stairs. The humid temperature hit me in the face. It was like stepping into a sauna. As we descended, I could hear grunts, groans, and chains rattling. The sounds made me want to run back upstairs, but Miguel’s fingers tightened. It was as if he knew what I was thinking.
As we reached the bottom and turned the corner, I stopped abruptly, my heart falling to my feet. Diesel was strung up by chains in the middle of a private domination room, blood splattering the floor around him. His right shoulder wasn’t looking right, bending at a strange angle. I could barely see his face because of all the blood.
Fernandez and one of the other men, Ricardo, were taking it in turns to attack him. They alternated between fists and kicks and weapons. Diesel was grunting, his body jerking with the attacks, but he wasn’t screaming. His jaw was tight, and under all the blood there was a look of extreme pain.
He wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer.
Fernandez turned. He had stripped off the jacket he had been wearing when first entering, his sleeves rolled up above his elbows. Blood splattered his shirt and the shirt itself was sticking to him, but his eyes were alight and shining. He was having a lot of fun.
He grinned at me, looking me up and down with a hungry expression—like a wolf sizing up his meal. “Hello, Amber. Glad you could join the party.”
“What are you doing to him?”
“Oh, with Jacobsen?” Fernandez indicated Diesel’s slumping form. “Just having a bit of fun.”
My stomach churned even more. “That hardly looks like fun to me.”
Fernandez chuckled. He approached me, sliding a bloody finger up my arm and over my shoulder. I fought the urge to pull away, my skin crawling at his touch.
“Don’t worry your pretty little head about it, sweetheart,” Fernandez purred. “It’s none of your concern, except for your entertainment.”
Entertainment. I looked at Diesel, who was looking at me with dark, angry eyes. Even in pain, he was furious. I wanted to go to him, wrap my arms around him and tell him I was sorry. Anything to have him smile again.
But Fernandez now had a tight hold on my arm. And he was tugging me towards a bulky black armchair nearby. He sat, spread his thighs, and dragged me down.
“Sit. We can share.”
I didn’t want to be anywhere near him. I wanted to get out of there. Fernandez’s hand tightened around my wrist, dragging me until I fell into his lap. I heard Diesel growl and glanced over my shoulder. The look in his eyes as he glared at Fernandez was pure murderous hate.
I had to look away, lest I burst into tears. Then I forced myself to settle across Fernandez’s lap, trying to avoid the bulging erection as it nudged against my thigh. Fernandez chuckled and drew me closer.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I don’t bite.”
“I beg to differ.” I indicated to Diesel. “You certainly do bite, and your bark’s not much better, either.”
“Fair enough.”
I couldn’t take my eyes away as Ricardo picked up a four-by-two, swung it a few times like a baseball bat, and then hit Diesel across the back. Diesel grunted, his bloody teeth clenched tight as he threw his head back. Then he slumped again.
“Why so coy, Amber?” Fernandez asked as he rubbed my back.
“What?”
“You shied away. You’re not frightened of a little blood, are you?”
I hadn’t realized I had flinched. “This is cruel.”
“No, it isn’t.” Fernandez shook his head. “It’s called ‘justice.’ He killed my man, so I’m going to kill him.”
“Carlos shouldn’t have tempted fate.”
I stiffened as Fernandez wrapped his hand in my hair and tightened his grip. His expression didn’t change, but his eyes hardened.
“Are you siding with that bastard hanging there like a stuck pig?”
“It’s how I see it,” I said evenly. “He knew Diesel would be pushed too far, and he took it over the top. Carlos got what he wanted, and that was to have Diesel put a target on his back.”
I had no idea where I got the strength to say that. No one said anything against Fernandez without some repercussion. And Fernandez was not above harming a woman; Liz was testament to that.
Fernandez gave me a hard look. Then he tugged my head down until their mouths were inches apart.
“Maybe I should string you up as well,” he whispered, licking along the seam of my lips. “Which would be a shame; I’d rather see what all the fuss is about with you and why you’re worth it.”
The thought of having Fernandez inside me made me want to throw up. I swallowed back the bile and gave him a small smile.
“I’ll have a think about it.”
Fernandez stared. Then he laughed and kissed me, settling me against him.
“Smart mouth you’ve got there. I like it.” He tapped my nose, more of a warning than affectionate. “But I don’t need your mouth to be smart, just open.”
“Take your hands off her, Fernandez,” Diesel growled weakly. He tried to stand, but his legs kept slipping out from under him. “Leave her alone.”
Fernandez laughed again, his arm tightening around my waist as he adjusted me again, this time draping my legs over the armchair so that my back pressed against his erection. I had to resist the urge to wriggle away. I slid my legs up and curled into Fernandez’s lap. Now my boots were inches away from my hand, and Fernandez was too focused on Diesel to notice what I was up to.
“Leave her alone?” Fernandez was clearly enjoying this. “I’m not the one who’s draped all over me like a little cat with its master. You really shouldn’t trust women, Jacobsen. I told you that before. You trusted this girl, and she betrayed you. Like they all do. They’re only good for fucking, nothing more.”
Fernandez and Ricardo were focused on Diesel. Diesel was glaring at Fernandez. No one was paying attention to me as I reached for one stiletto and twisted it. The fabric gave way easily and the stiletto was then in my hand. I hid it in my lap, pretending to snuggle up to Fernandez.
“Maybe I should fuck this one in front of you.” Fernandez began stroking my hair. “See if I can get her to scream more than you ever did.”
Diesel snorted.
“You’d be hard pushed to do it.”
Fernandez snorted.
“Arrogant, even when you’re tied up and broken. To the last. You bikers never learn.”
“Oh, we learn. We learn all the time.” Diesel’s eyes flickered to me. “And we know who to trust.”
He knew. He knew what I was up to. I reached down and got the second stiletto off without Fernandez noticing. Not that he would notice me doing anything; he was too interested in gloating at Diesel. I looked up at Diesel again, who gave me the barest of nods.
“You didn’t know how to trust Amber, did you? She’s already turned on you. The mother of your baby.” Fernandez placed a hand on my belly, and I had to stop myself from flinching. “I don’t get it. What is it about the bikers that make them so fertile? You fuckers get women pregnant left, right, and center.” He paused. “Now that’s an idea. Maybe we should castrate the bikers we catch. Make sure they can’t breed.”
Diesel snarled. I felt very cold, even as the temperature in the room had sweat trickling down my back and between my breasts.
“And what about babies already conceived?” she asked.
>
“They’d be adopted into the Cartel. They won’t know the truth of their parentage.” Fernandez nipped at my earlobe with his teeth. “And we could do with some recruits.”
That was not going to happen. Not if I had anything to do with it. I wouldn’t let that happen while I was still breathing.
Then I heard something. It was like music to my ears. Above, there was a loud rumbling sound. It was a very distinctive noise, one that I heard many times over. That noise was usually accompanied by Diesel moments later walking into the brothel, a smile on his face.
Their backup had arrived. I had to stop myself from jumping up and down in joy.
“What the…?”
Fernandez dumped me onto the armchair and surged to his feet. He and Ricardo were now staring at the ceiling. Then I heard gunshots. A lot of it. Diesel chuckled weakly.
“Sounds like we’ve got more people on our side than you thought.”
Fernandez snarled. He indicated Ricardo and Miguel, who was still hovering by the stairs.
“Check it out. Now.”
Both men drew their weapons and hurried up the stairs. Fernandez turned to Diesel, grabbing his hair and yanking his head up.
“How did you get a message out, you bastard?” he demanded. “How?”
I jumped up and ran over to him. With one of the stilettos, I stabbed him in the back. Fernandez yelled and let go of Diesel abruptly.
“He got a message out through me, you asshole!”
I managed to tug the stiletto out as Fernandez spun around. His eyes were wide and wild. He lurched towards me, and I swiped at his face with one stiletto and jabbed the other into his gut. I felt it go through flesh, warm blood filling my hand. Fernandez gurgled and fell to his knees. He tried to grab at me, but I backed away, dropping the heels. Then he slumped sideways, curling into a fetal position.
He didn’t get back up again.
Chapter Forty One
Diesel
I hadn’t known what to think when I saw Amber coming downstairs, dressed like she was ready to fuck. How could she not know by now that she was back in danger? Surely she wasn’t compliant with it all?
Watching her drape herself all over Fernandez had made me feel sick. I didn’t want to see that. Then I saw what Amber was up to. Those boots of hers were her favorite, even though they were falling apart. Amber protested that she didn’t want to give them up until they had completely worn out. I had joked that those stilettos could do some damage.
Amber must have remembered what I said.
I felt powerless as Amber fought Fernandez, but she held her own, stabbing Fernandez in the gut before the man slumped to the ground. He curled up, but he didn’t die. I didn’t think that would kill him, but it would certainly slow him down.
But I didn’t want to hang around to find out.
Amber dropped the stilettos, her hands covered in blood. Her face was pale and streaked with sweat. But her eyes were clear as she stepped around Fernandez and reached for the manacles clamping onto my wrists.
“You need…” I coughed, spitting blood onto the floor with every word. “You need the key. It’s… It’s on the wall behind me.”
Amber nodded and disappeared out of sight. Moments later, she reappeared, a key in her hand. She unlocked my chains and caught me as I collapsed. I tried to stand on my own, but I found my legs sliding out from under me. My left leg wasn’t working, and the rest of my body felt like it was on fire. Fernandez and his men had done a real number on me.
If they had gone on any longer, I wouldn’t have been able to hold out.
“Shit!” Amber sagged to the floor with me, trying to sit me up. “Can you move on your own?”
“I want to try.”
But when I put my right arm down to push myself up, pain exploded across my shoulder and I fell onto my side with a cry.
“Diesel!”
“My shoulder.”
Amber looked at it, chewing her lip. Then her lips tightened, and she scrambled around to my bad shoulder.
“Let me help.” She took my hand and lifted my arm. “Tell me what to do.”
“Bend my arm at an angle and press on it.” I could hardly speak through the pain. Black spots were exploding in front of my eyes. “Then push my elbow up when I push towards you.”
Amber’s face was still pale, but she didn’t protest. She bent my elbow at ninety degree and pressed down. I snarled and pushed back. Within moments, I heard a popping sound and felt my arm go back into place. The sensation made me dizzy. I pushed Amber aside and rolled over, sweat dripping into my eyes from pain.
I eased back, trying not to fall face first. Amber was at my side immediately. Diesel saw she was trembling. I drew her into mine, and held her tightly as she shuddered against his chest.
She was saying something, but her voice was muffled. I tilted her head up, stroking her cheek. “What did you say?”
“I’m so sorry.” Amber had been crying, tears falling down her cheeks. She sniffed and wiped at her nose with her wrist. “I didn’t think Khloe would do that to me. I wasn’t…”
I didn’t want to hear anymore. This was not the time. I kissed her, swallowing her words. Amber gasped and clutched me, kissing me furiously back. When I drew away, blood was smudged on Amber’s jaw and cheek. There was also a patch on her forehead. I tried to wipe the blood away, only for it to smear even more.
“Let’s not talk about that now,” I said gruffly. “We’ll discuss everything once we’re out of here.”
“Okay.” Amber nodded. “Can you stand?”
“I’ll try, if you help.”
I concentrated, leaning on Amber as I pushed myself to my feet. Everything in me said that I needed to lie still, but I wasn’t about to bleed out down here. I needed to get to everyone else.
“The others are coming for us,” I said through gritted teeth. “We need to get upstairs.”
“You won’t be able to manage going up those stairs.”
“I can try.”
Amber paused.
“Khloe would have built a secret passage out this way. Just in case of a police raid. We’ve never used it, but Khloe’s mentioned it.”
“Do you think you can find it?”
“I think so.”
Amber scanned the walls, her eyes landing on a statue standing in the corner. Easing out from under my arm, she walked over and inspected the statue. Especially her breasts.
“What the fuck are you doing, Amber?”
“These are false breasts.”
“What?”
Amber used both hands to press down on the statue’s naked breasts. To my surprise, we sank into the statue. There was a clicking sound, and one of the metal stacks slowly swung out. Behind it was an open door, just about wide enough for us to get through.
I had never seen anything like it.
“Khloe’s not the type to appreciate art,” Amber said grimly as she came back to my side. “That looked out of place with everything else.” She took her left arm, looping it over her shoulder. “Let’s go. It will come out into the street behind us.”
I was still staring at the statue as we went into the passageway. It was too narrow for us to go side by side, so Amber went in first and I followed after her. It was a tight squeeze, and I found myself scraping against the walls. Soon, the passage widened into walls, ceiling and floor made of brick.
That’s when it hit me. Some older buildings had these passages built from from the Prohibition Era, used to smuggle alcohol from under the noses of the Feds.
Khloe had certainly taken advantage of them.
Amber was starting to slow. Then she stopped and leant against the wall, breathing heavily. I stumbled over to her, leaning beside her. I touched her back, aware of her flinching.
“Hey. Amber. Look at me.”
Amber hesitated. Then she turned towards me and pressed her back against the wall. Sweat covered her body, soaking through her dress. She looked exhausted.
I wa
nted to hold her and never let go. “You did well in there, honey,” I whispered. “Fernandez had no idea.”
“I wanted to do something.” Amber’s voice was dry. She licked her lips and swallowed, her voice coming back clearer. “I knew they were going to make me watch. I wasn’t going to sit there and watch you die.”
“I’m glad you didn’t.”
My head was spinning. I needed to sit down soon. But I couldn’t find the strength to keep going. I brushed a strand of hair away from Amber’s face. It felt strange, being intimate when there was a gun battle going on above our heads, but I didn’t care.